Wat Chang Rop, the elephant temple at Kamphaeng Phet

When the rain stops for a while, I announce that I'm going for a walk to the historical park. This is located just outside the city and is only a few kilometers from here.

That is not possible says Nim's mother, that is much too far. Sit offers to take me away on a motorbike. I can hardly get them to understand that I like walking and that it is healthy. When I leave, Sit calls after me that he will pick me up later. We'll see. Luckily I'm right.

Walking is enjoyable, at least in Thailand. It's a fairly quiet road for the first few miles, but whenever someone passes or approaches me, on a motorcycle or in a car, I always get a friendly smile, whether it's from a sixty-year-old woman or a twenty-year-old boy. Now I remember why I live in Thailand. Here people are friendly, without the ulterior motives of Pattaya or Bangkok.

Old men

At the end of this road, I have to cross a busy artery and then go straight ahead, but there appear to be two options. So I join a group of old men, who may be under a shelter waiting for a bus or simply exchanging the latest local news, and ask them for directions to the Wat Chang Rop, the elephant temple.

They are surprised that I address them in Thai. Luckily they understand me. They point me in the right direction and ask if I'm sure I want to walk. I know that for sure. They claim it's another three miles or so. No problem. I leave them behind and I'm sure they'll have something to talk about all day. A crazy foreigner, who speaks Thai and walks. This does indeed sound like a riddle.

Twenty Temples

After a few kilometers along a road full of ruins, I am surprised to arrive at an official entrance to what turns out to be a gigantic park. I've been in many times Kampaeng Pet knew of its existence, but thought it dwarfed the historic park in the center of town.

This is hardly inferior to Sukhothai. At least twenty temples or at least what remains of them, on a very extensive area. I walk from temple to temple and am actually surprised that it all looks so good, without any traces of other buildings, such as palaces and houses. Perhaps only the temples were made of stone. After many kilometers I reach the elephant temple, a huge rectangle, carried by elephants. I take a lot of pictures.

Archaeological remains

A sign says there must be another large temple a mile away, but I told Sit I was going to the temple, where I am now. If I continue, he won't find me. Hardly do I start the return journey when he arrives on a motorcycle.

He also looks at the elephant temple, which is just as new to him as it is to me and, because we now have a motorcycle, we continue anyway. At least now I can tell other people that I've seen it all, but it's not worth going beyond the elephants. We drive back home. Unbelievable what Thailand has to offer archaeological remains in addition to the famous places such as Ayutthaya and Sukothai.

Wat Chang Rop (วัดช้างรอบ) is a large temple located on a hill. The main Ceylonese-style Chedi stands in the center of the Wat, but the upper part has been broken off. The temple is decorated with 68 half elephants, demons and dancers.

Wat Chang Rop is located in the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park and is an important archaeological site. The park is co-located with Sukhothai and And Satchanalai on the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park you will find the archaeological remains such as Mueang Chakangrao, east of the Ping River. Mueang Nakhon Chum to the west and Mueang Trai Trueng about 18 km southwest of the city. Chakangrao (the ancient city of Kamphaeng Phet) had the same urban planning concept as Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai, with separate religious sites both inside and outside the city limits.