Good morning from Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong). Today I took the Kiha-183 excursion train to Ratchaburi. Below are photos and texts I live-tweeted during the trip.
TRAVEL DATES: March 5, 2023
Thai State Railways now plans to make one-day visits every weekend to destinations and festivals. This weekend is to Ratchaburi. Next weekend is to Chachoengsao and next weekend is to Phetchaburi. Click for more information: thaitrainguide.com/excursion-trai…
Ticket prices for the Kiha-183 excursion train vary from time to time. The day trip is 1,499 Baht which includes breakfast (see photo), lunch and coach tour. The Phetchaburi trip is 699 Baht as it only includes drinks and snacks.
Our first stop in Ratchaburi was at Chulalongkorn Bridge. The railroad bridge was built in 1901. They are now building a new bridge as part of a double track project. However due to the unexploded bomb in the river they had to build it without putting the pillars into the water.
Our second stop is at Ratchaburi National Museum. Here entertained by local school students putting on a great cultural show.
We were also given 30 minutes to visit the national museum. The entrance fee is included in the train ticket. These museums are always a good place to start whenever visiting a new province.
📍MAP: map.app.goo.gl/AZWy6sA8cXoKxT…
Our lunch today is a buffet meal. With 226 passengers it is the fastest and easiest way to have lunch. Again this meal is included in the train ticket.
After lunch we visited Wat Khanon Nang Yai Museum in the Photharam District of Ratchaburi Province. This museum is about shadow puppets. Some of them are over a hundred years old. They were intricately carved from leather and then painted.
📍MAP: map.app.goo.gl/ssds71VzMTwQ8p…
Definitely the highlight of visiting Wat Khanon on weekends is the shadow puppet show. It first started here during the reign of King Rama V and they are skilled at keeping the art form alive for generations.
Our next stop in Ratchaburi is at The story of OngJar. Here we learned about the history of the Ong jar and also got to try painting a small Ong jar. Entrance and workshop ticket prices are included in our train ticket.
📍MAP: map.app.goo.gl/x9ctr5YdYvNTCn…
Our final stop in Ratchaburi is at Khu Bua Community Market at Wat Klong. This is another opportunity to buy more food. I love how many food products are presented in natural containers.
📍MAP: map.app.goo.gl/DfoVuqLz2Rufco…
We are now back on the Kiha-183 train and heading back to Bangkok. On the train they serve food in the form of pork and eggs cooked with five spices, Panang Curry and grilled chicken. Again all of this is included in the train ticket.
Overall I think it was a good trip today. Hopefully in the future they will repeat this trip as I'm sure others will be interested. Next weekend they will be going to Chachoengsao (I have already done this one) and next weekend I will be joining their trip to Phetchaburi.
Other upcoming trips are to Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Kanchanaburi and Pattaya. I'll post as soon as I hear anything. These trips always sell out fast so you have to be fast.