Angkor Temple Ruins, Bridge Over the River Kwai

Packing up my apartment turned into a much greater job than I'd anticipated. Rachel was left to explore Ubon alone while I sorted through what belongings to box and what to give away. In that sense her visit came at an unfortunate time. But finally, after I'd moved out and my boxes were posted in the mail, we were free to travel!

We broke up the long journey to Bangkok with a stop in Buriram to see the ruins of Pranom Rung, an Angkor-era temple very close to the Cambodian border. There were two worthwhile sites to visit, Prasat Muang Tam and the temple Pranom Rung itself. The bus dropped us off on the side of the road, at least 7km from the nearest site. There was a shop on the corner, and that was pretty much it. There was no other bus.

Mai bpen rai! We hired the services of a couple of guys on motorbikes and zipped up the swervy road on the backs of the bikes.

Rachel's ride

Prasat Muang Tam was quiet - we were just about the only people there. Not just the architecture, but the feeling was the same as when I visited Angkor temples in Cambodia last year. Time played its trick again, making past things feel recent, and I half-expected to see Kym there too.

Prasat Muang Tam

Pranom Rung, which sits atop a dormant volcano, had a spectacular location, though a lot more people.

Pranom Rung

The viewpoint: good thing they cleared those trees,

or I wouldn't be able to see those other trees!

Next, we continued to Kanchanaburi, a fascinating place known for both its stunning nature as well as its dark history. It is here that in WWII, POWs and Asian labourers were forced under Japanese rule to build what is now referred to as the Death Railway. It was made to be a supply route for the Japanese between Thailand and Myanmar. Due to poor conditions, disease, back-breaking labour and severe rule by the Japanese, over 100,000 people died on its construction.

This part of the railway is still in use

We crossed the Bridge Over the River Kwai (actually pronounced quare, rhyming with square) and checked out the most bizarre museum Rachel and I have ever seen. It was a random collection of unconnected artefacts, war information, and other things that to me seemed completely unrelated. At one point we walked upstairs and found ourselves in a room showcasing Miss Thailand over the years, complete with costumes and adornments.