We were then ready to leave for the day and left for Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park which houses the King's palace built by King Rama 1V, atop a 92 metres high hill way back in 1859, now serving as a museum, with his statue in it. The King would stay there in the rainy season, every September. Located at an hour’s drive from Hua Hin, Phra Nakhon Kher Historical Park in Phetchaburi province, can be accessed by foot with monkeys greeting you as you climb up the walkway, or can be approached by cable car.
Wichien Prasat on the western peak, where the
statue of King Rama IV is situated.
The palace is a confluence of European, Chinese and Thai
architecture as King Rama IV(he ascended the throne when he was 44) had been exposed to Greek, Latin and English while studying to become a monk (he was the
inspiration for the film The King and I), and comprises three main sections – a
temple or Wat Phra Kaew in the east, the main stupa or Phra That Chom Phet in
the centre and the residential grand palace in the west, each located on the
peak of a hill and connected by a walkway.
Ratchathamma Sapha on the western peak, used as
a ceremonial hall in the reign of King Rama IV.
Phra That Chom Phet on the middle peak – the chedi containing relics of Buddha
Stopping for lunch at what could easily pass for a Thai dhaba, which specialised in just one item -- khow man gai -- rice cooked in chicken stock and eaten with chilli sauce, we could understand why it was so popular. Washing it down with Thai iced tea, which was most refreshing we walked across the road to our next tourist attraction Wat Kampang Lang Temple – a Buddhist temple made from laterite (stone made from lava, so a highly porous rock). The temple comprised a number of buildings used for various ceremonies.
Traditional Thai architecture – used by monks
for various ceremonies
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