Phitsanulok - the gateway to the north (day 9-11)

After a good 4-hour train ride, I arrived in Phitsanulok around 9 p.m. It is also known as the 'gateway to the north' due to its geographical location.

Completely exhausted from the journey, the door to bed opened up for me...😴

The next day, I realized why relatively few backpackers come to Phitsanulok. The only real attraction is the 'Buddha Chinnaraj', one of the most revered Buddha statues in Thailand.

Admittedly, it was really impressive to see it live...

...and the hall where it was located was beautiful, with lots of people gathered...

...but honestly, I don't see much difference compared to this colleague here, who was just in the next room and no one was interested in him #poorbuddha 🤷‍♀️

After this little sightseeing tour, I saw a big sign in the shape of a Buddha's head advertising a shopping center. Clearly a divine hint 🤷‍♀️ So I hopped into the next TukTuk and headed to Central Plaza....

But I found this store here very interesting, as its design strongly reminded me of a well-known brand....😅