Day 14, Thursday 20 October
Lots to Do.......Last night it was early to bed, I couldn't keep awake but that also means early to rise and I'm awake before 6am planning for this day of transition. I'm already beginning to feel a twinge of sadness that we have to leave but there is still a lot I hope to achieve today. I've recorded 9 potential site visits which must be completed by 2pm at the latest which is more than I've achieved in a single day so far. It's a tall order as our route back to Bangkok is time limited and set in stone as we've already booked accommodation for fear of not finding a suitable room. This weekend involves another public holiday so this fear is justified.
Khuan Pho District.......To assist with progress today we manage to get going at just after 9am. This allows some flexibility especially considering some of the sites I've listed may not live up to expectations. We head first for Khuan Pho where there are a couple of possibilities. The first is a viewpoint. We seem to have arrived close by but it involves a hill climb and there's not even a visible track to it. I assume that due to Covid no one has visited the viewpoint and the path has become overgrown especially with all this rain.
The second site is a cave known as Tham Phraya Bang Sa. I should have realized by now that if it isn't signposted it's unlikely to be accessible at this time. A local man explains that a visit requires a trek into the forest and I just know that again I've drawn a blank and that I should not waist valuable time without a good chance of success. By the time we're back on major roads an hour and a half has passed then more time is absorbed in trying to locate a site that my companion has selected not far north of Satun from where we started. Not on my visit list, the mosque at Masjid Al-Hashimi is impressive, a blue and white structure with an orange dome. We press on and I look forward to finding something that is on my list.
Bokha Hill Viewpoint.......The next port of call is Bokha Hill Viewpoint which lies to the east of highway 406. Here I'm not expecting to mark my card here either as at least Google Map confirms it's closed for lack of maintenance. This hill at the best of times involves a steep climb to the summit. One consolation here is that there is a lake up in the hills which has been landscaped with the addition of pavilions making it a peaceful place to come and relax.
Namtok Ton Plio and Namtok Ya Roi.......From this location there is a road that carries on southeast terminating at a border checkpoint with Malaysia. The route takes you through a forested area of the Wang Prachan Marine Park and finally I'm able to tick boxes one after the other. Two waterfalls lie within easy access of rural road 4184 leading to the border. First Namtok Ton Plio then Ya Roi waterfall are visited providing good photo opportunities.
Wang Prachan Marine Park.......As we move further up the valley, we take lunch at a local restaurant beside a stream in the most relaxing circumstances but inevitably we reach the entrance to the marine park and the inevitable 200 baht fine. The Wang Prachan Marine Park stretches along the Malaysian border and along the coastline and 200 baht doesn't sound a lot but we only want to view a lake populated with lotus flowers so the 45 minutes it takes just to look around just a small area of the park seems poor value especially as the most of the information provided is not in English.
Wang Prachan Border Checkpoint.......From the park entrance it is just a short distance to the border checkpoint. Here I fire off a few shots noting the abundance of shops open for cross border trade. Now we really must press on.
Satun Geopark Gateway.......Rejoining highway 406 a sort distance on the left is the Satun Geopark Gateway. This is another model park and a photo opportunity but although natural Satun is the theme there's nothing natural about it.
Namtok Panan.......The 2pm cut off time has now passed and dare I visit one more waterfall? Namtok Panan is the last attraction of any significance before we cross the provincial border. It adds another 20 minutes to make the detour but otherwise little time is lost as the falls are near the road. It's now 3pm and from the provincial border with Songkhla the arrival time at our pre-booked stopover is around 6.30pm.
Reaching Nakhon Si Thammarat.......At least the weather has been kind to us today but late in the afternoon some rain returns but it hardly matters now. We reach Nakhon Si Thammarat right on projected time and waste no time in checking in at Hop Inn. We immediately head out for dinner at a rather busy Bang Bao Roti & Tea.
Next Page.
Lots to Do.......Last night it was early to bed, I couldn't keep awake but that also means early to rise and I'm awake before 6am planning for this day of transition. I'm already beginning to feel a twinge of sadness that we have to leave but there is still a lot I hope to achieve today. I've recorded 9 potential site visits which must be completed by 2pm at the latest which is more than I've achieved in a single day so far. It's a tall order as our route back to Bangkok is time limited and set in stone as we've already booked accommodation for fear of not finding a suitable room. This weekend involves another public holiday so this fear is justified.
Khuan Pho District.......To assist with progress today we manage to get going at just after 9am. This allows some flexibility especially considering some of the sites I've listed may not live up to expectations. We head first for Khuan Pho where there are a couple of possibilities. The first is a viewpoint. We seem to have arrived close by but it involves a hill climb and there's not even a visible track to it. I assume that due to Covid no one has visited the viewpoint and the path has become overgrown especially with all this rain.
The second site is a cave known as Tham Phraya Bang Sa. I should have realized by now that if it isn't signposted it's unlikely to be accessible at this time. A local man explains that a visit requires a trek into the forest and I just know that again I've drawn a blank and that I should not waist valuable time without a good chance of success. By the time we're back on major roads an hour and a half has passed then more time is absorbed in trying to locate a site that my companion has selected not far north of Satun from where we started. Not on my visit list, the mosque at Masjid Al-Hashimi is impressive, a blue and white structure with an orange dome. We press on and I look forward to finding something that is on my list.
Bokha Hill Viewpoint.......The next port of call is Bokha Hill Viewpoint which lies to the east of highway 406. Here I'm not expecting to mark my card here either as at least Google Map confirms it's closed for lack of maintenance. This hill at the best of times involves a steep climb to the summit. One consolation here is that there is a lake up in the hills which has been landscaped with the addition of pavilions making it a peaceful place to come and relax.
Namtok Ton Plio and Namtok Ya Roi.......From this location there is a road that carries on southeast terminating at a border checkpoint with Malaysia. The route takes you through a forested area of the Wang Prachan Marine Park and finally I'm able to tick boxes one after the other. Two waterfalls lie within easy access of rural road 4184 leading to the border. First Namtok Ton Plio then Ya Roi waterfall are visited providing good photo opportunities.
Wang Prachan Marine Park.......As we move further up the valley, we take lunch at a local restaurant beside a stream in the most relaxing circumstances but inevitably we reach the entrance to the marine park and the inevitable 200 baht fine. The Wang Prachan Marine Park stretches along the Malaysian border and along the coastline and 200 baht doesn't sound a lot but we only want to view a lake populated with lotus flowers so the 45 minutes it takes just to look around just a small area of the park seems poor value especially as the most of the information provided is not in English.
Wang Prachan Border Checkpoint.......From the park entrance it is just a short distance to the border checkpoint. Here I fire off a few shots noting the abundance of shops open for cross border trade. Now we really must press on.
Satun Geopark Gateway.......Rejoining highway 406 a sort distance on the left is the Satun Geopark Gateway. This is another model park and a photo opportunity but although natural Satun is the theme there's nothing natural about it.
Namtok Panan.......The 2pm cut off time has now passed and dare I visit one more waterfall? Namtok Panan is the last attraction of any significance before we cross the provincial border. It adds another 20 minutes to make the detour but otherwise little time is lost as the falls are near the road. It's now 3pm and from the provincial border with Songkhla the arrival time at our pre-booked stopover is around 6.30pm.
Reaching Nakhon Si Thammarat.......At least the weather has been kind to us today but late in the afternoon some rain returns but it hardly matters now. We reach Nakhon Si Thammarat right on projected time and waste no time in checking in at Hop Inn. We immediately head out for dinner at a rather busy Bang Bao Roti & Tea.
Next Page.
Satun Province
Masjid Al Hashami, Khuan Don District
Bokha Hill Viewpoint, Khuan Don District
Wang Ta Na Reservoir, Khuan Don District
Namtok Ton Plio, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Namtok Ya Roi, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Baan Suan Tondin, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Thale Ban National Park,
Wang Prachan, Khuan Don District
Satun Geopark Gateway,
Khuan Don, Khuan Don District
Namtok Panan, Thung Nui,
Khuan Kalong District
Masjid Al Hashami, Khuan Don District
Bokha Hill Viewpoint, Khuan Don District
Wang Ta Na Reservoir, Khuan Don District
Namtok Ton Plio, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Namtok Ya Roi, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Baan Suan Tondin, Wang Prachan,
Khuan Don District
Thale Ban National Park,
Wang Prachan, Khuan Don District
Satun Geopark Gateway,
Khuan Don, Khuan Don District
Namtok Panan, Thung Nui,
Khuan Kalong District