8 December 2013
- General data:
- We started off at Tony's Place at 0900 Hr with as objective Aranyik area in Nakhon Luang. We crossed the Pa Sak River by ferry to the railway station and from there went up north. The main objective was the Aranyik Craft Museum to look at an exhibition of the famous Aranyik knives and tools. Ban Aranyik in Tha Ruea District is the market place where handmade knives are sold from Ban Pai Nong and Ban Ton Pho. Aranyik knives are known for their good quality and sharpness. The Aranyik knives were so well-known that King Rama V went there many times to see how the knives were made firsthand. The ancestors of the Bang Pai Nong and Ban Ton Pho residents, most of them blacksmiths, were coming from Vientiane (Laos) and settled here during the reign of King Rama II. The village was before also known for its gambling houses, closed in the reign of King Rama V. On the way we passed Thailand's only inland harbour (Ayutthaya Port) and Wat Phra Non, which has opposite still the vihara of the reclining Buddha from Wat Pho Aranyik on its old premises, dating (but only the vihara remains). It was one of the eight sacred places outside the city of Ayutthaya, being the glory of the capital since olden times. We found the Aranyik Craft Museum closed and after a short break we continued our trip down to Ayutthaya again, mainly through rural areas. We encountered a large Buddha at Wat Don Klang, a large temple site. Finally we arrived on Rojana Rd and crossed to Chedi Wat Sam Plum using the inner streets. From the chedi we went direction railway station, crossed the ferry and arrived again at Tony's Place around 1400 Hr.
- The weather was sunny. Maximum temperature was around 22 C with a 10 Km/Hr NNW wind. Humidity was 73 % (Source: Garmin).
- Technical data of the trip was as follows: Total Distance: 71.81 Km; Moving Average: 18.6 Km/Hr; Overall Average: 14.2 Km/Hr; Maximum Speed: 26.7 Km/Hr; Moving time: 3 Hr 51 Min; Stopped Time: 1 Hr 11 Min; Total Time: 5 Hr 2 Min.
- Number of participants: 3 (Richard, Sean & Pat)