Heaven on High Cliffs in Pha Taem
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By :
nattapol bumsuntiea
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Pha Taem is well-known for being the place in Thailand where you can find the largest set of pre-historical color paintings. The paintings are located in a rock shelter of the sandstone cliff which is nearly 100 meters high by the Mekong river. There are pictures of tools, daily utensils, ways of life, and symbols. The paintings resemble a journal of pre-historical age from thousands of years ago for the present to read. The pictures are durable and seem to last for a long future. All such rock paintings, in fact, can be found not only at the Pha Taem area but also on other high cliffs near the Mekong river. Only it is at Pha Taem where you can find the biggest gathering. Because of this significance and its beautiful scenery, Pha Taem was declared a national park years ago.
Since the declaration, Pha Taem has been known by word of mouth. Besides those ancient paintings, this national park boasts the views of beautiful and natural sceneries overlooked by the range of its stone cliffs that stretch more than 10 kilometers along the Mekong river. So wherever you are in the Pha Taem National Park, you can always enjoy the beautiful views of the Mekong river and farther surroundings.
More than half of the national park area is sandstone ground which has been eroded by winds, rains, and sunlight. Erosion turns the sandstone fields into various figures like caves, high towers, and stone sculptures resembling crocodile heads, turtles etc. But what you can see the most are the pillars which the local people call Sao Chaliang (balcony pillars). You can find many of those in the Pha Taem National Park.
Sandstone areas are permeable. So when it rains, there is falling water. In the rainy season, we can find waterfalls which can be as high as100 meters from a cliff onto the ground. Some sandstone areas were washed away and turned into many shapes and holes, such as those seen at Nam Tok Long Roo and Nam Tok Thung Na Muang waterfalls. These falls gradually and amazingly carve sandstones into shapes and figures.
The Pha Taem National Park and all Isan areas in the rainy season are full of several kinds of blooming ground flowers. The best known area is the Soi Sawan field. Ground flowers there are blooming so beautifully in the area that covers tens of thousands of square meters. It is well-known as the biggest and most beautiful wild flower field in the country. Those ground flowers blossom between September and October but there are also other wild flowers that start to bloom from June onwards. These flowers greet all travelers with their natural beauty and later pass the duty on to ground flowers.
Who would believe that there is a sea of mist in the normally dry Isan area like those experienced in the north? Believe it as there are the times when Pha Taem overlooks a beautiful sea of mist along the bordering Mekong river. It is all so white and with all the mountains from the Laos side behind the white mist scenes, the sea of mist at Pha Taem is one of the most beautiful sceneries in the nation.
With all these characteristics, trails in the Pha Taem National Park are highly interesting for real nature lovers. Most of the trails in the park are set along the stone cliffs that border the Mekong river. On both short and long trails, you can see stone areas, flower fields, waterfalls, stone cliffs, naturally and miraculously carved stone shapes, several unique plants, and beautiful sceneries.
It takes more time than you expect to enjoy viewing all the beautiful natural heaven of high cliffs along the Mekong river. Natural beauties exist in every square meter of space and all of them are must-see. It’s a pity to miss one of them. And once you have visited Pha Taem, the old picture of drought Isan may fade away.
Travel tips
From Bangkok, use Highway No.2 towards Isan. There are two main roads to Ubon Ratchathani province.
1. From Nakhon Ratchasima province, use Highway No.2 to Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and finally Ubon Ratchathani.
2. From Khon Kaen province, use the Maha Sarakham-Roi Et-Ubon Ratchathani route.
From Ubon Ratchathani, use the Phibun Mangsahan-Khong Chiam-Pha Taem route. The Pha Taem National Park is about 80 kilometers from downtown Ubon Ratchathani and 20 kilometers from Khong Chiam district.
From Bangkok’s Mor Chit Bus Terminal on Kamphaeng Phet road, take a bus to Ubon Ratchathani. Buses bound for the province leave Bangkok at 7-9pm, and arrive in Ubon Ratchathani in the morning. The fare is over 500 baht (subject to changes).
From the Hua Lamphong Railway Terminus, take a train to Ubon Ratchathani. The train leaves Bangkok at 8.30pm and arrives at 7.30am (or later). Fares range from 650 to 750 baht (subject to changes).
In Ubon Ratchathani, take a bus to Khong Chiam (the Warin Chamrap-Phibun Mangsahan-Khong Chiam bus route). When you arrive in Khong Chiam, take a motorcycle taxi to the Pha Taem National Park (20 kilometers from Khong Chiam district). Otherwise, you can hire a bus from downtown Ubon Ratchathani to the Pha Taem National Park.
The Pha Taem National Park has accommodations, restaurants, electricity, camping grounds and toilets in the radius of 1-3 kilometers from the park headquarters. There are waterfalls, viewpoints, flower fields, and several short trails. If you want to go to the Soi Sawan field, or Nam Tok Thung Na Muang and Nam Tok Long Roo waterfalls which are far away, you should ask park officials to arrange for your transportation.
The travelers who want to beat a long trail that requires overnight camping must contact officials concerned in advance so that they can assign guides.For more details, please contact the Pha Taem National Park at Tel: 045-249-780 and 045-246-332
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Author Resource:-
http://www.iguidebangkok.com A gateway to Bangkok or the “City of Angels”, iguidebangkok.com is an attractive portal website accentuating the outstanding concept “where to go & what to do in Bangkok” with clear guide map.
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2010-02-23 08:24:04
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