Our preparations today start an hour earlier, and that includes breakfast, which seems to have improved over the last couple of days. It's not what I expected, but green curry and rice and a fried egg are most welcome. We depart before 9:00 AM and head east towards a temple we didn't manage to cover yesterday. It's fine because it's in our direction of travel.
After twenty minutes we arrive at Wat Pha Fang, where I find a more substantial temple than I imagined. Built with a brick wall surrounding the compound, it's a temple from the late Ayutthaya period dating from a period of conflict with Burma. Here, I'm reminded of what I discovered yesterday. Uttaradit Football Club has the nickname 'Broken Sword.' The origins of this name go back to this period when a local hero rose through the ranks to lead an army in battle with Burmese. During this battle the tip of his sword was broken off. It seems that this area has more history than originally thought, but we must press on but soon get distracted once more. Passing through Thong Saen Khan district, an attraction is signboarded on the left. I'm concerned about losing time, but arriving at Bo Lek Nam Phi, there is immediately something interesting.
Bo Lek Nam Phi is an ancient iron ore mine once used as a source for producing fine steel for knives and swords for royalty. The museum on site describes the production process with models and examples. Two mines in particular produced the best steel, and these are open to view. The area is still so full of iron that you can actually fish for it using magnets. Now we must get a move on. The journey today means over 300 kilometres of driving, not a huge distance on good roads, but such is the mountainous terrain we will be travelling through that we can't expect more than 50 kilometres covered in an hour. Originally there was only one attraction we intended to visit on the way to Chiang Khan, located approximately at the halfway point. It's well into the afternoon before we reach it.
Romklao Botanical Gardens are located in Bo Pak, Chat Trakan district of Phitsanulok. It is a royal project located on the edge of Phu Soi Dao National Park. The gardens are exquisite, with a rose garden, extensive orchid houses, and a lot more. From its elevated position, there are outstanding views of the forested mountains that seem never-ending. We must pause here to take all this in, but we can't stay too long. There's still a long way to travel. It won't be far off dusk before we arrive in Chiang Khan.
From the botanical gardens we head south, picking up rural road 1268 and cross into Loei province. This road skirts around to the south of Phu Suan Sai National Park. Amidst forested mountains, we find an isolated coffee shop in Na Haeo district, and then further on in Saeng Pha, a noodle soup shop, enjoying a basic but necessary lunch.
We next reach Na Haeo itself on the border with Laos, then proceed northeast along the River Hueang. We now head away from the river towards Tha Li, then via minor roads head for Na Bon on HWY 201. Here, we've managed to cut out Chiang Khan to finally reach Katoon's ancestral home. It's been a long trip up here, but we are now connected with Katoon's relatives, which was the primary objective of this tour.
Quite late in the day, dinner is being prepared, and we are soon joined by Katoon's sister and family, who have travelled up from Pak Chong. Other siblings and families make it a dozen people taking dinner at home. We stay just for dinner but need to check in at a hostel Katoon has booked in Chiang Khan.
Primmalee House is a traditional two-story building, and we receive the keys to Room 2. At first glance there seems to be everything we need, but this older-style building cannot compete with modern furnishings and decor these days. Still, we are grateful to have a room, as the whole of Chiang Khan is practically sold out for the New Year.

Source: Visit