Sa Kaeo |
The Province Rich in Natural Resources and Ancient Sites
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An old friend of mine, John, called me early this year saying that he had been planning for an escape from the freezing weather in his home town on the US East Coast. He would like to pay me a visit and ask me to arrange for him a getaway trip in the countryside of Thailand, preferably somewhere off the beaten path - away from the typical tourist destinations.
Well, it was something I had been longing to do at this time of the year after picking up my annual bonus cheque to spend some time getting lost in the wild, and have a break from the city life. Through a conversation with a friend in the travel industry, I heard about an emerging new destination called Sa Kaeo, just three to four hours east of Bangkok by road. This "Gateway to Indo-china" is a land with a history dating back 4,000 years, with remnants from the ancient Suvarnbumi and Dvaravati civilizations. My friend also told me that this year, 2010, happens to be the "Visit Sa Kaeo Year". I e-mailed John through some related web-links. He came back entrusting me with the trip planning. I opted for a four day trip which included a UNESCO World Heritage national park, a Khmer-style Sandstone Castle, and the largest border market in Thailand.
John arrived in Bangkok on Friday. After spending some time recovering from the jetlag, we left Bangkok from Mo-Chit North-Northeast Bus Station, Terminal # 2 by an air-conditioned bus, Route Bangkok - Ongkharak - Nakhon Nayok - Sa Kaeo Aranyaprathet. The bus-fare was 118 Baht per person for this 215 kilometre distance - much better than driving at this time when the gas price surged up again. We reached Sa Kaeo, a province bordering Cambodia, four hours later and took a mini-cab to Pang Sida National Park which was just 27 kilometres away for 25 Baht per person (or 300 Baht for one chartered trip). This mini-cab service is available from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. We rented a park house for some 1,200 Baht per day (Tent renting is also available.)
Pang Sida National Park (Park Office phone # +66-37-556-500) is a part of UNESCO World Heritage Khao Yai National Park occupying an area of 844 square kilometres and becoming a national park in 1982. The park area is complex highland with several falls and various types of wildlife-elephants, tigers, gaurs, bears, deer, fresh-water crocodiles, over 200 species of birds, and more than 400 species of butterflies. The most ideal time for visiting will be the months between May and July in the rainy season when the waterfalls become spectacular with the volume of water pouring down, the surrounding refreshed rain-forest, and the swarming colourful butterflies. This park is also the source of various creeks which supply the Bangpakong River on the southeastern region of Thailand.
Our first attraction visit was Pang Sida Waterfall which was easily accessible, less than a kilometre from the park office. This 10 metre waterfall forms a large pool below, which surrounded by green forest, is ideal for swimming. The water flows dashingly during the rainy season (June - September) when butterflies of various species turn this scenic spot into a wonderland. John took the liberty to spoil and refresh himself from the travel with this "natural swimming pool" after we had checked into our park house.
Two and a half kilometres north of Pang Sida Waterfall along a well-preserved forest is Pha Takhian waterfall which is the last cascade of the same stream as Pang Sida.
Butterfly Watching - Sites for watching are park tourist office, Pang Sida Falls, Hin Dat Falls, Huay Namyen Stream, and the 26th kilometre-stone (just one kilometre from the 25th kilometre Vantage Point.)
Bird Watching - home to the hornbill and oriental darter. Sites for watching are around the Huay Namyen Stream and Phra Prong Reservoir.
The Vantage Points - 25 kilometres and 35 kilometres from the park office, the two locations are ideal for watching the sunrise overlooking a vast luxuriant valley with breathtaking views, in a sea of mist in the early morning.
From Pang Sida National Park, we chartered a mini-cab by arrangement with a park ranger for 1,500 Baht per day to get to our other attractions, which was quite convenient as we could both avoid losing our way and at the same time go at our own pace, stopping at interesting spots during the journey.
Sadok Kok Thom Castle is in Ban Nong Samet, Khok Sung Sub-district. This sandstone castle is the largest and most important Khmer-style archaeological site in the province. Sadok Kok Thom is one of the best preserved original sandstone castles of its kind. The temple was built in the 10th Century A.D. as a provincial place of Hindu worship for the Khmer Empire during its golden age had adopted Hinduism beliefs. This monument consists of three towers facing eastward, surrounded by a moat (representing the Hindu Sea of Creation) on each of the four courtyard sides, and two boundary walls - the outer wall made of laterite while the inner one made of sandstone.
Two stone inscriptions in ancient Khmer scripts are housed inside, one indicating the construction period of the castle while the other erected in honour of King Athitayaworaman II upon the completion of the renovation work in year 1052. The inscription is in both Sanskrit and ancient Khmer, dated 1053 A.D. It recounts two and a half centuries of service that members of the temples founding family provided to the Khmer court, mainly as chief chaplains to kings.
Ban Khlong Luk Border Market (Rong Kluea Market) is in Aranyaprathet District, just 300 metres from Aranyaprathet Immigration Control. It takes only two hours from here to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. This is a paradise for shoppers with over 3,000 small shops of well-known brand-name products, both brand-new and second-hand, and ranging from apparel, blue jeans, leather shoes, sneakers, bags, glasses, watches, electrical appliances, to toys, etc. |
However, there are also counterfeit goods mixed with the genuine brand-name ones. Therefore, shoppers are advised to exercise caution and do extensive bargaining. Moreover, there are also those daily use items like mattresses, pillows, sleeping nets, carpets, brass wares, ceramics, fresh and dried foods from both Thai and Cambodian suppliers.
Wat Nakhon Tham - in Watthana Nakhon District. This temple is the site for the sacred "Luang Pho Khao" - the golden Buddha image enshrined in the magnificent traditional Thai wooden chapel.
The Buddha statue was originally built in Laos and moved with the immigrants during the reign of King Rama III and had been the place of worship among the descendents of the Laotian immigrants.
La-lu - in Ban Khlong Yang. The vast area with 800 acres of land is home to the countless earth pillars which is one of the places listed in "Unseen in Thailand". This nature wonder was created from the uneven erosion from wind and water of soils of different density and hardness.
These natural sculptures or pillars come in several shapes and sizes resembling city walls or pillars. The best time of the day for visiting is either early morning or evening when it is not too hot. Tour services by home-made vehicle are provided by the villagers. The home-stay option is also available.
Phet Pho Thong Cave - located in Khlong Hat District. The cave is well-ventilated with natural fresh mountain air. Separated into four chambers, the cave entrance is an oval area, with creamy white rocks. From there, it descends to the next chamber thru the tunnel to a large hall with cool breeze and sunshine. The highlight of the cave is chamber 3 where stalactites and stalagmites form a pearly, oval
Chedi (pagoda) decorated with glittering sand. The hall is large enough to accommodate some 200 people. The wall and ceiling are decorated with golden Bo leaf-like patterns, created by rust formation as water trickles down thru the rock. The final chamber is known as "The castle gate of the cave". Smooth creamy stones are found at the cave entrance. Here, stalactites and stalagmites are formed to look like a Buddha statue.
Khao Chakan - in Khao Chakan District. There are three mountains, the highest of which is 324 metres with steep cliffs and many caves occupied by mountain monkeys. In the evening, million of bats flying off the caves is quite a spectacular sight. A cave near the top of the mountain has a naga stairway with some 300 steps leading up to the cave which opens up through the other side of the mountain with a Buddha statue and footprint inside.
The view from the opposite side of the cave overlooking the town below was quite refreshing after a long uphill walk for John and me who normally spend most of our working time staring at our LCD monitors. At the base of Khao Chakan mountain is a botanical garden with different types of plants and thousand of mountain monkeys. John and I left Sa Kaeo after this four day trip quite tired but with enriched experience of natural beauty and ancient civilization.
How to get there
1. For self-drive travellers: From Bangkok, take Phahonyothin Highway to Rangsit, use overpass to get to Highway # 305, pass Ongkharak District, Nakhon Nayok. Then take Highway #33 pass Kabin Buri District to reach Sa Kaeo. The total distance is 214 kilometres. Alternatively, take Highway # 1 from Bangkok to Hin Kong, turn right to Highway # 33, pass Nakhon Nayok, and then Kabin Buri to reach Sa Kaeo. The total distance is 245 kilometres.
2. For those of you who prefer a hassle-free travel, you should arrange your trip plan with one of the travel agents from your Thaiways Magazine.
Notes: All prices given in this article are subject to change. Please use them only as a rough guide.
- For more information, please contact TAT on Nakhon Nayok Office tel. 0 3731 2282, 0 3731 2284.
- Special thanks to TAT Nakhon Nayok Office for arranging a trip to Sa Kaeo.
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