My Thailand Blog by Richard Barrow

Not many foreign tourists have been to this temple despite the fact that in the distance you can easily see the skyscrapers of Bangkok. Due to land erosion, Wat Khun Samut in Samut Prakan is now surrounded by the sea. I have been here many times. The best part of the journey is always this ride in the local taxi boat.

The ride on the boat lasts about 15 minutes. We were then dropped off at this shrimp farm. There are no roads in this area. The only way to get around is either on foot or by boat. From this point we had about a thirty minute walk to reach the temple.

This is Ban Khun Samut Chin community. Some people have moved their houses further inland 4 or 5 times within the last few generations. The school alone is in its third location. They thought it would be safe now, but at high tide the playground is often under water. We come to this school about twice a year to teach the students English.

This is now the only way to reach Wat Khun Samut as it is surrounded by the sea. The concrete walkway is a new addition. When I first came it was a wooden walkway which you had to be very careful as you walked along it.

The poles you can see in the distance in this shot are electricity and telegraph poles. There used to be a road out there and also a large community. The only evidence left today are these poles and the concrete water tanks which you can see at low tide.

This is Wat Khun Samut. Thanks to donations, they were able to build a stone wall all around the temple compound. This means that water doesn’t come in so much now during high tide. However, you still need the elevated walkways to get around. Before, you had to jump from one large jar to another to reach this temple.

This is a closer look at the temple. You should be able to see where they have raised the floor to halfway up the window. When I first came to this temple, several years ago, there was no brick sea wall and the waves were crashing against this temple. I have done a website for this temple that can be found at www.KhunSamut.com. You will find detailed instructions there on how to find this place. Worth going if you like some adventure. More places to visit in Samut Prakan that aren’t in any guidebooks can be found in our www.paknam.com website.

- Posted from my iPhone