Today’s road trip to eastern Thailand was a complete success. OK, I spent too much money, but I experienced perfect weather, terrific company and fantastic food. We visited three temples that dated back to the Khmer Civilization (11th century) and so they bore similar architecture to that of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Prasat Phanom Rung is close to the Thai-Cambodian border and it is situated on top of an extinct volcano. This first temple is a bit of tourist trap, but if you are interested in grabbing some lunch, there are plenty of small restaurants outside of the gate. As we walked towards the food stalls, several of the waitresses came out and started to encourage us towards their own particular restaurant. They squawked at us in Thai and all I could think was, “let’s pick one so they will stop.” I’m sure that my Midwestern accent does not sound very attractive to them either. We ordered grilled chicken, grilled fish, rice and I ordered som tam (green papaya salad) which is quickly becoming my favorite Thai dish. A local police officer came by our table and he chatted us up for a while. His pleasant demeanor and keen interest in our day trip led me to believe that they don’t see many westerners in this part of Thailand. After lunch we walked back to the small office that he kept outside of the temple and he offered us brochures and maps of the area. He and Sir Richard exchanged e-mail addresses. Sir Richard later explained to me that it was always helpful to have the name of a senior police officer, even if his jurisdiction was way out in the sticks.
The second wat was my favorite. The first was more complete, but Prasat Mueang Tam had this quiet majesty that we all appreciated. We had the place completely to ourselves. I felt like I had been let in on some incredible secret that the folks who make a bee line for Angkor Wat will never know.
The third temple was in the town of Phimai. This one was crowded. It was mostly Thai tourists, but they were abundant. At times I got irritated, but I intoned the mantra, “it’s their country, it’s their country.” I was amazed at the different reactions from the younger students upon seeing a Westerner. Some were smiling one second and then shying away with a worried look the next. One child shouted, “Sawadee krup” while slapping his hands together in an over-the-head wai. This was a gesture of great respect and I smiled at him and returned his “Sawadee” while cocking my head slightly to the side.
The driver returned us to the Greenleaf Guesthouse. Door to door the trip was about eleven hours and I was ready for some dinner. I had discovered the night before that the cook at the Greenleaf made a terrific chicken green curry, so I ordered it again. The four of us ate, drank, reminisced and planned until the owners turned the lights out on us. It was a good day.
