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Day 6 - Wednesday 21 October 2015
Supasiri Resort……..When I checked in at Supasiri Resort yesterday I had a good look around. It was important that I get my laptop up and running asap to update my blog while things are fresh in my mind. The resort appears quite new so there’s no issue with wiring which supports the necessary three pin type of plug. Everything else was in order. For what I paid I have to give it top marks yet as I turned in I found the bed a bit hard. Should I really doc marks for that? I did sleep quite well. When coffee was provided free in the morning I had no hesitation in booking a second night.
Wat Phu Nam Ron…….. Yes, Wat Phu Nam Ron is another Buddhist temple but it’s not only the temple itself that sets up the tour for today. It’s the first stop on a circular tour of Dan Chang District which is bound to be different from anything that’s gone before. Dan Chang District is home to the significant Phu Teoi National Park which should dominate the day. But first I need to look around the museum in the grounds of the temple. The building is small, just one room in fact, but what it contains is historically important. Unfortunately everything displayed is described only in Thai making it hard to summarize. A good selection of prehistoric metal items and pottery are on display as are items recovered from ancient monuments from the Dvaravati Period. The museum also celebrates a particular ethic group that settled in the area known as the Lawa. The Lawa originate from north Thailand around the border with Laos. They are good metalworkers and weavers which explain the large finds of iron implements found in the area while fabrics are still produced in the temple compound. The museum opened in 2012 with the aid of the Fine Arts Department who catalogued a quantity of objects hitherto kept by a monk.
Supasiri Resort……..When I checked in at Supasiri Resort yesterday I had a good look around. It was important that I get my laptop up and running asap to update my blog while things are fresh in my mind. The resort appears quite new so there’s no issue with wiring which supports the necessary three pin type of plug. Everything else was in order. For what I paid I have to give it top marks yet as I turned in I found the bed a bit hard. Should I really doc marks for that? I did sleep quite well. When coffee was provided free in the morning I had no hesitation in booking a second night.
Wat Phu Nam Ron…….. Yes, Wat Phu Nam Ron is another Buddhist temple but it’s not only the temple itself that sets up the tour for today. It’s the first stop on a circular tour of Dan Chang District which is bound to be different from anything that’s gone before. Dan Chang District is home to the significant Phu Teoi National Park which should dominate the day. But first I need to look around the museum in the grounds of the temple. The building is small, just one room in fact, but what it contains is historically important. Unfortunately everything displayed is described only in Thai making it hard to summarize. A good selection of prehistoric metal items and pottery are on display as are items recovered from ancient monuments from the Dvaravati Period. The museum also celebrates a particular ethic group that settled in the area known as the Lawa. The Lawa originate from north Thailand around the border with Laos. They are good metalworkers and weavers which explain the large finds of iron implements found in the area while fabrics are still produced in the temple compound. The museum opened in 2012 with the aid of the Fine Arts Department who catalogued a quantity of objects hitherto kept by a monk.
Wat Phu Nam Ron houses a viharn made from wood which has been renovated. This I’m told is of traditional Lawa design. It is certainly different from most other temples and quite beautiful. The temple is located 18 km from Dan Chang on local road 3086 heading west.
Lam Taphoen Reservoir…….. The Lam Taphoen Reservoir, much smaller than the Kraseaw Reservoir, is located in the south of Dan Chang District along the border with Kanchanaburi Province off highway 3480. A right turn signposted ‘Wat Weluwan Kiri Wong’ in Nong Prue leads to the dam. I make a brave effort along unmade or poor roads in this area to get any useful photos of the reservoir by which time it’s time for lunch, just a local affair.
Lam Taphoen Reservoir…….. The Lam Taphoen Reservoir, much smaller than the Kraseaw Reservoir, is located in the south of Dan Chang District along the border with Kanchanaburi Province off highway 3480. A right turn signposted ‘Wat Weluwan Kiri Wong’ in Nong Prue leads to the dam. I make a brave effort along unmade or poor roads in this area to get any useful photos of the reservoir by which time it’s time for lunch, just a local affair.
Phu Toei National Park……..Phu Toei National Park is well-known but one of the least developed. By the time I make my next stop I’m at the park headquarters approached from the west on an unclassified road. There are just three more locations on my list with two in the park but I fail to locate the Giant Cyclid Tree. The other two are on the way back to Dan Chang. I find myself with a hour and a half to fill and decide to add another site.
Ta Pern Kee Waterfall……..I’m told the waterfall is rarely visited; it’s off road for at least for 12 kilometres. Quite what off-road means in this case I’m not quite sure but the Toyota Hilux pick-up should manage it. If I ever found a way to lose ninety minutes this is it. I make a real brave effort to get to the waterfall but the Toyota isn’t a 4 x 4 and its engine is old. When I reach a rocky gradient I just can’t get enough power even in first gear to make it up. The surface is just too bad. Off road means just that. I just can’t risk it, it’s not my vehicle. Rather than feeling I’ve failed I claim the waterfall anyway through sheer persistence. It’s time to head back to the park HQ.
Lauda Air Shrine……..Whatever I get done today the Lauda Air Shrine is just too significant to miss off my list. But where is it? What happens next will stick in my memory permanently. I won’t need to refer back to the notes I’m now producing. The only way to reach it is through the forest, off road. I’m well aware now of what this means. If I turn back I’m sure I will regret it yet the rock and dirt track drives straight through the tropical rain forest from west to east for 13 kilometres offering a short cut back to Dan Chang. Well, the more I procrastinate the greater the chance I will change my mind. Just go for it! As expected the track is rutted and just bare rocks in places where the monsoon rains have laid them bare. Working in only first and second gear progress is slow but my concentration cancels out my concern. It’s not the limit of endurance but it’s well out of many people’s comfort zone. After half an hour I see signs to the shrine. Of all the misfortune it’s located on one of the higher peaks in the park. I park up and climb up to the shrine. When I reach it I have no thoughts whatsoever of how difficult it is to make it here but how difficult it must have been for rescue teams. What bothers me though is the poor condition of the shrine. It’s down to local people to pay respects here but no doubt it will be lost to the jungle over time.
Postscript: A permanent memorial to the crash victims does exist. It's not far from Suphanburi at Wat Sa Kaew Srisanpetch on local road 322.
Lauda Air Shrine……..Whatever I get done today the Lauda Air Shrine is just too significant to miss off my list. But where is it? What happens next will stick in my memory permanently. I won’t need to refer back to the notes I’m now producing. The only way to reach it is through the forest, off road. I’m well aware now of what this means. If I turn back I’m sure I will regret it yet the rock and dirt track drives straight through the tropical rain forest from west to east for 13 kilometres offering a short cut back to Dan Chang. Well, the more I procrastinate the greater the chance I will change my mind. Just go for it! As expected the track is rutted and just bare rocks in places where the monsoon rains have laid them bare. Working in only first and second gear progress is slow but my concentration cancels out my concern. It’s not the limit of endurance but it’s well out of many people’s comfort zone. After half an hour I see signs to the shrine. Of all the misfortune it’s located on one of the higher peaks in the park. I park up and climb up to the shrine. When I reach it I have no thoughts whatsoever of how difficult it is to make it here but how difficult it must have been for rescue teams. What bothers me though is the poor condition of the shrine. It’s down to local people to pay respects here but no doubt it will be lost to the jungle over time.
Postscript: A permanent memorial to the crash victims does exist. It's not far from Suphanburi at Wat Sa Kaew Srisanpetch on local road 322.
Off in a northern direction is the site of the actual crash. As I determine to locate that as well, the heavens open. Why are they angry with me? More importantly, if the rain persists, it will turn the remaining 7 kms of track into a quagmire. Nevertheless I locate the site. A few pedestal shrines are left at the crash site but I’m amazed to see plane debris piled up at the side of the track. It all proves to me that the debris fell over a wide area. Presumably local people have retrieved more debris over time. Details of Lauda Air Flight 004 can be found here. As I head on down the mountain somebody has hung quite a large piece of debris on a tree. This is 3 kms away from the crash site. I press on, no less alert. Then just when I thought the worst was over the tack has partially collapsed into a ravine just ahead. There’s just enough room to squeeze through. Best not think too much right? By the time I reach tarmac there’s only 45 minutes of daylight left. Yet as I hit the highway 333 there’s still time for one more site.
Tham Welawan……..The cave, Tham Welawan houses an old Buddha image in the Pa Lelai posture. It is located on the east of the highway 333, 15 kms north of Dan Chang. With this I head into town and pick up snacks for breakfast in the morning. For dinner I sit on the pavement where mobile kitchens are located. I have to mention what dinner consisted of. Wait for it...................fish and chips!! When I return to the resort the rain starts again; this time with such force it rattles the porch roof. The water it would have deposited would have made the mission to the Lauda Shrine impossible. I’m so grateful there had previously been no rain in the area for at least a week. Next Page.
Tham Welawan……..The cave, Tham Welawan houses an old Buddha image in the Pa Lelai posture. It is located on the east of the highway 333, 15 kms north of Dan Chang. With this I head into town and pick up snacks for breakfast in the morning. For dinner I sit on the pavement where mobile kitchens are located. I have to mention what dinner consisted of. Wait for it...................fish and chips!! When I return to the resort the rain starts again; this time with such force it rattles the porch roof. The water it would have deposited would have made the mission to the Lauda Shrine impossible. I’m so grateful there had previously been no rain in the area for at least a week. Next Page.