Rollin' down the rivers

Wat Phet Samut Worawihan, or Wat Ban Laem (main photo), was built in the reign of King Prasat Thong, who ruled the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1629 to 1656. According to local legend, the temple was previously called Wat Sri Champa and later restored and renamed by people from Ban Laem, Phetchaburi. These people fled Burmese invaders in 1764 to settle down in the present-day Mae Klong Nua and called this area Ban Laem. The temple's principal Buddha statue is Luang Phor Wat Ban Laem, the standing Buddha carrying an alms bowl. Made of gilt bronze, the statue is 1.67m tall and placed on a 0.45m lotus-shaped base. It was built in the Ayutthaya period. Its face is so beautiful that people say the Buddha image looks like a deva (guardian spirit) angel and may be protected by the devas. Legend has it that Luang Phor Wat Ban Laem is a brother of Luang Phor Sothon now in Chachoengsao and was among the five Buddha statues that floated on the rivers from the North of Thailand and ended up in different temples in five Central Region provinces. Pichaya Svasti

Travelling along the rivers from Samut Sakhon to Samut Songkhram rewards with natural and cultural insights, especially if one makes stops along the way.

The 325km Tha Chin River is a distributary of the Chao Phraya. It separates from the main river near Chai Nat province and runs west through Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon until it flows into the Gulf of Thailand. It was named after the town of Tha Chin, which is now Samut Sakhon.

By the Tha Chin River near Tha Chalom pier in Samut Sakhon stands Wat Chong Lom. Its prayer hall is home to thousands of swallows. Within walking distance is the Church of Saint Anna, which houses Asia's tallest statue of the Biblical saint. Both are among the "Unseen Thailand Campaign" (unique but often overlooked places) attractions apart from Wat Khao Yisan's unique reclining Buddha.

Thirty-seven kilometres away is Samut Songkhram where must-sees include the birthplace of King Rama II -- now Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram. Spend one night by the Mae Klong River to enjoy shopping and savour traditional Thai food and desserts at the Amphawa Floating Market and take a boat ride to see fireflies that illuminate cork trees. The Mae Klong River is a mix of the Khwae Yai and Khwae Noi rivers that join in Pak Phraek of Muang district, Kanchanaburi province. This 132km waterway runs past Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram provinces into the Gulf of Thailand in Muang district, Samut Songkhram province.

According to the official website of Samut Songkhram, this province, the former Muang Mae Klong, is a very old community which has existed since before the reign of the Ayutthaya Kingdom's King Narai The Great in the 17th century when Mae Klong was called Suan Nok and part of Ratchaburi. Sometime between the late Ayutthaya period and the Thon Buri period, it separated from Ratchaburi and was named Mae Klong.

Muang Mae Klong is the birthplace of King Rama II who was born in 1767. King Rama I had served King Ekkathas, the last monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, as a senior official of Ratchaburi and Mae Klong, and married Somdet Phra Ammarintramart, then Khun Nak -- the eldest daughter of a local tycoon in Mae Klong, in 1760.

Covering 416km², Samut Songkhram is 63km from Bangkok and has three districts -- Muang, Amphawa and Bang Khonthi. Embraced by the Mae Klong River, the province has vast farmlands and is a major source of rice, sugar, fruits, vegetables and fish since the Ayutthaya period.

In the Samut Songkhram Municipality area, tourists should pay respects to the province's most important Buddha statue Luang Phor Wat Ban Laem at Wat Phet Samut Worawihan or Wat Ban Laem. Within walking distance is one of the country's most bizarre places, Talat Rom Hup or Mae Klong Market, which is located on both sides of the railroad. Parts of the stalls, especially umbrellas, stand in the way of oncoming trains and are cleared rapidly when one approaches.

Our recent trip combined three modes of transportation -- train, boat and bus. We took a train on the 66km Mae Klong route from Wongwian Yai station to Maha Chai station, crossed the river by ferry to Ban Laem Station where we boarded the train to travel for an hour to Mae Klong station to visit Talat Rom Hup and walk to Wat Phet Samut Worawihan. Four trains are operated on the Ban Laem-Mae Klong route each day.

To get to Amphawa, as well as the century-old Bang Nok Khwaek Floating Market and the Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral by the Mae Klong River in Bang Khonthi district, we took a bus. If you do not want to charter a bus or van, you can travel to Amphawa by songthaew near Mae Klong station.

After touring Amphawa, you can return to Mae Klong Station and travel by train to Maha Chai. From Maha Chai, you can cross the Tha Chin river by ferry from Maha Chai pier to Tha Chalom pier and walk or hire a tuk-tuk to Wat Chong Lom and the Church of Saint Anna.

Wat Khao Yisan in Samut Sakhon has a reclining Buddha statue with only nine toes, set in a cave. Other interesting objects are the Lord Buddha's footprints and a red-lipped Buddha statue, all enshrined in a boat-shaped prayer hall. Nearby is a local museum featuring ancient artefacts and the history of Khao Yisan community, once a port town believed to date back 700 years. This museum opens on Saturdays and Sundays. Contact the Khao Yisan Administration Organisation on 034-763-108. To get there, use Highway 35 (Rama II) and then Highway 2021. Pichaya Svasti

Bang Nok Kwaek Floating Market is a cluster of old wooden shophouses by the Mae Klong River. Visitors can buy local fruits, greens and souvenirs and taste famous dishes prepared from fish and prawns in the stream, as well as seafood, such as phad Thai kung, khao haeng (a dry version of boiled rice with fish, prawns or chicken), noodles and fried rice with crabmeat and the Chinese khanom piah (mung bean cakes). Pichaya Svasti

At Amphawa Floating Market, Buddhists give alms to monks who arrive paddling their boats to the canal-side market. Nearby the market is Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram, the birthplace of King Rama II. One of the murals in its ordination hall was partially created by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Pichaya Svasti

The Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral in Bang Nok Khwaek, Bang Khonthi district, was established by Fr Paolo Salmone, a French missionary, and is built in the French Gothic style. Construction began in 1890 and took six years. Its interiors are adorned with stained glass, candelabra, statues, carvings, a pulpit and holy water basin. It was partially damaged by a bomb during World War II and later repaired. It was renovated in 1994. The cathedral serves as the seat of the diocese of Ratchaburi. Use the Samut Songkhram–Bang Nok Khwaek route (the same way to King Rama II Memorial Park) and go for about 5km. The church is about 100m from Somdet Phra Ammarin Bridge Junction. To book a guided tour, call 034-761-347. Pichaya Svasti

Wat Chong Lom, by the Tha Chin River near Tha Chalom pier, Samut Sakhon, is almost 200 years old. It was made a royal temple in 1965 by the royal command of King Rama IX. It houses a statue of King Rama V who visited Tha Chalom and made it the first Sukhaphiban municipality in Thailand. Its ubosot (ordination hall) boasts the principal Buddha statue Luang Phor Hin Daeng made of laterite stone in the late Ayutthaya art style. It is unique since its left hand has six fingers. The vihara (prayer hall) for the statue of former abbot Luang Pu Kaeo is home to thousands of swallows. Travellers can take Rama II (Highway 35) from Bangkok towards Muang Samut Sakhon, cross the Tha Chin River Bridge, go about 200m further, turn left at kilometre marker 35 to Sutthiwartwithi Road and go about 3km until reaching the temple. Pichaya Svasti

Within walking distance from Wat Chong Lom is the Church of Saint Anna that houses Asia's tallest statue of Saint Anna, who was Jesus Christ's maternal grandmother. The statue can be turned around with the help of a winch from a fishing boat. The statue was previously fixed to its base, but modified as villagers and fishermen want to see the statue and pray for blessings when they are out at sea. Pichaya Svasti

Talat Rom Hup or Mae Klong Market is unique since it is located on both sides of a railway line. Vendors who put up stalls and goods on both sides of the 500m stretch of the railroad have to relocate their things and umbrellas to avoid eight trains a day. Trains slow down to the speed of 15kph when approaching the area. The market boasts more than 300 stalls selling fresh and dried food. Must-buys are pla too (Indo-Pacific mackerel), shrimp paste, preserved clams, local vegetables called chakhram, coconut sugar and a Mon-style dessert called kalamae. The best time to visit the market is between 8.30-9am and 11-11.30am when trains arrive. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill