I was in Chiang Mai and I wanted to get to Cambodia. I could have flown via Bangkok, but that is what everyone does.
Instead I did a 1000km overland trip to the Cambodian border. I was both rewarded and tested by the journey.
Phitsanulok
This little city actually has a lot going for it and I happened to be there just before the annual Songkran festival so the place was really quite vibrant.
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Visiting this monastery and temple complex was the highlight of the journey. It is a new temple (apparently they are still working on it, but everything looked finished to me). With over 5 million mosaic tiles, a majestic location, and a unique design, it was unlike anything I had seen before. Worth a detour.
No Tourists
The second of the three videos I made on this trip is entitled “999 Tourist-Free Kilometres in Thailand” and that was a fair reflection of the truth. I saw lots of Thai tourists because it was Songkran and people were travelling around the country, but I didn’t see any Western tourists.
After getting off the train in Phitsanulok the only non-Asian person I saw was the guy who ran the hostel. The next ones I saw were a week later; there was an Irish couple staying in my hotel by the Cambodian border.
It really surprised me that there is this vast expanse in the centre of the country that nobody bothers with.
Borders in the Time of Covid
The third video shows a lonely man determined to make things difficult for himself.
Phitsanulok was the most enjoyable city I visited on this journey.
The remainder of the trip turned out to be a long and winding road.
So I got to the border, but then…
Go to YouTube if you would like to comment on these videos:
Or, if you want to keep updated, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel:
