Compare Thailand: The Untraveled Northeast – People, Nature and Archaeology by Myths and Mountains

Day 1: Arrive Bangkok

Accommodation: Riva Surya, Ariyasom or the Peninsula

On arrival in Bangkok, you will clear customs and immigration.  Leaving the airport, you will see our operators holding a sign with Myths and Mountains on it. They will take you to your hotel on the river for the night.

Day 2: Tour Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Riva Surya, Ariyasom or the Peninsula.

After breakfast this morning you will be picked up at your hotel for a tour of Wat Pra Keo and the Grand Palace. One of the most beautiful examples of ancient Siamese architecture, the Grand Palace, the former residence of Thai monarchs and home to the Emerald Buddha is known for its magnificent murals, colorful figures and impressive architecture. (Be careful to dress appropriately – shorts and tank tops are not allowed in any temple or the Grand Palace.) Wat Pra Keo is part of the palace complex and was consecrated in 1782, the first year of rule from Bangkok. The area encompassed by the palace and wat are huge – 945,000 square meters – and include more than 100 colorful and varied buildings. Despite its beauty, the king uses the palace only for certain ceremonial occasions, and his residence is north of the city.

After visiting the palace, you will have lunch at the Supatra River house.

Rejuvenated, you then head to the Jim Thompson House and the weaving village of Baan Krua. Jim Thompson was the man who made the Thai silk famous in the entire world before mysteriously disappearing during a trip to Malaysia. Since his disappearance in 1967, little has changed in the home that was the “talk of the town” and the “city`s most celebrated social centre”. Even today, the charming Thai style house continues to be a key stop for visitors to Bangkok.

Leaving the home, you cross the canal from the house, to the weaving village of Baan Krua Bangkok’s large

Muslim community. This village is the original supplier of silk for Jim Thompson’s company.

Day 3:   Visit  Ayutthaya and Summer Palace. Continue to Khao Yai. Possible Vineyard Stop

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Kirimaya Resort Golf Resort Spa

This morning, you will leave Bangkok on the luxurious Grand Pearl Cruise boat for a morning trip up the Chao Phra River to the Summer Palace at Bang Pa In. The mish mash of palaces and pavilions in styles ranging from Italian to Chinese once served as summer retreats for Thai monarchs from the Ayutthaya period to the beginning of the 20th century.

In the afternoon, you will continue on to Ayutthaya. Prior to 1350, the city was a Khmer outpost, and was named after the home of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana.  As the capital city of Thailand from 1350 to 1767, Ayutthaya served as the center of Thai culture and international trade at the height of the country’s territorial expansion. Until its final destruction by the Burmese, Ayutthaya was home to 33 different Siamese kings, and boasted a population, at one point, of over 1,000,000 inhabitants.

Leaving Ayutthaya, you will continue on a short distance to Khao Yai National Park.   Here, you can watch sunset as bats leave a nearby cave for the evening.

Day 4: Visit  Khao  Yai. Druve Khoirat  Via  Pottery  Village. Special Ceremony In Pan Prasat

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Dusit Princess Khorat

Khao Yai is Thailand’s first and most popular national park, established in 1972. The park spreads over a variety of different ecological zones – marshlands, tropical forests and Sandstone Mountains. Wildlife inside the park includes wild elephants, an occasional rare tiger, sambar deer, gibbon, perhaps a clouded leopard and many different kinds of birds. In the morning, you can do a bit of hiking in the park, and have lunch at the Heaw Suwat waterfall.

In the afternoon, you will continue to Nakorn Rachasima or Khorat. An important hub for transportation, Khorat is Thailand’s second largest city. During the Vietnam War the United States built an air base to launch strikes on Vietnam and Laos.

Later in the afternoon, the village elders at Ban Prasat will invite you for a Bai Sri Sukwan Ceremony, a traditional northeastern welcome. The ceremony is followed by a dinner with delicious local delicacies.

Day 5: Tour Prasart Phanom Rung, Prasat Meuang Tam and Kuti Reusi

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Dusit Princess Khorat

Khorat is known as the “Gateway to Thailand’s Northeast” or Esaan, the least developed part of the country. Early in the morning, you will visit Prasart Phanom Rung, about an hour and a half away and on an extinct volcanic cone overlooking the flat countryside. Cambodia’s Dongrek Mountains are visible in the Southeast, and mark the way to the capital of the Angkor Empire. The name itself, Phanom Rung, means “Big Hill” in Khmer, and the temple complex here is the largest and best restored of all of the Khmer monuments in Thailand. Although construction of temple lasted from the 10th to 13th  centuries, the bulk of the work was done at the apogee of Angkor architecture, during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113I50). Like most Thai temples, Phanom Rung faces east toward the dawn and the capital of Angkor. Originally built as a Hindu monument, the temple has iconography related to the worship of Shiva and Vishnu – Shiva Nataraj, a wonderful lintel depicting the reclining Vishnu and the creation, Nandi the bull, and other beautiful carvings. The promenade leading to the main gate is the best surviving in Thailand and ends at the start of three Naga bridges, reminiscent of Angkor and the only three in Thailand. Nearby is a small museum and a 10th century site from the reign of Jayavarman V, Prasat Meuang Tam. You can also stop at two smaller monuments in the west – Kuti Reusi 1 and 2.

On the way back to the hotel, you have time to visit the Dan Kwian Pottery OTOP Village. Situated on the Highway No.24 or 14 kilometres from the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, Dan Kwian Pottery Villa is noted for its unique pottery products, which are widely used for interior and outdoor decoration. The uniqueness of Dan Kwian clay is its durability, pliability and rusty color, especially when it is combined with attractive designs.

Day 6: Visit Parasart Phimai and Drive Udon Thani Via Silk Village

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara hotel and Convention Center

This morning, you will begin with a visit to Prasart Phimai, Thailand’s most important Khmer monument.

Where most Khmer temples were built to honor Hindu gods, Phimai was built as a Mahayana Buddhist temple. As part of your visit to Phimai, you will stop at the Mahawirawong National Museum to see its good collection of Khmer art objects. From Khorat, you head to Prasat Hin Phimai National Historical Park, and its museum with a stone sculpture of the Angkor King Jayavarman V11 and other Khmer sculptures.

After lunch in the Bai Toei restaurant, you have about a 4Ihour drive to Udon Thani. En route, you can stop at Ban Chonnabot, famous for its mudmee silks.

Day 7: Visit Ban Chiang and Ban Phu Historical Park

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara hotel and Convention Center

Your first morning stop will be at Ban Chiang. Here a student from the University of Pennsylvania literally tumbled on a tree root and fell on some pottery shards dating back over 5,000 years to the bronze age period. Scholars from the University of Pennsylvania and the Fine Arts Department of Silapkorn University, yielding skeletons and pottery that pre-dated the Bronze Age in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley excavated the site in the mid-seventies. The discovery called into question the theory that civilization originated in the Middle East or in China. The town itself is rather sleepy, but there is an interesting museum that shows some of the finds.

In the afternoon, you can wander Ban Phu Historical Park. Here a walk of about one and a half hours takes you through an area of fascinating rock formations and relics of Hindu and Buddhist deities. Each particular rock formation has its own legend and folk tale surrounding it.

Day 8: Enter Laos and Tour Vientiane

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Settha Palace

A short drive brings you to the Mekong River, forming the boundary between Thailand and Laos. You cross this majestic river over the Friendship Bridge, and spend the day sightseeing in Laos’ quiet capital, Vientiane. The name actually means either “Sandalwood City” or “Moon City.” A quiet town of less than half a million people, Vientiane is located on a bend of the Mekong, in the middle of a very fertile alluvial plain. After checking in at the hotel, you will head out to visit the huge city market.. You can wander the area, visiting temples such as the That Luang Stupa, built in 1566; Wat Sisaket, built in 1818 by King Chao Anou and the oldest temple in Vientiane; Wat Simuang, containing the town’s guardian spirit; or Wat Phra Keo, the former temple of the Lao monarchy and now a museum focusing on the daily life of the Lao Buddhists down the years. In the afternoon, you may go and buy textiles and silverware at the local market or stroll along the riverside. You can also visit the local market and watch people getting their dinner.

Day 9: Return to Thailand. Visit Maak Peng Forest Temples

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Rain Forest Resort

Crossing back into Thailand, you will follow the Mekong on a scenic ride west. Here you will stop at small waterfalls, and the forest temple of Wat Hin Maak Peng. You then enter a part of Thailand, where national parks and wildlife sanctuaries abound. Mountains rise up to about 6170 feet, and the climate is cooler during the year.

Day 10: Visit Phu Him Rongkla National Park, Pitsanuloke & Wat Pra Chinnaraj

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Pattara Resort and Spa Phitsanulok.

Here in the national park, you begin visiting Phu Hin Rongkla National Park, containing rugged mountains with sheer cliffs rising to more than 5780 feet. Unusual rock formations are covered with lichen, orchids, and ferns; and there are waterfalls, hiking trails and scenic views. For years, the area was a hideout for communists, and later for students seeking refuge from the bloody October 1976 military crackdown. After the surrender of the Peoples Liberation Army of Thailand in 1982, the region was opened to the public and declared a national park.

Late in the afternoon, you will continue your journey west to Pitsanuloke.   Straddling the Nan River north of Bangkok, Pitsanuloke is the largest commercial center in central Thailand and the transportation hub for the region. The city’s history goes back to the Khmer past, when it was an outpost called Song Kwae. During the Sukkothai Empire, the city was a military bastion, and was even elevated to be the capital of Thailand under the reign of King Trailokanat. Arriving around sunset, you can enjoy a visit to one of Thailand’s most famous temples, Wat Pra Chinnaraj. Here you can find perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Sukkothai art and the most beautiful and sacred image in all Thailand.

Day 11: Sargent Major Thawee folk museum, Buranathai Buddha Casting Foundry

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accomodation: Pattara Resort and Spa

This morning, you begin the day at the Sukhothai Historical Park near Pitsanuloke.  The ruins of the temples and palaces of this 13th century Thai city are laid out in a beautiful parkIlike setting. You can visit the area on foot or by bicycle. Sukhothai was the first capital of Thailand and the birthplace of the Thai nation. For Thais, Sukhothai is equivalent to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan in Burma, or Borobadur in Indonesia. Two Thai princes, who broke away from Khmer dominion, founded it in 1228. To gain insights to life in this once flourishing town, you can visit the Ramkamhaeng Museum. “MustIsees” include Wat Mahathat, the largest temple complex, Wat Si Chum, housing an enormous sitting Buddha stature, and Wat Phra Pai Lung, built during Khmer occupancy.

Then you explore Phitsanulok, visiting the Sargent Major Thawee Folk Museum, a rather quirky museum that attempts to preserve all sorts of tools and customs from past ways of life, not necessarily for tourists for the younger Thai generations. Not a typical tourist stop, the museum is quite a special place.

Across the street is the Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry, where you can see how the images are cast. There is also a display of fighting cocks in the Centre of Conservative Folk Cock, as the breeding of these birds is quite an art, and they are sold all over the country.

Day 12: Organic Agricultural Farm. Fly Bangkok

Meals:  Breakfast and  Lunch

After breakfast on this last morning in Thailand, you depart for Sukhothai Organic Agriculture Farm.

Here you can witness rice planting and get a better sense of a rice farmers’ traditional way of life. If you wish, you can participate in the farm work, transplanting rice seedlings, harvesting, or milling rice. There is also an opportunity to plough the paddies with water buffalo dressed in a farmer’s clothes and shoes. Lunch will be totally local and organic, served in traditional Thai style overlooking the rice field.

In the afternoon, you catch a flight back to Bangkok. Here you will either transfer to the airport for your flight out or be taken to the Airport Novotel  Suvarnabhumi for the night (not included in the cost).