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DAY 1 - BANGKOK/PHETCHABUN, 18 November 2014 DAY 2 - PHETCHABUN/KHAO KHO, 19 November 2014 DAY 3 - KHAO KHO, 20 November 2014 DAY 4 - KHAO KHO, 21 November 2014 DAY 5 - KHAO KHO/LOM KAO, 22 November 2014 DAY 6 - LOM KAO, 23 November 2014 DAY 7 - LOM KAO/CHAT PRAKAN, 24 November 2014 DAY 8 - CHAT PRAKAN/NAN, 25 November 2014 DAY 9 - NAN, 26 November DAY 10 - NAN/PUA, 27 November DAY 11 - PUA, 28 November DAY 12 - PUA/THA WANG PHA, 29 November DAY 13 - THA WANG PHA/NAN, 30 November DAY 14 - NAN/PHRAE, 1 December 2014 DAY 15 - PHRAE/PHITSANULOK, 2 December 2014 DAY 16 - PHITSANULOK/BANGKOK, 3 December 2014 DAY 16 - CONCLUSIONDay 2 - Wednesday 19 November 2014, Phetchabun/Khao Kho
Rude awaking.....I wake with a start. The alarm has fired off at 6am. It obviously was set on repeat. I'd rather have slept another hour, but the damage has now been done. I might as well prepare for the coming day. It seems a pity to leave the comfort of The Grand, yet I didn't come here to stay in a room all day. I could use The Grand as a base, but I decide to move on, just knowing that 'Natural Thailand' means sacrificing some comforts. I finish off some cake I bought in Ban Suan on the way here and coffee in reception is free then pack up and wake up the Nissan. I didn't pay it to sleep all day!
Phetchabun city.....I've no actual plan as I leave The Grand, so I make some enquiries that lead me into the city. I will need to gather information and the city has a few interesting sites of interest. I should tick these off my list while I can as I'm unlikely to be returning to Phetchabun. As it turns out this is a good move. It gives me the chance to brush up on the history, culture and religion of the area. There are five sites I locate close to the city centre. A sixth site is located on highway 21 north towards Lom Sak. Again I will deal with these sites in turn as I add substance to my tour pages later. The first two are opposite each other near the city centre; city hall and city pillar shrine. The former is in use but holds little interest as exhibits are presented in Thai only. I can only gather what I am told. The city pillar is a sacred stone pillar, the oldest of its kind in Thailand dating back to the founding of Sri Thep (11th-12th century). A short drive away is Wat Trai Phum. There is historic as well as religious interest in this site, and a story to tell. From here I head to the city museum and cultural centre. The museum has a number of exhibits both ancient and modern: Small but certainly worth a look. The cultural centre is heavily weighted towards stressing Phetchabun's important role in agriculture. The richness of the soil in plains and valleys produce good quality cash crops, especially maize, tobacco, tamarind and rice. Its forests have also played an important role in the development and practices of local people. Still within the area is another important temple: The former royal temple, Wat Marathat. It's time to head out of the city north on the 21. Shortly the impressive temple complex of Petchabura Buddha Park comes into view, unmistakable from the distance. A break here is well worth the effort if only for the views of the impressive gardens and lake. It's now midday and time for an early lunch. It's also time for a pit stop.
Topping up.....The Nissan was supplied with a full tank of fuel, and I've made it this far without topping up. According to the gauge it's still a quarter full so obviously quite fuel efficient. I've made some rough calculations as to how much fuel I will use on this trip, but I will be in a much better position to know once the tank is full again. Basically I've no idea until the metre stops. I predict 1,500 baht. Oops! Wrong again....940 baht. Really! I can dine in style now. The joys of having a car include the ability to stop at leisure at any of the roadside restaurants. I see a sign and instinctively pull over only to realise that this one is more up market and caters for evening dinner rather than lunch. A series of huts skirt a small lake for serious diners. The staff, however, is hard at work preparing food, but it seems no trouble for them to knock up a plate of crab fried rice: Not expensive and enough for me. It's obvious that they specialize here in seafood. They will be busy later but right now I have other things on my mind.
Geography lesson.....The morning's activities have been most useful in arming me with information for the days ahead. It's useful background information which has also allowed me to devise a travel plan. But first I need a geography lesson! Phetchabun is odd in that it does not sit easily in any of Thailand's regions. It's not regarded as one of the northeastern provinces so is it north Central or south Northern? Well whatever it is, it's unique. To the centre and south is a vast fertile plain through which flows the Pasak River. This river rises in the Northern provinces and flows out into Lopburi Province. You are welcome to visit yesterday's blog to follow it there. The Pasak River is an important tributary of the Chao Phraya. Skirting the plain are mountains to the west, north and east. The mountain ranges form natural barriers and substantially alter the climate much to the relief of visitors I might add. The ranges are important natural habitats which Thailand is keen to preserve. It attracts vast numbers of tourists particularly in high season and at weekends.
Natural Areas.....For my purposes I have divided the province into five natural areas. Unfortunately one, Tat Mok National Park is inaccessible to the type of vehicle I have so, I have to abandon that. But the remaining four are certainly on my list. These are Khao Kho, Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, Nam Nao National Park and Phu Hin Rong Kla. Actually Thung Salaeng Luang and Phu Hin Rong Kla are in Phitsanulok province to the west but straddle the border with Phetchabun. I'm including them for simplicity in planning my tour. An iconic natural site Phu Thap Boek, lies close to Phu Hin Rong Kla and I mention it because of its special interest amongst Thai visitors: More later.
Khao Kho.....Of those listed the easiest to reach from my present location is Khao Kho. It's 1pm as I head there. I turn left onto the 2258. The road rises steadily, and I soon realise the limitations of an automatic car and have to adjust my driving and override the automatic transmission on occasions. Now I know why I gave this tour its name. The terrain soon reveals the effects of tourism as small businesses compete for attention. I stop at a viewpoint dominated by a coffee and souvenir shop. The views are already remarkable. Much more is to come. I still don't have a detailed map of the area: Seems to be a rare species. Word of mouth seems to be the best option. However a sign points to something intriguing. I'm confused....a weapons museum? This is like a magnet to me, and I'm onto the case. First there is another climb ahead, but I am prepared for it. I'm heading to the summit of Khao Kho the principal mountain in the area. At the car park the tourist information boards at last give me my bearings. As I study the map to further refine my travel plans one thing become immediately obvious. I've completely miscalculated once again. I almost stare at the board in disbelief. The area is so vast it's beyond my comprehension. There is so much to do here I could spend the entire fortnight here. I will have to go back and do some serious thinking. How on earth have I missed coming here in all the years I've visited Thailand?
Weapons museum.....And right in front of me is the weapons museum. What is this all about? I'm about to find out for 20 baht! As I enter the site there are no buildings except for a command post, exhibition hall and toilets. This is otherwise home to war relics out in the open, here a Huay helicopter, there a howitzer, a mortar and other weapons. The exhibition hall houses light weapons, uniforms and biographical information. A short video is about to start and then the penny drops. At the height of the Cold War amidst turmoil in the Far East, The Communist Party, alien to the Thai government, gained a foothold in three Thai provinces, Loei, Phetchabun and Pitsanulok. It took two decades to dislodge them. While I absorb all this I'm also aware that Katoon's family lives at Chaing Khan on The Thai/Lao border. They must have suffered the effects of this, and it has been mentioned briefly. Katoon would have been a teenager. It's no wonder that she was packed off to Bangkok to study. I really had no idea this was so serious. It will take a while for this to sink in and certainly cause me to research it further. Just a kilometre along the ridge is the war memorial. On a bluff overlooking the valley are the redoubts and bunkers used in the defense of Khao Kho. And did I mention the view? Well really what did you expect me to say? Very good....hardly appropriate.
Toy Town.....I have to pause for breath. There's really no point in adding to the day's events. It's now 3.30pm, and I still have to find accommodation. On the way north I notice the gleaming white Chedi Phra Borommasaririkkathat, clearly visible from Khao Kho. I may as well stop and take this in: Yet another site to add to my growing list of sites to review later. From my vantage point on Khao Kho I look down on the valley below observing the effects of tourism. It's not difficult to draw the conclusion that the area has been ruined. If I was Noddy I would jump into my yellow car and head off to Toy Town. Whatever are they thinking about? There are no controls whatsoever on building design that creates harmony with the natural surroundings. Oh well! I just don't want another long day, so I guess it's off to Toy Town where my white Nissan doesn't look too bad. The area is cluttered with small resorts. Just pick one. At least I won't need aircon here. I settle for a room for 600 baht. It's as I expected, not at all like The Grand but 'Natural Thailand' is where I choose to be. I fall asleep as soon as I'm settled and wake just in time to enjoy a glorious sunset. At dusk the air temperature falls below 20C, quite a relief from the heat of the day. Not sure what to do about dinner, I end up in the house opposite. They get extra income from serving noodle soup. Natural Thailand right! At 10pm I'm still writing my blog. I will turn in soon. I've no need to write a long summary on how it's gone for me today. Would I turn the clock back 24 hours? With pleasure! I'm on a roll.
Next Page.
Phetchabun Province
Phetchabun City Hall
Phetchabun City Pillar Shrine
Wat Trai Phum
Phetchabun Intrachai Archeological Hall,
exhibits
Wat Marathat
Phetchabura Buddha Park
Khao Kho View
Chattanooga, Khao Kho
Khao Kho Military Museum
Khao Kho Military Museum Exhibit
Khao Kho Memorial"
Chedi Phra Borommasaririkkathat
View from Ban Hah Tit, Khao Kho
Sunset from Ban Hah Tit, Khao Kho