Day 1, 25th February - Pak Chong

Up Country Again....... Although we only just returned to Bangkok late last night, today we're on the move again. It's the second day of a long religious weekend and the plan is to head up to Pak Chong today as relatives have a welcome break from work. The focus on the trip will be twofold. From my own point of view I would like to continue with recording activity on the railways, but we are also actively Looking for land near Pak Chong: I've never really enjoyed being based in Bangkok. With these two activities, I am unlikely to be adding content to my travel website but have opened a new page here to record what's happening over the next couple of days. The day starts by booking accommodation in Pak Chong. Understandably with so little time to prepare we don't get a great start. The best we can do is arrive in Saraburi and take lunch shortly afterwards. It's a relatively short journey now of an hour to our destination using the Mittraphap highway where we just intend to check in at our accommodation and see how it goes. However, I soon get distracted.
Pha Sadet Railway Station....... Pha Sadet Railway Station is a railway station on the northeastern line, a halt for ordinary trains only. It's a station I've visited before but I just can't resist making a detour to check on what's going on with the construction work here on the high speed railway. The station also has some historic significance being on one of the earliest sections of railway built in Thailand. The marvel is how the line was built in the first place. Next to the railway over Doi Khun Tan in the north this is the most difficult area for engineers to build a railway and a look at any map shows the way the railway snakes its way around the mountains as it gains altitude. At this station you get a real feel for the nature of the terrain which offers the chance to take some spectacular videos of passing trains. After reaching the station and knowing that a train will pass in the next half hour, I'm prepared to wait here but what I wasn't expecting was that I might become a passenger on this train. It's too good an opportunity to miss as this train will take me as far as Pak Chong where I can wait for Katoon to collect me.
Ordinary Train 233....... I track the train, an ordinary service for Surin which duly arrives on time at 14.24. The cost of this rail journey which will take an hour is just 9 baht. Once I'm aboard I look forward to a chance to see any construction work on the high speed rail line that is due to replace this historic line. To think how difficult it was to construct the line here in the first place it's fascinating to follow the progress of the high speed rail line being constructed in this area and how modern technology has allowed tunnels and elevated sections to avoid the twisty sections that presently exist. Nevertheless, today I feel like the clock has been turned back half a century by using this service, that makes this journey even more special. The journey takes me through some unfamiliar territory as well as others I'm more aware of. The view from my carriage does allow me to see some of the construction works including those bridges and tunnels. One of the more interesting sections is on the approach to Muak Lek Station. By the time the train reaches this station The line is already elevated and I've had cause to wonder why. The reason seems to be the problem with land purchase and rehabilitation of those affected by constructing the new railway. I guess building concrete bridges speeds up the whole process.
At Muak Lek Station, service 233 arrives so that a token can be passed to a train ready to depart to Bangkok from Ubon Ratchathani. Remember this is still just a single line at the moment.
Pak Chong Arrival....... I arrive at Pak Chong Station after a most memorable journey and hope that there will be many more. By the time I arrive, Katoon has already checked in at our accommodation and reconnected with her relatives. At 4.00 pm there's still time enough to make an exploratory trip around the area to see how the land lies as it were. This journey however, yields nothing and rather establishes how expensive land is in this area so close to Khao Yai National Park. We retire to our accommodation which leaves much to be desired; It seemed overpriced to me. One drawback is that we need a car as there is nothing close by in the way of restaurants or shops and there is no breakfast at Baan Payai Resort. This won't be a problem tonight since we are already committed to having dinner with relatives around 8.00pm.
Krua Na Moo Ahaan Ba (Jungle Food)....... Today is the doctor's birthday and I have no choice but to pick up the tab tonight. His choice of restaurant is however, interesting. The restaurant does indeed specialized in jungle food. As we arrive the food is pre-ordered consisting of river fish, wild boar and deer. Thankfully missed out are rabbit and snake. It's expensive, not the actual way we normally dine but this is a special occasion. One particular character of this food type of food which is very spicy is that it is cooked with a variety of vegetables, It's a matter of picking through the juicy bits leaving the rest uneaten much like papaya salad. It's time to head back to the resort which looks as tired as I am but a good nights sleep is all I need right now.
Next Page.