Phitsanulok - Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park (2)

As I wrote, to approach this national park from the east (i.e., from Lomsak) is the best option by far if you like to drive up serpentine roads enjoying wonderful views.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/01/phu-hin-rong-kla-national-park.html

This time, I started at the other end of the park and therefore had to drive down the serpentine road. Such a descent has never before been a challenge. However, this time, I was not only driving a car with automatic gearshift (next to no engine brake) but I was also driving a Toyota Fortuner - a vehicle notorious for its weak brakes. 2/3 down, the brakes had gotten so warm that they stopped working. I pulled over, swearing, and missing my sturdy D-Max with manual gearshift.

Not being an overly patient driver, I soon decided to ignore that minor issue and continued rolling down in the lowest gear possible.

Petchabun - Thung Salaeng Luang National Park (2)

Let me repeat: The national park's headquarters is located at km. 80 on Highway No. 12. But cars are not allowed access to Thung Saleng Luang’s main savannah from the park headquarters. Cars have to enter the park at Nong Mae Na, i.e., from Khao Kho.

I repeat this because when checking both a couple of GPS as well as asking a few locals (or maybe not?) in Khao Kho, I was told to go to Highway 12. In other words, if I had not already visited this national park, I would not have found the correct entrance.

This visit was during the hot and dry season while my first visit was during the "cold" season:


http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/01/thung-salaeng-luang-national-park.html

It makes quite a difference. This time, the grass on the savannah was not as high (not as impressive) and park rangers had started several controlled fires in order to not risk that a bush fire ravages the park.

All in all, the dry season is not an interesting time to visit. Next time, I will try to make it during the rainy season as the tracks leading through the park then (hopefully) will be muddy, challenging and fun to drive.

Petchabun - Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

The park is located both in Phitsanulok and in Petchabun provinces. It is a vast expanse of mountain ridges, ponds, grassland (or savanna), and forests. Streams zigzag through the pine and evergreen forests, and there are of course several caves and waterfalls in the ridges. The mountain peaks in the west of park are the tallest with some reaching 1,500 meters above sea level.

The area has an interesting history. It surveyed in 1959 in preparation for becoming a national park, but the area was closed to the public between 1968 and 1982 as the Royal Thai Army conducted operations against communist guerillas that were hiding in the area.

The park headquarters is located at km. 80 on Highway No. 12. Information on the park and accommodations can be obtained there, trekking / biking tours can start from there, and the peace of camping on the bank of Huai Khek can be enjoyed. Cars are no longer allowed access to Thung Saleng Luang’s main savannah from the park headquarters – i.e., from the north – they have to enter the park at Nong Mae Na.

All in all, there are 11 big and small savannas in the park spread along the left bank of the Huai Khek Yai River. The largest savanna (where the Nong Mae Na ranger station is located) covers around 10 square kilometers. By the end of the rainy season, the grass will often have grown as high as eye-level of a Thai soldier thus making hiding easy.

A purple flower (ngon nak) has adapted to the tall grass with impressively tall stems.

The evergreen forests shed their leaves to reduce evaporation during the dry season. Before the leaves are shedded, they turn yellow, orange, red, and brown thus giving the forest a wonderful “autumn look”.

In the southern part of the park, you’ll find Thung Nang Phaya, which probably is one of the largest pine forests in Thailand. It contains some very old and tall pine trees as well as a rare wild orchid (ueang chani), which nestles on the pine stems. The orchid’s stalk and leaves are covered with white “hair” and its flower is bright yellow.

A brochure for the park boasts that in the park there is 150 species of birds, 40 mammals, 200 amphibians, 200 kinds of reptiles, and an unknown number of butterflies.

Nature lovers can take advantage of the trekking and biking routes to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Best time to do so is probably between October and January whereas the worst time is probably June through September. The national park rents out tents and can also provide basic lodging to visitors.

Phitsanulok - Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

The park has its name after some unusual rock formations. 50 or 100 million years ago, the Earth’s crust moved and broke into large cleavages. These rock plates cracked open and moved slightly apart.

To approach the park from the east (i.e., from Lomsak) is the best option by far. At least if you like to drive up serpentine roads enjoying wonderful views.

The park area is mainly covered with lush green forests, several awesome waterfalls, and a vast plain of rocks with cracks scattered all around. The highest point of the park is 1,667 meters above sea level.

Like in the rest of the Phitsanulok, Petchabun, and Loei highlands, the weather in the park is relatively cool all year and the rainfall is heavy during the rainy season.

So, Bangkokians like to visit during the cold season, rise early from their tent, and witness the sun rise

The park is located both in Phitsanulok and in Loei provinces. It was an important battlefield in the 1970s fight between the Communist Party of Thailand and the Royal Thai Army.

One of the main rebel bases, complete with a hospital, a rice mill, and a School of Military Tactics were located inside the park.
A brief look at the accommodation at those bases is enough to convince me that communism is not the way forward.

There is a trail leading to Lan Hin Pum, an area of jutting rocks that the CPT used as an air-raid shelter. Follow another trail to Pha Chu Thong, the cliff where a red flag was raised when the CPT gained a victory.

I’m no military expert, so I’m wondering why the communists raised the flag so near their headquarters. The flag must have been a strong indication to the military where they were hiding and an invitation for more attacks.

There were no reliable indications of the number of casualties, but the area earned the nickname “lan leud” (field of blood) as the communists folklore was that a large area had become soaked in the blood of heroic communists.