It is in a somewhat special setting that I was led to visit this pretty, little-known region of Singburi, located about 3 hours north of Bangkok. Indeed, collaborating regularly both as a guide (see my profile here), but also as an ambassador for Withlocals, I was assigned to check the profile of Rob, a Canadian expat (English speaking) and his Thai companion, Pooh (yes, like Winnie in its original version).
Teaching English to Children
Basically, Rob and Pooh offer an accommodation solution, right in the countryside of Singburi, but they also allow you to get in touch with local schools, less than 1km from their house.
After an excellent meal prepared by his partner, we left with Rob on a scooter to see the school. Time to see the premises, see a class at work and talk a little with the headmistress, but also enjoy the surrounding countryside. He will show us life along the small river that passes through the area and we will stop for a drink in a restaurant set there in a superb setting at the water's edge.
A stay with them will normally cost you between $5 and $15 US per day (i.e. between €4,5 and €14 per day at the current rate) without including any excursions and extras that you will do. Knowing that on the days when you will be volunteering at the school, meals will be provided.
For more info, see their page (quite basic and in English…)
I also invite you to see the unanimous comments (in English too) concerning their experience at Rob and Pooh on TripAdvisor.
Thanks again for their welcome! It was really great!
Temples and the Thai countryside
After the "formalities" related to my presence here, Rob willingly lent us his personal scooter to allow us to move around on our own, to see the rice fields that surround the small village where their house is located.
It was June and the rice fields, watered by the monsoon rains, were very green. This is the Thai countryside in all its splendor in that it is naturally welcoming, smiles are legion and honor the reputation of the "land of smiles" as it is cheerfully nicknamed.
We were visiting the Wat Phra Non Chakkrasi Worawihan, a temple that has nothing to envy to the Wat Pho of Bangkok, in addition to also being a temple of royal class, this one has inside a large reclining Buddha of 47.42 m, longer than that of Wat Pho (45 m)!
We also took a look at the small temple of Wat Phra Prang, where ancient pottery kilns were recently discovered.
The Legend of Bang Rajan
We ended this beautiful day far from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok by going to Bang Rajan Park (also spelled Bang Rachan).
Bang Rajan was once a peaceful village, which rose to national prosperity due to the history of these villagers.
Bang Rajan was a famous battlefield during the Burmese-Siamese War between 1765 and 1767. 400 patriotic and fearless villagers held off the Burmese army (consisting of over 100 men!) for 000 months before the village was finally razed with all its inhabitants killed, fighting to the bitter end.
The armies of the Burmese King Mang Ra were repelled seven times by the village's fighters, who were vastly outnumbered and under-equipped.
The destruction of the village was inevitable, as they did not receive the possible reinforcements from Ayutthaya, the capital at the time, despite numerous requests to do so. It was a bad move for them, since just 2 years later, the Burmese arrived in the city and razed it (hence the ruins that result today).
Below is the monument at Bang Rajan Camp to commemorate this act. The sculpture depicts the 11 warlords as well as the main chief's mount, a simple buffalo.
It is a very popular act of heroism here in Thailand which, without a precise truth about the event, is, a priori, largely embellished. The story is also regularly brought to the screen on television or in films, the most recent blockbuster of which is soberly titled Bang Rajan (released in 2000)
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=257_aZK9RnI&w=640&h=385]
Bang Rajan Park also contains a beautiful sala (Thai pavilion) where you can relax. There is a museum with three exhibition rooms, a model of the village as it must have been and mini statues representing each of the heroes. There is also a small obstacle course and a playground.
