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Phetchaburi

Approximately a two-hour drive south of Bangkok, this provincial capital lies on the route to the coastal resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin. In spite of being a town of considerable historical note, Phetchaburi is mostly overlooked by travellers who are usually more intent on getting to the beaches further south. However, a stop here is well worthwhile, the sights including the Khmer monument of Wat Kamphaeng Laeng, as well as a 19^th century hilltop palace and several venerable Thai temples.

Wat Kamphaeng Laeng

Dating from the 13^th century and now contained within the grounds of a modern Buddhist temple, Wat Kamphaeng Laeng is built of laterite and consists of four ruined towers, each raised on a stepped base, and a shrine with entrance porches on the four sides. All is surrounded by the remains of the orignal enclosing walls. The towers are unusually configured with a row of three and the fourth centred behind them.

Kanchanaburi

A popular day trip west of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi is best known as the site of the infamous Death Railway and Bridge over the River Kwai, constructed by allied POWs during World War II. However, the area has a history stretching way back before the 20^th century and, among other distinctions, it is the location of Mueang Sing. Of known Khmer monuments, it is situated the furthest west.

Kanchanaburi has always been a strategic spot, commanding the route to the Three Pagodas Pass, which leads into Myanmar, and the extensive ruins of Mueang Sing suggest that this was possibly the site of a garrison town protecting the western boundary of the ancient Khmer Empire.

While Mueang Sing can be visited on day excursions from Bangkok by car, the wealth of Kanchanaburiûs other cultural and scenic attractions merits a longer visit. There are a number of good hotels to chose from, both in town and in the valleys of the Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai Rivers.

Prasat Mueang Sing

Declared a historical park by the Fine Arts Department in 1987, Mueang Sing lies some 40 km. from Kanchanaburi town and extends over an area of 74 hectares. The boundaries of the city are defined by an earthen rampart topped by a laterite wall. Within this enclosure are two groups of laterite buildings that have been excavated, the most important being the principal sanctuary of Prasat Mueang Sing.

Designed in the Bayon style and dating from the late-12^th to early-13^th centuries, Prasat Mueang Sing's central features are a rectangular gallery with entrance pavilions at the four cardinal points, and a sanctuary in the middle. Enshrined in the gallery is a copy of a statue of Avalokitesvara, the original of which can now be seen at the National Museum in Bangkok.

Designed in the Bayon style and dating from the late-12^th to early-13^th centuries, Prasat Mueang Sing's central features are a rectangular gallery with entrance pavilions at the four cardinal points, and a sanctuary in the middle.

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