Wednesday 6 December 2017

Ban Ingna........Google Map With better accommodation, I’m hoping for a better night’s sleep but it turns out to be a restless one. I twist and turn as my nose appears blocked yet there's no sign of a cold. In Chiang Khan I experienced the same condition for a few days. It appears that the dryness is caused by the air-conditioning. I’m up at dawn and manage to get my head round those pesky dinosaurs then it’s time for coffee and rice soup: Yuk! I’m glad I have something else with me to see me through to lunch.

Impatience........Of course I’m expecting to write little here today as we head away from Chaiyaphum for Bangkok. Katoon as reported earlier has started to take over more of the driving as she seems full of complaints over my more cautious approach. As I take over driving on the main highway I can’t see what the problem is. After just a couple of kilometres I hand the driving back. I’ve just had enough. The result is with her heavy left boot I see the satnav continually revising the arrival time backwards: In which case I can think of a detour which will still get us into Bangkok before dark.
Dong Lakhon Archaeological Site........Google Map Having driven some four hours, now into the eastern provinces of Thailand in Nakhon Nayok I’m heading for Dong Lakhon Archaeological Site which historically has little connection with the provinces to the north. In fact it’s a bad fit as far as this tour is concerned being missed on a previous tour (Nakhon Nayok and Prachinburi).
The origin of this site is 8th to 10th century putting it firmly into the Dvaravati period (6th to 13th century), a period that brought together influences from China and India creating a rich culture around the Chao Phraya River Basin. The practice of both Buddhism and Hinduism developed during this period.
When I visited this site No 1 it had a certain familiarity to it since not only are there similar sites nearby in Prachinburi province but a huge settlement at Khu Bua in Ratchburi province. The information at Dong Lakhon goes on to refer to sites in Nakhon Pathom and Chonburi provinces as well. Soon I realise there was a significant connection between these sites concluding that they were all at the time, over 1,000 years ago, on the coastline. In the subsequent centuries the Gulf of Thailand has reduced in size having been replaced by the huge delta we see today caused by sediments washed down by the Chao Phraya and connected rivers, the Tha Chin and Bang Pakong......more.

From site No 1 there are tracks leading into the forest which lead you around the ancient walls and moat of Dong Lakhon. These are quite substantial and indicate the importance of this site in ancient times. The topography is interesting since the site sits on a mound surrounded by a low lying area of the Chao Phraya Basin. I conclude that this site was a fortification to protect a large settlement inland that has grown up through trade within the Subcontinent and S.E. Asia.
As yet I have found no reference to the demise of the Dvaravati civilisation being subdued by neighboring powers and put that demise down to the abandonment of the settlements when they silted up. In folklore there is reference to a lost city, a city of ghosts, which would explain this. Since the culture, religion and art is well aligned with the emerging Khmer civilization which went on the dominate most of central Thailand, it’s fair to assume that the Dvaravati civilization was simply absorbed by that civilisation.

Indulgence........It’s been an interesting visit to Dong Lakhon which provides me with that missing link I was searching for. There’s nothing left now but head into Bangkok some 100 kilometres west. The final act of indulgence is a Ramen (Japanese style noodle dish) taken not far from the residence. I can now take a break before I return to the UK for Christmas. Having covered two provinces reasonably well and dipped my toe in another five that still leaves sixty nine! My conclusion should be quite interesting.