Monday 17 November

Preparations.....As preparations go, this should be a straightforward day on the eve of my departure on a new tour. One could say I'm complacent. but I’ve got good reason to be relaxed. The only hurdle to jump today won't appear until 6 p.m. when I collect a car from Survarnabhumi Airport, and packing won't be an issue. In addition, I am blessed with having a companion for this tour. A second driver is clearly a benefit, but beyond that, extra input and guidance during this tour will be most welcome indeed. Little do I know it that this assistance will be very welcome, much sooner than I predicted. Oddly, my friend Katoon doesn't own a car but nevertheless is a capable driver. Realising she doesn't have a new style of driving license, she plans to upgrade it today. Its new format is designed to be valid in all ASEAN countries. On the other hand, I have little to do and head off to Bang Sue Junction to watch the comings and goings on the railway. We meet up and head for the airport. It's here that the hurdle I mentioned starts to look insurmountable. I'm devastated to learn that they want a credit card when I thought a cash deposit would suffice and I don't own a credit card. I cancelled it some time ago through lack of use and to avoid charges. The office is insistent that the policy is to record credit card details. A debit card simply won't do. Time is ticking on, then Katoon steps in and fixes the problem by what means is a mystery to me. The panic is over, but I'm not quite as relaxed as I was earlier in the day.
A few weeks ago I wrote a preview of the intended tour. It wasn't very informative as I explained nothing was set in stone. As I write, even my plans for tomorrow are by no means certain but, I shall be heading north out of Bangkok. If I don't start before 8.30am then these plans will already be compromised. These are the joys of independent travel. But then again if I succeed it will be a real boost to this tour.

Day 1 - Tuesday 18 November 2014, Phetchabun

Best get started.....It's Not the best night's sleep, but that's due to expectations of an early start, and I'm awake before 6am. I manage a cooked breakfast and finish my packing by 8am. Final checks and I'm ready. Strange though, it's in my mind that this is still a backpacker's trip; a couple of T-shirts, a pair of shorts, passport and wallet. It's never really been like that with modern gadgets etc., but now especially with transport parked right outside the door it's funny how the mindset changes. I load everything including the kitchen sink into the boot! It's time to hit the road, and I'm only a few kilometres from the Kanchanapisek Tollway that will take me north out of Bangkok.
Bangkok to Keang Khoi.....The Nissan Almera auto is not exactly a sporty job, but I'm not heading to the racetrack anytime soon, and I just revel in this new-found comfort. At Bang Pa-In. I head northeast towards Saraburi. Before long I'm advised to pull off the highway for a rest stop. I hardly need one at this stage, but that's completely missing the point. Some of these rest stops are an attraction in themselves going over the top from providing food stalls, restaurants, souvenir shops and in this case home branded cake which they make in-house nicely packed. This just seems to fly out of the door it's that popular. The outlet is called Ban Suan before I forget. Not far up the road is another of those extravagant replicas of bygone days which appeals the Thai psyche. It's just a load of fun; a modern version of the floating market. I don't stop at this one; I guess it's just another variation of the one at Hua Hin. Despite this unscheduled stop I'm in Saraburi by 10am. Just a few kilometres more and I will be at my first scheduled stop. Confusing road signs now lead me in a detour which results in me arriving in Keang Khoi via the back door, and I'm hugely grateful that it happened. It takes me along a concrete track directly alongside the railway. But I'm on the wrong side for the station. As I noted on a previous trip to Keang Khoi this is an important junction for freight and the marshalling yards are quite extensive. While I will have to make my way around to the station what I do have just off to my right is the locomotive maintenance depot. This provides a great opportunity for me to update my database. At 11am I make my way to the station.
A 50 cent train journey.....At the station nothing much is happening in the heat of the day. It's what is about to happen that will make this day so special for me. In February 2012 I came to Keang Khoi full of expectation of making a railway journey around the enormous Pasak Dam Reservoir. At the same station my hopes were dashed when I learnt the line was closed for track upgrades. I did make it to the Pak Cholisid Dam and to Kok Salung to view the spectacular concrete rail bridges. However, I yearned to get another chance to make the journey. Now I'm here, and it's rather ironic that I had to use a road vehicle to get me here. The plan now is for me to travel up-line to Lam Narai Station a journey of an hour and a half. Katoon will cheat and drive up to that station to collect me. This is one of those situations that should go like clockwork and rarely do. I'm sorry to say there is no drama this time. There is a wait at the station until the 11.45am departure. Katoon has departed, and I'm in with the locals having paid my 18 baht fare. Remarkable! However before the grand adventure, one sorry sole is determined to upset his fellow passengers with his banter. He is quite clearly over the limit! He receives rebuke from some of the women who lecture him on the evil of drink. Then all goes quiet as the security guard arrives with eyes like thunder. The departing train is hardly full with just the two railcars. It rattles through the countryside stopping just about everywhere. As I look around at the distant hills I can see good reason to include this excursion in a tour called 'Natural Thailand'.
Ecstatic.....Pasak Cholisid Station arrives at the halfway point. Then POW! The concrete and steel rail bridges come into view, crisscrossing the immense flooded Pasak Valley. The DMU clatters over the bridges. For a while there is no need to engage in the incessant horn-blowing. There are no pedestrians here just the odd long-tailed boat bobbing about in the shallow water. My heart is already in my mouth with camera firing like crazy. The bridges seem endless. I calculate at least 20 minutes until marshland appears indicating that the headwaters of the reservoir are near. But as I just lounge back on my 3rd class seat I just know that whatever happens next today, this trip has got off to a most remarkable start; it's still less than 4 hours since leaving base. The DMU pulls into Lam Narai Station 5 minutes early and there is Katoon sitting in the shade of a pagoda.
Chai Badan to Sri Thep.....From Lam Narai Station it's just a short drive to Chai Badan and Highway 21, and it's time for lunch. It's just so effortless to pull over and eat where you fancy: Nothing exotic but tasty and excellent on the budget. It's time to continue north. While it is clear that the rail trip had been on my itinerary for some time, the next stop was certainly not. It's just a few days since I came across it on a website. Yet it fits in perfectly with this trip even though it doesn't really fit into the tour title. Leaving Chai Badan at about 2pm this location is just 10 kilometres off the Highway 21. I figure it will take an hour at this site. Ever getting my sums wrong these days my calculation turns out to be optimistic. I cross the border into Phetchabun Province, an area that is not familiar to me but one rich in natural treasures. It's one of the reasons I've headed here but first something man-made although not recent.
Sri Thep Historical Park.....Just because I've never heard of Sri Thep that doesn't mean it's insignificant. Prang Sri Thep is an ancient Khmer temple complex which is all the more surprising I haven't heard of it. It dates back to the 10th century even before the golden age of Angkor. Of course, I will deal with it as a feature in due course. It's far too important in historical terms to skip over. On arriving at the complex there are just a handful of visitors. I am no stranger to Khmer monuments, a veteran of Angkor Wat, Vat Phu, Prasart Phanom Rung, Phimai, Lopburi and many others. However, this site lying near the northern extremity of Khmer influence at the time demonstrates how extensive this civilization was. By general standards this is a small complex yet still large enough for the site to lay on an electric vehicle included in the fee. The main site contains all the evidence of Hindu and Buddhist worship, but other monuments are being preserved nearby. Excavations continue to reveal more and more structures and who knows this may turn out to be a much bigger site than first appears. I have spent nearer to two hours at Sri Thep but have to move on.
Phetchabun.....Phetchabun is 120 kilometres to the north of Bangkok. It's the general area I plan to be in before dusk. I'll have very little time before then to get my bearings in Phetchabun. Again I needn't worry. As daylight fades I'm heading along the main road in the city. A sign appears on the left. Is it going to be that simple to find a comfortable room here in Phetchabun? Yes it is! It's just a few hundred yards off the main road; convenient for grabbing essentials.
The Grand Apartments.....The Grand Apartments are easily located behind the bus station off the highway 21 in Phetchabun. They are typical of a kind found all over Thailand that are multipurpose, catering for staff and workers who work away from home and any other travelers including tourists. They can be used for short or long term rental. As budget accommodation there are usually no dining facilities; most Thai people eat out and maid service is usually extra. The Grand is modern, only built last year I’m told, and the rooms are spacious and clean with on-suite hot shower, digital TV, aircon, refrigerator and Wi-Fi. There is even a sink on the balcony presumably for washing cloths. Coffee is complementary in reception. All in all it ticks all the boxes and...wait for it! It doesn't appear on Agoda or any other booking website. As I settle down for the night I reflect on how straightforward the day has been and how in actual fact I've crammed so much in when in other circumstances I've hardly got started. On top of that I've covered nearly 400 kilometres with ease. Great choices and great execution today!
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