Afternoon: Walk past coniferous forest. Then go to Na Haeo. Visit Kaeng Khut Khu, Phu Thok, Wat Phra Phuttha Bat Phu Khwai Ngoen, and Ben Hat Bia. Travel from Chiang Khan to Tha Lo, Pay respect to Phra That Satcha. Walk uphill to the peak to admire scenic coniferous forest with wild flowers, Phali Rock garden and 3-leveled waterfall. Drive back to stay overnight in Chiang Khan. Day 2 Morning: Watch sunrise at Pha Nok Aen. Afternoon: Drive along the Mekong. Stay overnight at Dan Sai. Afternoon: Drive along mountainous Highway 203 to Phu Ruea National Park. Phon Phop, Phen Phop and Tham Yai Waterfalls. Watch sunset at Pha Lom Sak. Late morning: Visit Wang Kwang, Phen Phop Mai. Visit Huai Phai Sam Waterfall, Decho Viewpoint, and Pha Sam Thong. Afternoon: Walk from Tham Yai Waterfall to Pha Lom Sak, past Sa Anodat and Tham So Nuea waterfall. Watch sunrise at Pha Lon Noi. Watch sunset at Pha Mak Duk. Afternoon: Visit Wat Pho Chai, Tat Hueang Waterfall and Phta That Din Thaen. Afternoon: Walk downhill to Si Than tourist Information Center. Day 1 Morning: Visit Loei Provincial Cultural Center at Amphoe Muang Loei, Visit Wat Si Khan Muang before rntering Chiang Khan. Stay overnight in the National Park. Walk back to the accommodation under starry sky. Sa Kaeo to Pha Na Noi. Day 4 Morning: Depart Phu Ruea to pay respect to Phra That Si Song Rak at Dan Sai. Admire wild flowers at the courtyard of Wat Phra Kaeo.

Vacations In Uttaradit

Earlier this month when I launched this bi-weekly Travel Diary series, I had a gut feeling that this coronavirus pandemic could drag on a lot longer than many people had thought. Therefore, let’s fast-forward to August. And I do hope so. With Thailand’s shrinking rate of new infections, they could be right. Some even suggested that it would benefit them more if – instead of featuring destinations suitable for the season that matches the current time of year, but may not be useful if the travel ban is still in place – I should just skip a couple of months ahead. While some may avoid travelling during the wet period, I think it is a great time to hit the road, since the sun tends to be less harsh thanks to the thick clouds that not only help weaken the rays that otherwise give off scorching heat but this is also when the sky is more interesting when photographed. However, feedback revealed that readers were more optimistic and believe it won’t be that long. Maybe it could even take a whole year. Three months or so from now, the rainy season should already be in full swing.

National Park At Pran Buri

Unlike now, nature will once again spring back to life. Anyway, over the past 16 years – which is as far as my archive of digital photographs goes – apart from the usual travel features, I also worked on weekly columns called Road Map and Freewheel. Even in dry dipterocarp or mixed deciduous forests, except for the charred spots on the bark of the tree trunks that are not yet washed off by the rain, the vegetation, from ground level to the canopy, will seem so lush, as if it had completely forgotten about the fires that ravaged the areas in the previous dry season. The first, which lasted from mid-2004 to late 2006, was about exploring Thailand’s back roads and the interesting sites that they led to. Hopefully, during this refreshing break, concerned agencies and the locals affected by air pollution and other widespread consequences of man-made fires will come up with measures that effectively prevent it from happening again in the years to come.

The latter was a bicycling column that began in 2011. Has been suspended since last May because I no longer had enough time to ride. Anyway, let’s be hopeful. They are pretty varied, from the sea and mountains to old temples, a waterside community and even a historical park. I hope you might find some of them interesting enough to add to your own travel plans. Compiled here are some of the destinations I have visited during the first half of August in the past decade and a half, with updated information. It doesn’t hurt to have some plans, does it? Nobody knows how long this pandemic will last. These projects and other work trips have led me to quite a few places in the Kingdom, usually to off-the-beaten-track places. As for recommended destinations for the other half of the month, you’ll find them here the Thursday after next. One day we’ll be able to travel freely once again.

• Phen Phop Waterfall
• Tham So Tai Waterfall
• Eat Like a Local
• Visit a World Heritage UNESCO Site
• Similan Islands
• Pha Lom Sak

To make it easier for you, here are some travel ideas that – I’m keeping my fingers crossed – you might be able to use in case the coast is clear three months or so from now. During one of my trips for Road Map, I did a survey of Loei’s northern districts, starting from Na Haeo National Park, which is now known as Phu Suan Sai National Park, to the towns of Phu Ruea, Tha Li and Chiang Khan. Along the way, you can drop by the village of Ban Muang Phrae which is separated from Laos by a very narrow section of the Hueang River, the centuries-old Wat Pho Chai, which has one of the country’s tallest ho trai (the tower for keeping Buddhist scriptures) and a prayer hall with folk-style mural paintings. I checked satellite images and the internet and found that a wooden tower which was crumbling when I visited the temple 15 years ago is still there and fully restored. This is a route I highly recommend.

National Park At Khao Sok (Suratthani)

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