Day 7 - Monday 24 November 2014, Chat Trakan

Unfinished business.....Once again I'm behind with my blog. Ideally it should be finished before I turned in last night but with a late return I was just too tired and slept early. However, a call to arms from the nearby temple ensured I woke early. This morning I'm well stocked with breakfast snacks and make a coffee in reception. If all goes well I can get an early start and catch up with some unfinished business in Phetchabun province. I'm ready by 9.30 am and decide to head back to Lom Sak and decided to do some shopping before headig back into the mountains. I also need to fill the tank with fuel. The major fuel companies offer a cheaper grade E20 which is adequate for the Nissan.
On the way into the city I also look for the Pho Khun Pha Mueang Memorial commemorating a former ruler of the area. I find it near the intersection with route 12, which I missed a couple of days ago. The shopping trip into the town isn't conclusive, but I purchase some rice of a higher and more natural grade that I can get in the UK. The fact that the province produces some specialty brown rice registered with me when I visited the cultural museum in Phetchabun. I intend to take some back to the UK.
Dan Sai.....With the tank topped up I can now concentrate on the journey ahead. I'm leaving Phetchabun province but to say I'm aiming for the next destination in the shortest possible time is far from the truth. First I head north back past Lom Kao. Before midday, I'm across the provincial border into Loei province and heading for Dan Sai. The town lies in the west of the province and provides a number of interesting sites for me to consider it for a mini tour. However the sites are all cultural and religious. Nonetheless, I agreed will the break for something different. As it turns out there is a rich history to be uncovered and an annual festival unlike anything else I'm aware of in Thailand.
Three temple sites are well worth a visit. The first, Wat Prathat Sri Song Rak lies just outside the town. It was build between 1560 and 1563 to cement an alliance between the kingdoms of Ayutthaya and Vientiane against their common enemy, the Burmese. Unlike the modern monasteries I recently visited it is unassuming but that only stresses its age and importance making it one of the most sacred temples in Thailand. It proves that all that glitters isn't gold. I head into the city where I stop for lunch. Next, Wat Phon Chai lies within the city and is also an old temple while in the temple grounds is the folk museum. This is dedicated to the Phi Ta Khon Festival which takes place in the rainy season in July or August and has its origins deep in ancestral history with the need to access the spirit world to ward of demons. The development of the festival over the years is recorded in the museum. Unique is the costume and dress fashioned for the festival including an elaborate array of spirit masks that are fierce enough to ward off any demon. Leaving the city is Wat Neramit Wipattasana. The ubosot and chedi here are beautifully constructed in laterite in Bangkok style. The ubosot contains beautiful mural paintings and a replica of the Emerald Buddha. This mini tour has taken over two hours; it's now 3 pm and decisions have to be made.
Change of plan.....From Dan Sai I planned to venture deep into the mountains again. The remote town of Na Haeo in the northwest corner of Loei province adjacent with the Laotian border is within easy reach. It probably has accommodation suitable for me, but I chose to take an easier route. I will head across the border into Phitsanulok province heading for Nakhon Thai skirting around the north of Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park. This town lies to the west of the park not far from the furthest point of my journey yesterday, but I continue to the next town, Chat Trakan arriving just after 4 pm. This town is even smaller than Nakhon Thai, but I easily locate a motel close to the town.
Angdoi Guesthouse..... This guesthouse is on the left-hand side before entering the town of Chat Trakan. The signboard reads 'Angdoi Guesthouse' but I understand its pronounced 'Ingdoi or Ingdoy'. It's just a single story block of rooms used as a motel but seems peaceful enough. I have a choice of rooms; either 350 baht or 650. The difference is in the appearance not the facilities. It's just an overnight stop so as long as it's functional I don't mind. I settle in by 5 pm and take a late afternoon nap for the first time in days. Just up the road is a restaurant specializing in Thai BBQ, 'moo ghata'. Yes again! Let's not compromise on food. I'm done just after 7 pm. There's a good chance I can complete my blog tonight with less activity to record. Tomorrow should be interesting. I will head back into the mountains and should arrive in the Northern provinces which should occupy much of the remainder of this tour.
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