To mark the start of the Year of the Dragon, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is kicking off a series of day trips from Bangkok to the Pa Sak Jolasid Dam in the ancient town of Lop Buri this Saturday and Sunday, as well as Jan 13-14. Featuring popular tourist attractions, itineraries include enjoyable farm tours and opportunities for people of all ages to learn about history.
For the 1,499 baht ticket, passengers must register at 5.30am on platforms 4 and 5 of Hua Lamphong station and breakfast is served on the refurbished KIHA 183 train, which leaves Bangkok at 6.25am.
The train arrives in Saraburi at 9.10am and visitors have 25 minutes to explore Pha Sadet, where King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri visited in 1895 to preside over the inauguration ceremony of the historic railway route between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.
After 20 minutes of travel, the train arrives at Muak Lek station, where passengers board a bus to continue their journey to Big Tae Garden. It encompasses more than 100 rai and showcases more than 30 varieties of multicoloured chrysanthemum in full bloom.
The next stop is Sap Prayoon Farm in Lop Buri's Phatthana Nikhom district. Established in 2019, it is the brainchild of new-wave farmer Naraphon Boonkhayai and marketing expert Phongsathorn Sangchaipaisan, who thinks outside the box by breeding decorative plants rather than field crops.
Occupying 16 rai, the farm is designed to be a shady fern garden and open playground where people of all ages can come and hang out. Children can play with a family of fluffy bunnies and take photos with colourful macaws, while parents can shop for a variety of ferns such as sword and fishtail as well as other plants, starting at 70 baht. The cafe/restaurant also offers a wide range of easy-to-eat dishes, coffee and herbal drinks, with favourite healthy pastries prepared by local villagers.
Not far away, Ban Kluay Lae Khai (Banana and Egg) Cafe is promoting itself as a learning centre for local farmers and families interested in mixed farming. It belongs to logistics entrepreneur Srisak Lilawitmongkol, who wants to live a pleasant retirement amid nature.
Spread over 25 rai, it looks bountiful with plantations of banana, mango, sapodilla and custard apples, while the massive sunflower field serves as a picturesque backdrop for selfies. Kids can have fun feeding calves, rabbits, piglets and sheep, while parents can shop at a mini-mart for fresh agricultural produce and healthy snacks made from the farm's fruits such as sun-dried banana and banana chips.
Visitors return to the train at the end of the sightseeing tour and stop at five different sites to get the best photos of the Sun reflecting off the waters of Pa Sak Jolasid Dam. The train departs the dam around 5.05pm and arrives at Hua Lamphong at 8.20pm.
For more details, call the SRT hotline 1690 or visit dticket.railway.co.th.
