Samut Songkhram

Arriving in Bangkok at 6.30am, we store our bags in a rat-infested luggage room and set off to the Indian Embassy where we need to sort out a visa for India.

It is nicer to be back in Bangkok this time as it is more familiar. The embassy involves a bit of queuing and luckily we have arrived early because having waited an hour, we are told that we are not eligible for a 6-month visa, which means that we have to alter our travel to fit into a 30-day period.

We then head to the Siam Paragon (apparently the pride of Bangkok which is sad as it’s a mall).

Since Roger and Stella took my iPhone snorkeling and tried to take underwater photos with it in a leaky water-proof bag, I haven’t had a phone.

So today is about putting me back in touch with the rest of the world.

Any thing you could possibly want is for sale in this place and we have to stay focused.

Five hours later we’ve had our fill of western style excess and I’ve had my first ever meal at Starbucks.

We get a taxi back to the station to pick up our bags and then continue out to Samut Songkhram. There seems to be no speed limit in Bangkok and I desperately try to squeeze the kids into seatbelts, even though the four of us a crushed across the back seat.

It’s during trips like this that I am reminded that Roger and I should have written a will.

The stinky smell of Durians have become a constant around South East Asia and they are obviously banned from public transport.

As we get out of Bangkok and drive past hundreds of salt ponds, the scenery becomes more and more rural and there are khlongs or canals everywhere.

Samut Songkhram

Uncle Chef’s Homestay sits on the edge of a smaller Khlong that branches off the Mae Khlong.

Between us we have two huts which is nice for family separation.

Uncle Chef has a shop out the front that is open all the time and there is a big Buddhist temple next door and across the road.

There is a lovely relaxed generosity here, that we have not really experienced yet in Thailand. Uncle chef cooks for us on the first night and then again for breakfast. Both very traditional meals which we all enjoy.

The only downside to this beautiful peaceful place is the beds. They are a bamboo frame with a plastic wrapped mat on top and offer no comfort or padding for hips or shoulders. It is hard to sleep and by the 3^rd night we have acquired blankets and padding from around the place, to put underneath our aching bodies.

Perhaps it is an age thing, as the boys think the beds are great.

The great thing about both of our airbnb stays so far, is the trips that we have taken with our hosts. Whilst Uncle Chef doesn’t really speak any English and there is quite a lot of guess-work involved in communication, we visit a 400 year old temple around which a huge tree has grown, a Muay Thai Temple and a strange sort of petting zoo which seems to also be a temple.

 

Afterwards we stop at the Mae Khlong Train market where all the stalls are set up along the tracks and then pack down quickly when the train comes. We are the only tourists here and it is quite an experience. Especially the smells.

April 1st

Visit to the coconut sugar farm

Evening of 1st April

Uncle Chef dropped us off at the Amphawa floating market at 4pm. It seemed that the only people who were floating were tourists, mostly from other parts of Asia. The market is so big and established that most of the stalls are on the banks of the river and the Khlong used to transport people up and down for sight seeing.

There was some amazing looking food which I was happy just to photograph.

When it got dark, we took a ride on a boat for an hour to watch the fireflies in the trees along the bank of the Khlong.

In this hot, sticky climate, it’s lovely to be out in the night breeze, especially on the water.

I find myself thinking wistfully about owning a yacht when we return to Aotearoa!

 

April 2nd

This morning Uncle Chef knocked on our door early in the morning and woke us up to go to the initiation ceremony of the new monks in the temple over the road, starting at 8am. It’s a bit of a shock as I’m still deeply asleep, dreaming about shopping for mattresses to go on my bamboo slat bed. This is a recurring dream I’ve been having since our first night.

We can hear a band approaching from somewhere over the khlong and we step quietly into the temple where the older monks are waiting.

The band arrive and we follow them as they walk around the outside of the temple. Surprisingly, this is more of a party than we were expecting and someone offers us a glass of whisky.

Stella and I are encouraged to dance at the front of the procession. Stella is not so keen, but I join the other women up the front and soon Roger does too.

The families of the new monks bring offerings.

At the end, all of the families have their photo taken and the then coins and little offerings are thrown out to the crowd.

We pop home and have a quick bowl of rice soup for breakfast then head off to the Tha Kha floating market which is a more local and authentic experience than last night. We buy lots of strange fruit and Jasper even overcomes his fear of being poisoned, to have a Thai omelette.

April 2nd

We end the day with a walk to the Buddhist temple over the bridge from our home-stay. It seems to be a temple of dogs and as we get closer, we see a Buddhist monk sitting under a tree with a group of poodles. It transpires that he is the Abbot and we can’t take pictures of him even though I really want a monk and poodle photo for the archives.

We are invited inside and find ourselves in a temple with a reclining Buddha, receiving a blessing.

We are each given something special to carry on our journey ( a little necklace) and sent away with strange cartons of Thai-style up and go.

The monks seem particularly keen on Louie and his destiny as a future monk. He isn’t so sure.