June 22,

Happy Birthday to Three of our Nephews!

We were around by 0700. Jeff said he awoke at 04ish but was able to go back to sleep… until a dream woke him for good around 0530. We readied and started the packing scene. Jeff went and got us those lovely cinnamon rolls from the bakery while we had our Javas. We finished breakfast and the packing, finally leaving at 10:30. We texted our host to verify we were out by 1100, our checkout time. Jeff set up Google Maps to get us around including some stops. It will only be around 86 miles.

Our first stop was Kiew Lom Viewpoint, also known as The Sea of Mist. The views were on a ridge at a mountain pass. On one side was a visible valley ringed by mountains, but the other was all misty as the signage implies and leaving the vista to your imagination. It was cool to see the differences.

Now we just drove going to our second stop. We still had gorgeous forest views, grand looming mountains, and sweeping valleys. Jeff was enjoying himself driving on the seriously, windy, curvaceous roads. There were some construction places on the roads due mostly from where a whole lane simply gave way in a landslide! We saw our first Mongoose running across the road and a couple of small lizards doing the same.

We finally came to the second stop – Nam Lod Cave. We parked and paid an entrance fee for Jeff and I, and for our Yaris to be parked – this was 300 THB ($9.15). Then we bought some fish food for 50 THB ($1.53). We were assigned a guide, as it is required. Her name was Nam, and I found her very considerate. She carried a Coleman lantern as all the guides do. I could smell the kerosene and it brought back camping memories from my youth.🤔 As we walked to the cave we were along a stream and there was a herd of cows moving along the stream from one pasture to another. They were all wearing bells.

Finally at the entrance we saw many birds circling about. Nam called them No An(?). Then just inside the entrance were the fish! I mean A LOT, and they were huge! We fed them the baggies of food we had bought as have many others, hence their size. We followed Nam around in the cave. The main formations in the cave were massive, tall columns. Nam said one we saw was 21 m tall, and then she said the ceiling was 30 m high at some places. So that would mean some columns were 30 m as well (just over 98 feet tall). She also pointed out some shaped formations like an elephant, a turtle, a monkey and even a UFO. She found and pointed out a spider – that was a bit too big and gnarly for me. The cave path looped back out and we tipped Nam 20 THB (only 61 cents, but we surprised her). We had a mango smoothie and a Magnum ice cream bar from a vendor and then left.

We were driving to our next destination when we witnessed the aftermath of two full size pick-up trucks that had crashed into each other. One was being loaded up onto a flatbed truck as we passed. Amazingly this was probably the worst accident I recall seeing in Thailand.

Around 1430 we arrived Pha Sua Waterfall, in the Namtok Pha Suea-Tham Pla National Park. We paid 100 THB each ($3.05), but we weren’t charged for our car! And BONUS we could go to another spot on this ticket!! It was a short easy paved walk to a viewpoint. But, oh my! What a waterfall!! It was going gangbusters and full of power! We did our pics and went back to our car. We backtracked a bit to the other place our ticket let us go. Jeff remembered the name of it, from 14 years ago! It was called the Fish Cave. It was… well, more fish and the fish were swimming in hole in the rock, “a cave”… for them. So I guess fish cave is accurate. I was underwhelmed and glad I didn’t remember it from before. The fish were large and are a type of Carp.

Anyway, moving on. We found and went to the King’s Summer Palace. I do remember we tried to go here 14 years ago, but our scooter was not able to do the steep climb up to the grounds. Our Yaris was barely able to do it! But we made it, and it was free entry. Sadly, the grounds seem mildly neglected, and there is not a palace. It is about the grounds. We explored a bit, but all the signs were only in Thai. So we left.

By 1600, we arrived in Ban Rak Thai and got checked into our accommodation for tonight, Chasa Rak Thai Resort. The place sits on a hillside tea plantation, overlooking the small village and its lake, Mae Sa-nga. It is very picturesque. We unloaded and went down to the lake. We walked around it and found a free wine tasting of Thai local (non-grape) wine. We tried three kinds: a gooseberry, a dry plum, and a peach. We actually bought a bottle of peach wine, surprised us both. Then we found a supper place, Ban Din Cafe. We had Fried Sun-dried Pork, Fried Mushrooms “With” Sour, Rice, and French fries. Jeff had a beer; I had strawberry tea. It was great food. We did not really have lunch. The bill was 590 THB gave 600, which was $18.31.

Finished we went back to our place. We did a video WhatsApp with my mom and then later Zoomed with our church family back home