Pizza Phitsa Phitsanulok

The Gate to Northern Thailand, hot Phitsanulok is a small town offering to the traveler access to key sites and sights. Its relaxed downtown is flanked by the beautiful Nan River and spiced up with traditional Thai structures, including floating homes.

Name

The town’s name means "Vishnu's Heaven" or "Two Rivers," depending on how the Sanskrit "v" consonant is transliterated into Thai, which lacks the sound.

History

The ancient town of Song Khwae (Two Rivers) was part of the Cambodia during the 11th century and was named after the nearby meeting of the Nan and Khwae Noi rivers. Later, it became the main eastern city of the Sukhothai Kingdom; at this time Wat Aranyik and Wat Chedi Yod Thong were constructed.

In 1357, as part of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat was constructed. In 1463 the capital was moved from Ayutthaya to Phitsanulok, and that’s when Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Nang Phaya were constructed. However, twenty-five years later the capital returned to Ayutthaya. In 1555, King Naresuan the Great was born here; later, he defeated the Burmese invader.

Temples

The city’s rich history created a significant heritage of Buddhist temples. The most important among the dozen or more temples scattered around the tiny downtown is without doubt Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat. Known also as Wat Yai (Big Temple), it hosts the Phra Buddha Chinnarat – the Flaming Buddha, which is a sacred Buddha statue, second in Thailand only to the Emerald Buddha. Every January there is a festival honoring the image.

Transport

Phitsanulok sits on the intersection of the major highways linking Northern, Northeastern and Central Thailand; buses from everywhere to everywhere stop at its bus terminal at all hours. Highway 1 links the city with Bangkok, Highway 11 with Chiang Mai, the scenic Highway 12 with Khon Kaen and Highway 117 with Nakhon Sawan.

Old Town

Much of old Phitsanulok was destroyed in the 1955 fire. The few old relics which survived the fire were the Flaming Buddha Temple and Chedi and a small section of the original city wall.

Buranathai Buddha Foundry

This foundry casts bronze Buddhas and is one of the main attractions in town; the whole production process can be watched.

Sergeant-Major Dr. Thawee Buranakhet Folklore Museum

This site has a wide collection of art works, traps, crafts, pottery and other ancient items characteristic of the area.

Floating Houses

On the Nan River, near Wat Phra Sri Rattana Maharat, traditional floating houses can be seen from the promenade; near them is a floating museum.

Dragon Boat Races

Every October, Dragon Boat Races are held in the Nan River, resembling those of the Naga Festival.

Night Market

Spanning the promenade and adjacent streets, the local night market is a fabulous place for tasting the Northern Thai Cuisine.

Wat Yai’s first sight caused me to approach quickly its central structure with big expectations; the subtle differences between this temple and the plethora of other Thai temples I had seen before hinted something special awaited me there.

Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat or Wat Yai (Big Temple) hosts the Phra Buddha Chinnarat – the Flaming Buddha, which is a sacred Buddha statue, second in Thailand only to the Emerald Buddha; every January there is a festival honouring it.

Location

The temple is along the Nan River, not far from the Naresuan Bridge and on the western side of the town; this is one of the few parts of the old town which survived the 1955 fire. The area can be easily accessed by foot from downtown Phitsanulok or from the nearby Night Market.

The Temple

The temple was founded in 1357 during the reign of King Maha Thammaradscha I of the Sukhothai Kingdom. In 1631, some of King Ekatosarot ceremonial objects were covered with gold and applied on the image, which got thus its actual loaded look. Later, in 1756, an impressive entrance with mother-of-pearl inserts was added by King Boromakot to the inspiring temple’s viharn.

The central tower - the Prang – is thirty-six meters high and was built in classical Khmer style. The Prang can be accessed through an inner staircase; in a niche at its top are Buddha relics.

Within the temple complex is the Buddha Chinnarat National Museum, which displays a significant collection of Sukhothai art.

Phra Buddha Chinnarat

The golden bronze statue at the temple’s viharn is unique in almost every aspect, but what transforms it into something exceptional is the flame shaped halo around its upper part, which is then transformed into nagas (mythical serpents) by the armrests.

The Buddha is sitting with crossed legs, one atop the other; its hands are in the bhumisparsa mudra - the earth touching or evil subduing - position, in which his left hand is upwards on his lap and the right one rests pointing earth on his knee. In such a way Buddha is calling the earth to witness his victory over evil; this is the most popular posture seen in Buddha statues.

The temple imposes fewer restrictions than the Royal Palace in Bangkok regarding its famous icon; practically the only limitation regarding photographs is the poor light within the viharn – a tripod is essential for good results.

Copies of the Buddha are displayed in Bangkok’s Wat Benchamabophit and Rayong’s Wat Saranat Thammaram. However, despite Thai religious protocol allowing such copies, it dictates the copies to be of different size than the original, so that no mistakes would be done.

Unlike the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, this one is big and displayed at ground level, thus it is possible to study in detail its unusual characteristics. The overall effect is splendid; the statue is widely recognized as the most beautiful Buddha image in Thailand.

Surrounded by low mountains, Phrae is a natural stop in the way from Phitsanoluk to Nan. Beyond the blessed break along the long way, the town offers an interesting view of a traditional Thai town.

Attractions

Phrae’s Old Quarter does not look different from a century ago, providing thus a fascinating look into traditional Thailand. The moat around the Old Quarter is still there to show the town’s original limits, but its walls do not exist anymore, except for an elevated ramp hinting to them by the northern side, just before the Yom River. The night market is just before the entry to the quarter and thus it invites a combined visit.

Accommodation

Tepviman Guesthouse by the entry to the Old Quarter offers very basic rooms with an attached bathroom for 80B, but the building is falling apart and it is not recommended, unless in an emergency. Not far from it, on Thanon Ratsadamnoen, is the Nakhon Phrae Hotel where fan rooms with hot water are available for 250B.

Transport

The bus terminal is somewhat north of downtown along Thanon Yantarakitkoson, turning to the right in front of the Mae Yom Palace Hotel. See more transport details from here in the Traveling around Thailand’s North entry in this journal.

Food

The Night Market is highly recommended, look for the colourful Chinese Temple along it, it makes a gorgeous background to your meal. There are two 7 Eleven branches in town where basic necessities and off-hour quick meals are offered.

Souvenirs

The area still features one of the biggest teak forests in Thailand; consequently, Phrae is known for woodcarving. Samples can be seen and purchased along the main road shophouses (Thanon Charoen Muang) and among the Night Market stalls.

Temples

Wat Luang on Kham Lue Road is the main temple in town; it has a stuppa built in Chiang Saen style and a relic brought from Myanmar.

Practically on the old city walls and west of Wat Luang is Wat Phra Non, which hosts a large reclining Buddha. Among the others temples in town, the most important is Wat Sa Bo Kaeo Nam Khu Road since it features several Burmese structures.

The City Pillar is on Khum Doem Road and features old Thai scriptures dating back to the Sukhothai Kingdom.

Festivals

The Phra That Cho Hae Fair is held in March and involves a believers’ procession according to the old Lanna Kingdom traditions; they carry robes and use them for covering the temple’s stuppa. This is an almost unique opportunity in modern Thailand for seeing traditional Lanna Kingdom garments.

Another worthy event is the Kin Salak festival, held out in September. This is an old Buddhist puja (merit) gathering event where an offerings’ procession is given to the local monks by the denizens.

Muang Nan was an independent kingdom since the mid 14th century, in parallel with Luang Prabang, the capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom in what today is Laos. Later it was annexed by the Thai Lan Na Kingdom, conquered by the Burmese, abandoned and conquered once again by the Thais; finally, it was the last self administered area to be added to the Thai Kingdom in 1931.

Modern Nan is a pleasantly isolated backwaters location between Northern Thailand and Laos. It has several attractions ranging from natural views to unique Thai Buddhist temples, as well as a suitable tourism infrastructure.

It hosts an interesting temple, Wat Phra That Chang Kham, with a stupa held by sculpted elephants; the only one similar to it in Thailand is in Sukhothai, but there, it is inactive. The temple is conveniently placed close to the intersection of Mahaphrom Road (the Nan Guesthouse road) and Pha Kong Road, the latest is one of the most important north-south axis in town. In its kitty corner is Wat Phumin, which has a most unusual central cruciform structure hosting the bot and the viharn. The Nan River, east of the town, shapes the streets into an irregular grid where fast-food franchises are absent, although Seven Eleven already did its debut here.

Transport

In the Backpackers Universe, Nan owns its fame to the bus line traveling along the old route to Chiang Rai.

There are two ways to travel from Nan to Chiang Rai; the newer one passes through Phayao and has several buses during the day. The Nan Valley is surrounded by mountains and the new road uses a low pass to get from there to Phayao; then it continues through the northern plains to Chiang Rai. However, the older and famous way goes through roads 1080, 1148 and then 1021; it is a tortured and narrow way among the steep hills and the Nan River. Beautiful and slow. In the opposite direction, the bus speeds downwards and thus it offers a shorter opportunity to enjoy the views. There is only one bus per day, it leaves at 09:00 and arrives at 15:00; it costs 130B. The new and spacious bus terminal is conveniently located close to the center of town, and it has an unusual row of shops before the entrance that includes a comfortable restaurant. Many buses per day do the 117km to Phrae for 47B.

Accommodation

Nan Guesthouse, Thanon Mahaphom 57/16 is the perfect place for backpackers. Placed within a classical Thai woodhouse, it offers basic rooms with shared bathrooms for 100B per night. The place is adequately placed near Wat Chang Kham and Wat Phumin two of the main attractions in the town, and just a couple of blocks south from the modern center.

Food

The Night Market is centrally located at the intersection of Thanon Phakwang with Thanon Anantaworarichides and it offers local adaptations to the usual Thai staples; notice the slightly different spicing of the food – despite being geographically in Northern Thailand, the food shows Isaan and Laotian influences.

Thailand's northern lobe is one of the best-developed parts of the country; traveling through it is easy. Roughly circular, its form suggests drawing a circle to cover it efficiently. Moreover, the climate in the north is the best in Thailand, thus it is the perfect place for acclimatizing to the heat and humidity.

Phitsanoluk is the ideal place for starting a big loop around Thailand's north due its position as the biggest crossroad in the country, sitting at the main connection of the North, with Isaan and Bangkok. There are buses from here practically to all of the north; buses from everywhere to everywhere stop at its bus terminal at all hours.

The best is beginning the loop northwards; despite all the ways being equally good in their transportation's facilities, there is an important difference in the direction in the stretch from Nan to Chiang Rai. This is the most scenic route in the whole path, a tortured and narrow road advancing up the steep mountains towards Chiang Rai; in the opposite direction the bus speeds down and thus there are less opportunities for enjoying the way.

Northwards, Phrae is the first town reached. Air-con buses from Phitsanulok to Phare cost 116B and leave at 7:00, 9:10, 11:30 and 15:00. Placed by the Yom River, this secondary town was never important enough to enjoy a development process, thus it offers the visitor views of a classical Thai town, though all it is left of the old walls is an elevated path.

A regular bus from Phrae to Nan travels the 117km way for just 47B. Nan was the last principality to join the Thai Kingdom, as recently as 1931; Muang Nan was an independent kingdom since the mid 14th century, in parallel with Luang Prabang and Lan Xang in Laos.

The town hosts an interesting temple, Wat Phra That Chang Kham, which has a stupa held by sculpted elephants; the only one similar to it in Thailand is in Sukhothai, but there the temple is inactive.

Two ways lead from Nan to Chiang Rai; the newer passes through Phayao and has several buses during the day. However, the famous and scenic one goes through roads 1080, 1148 and then 1021. Only one bus per day uses this road; it leaves at 09:00, arrives at 15:00 and costs 130B. Staying overnight at the town of Chiang Kham, crossed around 13:00, is possible.

Chiang Rai was once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom and became a Thai province only in 1910. Nowadays it is a modern and comfortable city, the second in size in the north after Chiang Mai and the perfect place for replenishing the backpack or sitting idle for a couple of days. Being the gate to the Golden Triangle, it is the ideal place for starting and finishing that itinerary.

Doi Maesalong is an interesting detour from the loop; to get there take the bus from Chiang Rai to Ban Pasang (from 06:00 to 18:00 every 15 minutes) and then a truck from the village northern junction to Doi Maesalong. The village is one of the counted Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) settlements in Thailand and is famous for its tea and views.

The next main stop is Chiang Mai; this stretch of the way takes you from the eastern part of the loop to the western one and there are several ways of doing it. An interesting way of reaching Chiang Mai from Chiang Rai is through Fang, a village along the old way connecting to Chiang Mai, buses to there leave at 8:00, 10:00 and 14:00 and cost 49B (137km, three hours).

On the new route connecting Chiang Rai with Chiang Mai, the distance is 180km and the way longs anything between three to five hours, depending on the class of the bus. Regular buses cost 77B and leave between 6:30am and 5:30pm. Air-conditioned buses cost 139B, and leave between 8:45am and 4:00pm. On Fridays and Sundays there are additional buses at 4:30pm and on Fridays at 7:00pm. VIP buses cost 216B and leave between 8:00am and 5:30pm. The old route is significantly longer, 338km, longs six hours and regular buses leave between 6:00am and 4:30pm every 20 minutes, and cost 83B.

There is an additional option to travel through Lampang, 225km, 5 hours and 81B. However, it is more sensible to save time visiting Lampang from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is the second most important city in Thailand and has many points of interest for tourists; see my specific entries for them. One of them is the Mae Hong Son loop.

If travelling through Mae Hong Son or skipping it, Tak would be eventually reached. Most buses leaving for Bangkok from Chiang Mai pass through it, but there is a direct, regular bus from Chiang Mai's Akaed terminal at noon (platform 15, 137B, three hours). West from Tak is Mae Sot, from where renewing the Thai visa by crossing to the Burmese town of Myawaddy is possible.

East from Tak is Old Sukhothai, which is reached with any bus travelling eastwards from the terminal for 28B. It is better to explore the ruins of the old capital from Old Sukhothai; the new town is away from the ruins and has no special characteristics on itself. Trucks do the twelve kilometres way between the two for ten baht.

Closing the loop from New Sukhotai to Phitsanulok costs 23B; there are frequent buses between the two during the day.

Phitsanulok is the comfortable way to end your journey, though, if in a hurry, returning from Sukhothai to Tak is possible; from there are many buses to Bangkok. Except for the express buses connecting Chiang Mai to Bangkok, all of them stop here; buying a ticket on the spot is possible. Usually they have available seats and are the fastest way of reaching the capital.

The whole loop, including the Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son detours can be done in less than a week without stops; However, a good plan should allow something around one month for pleasantly enjoying this wonderful part of Thailand.