Tuesday 5 December 2017

Inconsiderate........The chalet hut at Koonta Resort as cramped as it is, needn’t worry me too much but it does. I can live with working late and tethering my PC again but I don’t need to work with loud music accompaniment which goes on till after 11pm. Then I’m awake at 4am as heavy traffic is heard rumbling past the resort. Thinking it’s about 6am I open up my PC again with the intention of catching up on the 3rd Round FA Cup draw in which Hereford FC are still involved. It’s a good one but I must try and get more sleep. That’s not too successful as traffic noise continues to build. However it helps in getting a reasonable start on what is effectively the final day on tour.

Wat Phra Bat Phu Phan Kham........Google Map At the moment Katoon is taking over more of the driving. She seems to get nervous when I drive but the change helps me with navigation. Initially that’s not needed as she locates Wat Phra Bat Phu Phan Kham. This temple occupies extensive grounds on the hillside above Ubolrattana Dam, with plenty of evidence of building activity over the years, there’s certainly scope for added comment. But there’s little in English I can use. The most important feature is the large Naga head staircase leading up the mountain to a large Buddha image on top. For the faithful the steps are a challenge but I can reach the top by car where in addition to the Buddha there are glorious views over the lake.

Disputed route........It’s time to resume the tour after a detour to the Dam but while the satnav and maps show the most favourable route onwards, Katoon insists we should return the way we came. The problem is the reservoir is so vast it would it would take several hours to complete a circle around it. The dam is on the eastern shoreline but we need to be to the west of it and the satnav clearly shows the southern route is the shortest, but even that is more than a hour.
Bang Saen 2........Google Map Bang Saen 2 is just a few kilometres from Ubonrat heading south towards Nam Phong National Park and consists of a cluster of raft restaurants moored along the lakeside. When we arrive I’m curious to see local people frantically trying to secure some custom and I quickly realise why. Photos I’ve seen indicate that there are lakeside beeches here: But not today as they’re under water. Unfortunately I can’t help since I’m not about to take a swim and I’ve not long eaten. A second beach area a little further along is practically abandoned......more.

Pattaya 2........Google Map Requesting Katoon to continue along local road 4063, she continues to protest but with the satnav giving precise information I can’t see why it wouldn’t show the quickest route to the next destination. The route bisects the Ubolrattana Reservoir to the west and the Nam Phong National Park, a particularly scenic route. At 11.30am we arrive at the opposite, side of the reservoir where there should be a beach, this time on the western shore: However yet again the beach is submerged. Deckchairs sit pathetically on the concrete breakwater when they should be on sand. While there’s no sand there are no customers and again the people appear desperate for business. It’s a bit early for lunch but in any case Katoon will have none of it. It would be a repeat of last night’s extravagance......more.

For those who are curious about the name of this area it will be because they know all about Pattaya in Chonburi province, possibly the best-known beach location in Thailand. Well Pattaya 2 is rather tongue in cheek as it tries to steal some thunder but presently at least it’s failing miserably.
The next destination is much easier to get to and is held over from yesterday due to Monday's closure. Taking a roadside noodle dish on the way we arrive for what will have to be a grand finale to this tour.
Phu Wiang........Phu Wiang is a district in the western region of Khon Kaen province. The area is characterised by a central plain and the low hills of the western Phu Phan Mountains. The district is the site of Phu Wiang National Park, best known for its numerous dinosaur bone paleontological sites, The park is one of the world's largest dinosaur graveyards. In 1976 during a minerals research project. Sudham Yaemniyom, a geologist, discovered a piece of bone on a streambed, Huai Pratu Tima, which was later identified as a distal part of the left femur of a sauropod dinosaur (a large plant-eating dinosaur walking with 4 legs with long neck and long tail), regarded as the first dinosaur discovery of Thailand.
Since 1976, the Department of Mineral Resources with Thai-French Paleontological Project had continuously investigated the dinosaurs in the Phu Wiang mountains. The project found a great many vertebrae, teeth, and footprints of the dinosaurs mainly from sandstone of Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation (about 130 million years old) including sauropod and theropod with a wide range of sizes from a hen up to a large dinosaur of about 15 meters long.
In 1996, the remains of Siamotyrannus isanensis, a new family of carnivorous thunder lizards, were unearthed in the park. Such significant finds caused great public interest and attracted funding to build a museum.
Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum........Google Map The Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum has certainly not evaded my attention over the last few years. It’s just that I haven’t passed near here before on my travels. Heading west from the Ubolratana reservoir the road 2038 enters a lagoon shaped mountain range where the finds have been made. Within this area the museum was constructed with funding from the Tourist Authority of Thailand. It opened in 2001......more.

Expecting to see just dinosaur bones I’m pleasantly surprised to find the museum has turned the clock back to the beginning of time, the so called ‘Big Bang theory’, explaining that atoms and molecules developed into the building blocks of life. It carefully presents the eras from pre-Cambrian through to the present day relating to the life forms that existed in each period. Understandably the dinosaur periods receive the greatest attention as far as exhibits and displays are concerned. A lot of information relates to the rock formations, how they were created and in what periods. The understanding of the geology in the area has enabled such dramatic discoveries to be made.
The entry fee for foreigners is 60 baht which is outstanding value but today entry is free possibly because of a public holiday. Within the building is a restaurant and coffee stop for a more relaxed stay. It’s been a great pleasure to wander around this museum which has opened my eyes to what’s been discovered here. It’s obviously an ongoing process of discovery and who knows what will turn up in the future. Finally a private Youtube video of the museum and park I uncoverered is worth showing and three cheers to the presenter and many thanks for that......YouTube.
Dinosaur Park........Google Map The dinosaur park is 7 kilometres back down the 2038 on the right. If you like viewing lifelike models of some of the dinosaurs, this is the place to come. It’s a pleasant spot to just relax in its own right.
Other business........While I don’t have time now nor probably the energy, I should mention that in the national park itself there are around 10, I believe, excavation sites where you can view the pits. For these you will need to head back to the park and employ the services of a guide.

End of tour........At around 3.30pm the business for today is concluded. It also means the end as far as this tour is concerned, the end almost certainly for this visit to Thailand and for the year as a whole. It’s time to switch the satnav on and head for the final stopover of this tour and on this occasion the route gets approval from Katoon. Just maybe she’s beginning to trust it! It’s impossible to keep everything in your head especially on a tour like this. By 5.30pm we’re back in Chaiyaphum but instead of returning to Paradise Residence where we stayed before, Katoon stops at a motel on the ring road. Ban Ingna is by far the most spacious and modern of all the accommodation used so far. It’s at the top end of the range at 700 baht but that includes breakfast. However it’s too far from other conveniences to walk causing us to rely on Ban Ingna itself which isn’t cheap. Further, I learn that breakfast is just rice soup. Katoon has done a lot of driving today so I guess she’s excused from any other excursions. And so the day ends with me still wondering how I can explain my findings about those iconic dinosaurs. Next Page