You think of Thailand and immediately most people would think of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok which is by far the largest city. Located around 3 plus hours in central Thailand is my province - Chai Nat, where I was born and raised.
My home was a wooden house that was used by generations over the years. We lived far away from the city but to me as I look back now it remains very special to me.
Of course having all your family in your hometown makes it special compared to us being spread out in todays world.
What made it special was it’s simple beauty of the the town, it’s hard working people and what nature provided to us from the land. We lived off the land. We grew crops and raised animals on our land.
The wooden bridge in the city center that crosses a lake is unique when I look at other cities. It’s made by hand with wood and it still survives today.
ChaiNat Bird Park is still there and was built not long ago in 1983. It’s probably the only real tourist attraction in ChaiNat.It’s a large habitat for over 60 different birds and spreads out over 100 acres. It’s a great place to see some unique animals, but these are the same animals and more I would see growing up on the farm. The big eagle is made from rice stock.
My family still goes there today at times and it’s time to teach the new generation some things about their community.
We have a beautiful Temple just outside ChaiNat province which we would visit. Compared to all other other temples in Thailand it’s not the biggest or most ornate. It is special to us our family over the years. Kai Kangwon Temple is historic for it’s age.
The Temple, according to the Archaeological Department, was built in 1002 BC, that is over 1500 years ago. Over the years it has stood and at times been abandoned and now it back with it’s beauty and great meaning to our people.
You can’t recreate this type of temple today. It’s structure is unique and it’s history cannot be replicated.
Like many small villages in Thailand that are outside of Bangkok, there are places to eat and I guess you can say there some differences in the food of central Thailand vs the east and northern parts.
The people here are proud of their past and thankful for what the land provides and it has sustained families for years. There are a few manufacturers in the area, maybe an hour away at best. It’s the same land that has provided for 1000’s of years. Today we pray for rain for the crops and trees for food to be abundant. The weather has changed over the years. It seems more dry and of course that makes it difficult as a farmer.
My family is still in Chai Nat and the house has changed and maybe there are more goats, but the town has not changed that much to me. It always brings back waves of memories with my family when I was younger whenever I go back home and that is what makes it unique to me.
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