Ancient Palace of Lop Buri

L-R: My wife, Mary, my daughter, Felicia & my Thai godsons, John & Jackie

Spotted this huge stone structure when entering Lop Buri

This afternoon, after the BBQ & tea ceremony, we visited Lop Buri, a good hour's drive from Sankhaburi to check out this ancient palace which now lies in ruins and the palace grounds (both inside and outside) now serve as a market for street vendors and hawkers. 
On our way back, we were delayed for half an hour as a parade was taking place on the streets. I took the opportunity to alight and snapped a few photos of the parade but have no idea what the parade was all about!

 The parade originated from behind this wall

The Monkey Temple @ Sankhaburi

 Adding more $$$ to the money tree!

 Offerings to the monks

 Wild boars & monkeys are protected species on the temple grounds

 Felicia feeding the monkeys

This is the second time I've visited this temple, the first being many years ago. It is also within walking distance from where I was staying but we have to use the pick-up to transport the offerings (3 pig heads) to the temple. In Thailand, Thais prayed to Buddha but in this temple, it is the dead monks that have diety status that they worshipped. Our purpose today is for the Gods to witness our adoption of our Thai godsons and my brother-in-law's adoption of my daughter, Felicia, as his god-daughter. After the prayers, we will have a small gathering with some of the villagers back home for a BBQ and drinks!  

Hunsa Cafe @ Sing Buri

Sing Buri, half an hour's drive from our place in Sankhaburi

 Handicap-equipped toilet

 Souvenir section

The name "Hunsa Cafe" somehow doesn't quite fit this restaurant. It sounded more Western than Thai but it serves authentic Thai cuisine. This is a Thai restaurant with a difference; it values its handicapped customers and facilities are in place to cater for these customers. Handicap-equipped toilets, ramps and wheelchairs are the norm here. There is an air-conditioned section further inside which charges an extra 10 Baht per customer. Another section of the restaurant is stocked with foodstuff, the kind that tourists would buy as souvenirs to bring home. The car park is big enough for tour coaches giving me the impression that this restaurant caters mostly to tourists! Lastly, Happy Valentine's Day!

Erawan Shrine @ Bangkok

Erawan Shrine, also popularly known as the Four-Face-Buddha Shrine in Bangkok is a very popular tourist destination amongst tourists. Many Thai establishments have a shrine dedicated to the Four-Face-Buddha on their premises. We drove the two hours' drive from Chai Nat this morning to pray at this shrine as my wife had make a pledge to pray at this shrine whenever we come to Thailand. A set of joss sticks and offerings costs 500 Baht, more than five times the price of similar items in the village's temple!

CNY Day 1 @ Sankhaburi

Makeshift kitchen by the river

 Setting up for the dinner

 Lucky draw prizes

 Mobile karaoke

 Jackie, my Thai godson

 L-R: Jackie, mummy, John & Mrs

After experiencing our not so pleasant journey to Sankhaburi, we certainly hoped that come sunset, all bad things will come to an end! The purpose of our journey to Sankhaburi is to experience life in a Thai village where my sister-in-law is the "ketua kampong". Yes, no kidding, at 43, she is probably the youngest "ketua kampong" this village has even seen. She came by this position with the support and votes of the villagers who appreciated her for her charitable work in this village which was supported by her former bosses from Bangkok. Tonight, she is hosting the villagers to a CNY dinner and we are honoured to be here. The cost of catering per table (20 tables in total) was 1,400 Baht (B$58-00) which includes 7 Thai dishes, a bottle of Thai whisky, free flow of soft drinks and tables & chairs! Pretty cheap! There was also a karaoke session and lucky draws for the guests. I retired early as I woke up at 4.00am this morning. Gong Xi Fa Cai!