Chachoengsao-worth a visit
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Oct 21, 2012 5:45 AM Last Post By: Morejoyous
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Chachoengsao-worth a visit
I was inspired to visit Chachoengsao partially because it was dismissed by Lonely Planet as "not worthy" of inclusion in the guide book and also because my Thai friends go there quite frequently to visit the famous temple, Wat Sothon(short form),described as one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world, and other sites in the area. I was pleasantly surprised that the town is quite scenic with a river going through the center and numerous temples. Possibly due to an absence of foreign tourists the locals are very friendly and helpful--including the motorcycle taxi and tuk tuk drivers. I had to plan other than spend the night and there is very little information even after google search of accomodations. We just asked a taxi guy and he took us to a new guest house not far from the main temple in a residential neighborhood which was nicely furnished with a refrigerator, a/c, cable tV, hot water and a hot water maker with coffee packets--all for 450 baht. From this base we took a tuk tuk to the hospital which is across the street from a walkway along the river which provided a good atmosphere in the early evening. Plenty of roadside eating in this area also. Outside of a scruffy road into town lined by factories and car dealers the town has the feeling of being hundreds of miles away from nearby Bangkok.4
Some Thai people are terribly parochial and know little of their own country. However many DO know of Chachoensao, and go there for the Temple...but there is also the river and a LOT of countryside around it.... great place for a visit....but not to meet Mr G or his family apparently.....every cloud etc etc...7
I have stayed at the hotel in the Rajabhat University in Chachoengsao, which was pleasant and centrally located. The morning train can be nice, it runs along some canals and you'll see birds of different kinds. The informal name of the town is Baet Riw or "8 fishbones", because it was once a big producer of salty fish. Outside of the main district, there are temples which are home to large colonies of fruit bats - arriving at dusk, you can see them take wing. If you visit, ask around for the Buu ka' Ey bakery, famous for its coconut and pandan chiffon cakes. Fruit in season is also a good bet, as this part of Thailand has many orchards.Farther up the Bangpakong River is Prachinburi, with a nice history museum. At that point you are getting close to Khao Yai National Park.
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Yes I was suggesting that a lack of foreign tourists might be related to friendliness of locals. I have lived in Thailand on and off for over 40 years and in general have experienced this phenomena. I remember a time when foreigners got so much respect from Thais in the early days and with repeated exposure through massive tourism increases, I think a lot of Thais have seen too much crass and obnoxious behavior from foreigners. Case in point would be Pattaya but I have witnessed this in Hua Hin too which has a shorter learning curve. Many Thais refer to the Khao San scene as Junk Farangs.12
it also may have some correlation to the higher standard (and cost) of living in Thailand these days.
