The Journey(s) of Ian

650kms, 9 hours, one night. Another trip, another journey. This time from Bangkok to the town of Surat Thani. Surat is one of the larger towns of southern Thailand, capital of the province of the same name, and the province (of the same name) is home to the beach resort island of Koh Samui. Me, the bus guy, and the bus. people people people--the loneliness of the travelling man. It is a burden. Surrounded by people but always a part. my ticket A fine few weeks in bkk. Saw some friends, saw some new places, visited and revisited some nearby provinces, but time to move on. Get your ticket. Sai Tai, at night, main entrance. I departed bkk from the southern bus station, aka Sai Tai, which is to the west of bkk--go figure. Getting there required a taxi ride from nana—there being little public transport to a major transportation nexus—go figure. Taxi = 200 baht, 60 baht tollway, and 100baht tip because the guy did not haggle about using the meter. It's all an ad...

13th March 2011 Google maps link to my map of this area: http://goo.gl/maps/DDb0 Location: 8.773 N  98.4164 E Pronounced “Cow Phra Nar-EYE” (as an Australian would say it). map of general area. A thousand and more years ago  Khao Phra Narai was one of the stopping points on the overland route across what is now the Malay peninsular of the Thai Silk Road. Then, but not now, this route was a busy section of the long journey between Europe and China, with high value goods making the year long journey between east and west. This stopping point is marked principally by the foundation stones of a small temple on a hill overlooking this area. The Hindu Temple area. The Temple. The archaeological site of Khao Phra Narai lies approximately 20kms to the south east of Thung Tuk, as the crow flies (do crows fly in a straight line?), or, as I estimate, ~30kms distant along the winding Takuapa River. It is located in the Lae sub-district (tambon)...

Is that a cool pic or what ? Khao Phra Noe — A hill by a river. 14 March 2011 location:  n8.8895  e98.2949 The map, showing immediate surrounds. Our boat, no, the small boat. Google maps link to my detailed map of the site:  http://goo.gl/maps/Lych View of hilltop from centre of the river. This archaeological site is on the mainland, immediately opposite Thung Tuk. It consists of the remains of a small temple atop a small hill. From the hill top one can enjoy an excellent view of the surrounding landscape to the west, and the Takuapa River mouth, which, a thousand years ago, would have been a hive of activity, with ships and commerce from all corners of the world filing the harbour.  View of Takuapa River mouth from hill top. whoossh, and away. This temple was most likely built as a religious ‘good luck’ charm, and as a ‘signpost’. For centuries, ship’s crews arriving and departing for destinations both east and west would be able to lo...

A day at Thung Tuk (“Toon-Tick”) Step one on the 'Thai Silk Road' 11th March 2011. Google maps link to my detailed map of the site: http://goo.gl/maps/Lych The Thai Silk Route. This is the Thailand section of the long southern Silk Road, from Arabia, to India, then across the Malay Peninsular, over what is now the modern Kingdom of Thailand, then northwards to Vietnam and China. This post deals with the first stop on the route, Thung Tuk, #10 (I like to number things). Northern Phang-nga province of southern Thailand, showing Takuapa and Koh Kor Khao (island). To being, there is one thing I am sure of, classicists have it easy when it comes to research. Sitting in a library, aircon of course, reading books, journals, and then attending scholarly conferences. Way to go. Not so archaeologists: heat, bugs and slugs, weeds, dirt—all the fun things. This was the case on the island of Koh Kor Khao, where I explored the ancient site of Thung Tuk.  Fi...