Jane Saliss – An Teallach from Mellon Udrigle beach
I was attracted by the name and a reader’s photo submitted to BBC’s “Your Pictures of Scotland”. That mountain across the water is An Teallach “The Forge”. Some say it’s one of the most dramatic and beautiful mountains on the UK mainland. I’d not disagree though when I climbed it years ago now, it was wet and shrouded in cloud so I just got fleeting glimpses of the drama.
This summer when I at last managed to visit Mellon Udrigle, the first thing I noticed was that the above photo was an excellent example of foreshortening. Below is my own inexpertly taken photo with a dark forbidding An Teallach at centre left.
Mellon Udrigle is a small (very small) crofting hamlet about 30 mins drive north of Gairloch on the west coast of Scotland. The beach is lovely, the water freezing.
There’s a 3 mile circular walk round the headland. Here are the photos taken as we progressed around the walk
It’s an easy walk but incredibly we managed to lose the path and were lost for a bit.
We came across a glade of Thrift (Sea Pinks). I’d never seen so many in one place.
Well it’s not really known as the mangrove trail. I made it up for the post. It’s quite apt though.
Most people on holiday, local and foreigners alike, whiz on down, via the Phet Kasem highway to the east, to the beaches at Cha Am and Hua Hin completely bypassing this stretch of coast line. You can’t do it quickly because the roads are extremely twisty particularly on the northern stretch albeit in very good condition. It’s described by the Thai highway authorities as the “Cha Am scenic route”.
It’s a mistake to always bypass it because this coast line is extremely rich in things to see and do. It’s well known to bird lovers and whale watchers. In fact it was a failed attempt to see the whales (Byrde whales) that introduced me to the area. We have occasionally frequented thereafter for the seafood at Bang Tabun.
This time we decided to spend two and a half days. Having arrived at Baan Mai Chalaine, only 2 hours in good traffic from our home in Bangkok, we were soon heading out through the shell beds to lunch at one of the sea shacks. These are mainly used for shelters when the shells are being harvested and as guard posts to look after the beds at night. Left unattended for long the shells beds will soon be raided.
After lunch a brief stop at a scallop farm. Though most of the produce is blood cockles.
Heading into the mangroves.
Next morning after a filling breakfast of khao tom kung (rice soup with prawns) we headed on south
Next stop was the Environmental Research and Development Project at Laem Phak Bia. This was initiated by the late H.M King Bhumibol in order to research the treatment of wastewater and solid waste through environmentally and ecologically sustainable methods. A pumping station in Phetchaburi city 18.5km away, feeds wastewater to Laem Phak Bia through a pipeline. This has created a square km freshwater oasis among the surrounding expanse of brackish salt-pans. It’s certainly made for a rich feeding area for birds and water monitor lizards.
Within the grounds is a 300 metre broad-walk through the mangroves out to the sea.
You can hire a bike or use the open sided bus trolly which tours the complex every half hour. Actually a very pleasant and educational place to visit and immaculately kept. There’s no entry charge incidentally but you can give a voluntary donation. We could have spent longer there but things to do and other places to visit.
Now I have to credit my wife for “discovering” the next stop; Khao Nang Phanthurat. This was only designated as a forest park in 1999 and after rehabilitation following a massive mountain landslide. Another initiative by the late H.M King Bhumibol. It’s only 10 km directly east from Cha Am. The park comprises heavily wooded limestone outcrops for which Phetchaburi is well known.
A 3km hike takes you on a circuitous route around and up the outcrops. As we did this at midday, it was hot but fortunately most of the way was shaded by forest. The path is good but steep and strenuous in parts. You need shoes with good grip. The views of the surrounding Phetchaburi countryside were well worth the effort. The park is lightly visited and beautifully maintained. No entry charge.
Then to the beach. We stayed at Hat Chao Samran which is 28 km north of Cha Am beach and still relatively undeveloped. The resort we stayed at was right on the beach. Inexpensive, clean and run by very pleasant staff.
A lovely cuppa in the morning after a morning swim and before heading back to Bangkok.
Thailand held a welcoming ceremony last week to mark the return of two lintels that were stolen and smuggled out of the country to the United States. One of them was taken from Prasat Non Hong (above) during the Vietnam War.
The two 680 kg Khmer-style stone carvings had been on display at the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, which was required to forfeit them when a settlement was reached between the U.S. and Thai Governments.
When I first came to Thailand in the early eighties it was not uncommon to find lintels such as these scattered casually in Khmer temple grounds without a guard in sight. I thought at the time what easy pickings for unscrupulous dealers and unfortunately that happened.
Below is the lintel that belongs to Prasat Nong Hong
Prasat Nong Hong one of the lessor known Kymer temples in Buri Ram is located in a peaceful spot next to the Lam Nang Rong Dam. This temple is approximately 1,000 years old. If you visit you are very likely to be the only visitors.
I do hope the authorities return the lintel to the temple itself rather than to a museum. Now lets see if we can return the Elgin Marbles to the Greeks!
During lockdown, still ongoing here in Thailand, I’ve been greatly entertained by the “Waldy and Bendy’s Adventures in Art” podcasts (40 episodes). I thought I knew my art history, but I have to acknowledge that I received a real education from these two presenters; Waldemar “Waldy” Januszczak, art critic of the Sunday Times and Bendor “Bendy” Grovesnor, art historian and TV presenter. I listened on Spotify but the direct link is:
Each episode has a section entitled “Bendor Grovesnor’s Farm”, in which an animal is chosen to search for the best interpretations in art. For the season finale, the topic was birds. Before the episode, I tried to predict what pictures (5) they might choose. Needless to say none of my picks were on their list. I do however think they might have missed a trick by omitting John Audubon and any any one of his magnificent “Birds of America” series of which the heron above and the flamingo below are fine examples. Perhaps because Audubon is considered more a naturalist rather than an artist.
At the top of “Waldy” and “Bendy”‘s list was The Goldfinch by the Dutch Golden Age artist Carel Fabritius in the collection of the Maurithuis, The Hague, Netherlands. I’m sure you’ll agree, a worthy inclusion.
Another picture they chose was by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Me and my Parrots. Actually if I had thought of it, I would have picked it myself.
Edouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe? Well the two presenters are sometimes cunning in their picks. Occasionally they even end up “dissing” their own selections, e.g, in this bird series, a definite thumbs down was given to the various interpretations of Leda and the swan – including Michelangelo’s – nobody’s perfect. I think their purpose is to inform, provoke and well, really make us look at art. They also appreciate that art is personal and generates very different emotional responses in each of us.
Anyhow “Waldy” picked Le Déjeunersur l’herbe. Where on earth is the bird? His co-presenter “Bendy” confessed to initial confusion as he couldn’t find it at first glance.
You have to look very hard. It’s at the top centre. Apparently it’s a Red Bullfinch. There’s also a frog in the bottom left. Many are familiar with this famous painting but, if you are like me, have never looked past the arresting central scene. There’s been debate on the animals’ role. Some believe that the bird invites spectators to open their eyes as it hovers over the group and the frog refers to a nickname given to 19th century prostitutes. An interpretation therefore is that the work depicts the rampant prostitution present in the 19th century Bois de Boulogne. This was considered a taboo subject unsuitable for a painting and partly the reason the painting was rejected by the Paris Salon in 1963. Manet instead exhibited at the Salon des Refuses where it sparked public notoriety and controversy.
I don’t think it has anything whatsoever to do with prostitution and the scandalous reaction relates more to misinterpretation and the prudish moral climate of 19th century.
Manet’s composition reveals his study of the old masters. The main figures are derived from an engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi, itself based on a drawing by Raphael. Manet was cheekily reworking Raphael, turning a mythological scene (see figures bottom right) from a celebrated Renaissance engraving into a tableau of somewhat vulgar Parisian holidaymakers. Could Manet’s bird represent the angel in the centre of Raphael’s drawing?
The Pastoral Concert by Giorgione below also closely resembles Le Déjeuner, as it features two dressed men seated in a rural setting, with two undressed women. This is in the Louvre and the painting was well known to Manet and the theme incorporated in his painting.
According to Marcel Proust, he and Manet had been lounging by the Seine as they spotted a woman bathing in the river. This prompted Manet to say, “I copied Giorgione’s women, the women with musicians….I want to redo it and do it with a transparent atmosphere with people like those we see over there.“
The Pastoral Concert c. 1509 ,Giorgione (possibly attributed to Titian). Musée du Louvre in Paris.
There is often over interpretation in art. Sometimes a bird is just a bird.
We go to Wat Prayoon annually in Bangkok to pay respects to my wife’s ancestors. This year there was a striking art instillation by Thai artist Nina Sarabutra laid out around the main chedis’ cloisters.
The installation comprises 125,000 unglazed porcelain skulls placed around the corridors at the gateway to the white bell-shaped stupa. Rather than being morbid, Nino invites viewers to take off their shoes and walk along the walkway where cremated ashes are stacked within the walls. We are meant to be asking ourselves, “If today was your last on earth, what will you leave behind?”
These skull tiles are loose. You can pick them up. Its quite an odd sensation to walk on them with bare feet. Actually I found it quite fun. It perfectly complimented the white surrounds.
To stop my account going dormant I post a photo journal of a trip with my daughter to Luang Prabang six months ago.
I live in Thailand so this city in neighboring Laos really is a must see, if only to avoid the inevitable “haven’t you been to…….” question. We transited in Vientiane and stayed four days three nights and that is perfectly adequate to see most things at a very leisurely pace and get a lot of reading done. If you are time constrained, two nights is adequate given the city’s compact nature.
Expect temples, a lot of temples, nice architecture and good food. A UNESCO world heritage site with a well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritage, with a French colonial influence during the 19th and 20th centuries. The French can always be relied upon to leave behind a good tradition of bakeries and coffee.
The Royal Palace Museum is a good start. Built during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong. After his death, the Crown Prince Savang was the last to occupy the grounds. In 1975, the monarchy was overthrown by the communists and the royal family were taken to re-education camps. The palace was then converted into a museum. I’m no monarchist but I found it a little sad and certainly poignant. A really modest palace, not in comparison to the homes of the local populace naturally, but say compared to other palaces around the world. I liked it more for that.
Near the entrance is the King’s reception room which walls are covered with murals that depict scenes from traditional Lao village scenes, painted in 1930 by a French artist, Alix de Fauntereau. Each of the walls is intended to be viewed at a different time of day, depending on the light that enters the windows on one side of the room, which matches the time of day depicted. It is absolutely charming. We were forbidden to take photographs though I quite understand they need to preserve it.
I think we visited around 8 temples. Above is a flavour. Some are adorned with beautiful mosaics and gold gilted carved wood. Most is kept is a reasonable state of repair which is commendable given the tropical climate.
Some of the temples stored boats used for the annual boat racing festival held on Nam Khan river one of the two rivers on which the city is located. The other is the Mekong.
The old heritage area is best explored on foot. There are handsome buildings all around. The one on the top right was our hotel.
We went to Pha Tad Ke botanical garden. The first in Laos and recently opened. It was lovely and very peaceful. That concerned me because it was clear that a considerable investment had gone into the place. I hope it is commercially sustainable. It’s located 15 minutes down the Mekong River by boat. We had the boat to ourselves on the way back.
In Luang Prabang you are never far from a river. This is the Nam Khan.
One evening we had a Lao style barbecue by this river. Similar to Shabu-Shabu, Thai Suki, etc, but with more vegetables and with a Lao twist; Kaipen made from river weed harvested from the Mekong. It was delicious.
When I told my Thai colleagues that I was going to this north eastern province they all asked whether I was I going to watch football. Buri Ram United is the most successful and one of the most followed team of recent Thai footballing history.
Their stadium, “Thunder Castle”, seats over 25,000. Their logo gives a clue what we were really going to see:
Yes the temple at the top. A thousand years ago, Buri Ram was part of the Khmer Empire. Many ruins from that time are to be found mainly in the southern part of the province not far from the present Cambodian border. The two most significant being Phanom Rung and Prasat Muang Tam. It was only in the 19th century that Buri Ram was incorporated into Siam as a province. I had visited both some 30 years previously but my wife had never been. I was keen to take her and see the changes.
First Phanom Rung which sits atop a volcanic outcrop well above the rice fields stretching out as far as one can see. The approach is impressive
What had changed from my last visit was the landscaping. It was impressive especially the park and trees surrounding the complex. Logistically it cannot be easy because this would involve moving a lot of water up the hillside.
Here is a nice Bhodi tree. It was a hot day 33 degrees C but the shade from the trees and breeze made it very pleasant.
It was lovely. Smaller scale than the Angkor Wat complex but if you wish to see a well preserved Khmer temple in peaceful and contemplative surroundings this is the place to come. On to Prasat Muang Tam just 8 kilometres away.
This was greatly changed since I last visited. I thought it had lost a little of its previous run down charm but certainly has gained in grandeur. It was fairly open 30 years ago but now these trees have grown up all around.
On low lying land Muang Tam (which actually means “low city”) has far more water than Phanom Rung and 4 large L shaped ponds are located within the temple
A mature fig tree within the temple complex.
And a 100 year old mango tree according to the temple officials sitting in the shade
Muang Tam is famous for its lintels.
Classic Khmer temple doorways at Muang Tam
I thought it had changed much since I last visited in 1984 and I read that in 1997 the Thailand Fine Arts department reconstructed the temple complex using the anastylosis method. I had to look that up. Anastylosis is an archaeological term for a reconstruction technique whereby a ruined building is restored using the original architectural elements to the greatest degree possible. Actually I think they did a fantastic job.
I wanted add a temple I hadn’t visited before so we drove west about 30 kilometres southwest to Prasat Nong Hong. The advantage of going to the lesser known ones is that you generally will have the site to yourself. It is situated just below Lam Nang Rong dam which is a very popular place for locals to go and swim at the weekends.
View from the “carpark”. You can see the earth dam in the background.
…….and here is our car parked in the shade of a beautiful rain tree.
The closest we got to Buri Ram United and “Thunder Castle”? An excellent grilled duck restaurant directly opposite the stadium. The last meal was definitely the best; grilled duck, som tam and sticky rice.
A province full of surprises. A 10 hour drive from Bangkok or an hour’s flight – take your pick! We flew and hired a car, spending a 3 day break here last week. There’s a lot to do and see and we felt we only scratched the surface.
First have an Isarn breakfastKay GaTa aka “Egg in a Wok”. Believe me after this you won’t need any lunch at all.
Then visit Wat Thung Si Muang in Ubon Ratchathani city and particularly the wooden scripture hall (see first photo). It was situated in the centre of a pond to prevent ants or termites getting at the Buddhist scriptures. Unfortunately they can’t seem to keep the pigeons out.
Afterwards to the Ubon Ratchathani National Museum. I think the old town hall built in 1918 is a wonderful building built around two inner courtyards open to the sky. You can see the air vents built in to the foot of the building. It is airy and cool inside just to prove you don’t necessarily have to have modern air conditioning even in Thailand if a building is built properly and with thought.
Then stroll around the town. Buy a newspaper..
….and have a coke (this is not, as I initially thought, a mirror by the way)
Drive a couple of hours eastwards to Pha Taem National Park and see the rock paintings. Walk along the two kilometre cliff top and look over the Mekong and Laos.
Stay by the Mekong at Khong Chiam, the easternmost district of Thailand.
It is here where the Mekong flows out from Thailand and where the Mekong and the Mun rivers converge. Apparently this forms the “two coloured current”, with the Mekong in reddish-clay colour and the Mun in blue. It all looked a bit brown to my eyes.
Visit Wat Tham Khuha Sawan from where you can also get great views of the Mekong.
Drive north to Sam Pan Bok the spectacular red sandstone rock structures across the Mekong. Touted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand as the Grand Canyon of Thailand. It is very interesting and a great place to visit but please do not be expecting the Grand Canyon. It’s much more human in scale!
Stay by the Mekong
Catch the Mekong dawn. Really lots to do in Ubon Ratchathani. I’ve missed a lot so a re-visit is in order.
Unheralded but a gem of a national park with its eponymous long cliff. About 2 hours drive west from Ubon Ratchathani city, Ba Taem covers an area of 340 sq kms. The cliffs and rock paintings are near the park headquarters. A farang visit called for the obligatory official photograph looking at the park HQ wall map. I find this quite common in the Isarn where foreign tourists are quite rare.
Best to time the visit is mid to late afternoon or early morning otherwise it will be baking hot most times of the year. However being just after the rainy season it was reasonably cool when we visited. There is a 4km circular trail from the park HQ which basically descends to and runs alongside the cliff foot for a couple of kilometers and then up again and return along the top. From the cliff top you get wonderful views across the Mekong into Laos and then descending steeply below the trail first passes this waterfall. There are numerous and I got horribly mixed up and can’t recall what this one is called.
Then walking along the cliff face floor you pass numerous prehistoric rock paintings dating to at least 1000 BC.Mural subjects, and there are some 300 of them, include giant Mekong catfish, elephants, turtles, human hands, geometric designs and fish traps. My photographs do not do justice. I think the hands really bring the past to a ghostly present.
The northern half of the park holds more waterfalls including Saeng Chan waterfall below. We had it to ourselves which is most unusual in Thailand. Exuberant and cavorting kids are a ubiquitous feature of most Thai waterfalls.
The whole park is most attractive with stunning views, many wild flowers and the sandstone rock very nice underfoot. Apparently we were a month early because in December Thailand’s largest wild flower meadow starts to bloom.
First place to get the sunset! Possibly but given the aspect is mainly eastwards I think more to the point, and the location being the easternmost point, it would be the first place to see the sun rise in Thailand. But another way of looking at it.
A beautiful and historic place. We vowed to return one day.
Literally translating as ‘3000 holes’, Sam Pan Bok ia a massive red sandstone outcrop stretching across the Mekong. This is located in Ubon Ratchathani province in North Eastern Thailand and just across the border from Laos.
During the rainy season from July to October the Mekong is full so you cannot see San Pan Bok. However from November through to May when the the waters subside this massive form is revealed. Intricate water eroded canyons with, yes, thousands of ‘pot holes’.
At the time of our visit all the holes were full of beautifully clear water and some with trapped fish. I was only sorry I had not brought my swimming trunks. It was a hot day but very windy.
Some of these holes have names. No prizes for guessing the below:
At the time of our visit we had the whole place to ourselves (actually along with most of the attractions we visited in Ubon Ratchathani). It was a weekday though the place could easily swallow up hundreds of visitors. A wonderful afternoon clambering all over the rocks. A great place for kids.
When I told my Thai colleagues that I was going to this north eastern province they all 
asked whether I was I going to watch football. Buri Ram United is the most successful and one of the most followed team of recent Thai footballing history.
What had changed from my last visit was the landscaping. It was impressive especially the park and trees surrounding the complex. Logistically it cannot be easy because this would involve moving a lot of water up the hillside.
Literally translating as ‘3000 holes’, Sam Pan Bok ia a massive red sandstone outcrop stretching across the Mekong. This is located in Ubon Ratchathani province in North Eastern Thailand and just across the border from Laos.
The Weary Traveller 