Lopburi-Bangkok (Day 1)

Lopburi – Bangkok (Day 1)

Lopburi Sights.

Another long weekend, another little trip. I got up early and took the early morning train to Lopburi, the Rapid 111, at 07.21 at Bang Sue junction. There are some excellent food stalls at the station here and I got myself a good cup of hot American as well. Tickets for the bike at the baggage counter, for myself 3rd class, no seat reservations as usual. Perhaps it would have been better to cycle down to Hua Lamphong station, where the train originated?

Once the train arrived at Bang Sue I loaded the bike into the cargo car and headed for the passenger carriage next to it. Almost all seats were taken, but I managed to find a free one. Later into the journey people had to stand as there were no more empty seats. This is nothing unusual on weekends, the more so around New Years or other holidays and long weekends. The train reached Lopburi about 10:00am and I readied my bike next to a golden monkey statue on the platform.

Lopburi was founded as Lavo in the 7-9th century. This was the place given to Hanuman (หนุมาน), the god-king of the monkey warriors. According to one of the Ramayana tales, Phra Ram (พระราม, Rama) defeated Thotsakan (ทศกัณฐ์, Ravana), the king of the demons, with the help of Hanuman. Thus the macaque monkeys of Lopburi are thought to bring good luck and are being feed by the inhabitants on a daily basis. There is a festival held once a year as well, on the last Sunday of November, with a buffet for the monkeys.

Check-in time at the resort I had booked wasn’t until 13:00 so I had plenty of time to get a first overview of the town and lunch. After a loop through the old time I crossed the Lopburi river and headed for a noodle shop on the river bank. This delightful and calm place served great soups, with a smile. From there I continued to cycle through the local neighborhood along the river, crossed Highway 311 and turned back towards town along an irrigation canal. Following this waterway took me to Thakrayang Resort. As my room wasn’t ready yet I had a tasty Latte at their coffee shop and looked around the beautiful lush green garden of the place.

After checking I pedaled back into town, a short 10 minutes (about 3km) on quiet local roads. It was time to check out the major sights, the temple ruins , some of which date back to the 12th century, when the town came under Khmer rule. Then it was time for an early dinner at the nearby Pad Thai Buri Ka Prao Hom. This small coffe shop cum restaurant is known for its Pad Thai dishes. I tried one of their specials, with the noodles being wrapped in an omelette and topped with Pad Kra Paow style pork and seafood. Awesome food and a rather larger portion, too!

From Pratu Chai (ประตูชัย), the gate in the old city wall right opposite of the restaurant, I went on another loop, this time through the Southern outskirts of the old town and along the Lopburi river bank. I found quiet local neighborhoods and their Wats frequented by temple goers this late afternoon.

Soon it was time to head back into town. Still full from the early dinner I skipped the planned food stop at the evening market along the railway line just North of the station. There was plenty of food available there, with locals eating right there or taking their dinner home, packed in small plastic bags and tucked into the baskets of their motorcycles. I opted for cold Leo nearby, before riding back to the resort after dark. The local communities seemed sound asleep by then, with nobody on the road anymore, apart from a single group of youngsters celebrating and drinking at a small shop.