Kanchanaburi - Somsak Mining

From Thong Pha Phun, off the main road from Kanchanaburi to Sanghklaburi, a narrow route, frequently blocked by landslides, twists through limestone mountains until it dead-ends at the Myanmar border.

Just before Pilok a sign indicates that there is 5.1 km to Somsak Mining Homestay, but warns that the road is rough and only suitable for 4WD vehicles. As usual, such claims are only partially true as there is sufficient traction in the dry season for a normal vehicle to handle the inclines and declines of the road. However, extra ground clearance is a must due to the rocky and pot-holed road, so while no sedan can possible handle the road, a 2WD Fortuner, Hilander or Prerunner should be able to get handle that road in the dry season.

In the rainy season, things can be a bit more challenging if/when rainwater erodes the surface of the already bumpy road.

At the end of the rough road, first time visitors are invariably amazed to discover a few small cottages suddenly popping up in a lush jungle valley. The homely resort is run by a smiling and welcoming farang “auntie”, Glennis, from Australia. She has quite a story to tell.

She met Somsak, a handsome young Thai studying at the school of mines in her hometown of Kalgoorlie. They got married and Glennis arrived in Thailand in 1966. Somsak went to run the tin mining concession that had been in his family’s hands for some 100 years. Pilok was back then a prosperous community. Cross-border trade flourished and the mines attracted workers from Myanmar.

Due to difficulties in accessing Pilok 40 years ago, Auntie Glen lived in Bangkok while Somsak came back to her and their son once a week. When the mining business faltered because of a sharp drop in the tin price, and Somsak got sick, Auntie Glen decided to move to Pilok. She fell in love with her new home in the jungle.

Somsak succumbed to cancer in 1994, a year after mining was halted at Pilok in wake of a worldwide slump in tin prices. Young people left to seek jobs elsewhere. Those who remain eke out a living among ramshackle buildings and forest huts.

Some 240 of Somsak’s former employees remain in the area, among them five families working for Auntie Glen and a Myanmar Buddhist monk taking care of their spiritual needs. Here our 4x4 are parked just outside the tiny temple, which is reached by crossing a small bridge. 

The homely resort consists of two long bungalows in the forest and the converted warehouse for dining and lounging, all imbued with a tropical atmosphere mingling with ceramic bunny rabbits, pastel colored duck-lings, doilies and other Australian Victoriana. There are no telephones and electric power runs just five hours a day.

However, the combination of comfortable weather and a cozy home in the jungle attract travelers - particularly off-roaders. Various stickers on the door indicate just how popular the resort is with various off-road clubs.

Driving from Somsak back to the main road, to Pilok and onwards to Myanmar will reward you with some amazing views. From atop, you can see a small village nestled in the valley below, right on the Thailand-Burma border. Huge gas pipes and telecommunication towers can be easily seen among the small old houses.

That is Ban E-Thong and the pipes are part of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand's 260km pipeline carrying gas from Burma's Yadana field in the Andaman Sea to supply a 4,600 megawatt power plant in Ratchaburi.

Once Ban E-Thong and Pilok were bustling tin-mining towns. Thousands of miners, hundreds of merchants, shops, theatres and a casino kept this place busy around the clock. As they are only located around 50 km from the sea, many Burmese merchants back then came weekly to offer fresh seafood at very good prices.

Now, these towns are very quiet. All the miners have gone, but groups of tourist are now coming. Guesthouses and coffee houses thrive (except in the rainy season) and locals are getting into the tourism business as more and more people discover the joys of hiding away in these remote border towns.

Caravan

A phenomenon that has gained popularity in Bangkok is "caravan trips", i. e., group trips / tours by means of driving your own vehicle. At first, caravan trips were one or two days events to explore the areas near or around Bangkok. Since then, it has developed into trips lasting 5-15 days and going as far as to South Vietnam via Laos or to Southern China.

.

There are also caravans for special interests such as off-road driving and then you better prepare your car with snorkel, winch and A/T tires.

The increased interest in caravan trips was surely the inspiration for a very popular Thai movie from a few years back:

http://www.majorcineplex.com/movie_detail.php?mid=556

The movie is a romantic comedy where the background story is aa road trip through southern Vietnam (from Hue to Dalat) and the scenery is quite stunning. 

Chumphon - Monuments, Beaches, and Coffee

Just south of the mouth of Chumphon River, there is a big hill with a monument as well as great views of the coast line - the picture below is the view towards north across the mouth of the river. 

Chumphon Province has long stretches of quiet sandy beaches as well as two Prince of Chumphon shrines.  

Near Sai Ri Beach is the biggest shrine and the monument of Admiral Phra Borommawong Thoe Kromluang Chumphon Khet Udomsak. A large torpedo-ship named the Royal Chumphon is also here. There is a museum with exhibits about the admiral’s biography, things which he used plus some things he certainly didn’t use. For example is an (yet unwrapped) plastic toy replica of the Black Pearl from Disney’s Pirates of the Carribean (Captain Jack Sparrow etc).

Further down the coast – at Arunotahi Beach – is another shrine-memorial to Prince Chumphon erected.

In my view, Sai Ri Beach doesn’t impress, but there are some excellent seafood restaurants there and it’s a convenient location for a night’s sleep before catching the morning ferry connection to Koh Tao or (even better) Koh Nangyuan.

Drive along the coast line stretching south from Sai Ri Beach and you’ll pass many excellent spots to chill out. When it comes to spending time on pristine, empty beaches, Chumphon has a lot to offer.

What I didn’t know until a few years back is that a lot of coffee is grown in Chumphon’s hilly interior. When a friend asked me if I’d care to join a trip to take a look at her friend’s coffee plantation, it was a good opportunity for me to learn about that aspect of Chumphon’s economy as well as about how the business of running a coffee plantation works. .

Samut Prakarn - Chulachomklao Fort

Chulachomklao Fort (Pom Phra Chulachomklao) played an important role in the history of Thailand. The fortress helped to protect the sovereignty of the country in 1893 when, during the reign of King Rama V, the British and French empires were looking to colonize countries in Asia. So, King Rama V sought different ways to protect his kingdom, and he got fortresses at river mouths renovated and re-equipped to fight any aggression. The king also got several foreign naval specialists as consultants to plan the development of the Thai navy and appointed a Dane to head these efforts

Today, the fortress is still in use as a Naval History Park and is home to the H.M.S. Mae Klong Battleship Museum. There is a magnificent monument of King Rama V located right next to H. M. S. Mae Klong.

In the fortress, you can see the guns that were used to fight the invading armies. There is an exhibition hall where you can see photographs relating to the battles (especially the conflicts with the French) and the development of the Royal Thai Navy. However, the Manhattan incident is not mentioned. 


The HMS Mae Klong Battleship (built in Japan) was - after serving for 60 years - decommissioned and turned into a museum. 

At the riverside restaurant, there is a small souvenir shop manned by students from the naval academy. You can also buy a cap indicating that you work for the Forensic Police. 


You can also take a walk along the path to observe nature and ecological preservation. You can visit the nearby mangrove to see egrets, sea gulls, mudskippers and many types of crabs.

Pom Phra Chulachomklao is open daily from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. but visitors have get "permission" to enter, which basically means that you have to leave your ID card with the guards at the entrance gate. There is no admission fee.

Kamphaengphet - Khlong Lan

Khlong Lan Waterfall impressed me. I have seen many waterfalls, but this one is beautiful and fun for a swim to cool down. And it is off the beaten track, so while popular with locals, few tourists drop by.


It is about 100 meters tall and 40 meters wide with plenty of spots at the base for picnic and for general relaxation. There is the possibility for a roughly two hours walk to a viewpoint (Khao Hua Chang) through luscious forest.


Khlong Lan Hilltribe Handicraft Center is located at the entrance to Khlong Lan Waterfall. The center gives support to the hill tribes in the surrounding area in improving the standard of their living. Souvenirs and products of each hill tribe are available on sale.

Chiang Mai

In its day, Wat Chedi Luang must have been the most impressive temple in Chiang Mai. Built about 600 years ago, the huge pagoda  (= chedi) soared high above the surrounding city. 


The temple was originally constructed in 1401 by the orders of King Saeng Muang Ma. In 1454, reigning King Tilo-Garaj enlarged the pagoda to a height of 86 meters.

Unfortunately, the chedi was mostly destroyed within a few hundred years of its construction. The chedi lay in ruin until 1991, when it was reconstructed and is now almost as impressive as it was 500 years ago. Inside the grounds of Wat Chedi Luang is also the lak muang, the guardian spirit city pillar of Chiang Mai.


In another blog, I gave an example of the extremely racist pricing policies at Chiang Mai Zoo, so I will not comment further on that.

However, I highly recommend a visit to the local branch of the National Museum. The focus is on the history of the Kingdom of Lanna before that kingdom was included in the Kingdom of Siam to escape the clutches of Burmese kings.

In the garden outside the museum, this wonderful Ganesh statue is found. The elephant god looks like he's really chilling.

Chiang Rai - Mae Sai

Just a short note to recommend the Mae Sai Guesthouse if you want to stay really river side. The Mae Sai Guesthouse is a very friendly, family run guest house with a bunch of wooden bungalows set around a small riverside garden and restaurant. The bungalows are cute and comfortable but with very simple amenities. From the small balcony over the river, you stare right across the river and into Burma. 

Mae Sai Guesthouse is right at the end of the riverside road and can be hard to find for a first time visitor. To get there take the laneway that runs behind Mae Sai Riverside Guesthouse - the last few hundred meters only have one lane, so you just have to hope no car is coming from the other direction as otherwise, there will be a discussion to decide who has to reverse.