With the long Songkran holiday approaching, many of you are probably planning to travel upcountry.
There are a lot of choices for holiday-makers wishing to cool down amid the summer heat. But plan your trip carefully, especially if you have children with you.
I haven't yet finalised my plans, but it's likely I will stay in Bangkok to avoid the same week-long exodus I experienced last Songkran.
Last year, I took my family on a camping trip to Chon Buri and we also spent some time in neighbouring Khao Chamao, a 40-minute drive from our site.
Khao Chamao is part of the Khao Chamao-Khao Wong National Park. While it's not as popular as tourist hot spots such as Pattaya, Hua Hin or Chiang Mai, the spot _ well-known for its waterfall _ was packed with visitors.
Some enjoyed a picnic while others went swimming. I must admit, the crowds took away from the fun of it all. It took us 15 minutes to find a table to have lunch.
I noticed that many families prepared their food and drinks ahead of time knowing they would encounter an army of tourists. Everybody seemed to expect a long queue for everything, including food and toilets. Sizeable crowds are typical around the country for any of the major holidays.
What struck me most at the waterfall was the small number of park officers dealing with the crowd. The officers checked all of the tourists before letting them climb up to the waterfall's higher levels to confiscate plastic water bottles and foam food containers. We saw a huge pile of the forbidden plastic near the entrance.
A group of teenagers asked an officer why plastic was forbidden and he politely told them that the park officers had to preserve the waterfall's natural beauty for the next generation.
Plastic bottles, he said, would litter the area and taint its beauty. He said it would take 100 years for the plastic to decompose.
I appreciated his reply greatly, and made a mental note that if that statement was a post on Facebook, I would click "Like" 10 times immediately.
The teens accepted the officer's reason, left their plastic bottles and climbed up the water waterfall. I went up too and noticed that the area was clean and free of litter.
Moreover, there were two or three officers stationed at each level of the waterfall to keep the tourists safe.
I spent 30 minutes there, appreciating the beauty and the fresh air. The place would have been even better if there were fewer tourists.
At around noon I walked down to the picnic area where I ate lunch with my family.
I would say that the Khao Chamao waterfall is cleaner than many of the waterfalls I have visited in the past few years.
The place was equipped with a lot of garbage bins which were emptied promptly when they became full.
My family spent the whole day there and before we left we cleared the table and put our garbage in a nearby bin.
As we drove back we spotted several other big signs prohibiting plastic bottles and foam containers at the park. Many tourists, including me, had not noticed the signs until the park officers performed their duty.
The Khao Chamao officers set a good example for others to take care of our national parks.
I hope to see other tourist spots enact similar measures to protect nature and promote public responsibility.
If we are not serious about this, I'm not sure our children will have a chance to enjoy the country's natural beauty.
Happy Songkran holidays!
Krissana Parnsoonthorn is Deputy Business Editor, Bangkok Post.