Mid-winter is nigh and, with the bite of the cold, Thailand is on my mind. We’ve got another trip to the tropics in our sights – well, we’ve promised ourselves that come July we’re booking the flights. Our hoped for departure date is not till after Christmas so, in the meantime, browsing through my photos is as close as I can get to thoroughly warm bones.
During our most recent trip to Thailand, and true to our off the beaten track travel preferences, we spent a night in SingBuri. Never heard of it?
Neither had I. It’s a small town, by Thai standards, 146 kilometres from Bangkok, on the banks of the Chao Praya River – the same river that runs through Bangkok. With a population of approximately 20,000 Singburi is about a third the size of my home town. But the transport is a whole lot more interesting. People lucky enough to have a set of wheels make the most of them!
A driver with patience and a fine sense of balance
Although Thailand has a poor traffic safety record I’ve only ever seen one accident – on my first trip, back in 2001. A small motorbike went into a skid at a motorway on ramp. Both the driver and his passenger walked away but not without the driver first getting a very public scolding from his girlfriend.
In Singburi my heart was in my mouth while I watched this manoeuvre unfold. But nobody-else was in the least concerned. My son, a Bangkokian, says the secret is to make no unexpected movements – including when you are a pedestrian. It’s good advice.
There is order in this chaos – if you know the rules
Fortunately, no one needed the rescue services which are based on Wilai Chit Road and reassuringly close to all the action on the main road.
Singburi Rescue Services
We spent several hours wandering through the township and on the walkway along the banks of the Chao Praya river. The mozzies were biting, the humidity high. I managed a slow amble, nothing more. Even the dogs who followed us, hoping for food no doubt, gave up. I could only admire this guy’s determination to get where he was going. As to that cab – it’s an added extra. I guess the locals knew where it came from.
Cyclist, Wilai Chit Road, Singburi
Where do you go to warm your bones?
Categories: Off-shore Adventures, Thailand
Jill's Scene 
Great pics! You really capture the hustle and bustle of Thailand. I only spent 24 hours there on a stop over but I’d love to go back. It has such great energy!
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Yes, that’s the word for it – energy.
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Hi, Singburi is a town on the AH 1 highway out of Bangkok. Great pictures. Haven’t been there for sometime, need to go again. Thanks for the prompt
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It’s an easy trip from Bangkok – perfect for an overnight trip. We caught a mini-van from near Victory Monument. Thank -you for visiting my blog, Robert, and the follow. I enjoy your photos – especially the ones of Bangkok.
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never heard of SingBuri – but it looks very interesting – love the little cab extra too – just sitting there like that!
and I love the guy’s face in the “balance” photo – he is looking right at us and just has this look that says much….
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Hi Yvette, That guy was concentrating but he had time for a smile – after I’d taken the photo.
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well I hope you stay warm this week – and we just had a bit of heat the last few days – finally got some much needed rain – but too hot and too cold are not fun!
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Too hot and too cold are definitely not fun. Today it’s mild even unseasonably warm – I’m enjoying it because it wont last.
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Great pictures and a nice story to tie them together.
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Thanks, Dan, it was a fascinating day.
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What a wonderful job you did describing this place! I love the pictures as well as the anecdotes you added in. I would really like to see Thailand for myself some day. 🙂
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That’s great feedback, thanks! I hope you get there one day – it’s an amazing place.
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I really liked it because most of what I see/read about Thailand revolves around resorts and I always wondered if it was worth the visit. I don’t want to go somewhere just for a beach trip. Thailand has always intrigued me and after reading your post it is at the top of my list of places I must see! 🙂
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The beaches are nice and the water wonderfully warm but there is much, much more to Thailand than the resorts. It is jam packed with history and culture but mostly I have the best fun wandering around – just looking.
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Eek! I’d love to see some of the Far East 🙂
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It’s funny I don’t think of South East Asia as the Far East, Jo. It’s so much closer for us than Europe or the USA. I think it’s a fascinating place.
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