Sunday 10 July 2016

Leisurely day........After a later night I'm not exactly up at the crack of dawn and I've not even started my blog from yesterday. I really need to get on with it while things are still fresh in my mind. I can't rely entirely on other information gathered. I'm banking on this penultimate day on tour being the start of a wind down and that we won't need to move resorts again now. Happily I'm up to date by 10am and taking just coffee and cake for breakfast we can take a liesurely look around this picturesque area of Eastern Thailand. At 11.30am we book a second night and decide to go out for an early lunch.
Pha Kep Ta Wan........Now at midday we head for the viewpoint at Pha Kep Ta Wan which is at the end of the road running past our resort. Very soon a good number of other resorts appear suggesting this is one of the prime tourist areas of Wang Nam Khiao. The viewpoint, 13 kilometres from the junction with the 304 is a cliff and the name suggests it’s a good location to view the setting sun. According to Google Map it lays just across the border in Prachinburi Province but there is some contradiction on this. When we arrive we find a small landscaped area perfect for a picnic and of course glorious views of the valley below. The day is cloudy with a cool breeze and temperatures pleasantly in the 20’s rather than the more typical 30’s on this tour. It’s tempting just to sit here a while just breathing in the cooler air. There are times you really need a day like this!

Mr Mushroom........Noting a number of tourist sites on the way to the viewpoint we call in at one of them. Mr Mushroom is on the right travelling back down the mountain along a narrow concrete road. As the name suggests, it is a mushroom farm. We arrive at the car park in front of the farm shop and it soon becomes clear this is not a small scale operation. The shop, the size of a warehouse displays a vast range of products, most of which are produced on site from organically grown mushrooms. Curiously, fresh mushrooms represent only a small fraction of the products on sale. Clearly there are a number of exotic mushroom types here which I could not identify with back home. Most are dried or proceed into an amazing variety of products. There are forms producing chilli paste, snacks, sausage, dried goods and even cosmetics and suggesting nothing goes to waste you can even treat yourself to dried caterpillars. The place is a revelation. There is a small display area containing traditional vintage packaged medicines and examples of the tools and utensils used to make them.

Away from the retail area are the production areas and one is open for the public to walk around. The large shed hold countless containers of mushroom growing medium hanging on racks. The mushrooms grow from the end of the spout and are fully formed in a week. The containers will provide good cropping for 6 months until spent. The racks are continuously attended and provided with the right humidity. It’s another plus for the day as I manage to purchase something to take back home.
Rong Kua Cafe........Just a couple of kilometres further back down the road is Rong Kua Cafe (coffee factory). It’s located at the end of a dirt road and easily missed but is signposted on the right. Arriving at the car park an older man directs us to a parking space but he is also the guide. First of all he shows us a coffee tree which is of the Robusta strain. When the berries turn red, they are picked and dried usually on racks in the sun. When dried the berries are processed to remove the shells. The beans can then be roasted. From there we move to a small retail area where coffee, tea and other coffee derived products such as skin lotions can be purchased. The owner explains that he has only been producing in this area for two years and that he has plantations in Chiang Mai. Finally it would not be right to leave without visiting the coffee shop selling freshly made home grown coffee of course. While a cup of coffee isn’t that cheap, it beats Starbucks hands down and I doubt if Starbucks will bring you a coffee served on a tray for you to drink on the banks of a lake.

Winding down........These three sites have taken nearly four hours in really pleasant conditions and in many ways provided the perfect day. Arriving back at Phu Phrai Ngam Resort I even manage to sleep for an hour. During the afternoon we’ve been snacking quite a bit so we’re not into a big dinner today. At 6pm we head along the main road to the PTT service station to pick up more snacks but end up at a restaurant at the rear. I take an on top rice meal but even that’s too much. Heading back to the resort I’m just in time to catch the British Grand Prix. Following that I watch Andy Murray win the first set in the men’s’ final at Wimbledon but can’t resist following the final hour of the Tour de France in The Pyrenees. Switching back to the tennis I see most of the action in the third and final set resulting in a second win for Andy. With Lewis Hamilton winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Andy Murray winning at Wimbledon and Chris Froome retaining the yellow jersey after stage 9 there can’t be many better days for British sport. Well there is still the matter of the Euro 2016 final but at 2am in the morning local time I’m not going to stay up for that. Besides it doesn’t count. The day is over for me now and tomorrow I will be returning to Bangkok. Next Page.