Wat Phu Tok and Beung Kan

My first stop in the province of Bueng Kan was Wat Phu Tok {วัดภูทอก). Wat Phu Tok is a Buddhist temple carved into a mountain and to me this meant stairs, stairs and more stairs. I read somewhere that it is also called the stairway to heaven but it felt more like hell to me.

This is a view of the rock that forms a part of the temple from the distance.

This is the pretty part of the temple at the base of the rock and the part of the temple it was a pleasure to visit.

The temple is suppose to have 7 levels and the first one or 2 are at the base where it is walking through the jungle like setting and a few stone steps.

Then come the wooden stair cases that seem to go on for ever.

After a number of rickety wooden staircases they have some stone steps just for a change of pace.

There was what looked like a house hanging on the edge of part of the rock.

The views from the different levels were pretty but not sure it was worth the climb.

I was walking around the walkways that go around the complete rock when I meet some Thai ladies and asked if I was on level 4 and they told me that I was now on 5. I said I think this is high enough for me and they said no, no you have to go to level 6 and see the pretty Buddhas there.

I had made my way around all of level 5 and was staring at another set of steps going up to level 6 when I relized that I didn't have my bike keys with me. I must have left them in the ignition. This made my decision simple I was going to skip seeing the pretty Buddhas and pray to the heavens that no one had rode my bike away.

Buddha answered my prayers and my motorbike was setting were I had left it with the keys in the ignition after my long descent from level 5 and the closest I got to heaven.

I had planned to see another site in Beung Kan but my legs were shot along with the rest of me. I found a hotel in Beung Kan and something to eat and just enjoyed a couple of beers.