The Colorful Phi Ta Khon Festival of Dan Sai

In particular on the first day (Friday), a lot of kids were dressed up and wearing the typical Phi Ta Khon masks

Friday, June 22, 2012: Dan Sai, Loei Province

It was rather a coincidence when I had learned about one of Thailand's most colorful festivals just a few weeks ago. I had never been to Dan Sai or to Loei province before which both seem quite underrated when it comes to international tourism in Thailand. I also had no idea whether I would find accommodation as it is said that the festival is very popular amongst Thais and one should check the dates of the festival and make hotel reservations well ahead of time.

A little boy who obviously got quite hot under that mask

Only a few days before, I called the Loei's Tourist Office and spoke to a woman called Pat who was very helpful. She managed to arrange a homestay for me, a fan room in Dan Sai with shared facilities for 400 Baht. Eventually the room had private facilities but was really more like a shack attached to the main house but considering that I was within walking distance to the festivities, I did not complain.

However, the problem eventually was that the place was very noisy and apart from the mentioned festival it seemed that it was also the time and place for a (motor)biker gathering and some of them drove up and down that small street until very late at night or more like until early morning whereas just before 6 a.m. all roosters in the neighborhood started their morning crowing, so after the third night with sleep problems, I have to admit that I was in quite a grumpy mood.

Two girls having fun taking photos with their (or their mother's) phone

Nevertheless, the festival itself was worth the trip. It is actually scheduled for 3 days, but on the third day there are no more parades or processions, only 13 consecutive Buddhist sermons at the Phon-Chai Temple at 4:00 a.m. (!) which is probably when I finally managed to fall asleep after having been kept awake by motorbike engine sounds and dog barks. Needless to say that I gave the sermons a miss this time around.

This was a rather unusual mask

On Friday, the first day of the festival there were ceremonies at the temple, performances on the stage in front of the Dan Sai District Office and dance competitions among groups of which many were made up by students from local schools.

These guys looked like they belonged to Colonel Kurtz's private army

On Saturday it got very busy as many Thais came to attend and participate from nearby provinces and from as far as Bangkok. The main street of Dan Sai was filled with people and vehicles turned into stages followed or preceded by groups of dancers and performers. It all had a bit of a carnivalesque feeling to it and Dan Sai, usually a sleepy farming village turned for 2 days into a vibrant festival town.

Thailand to Laos and Back

Thailand on the right hand side and Laos on the other side of the Mekong River

Wednesday, June 20, 2012: Nong Khai

I had mainly come to Nong Khai to renew my Thai visa by crossing the border to Laos and getting a 15-day permit to remain in Thailand after reentering. All this can be done within two hours at the most.

I took a tuk-tuk from my hotel to the western bank of the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge which was opened on April 8, 1994, and was the first bridge across the lower Mekong. After passing Thai immigration and leaving Thailand, there are shuttle buses to take people across the bridge where one applies for the visa for Laos which is for 30-days, cost USD 35 for my passport (Austrian) and requires 1 passport photo. If you don't have the photo, it costs USD 1 extra. It also costs another USD 1 if you cross after 6 p.m. or on weekends as this is considered overtime!

2 young Thai monks - they were more but I had to reset my camera and by then most had disappeared

Once you enter Laos, you can either continue and visit the country - the capital Vientiane is only 20 kms away - or you can basically make a U-turn and board the shuttle bus again and go back to the Thai side where you are stamped and on you go.

Apart from my border crossing adventure, I called the Thai tourist office in Loei and was lucky to secure a room at a guesthouse in Dan Sai where the Phi Ta Khon (Ghost) festival will take place. The festivities will last from June 22-24, so I will stay for four nights and leave on June 25. I don't expect that the guesthouse will have internet, so news about the festival will follow after I will be connected to the World Wide Web again.

A small temple near the Mekong riverside and my attempt at HDR-processing

On June 21, I will go back to Udon Thani as there seems to be no bus from Nong Khai to Dan Sai and take it from there. It is all a bit fuzzy still but knowing that I will have a bed during my stay there is already a big relief.

Details of the day:

In Nong Khai, I am staying at the Nongkhai City Hotel (www.nongkhaicityhotel.com/) which is very new and well located.

The tuk-tuk ride to and from the Friendship Bridge were 50 THB each, the shuttle bus ticket 15 THB to the Lao side and 20 THB back but that is because of the less favorable exchange rate for the THB in Laos.

Diptic - A Mini-Story App

Colorful Tuk-tuks at Udon Thani's Railway Station (a Diptic montage)

Monday, June 18, 2012: Udon Thani

It was a lazy day in Udon Thani and I mainly did some research for my next stops which would involve crossing the border to Laos in order to get a 15-day visa when re-entering Thailand and going to the Dan Sai district in Loei Province for the Phi Ta Khon or Ghost Festival which is supposed to be held on June 22 and 23 reflecting the local Isan belief in ghosts and spirits.


When browsing the App Store from my MacBook, I came across "Diptic", a collage or as I call it, a mini-story app for the Mac. I know Diptic from the iPhone/iPad but wasn't aware that it existed for the Mac (until now, that is).

A Fruit Seller near Udon Thani's Railway Station (using Diptic for showing people's different poses in one picture)

At 0.79 Euro cents it is a steal for what it can do. One can select from 56 frame-layouts which are fully adjustable and can hold from one to six photos per layout. These layouts start out as squares but can be turned into rectangles of different dimensions and even into circles. I like it in particular that border widths and colors can be changed and there are even tools to make certain adjustments to your photos once they have been imported into the frames.


I consider it a Mini-Story Telling app as it lets you show a sequence of pictures telling more about an event, an encounter you might have had or a trip you have taken, or it could show a building, a product or a person from different angles and at different moments while still staying within the dimensions of one picture. So far, I really like it.

My Fish Lunch at a Nearby Market

Details of the day:

I had wanted to take the train from Bangkok all the way down to Singapore but now with staying longer in Thailand due to the Ghost Festival, I decided to book a flight. I usually use www.checkfelix.com as it quotes directly in Euros and prices seem competitive. But this time I was transferred to www.bravofly.com and shortly after making the booking (but not having received the confirmation) I received a call that the price had gone up by Euro 2.67 and the person on the telephone wanted my credit card number. I was hesitant at first but after calling the company via Skype, I finally agreed. Then it still didn't work out and I had to wait for the cancellation of the transaction and rebook. In the meantime the price had gone up some 7 Euros but eventually I got the confirmation. First time it had been so complicated to book a flight on-line.

But now I am set and will be in Singapore from July 3-10 before going to Kuching for the Rainforest World Music Festival - July 13-15 - www://rwmf.net/

Searching for the (almost) Perfect Guesthouse

Elephants taking a Bath before the Show at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center near Lampang (June 16, 2012)

Sunday, June 17, 2012: Udon Thani

While traveling in India and Thailand, I tend to stay at small guest houses or hotels which range between 10 to 20 Euros per night. I am not asking for a lot of things but there are some essential criteria when booking a room.

• I want my own room. I have definitely gotten too old for staying in dorm rooms.
• I want my own bathroom/toilet.
• I want internet, preferably WiFi as it lets me use my MacBook and iPad simultaneously.
• Depending on the climate and temperature, I need either heating or a fan (preferably a ceiling fan) or air-condition. That's more or less it and in most cases these requirements can be fulfilled quite easily.

I have been using a mixture of hostelbooking.com, hostelworld.com, agoda.com as well as travelfish.org and airbnb. The latter mostly for places where hotels might be rather expensive or more expensive and the cheap ones might be just that (Budapest, Venice, Istanbul, Singapore and Kuching so far).

However, I often think that it would not be too difficult to set up the perfect guest house and I do not mean building it, but just equipping the rooms. Here is my Top-Seven-List:

1. A shower with plenty of hot water. Not just trickling but the full blast. Even in hot climates like India, Thailand, Cambodia, etc., I do like a hot shower in the morning.
2. Decent internet and I mean in the room, not in some public area. Ideally WiFi as said before.
3. A desk! I need a place to set up my laptop.
4. Good lighting, both in the room as well as in the bathroom. I do not need romantic lighting any longer, I like my rooms well lit. If all lights could be switched on/off when in bed, that would be an awesome bonus.
5. Sufficient working power outlets. Just the other day, I stayed in a room and none of the outlets could hold a plug - they were so loose that the plugs fell out but this was a first for me. I do travel with a powerbar with 3 outlets as there is always equipment to be charged.
6. A map with directions and if possible with some indications as for transportation costs, whether by taxi, tuk-tuk, bus, etc. A photocopied map is fine and easy to update.
7. Hangars and/or hooks for clothes. I have had rooms where I literally had to live out of the suitcase as there was not a single hook.

I normally do not need a TV but with the EURO 2012 going on I have changed my mind on that one temporarily, and I do not need daily cleaning - every other or third day is usually fine.

In retrospect, one of the best guest houses I have ever stayed in was the Jade Emu (http://www.jade-emu.com/) in Dali, Yunnan, China. I think I have stayed there on 3 different occasions and Dave and his partner Song have turned this one and the Jade Roo which is just down the road into two exemplary lodging facilities.

Details of the day:

1. Surada Guesthouse here in Udon Thani - 450 THB per night.
2. Tuk-tuk from the bus station to the Surada Guesthouse this morning - 80 THB

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.

Blast into the Past - Train Travel in Thailand

Giant Buddha at Wat Pongsanook in Lampang

Friday, June 15, 2012: Lampang

I like Lampang - a small Thai town not overrun by tourists, at least not at this time of the year, in mid-June. My guesthouse is on the riverside and everything just seems a 20 Baht-ride away. Getting a songthaew to the bus station was quick, from there it was a 3km walk to the railway station, and Thai railway stations are the most relaxed one can imagine. While the same in China are almost like airports with security checks, ticket control at the gate and special permission for non-travelers to visit the platforms, one is free to wander the station, the platforms and any adjacent areas in Thailand.

At Lampang railway station

I crossed the tracks numerous times to get to some remote railway carriage - no warnings, no one stopping me from doing so. Well, it has to be said that only some 5 trains pass Lampang in either direction when going from Bangkok to Chiang Mai or vice versa, and that is it. There might be some local or freight trains but there are no tracks into any other direction, only north and south.

I have taken the train a few times and unless one is in a hurry and time is an issue, it is a wonderful way to travel. The traveling time between the two cities takes from 12 to 15 hours depending on the train, and sometimes you would need to add a few hours in case of delays.

In the late afternoon, I strolled along the riverside passing a large temple area I could not find a name for and ended up at Wat Pongsanook which houses a giant lying/leaning Buddha. Most temples in Thailand - an exception are the famous ones in Bangkok - are free to enter and admire. Monks usually stay in their living quarter areas and one might see them coming or going but otherwise there is not much interaction. Dogs will bark at you and soon all dogs from the area will come around and join the barking but eventually they will accept the new visitor.

Riverside at sunset

For tomorrow, I joined a small group visiting the nearby elephant camp and then I will continue to Udon Thani by over night bus. The plan is to go to Dan Sai for the Phi Ta Khon (Ghost) Festival on June 22-23 but first I need to secure some accommodation there and also do a borderrun to Laos to get a 15-day visa for Thailand before mine runs out on June 23. So, no post tomorrow as I will be on the bus.

Details of the day:

1. Bus ticket from Lampang to Udon Thani 666 Thai Baht - traveling time approx. 10 hours.

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.

ATMs - A Lesson Learnt!

A young boxer at last night's Thai Muay

Thursday, June 14, 2012: Chiang Mai - Lampang

This morning I had it all figured out. I was packed, went for breakfast to my usual hangout in Chiang Mai, Bubbles Live, was ready to check out of my hotel by 12:00 and head to the bus station for Lampang. But first I needed to get money and turned to one of the ATMs on my way, when the problems began ...

3 ATMs next to each other - the first didn't like my card, the second was only willing to dispense 2000 Baht but I wanted 20,000, simply because every time one withdraws money from an ATM in Thailand, the transaction costs 150 Baht! Everything went fine but as I was waiting for the cash or some message on the screen nothing happened ...WT# ...suddenly I noticed that the money was in a slot below but no message or sound, and before I could react, the machine retrieved it again ... AND ... spit out a receipt slip over 20,150 Baht! 

There I was, no cash but a receipt and how could I prove that I had not received the money? Well, finally I managed to get the bank on the phone, 4 people showed up, lots of talk with a Thai woman from a nearby restaurant who helped with translation but no sign of a solution. So, they took me to the main office of the bank which by the way was Krungthai Bank. The manager spoke some English and said that it would take 2 hours as they had to check the money in the ATM. He agreed to have his driver take me back to the hotel, where I got my bags, checked out and back to the bank we went. I also was worried that finally the transaction might have been cancelled and they would tell me that I had to check with my bank back home which might take days until that transaction might have been confirmed.

A Thai Spirit-house

Fortunately, about 90 minutes later the manager handed me the money and also had a colleague drive me to the bus station for my bus to Lampang, which I then caught at 4:00 p.m - what a relief.

Lesson learnt - from now on I will make sure, sure, sure, that I only use ATMs which are located inside an actual bank. If I had withdrawn money last night as I had originally planned to and the same thing had happened, I would have most certainly had a sleepless night.

Details of the day:

1. Bus ticket from Chiang Mai to Lampang 111 Thai Baht - traveling time approx. 90 mins.
2. Songthaew from the bus station to the guesthouse - 20 Thai Baht
3. In Lampang I am staying at the R-Lampang Guesthouse (http://www.r-lampang.com/) - 550 Thai Baht - found it on www.travelfish.org

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.

A Bit of Multitasking

Inside of a temple in Chiang Mai

Monday, June 11, 2012: Chiang Mai

My traveling computer workhorse (or should I call it my workdonkey ;-) is still my 13-inch white MacBook I bought when back home in 2009. It only has 2 GB of RAM and slows down terrible when I use any photo processing software like Lightroom or Photoshop and even more so when I move from Lightroom to any of the NIK programs like Silver Efex Pro 2 or Color Efex Pro 4. Waiting time truly annoys on a computer as there are only so many cups of coffee one can drink or so many times one has to make a trip to the bathroom.

For the past year or so, I had wanted to buy a larger 15-inch MacPro with all the RAM I could get and afford but then I was leaving China last year until July, then travelled a bit, spent some time at home and went off again in Feb. 2013. Eventually, I had decided that I would wait for the new MacBooks which were about to be announced today!

Sitting in my hotel room in Chiang Mai, I had ditched my plans to attend a Thai Boxing event as I just didn't feel like it and thought there were too many people and tourists anyway. I had just wanted to try my new Canon 60D which has a higher ISO range than my 450D had when I shot a Thai Boxing night last (last) year. Not that I am into Thai boxing, I just wanted to see what kind of shots I would get. So, I postponed my adventure to Wednesday.

Just some blossoms I passed on my way from breakfast back to my hotel

So, I was trying to work on some of my photos, while watching the last episode of Trey's Variety Hour - #38 What's in Your Bag - on my iPad to the left of me. This way I can listen when I am doing some

work on my laptop and watch when the computer is in processing "Do not Disturb"-mode. At the same time, the football/soccer-game between England and France was on and I had it on my in-room TV a bit further to the left with the sound almost all the way down. 

But as whenever a goal was scored or something else important happened, I heard a crowd of spectators at a nearby pub cheer or comment in another way what was happening in the game. I knew that there were a lot of English people either visiting or living in Chiang Mai but the French crowd seemed equally strong.

Oh, and ever now and then I switched over to my browser window and checked what wired.com was blogging live from the WWDC as this time around I really want a new MacBook.

Details of the day:

1. Tried a new breakfast hangout but the woman thought that I had only ordered coffee instead of the full breakfast set - well, it finally worked but again I realized that it's better to always double-check.
2. Watched Trey's Variety Hour #38 "What's in Your Bag" and heard about that iPhone app "Marblecam" which is free. I downloaded it right away but haven't gotten around testing it.
3. Worked on my upcoming itinerary which will take me to Lamphun, Lampang and Kanachaburi before heading down to Hat Yai and crossing over to Malaysia.

My First Durian Ever

Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Si Satchanalai

It has been my experience in life so far that you often get the things you want at some stage. I am not talking about winning the lottery here necessarily but smaller trophies or experiences, just things you had on your mind but never tried or received while having them on the mental back burner.

For years, I had somehow wanted to try Durians, that yellowish, smelly food - some say it smells like sweaty feet - yuck - and one is not allowed to get on a bus with in Thailand for example. For some reasons I never have, probably also because I never heard anyone raving about it.

This morning, my homestay host lady who always serves me a plate of fruit for breakfast, had included besides pineapple that Durian fruit I had been curious about. I had not asked for it, so it was this - if you want it, you will eventually get it thing.

Well, to cut a long story short, I was not impressed at all. It tastes rather bland, there was no aggressive smell which was good but next to the pineapple it certainly did not live up to any expectations I might have had. Perhaps it is one of these things which grows on you like sushi or cream cheese with jam which is popular in Cuba, or it could be something people acquire a taste for from early on like it must be with chicken feet in China or fried scorpions and other critters here in Thailand.

I don't think that I will rush out to buy durians but I am glad that finally I satisfied my curiosity. By the way, one fruit I did develop a liking for in China and I almost loved from the very first time one, are pomelos - perhaps because they are a less sour version of grapefruits, but I truly like them.

The other good news today was that it had been worth staying the extra day as it was a sunny day after all and it made heading out to the temple ruins so much more worthwhile. The sky had a hint of blue, not like during my 7 weeks in India where it always was a spectacular blue and not like I remember it from Cambodia back in 2010. Somehow the sky in Thailand or at least the parts I have been to has never had this intensive blue - could it be air pollution?

But after 3 nights here in a small village with no internet, I have to admit that I am ready to move on. Tomorrow, I will head for Chiang Mai, one of my favorite places in Thailand.

Details of the day:

1. Admission to Si Satchanalai's Historical Park - 100 Thai Baht
2. I lost my hat which I had only bought a few weeks ago - the most puzzling thing is that I have absolutely no idea where and how I lost it, as I was in the park and there was no one else around. Well, it's gone and while it only cost 150 Baht, I kind of liked wearing it - so, I guess I will look for a new one up in Chiang Mai.
3. The book I am currently reading: Walter Isaac's Bio of Steve Jobs - I am reading it on my iPhone which I find so convenient - great read so far for an Apple fan and user like me.
4. Training Video I started to watch: Laura Shoe's Lightroom 4 Training from the CreativeLive series - 18 hours of Lightroom 4 training - that is a lot!

The Speed of Travel

Overlooking the site of Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in Chaliang from the top of  the prang

Tuesday, June 5, 2012: Si Satchanalai

I remember that right after graduating from high school, I went on a month-long Interrail trip all over Europe with a friend and classmate. Within 30 days, starting out from Munich, we went to the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy and back to Vienna. We arrived at over 20 train stations and visited as many museums along the way. We were almost constantly on the move and often spent 2 nights on the train traveling and the third night at some youth hostel trying to save money. We slept on the beach and on the construction site of a half-finished house somewhere in Spain.

But now, more than 30 years later, my traveling speed has changed or I should better say it has slowed down (tremendously). I like to travel slowly and tend to stay at least 3 nights, often more in one place. Since I left Vienna back in February, I spent 1 week in Venice for the Carnevale, another in Istanbul, 4 nights in Göreme, Cappadocia, over 6 weeks in India starting out in Kerala, then going to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, and am currently in Thailand where I have a 2-month visa before continuing to Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo and China.

"De-weeding" one of the structures at Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in Chaliang

Nowadays, I need more time to take in the different places and I can hardly see myself packing my bags every day. It gives me time to visit places slowly, revisit the ones I liked, spend leisure time having a coffee or a slow meal, use the internet, read, reflect on things and life in general, and I consider it a tremendous luxury being able to travel this way.

Just today, I decided that I will stay another night in Si Satchanalai as I am waiting for the sun. The last few days have been overcast and cloudy and I miss the sunlight in my photographs. And I remember that the weather forecast predicted sunshine for Wednesday.

Sitting Buddha in front of the prang at Wat Si Rattana Mahathat

My home stay is comfortable and very quiet, just as I like it. I have not seen another foreigner for 2 days which is rather rare here in Thailand. Earlier today, I explored the neighborhood by bike and tomorrow I will visit the historical park after I only did the nearby Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat this

morning. Sunshine, that is what I hope tomorrow will bring!

Details of the day:

1. Admission to Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Chaliang - 20 Thai Baht

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.

The "Indiana Jones" Bridge

Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat at Chaliang, Si Satchanalai

Monday, June 4, 2012: Sukhothai - Si Satchanalai

The bus left at 10:30 in the morning and it was heading for Chiang Rai, a 5.5 hour journey. But my

destination was nearer, the Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park, about 50km or 1 hour north of

Sukhothai. These ruins dating back to the 13th- to 15th-century are considered part of the Sukhothai

UNESCO World Heritage site and are the more remote, less touristy but also supposed to be the more

rustic and truly impressive ones.

The bus ride took a bit longer than expected as on the way people kept getting on and off and I think

I was the only foreigner on board. After getting off in Ban Hat Siaw and a roadside lunch, I had to

take a small songthaew back to the Papong Homestay I had made reservation for by phone earlier

in the morning and which was in Chaliang very close to the excavation sites.

The "Indiana Jones" Bridge in Chaliang

This home stay consists of only 3 rooms but I seemed to be the only guest. The room is clean and pleasant, has its private bathroom and is within walking distance to one of the sites, Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. Unfortunately, there is no internet but a friend of the owner showed me a nearby internet cafe but first we had to cross one of these suspended bridges on motorbike. The bridge looked right out of Indiana Jones and I was glad when we had ridden over those wooden planks there and back. Later, when I passed the bridge, a local with 3 kids in tow was about to cross when the little one got scared, started to cry and refused to go any further - he had my full sympathy.

When I tried to catch some afternoon light and photograph the nearby Wat, it started to rain heavily like most afternoons during the past few weeks. Here I am definitely in rural Thailand which is a nice change after places with tons of tourists.

I also rented a bicycle for getting to the historical park. So, tomorrow, I plan to start early.

Details of the day:

• Sukhothai - Tuk-tuk from TR Guesthouse to the bus station - 60 Thai Baht
• Bus ticket from Sukhothai to Ban Hat Siaw ( Si Satchanalai) - 50 Thai Baht
• Tuk-tuk from Ban Hat Siaw to Chaliang (Papong Homestay) - 150 Thai Baht (12km)
• Papong Homestay - room with private ensuite and ac - 500 Thai Baht
• Bicycle rental per 24 hours - 30 Thai Baht

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.


The photos have been post-processed using NIK Software's Snapseed for Mac and they convey the cloudy and rainy mood the scenery had when I was in Si Satchanalai.

Tripod or No Tripod?

Water Plants, Historical Park of Sukhothai

Saturday, June 2, 2012: Historical Park of Sukhothai - Northern Part

During my last teaching job in Kunming, China last year in 2011, I finally bought the Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 tripod and I got the 322RC2 Grip Action ballhead to go along with it. It was more or less the only decent Manfrotto ballhead I could get at any of the camera stores in Kunming, but I am somehow eager to replace it with a different ballhead. The 322RC2 is just a headache when you want to finetune a camera position as there is quite some friction.

I have had the tripod in my backpack since I left Vienna on March 13 as I want to push myself into using it more. Yesterday, on June 2, I went back to the Historical Park of Sukhothai and really gave my tripod a good workout. Apart from being able to bracket photos properly for HDR-experiments, the sharpness one gets, is truly amazing.

I took the above photo using the tripod and although there was a slight breeze, I think I am convinced to stick to it when doing landscape photography.

Here is a detail of a Buddha statue I took with my long 70-300 lens.

Buddha Detail at Wat Mae Chon, Historical Park of Sukhothai

Heavy rains over Sukhothai

Wat Tra Phang Ngoen, Sukhothai Historical Park, Central Part

Friday, June 1, 2012: Historical Park of Sukhothai - Central Part

Today was my second full day in Sukhothai which I had chosen as a stop-over on my way from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai but I got rained in or rained out, however one might want to look at it. Yesterday, I had visited the Central Part of the Sukhothai Historical Park which is one of Thailand's 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites. So, today, I planned on going later in the day and explore the Western and Northern parts and also catch the afternoon light for photographic purposes but as soon as I got there, it started to pour and would not stop. It was even hard to catch a songthaew - which are these covered pick up trucks with usually two rows of seats in the back for transporting people along set routes in many Thai cities - back to New Sukhothai where I am staying.

But here is a lucky detail: I had decided to take my tripod but couldn't close the bag completely I had put it into. So, just before arriving in Old Sukhothai, it fell out of the bag and off the songthaew. Guess Manfotto tripods are made to survive such falls and fortunately no heavy truck was right behind us. Well, I will have to secure it better tomorrow.

I am always in a dilemma, whether to take my tripod or not. I know I should as I get better and sharper photos but it not only means carrying all this weight around but it also takes quite some time to set up the tripod, camera, etc.

Some details of the day:
Guesthouse I am staying in: TR Guesthouse - room with ensuite bathroom and ac 400 Thai Baht
Songthaew from New Sukhothai to Old Sukhothai (Historical Park) and back - one way 30 Thai Baht
Entrance fee to either part of the Historical Park (Central, North, West) - 100 Thai Baht + there is a surcharge if you enter by bicycle, motorbike and car
Bicycle rental - 30 Thai Baht but I have not tried that yet