Day #2 (21/6/2020)
Distance travelled: 264.8 km
(Happy Father’s Day to all you UK dads!)
Camping in Prachuap Khiri Khan National Park
Overnight our tent was battered by the wind. At one point, during the early hours of the morning, I thought Dimi’s tent’s already torn poles may fail. However, it stood its ground, and we both woke up just after 7am, feeling refreshed after a good sleep. The watermelon we stupidly saved the night before had spoilt and tasted of feet. So with rumbling bellies, we packed everything up and went in search of a café. We settled at a very nice place by the beach in Ban Khlong Wan village, Chaailay Coffee & Chill, and spent there a good few hours. Moving next door, we had our lunch and planned to visit Huai Yang Waterfall straight after there.
Huai Yang Waterfall National Park
Dimi carefully drove us along a dirt road as we neared the waterfall. We passed through fields full of various-sized palm trees, cows, and exotic birds, eventually coming to a stop when our car could continue no further. A curious local with his dog came close to us as we packed our bag and got ourselves ready to walk the few kilometres to the waterfall. He spoke to us in Thai and we replied in English. Then we waved our goodbyes and began on the trail.
A narrow path led us through the national park. We arrived at the waterfall’s position, according to Maps.me, to find no water. Dimi found another point marked on the map so we pressed on, this time climbing steadily up. We fortuitously encountered a Burmese lad who was keen to lead us to the water. He inquired our names and introduced himself as Timmy (I couldn’t help but smile as the image of my Cairn Terrier dog, who shares the same name as our new friend, popped into my head). Timmy shouted ahead at a group of about seven lads, who were resting on the waterfall rocks. They seemed pleasantly surprised upon seeing us trail behind their friend. Each lad had a bulging, homemade-looking, hessian-fabric rucksack. I noticed several of the lads carrying some pretty big knives around their waists. Timmy, in very broken English, explained the Myanmar border was close-by and advised us not to go any nearer as we could end up shot (this part he acted out using his hand as a gun). Soon enough, we watched them gather their bags and take leave, climbing single-file up through the trees, and then disappear out of sight. Dimi thinks they may have been smugglers… Whatever they were, they were friendly. After Dimi took a quick dip, we followed the waterfall further along, and then retraced our steps back to the car, as it was getting late.
Heading to camp at Chum Saeng Waterfall
Again, I found the roads to be very smooth, with lots of bends and painfully slow drivers – We questioned if half the drivers even had a license. The sky bore a magnificent, incandescent hue. We stopped at a service station to grab food from 7/11 (cheese toasties and pork-and-rice premade meals) and sat to eat on the spot while darkness fell. Resuming the way, on a long, uneven-surfaced section with no road markings to divide lanes, the road continuously curved around. I felt like an F1 driver nipping around those bends.
After turning off the main road, we continued along a smaller one for a while, passing by houses with families seated outside, until it came to an end before the waterfall. We had the luxury of a kiosk to shelter us from potential rain. After a ciggie, we went about pitching the tent. Once settled inside, we watched fireflies flittering around the tent until we fell asleep to the sound of trickling water.
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