Day 7 - Saturday 4 May

Auspicious…….. After five nights in Uthai Thani province there remains little else I can expect to achieve but overnight as I consider my options, I decide to stay a further night. Top of the list of reasons is the intense heat and it would make sense to take a break before moving on to another province. Another reason it that it is an auspicious day in Thailand as the coronation of the new King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) begins with the ceremony lasting three days.
A breakfast, albeit rice soup, is provided at C2U Hotel but beyond that there are no immediate plans as we confirm with reception the overstay. However it doesn’t take long before we feel that being locked in a hotel room all day is not a great deal of fun. As there remains one more district we could explore, we decide to make the trip. It is the best part of an hour’s drive from the city but it’s not expected to be an all-day trip.

Tak Daet Reservoir…….. Heading northwest on highway 3221, I’m on the lookout for anything interesting from along this road as the Google search reveals nothing. Katoon does note a turning on the right in Tap Tan district which seems worthy of a detour. Here the Tak Daet Reservoir impounds the Tak Daet river which forms a border with Nakhon Sawan province. It’s a rock and earth dam with a watergate. It’s purpose seems to be limited to assisting irrigation in this district as well as retaining fish stocks. As dams go this is minor but the detour consumes little extra time.

Muang Boran Bueng Kok Chang…….. Realising that ‘muang boran’ means ancient town, it’s of interest to me in a province where ancient monuments are rare. When we arrive at the site there is little evidence to support an ancient settlement but then I wasn’t expecting a Sukhothai or Ayutthaya. I need to take a closer look. The first sign that this was an important town is the presence of a moat of some size around the entire perimetre. There are four entrances at the cardinal points and a pond nearby. A signboard provided by the Tourist Authority of Thailand adds more information explaining that the architecture of remaining ruin, the recovery of stone inscriptions in the Mon language, stone tools, ornaments and beads, all point to a Dvaravati period settlement. From this site in Sawang Arom district we start our return to Uthai Thani noting anything of interest on the way but first something for lunch in Sawang Arom; noodles for Katoon and a burger from Seven for me.

Ban Rai Blai Na…….. Located just off highway 3013 in Tap Tan district, Ban Rai Blai Na refers to a family enterprise set up no doubt to provide some income during the hot dry season. It is, in fact, a coffee shop and snack bar located in farmland which seems to be quite popular. The traditional thatched farm building creates an interesting photo opportunity which would be enhanced with the addition of flower fields and rice paddies and the monsoon season. Still in early afternoon in the continuing heatwave though, I’d rather be back in the room. 30 minutes later my prayers are answered and I’m soon fast asleep.

Rain check…….. After a good hour’s sleep, I awake with the real prospect of something I’ve craved for days: Rain. As I peer through the curtains it’s clouded over with menacing skies. Within 10 minutes a full blown storm is raging. It was forecast but I refused to believe it. Within no time the temperature has dropped by 12 degrees. By 5pm it starts to ease and we can treat ourselves to a final trip into town.
Trok Rong Ya Walking Street…….. Right on queue the monsoon rains have arrived, I hope and the final visit coincides with the weekend market in ‘walking street’, a perfect venue for street food junkies. With the rain easing we can enjoy this scene in the old town, picking up delicacies to take back to C2U and for now all’s well that ends well. Tomorrow will be different: There’s no longer a reason to stay in Uthai Thani.

Conclusion…….. I’ve stayed in Uthai Thani province longer that I planned and yet I know I’ve missed out on some interesting sites, principally due the elements being against me. For example Pha Rom Yen Waterfall was dry and Tham Khao Wong Foest Park was closed. Yet as I’m about to leave we’ve just had a major storm to cool things down. If this is just a blip then the rest of the tour could well be compromised. There would have to be a breaking point with temperatures continuing around 40 Celsius. Next Page.