Going Home From Hua Hin While Playing Tourist

I spent two nights in Hua Hin and my biggest accomplishment was finishing my 3 pack of large Chang beers. I am so proud!

My plan was to visit a few places that I had bookmarked on my map and then spend the night in Ratchaburi. My plans changed with the arrival of the rain.

My first stop was in Phetchburi and as I arrived in the city the rains came. I carry a rain suit with me but I seem to get drenched prior to finding a place to stop and put it on. Once I stopped I just put a bag over my phone and stuck my passport under the seat and proceed to Wat Kamphaeng Laeng (วัดกำแพงแลง).

This is a temple ruin from the Khmer Empire like Angkor Wat just not quite as spectacular.

While walking around this site I ran into the first 2 dogs of the day that seemed to really displeased with me. The dogs appeared to calm a bit once I found a seat out of the rain. Once the rain let up I hopped back on the bike and moved on.

My next stop was at Muang Khu Bua Ruins after passing another angry dog going down a small dirt road that lead to the ruins.

This small site was disappointing.

Off again back past the angry dog that chased me about twice as far this time. I then went about a kilometer away to the next site of the Muang Khu Bua Ancient Remains (โบราณสถานเมืองคูบัว).

This site had a sign in English that said these ruins are from the Dvaravati period and this was Wat Khlong which is the largest and best preserved site of the ruins that were once the city of Khu Bua.

I rode through the province of Ratchaburi on the way to Hua Hin but didn't stop. I felt it couldn't be checked off my provinces list until I did a bit of looking around Ratchaburi and my next stop was in the center of the capital city.

I stopped at Wat Mahathat Worawihan (วัดมหาธาตุวรวิหาร) in the city and found it an interseting temple but did not take many pictures. I think this is the best of the few I snapped.

I followed google maps to where Wat Nong Hoi Phra Aram Luang (วัดหนองหอย พระอารามหลวง) was on the map but it was just at a junction in the road and I was not sure which way to go. I had seen the Bhudda in the next photo up on the hill and assumed it was part of the temple and monastery but it was on the other side of the main road than what was marked on google maps.

I rode a ways down the left fork in the road and then came back and went down the right fork. I assume the building at the top of the hill that appeared to be partially built hotel was in fact the monastery. I made a loop around this building but did not really see anything that looked like a temple. There were a lot of monkeys around the building and I had one bag strapped to the motorcycle so did not want to leave the bike alone. I have heard to many stories of monkeys going throgh bag and stealing food or anything shiny.

I went back down the hill and crossed over the main road and found a road going up the hill to the base of the Bhudda in the following picture. I arrived at the parking area to find a pack of dogs that seemed to be unhappy at my arrival. I made a quick U-Turn and went back down the hill being chased by a noisy pack of dogs. I only stopped after the dogs gave up on the chase and I was a ways away from the hill and the dogs and took this picture.

My next stop of the day was at Big Buddha Daibutsu (พระใหญ่ไดบุทสึ). I found this blue Bhudda pretty and the setting of what I would call Japanese buildings and gardens really attractive.

The blue Bhudda and Wat Khao Sung Chaem Fa (วัดเขาสูงแจ่มฟ้า) were only about 100 meters apart and the buildings around the temple seemed to be in the same Japanese style. Also both sites had rainbow colored paths. My pictures don't capture this site very well. Doing a search on youtube of this temple there are some videos from drones that do a much better job of showing this temple.

Wat Khao Chong Phatthanaram (วัดเขาช่องพัฒนาราม) was my last stop of the day. This is not that far from where I live but just have never made the point of riding over to it. I found it to be a very colorfull temple.

I tried to take a picture of some of the birds in the rice fields behind the temple. I need to see if I can figure out the names of some of these birds but even if I do I will forget what I learned within a few minutes.

Adding this in a couple of days after posting this. I think the large birds are Asian Openbill Storks.

It turned out to be a good day even with the rain and the dogs. I got a number of places I had marked on my map checked off and with the rain making for a cooler day which helped make it an enjoyable day.