This week, we finally had our fifth and final National Museum Neighborhood Walk! It got delayed due to the pandemic, but three months later, the show must go on!
We met at Coffee Club, a local branch of the famous Aussie coffee chain. It was so nice to meet up with the other international members of the National Museum program again! I've missed seeing my friends since we last met up in February.
This tour was themed "Along the Khlong", and was set to take us through Phra Khanong, on the outskirts of Bangkok, along one of the city's most infamous and storied kholongs, or canals.
We began our walk at Wat Pak Bo, a Buddhist temple famous for its beautiful murals.
The temple was established by the Laotian diaspora who arrived in this area nearly two centuries ago. Although it looks typically Thai, this temple is actually in the Lao style!
The interior of the temple is covered in beautiful golden designs, and colorful Buddhas - each one representing a day of the week - line the gilt walls.
Outside, the walls of the temple are painted in fresco murals depicting some of the most important festivals in Thailand (and Laos). The most spectacular - to me anyway - was a painting depicting the Loi Krathong festivities.
We encountered a shrine to a man named Grandfather Som. This famous old man is recognized as the guardian spirit who protects and defends buried treasure.
Pu Som Fao Sap (ปู่โสมเฝ้าทรัพย์) is a male ghost who guards treasures. He appears like a venerable old man. There are a few legends about the origin of Pu Som. One recounts the story of a city under siege. Many wealthy people wanted to hide their valuables. Pu Som was working for a great nobleman who tasked him with burying his treasures in a cave in the forest. Pu Som then killed all those with him and waited for the return of his master. However, the city fell and the latter never came to reclaim his possessions. Pu Som died protecting the treasures, something he still does to this day.
Further on, we came to a shrine dedicate to "Ai Khai".
Ai Khai refers to the spirit of a boy aged about 9 or 10. Although there are many stories about Ai Khai, most seem to agree that he was a disciple of Luang Pu Thuad, a legendary and revered monk from the South of Thailand who lived over 300 years ago.
The boy Ai Khai was traveling to Si Ayutthaya with his mentor, when they decided to stay overnight in the area of present-day Wat Chedi in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Luang Pu Thuad noticed that there were
many great treasures around, but that the temple was empty and no monks were staying there.
Sensing that this temple one day would become an important place, the monk instructed the boy to stay there, look after the treasures and serve the locals. Ai Khai vowed to do so.
The boy quickly gained appreciation from the villagers for his ability to solve problems, despite the fact that he apparently also was mischievous young lad.
It is unclear what happened to the boy next. Stories vary from him dying in an accident at a young
age to him drowning himself in a pond nearby because he didn’t want to violate his oath to serve
the temple. Nevertheless, he never really left Wat Chedi as his spirit remained to guard the temple
and help the people.
There is also no record of what happened to the temple and the treasures afterwards, until the by
then derelict building was rediscovered in 1957. It is said that the workers, who were involved in
the construction of the new Ubosot (ordination hall), couldn’t sleep as they felt like a little child was pulling their arms or legs and was dropping things on the floor. A similar story was recorded in the 1980s when soldiers stayed in the temple area. It is said the spirit of the boy will help people recover lost items and fulfil wishes for wealth, success in business, and good luck. People who come to pray to him will return after their wish is granted to set off firecrackers and offer gifts in the form of toys, sweets, statues of roosters, military uniforms and toy weapons.
After the story of a woman who won at a lottery in 2020 hit the news, Ai Khai’s popularity rose
spectacularly and these days you can find statues all over Thailand.
Nakhon Sri Thammarat, in fact, became the only province of Thailand whose tourism (domestic) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic! Because of international restrictions, Thais decided to travel domestically, and many opted to pay a visit to Ai Khai in the south.
We had been walking for most of the way, and at this point, our leaders informed us that it was time to board the awaiting longtail boat to continue our journey!
We walked to the canal, where two boats were waiting to carry us onward to our next destination. It was a clear, beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining, and there was an incredible blue sky over Bangkok (something which we had not seen in several months).
It is always a joy to take a longtail boat!
I do not get out on the canals all that often.
Bangkok was once known as the "Venice of the Orient" due to its amazing canal network. Today, although most people drive or take the city's fantastic public transportation network, the canal system is still a vital part of the Bangkokian experience.
As we set off down the old canal, it was interesting to see the many houses, temples, and historical sites which were still in operation along the quiet, muddy waters.
As we slowly made our way down the river, I was fascinated to see the homes along the water. Each one had a mailbox attached to a pier which jutted out into the canal.
It is fascinating; there's a whole 'nother world out there in Bangkok! There are folks (regular, middle class folks) who live along the canal, and who commute by boat rather than taxi.
I find that fascinating!
We passed alongside some beautiful old Buddhist temples. Along the way, I spied several elderly women who were sitting in their plastic rowboats, waiting for customers to hire them for passage across the khlong. It is still a viable way of live in these remote riverside areas of Bangkok.
We passed some really fascinating communities which had built their homes alongside the canal. The people who live along the khlong operate schools, clinics, churches, and more on the riverside. It is really amazing! In fact, it reminded me a lot of the community which had grown up on the lake just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
It wasn't long until we arrived at an extremely infamous temple along the riverside.
I had actually been here before! This was the temple where Thailand's most famous ghost was exorcised, spawning dozens of films, cartoons, comics, and miniseries. Mae Nak is the kingdom's most legendary ghost, and a walking tour along the Phra Khanong Canal wouldn't be complete without paying here a very respectful visit.
https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2014/10/mae-nak-phra-khanong.html
When we finally boarded the pre-arranged songtaews, we were tired, hungry, and ready for lunch.
Lunch was at a fantastic hotel and restaurant which looked like something out of Charles Darwin's drawing room.
This wild cafe / hotel / restaurant was decked out in stuffed animals (giraffes, ostriches, and more), classic books and novels, and old-fashioned bottles, typewriters, and exhibits.
There was also a dog who, despite his bad habit of begging at the table, made the afternoon more fun. Everyone loves dogs, don't they??
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