Waterfall - Phliu

Waterfall - Kra Thieng

Waterfall #5 - Kra Thieng, where the rain started

Pier at Laem Ngop.
The island in the front is Koh Chang.
About 45Minuates by the ferry in the picture

Chicken Shit Jail at Laem Singh

At the last moment we found a hotel - quiet, clean and reasonable price, near Kra-Thieng National Park.
900 Baht for a chalet style room facing rainforest.
Air-con, bathroom, refrigerator and even cable TV.
We drove along Bangkok-Chonburi Motor way and drop out at Ban-Bung then take a new road to Klaeng.
This new road has not much traffic nor traffic police.
Thus I drove at my normal cruise speed. (150Km/Hr. - try at your own risk!)

A friend (Mr. Cho, HJ) told about the resort - Kra Thieng Country Resort - that turned out to be very remote and a bit too quiet.
My wife scared - absolutely no people around.
I recalled 'Shine' of Steven King, of its summer version.
If you really hate noisy group of tourist.  This is your place.
Kra-Thieng means 'Bull' in Thai.

We went to Chanthaburi with hope to have lunch at the restaurant which a magazine boasted 'The most delicious Chan Noodle.'
Chanthaburi town is much bigger than you can find a restaurant without help of map in detail.
After 30 minute of consecutive turn at every traffic light.
We reach to compromise to have any noodle shop we can park first.
Hunger always have enough force to shatter our month-long travel plan.

We are very faithful to travel books.  So even we are not Catholic, we went to see the cathedral (oldest church in Thailand).
All of us agreed we saw enough the town - starving.   So we challenged the road to Trat.   The road is pleasant to drive with enormous trees on both side.
We reached Laem Ngop - small port who has ferries to go to Koh Chang.  Koh Chang is a second largest island in the country.  And many people said very tranquil and natural.
As sun sinks down, we drove back to our hotel.  To my relief, there were a few group of tourists were filling the lobby in the hotel.

Morning broke with thick mist.  Later I learned that is cloud.
We walked up to Kra-Thieng waterfall.
This waterfall comprised of 9 small waterfalls.
The rain forest is really dense and dark.  The forest seems breathing on our shoulder with humid air with the smell of tropical plants.
When we arrived waterfall #5, there was a sign reading no food allowed to carry from there up.
Two girls shows sign, loudly reads - Enough Exercise! 
Then it started.  Rain in rain forest.  It takes good 10 minutes rain drops dripping on you.
We had a shelter near by.  Waiting rain stops.
We waited, waited and waited.   It didn't have any sign reducing its force.
OK.  We decided to go down through the rain.
BB enjoyed slippery trail.  Especially falling down.  She couldn't help laughing when she fall on her hip.
After few hundred meters of snailing hike, I put BB on my camera bag, holding my neck and start running.
The rain was not chilly.  Its rather pleasing running narrow trail with my little but heavy (25Kgs) daughter.
Its exhilarating time.  Running and laughing in the rain, hugging 6 year old in my arm.
Dripping, we returned to the hotel and took shower.

Checked out, and go to next stop - Waterfall Phliu.
One of the most popular picnic site for people around Chanthaburi.
Sky up there is clear and sunny.
The place arranged nicely with a lot of picnic tables.  Of course lots of people seem there.
Chedi on the left is for Rama V's wife who loved the waterfall so much.
We went to Laem Singh.  the area was occupied by French before.
So there remained building for French Navy and Chicken Shit Jail.
French made the jail to keep political prisoner their.
Its not big.  About 4m x 4m.  Only one door.
They feed chickens on top of the jail, so that chicken shit fall on the prisoners underneath.   What a sadistic idea!
On the way back, we stopped by Soi Dao.  Roughly means Place you can reach star.  Its beautiful mountain range.  Dinner was at our favorite seafood restaurant (possibly one of the best in the world) in Rayong - Laem Chaloen.

November 1999