This time, I visited during the weekend before New Year and
Khao Kho was buzzing with life as opposed to my most recent visit
.
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.
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| 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.
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| Morning Mist But No Trees |
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