Kanchanaburi via Prasat Mueang Sing

April 1, 2019

The plan for today was to head for Prasat Mueang Sing Historical Park which preserves the remains of Khmer settlement from the reign of King Jayavarman VII (the Khmer king famous for the Angkorian temples) and then wing it from there.

We were on our bicycles soon after six thirty and quickly made it to Nam Tok where we turned off the very busy route 323 onto some tiny roads that lead us to the 4018 on the southern side of the Kwai Noi river. How we got to the 4018 is a bit of a miracle because the GPS in my mobile phone decided to go on strike for a while. The ride along the 4018 which vaguely followed the river was really enjoyable. There were a few bumps, some bigger than others, but it was the quiet country Thai roads that we enjoy so much.

By the time we got to the historical park (about ten thirty) it was pretty hot and any thoughts of continuing to Kanchanaburi by bicycle went out of the window. It was more than forty kilometers away and a hot headwind had picked up.

We didn't know what to expect of Mueang Sing. Surprisingly it was the the first of Thailand's Historical Parks being declared in 1987. The Khmer occupation here was from about 857 AD to 1157 AD during the period when the Khmer kingdom dominated the region. However, people had lived in the area for thousands of years as demonstrated by the ancient graves discovered there during various archeological digs. The Khmer influence is striking - this could easily be part of the Angkorian complex at Siem Reap in Cambodia. Although there isn't a great deal to see - only one temple has been restored to any extent - we really enjoyed it.

Even some trees growing out of the ruins a la the Ankgorian temples

Ancient graves found during one of the digs.

Then we headed for the nearby train station from where we caught the train to Kanchanaburi.

We are spending the night at the Chitanun Guest House, a large establishment where we stayed eight years ago. The prices are still the same as back then but I don't think any maintenance has been done during the ensuing years.

Here is a short video that Leigh made of the days around Kanchanaburi.

Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 1,630 km (1,012 miles)

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