Standing on the ground, I looked up to the cliff above Phet Pho Thong Cave in Sa Kaeo's Klong Hat district. My trainer and guide, Kosol Thianthong told me that he chose the easiest route for my group to try abseiling. The height is about 10m. It didn't look that high from where we stood.
Our guide, Kosol, learned how to abseil when he was a soldier. He used the skill to guide visitors who want to try the adventurous activity. He can also guide you inside Phet Pho Thong Cave or lead a trekking route to the top of the mountain. The route is quite steep. Sometimes you need to hold on to a rope to pull yourself up. The top of the mountain is a viewpoint from which you can see Sampov Loun district of Cambodia’s Battambang province.
It was my first time rappelling. Kosol led me and my trek group to a forest. About 10 minutes later we reached the top of the cliff. He checked the safety of our equipment and taught us how to hold the rope.
"If you are a right-handed person, use your left hand to loosely hold the rope in front of you. Hold the rope behind your back with your right hand so that you can grip it if you want to stop, and gradually release it when you want to move down," he advised.
His assistant was on the ground holding the end of the rope to ensure our safety. It was amusing to see other people abseiling the cliff. One was too scared to move while another did it perfectly. When it was my turn, I felt my heart beat faster.
Abseiling the cliff above Phet Pho Thong Cave is designed for beginners. It requires your strength only half way, or until you reach the cave mouth. Then you just need to slowly release the rope to let yourself down to the ground.
A field of yellow cosmos against the backdrop of Chakan Mountain is a spot where you can relax or take a selfie with the flowers without an entry fee. The plantation is called Woodhouse. It also has outlets for selling food, snacks, and hot and cold drinks. If you want to see colonies of bats during twilight, be sure to be there 15 minutes before 6pm.
"Feet wide apart. Lean your back more. You will abseil easier when your body is almost in the horizontal position with the cliff like you are walking backward. Move slowly," my trainer told me. "Find a spot on the cliff where you can firmly step on before going down step by step."
I didn't dare to look directly at the ground. I tried to focus on my feet. A few first steps seemed to be easy, but then I slipped. My body swung to the left and hit the rock. The end of the rope was held tight by his assistant to stop me from falling farther. Kosol told me to find a rock I could step on.
"Use your left leg to push yourself up. Do not bend your knees. Release the rope a bit to find where you can stand. Keep your knees straight and feet wider. Good. Lean your back more. Slowly move down," he said.
I also heard my friends cheering. Finally, my feet touched the ground. I was safe and sound. Despite a little wound and bruise on the left side of my back, I felt it was fun and wanted to try it again. "We have another option with a 30m height. This route will lead you to the inner part of the Phet Pho Thong Cave. While you are moving down from the ceiling of the cave, you will feel like you're flying," he said.
Wat Tham Khao Chakan is located on the foothill of Chakan Mountain, where troops of monkeys live. The monkeys are not aggressive. They are quite afraid of people. To reach the viewpoint of the cave, you may need time to negotiate the long set of steps. At the rest area, you will find a sitting monk who is there to bless visitors.
To promote Sa Kaeo as an adventure destination and encourage visitors to spend at least a night in the province, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nakhon Nayok Office recently joined hands with Sa Kaeo Tourism Business Associations to organise its first adventure race in Khao Chakan district. Called the Peak Mountain Duo Ultra Adventure Level 3, participants needed to run for 10km and pass 10 challenges including pulling a tyre, crawling through barbed wire and climbing 3m-high rope. The race attracted about 500 people.
Ban Thabthim Siam 05 is a farmer community located in Klong Hat district. Locals grow organic herbs on a total of 100 rai of land and grow numerous other vegetables for a living. Last year, they launched a community-based tourism project to welcome those who want to learn about their way of life. Bordering Cambodia, the village was once a buffer zone, before Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana introduced a royal project to allocate farmland for locals. The project also taught locals how to grow herbs in organic ways and help them find a market. Today, the community is one of the suppliers to Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital. Visitors to the village will have a chance to take an e-tan — a roofless farm vehicle — ride to tour the village, taste local food or climb Tham Phra Mountain.
Wathanya Kedthaisong started to grow various ornamental portulaca and moss-rose purslanes along the road a few years ago because she likes the bedding plants. The vivid colours of the flowers attract passersby. She expanded the plantation from the road edges to a 3 rai farm and called it Ban Suan Tua Tor. She opened the farm for visitors to walk around without an entrance fee. If you’d like to buy plants, the price is 100 baht per kilo.
Located in Klong Hat district, Suan Kamnan Thep successfully turned 10 rai of farmland that was once used for growing cassava and corn into a tourist attraction. Nowadays, they grow mulberry trees and have a coffee shop to sell fruit juice and brew coffee. You can wander inside the mulberry plantation and pluck ripe purple fruit to taste. The trees are grown without using chemicals.
Going inside Tham Nam Khao Siva in Klong Hat district may take you about one to two hours because you can only move slowly and sometimes need to swim. The total distance of the route is about 700m.
You can find a number of Vietnamese restaurants when you are in Sa Kaeo. The oldest restaurant is Yai Tam. Located on Mit Samphan Road, the owner Yai Tam started selling Vietnamese food in 1954. Another eyecatching one is Amsun, also located on the same road. The restaurant has a trendy look, while Jae Aod restaurant has a local ambience that feels like eating food at home.
Abseiling is one of the outdoor activities you can try while visiting Sa Kaeo, the laid-back province which is well known for the Rong Kluea border market and the gateway to Cambodia's Poipet.
As members of the Ban Khao Lueam Community-based Tourism Club, Kosol and his team introduced the rappelling at Phet Pho Thong Cave in 2008, two years after the cave was opened for visitors.
"We want tourists to have more choices of activities when they visit us," he said, adding that besides visiting the cave and cliff abseiling, visitors can trek to the top of the mountain of Phet Pho Thong Cave to have a view of the neighbouring country.
In addition to the cave, we visited Tham Nam Khao Siva. It is a flooded cave which is also located in Klong Hat district. The cave is named after one of the principal deities of Hinduism, because locals believe that a stone shape inside the cave looks like the face of Shiva.
Before we explored the cave, Chalermchai Khiewnoi, our guide, handed a torch to us to wear on our foreheads. We were required to wear life jackets and rubber shoes. The route is one way in and out and we got wet from our first step. The cave was totally dark. Not knowing what to expect is one gimmick to make the trip fun and adventurous.
The last cave we visited was Tham Thalu in the area of Wat Tham Khao Chakan in Khao Chakan district. The cave is part of the Chakan limestone mountain. To visit the cave, we needed to negotiate almost 300 steps. The cave has a viewpoint that provides a panoramic vista of the surroundings.
Khao Chakan is also a popular stop to see colonies of bats flying out for food after sunset. There are coffee shops in the area where you can sit back and enjoy the show.
Sa Kaeo is only a three-hour drive from Bangkok. It can be an ideal destination for weekenders, families and adventure lovers.
restaurant has a trendy look, while Jae Aod restaurant has a local ambience that feels like eating food at home. Karnjana Karnjanatawe
TRAVEL INFO
- Ban Khao Lueam Community-based Tourism Club in Klong Hat district can arrange outdoor activities in the area of Phet Pho Thong Cave. Service charges for abseiling start at 1,500 baht for five people. Booking is required. Contact Kosol Thianthong at 092-753-4485.
- Tham Nam Khao Siva is operated by Klong Kai Thuean Municipality. Fees for a cave trip are 40 baht for adults and 20 baht for kids. The prices include a guide and safety equipment. Booking is required. Call the municipality at 037-543-031.
- Ban Thabthim Siam 05 can arrange tour packages for visitors starting from a half-day trip to overnight stay. Visit the Facebook page tubtimsayam05 or call Supatcha Pangchanat at 093-108-5685.
- For more information, call the Tourism Authority of Thailand Nakhon Nayok Office who oversee tourism in Sa Kaeo province at 037-312-282 and 037-312-284 or visit tat8.com and facebook/tatnayokfans.
