Wat Chom Kiri Nat Prot ( Wat Khao), Nakhon Sawan, Thailand.

An article of 800 words by Steve Finn

IT IS often said that the first step is the hardest, but that is not the case at Wat Khao. The temple is at the top of four hundred and fifty three steps and the journey looks deceptively easy. By the time most visitors pass through the gates though, having toiled through the thirty-degree heat, they are truly grateful for the iced water freely dispensed in the temple grounds. Easy does not come into it.

The juice is worth the squeeze though, because those who make the effort will be rewarded by truly spectacular views across the province. They will also find that Wat Khao houses a Buddha footprint, that most intriguing of religious artefacts.

The temple sits serenely on the summit of Khao Buat Nak, a hill around one kilometre from the city centre. It is believed to have been put there by the Burmese after they had sacked the city of Ayuthaya for the second time, a gesture designed to show that the countries shared the same religion. This would date the structure to the late 1700s, Ayuthaya fell in 1767.

The religion of choice is Theravada Buddhism, the lord Buddha is believed to have been born in the year 453bc (hence the number of steps…). His early followers, deeming him too auspicious to portray physically in images, used representations of footprints to show that Buddha himself had been present in a place.

In later times, footprints were used to show that the spirit of the Lord Buddha had passed through an area in an attempt to assist his followers along the path to enlightenment.

There are three monks in residence at Wat Khao and they are usually happy to talk; dispensing pearls of wisdom and small packets of fossils, which are blessed before being given to visitors, in equal measure.

The province of Nakhon Sawan itself is quite interesting. It lies 240km north of Bangkok, where the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan rivers converge to form the mighty Chao Praya. It is home to some 1.1 million people, and also has one of the biggest night food markets in Thailand.

Very few tourists find themselves in this area, so when I visit family there I am something of a novelty. Small boys crash their bicycles whilst craning their necks to get a look, restaurants come to a temporary halt as the mildly embarrassed farang is shown to his table. It's like being Johnny Depp, but without getting to hold hands with Vanessa Paradis.

The City is very Thai, motorbikes with more than two people on board buzzing around with not a crash helmet in sight. No western orientated bars but plenty of local nightlife. Fortunately, that staple western eye-opener coffee has swept the nation and us suffering refugees can find our latte fix in the mornings.

As with most places you travel to, life is a little easier if you have some local language, but English is taught to children from the age of seven in Thailand so will get you by in the main. A decent phrase book and a bit of effort on your part will reap it's rewards though.

My own forays into the mightily confusing world of spoken Thai are more often than not met with polite amusement, though my apparent resemblance to Mr. Bean my also have something to do with the mirth. Being able to understand how much a tuk-tuk driver is asking for is definitely helpful though.

Getting to Nakhon Sawan does take a bit of effort. Roads are good, trains are slow. A private car or minibus (with driver) can be hired in Bangkok for around 2500baht. There are regular buses as well, and if you are keen to see Thailand and are heading North to the Chiang Mai area, this can be a logical stopping off point to break up your trip.

There are not too many tourist hotels in town, in fact I have only ever found two. The Pimarn and the Beverley Hills will both charge around 800baht a night for a double room including breakfast. Both are clean and comfortable, though the Pimarn is a little closer to the city centre.

Straying slightly off the beaten track is worth the effort in Thailand. Little visited places like Nakhon Sawan are a treasure. It's cheap too, hotels and restaurants are around half the price of their big city counterparts in Bangkok, and you could always visit Ayuthaya on the way back for a further history and culture fix.

Ends

Word Count: 800

E-Mail: steve(@)s-p-f.net