Sangkhlaburi... on a Rainy Day

Due to the recent incessant rainfall, I found myself reminiscing about past adventures. While browsing through old photo albums, I stumbled upon a trip to Sangkhla Buri that I had taken the previous year. This serendipitous discovery inspired me to revisit this memorable journey and share my experiences through a fresh review.

This trip took place on July 28-30, 2017, with two friends who joined us later.

DAY 1
We boarded a van at Mo Chit 2 to travel to Kanchanaburi Province. We took the Bangkok-Kanchanaburi van, departing at 7:30 AM. The ticket seller asked for our phone number so they could call us to board the van parked at the pier. While waiting for the van, we had a snack. Shortly after finishing our meal, an employee called us to board the van.

The van departed from Mo Chit 2 at 8:00 AM and arrived at Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal around 10:00 AM. We then purchased tickets for another van to continue our journey to Sangkhla Buri. The van from Kanchanaburi to Sangkhla Buri does not have a fixed schedule; it departs as soon as it is full. We arrived in Sangkhla Buri around 2:00 PM, but it was raining heavily. (It was truly a sad moment.) However, we had checked the weather forecast beforehand and knew that it would rain on the day of our arrival. The total travel time from Mo Chit 2 to Sangkhla Buri was approximately 7 hours. Upon arrival in Sangkhla Buri, we immediately went to a restaurant across from the van stop. We ordered food and ate it right away, as there was nothing else to do in the heavy rain.

The rain had just stopped when we started looking for raincoats. After walking for a while, we came across a 7-Eleven. After buying raincoats, we started looking for a place to stay (we hadn't booked anything in advance, so we were just going to find something on the spot). We walked for a while and then saw a sign for a guesthouse called Chom Ngam 1. We called them up and booked a room right away. The place we stayed was on the Mon side, next to the Mon Bridge. The room was okay and not expensive, and the owner was lovely and kind. We decided that if we ever go back, we'll stay at the same place again.

And then we walked to the Mon Bridge and took some pictures. Around 5:15 PM, we arrived at the accommodation and paid before checking in. (The accommodation has air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, and hot water heater, but the room is very small, but it's okay. I forgot to take pictures to show you.) Then we put our luggage away, changed our clothes, and waited for the rain to stop. Then we went out to take pictures of the surroundings while waiting for our friends from Rangsit to arrive. (I heard that they got lost on their way to Pilok and it took them a while to get out, haha.)

Around 7:30 PM, I met up with my friend's brother at his friend's shop. We then went to the market together and stopped to eat Burmese hotpot at Moo Moo, where skewers cost only 1 baht each. We devoured 20-30 skewers each, leaving us completely satisfied. After finishing our meal, we went back to my friend's brother's house and finished a whole crate of beer. We drank until late, and when we were sufficiently tipsy, my friend's brother dropped me off at the bottom of the Mon Bridge. I walked back to my room, and after that, I blacked out!

DAY 2

Waking up around 6:00 AM, we prepared for the morning alms offering. However, due to a severe hangover, it took us until 6:30 AM to finally get out of bed and shower. Fortunately, the monks had not yet arrived. We had arranged to meet with some friends at the guesthouse, which conveniently located right on the street where the monks would be walking. Without wasting any time, we purchased an alms offering set from a nearby vendor. The morning procession was bustling with people offering food to the monks.

After finishing our alms offering, we sat down to eat rice porridge across the street from our accommodation. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, or if it even had a name. I saw a sign that said "Mon Restaurant".

After finishing our meal, we went our separate ways back to our accommodations. Shortly after arriving, the rain began to pour, so we decided to take a nap. We woke up around noon and packed our belongings as we had to check out. We spent the following night at the house of a friend we knew.

DAY 3
On the final day, after waking up, we packed our belongings to prepare for our return trip to Bangkok. We said goodbye to our host and set off on our journey back in a private car with a friend we had met.

Sangkhla Buri is a highly recommended destination, especially during the rainy season, due to its cool and misty weather. If time permits, consider extending your trip to Pilok.

Trip details:

• Van fare from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi: 120 THB/person/trip
• Bus fare from Kanchanaburi to Sangkhla Buri: 175 THB/person/trip
• Accommodation at Baan Chom Ngam 1: 400 THB/room
• Morning alms set: 99 THB/set