15 December 2013
- General data:
- We started off at Tony's Place around 0900 Hr with three objectives in Ang Thong province being the large sitting Buddha of Wat Muang, the Golden Bodhi Tree Chedi of Wat Tha It and the large reclining Buddha at Wat Khun In Pramun in Thawarat area. We followed the Chao Phraya River along the right bank until Pa Mok as close as possible to the river bank. After passing by Wat Pa Mok we drove through Ang Thong's international renowned Drum-making Village where we took a short break and visited the drum making shops. We continued to Wat Muang and its large Buddha image which we could observe from far within the rice fields. We arrived at the temple shortly before 1200 Hr. Wat Muang had also a large imitation from the horrors of hell and a shrine for Mae Kuan Im, a Mahayanan Bodhisatva. Lunch was taken here and at 1300 Hr we set off to the nearby Wat Tha It, famous for its large chedi, which we visited for a photographic shoot. Thereafter we took the direction of Wat Khun In Pramun reaching the site at 1330 Hr. Wat Khun In Phramun, features a reclining Buddha mentioned in the "Testimony of the king from Wat Pradu Songtham" as one of the eight sacred places listed outside the city of Ayutthaya, being the glory of the capital since olden times. According to a legend, Khun In Pramun was a revenue officer who secretly took away tax money to built the Buddha image and was subsequently flocked to death after the King of Ayutthaya found out. Adjacent to the old vihara stands a new building in which a skeleton is seen, lying on its face with hands and feet tied up, which people believe to be the remains of the revenue officer In Pramun. The temple was called after him. We cooled down our heated bodies with an ice cream and returned south towards Ang Thong and Pa Mok. We reached Pa Mok at 1515 Hr after an hectic ride with Sean at the head and stopped to refuel at a pump station. We continued further to Ayutthaya where we arrived around 1630 Hr after a 108 Km long bike trip.
- The weather was sunny. Maximum temperature was around 26 C with a 5 Km/Hr NW wind. Humidity was 79 % (Source: Garmin).
- Technical data of the trip was as follows: Total Distance: 108.53 Km; Moving Average: 20.6 Km/Hr; Overall Average: 14.2 Km/Hr; Maximum Speed: 33 Km/Hr; Moving time: 5 Hr 16 Min; Stopped Time: 2 Hr 18 Min; Total Time: 7 Hr 38 Min.
- Number of participants: 3 (Richard, Sean & Pat)