Tryst with Tak Tak is the hottest province in the North despite the fact that 70 percent of its landmass has dense forest cover. The province boasts of the most beautiful and largest waterfall in Thailand, the Thi Lo Su, located in Umphang district through which cuts one of the country's most challenging highways famous for its 1,219 sharp curves. The longest tree fossil in the world is in Ban Tak District and the Bhumibol Dam in Sam Ngo is the tallest in Thailand. Tak also has a large cache of culture and history for visitors to explore. Two thousand years ago Tak was predominantly a Mon community whose residents migrated from what is now Myanmar that lies to its west. During 14 AD it served as capital of various rulers whose powers stretched to the Andaman Sea Tak was not heard of again until the Sukhothai period. It was a gateway for King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai to move his troops to fight Burma and other regions in the North. The king rode an elephant to battle here. Later, during the Ayutthaya period Tak was the again the gateway and the scene of several battles - such as during the reigns of King Naresuan and King Narai - between Ayutthaya and Burma. King Taksin is also believed to have spent some time in Tak. During the Rattanakosin period things changed, especially after the British colonised Burma. Cross-boder trade flourished and various ethnic groups settled down in Tak and other provinces along the Thai-Burmese border. Because of its terrain, Tak has a contrasting weather pattern. The province is full of high mountains such as the Thanon Thongchai which at some points is more than 2,000 metres tall. Stretching 880 kilometres from Mae Hong Son to Kanchanaburi, the mountain range divide the province into green and dry zones. The mountain traps southwesterly monsoon clouds. As a result the greener side is in its west that comprises five districts, including Umphang, while the east side covering four districts such as Sam Ngao and Ban Tak are dry and hot. Ban Tak is the hottest place in Tak. Bhumibol Dam One of the more popular summer activities is a cruise on Ping River. Start at Bhumibol Dam in Sam Ngao and go all the way to Doi Tao in Chiang Mai, a distance of 140 kilometres, and spend the night in a raft house. The scenery along either banks is green and relaxing. "It's cool and pleasant," said a visitor from Rayong. But if time is a constraint, a short boat ride to Phra Phutthabat Khaonam, a temple in the artificial reservoir created by the dam, is good enough. Some six kilometres from the shore, a round-trip there takes around two hours. The temple atop an isle offers visitors a great view of the dam. The dam, an initiative of former prime minister Field Marshal Pibul Songkram, was built in 1957 at a cost of three billion baht. It is 468 metres long and 154 metres high. Built primarily for irrigation purposes, its main source of income is electricity, its eight turbines capable of generating 730 megawatts annually. The dam is the tallest in Thailand and ranks eighth among the world's largest curve-shaped dams. World's longest tree fossil Driving back from the dam on Highway 1, there is a notable spot in Ban Tak. In 2003 a team of archaeologists using satellite mapping were able to track down some 50 fossils of trees spread over a 35-square-kilometre area. Since then the Forestry Department has declared it a protected zone and named it the "Petrified Wood Forest Park". Some specimen already dug up are on display for visitors. According to a park officer, one specimen is the world's longest fossil tree. It is 72.2 metres long and has a diameter of 1.8 metres, the second largest in the world after the one found in Arizona, the US. "The sample found in Arizona is the world's largest and has the most colourful concentration of petrified wood. Its is two metres in diameter. We are second largest, but in term of length we are number one," said a park officer. The mineralised log is a specimen of what in Thailand is known as the Makha tree. It is a member of the Caesalpiniaceae family and the fossil in question is 800,000 to one million years old. The colouration and petrification have a lot to do with sediments in the Ping as the area where it was found is believed to be original path of the river before it changed course. Volcanic lava, ash and materials washed down by flooding played their part in petrification. The log lay buried deep under water. It was devoid of oxygen which prevented decay. Traces of silica infiltrated the log through a complex chemical process turning it into a fossil. Some fossils are more beautiful than others. That depends on the contents, that is the types of minerals they contain. Oxides of iron give out yellow, rusty and red glint, while magnesium-based fossils radiate blue, black and purple hues. There are many places in the North and Northeast where one can watch wood fossils but if you want to admire and touch the world's longest specimen, it's got to be Ban Tak for it has already drawn 200,000 visitors since it opened to public two years ago. Teak ordination halls and herbal sauna In ancient times Tak people built their houses and temples with teak. The best place to see old houses is in Trok Ban Chin, a lane of early Chinese immigrants. It used to be a lively community with shops selling grocery, books, clothes and tableware but these days it is eerily quiet and only a couple of old houses are still standing, barely. One of them looks as if no one has lived in it for a long time. Its roof is almost non-existent, doors in a state disrepair and the house, which leans to one side, is itself covered with weeds. There is a ladder that connects to rooms upstairs. But it does have an occupant, an 80-year-old woman, whose children left long ago to work in the city. Weak, old and now on her own, she has built a small concrete house next to the teak structure. "I can't climb the ladder anymore. My eyes are not good," she said. Opposite Trok Ban Chin is a unique ordination hall made of teak wood at Wat Photharam on Thesaban 6 Road. The hall is still in a good condition although it is more than 100 years old. Another temple, Wat Botmanee Siboonruang, on Jarot Withithong Road is 150 years old whose ordination hall is adorned with paintings on teak walls. They tell the story of Phrawessandon, the last incarnation of Lord Buddha. The paintings are still clear and full of details, though it must be said that some parts are fading and in urgent need of restoration. If your legs are weary, visit the nearby Wat Manee Banphotvihan for foot or body massage. The service is available everyday. The fee is a nominal 40 baht for foot massage lasting 30 minutes, and 80 baht for hour-long body massage. It also offers herbal sauna for a fee of 30 baht, perhaps the cheapest anywhere, and herbal body massage for which the charge is 20 baht for a 15-minute treatment. The masseurs are trained professionals certified by the Public Health Ministry. We saw people queueing up for their service and decided to go for it. It was indeed an inspired choice. We came out relaxed and smiling ready to leave the city on a high. |