Can't say it, but it's spelled "Kamphaeng Phet"

  Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand
Saturday, April 19, 2008

Kamphaeng Phet 2

Okay. So we've changed plans. No more Laos in the schedule, as we'd be losing too much time trying to get across the border from Chang Mai to Luang Prabang (although there's an interesting but untested new border crossing in Nan Province, which I'll have to investigate for the future). Now we'll head back south again and then to the east to Angkor Wat in Cambodia (again!) and some quality beach time on Ko Chang. First spot on the way back down south is the unpronounceable, and very hard not to forget (let me just check my notes)... Kamphaeng Phet (KP).
 

Kamphaeng Phet 9

Getting there is just a five and a half hour bus journey, in a VIP bus (meaning you have all the creature comforts you could want on a bus (a toilet and slighty reclining chairs), but the experience for me was slightly marred by the fact, that I'd managed to find a seat beside Thailand's only sumo wrestler. I never caught his name, but for the moment, let's just call him Jabba the Hutt. Jabba had the tendency to move (roll) in his sleep, unfortunately  on to me, trapping my left arm, or the whole left flank of my body under his mass and preventing any further flow of blood through my body. A soft tap, as a sign of submission, was usually enough, to get me unlevered, but I heaved a sigh of relief when KP finally swung into view (and Jabba out of it).
 

Kamphaeng Phet 7

KP is nice. Not overrun with tourists like Bangkok and Chang Mai (well, that was especially true in January). The first voices we heard as we stepped into Three J's Guesthouse were Dutch. Turned out to be bit of a Dutch enclave with one long-touring Dutch girl, Margo, and a freshly alighted Dutch couple, Thomas and Jolanda. Locals are always genuinely surprised when you tell them there are only 16 million Dutch in the world, as their abundance abroad gives the idea that there must be a lot more. My own impression is that at all times about 2 million of them are spending time holidaying outside the country. I'd like to see some statistics some time on far-destination tourism to total population numbers of a country. I'm sure that the Netherlands would come out somewhere at the top of the ranking.
  

Kamphaeng Phet 1

The sights in KP are also quite splendid. Similar to the wats (temples) in Sukhothai though in a more developed state of decay, the Historical Park gives off the impression of a mix of buddhist art with the sculpting style of Giacometti. Somehow the laterite used in these constructions seems less resistant to the effects of weather than the building materials used in Sukhothai, so the whole is a porous orange affair.
 
KP becomes more of a challenge when looking for a place to eat, as restaurants aren't quite as widespread as hairdressers (spotted sixteen), banks (ten), video shops (five), karaoke bars (three) and, of course, bridal shops (one). There's the obvious possibiliy of eating from one of the many pavement restaurants which set up shop in the evening, but I'm afraid this may be just a bit much for Nanda to stomach. There turned out to be a nice place just around the corner from the hotel, but - obviously - this little place tured out to be closed on sundays.
 

Kamphaeng Phet 5

Still, Three J's Guesthouse has another very welcoming feature, namely a beer-stacked fridge with bottles and cans of the usual suspects, Leo, Singha and Chang. Hmm, feeling a bit thirsty...
 
Cheers!