Monsoon rain revitalises park Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani houses not only the well-known 180-metre-long pre-historic cliff paintings, but also other hidden treasures in its 212,500 rai of forest and mountainous terrain. Out of the nine major attractions at the park, Soi Sawan Waterfall is where visitors will see flower fields spreading out to cover even vast patches of rocky land. Supasun Wantasuk, an information officer, said the park's flora is in bloom for a period of two months after the rainy season, that is before cold winter winds set in. "Her Majesty the Queen has paid a private visit every year since 1999 to inspect the blossoms," said the officer who toured us around. The ideal time to admire the flowers is from October to November when the sandstone mountain is an amalgamation of purple, yellow, white, red and light pink blooms. There are more than 30 species of flowers in the park. Her Majesty gave Thai names to five of them; Dusita for Utricularia delphinioides, Soi Suwanna for Utricularia bifida, Manee Theva for Eriocaulon smitinandii, Tip Kasorn for Utricularia minutissima and Saratchanthorn for Burmannia coelestris. Supasun walked us to the waterfall, the usual hang out of families travelling with kids. We climbed one rock after another, crossed several creeks and were already feeling the ache in our legs but our minder hadn't even broken a sweat. "I'm used to climbing. Just inhale deeply and keep walking until we reach the top," he said. He usually leads student groups there because not many visitors take the trouble to go that far, which allows them a swim in greater privacy. Soi Sawan derives its name two streams - Sae Soi and Sae Phai that merge to form the waterfall. The layout resembles two strings of a necklace. Soi means necklace in Thai, while Sawan stands for heaven: the locals started calling it Soi Sawan after Her Majesty visited the place. Contents of the waterfall flow into the Khong River. It took us more than two hours to climb to the top of the waterfall where we found that the wild flowers we had come looking for were nowhere, probably still submerged under a layer of water. Noticing the disappointment on our faces, Supasun tried to lift our spirits by offering to take us to another highlight of Pha Taem. "There is this huge vine at another waterfall," he said. The vine blocks path leading to the base of Thung Na Muang Waterfall. It is the size of a human torso but you can't differentiate the head from foot. Its brown colour and shape make it look more like a 100-year log standing in the way of visitors. The Thung Na Muang is a mid-size waterfall flowing off a cliff into a creek below. The scene is befitting of those who fancy practising meditation near a raging waterfall. Our guide then ushered us to another fall that's part of "Unseen Thailand" attractions. It has two names, Saeng Chan and Long Ru, and flows through a hole in the mountain to a pool some ten metres below. "The hole was carved by currents over several years. And it is getting bigger by the day. Water falling through the hole is one of the park's unique features," he said. More INFO Pha Taem National Park is mostly sandstone, part of Phanom Dongrak mountain range. Laos is visible from the park headquarters. Next to it there is a path that forms a loop around the park leading to 3,000-year-old rock paintings arguably the largest single collection of petroglyphs in the world. From Muang District of Ubon Ratchathani drive for 80 kilometres to Khong Chiam District and take the Khong Chiam-Khem Marat Road. Keep going until you reach Nong Phue Noi where the park headquarters is located. The park has bungalows and a place for pitching tents, but visitors should bring their own food. For more information call 045-249-780. |