Phimai and Saingam

The Archeological Museum

Although the entrance fee to the buildings is somewhat high, it is possible to take a look at the impressive collection of statues at an open warehouse. Hundreds of statues are blocking the view of each other and the narrow corridors between them do not allow proper view, but it is impressive nonetheless. The Khmer influence is evident.

Quick Tips:

A little after the museum, at the next intersection, is the market and the central square of the old town. One hundred meters to their right is the main temple complex. The outer wall of the temple was seen already at the front of the museum, but the entrance from there is blocked. The way to the Saingam Village is at the left turn at the main junction if the museum is at your back.

Best Way To Get Around:

Arriving at Phimai is extremely easy. Thus, it is even more surprising that so few tourists do the way to this charming place in the Thai universe. A few hours from Bangkok is Khorat, or in its full spelling, the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, one of the biggest cities and the entrance to Issan, the northeastern lobe in the Thai map. From the bus terminal, there are cheap local buses to Phimai from one of the bays at the back of the terminal. The 60km way takes about an hour and costs 24 bahts (a little bit more than .50).

Like old towns in Thailand, Phimai is separated into the new and old cities. The new town is uninteresting and located 1.5km from the old town and away from the way to Khorat, so that there is no real reason to visit it. When entering the city from the Khorat direction, the first cluster of buildings visible at the left side is the local museum. Ask to leave the bus at the first junction within the town and you are at the center of the action. If you miss it, the bus will drop you at the new town: you can easily return with a local tuk-tuk or even by foot. When you decide to leave the town, you can return to Khorat or take the bus to Ubon Ratchathani, deeper within Issan, for 135B. If you are planning to do the day cross to Khao Phra Wihaan ruins in Cambodia, you should take this bus.

Hotels in Phimai

There are probably hotels in New Phimai, but I did not even check since it made more sense to stay in the old town just in front of the ruins and near Saingam village. In such a way, you can enjoy the sights from earlier till later.

Since the publication of my ancient travel guide (1992! And it looks like a 1940 edition), the Old Phimai guesthouse has been unified with Phimai Beer House, and both buildings, one in front of the other, are managed from the "Old Phimai" one. The structures are really basic, providing just the basic commodities, but at a price of 130 baht per room (a little more than $3), you cannot complain. As very few tourists arrive here, you will probably have the building for yourself (I had), thus adding a feeling of extra luxury to the experience. The buildings are classical wooden Thai structures and not very well kept, giving a weird sensation that you stayed to sleep at the Phimai ruins themselves. The staff is cordial and helpful, they rent bikes for the tour to the Saingam Village, and they even sent their little girl to show me where I could get pressurized air for the bike wheels. Despite that, they provided erroneous information regarding the day pass to the nearby Khmer ruins in Cambodia.

If that option is too rustic for your taste, just walk back from the guesthouse to the main road, take to the right, and take once again to the right at the wide road and you will find in front of you a regular hotel, albeit with only basic facilities, with rooms starting at 350 baht (almost $9).

Phimai lacks up-market eating places, but during the day, you will find street stalls selling Thai staples like everywhere in Thailand.

To close the day with a more ordered meal, you can try the Baiteiy restaurant, which is roughly half a block from the guesthouse in front of the ruins. This recommendation has very little to do with the food, since they serve basic Thai dishes in a fashion and quality not drastically different from the one adopted by the street stalls. Yet, the restaurant is decorated in an obvious Khmer style, with sensual apsaras statues hanging from stone walls and everything in warm colors and a soft lighting.

As there are not many tourists around, the place caters mainly to Thai families that enjoy listening to Thai comedian shows during their meal, but you can place yourself in such an angle that the television set will be out of your sightline. Since the upper part of the wall is open, the view blocked just with an ineffective straw curtain, the mosquitoes time their dinner together with yours, and thus, a repellent should be used.

Prasat Phimai is a Mahayana Buddhist temple located in the Phimai District of the Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand. The name originates in the Khmer Vimai, which appears in a carved inscription at the complex gate. The complex is a rectangular one surrounded by a boundary wall, and the principal tower at its center is called Prasat Phimai. It has a square base of 22m and an height of 28m. Nearby is the Red Stone tower with a base of 11.5m and a height of 15m.

The place doesn't lack water; the Mun River passes on the northern and eastern sides of the temple, while the Khem stream passes on its southern side and the Chukarat stream passes at its west and later joins the Mun River at the Songkhram. There are three ponds within the walls (Sa Kaew, Sa Phlong, and Sa Khwan) and three outside them (Sa Phleng, Sa Bond, and Sa Phleng Haeng). To the south is a big reservoir.

The main construction period was in the 11th and 12th centuries, but there were additions in the 13th one, the evidence based on the inscriptions found on the carved stones of the temples. Unlike many temples in Thailand, which face the east, Phimai faces southeast in the direction of Angkor, the capital of the Khmer empire.

As said, the old town is surrounded by the remains of the old wall, and some parts of it, especially around the central square, were restored. The short street connecting the main temples with the outer wall hosts the guesthouse, hotel, restaurant and a big wat by the wall, with big dogs at its entrance keeping it safe from curious visitants.

The entrance to the main complex costs 40B, and it opens quite early, before 8am, despite the low number of visitors. At the left side from the entrance, there is a big rectangular structure built from big stones and divided into rooms without a roof and ornament. At the right side, there is a small shop with an excellent model of the site. An elevated, stone-made road leads from there to the central temple, which is shaped like the central temple in Angkor Wat but much smaller, without the richness of the original and without sculpted walls. Around it there are very few and very small surrounding structures. Yet, it is impressive and complimentary to a visit to Angkor Wat, or even exchanges such a visit if you lack the time or means for it. >

Twenty minutes by bike north from the old town, the Saingam village hosts the biggest clusters of Banyan trees in Thailand, which are locally known as Sai Yoi (sweeping Banyans). The massive clusters cover a whole island in the Mun River just beyond a charming little village, with an interesting temple hosting the area's crematorium. When Queen Sri Phatcharinthara visited the place in 1911, she changed the name of the place to Sai Ngarm (the "r" is not pronounced), which means "Area of the Splendid Banyans."

The Banyan is the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment, and thus it is considered sacred to the Thais. The older the tree, the more worshipped it is. Its most visible characteristics are the roots hanging from the branches that, once they reach the ground, grow up to a new trunk, allowing the tree to expand. This specific tree is 350 years old and has covered a full, small island in the local river. Its central and original trunk, placed along the riverside closest to Phimai, among hundreds of other trunks, is wrapped with colored clothes, a typical Buddhist practice towards old and revered trees. Not far from the central trunk there is a small shrine constantly used by the pilgrims. A narrow way advances among the trunks, with benches carefully located at its sides, for the use of local couples. The branches from the different trunks are interconnected in an intricate and beautiful way, creating an effective roof protecting from the sun and the rain. The leaves grow in the outer side of the branches so that the interior space is mainly brown. Many local tourists visit here, and there is a long row of food stalls in front of the island. Farther away is a small dam over the river, with a bilingual sign providing a phone number in case a dog bites you, but despite my thorough search, no dogs were visible.

It is possible to rent, at the Phimai guesthouse, a bike for 10 bahts ($0.25) for the whole day so that you can easily reach the trees in an independent fashion. They will rent the bike even if you have not slept at their place. Leaving their institution, just travel to the main junction of the old town and continue straight ahead (the new town is at your right and the central temples at your left).