Buriram – Destination of Speed

From Khon Kean to Maha Sarakham to Buriram ... have to say there was not much that will remain in my memory for this leg since there was not much things to see nor do. After a while, one city looks like another city especially since I had not left the region, hence big contrast was hard to distinguish.

Buriram however was where I started to see some contrast and miniature uniqueness when one stop and observed a little. For one ... I notice a lot of the cars & motorbike had Buriram United stickers on them.

I had time to relax but somehow even with the whole month in Isaan region I have been on the run and barely have much to remember of the journey. Its weird but I guess that’s Thailand somehow in a way. Always moving. Its very different from Laos where there was not much to see in between travel. I’ll be sitting in one place somewhere in Laos for a week and somehow time flies even though there is no cinema nor any other kind of entertainment.

Khaokradong Volcano Forest Park – Buriram

Apart of Buriram being a bustling town with lots of food and shops to resupply anything I could think of, there was some sight to have a look around nearby the city. One of which is Khaokradong Volcano Forest Park. As grand as the name sound, it basically is an old mount that use to be a volcano. Lovely park to pass time and at the top of the mount there is a big Buddha overlooking Buriram. Isaan sure is flat ... 

Khaokradong Volcano Forest Park - Buriram

View of Buriram from Khaokradong Volcano Forest Park

Big Buddha at the Peak of Khaokradong Volcano Forest Park - Buriram

Chang International Circuit – Destination of Speed

Most tourism started in Buriram due to the motorsports event kicking off every year in the state. The Thailand Motorcycle Grand Prix. When not racing or training, locals can take their ride in there for a spin. 

Chang International Circuit - Buriram

Prasat Mueang Tam & Phanom Rung Historical Park

About an hour ride from Buriram City is where an ancient Khmer style temple ruin lies preserved as a tourist and historical attraction. I have started to develop immunity hence after seeing so many of these type of temple ruins, it has become a routine in a way, heading there and walking around silently absorbing the beauty but never lingering longer than an hour before I move on to the next place. 

Prasat Muaeng Tam - Buriram

Phanom Rung Historical park

Phanom Rung Historical Park 

Traveled on: Feb 2019

The Dinasour of Kalasin

Sirindhorn Museum - Kalasin 

From Roi Et, the next Isaan province was Kalasin which was near enough about 50km hence I had plenty of time to get there during the day. I took a detour based on local recommendation and headed south about 20km from Roi Et to visit a mini temple that resembles the Borobudur style.

Wat Pa Kung was the name of the place and after the quiet detour I went for a slow ride to Kalasin while absorbing the countryside scenery with Bluey. 

Wat Pa Kung Temple at Roi Et

Reaching Kalasin, this place was even more depressed and if there was any place in Thailand that looked poor to me, this was it. The center was like the eighties street back in Malaysia in small towns where people just pass time watching the dust settles on the road. Talking a walk around downtown and then a slow ride around the outer skirt of Kalasin confirmed to me that this town had very little to offer in terms of tourism

The main point of Kalasin was to visit the Sirinthorn Museum which was the largest and most comprehensive dinosaur museum in Thailand but that museum is 30km away from Kalasin main town, out in the middle of nowhere.

I stayed in Kalasin for one night and the next day packed my stuff and headed to the museum only to be caught unaware by the museum closure since it was a Monday. A quick decision and since I did not want to stay in Kalasin another night which was quite a depressing town, I rode to Khon Kean 100km away. 

Isanosaurus - The Isaan Dinasour

Species of Dinosaur found in Isaan - Isanosourus Attavipatchi

Sirindhorn Museum - Kalasin 

Thinking back, I should have just stayed one more night in Kalasin then visit the museum. I ended up making a daytrip back to Kalasin just to visit the Dinasour Museum the very next day. So that's Kalasin – Khon Kean – Kalasin – Khon Kean .... 300 km ... As tired as I was, I figured it was worth it for it is quite a scenic ride around the Lam Pao Lake.

Around Kalasin state however was a very contrast different to the main town. There was the man made lake of Lam Pao which was beautiful with floating huts restaurant lining up the banks. I did the full circle even visiting the Dam but the best part was Thepsuda Bridge crossing the lake. 

Lam Pao Dam

Lam Pao Lake & Thepsuda Bridge 

Lam Pao Lake

Sirinthorn Museum was well worth the visit. The only country in South East Asia that has discovered dinosaur fossils is in Isaan Thailand. That was a shocker for me as I had always thought the dinosaurs was native to big continent lands. The amount of fossil in the museum was also another surprise. They had a large collection and not just from Thailand, but from all around the world donated by other museum and countries.

One of the interesting thing of Sirinthorn Museum was is that the museum is so out of the way from any town because it was built exactly where the dinosaur fossils were found. Tracking up the back path a little from the main museum building, one can see the excavation site and fossil that is still semi burred in the natural earth. 

Archeological Research Room at Sirindhorn Museum

Excavation site of Dinosaur Fossil at Kalasin 

Traveled on: Feb 2019