Phrae - Palace of Prince

Phrae has many beautiful buildings. I was most impressed by the architecture and the "feel" of the residence of the last ruler (prince or royally appointed governor) of Phrae. The building is called Khum Chao Luang and was built in 1892 mixing Thai and European architectural styles.

Khum Chao Luang (or Palace of Prince) with a statue of Chao Luang Piriyatheppawong

The building has been turned into a museum, which most definitely is worth visiting. The prince (and his two consorts) lived on the top floor, while the middle floor was partially "office space" (i.e., used for official functions) and partly private living space.

Servants, slaves, and prisoners occupied the basement where also tough punishment was metered out.

You better stay on your toes.

Prince Piriyatheppawong contributed to the "modernization" of Phrae and his accomplishments were greatly appreciated by King Rama V. However, a set-back occurred in 1902 when the Shan tribes in the north of Thailand rebelled against Siamese rule.

Phrae - Phae Muang Phi

Just like at Pong Yup (Ratchaburi) and Lalu (Sa Kaeo), erosion has formed a special landscape in Phrae. As Phae Muang Phi is located only 17-18 km from Phrae city center, it is one of the most visited landmarks in Phrae.

Thailand's Grand Canyon

According to a signboard at the site, Phae Muang Phi is a mix of local dialect and Thai and roughly means "Forest Ghost Town". Legend has it that this name relates to an event centuries ago.
An old lady was foraging in the woods far from her village when she stumbled over a treasure. Excited, she took all the gold and silver she could carry and headed home.

However, the forest spirits guarding the treasure would not let the old woman return. She felt her load get heavier and heavier and that she seemed to go backwards rather than forwards. She finally gave up and dumped what she had taken. The spirits then let her return to her village.

When she reached her home, she immediately alerted the village people about the treasure. They all rushed back into the forest. However, where the treasury had been, they only found footprints. Determined, the villagers followed these footprints until they came upon a coffin. Convinced that ghosts and potentially evil spirits had a hand in this, they all scurried back to the village. To remind people to stay away from that area of the forest, they named it Phae Muang Phi.

Although an interesting legend, it fails to explain anything about the strange landscape erosion has left behind.

In any case, the area is not large. Although larger than Pong Yup, it to me seemed smaller than Lalu, but the erosion has cut deeper than at Lalu. It certainly takes longer to drive from Phrae to Phae Muang Phi than it takes to walk around the site.

Probably to compensate for that, the forest park administration has planted two (supposedly) ticklish trees. I could not get it to work, but according to signs, the leaves of these trees will fold if you gently touch the bark on the tree trunk.

Please be gentle when you tickle me

Ratchaburi - Pong Yup

Pong Yup is like in Phae Muang Phi in Phrae and Lalu in Sa Kaeo, but much smaller.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2012/06/sa-kaeo-lalu-2.html

Moreover, it is on private land, so there is a fee to be paid. Inspired by the Thai government's policy at national parks, the land owners have decided to charge Westerners a lot more then Asians.  After paying the fee, you are left to your own devices; there are no guided tours.

Pong Yup Pillars

However, as the area is quite small, completing the path around the area is done in less than ten minutes even at a very leisurely pace. Like the other places, erosion has left behind some earthen pillars, but more impressive are the mini-canyons.

Pong Yup Canyon

All in all, this destination is not a must-see, but as it is only roughly 5 km from Suan Pheung town, it is not a major detour to stop by.

Petchabun - Khao Kho 3

This time, I visited during the weekend before New Year and Khao Kho was buzzing with life as opposed to my most recent visit

.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2012/07/petchabun-khao-kho-2.html

The roads and sights were full of vehicles and people. Bangkokians love to go up north during the cold season to try on warm clothes of dubious quality and outrageous / cute design, such as hats with deer antlers. They wear these warm clothes (and gloves) even as temperatures during afternoons reach 25 degrees Celsius.

What is interesting to consider is that the area now almost devoid of trees, but filled with resort bungalows in cute colors, as recent as 1982 was a battle ground for clashes between the Thai military and communist insurgents.

Khao Kho Memorial

Over 2,000 died in the battles intermittently taking place over a period of 14 years. A memorial has been built. It is located at one of the highest, if not the highest, peak in Khao Kho. From roughly 1,150 meters above sea level, the views from the memorial ground are impressive.

Nearby, the Thai military has put a number of weapons used in the fight against communism on display. This is a great family destination – photo opportunities and opportunities for father-son bonding.

The main reason the communists were hiding out in Petchabun (as well as in a few other Thai provinces) was inaccessibility. The hilly area was back then heavily forested and without roads. The Thai military used communists-in-hiding as a great excuse for initiating massive logging operations in various parts of Thailand. Large proportion of the proceeds went into the pockets of well-placed generals. This was probably one reason for why the Thai military took over a decade to rout out relatively few communists. 

One tactic used in Khao Kho to get close to the communists was to re-engineer a Caterpillar and send it out in front to clear a path through the forest.

Today, there are not many trees in Khao Kho although a few national park areas remain. Bangkok people don't seem to care. They are there to say they've been in the mountains although 1,000 meters aren't much more than hills in my book. The area was a few years back marketed as "Little Switzerland", but the Harry Potter movies made New Zealand famous, so now Khao Kho is a place to go to breath "New Zealand Ozone" - Thais remain convinced that Ozone (rather than Oxygen) is good for you. 

It is also a place to start a drive along Route 12 to see the "Ocean of Morning Mist". Route 12 is now being expanded from two to four lanes from Phitsanulok to Lomsak to accommodate the increased traffic.

Morning Mist But No Trees

Cambodia - Signs of time past

Please don't take your RPG to the market.

Nowadays, it very safe to travel to and around Cambodia. If you have the travel bug, please contact

http://www.orientalcolours.com/