Day 1, Friday 21 April - Phattana Nikhon
Final Tour....... There's just four days before I leave for the UK but while there's still gas in the tank and time enough, however short, we decide to make one more trip and this time it will involve at least one overnight stop. On my trip to Saraburi on Wednesday, I admit my calculations were a bit wrong. By making an overnight stop I can achieve at least double the amount of site visits with less than double the cost but that is also determined by the distance we intend to travel. In this case it's 170 kilometres at the furthest point or 2 1/2 hours.
Aiming to get a good getaway this morning we don't get the cleanest of starts but if we make our way directly to the first visit of the day, we will arrive around midday.
Upgrades....... Now for the third time in 22 days we head north and then east through Saraburi, finally turning north from the Mittraphap Road into the mountains via Hwy 2089. This route takes us close to Muak Lek Railway Station and while I don't feel the need to visit this station, we do have to cross the single-track railway line at a level crossing. Here there's a great case to pause and have a look around. For some distance there is evidence of upgrades to this section of the railway which will make this level crossing redundant. The new track will be long a concrete rail bridge which will be put into use in a not-too-distant future. It's a fantastic opportunity to see these massive structures which one day will be used for high-speed trains. Then there's some icing on the cake as minutes after we've crossed the line, the barriers come down allowing me just in time to record a freight train heading in the direction of Kaeng Khoi.
Our journey north now takes us through some amazing scenery in Muak Lek district of Saraburi province which we couldn't manage to reach on Wednesday. Inevitably this causes another unscheduled stop.
Muak Lek Dam....... Arriving at Muak Lek Dam, I'm surprised to find what must be a more recently constructed civil engineering project as there is little information about it at present; the best option being to examine a satellite image. While I would love to know more about its type, construction, and storage capacity, one thing is clear; it's a magnificent location to drive through skirting the reservoir. This reservoir snakes its way for some 4 kms surrounded by a range of scattered medium-height hills of the Dong Phaya Yen Range.
We finally head to a location which was our original aiming point and one selected by my companion. One thing that has taken me by surprise though is that this location is still in Saraburi province.
Ban Tha Rit (Thailand's New Zealand)....... Ban Tha Rit in Wang Muang district is described as a campsite but when we arrive there are no tents here, just grazing animals. In fact, that's the reason we're here. This is a notable example of how the landscape changes with the seasons in Thailand. In the hot, dry season some of the land which would normally be submerged, springs to life offering grazing for animals. However, the animals that are grazing right now are cattle or buffalo; not what my companion expected. Asking around about the whereabouts of the goats, she's told that they are brought here to graze much later in the day when the weather starts to cool down and who could blame them. The temperature is now 39 degrees Celsius.
Picnic....... Our delay this morning was caused by the need to do a bit of shopping. To my surprise my companion has brought something for a picnic, something we hardly ever do. As we park beside the Pasak Cholisid Reservoir, we consume our picnic lunch but quite honestly, despite the views its most uncomfortable in this heat and the ground is not suitable for laying out a mat.
Finally, we head into Lopburi province even though there's a lot more to see in Saraburi. Very soon we arrive at a most iconic location which I have been to before but not while we've had our own transport.
Pasak Cholisid Dam....... The Pasak Jolasid Dam or Pasak Cholasit Dam impounds the Pasak River and occupies the two central provinces of Saraburi and Lopburi. It is the biggest reservoir in central Thailand. The 4,860-metre (15,940 ft) wide and 36.5-metre (120 ft) high dam is earth-filled with an impervious core. The storage capacity is 785 million m3 of water at normal water level, with a maximum capacity of 960 million m3. The dam also supplies about 6.7 MW of hydro-electric power. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over a royal ceremony on 15 June 1998, starting the storing of water in the reservoir.
The last time we were at this dam was on a rail tour which gave us enough time to look around but arriving with our own transport provides a new perspective for this location and allows me to take more photos. As pleasant as Pasak Cholisid Dam is, an even better attraction lies about a half hour north.
Khok Salung....... Khok Salung is just a small village, but the main attraction relates to the railway which is the same line that passes through the Pasak Cholisid Dam railway station. It's here that trains on special rail tours stop to allow passengers to disembark to admire the amazing view of the reservoir and the spectacular concrete rail bridge that spans it. Well, while I've been here before on the rail tour, I can mention that arriving here independently, the area is almost deserted an incredibly peaceful.
Better Value....... At this point the distance between attractions is prohibitive as we move into later afternoon. It's far better to consider finding accommodation for the night and continue tomorrow. One option is to head into Lopburi about 45 minutes away, but I feel we've unfinished business in this area. We now head to Phattana Nikhon, where the town just might have suitable accommodation. However, while there might be apartment type accommodation here, all we managed to find are resorts. Normally, resorts don't provide the facilities we need but on the third attempt we locate OK Resort, just a kilometre from the town of Phattana Nikhon. The price is most reasonable at 450 baht and provides a good-sized table on which to place my laptop. So many resorts provide no workspace and conveniently based electrical sockets.
Another plus for OK Resort is that while it's on a quiet road, it's easy to reach the town and that allows us to visit the local market which provides pre-cooked food as well as fresh. We manage to collect more than enough goodies to see us through dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow in the room. Full marks again for the resort providing us with a decent sized dining table. With conditions like this who would want to sit out on a bench in the heat we've suffered with all day?
Next Page.
Final Tour....... There's just four days before I leave for the UK but while there's still gas in the tank and time enough, however short, we decide to make one more trip and this time it will involve at least one overnight stop. On my trip to Saraburi on Wednesday, I admit my calculations were a bit wrong. By making an overnight stop I can achieve at least double the amount of site visits with less than double the cost but that is also determined by the distance we intend to travel. In this case it's 170 kilometres at the furthest point or 2 1/2 hours.
Aiming to get a good getaway this morning we don't get the cleanest of starts but if we make our way directly to the first visit of the day, we will arrive around midday.
Upgrades....... Now for the third time in 22 days we head north and then east through Saraburi, finally turning north from the Mittraphap Road into the mountains via Hwy 2089. This route takes us close to Muak Lek Railway Station and while I don't feel the need to visit this station, we do have to cross the single-track railway line at a level crossing. Here there's a great case to pause and have a look around. For some distance there is evidence of upgrades to this section of the railway which will make this level crossing redundant. The new track will be long a concrete rail bridge which will be put into use in a not-too-distant future. It's a fantastic opportunity to see these massive structures which one day will be used for high-speed trains. Then there's some icing on the cake as minutes after we've crossed the line, the barriers come down allowing me just in time to record a freight train heading in the direction of Kaeng Khoi.
Our journey north now takes us through some amazing scenery in Muak Lek district of Saraburi province which we couldn't manage to reach on Wednesday. Inevitably this causes another unscheduled stop.
Muak Lek Dam....... Arriving at Muak Lek Dam, I'm surprised to find what must be a more recently constructed civil engineering project as there is little information about it at present; the best option being to examine a satellite image. While I would love to know more about its type, construction, and storage capacity, one thing is clear; it's a magnificent location to drive through skirting the reservoir. This reservoir snakes its way for some 4 kms surrounded by a range of scattered medium-height hills of the Dong Phaya Yen Range.
We finally head to a location which was our original aiming point and one selected by my companion. One thing that has taken me by surprise though is that this location is still in Saraburi province.
Ban Tha Rit (Thailand's New Zealand)....... Ban Tha Rit in Wang Muang district is described as a campsite but when we arrive there are no tents here, just grazing animals. In fact, that's the reason we're here. This is a notable example of how the landscape changes with the seasons in Thailand. In the hot, dry season some of the land which would normally be submerged, springs to life offering grazing for animals. However, the animals that are grazing right now are cattle or buffalo; not what my companion expected. Asking around about the whereabouts of the goats, she's told that they are brought here to graze much later in the day when the weather starts to cool down and who could blame them. The temperature is now 39 degrees Celsius.
Picnic....... Our delay this morning was caused by the need to do a bit of shopping. To my surprise my companion has brought something for a picnic, something we hardly ever do. As we park beside the Pasak Cholisid Reservoir, we consume our picnic lunch but quite honestly, despite the views its most uncomfortable in this heat and the ground is not suitable for laying out a mat.
Finally, we head into Lopburi province even though there's a lot more to see in Saraburi. Very soon we arrive at a most iconic location which I have been to before but not while we've had our own transport.
Pasak Cholisid Dam....... The Pasak Jolasid Dam or Pasak Cholasit Dam impounds the Pasak River and occupies the two central provinces of Saraburi and Lopburi. It is the biggest reservoir in central Thailand. The 4,860-metre (15,940 ft) wide and 36.5-metre (120 ft) high dam is earth-filled with an impervious core. The storage capacity is 785 million m3 of water at normal water level, with a maximum capacity of 960 million m3. The dam also supplies about 6.7 MW of hydro-electric power. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over a royal ceremony on 15 June 1998, starting the storing of water in the reservoir.
The last time we were at this dam was on a rail tour which gave us enough time to look around but arriving with our own transport provides a new perspective for this location and allows me to take more photos. As pleasant as Pasak Cholisid Dam is, an even better attraction lies about a half hour north.
Khok Salung....... Khok Salung is just a small village, but the main attraction relates to the railway which is the same line that passes through the Pasak Cholisid Dam railway station. It's here that trains on special rail tours stop to allow passengers to disembark to admire the amazing view of the reservoir and the spectacular concrete rail bridge that spans it. Well, while I've been here before on the rail tour, I can mention that arriving here independently, the area is almost deserted an incredibly peaceful.
Better Value....... At this point the distance between attractions is prohibitive as we move into later afternoon. It's far better to consider finding accommodation for the night and continue tomorrow. One option is to head into Lopburi about 45 minutes away, but I feel we've unfinished business in this area. We now head to Phattana Nikhon, where the town just might have suitable accommodation. However, while there might be apartment type accommodation here, all we managed to find are resorts. Normally, resorts don't provide the facilities we need but on the third attempt we locate OK Resort, just a kilometre from the town of Phattana Nikhon. The price is most reasonable at 450 baht and provides a good-sized table on which to place my laptop. So many resorts provide no workspace and conveniently based electrical sockets.
Another plus for OK Resort is that while it's on a quiet road, it's easy to reach the town and that allows us to visit the local market which provides pre-cooked food as well as fresh. We manage to collect more than enough goodies to see us through dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow in the room. Full marks again for the resort providing us with a decent sized dining table. With conditions like this who would want to sit out on a bench in the heat we've suffered with all day?
Next Page.
Saraburi Province
Upgrades on the Northeastern Line,
Muak Lek, Muak Lek District
Muak Lek Dam, Kham Phran,
Wang Muang District
Ban Tha Rit (Thailand's New Zealand),
Wang Muang, Wang Muang District
Lopburi Province
Pasak Cholisid Dam, Nong Bua,
Phatthana Nikhom District
Khok Salung Railway Station, Khok Salung, Phatthana Nikhom District
Khok Salung 'Floating' Railway, Khok Salung, Phatthana Nikhom District