PATTAYA TO UDON THANI BY SCOOTER DAY 3 -
CHAIYAPHUM, TAT TON, MO HIN KHAO, UBOL RATTANA & UDON THANI. PART 1
Day 3 was a massive one, but an amazing day continuing on through Chaiyaphum province and all the way to Udon Thani, with many stops along the way.
We headed north to check out TatTon National Park, another beautiful spot with waterfalls and more than a few Thai tourists swimming and having picnics, just enjoying nature. Plus there are park headquarters, a few shops, ample parking, man-made paths and even some accommodation right along the stream that I would have stayed in for sure, had we not been on a schedule.
We also managed to find some dirt trails and even a river crossing on our scooters while heading towards the waterfall. Capp was a little reluctant at first to head off the bitumen, but no way was I not going to explore those little trails! I even had a large snake slither across the track just in front of my bike!
As with most national parks in Thailand, there is an entrance fee, plus a huge gap between the Thai price and farang price, just something we get used to in Asia, a dual pricing system. If you have your Thai driver’s license you usually only pay the local price, though Tat Ton was one of the first places we had come across that didn’t honour that.
I should mention that the Khao Yai entrance fee was 400 baht each way if you don’t have your ID card, here at least was only 100bt.
After a swim and relax we were on the road again, through the rest of this beautiful national park and then out into the back roads and villages, looking for Mo Hin Khao, billed as ‘The Stonehenge of Thailand’. As I mentioned, the scenery around Chaiyaphum is vastly different to most of Thailand, but equally impressive.
It seemed drier, no thick jungle once out of the park, but large rolling hills marked with a myriad of different crops, all interspersed with tiny rural villages, dirt tracks and even a small lake or 2, one of them being Khuean (lake) Bon.
Pineapples were definitely a popular crop out here, plus there were many fruit orchards, but maybe I was riding too fast to take note of what was growing!
Mo Hin Khao was a little tricky getting too, but with the help of a friendly local policeman, who seemed to serve more as a tourist information guide than anything else, we were on our way – riding way up high on some mountains with spectacular views that felt like we could see over the whole province.
Mo Hin Khao was one of the most unique places I had been in Thailand, it is definitely worth a visit, especially coupled with the journey in just getting there. There were a number of natural stone pillars in an almost circular formation, perched atop the mountain, giving it that ‘Stonehenge feel’.
There were small plaques in front of each one indicating the beliefs held by the locals of the different ‘powers’ bestowed upon those that paid their respects to them. It is a truly unique spot for those that venture out into central Thailand.
Dirt trails and river crossings
Tat Ton National Park and waterfall
