Day 5 - Friday 2 May

Insignificant…….. This morning there is nothing significant I can add concerning our stay in Banseansook, just to add that coffee is provided in the room to add what we brought in in yesterday. Attention can therefore be directed on the day’s activities. From Lan Sak there is one obvious site to visit from here but Katoon decides to go temple hunting first.
Wat Pa Khaenna Bun…….. The chedi or tower at Wat Pa Khaenna can be seen from the eastern edge of Lan Sak. When I locate it, I declare this new build is certainly different. The days of religious conformity in Thai artitecture have seemingly long gone. If I had to describe this tower, I would say that apart from being yellow it’s association is more in keeping with Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 or his new Starship. The temple has nine stories and is still receiving its final touches.

Wat Tham Phraya Phai Ruea…….. Just a couple of kilometres north is Wat Tham Phraya Phai Ruea. Katoon has identified this temple at the foot of a hill as having a cave. On site we are greeted by a monk who points the way to the entrance via a naga staircase. Although more than a few flights of stairs in conjunction with the heat is not ideal, I make it into the cave occupied by a number of Buddha images some showing their age. In the largest cavern is a Phra Non (reclining Buddha). My other observation is the confusion amongst the bat colony apparently disturbed when the monk turned on the lights.
On my return, I'm quite relaxed, happy to make merit with Katoon and chat with the monk but the primary destination is a bit of an unknown quantity at present. It's best we press on.

Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary…….. Arguably the most iconic attraction in Uthai Thani Province is the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. It's status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the first in Thailand means it should not be missed. With little more that half an hour to reach it we should be there before midday but I've no idea of the amount of time I need to allocate to it. I'm aware there will be a park fee using the usual discriminatory dual pricing pricing policy but that will be fine providing the visit proves worthwhile relative to what I've read about the sanctuary beforehand.
'The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Uthai Thani and Tak Provinces, Thailand. The park was established in 1974, and is part of the largest intact seasonal tropical forest complex in Mainland Southeast Asia. It, coupled with the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1991. Together, the two sanctuaries occupy 622,200 hectares. As of 2014 it still contained viable populations of large mammals, including gibbons, bears, elephants and Indochinese tigers, although like all other sites in mainland Southeast Asia, some species (e.g., rhinoceroses) have disappeared or have experienced severe declines'.
The first check-point is more than 10 km from the park office and visitor centre. As expected the foreigner fee of 200 baht has to be paid but I'm already sceptical despite the abundance of wildlife, I just don't see the forest animals just turning up for selfies You just have to go looking for them. As we make our way to the park HQ the only wildlife evident are monkeys and I don't normally need to pay to see these creatures. Finally we arrive at the clearing occupied by park buildings. From there, a nature trail leads deep into the forest. Already aware that any amount of hiking is not for me, it looks like a fruitless exercise and my limited wanderings yield one exotic bird species and a freshwater turtle. I'm afraid there just isn't a budding David Attenborough in me.
Much as I would like to see a reason for coming here, it just isn't happening but as I explore the compound, it's clear that there was a reason for someone and that someone paid with his life to ensure the wildlife sanctuary here is reasonably protected from poachers and loggers. That someone was Sueb Nakhasathian and there is a memorial to him here at the park HQ. His story in moving, relating to the fact that in life he and his team failed but in death from suicide the issue received due attention and finally the backing from UNESCO and salvation for the fauna.

Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Breeding Centre…….. Returning back to the park entrance we locate a road leading to the Wildlife Breeding Centre where some of the endangered species are kept far enough away from the public. A tiger and some asiatic black bears are obvious inmates as well as some rare herbivores. I leave with a conundrum. What is the benefit of protecting species in the wild if we rarely see them? Is it right therefore to breed them in cages and later release them? The sanctuary clearly thinks so. I guess that ultimately we're being asked to buy into an idea rather than something that real, but then the whole world seems to be about the sale of ideas. I wish the sanctuary the best of luck. They've sold me an idea today when business as a whole is hardly brisk.

Tap Salao Dam Park…….. In Lan Sak district, the main water feature is the Tap Salao, a reservoir on the edge of the wildlife sanctuary, again suffering from the drought. By this time it's well past lunch and Katoon is evidently ready for it. Along the northern edge there is accommodation, a series of huts with good view across the lake but they seem deserted. However a restaurant is open and Katoon wastes no time ordering what I would normally call an evening meal. Has she got her times mixed up I wonder? It's really too much for me as it clashes with a time I would rather be having a nap. But that's not to be today in the fierce heat as I move on to capture photographs of the reservoir. From here we pass the Huai Rabam Forest Park heading back towards the main highway 3438. At around 3.30pm there won't be any respite today as I set the GPS for the next site, the final one in Lan Sak district.

Hup Pa That…….. This strange sounding name refers to a location in a stand alone block of limestone crags. The information I have is that the site closes at 5pm but we should reach it by 4pm. Approaching it from the west, the feature does look stunningly beautiful as the sun shines on it from the west. The crags remind me of similar ones in Neon Maprang district in Phitsanulok province and as the road winds its way between them resembling a similar course in the crags north of Cha-Am. But unlike these there is a feature here that seems to justify the creation of a small community and a good enough reason to change a foreigner like me a fee of 200 baht for something God created!
As I fit my Victor Meldrew cap and start to winge, Katoon pays the fee. I just hope it's worth it. Then in addition to the fee there is a ready made team of guides; presently the school children are on holiday. With flashlights at the ready on the table there is clearly something here that needs my attention.
After a short flight of steps, there is a cave entrance and I'm expecting to find myself in a cavern but no! It's a passageway about 3 metres high. Here the flashlights are needed but not for long as there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we appear again in the strong light there is another flight of steps this time leading downwards. As I peer into the chasm below, well I have to declare it's like entering through a portal into another world, a world frozen in time straight out of Jurassic Park. The giant ferns and other vegetation dominate the casm about the size of an amphitheatre. At the bottom of the staircase there is a walkway but all around the jagged cliffs hem you inside with no way in or out except through passageways created by ancient river beds. This strange world is stunningly beautiful. Only at midday can the sun penetrate to the floor of the casm. It's obviously not to be missed but with no signage in English how they can justify the 200 baht fee when locals pay just 20 baht?
As a footnote, the site closes a this time of year at 5.30pm but the visit takes less that half a hour.

Ban Chai Khao - Thai-Switzerland…….. Still before 5pm we're told of another site further through the karsk rock crags. As the valley opens out a little, the area is again stunningly beautiful but comparison with anything in Switzerland is rather fanciful. Rather it reminds me of Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province but in miniature. At least there's no fee to pay here just food sellers closing their stalls.

Uthai Thani…….. Finally it’s time to bed down for the night as we rejoin the 3438 and head east towards Uthai Thani. Covering the 40 or so kilometres, Katoon feels we should head towards the river but driving through the narrow streets of the old town fails to reveal suitable accommodation. I suggest to Katoon that all the modern accommodation, the type she prefers will be along the main highway around the city; and so it proves. However arriving around 6pm will definitely put pressure on me to record the day's events. With no restaurant at Tara Hill Resort, we're forced out to grab some convenience food which takes more time then, to add insult to injury, my mobile data has run out and I cannot connect to the wifi signal in the room. I just have to do the best I can with my blog but the standard of maintenance I've achieved so far has dropped off substantially today now I'm back in city life. Huh! Next Page.