Pathomphon - Khao Fa Chi

Hot? Get out of the air-conditioned building and get your vehicle ready for a long trip down south. Today's route in Ranong, a province blessed with lush forests and waterfalls, will help you beat the heat!

Our starting point is the Pathomphon Intersection near Chumphon. There're several gas stations and restaurants in this area so it's not a bad idea to have your tank and stomach filled up here.

From the intersection, follow Highway 4 westward. After about 25 kilometres along the winding road, you'll see standing on a small hill on the left-hand side a big rock that bears the initials of King Chulalongkorn who visited this area over a hundred years ago. The rock is like an entrance to Ranong Province.

Just three and a half kilometres from the rock, you'll see a minor road to Chumsaeng Waterfall on the left-hand side. Twelve kilometres from that point, stop the car and try some of Ban Thab Lee's famous salapaos. If you don't want to eat the buns at the roadside stalls where you bought them, drive three kilometres further and savour them at the viewpoint on the bank of the Kra Buri River overlooking Burma on the other side of the watercourse.

From the viewpoint, Bok Krai Waterfall is 11.5 kilometres down Highway 4. Between Bok Krai and Phra Khayang Cave, which is about 5.6 kilometres apart, you'll see a number of signs telling you to follow a side road to Huai Niang and Huai Yai waterfalls. Don't waste your time. There're no waterfalls at Huai Niang, admitted villagers, adding that the signs were wrong. As for Huai Yai, it can't be reached until construction of a bridge is completed.

Eleven kilometres from Phra Khayang Cave, you'll see a 2.5-kilometre-long minor road that leads to a small waterfall called Namtok Suwansiri. From that point Khao Fa Chi is just five kilometres away.
Bangkok Post September 2005 www.bangkokpost.com