Day 4, Wednesday 21 November

Rose Villa……..photo. As mentioned, Rose Villa attracted my attention from online searches. On the face of it, it ticks all the boxes, located across the railway line, a couple of kilometres outside the city. I should give it a good score; certainly, for its value for money. On the downside, I thought the receptionist ignorant in complete contrast to Baanchomkhao. Also, the fact that there is a self-inflicted or rather Katoon inflicted choice of room too far from the router. In addition, I thought the bathroom poorly equipped. Maybe breakfast will improve the score. This consists of toast and jam with coffee to which I’ve added something I’ve brought from the UK; a first on tour in Thailand: Breakfast cereal.
Reset……..After three days on hold while being hosted by Katoon’s sister and family, today we’re on our own and I can call this the first real day on tour even though I have made some interesting discoveries so far. To get a good start to the day, I’ve set 9am as a start point but that time passes pushing our departure back at least 30 minutes. Ok let’s get started.
Pak Chong Railway Station……..It’s some surprise that the station hasn’t been visited by now but of course I’ve been here before. Just to recap, this is an important station on the main line from Bangkok to the northeastern provinces. The visit is just to check for any rail traffic either stationary or due to pass through shortly and it’s the latter that is the case. A Bangkok bound train from Surin pulls in at the station 20 minutes later.

Tao Noi……..From Pak Chong we head east, turning off Highway 2422 towards the village of Tao Noi in tambon Nong Sarai. At the far end of the village is the head of the iconic Lamtakong Reservoir. Skirting around the southern edge of the reservoir is a track marked on the map. However, depending on the season, that track is not always above water. Now at the back end of the rainy season in Thailand the track is not in use. We manage to drive to the water’s edge where a couple of fishermen are using rods. Nearby are khlong boats now idle. Presumably they’ve landed their morning catch since back in the village they display live fish for sale. The longer the fish stay fresh the better.

Leaving the Lamtakong Reservoir for the moment, we rejoin the 2422 which is actually a deviation from the Mittraphap Highway (2). We’re about to rejoin it.
Mattraphap Highway……..The Mattraphap Highway (Route 2) is one of four major highways connecting Thailand’s provinces. Also known as the Friendship Highway, it runs from Saraburi through Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani provinces to Nong Khai. The highway was the first to be built in Thailand meeting international standards. It was developed and used extensively by the USA for transporting troops and equipment to Vientiane in the Vietnam War. As part of major upgrades to Thailand’s transport infrastructure, the Mittraphap Highway is being further developed to cut the running time and to ease congestion. Major construction work is presently underway at the point the highway crosses the Dong Phaya Yen Range that divides the delta with the Khorat Plateau. The section here is elevated requiring massive concrete supports. The most impressive section skirts the Lamtakong Reservoir which is a natural obstacle funneling transport links through the gorge.

Thao Suranari Garden……..The next stop is Thao Suranari Garden beside the reservoir just a short distance from the highway. This is a new park built as part of the natural environment recovery program of the hydro-electric power plant. The park has a mixture of vegetation from forest to botanical garden and is home to over a hundred rare plants from the northeast. The park’s rest area is adorned with a variety of live traditional flower arrangements, including one sculptured into an offering tray. There are also walking and running tracks, a health garden with exercise equipment, a fish pond and stalls selling local produce.

Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana Hydro Power Plant……..Not far from the park is the Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana Hydro Power Plant. It holds a particular fascination for Katoon due to the huge tunnel cut through the rock but access is only available to the viewing areas of the reservoir. Run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Lamtakong pumped-storage hydropower plant is situated 350 meters underground with the total capacity of 1,000 MW. It was completed in 2004 and given its name at an opening ceremony performed by Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn representing His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 13 June 2013.

Lam Thakong Dam Sea Viewpoint……..Further along the edge of the reservoir is the Lam Thakong Dam Sea Viewpoint. This is a great spot to stop with easy access off and on Highway 2 with clean restrooms and food if needed. The view point offers amazing views of the reservoir and friendship dam and creates an excellent photo opportunity.

Muangphon Greenhouse……..Finally after 3 days in Pak Chong district we leave it, continuing east along the Mittraphap Road amidst construction work. We're now looking for Muangphon Greenhouse in Sihkio District. This involves a U-turn and a left turn into the mountains. Muangphon Greenhouse is just 600 metres on the right-hand side. It is a restaurant with gorgeous views of the reservoir. Normally I don’t review restaurants, perhaps I should, but this particular restaurant is especially popular for its food and the splendid view. Although not taking in anything too exotic we do appreciate the break from travelling.

Boulder Khao Yai Teang……..The temptation now is to head further into the hills. It becomes clear that as the terrain gets more remote so it attracts resorts and recreational centres for that get away from it all sensation. A number of sites are listed on Google Map; one is Boulder Khao Yai Teang which I’m hoping is a viewpoint. By the time we reach it, the road is in poor condition and down to a dirt track in places. But the something interesting that I hoped was here simple doesn’t exist. There is, or was accommodation here but all I can see is a boulder strewn field. Disappointed to have wasted half an hour we head back. However the trip into the hills here isn’t a complete waste of time.

Lamtakong Site……..Described as the Lamtakong Site, this is the location of the giant wind turbines run by EGAT that can be seen on the hilltop from a huge distance. Part of the site is open to public access. As well as the wind turbines, there is an artificial reservoir here, no doubt feeding the hydro-electic generators we discovered earlier. A road has been constructed around the reservoir but there is no vehicle access allowed at present, seemingly due to ongoing work. However, you can rent a bicycle for 40 baht to access the rim where there are amazing views of the reservoir. It’s time to head back to the Mittraphap Highway.

Sufpadoo Reservoir……..Still heading east, we move further into Sihkio district where there are some attractions. Exiting the highway at the Chaiyaphum/Buriram intersection, we locate the Sufpadoo Reservoir which is a smaller reservoir some 4.2 km long. The reservoir here has a beach area were in the evening you can sit out and be served dinner on the lake shore. However, now in midafternoon, it’s deserted.

Wat Non Kum……..For the next location I set the GPS for Wat Non Kum. This means rejoining the Mattraphap Road and continuing towards Nakhon Ratchasima for a few kilometres. This temple can be clearly seen on the left-hand side. The first thing of note here is the impressive garden landscaping, through which roads pass as though in a maze to take full advantage of the scene. At a roundabout at the end is Wat Non Kum, an impressive building with blue roof, brightly coloured and embellished as if no expense was spared. Moving through this building is like walking through a palace then emerging the other side into more exotics gardens, ponds and walkways. Then straight ahead of you is another temple building even more grand, more boastful and more extravagant. A long time in construction, I’ve noticed this building on a number of occasions while travelling along the Mittraphap Road. The hall, with tall spire is known as Wat Lan Boon Mahawiharn Somdet, houseing an image of Luang Phor Toh the original site builder. Another building, Bot Luang Phor Toh Sorapong, houses a Buddha image known as Phra Phutthachinarat. It is another impressive building behind a sunflower garden. Collectively all three buildings can now be associated with Luang Phor Toh Sorapong with Wat Non Kum as the focal point.

Disassociation……..Exiting by road at the western end of the complex and turning right leads to another temple, less extravagant at least at present. Here I’m in for a big surprise as I get to meet the original site builder, Luang Phor Toh. My interest in a small viharn onsite arouses his attention. This small building confirms that on this site there existed a temple in the 18th/19th Century with evidence of much older occupation within the cloister. The viharn used to house a jade Buddha image which was moved for security reasons. We now learn that Luang Phor Toh abandoned his project, Wat Lan Boon Mahawiharn Somdet, leaving it unfinished. Reading between the lines, I would say he was usurped. However, that does not mean he abandoned temple building as on this site he has started another project. Just to confuse matters this temple is called Wat Non Kum or Gum. So, is this the original one? It would seem so. To complete the story Luang Pho Toh introduces us to the jade image now accompanied by another in a new hall. The jade image was produced in Italy with the other from Myanmar.

Searching……..With the Wat Non Kum complex taking up the remainder of the afternoon we can proceed now into Nakhon Ratchasima. Katoon is confident that she can find accommodation she’s seen advertised but I fail to locate it on GPS, selecting instead, a resort to the south of the city. Unfortunately, this is not easy to reach taking us through the army camp complex at an awkward time of day. By the time we reach the resort it’s nearer six but still light. All should be fine now but NO! Katoon rejects it and that brings us back to the dreaded searching around in this case not only after dark but in a busy city in the rush hour. I start frantically searching Google Map while Katoon makes enquiries. It seems that most of the modern accommodation is opposite The Mall on the main road leading out of the city. After wasting the best part of an hour, we finally arrive at U Place, a modern hotel. At least it’s near all conveniences but there is no breakfast included. Without unpacking we head out for dinner, a much more modest affair compared to recent days. After collecting snacks for the morning, it’s now past 8pm before we arrive at the hotel room and settle in. After what has been a far more productive day, but a tiring and sometimes stressful one, it’s not surprising that little get done on my blog. However, in the grand scheme of things we’re back on track. Next Page.