Day 2, Monday 23 March
Remote Location…….. My stay at Thong Pha Phum River has been a real pleasure due to its location and conveniences but with restrictions to travel now beginning to take effect, it's probably no surprise that we are the only residents. While I start to question what are we doing here, Katoon wishes to fulfill her personal desire to visit the remote border location of Ban E-Tong. It’s no good me protesting as I know the lady is not for turning. The trip to Ban E-Tong will take a good 2 hours. Ban E-Tong is about 60 kms away but the terrain and road conditions are expected to be tricky.
With a 7Eleven convenience store within walking distance we can enjoy a reasonable breakfast sat out on the communal terrace overlooking the river. It’s actually I shame to leave but we need to make a move.
Initially skirting the Vajiralongkorn Reservoir, we proceed west into the high mountains of the Tenasserim Range and sure enough, the roads are deeply rutted as we negotiate the seemingly endless hairpin bends. We are now entering the Thong Pha Phum National Park. The route obviously provides some stunning views but this time of year there is a heat haze rather spoiling the effect. Just 5 kms short of Ban E-Tong we note a turning on the right leading to one of the attractions in the park.
Jokkradin Waterfall…….. Jokkradin Waterfall is approached along a 2.8 km mountain road off the main road to Ban E-Tong. At the park office there is an entrance fee of 200 baht. I would not be that interested except, as usual, I like to take photographs. When Katoon pays the fee at the local rate, it seems I will be walking the 300 metres to the falls. How will it rate? Well, the amount of water cascading over the cliff is not great now in the dry season but I can imagine it in full flood and then due to its sheer drop, it must be quite spectacular. Even now it looks pretty impressive.
Myanmar is a distortion of the original name as ‘Gokkradan’. Jok or Gok means stone and kradin or kradan means a waterfall flowing over rock cliffs. The original of the river is in the Ephu mountain mining area which runs through the village of Ban E-Tong. The height of the falls is about 34 metres and lies at 727 metres above sea level. The pool at the bottom of the falls is ideal for mineral bathing.
Thong Pha Phum National Park…….. source. Thong Pha Phum National Park is located about 175 kilometres (100 mi) northwest of Kanchanaburi town and 30 kilometres (20 mi) west of Thong Pha Phum, in Sangkhla Buri and Thong Pha Phum Districts. The park's area is 1,236 square kilometres (477 sq mi). Khao Chang Phueak is the park's highest peak at 1,249 metres (4,098 ft). The park has numerous waterfalls and caves. Apart from the Jokkradin Waterfall, the large waterfall of Khao Yai has three levels. Other park waterfalls include Dip Yai, Bi Teng and Huai Meuang. Khao Noi cave houses Buddha images. Khao Khat viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the park. Animal species include elephant, tiger, water buffalo, northern red muntjac and civet. Bird life includes hornbills, bulbul and coucal. This park is one of the more remote in Thailand and not the most popular. It was only opened in 2009.
Proceeding onward along the 4088, we see one of the entrances to the Thong Pha Phum National Park. With our ticket valid thoughout the park, we may as well take a look. Here there is a viewpoint with easy access. As well as the outstanding views, there are the other features you would expect such as an information centre, basic accommodation and camping. This is a most peaceful location in the forest for those who just want to get away from the mad-life for a while.
Before reaching Ban E-Tong, there are located a few attractions including a viewpoint and the Pilok Mine. Unfortunately the latter can only be reached with a 4WD vehicle.
Ban E-Tong…….. source. Guarded on all sides by jungle and mist, E-Thong (pronounced E-Dong), the 'Mountain of the Gods', has a fairy-tale setting and a unique small-town ambience. A frontier village on the Myanmar border, from the 1940s to the 1980s E-Thong thrived as a multicultural outpost for tin and tungsten mining. The region gained the name mĕuang pĕe·lôrk (Ghost Mine) as a result of many mining-related deaths. Only traces of its heyday remain, but the village reinvented itself in the 2000s when intrepid Bangkokians began seeking a far-flung weekend getaway here. Foreign travellers have been slow to follow and spoken English is very rare.
Vajiralongkorn Dam (closed)…….. With this mini tour achieving its objective, it’s time to make the arduous trip back down the mountain to Thong Pha Phum. There is, however, a major attraction on the way.
The Vajiralongkorn Dam also called the Khao Laem Dam is a concrete-faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) in Thong Pha Phum District in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The dam lies across the Khwae Noi River (River Kwai) and was renamed Vajiralongkorn Dam after King Vajiralongkorn on 13 July 2001 when he was crown prince. Vajiralongkorn Dam is Thailand's first CFRD and supplies a 300 MW hydroelectric power station with water. The dam was built and is managed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
When we arrive at the dam there is bad news. The dam area is closed pending the arrival of a member of the Royal Family. It’s most unfortunate but these things happen. Fortunately there are impressive views of the reservoir on the way back to Thong Pha Phum. Well at least there’s nothing holding us up now from proceeded on our journey back to Bangkok. However, we won’t arrive now today. A three-day trip is the best we can do under the circumstances. We decide to press on and reach Kanchanaburi albeit a little after dark now it seems.
Hop Inn…….. Hop Inn is a modern apartment block or more correctly, two apartment blocks. We have no difficulty in reaching it using Google Map. Hop Inn is part of a national chain so as you would expect it offers reasonable rates to a good standard. There is, however, more formality with registering of passports and presently a health check as well. The rooms are as they should be with minimal inconvenience but the location of Hop Inn is not great being quite far from the town centre. So much so that we end up with warmed food at a 7Eleven. One positive though is a food outlet where we can buy items to take back tomorrow as well as for me to take back to the UK. With a late arrival there’s no time for writing notes. Tomorrow we return to Bangkok.
Next Page.
Remote Location…….. My stay at Thong Pha Phum River has been a real pleasure due to its location and conveniences but with restrictions to travel now beginning to take effect, it's probably no surprise that we are the only residents. While I start to question what are we doing here, Katoon wishes to fulfill her personal desire to visit the remote border location of Ban E-Tong. It’s no good me protesting as I know the lady is not for turning. The trip to Ban E-Tong will take a good 2 hours. Ban E-Tong is about 60 kms away but the terrain and road conditions are expected to be tricky.
With a 7Eleven convenience store within walking distance we can enjoy a reasonable breakfast sat out on the communal terrace overlooking the river. It’s actually I shame to leave but we need to make a move.
Initially skirting the Vajiralongkorn Reservoir, we proceed west into the high mountains of the Tenasserim Range and sure enough, the roads are deeply rutted as we negotiate the seemingly endless hairpin bends. We are now entering the Thong Pha Phum National Park. The route obviously provides some stunning views but this time of year there is a heat haze rather spoiling the effect. Just 5 kms short of Ban E-Tong we note a turning on the right leading to one of the attractions in the park.
Jokkradin Waterfall…….. Jokkradin Waterfall is approached along a 2.8 km mountain road off the main road to Ban E-Tong. At the park office there is an entrance fee of 200 baht. I would not be that interested except, as usual, I like to take photographs. When Katoon pays the fee at the local rate, it seems I will be walking the 300 metres to the falls. How will it rate? Well, the amount of water cascading over the cliff is not great now in the dry season but I can imagine it in full flood and then due to its sheer drop, it must be quite spectacular. Even now it looks pretty impressive.
Myanmar is a distortion of the original name as ‘Gokkradan’. Jok or Gok means stone and kradin or kradan means a waterfall flowing over rock cliffs. The original of the river is in the Ephu mountain mining area which runs through the village of Ban E-Tong. The height of the falls is about 34 metres and lies at 727 metres above sea level. The pool at the bottom of the falls is ideal for mineral bathing.
Thong Pha Phum National Park…….. source. Thong Pha Phum National Park is located about 175 kilometres (100 mi) northwest of Kanchanaburi town and 30 kilometres (20 mi) west of Thong Pha Phum, in Sangkhla Buri and Thong Pha Phum Districts. The park's area is 1,236 square kilometres (477 sq mi). Khao Chang Phueak is the park's highest peak at 1,249 metres (4,098 ft). The park has numerous waterfalls and caves. Apart from the Jokkradin Waterfall, the large waterfall of Khao Yai has three levels. Other park waterfalls include Dip Yai, Bi Teng and Huai Meuang. Khao Noi cave houses Buddha images. Khao Khat viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the park. Animal species include elephant, tiger, water buffalo, northern red muntjac and civet. Bird life includes hornbills, bulbul and coucal. This park is one of the more remote in Thailand and not the most popular. It was only opened in 2009.
Proceeding onward along the 4088, we see one of the entrances to the Thong Pha Phum National Park. With our ticket valid thoughout the park, we may as well take a look. Here there is a viewpoint with easy access. As well as the outstanding views, there are the other features you would expect such as an information centre, basic accommodation and camping. This is a most peaceful location in the forest for those who just want to get away from the mad-life for a while.
Before reaching Ban E-Tong, there are located a few attractions including a viewpoint and the Pilok Mine. Unfortunately the latter can only be reached with a 4WD vehicle.
Ban E-Tong…….. source. Guarded on all sides by jungle and mist, E-Thong (pronounced E-Dong), the 'Mountain of the Gods', has a fairy-tale setting and a unique small-town ambience. A frontier village on the Myanmar border, from the 1940s to the 1980s E-Thong thrived as a multicultural outpost for tin and tungsten mining. The region gained the name mĕuang pĕe·lôrk (Ghost Mine) as a result of many mining-related deaths. Only traces of its heyday remain, but the village reinvented itself in the 2000s when intrepid Bangkokians began seeking a far-flung weekend getaway here. Foreign travellers have been slow to follow and spoken English is very rare.
Vajiralongkorn Dam (closed)…….. With this mini tour achieving its objective, it’s time to make the arduous trip back down the mountain to Thong Pha Phum. There is, however, a major attraction on the way.
The Vajiralongkorn Dam also called the Khao Laem Dam is a concrete-faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) in Thong Pha Phum District in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The dam lies across the Khwae Noi River (River Kwai) and was renamed Vajiralongkorn Dam after King Vajiralongkorn on 13 July 2001 when he was crown prince. Vajiralongkorn Dam is Thailand's first CFRD and supplies a 300 MW hydroelectric power station with water. The dam was built and is managed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
When we arrive at the dam there is bad news. The dam area is closed pending the arrival of a member of the Royal Family. It’s most unfortunate but these things happen. Fortunately there are impressive views of the reservoir on the way back to Thong Pha Phum. Well at least there’s nothing holding us up now from proceeded on our journey back to Bangkok. However, we won’t arrive now today. A three-day trip is the best we can do under the circumstances. We decide to press on and reach Kanchanaburi albeit a little after dark now it seems.
Hop Inn…….. Hop Inn is a modern apartment block or more correctly, two apartment blocks. We have no difficulty in reaching it using Google Map. Hop Inn is part of a national chain so as you would expect it offers reasonable rates to a good standard. There is, however, more formality with registering of passports and presently a health check as well. The rooms are as they should be with minimal inconvenience but the location of Hop Inn is not great being quite far from the town centre. So much so that we end up with warmed food at a 7Eleven. One positive though is a food outlet where we can buy items to take back tomorrow as well as for me to take back to the UK. With a late arrival there’s no time for writing notes. Tomorrow we return to Bangkok.
Next Page.
Thong Pha Phum River Resort,
Thong Pha Phum
Thong Pha Phum National Park
Jokkradin Waterfall,
Thong Pha Phum National Park
Baan E-Tong, Thong Pha Phum District
Chang Puak-Kooddoi Hill,
Thong Pha Phum National Park