Uthaithani

We traveled through Central Thailand, the rice basket of SE Asia. Because of the reservoirs and irrigation systems, they get 3 crops of rice a year. We were told that the sign of a prosperous farmer was that they own a pick-up truck and indeed, we saw many parked next to their farm houses. We stopped at one of the road side stalls for barbecued rat (I declined), the key pest for rice.

Temple of 100 Meters

Our most interesting stop was what to the be the Temple for Loading Teak. But since, it is now illegal to cut teak, the temple had fallen in disrepair. One of the monks here was considered a holy man, who reignited the Buddhist religion in the town. When he died 15 years ago, they cremated his body, but it didn't burn! Now this is a holy shrine with a new Temple of 100 Meters, a unique temple with mirrors and brilliant columns throughout.

In Uthaithani, we walked the market, seeing and tasting new fruits, fish and sweets. We had lunch of a Khiri Nava, a traditional rice boat on the Sakae Krang river. We had the luck to be there on a festival day when they were racing sculls. An announcer was keeping the crowd excited as his voice blared across the water, sounding with the cadence of a race track announcer. Except for these 2 breaks, it was a long bus day.