Day 10, Wednesday, 13th March - Sungai-Kolok

Miraculous....... I cannot explain the miraculous recovery from gout this morning. It seems I've been lucky in that the required medication was to hand. From hobbling around in awful pain late yesterday afternoon there are hardly any symptoms at all this morning and as for sleep I slept like a log for probably 10 hours. I guess the break was necessary yesterday after so much effort put in on previous days. Sadly I'm leaving Nara Pattra Hotel, it's been so comfortable here despite my ailment. Tonight we will be staying in Sungai-Kolok and have booked accommodation accordingly.
With yesterday's health restrictions and Narathiwat's busy streets not everywhere we intended to was possible so today we are trying to make amends. As we venture out, the streets are remarkably quiet which must have to do with Ramadan with people fasting until evening.
Narathiwat Central Mosque....... At Narathiwat Central Mosque there is nobody about, and we can park with ease. The mosque is located at Ban Bang Nara, just before Narathat Beach. This mosque, which is the province’s second central mosque built in 1981, is a religious site highly revered by Thai Muslims. This 3-story Arabian-style building with a large dome on top has the main convention hall on the first floor and the prayer rooms on the top 2 floors. In addition, there is a high tower that is used to call Muslims to prayer.
More Possibilities....... With time available today before we check in tonight we draw up a visit list for attractions on the way and it seems that we are heading in the same direction as two days ago i.e. the border district of Tak Bai. We pass the Rim Khuean Market area and the change is remarkable, hardly anyone about and that gives us a great chance to take photos of the Nang Nara River as it enters the ocean. We now continue east and I locate a reservoir that seems peaceful but at Ang Kep Nam Klia Ban there is just open water surrounded by forest. Still it's a nice drive through all the same.
Continuing alone HWY 42 there is another natural attraction that Google Map flags up but when we arrive at Khok Mai Rua Wildlife Expansion and Husbandry Centre we are told it's closed: It is only open on special Royal or Religious days. We return to the main road and make an unscheduled stop at a location my partner identified before when we used this road.
Nam Baeng Water Gate....... Before we make a turning off the main road towards the coast we can actually see the Nam Baeng Watergate which is located near the mouth of the Nam Beang Canal. Arriving at the watergate which helps with irrigation and flood control, we see between it and the ocean a haven for a large fleet of small fishing boats but there is no village here. What there is, is a fresh seafood market but just on a few stalls there is a variety of sea creatures that is bewildering. I didn't know there were that many fish species in Thailand's coastal waters; anything from small fish and prawns to modest sized sharks There is no fish farming here. We take a look around and the other thing that stands out is the disgusting amount of trash, most of it non-biodegradable that is everywhere. I couldn't live like this. The next question is where do the fishermen live and that question gets answered as we drive along the coastal road. Here at Ban Kuba are the fishermen's shacks consisting of not much more than wood and tin cobbled together. This village is an eye-opener for sure.
Now after more research we head on to Tak Bai where there are more old temples we need to visit. Taking the main road 42 we stop for lunch and realise there is pork here. Yes, we've stumbled on a non-Islamic restaurant, and we can ditch the plans to relay in 7-Eleven for the moment. Now let's see what these historic temples are about.
Wat Khok Mafueang....... Wat Khok Mafueng is and old temple built in 1874 and given land rites in 1898. As I have noticed before this temple is one that was built in Southern Thai style when buildings were generally made of wood. This gives these old buildings a special character of their own, built from materials that were readily available. The temple was registered by the Fine Arts Department as an historical monument in 2002. At this temple we are directed by some friendly worshipers to another old temple.
Wat Pip Phliwan (Wat Tapang)....... Wat Pip Phliwan was built on land that was granted to the Abbot when is was part of Kelatan (Malaysia) and later granted by King Rama V in 1898. The principal buildings at this temple are the ubosot (ordination hall) and the sala (pavilion) built of wood. The temple was renovated in 2002.
There now follows a test of my patience. There are attractions in the next district and I don't see why we can't use the road to it. The only advice I am given is to use the main highway from Tak Bai to Sungai-Kolok due to security issues but this is a huge detour and there seems no point in adding these attractions today. With my head in my hands all I can suggest is that we add one more attraction and then straight into Sungai-Kolok for an early finish to the day.
Chok Bakong Bridge....... Chok Bakong Bridge is just a wooden bridge suitable for light traffic but its historic importance soon becomes clear. This was a bridge visited by King Rama IX on one of his many visits to survey and understand the issues facing local communities. The King instigated many projects to help improve people's lives. This particular visit, when reported, went viral on account of the Land Rover the King was using breaking down during his meeting with local people. This would not be a good advert for Land Rover as the King abandoned the vehicle. Chok Bakong Bridge is where his vehicle came to grief and a Land Rover remains on site as a memorial to this day. So much publicity has been given to this incident that the meeting was recorded on the reverse of the 100 baht bank note. From here we head directly into the city and locate our accommodation.
Venice Palace Hotel....... I check in at Venice Palace Hotel with a feeling I've been here before. Well, of course I haven't but it reminds me of the Narathiwat Hotel which we abandoned after the first night. This hotel is right in the town and the reception has been renovated but the rooms, look old, smell old, are old. On the plus side though we can walk out to a popular road with street food and due to the perplexing shortage of restaurants here, on this occasion Katoon finds something she can eat including more pork. This we take back to the room to consume putting my budget under no pressure at all.
After today's events there is a lot to think about now regarding what we can and cannot do as I continue to add as many attractions as I can.
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