This adventure in Central and Western Thailand turned into an unexpected combination of history and culture. We began by visiting the enormous Phra Pathom Chedi, one of Thailand’s most impressive religious landmarks. From there, we traveled to Mallika 1905 City, where we literally stepped back in time by changing into traditional clothing and exchanging our Thai baht for money from the 1905 era. We also explored the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall, where we climbed over the rocks and even made our way underneath the falls.
Phra Pathom Chedi
Our first stop was Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom Province. The enormous golden chedi is hard to miss. Rising dramatically above the surrounding temple complex, it is considered the tallest stupa in the world, standing roughly 120 meters high. The history of the site goes back many centuries and is closely connected with the early spread of Buddhism in Thailand. Although the structure we see today dates largely from the 19th century, the site itself has much older origins.
Walking around the grounds gives you a chance to appreciate both the scale of the chedi and the surrounding temple complex. There are Buddha images, shrines, smaller structures, and plenty of interesting architectural details to explore. The sheer size of Phra Pathom Chedi is what makes the biggest impression. Photographs don’t really convey how massive it feels when you’re standing at its base and looking straight up.
After exploring the temple, we continued on to something completely different.
Stepping Back in Time at Mallika City 1905
We drove next to Kanchanaburi Province and to Mallika City – a living-history attraction designed to recreate what life was like in Thailand during the reign of King Rama V.; specifically in 1905. This isn’t just another attraction where you walk around looking at old buildings. You can actually participate in the experience.
When we arrived, the staff helped us with a complete wardrobe change. Our modern clothes were replaced with traditional Thai clothing appropriate to the period. The staff were extremely helpful, and once we were dressed, we certainly looked like we had traveled back more than a century. It was fun, but it also changed the way we experienced the attraction. Instead of simply observing the recreated village, we felt like we were actually part of it.
Changing Our Money
The costume change was only the beginning. Since we were supposedly living in 1905, our modern Thai baht wasn’t going to work either. We exchanged our current Thai money for special currency representing money from the period. We could then use that money to purchase food, drinks, and other things within Mallika. It was a clever addition to the experience. Even something as simple as buying a snack became part of the time-travel adventure.
Exploring the Old City
Once we had our traditional clothes and period currency, we were ready to explore. Mallika 1905 City is designed as a recreated Thai community, with traditional buildings, shops, houses, food vendors, crafts, and people dressed in period clothing. Rather than being a conventional museum where you simply look at exhibits, the attraction encourages visitors to walk around and interact with the environment. We wandered through the village, explored the buildings, checked out the shops, and took some pictures. Being dressed in traditional clothing made the experience even more entertaining. It was definitely different from the usual tourist attraction.
A Stop at Maple Gardens
After stepping out of the recreated world of 1905, we continued our journey through Kanchanaburi Province with a completely different kind of experience: Maple Gardens.
Maple Gardens is a large garden and agricultural attraction surrounded by greenery, flowers, and landscaped areas. It has become particularly popular for its seasonal displays and colorful scenery, giving us a chance to slow down and simply enjoy being outdoors.
We had just spent hours dressed in traditional Thai clothing, using period currency and wandering through a recreated historical community. Now we were surrounded by gardens, plants and colorful landscapes.
Exploring the Gardens
We spent some time walking around Maple Gardens and taking in the different sections of the property. There were plenty of places to stop and enjoy the scenery, and the garden provided a nice change of pace after the more structured experiences earlier in the day. It was also a good reminder that Kanchanaburi isn’t just about its famous historical attractions. The province has an abundance of natural beauty, gardens and agricultural areas that are easy to overlook when planning a trip around the better-known sights.
We weren’t trying to rush through Maple Gardens. We simply wandered around, enjoyed the surroundings and took advantage of the opportunity to see another side of the area. Afterward, we continued on toward Sai Yok Noi Waterfall, where the peaceful garden experience would soon give way to climbing over rocks and getting completely wet.
Sai Yok Noi Waterfall
After our journey back to 1905, it was time to return to the present day and get wet. Our nexy stop was Sai Yok Noi Waterfall in Kanchanaburi Province. The waterfall is surrounded by lush vegetation and rocky limestone formations. Water flows down over a series of rocks, creating a beautiful natural setting and a refreshing place to explore. We could have simply walked up to the waterfall, taken a few photographs, and moved on. Instead, we climbed over the rocks and made our way directly into the waterfall.
Climbing Under the Waterfall
As we explored, we discovered that it was possible to climb underneath the falling water. Naturally, we had to give it a try. We carefully made our way across the wet rocks and eventually got underneath the falls. With water rushing down around us, it was a completely different experience from simply looking at the waterfall from the viewing area. The rocks were wet and slippery, so we had to watch our footing, but the effort was worth it. It turned out to be the perfect adventurous ending to a day that had already included a massive Buddhist monument and a journey back to the early 20th century.
From Gardens to Waterfalls
We had started with the enormous Phra Pathom Chedi, traveled back to 1905 at Mallika City, explored the gardens at Maple Gardens, and then finished with an adventure at Sai Yok Noi Waterfall.
It was another one of those Thailand travel days where every stop seemed to offer something completely different from the one before it.
Backpack Benji’s Best Bets:
- If you visit Mallika 1905 City, I highly recommend doing the complete costume experience. The staff made the process easy, and the costume change itself became one of the highlights of our visit. They provide lockers and staff to help you change.
- You can certainly walk around without changing clothes, but dressing for the period makes the visit much more immersive and gives you a completely different perspective on the attraction.