Day 9, Monday 26 November

Still Smarting……..After completing my blog for yesterday and still smarting from my obvious miscalculations, it should be that straightforward day that should have been yesterday. I won’t need to venture far from the city. Despite packing to leave we manage to shave some time off the day’s departure compared to yesterday morning, still taking in that American breakfast. The S Hotel has been comfortable enough. At least I won’t have to carry my baggage up to the 3rd floor as we leave. Regarding site visits, the obvious ones I’ve missed, being just too far from the city will have to wait for now. Accordingly, I don’t need to refer to a list; the list is well fixed in my head by now. We start in the city itself.

City Pillar Shrine……..I can’t remember a city or major town I’ve visited that doesn’t have a Pillar Shrine. In Thai, they call it ‘Lak Mueang’, which means ‘love your city’, in effect one’s spiritual home. As I visit these shrines, I note that most are housed in a mondrop or pagoda, with the sacred pillar standing vertically inside. The pillar itself appears to derive from the linga, a sacred pillar of Hindu origin representing fertility. As I reach the compound I note that typical, this shrine is not, located in a beautifully laid out garden, right in the city. The following information is provided onsite.

The Buriram City Pillar Shrine was built in ancient Khmer style to enshrine two city pillars, different from other provinces that have only the one. It is believed that the front pillar was built when Mueang Pae was established in the Thonburi period and the one at the back was built when Mueang Pae was elevated to Buriram. The two pillars are sacred objects revered by Buriram people. Formerly the City Pillar Shrine was small and included a Chinese shrine under the same roof. In 2005 the Buriram Municipality renovated and built the new shrine, designed by the Fine Arts Department, in the style of a beautiful ancient Khmer temple modelled after Prasat Phanom Rung, the provinces' most famous historical site.
In the same compound is the Pueng Thao Kong Ma Shrine, a shrine built in 2008 to house statues of Chinese deities while at the back of the City Pillar Shrine is a sacred pond dating back to the time of King Rama I.

Buriram Railway Station……..Not on my list since I’ve reviewed it on an earlier tour, Buriram Railway Station just happens to be a few minutes away. On this occasion, a special service from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani is due in soon. I decide to wait for the service to pass through which consists of a three-car DMU. That detour completed, it’s on to the next site, also a few minutes away.

King Rama I Memorial……..The King Rama I Memorial stands proudly in the middle of the large traffic roundabout in the city. I’m concerned that we won’t be able to park near it. I needn’t have worried. There are slip roads around the island with parking bays; most thoughtful! Here is information about King Rama I.

During the Thonburi period (1776), King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (King Rama I), then Chao Phraya Chakri, led troops to suppress the rebel the governor of Nang Rong, now a district of Buriram Province. After the mission was successfully carried out, he found a deserted town near Chorakhe Mak creek where he and his troops stopped by on the way back to the capital. The town was situated in a good location but was located in a malaria affected area that the local people dared not settle in. The general therefore recruited people from Talung, Surin, Sangkha and Khukhan to establish a new settlement there. The new town was called Mueang Pae as there were many (pae trees (vitex quinata will) in the area. These great deeds earnt him the highest noble rank, Somdet Chao Phraya Maha Kasat Suek. Mueng Pae town gradually became prosperous and was renamed ‘Buriram’ during the reign of Rama V.
While I take the opportunity to delve into Buriram’s history here, the actual site visit takes hardly any time at all and I’m soon off to important sites not far away that have made Buriram nationally famous.
Thunder Castle……..The Thunder Castle Stadium has featured before on a previous tour, the home of Buriram United FC the current Premier League Champions. With hardly time to stop and look around on my last visit, this time I can do so at leisure. The current football season has now finished in Thailand and everything on site is closed down. That’s not so for another site close by.

Chaing International Circuit……..The Buriram International Circuit (known as Chang International Circuit for commercial purposes, but listed by its non-commercial name because of alcohol restrictions in some countries) is a motorsport race track in Buriram. The circuit was opened in 2014. This is the first FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A circuit in Thailand. The track's primary corporate sponsor is Chang Beer, named the track as part of the sponsorship; however, because of laws regarding alcohol sponsorship in France and Qatar, the circuit uses the non-commercial name in FIM documentation.
For hosting, the Japanese Super GT has visited here since 2014. Also, the TCR International Series, TCR Asia Series and GT Asia Series, the World Touring Car Championship and the Asian Le Mans Series. On 22 March 2015, the first ever Thailand round of the World Superbike Championship was held at the circuit. Both of the Superbike races were won by UK rider Jonathan Rea and the World Supersport race was won by Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot, much to the delight of the Thai spectators.

Buriram Castle……..These last two sites have put Buriram in the spotlight, being the most prestigious area for sport outside Bangkok and sticking with an international theme, for lunch, well it just has to be a MacDonald’s. It’s time to return to something more traditional. In the same area is Buriram Castle, no doubt created to give visitors to the international circuit a flavour of what this province is famous for. The site is a wonderful place to relax, a garden beautifully laid out and decorated with plants and traditional objects that are so typical of Thai creativity. I just can’t stop being attracted to the barrel cactus garden. But the main feature is the recently constructed prasat, modelled on the famous Khmer temple, Prasat Phanom Rung.

Memorial King Bhumibol Adulyadej……..This memorial is located right in front of the Thunder Castle. It is a recently constructed memorial to King Bhumibol Adulyadej who passed away just a couple of years ago.

Khao Kradung Forest Park……..Sticking with the more traditional theme, just a couple of kilometres south on the oppsite side of Highway 2445 is the Khao Kradong Forest Park, another place to unwind and relax.
Khao Kradung, formerly called ‘Phanom Kradong’, in Khmer meaning a turtle shaped hill, is the youngest volcano in Thailand (aged 300,000-900,000 years) and remains in good shape. It comprises two connecting hills – Khao Yai which is the southern rim of the volcano vent and Khao Noi (Khao Kradung) which is the northern rim. The vent itself is the 32-acre valley between the two hills. In 1978, the entire volcano was established as a forest park covering an area of 2.32 sq. km, which in 1980, also became a non-hunting area. The hilltop of Khao Kradung enshrines Phra Suphattharbophit, Buriram’s largest Buddha image built in 1969. Nearby is a copy of the Buddha’s footprint in Prasat Khao Kradong, an ancient Khmer sanctuary located nearby while a beautiful naga staircase has been built all the way to the top of the hill for those more energetic than me.

Huai Talat……..Certainly with so many sites close together, the day is becoming far easier and less stressful than yesterday. There are now few options left in and around the city as we head further south. After just ten minutes we reach the freshwater lake, Huay Talat. Attended to by the army this too is a peaceful spot to just relax sitting under a thatched pagoda enjoying the views across the lake. For the life of me, I just don’t understand in a country where people wish to meditate, why at a location like this I just don’t shut me eyes and just blot out the world for a while. It just doesn’t happen.

Huai Chorakhe Mak……..Nearby is another lake, this one called Huai Chorakhe Mak. While ‘chorakhe’ is a crocodile in Thai, there are no real specimens here just models. However, there may have been in the days of King Rama I, who rested his troops here after defeating the local King of Nang Rong. It’s another brief visit before we head back towards Buriam.

Huai Sawai……..Joining Highway 226 heading east, I consult Google Map for further stop but there is little more of interest. However, we do make a stop at another freshwater lake called Huai Sawai but there is no rest area or scenic viewpoint here. Instead we skirt around the lake on a dirt road discovering that this large lake supports fish farming, a species known as bpla nin which is tasty indeed.

Surin……..With nothing more I can add we head for an early arrival in our third province of this tour, Surin. Close to the provincial border with Buriram there is no opportunity for more site visits before we hit the city and in fact I’m most grateful for that. Having preselected accommodation again, this time I draw a blank with the GPS taking us to a top of the range hotel, clearly not as described on the map. However just 200 metres away is Fortune Mansions. From the road, it looks nothing like that shown using Google Map but the newer building behind is certainly modern and seems practically new. At 4.30pm we settle in and for the first time in what seems ages in an afternoon, I’m soon fast asleep. Again I’m very impressed with the room and the proximity to the main street where for the second time in three days, I can eat at a roadside steak kitchen. Next Page.