Travel news - destinations in North East (Isan) Thailand

The monsoon rain infuses new life into Chaiyaphum's national parks and sandstone waterfalls

We didn't know what to expect when we picked Chaiyaphum for our excursion to waterfalls. Most people probably know that Chaiyaphum is a northeastern province but, I suspect, they would be hard pressed to place the small Isan province on the map.

Not only is Chaiyaphum not a popular tourist destination, it is not even on any route that leads to popular tourist places. To get there you have to stray off the beaten path.

Our mission was to visit its sandstone waterfalls and find out what they looked like, how they were different from others around the country, and what kinds of fauna and flora they supported in their midst.

Located less than 400 kilometres from Bangkok, Chaiyaphum is about four to five hours drive from the capital.

Driving through the countryside, we passed fields upon fields of farmland dotted with trees. Little did we suspect that the province would be hiding forests in its embrace. With an area of 12,778 square kilometres, Chaiyaphum is covered with 3,000 square kilometres of verdant forests or about 23% of its area that straddles four national parks. Compare this to its neighbour to the north, Phetchabun, a popular tourist destination, that has an area of 12,668 square kilometres of which 2,456 square kilometres, or 19.4% is forestland. Quite amazing for an Isan province.

Our first destination was Tat Ton (read dtaad dtone) National Park, about 30 kilometres from Chaiyaphum proper, home to Tat Ton Fall, the largest in the province, although comparatively speaking it's still small as far as waterfalls go.

Visitors to waterfalls are often obsessed with size, equating it with beauty _ the bigger, the more beautiful. Even some park people have a similar notion. One park employee even asked us if we wanted to reconsider our choice. ``The waterfalls here are small. They are not as tall and beautiful as those in the North,'' he said.

Large falls admittedly have the power to awe and cast a spell on visitors. But small waterfalls are not necessarily less attractive. As poet Simon Armitage once said, ``beauty is found in the smallest detail''. What Tat Ton and its sister falls lack in stature, they compensate by the material that makes them up _ large pieces of sandstone with dramatic patterns and designs. The sight of them reminded me of the ancient Khmer temple of Angkor Wat, built from huge blocks of sandstone, and one of the wonders of the world.

And the forests that surround them offer life in wonderful detail.

We took a little time looking around the fall that was gushing reddish brown water. The monsoon rain washed off the top soil giving the water its colour.

A park ranger told us that further up on the mountain was a valley with a reservoir around which communities had sprouted.

On a rocky bank near the park's office, workers were busy smoothing out a short bumpy strip along the stream by laying soil. This would probably be covered later with grass or stone slabs. In fact, much of the area around the park office has been landscaped so that it exudes the atmosphere of a well-tended resort, except for cleanliness which didn't seem a priority as litter was strewn all over the place.

We started exploring at a small rock island. Mushrooms that looked like popcorn grew here and there. Near a big rock, a water spider, maengmum tok bet or fishing spider in Thai, stood still on water waiting for its prey.

Then we hit a trail along the fall in a dry evergreen forest. The rainy season had injected new life into the forest. We walked at leisure taking stock of animal and plant life. The first sighting was a cicada hugging a tree, probably taking a break from making the high-pitch noise we always hear in the forest, its brown body blending perfectly with the tree's bark.

A large brown and yellow millipede hid its head in the crack between rocks to make itself invisible to predators. A black caterpillar with yellow cross stripes and red head was hanging under a leave enjoying a meal.

A little further up, two red beetles in a romantic rendezvous atop of a bush tree, a night butterfly making a rare day appearance, and a small insect showing off its fluorescent body.

Species of mushrooms in various colours were seen sprouting from the damp ground, trees of all sizes and shapes were resplendent even under the cloudy sky, and flowers were starting to bloom on a number of bushy trees.

The day was nearing end so we headed back. That evening we pitched our tents at a site that was being re-landscaped. Lodges were also available, a park official at the information desk told us, but we thought why stay cooped up inside a room when we could stay out and admire the sky and stars at night.

Besides, our pockets would be at least 1,200 baht lighter if we stayed in a lodge whereas we only needed to pay 30 baht each to stay at the campground.

It rained that night so we stayed cooped up inside our tents most of the time.

The next day we took off for another fall, about 40 kilometres from Tat Ton, off Route 2159 (Chaiyaphum-Nong Bua Daeng). Pha Iang Waterfall is officially within the jurisdiction of Tat Ton National Park but it is only a few kilometres from another national park, Phu Laen Kha.

``Pha Iang'' means slanting cliff. It is a broad, low-rise cliff over which the water flows. It is smaller than Tat Ton but in some ways it is more majestic. The sandstone here has more dramatic patterns and designs. No aquatic life in the brownish red water was seen, but we did notice a local couple lug along a fishing net and cast it in the pool of water at the base of the waterfall.

We continued on the trail. Here again, life showed up in various, wonderful forms. A lot of hairy black caterpillars that would soon metamorphose into night butterflies inhabited the trees along our path. We had to be careful not to touch or disturb them, afraid they could be poisonous and sting us which could lead to rashes and itching.

At about half way, we came upon a shell of a cicada on a wooden stem under a low bush. I crawled under it with my camera unaware that just inches above my head a green pit viper (Trimeresurus spp.) coiled itself around a branch.

It has been described as the least venomous of the terrestrial snakes. Its bite is rarely fatal, yet causes severe pain that will gradually dissipate over a period of five to six hours but the swelling can last about a week.

Fortunately, I was immersed in taking pictures of the cicada shell and the snake apparently did not see me as a threat. When I later became aware of its presence, I crawled back in to take its picture. The reptile must have just had its meal so it allowed me to get real close.

After what seemed like a long while, it had had enough of me and slithered away.

We spent a few more hours on the trail, taking pictures of plants, insects, mushrooms, and rocks before heading for Phu Laen Kha National Park where we settled for the night.

Our next stop the following day was Sai Thong National Park on Route 225 due west, some 70 kilometres from Chaiyaphum's provincial centre.

Butterfly lovers should find it a heaven as it features a large colony of the genus Papiliondae. These are relatively large butterflies with colourful wings of various designs, including the Common Rose, the Common Mormon, the Paris Peacock, the Yellow and Red Helen, the Common Bluebottle, and the Great Jay. There are other species as well, especially those of the genus Pieridae, which are smaller and have bright colours.

We only had a few hours to explore the trail before heading back home. As we left, dok krachiao or bua sawan in local parlance for Siam tulips (Curcuma) were starting to bloom.

The violet pink flower blanketing the floor is the province's pride the same way that Chiang Rai is proud of its bua tong or Mexican sunflower weed and Lop Buri of its sunflowers that attract hordes of visitors every winter.

Dok krachiao start sprouting from the ground at the beginning of the rainy season. A ceremony to herald the arrival of dok krachiao season was held July 10. The flowers will be there to welcome visitors until the end of August. They can be found at Phu Laen Kha and Pa Hin Ngam national parks.

Now that we have seen it, we will plan differently the next time we think of visiting Chaiyaphum.