Phetchaburi was always on our list for this trip, and a few days there got us back on schedule just in time to head back to the capital and get ready to leave Thailand! Thanks to the likes of bucketlistblog we had an idea what the town had to offer. Have to say though, we were very impressed and glad we decided to stay for three nights. This is the sort of place that backpackers would have been seeking out years ago but right now foreign visitors are few and far between. Its a real shame as it does dampen the atmosphere somewhat, but we still had a great time.
We stayed at the Bosston Hotel which, when we first arrived, seemed to be so far out of town we were a bit disappointed. Its a bit of a square concrete block from the outside but the rooms are spacious with lots of rock and roll memorabilia all over the place. We were in the Michael Jackson room. You cant Beat It! Some reviews were critical of the language barrier but isnt that part of the fun of travel? We didnt find it insurmountable at all and all the staff
We arrived in plenty of time to walk into the centre for the afternoon, stopping for lunch at a streetside restaurant where we had to point at pictures and use Google Translate to make sure we were ordering what we wanted. We were nearly right! The fried chicken was literally fried chicken (think KFC) and the rice was hard and sticky rather than steamed. It was tasty though and we are pleased we stopped there instead of somewhere more used to dealing with foreigners. In town we headed straight to the impressive Wat Mahathat Worawhihan with its gleaming white towers. Well, they were gleaming before the birds started doing their business. A new layer of whitewash is in order! Inside the courtyard is an impressive collection of golden Buddhas lined up along each internal wall surrounding the white towers. The inside of the main temple is equally impressive with partially restored frescoes on the walls. It was a very peaceful place. From there we walked through the busy town centre looking for Wat Yai Suwannaram. This temple is made from teak and we enjoyed wandering around Some of the
buildings are built on stilts presumably to protect them from potential flooding. Returning to the town we bought some fresh fruit for breakfast the following day, and made our way to MonDee Restaurant which we had seen earlier in the day. The food was perfect and the location overlooking the river was lovely. There was even some live music which was surprisingly good. Form there we managed to get a Grab taxi back to the hotel. A good job too as we were shattered!
The next day we astonished the reception staff with our plans for the day then put them into action. We had to walk alongside the busy main road for a mile or so to the base of the funicular, or cable car as they call it. At the base we had our first encounter of the day with monkeys. They were not bothersome, but one of the nearby refreshment stalls lost a bottle of beer and one of the cheeky monkeys was about to get tipsy! The funicular was short but sweet, taking us up to Phra Nakhon Khiri, a hilltop palace built by King Rama IV. There was a strict dress code to enter the palace and we
had to remove our shoes. A bit much for wandering around something like a National Trust property, but you have to play the game. Surprisingly no such clothing restrictions existed at any of the temples looking out over the town. The huge white stupa was very impressive but you do have to mind your head when climbing up inside it! The nearby red pagoda was nice too, but the undulating paths to get there were slippery with moss in places. We decided to walk down to the foot of the hill rather than take the funicular again. We were rewarded with crowds of monkeys in family groups and not another soul around. That led us to the small park where the City Pillar Shrine sits, close to a very regal statue of King Mongkut also known as Rama IV who built the palace on the hill.
