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Chasing the First Light at Phu Kradueng

DAY 1: 15/12/2560

Our journey to Phu Kradueng began with a bus ride from Mo Chit 2 station at 22:10 PM. We opted for the Sun Bus company, which offered comfortable seats and individual entertainment systems with movies and music. However, headphones were not provided, so we had to bring our own. Since we forgot our headphones and took drowsy motion sickness medication, we decided to sleep through most of the journey. We woke up just as we were approaching the Pha Nok Khao stop.

Day 2: December 16, 2017

5:00 AM: Arrive at the Pha Nok Khao bus stop in Phu Kradueng National Park, Loei Province.

Pha Nok Khao serves as a central hub for various transportation options. Here, you'll find "Jekim's Shop," offering amenities for travelers heading to Phu Kradueng, including breakfast, restrooms, and shower facilities.

Food options:

• Fried egg with rice: 35 baht
• Rice with two curries: 40 baht
• Noodle soup with rice: 50 baht
• Bottled water: 20 baht (approximate prices)

6:30 AM: Board a shared songthaew (pickup truck) for 30 baht per person. Alternatively, you can charter the entire vehicle for 300 baht. Before reaching the park entrance, pay the 40 baht entrance fee per person.

7:00 AM: The park opens. Before ascending Phu Kradueng, pay the 30 baht per day camping fee and rent a tent if needed. Tent rental prices vary depending on size. We rented a tent suitable for 2-3 people for 225 baht. Don't forget to purchase insurance for only 6 baht per person.

Front of the Tourist Service Center Building

While my sister was queuing to handle the matters mentioned above, I went to take care of the luggage that the porter would carry up the mountain (my sister couldn't carry it herself, even carrying herself was difficult, haha). The luggage handling is done at the luggage building, which is building number 4, located behind the park's tourist service center building.

Front of Building 4, Luggage Building

To check your luggage with a porter, you will need a tracking tag attached to your bag. These tags are available for 5 baht each. Please write your name and phone number on the tag. After that, take your bag to the weighmaster. The weighmaster will write the porter's identification number on your tag. You can pay the porter directly after they have carried your luggage to your accommodation.

Missing Him, We Must Go Find Him... Let's Climb the Mountain Together

After we finished setting up our tent, it was time to start our climb. Before we set off, don't forget to use the restroom and freshen up, because the journey ahead is long and arduous.

The following is a translation of the provided text from Thai to English, adhering to the specified guidelines:

The road signs on the way up the mountain are very clear. In fact, there are signs at every major point along the journey, so you don't have to worry about getting lost.

After a short walk from the entrance sign, you will find the official entrance sign. Before entering, don't forget to show your 40 baht entrance fee ticket, which you paid for at the beginning, to the staff. Also, sign your name and entry time.

Park sign before climbing the mountain

The sign shows the distance between each point of the journey. Just seeing the distance from each rest stop makes me feel tired already.

A sign requesting assistance...it's good to be prepared, friends.

Behind the sign, the trail is filled with tree roots, rocks, and sand, with steep inclines at intervals. Please exercise caution when walking.

Along the trekking route, we constantly encountered porters, both ascending and descending. I must say, they are incredibly resilient. The path is challenging, and their loads are heavy, yet they fulfill their duties with remarkable dedication. My deepest respect to them.

Rest stop 1: Pang Gk Ka, 800 meters. The trail has a slight to moderate incline and consists of both dirt paths and stone steps.

Checkpoint 2: Sam Haek (1,000 meters) is a rest stop with numerous restaurants and shops. It's an excellent place to refuel for those who haven't had breakfast.

Energy-boosting snacks - Sponsor, 2 bottles at 25 baht each, and 1 bottle of 0.6 liter plain water at 20 baht.

Rest stop 3, Sam Bon, is 1,700 meters away. The trail is moderately steep and mostly consists of dirt paths covered in a carpet of fallen leaves. Large tree roots both obstruct and assist in climbing the path.

Rest stop 4, Sam Khok Ok, distance 2,140 meters. The trail conditions are almost identical to those of Sam Bon, still easy to walk and offering a full opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and nature. Just seeing the green of the treetops against the blue sky is worth it for us.

The provided text is an empty paragraph containing only a line break. As there is no actual content to translate, I cannot provide a translation in this instance.

Please provide a sentence or phrase that requires translation, and I will be happy to assist you.

The fifth rest stop, Sam Ko Sang, is 2,340 meters away. There are shops and restaurants at this rest stop, but we did not stop here on the way up the mountain. However, on the way down the mountain, we stopped here for lunch.

Food for Energy (Downhill)

• Stir-fried basil with rice: 60 baht per plate (1 plate)
• Omelette: 50 baht per plate (1 plate)
• Soft drink: 30 baht per bottle (1 bottle)
• Mineral water: 20 baht per bottle (1 bottle)

Rest stop 6, Phra Phran Pran, distance 2,480 meters

Rest stop 7, Sam Khok Wa, 2,920 meters away, is a rest stop with shops and a store. This was our lunch break spot with my sister on the way up the mountain. I remember arriving at this rest stop around 10:30 - 11:00 AM. But since my sister and I had breakfast around 5:30 - 6:00 AM, and we were worried that if we walked up the mountain further, we didn't know if the next rest stop would have shops or restaurants, so we decided to have lunch at this rest stop. However, since my sister and I weren't feeling that hungry, we agreed to order one dish of rice and share it.

Energy-Boosting Food Options:

• Stir-fried Basil with Rice: 60 Baht per plate (1 plate)
• Bottled Water: 20 Baht per bottle (1 bottle)
• Ice Cream Bars (Rotating Flavors): 20 Baht for 3 bars (dessert)

The translation of the text is:

Rest stop 8 at Sam Kha Phai, 3,380 meters away. It lives up to its name, there are a lot of bamboo trees here. 555

Checkpoint 9, Sam Kok Don, is located 3,680 meters from the starting point. It is a well-equipped rest stop with shops, restaurants, and clean restrooms.

Rest stop 9, Sam Krae, 4,130 meters. It is recommended to rest here for a long time, eat a full meal, and use the restroom. Because after this point, another 1,300 meters for us is the most brutal.

Energy-boosting snacks:

• Watermelon slices (25 baht per slice)
• Bottled water (20 baht per bottle)

At approximately 1 p.m., we finally conquered the 5,430 meters. We arrived at a place called "After the Pass." The pictures may not do it justice, but it was truly breathtaking, making the exhaustion worthwhile. The map shows several other tourist spots we could visit. However, both my friend and I were eager to rest and lacked the energy to continue. We were a bit disappointed, but we decided to head to our accommodation. From After the Pass, it was about 3 kilometers to the campsite.

The path to the camping area is now paved, making it a comfortable walk, although it is a bit far.

The atmosphere of the tent site is shown in the picture. The building on the right-hand side is the park office. If you do not bring your own bedding, you must contact the office. The staff will ask you how many pillows, blankets, and what size you would like to rent. After that, you will pay and receive a bill. You must keep the bill because the place where you must pick up your pillows, blankets, and mattress is behind this building. You must present the bill to receive your sleeping equipment.

In addition to the park office building, the park is also equipped with sufficient restrooms and toilets. There are also a good number of restaurants to choose from, but as I mentioned before, the prices are higher than normal. For example, a set of pork and vegetables is sold for 500 baht. It is sold in the evening. However, my sister and I arrived at the accommodation around 2:00 pm, and it was already 3:00 pm by the time we finished arranging the bedding. Of course, we were very hungry, so we couldn't wait for the pork and vegetables. So we asked for papaya salad first, before going to pick up our luggage and pay for it. After that, my sister and I rested separately.

Baggage fee - 390 baht (30 baht per kilogram)

Energizing food - Thai papaya salad with salted egg, spicy minced pork salad, pork waterfall, 1.25 liter bottle of soda, 0.6 liter bottle of water, and Japanese crepe for a total of 540 baht (including a set of pork and vegetables).

Day 3: December 17, 2017

4:15 AM: We woke up and washed our faces and brushed our teeth to prepare for watching the sunrise at "Pha Ngern" (Swallow Cliff). To watch the sunrise, we had to be accompanied by a park ranger, as it was not safe to go alone due to the possibility of encountering wild animals, especially elephants. The ranger was scheduled to meet us at 5:00 AM. The distance from our accommodation to Pha Ngern was about 1 kilometer, and it took us about 40 minutes to reach our destination. There, the park rangers also sold hot drinks. (Don't forget to dress warmly! It was very cold, so much so that our hands were numb.)

Food for energy: Hot cocoa, 25 baht per cup.

Other items:

• Soap: "Ngern" brand, 30 baht per bar. (At this point, we really needed a shower! The smell of sweat after a whole day was unbearable, even in the cold weather.)

We were on the Nakae Cliff at almost 7:00 a.m. and then traveled back to our accommodation to prepare for another descent down the mountain (just thinking about it makes my legs hurt 555).

Food for energy - Congee, 60 baht per bowl (mine) and rice with two curries, 60 baht per plate (my sister's). Two bottles of water, 20 baht per bottle, totaling 40 baht.

Souvenirs of various types - 500 baht

After Descending from Phu Kradueng

After collecting our belongings, leaving our luggage with the porters, and returning our sleeping gear to the park, my sister and I set off from our accommodation at 9:00 AM. We reached the bottom of the park around 2:00 PM. (The details of the descent were similar to the ascent, so we won't go into them here.)

Onward to Chiang Khan

Once we had descended from Phu Kradueng, we found a shared taxi (songthaew) in front of the park building. The price was the same as on the way up. The songthaew dropped us off at the Pha Nok Khao viewpoint, as before.

Tickets for the bus to Chiang Khan could be purchased at Pha Nok Khao. The fare was 101 baht per person for a single-decker air-conditioned bus. We boarded the bus around 3:30 PM and arrived at the Chiang Khan station around 6:00 PM. It was almost dark by then. We then took a motorcycle taxi with a covered sidecar (I'm not sure what it's called) for around 40-50 baht per person. Our destination was the hotel we had booked in Chiang Khan, which took about 10-15 minutes to reach.

Hello, Chiang Khan

The hotel we had booked, Pool Swasdi Hotel, was a small, two-story wooden building with no more than five rooms. It was quite peaceful as it wasn't located on the walking street. The decor was charming and had a warm, retro feel. The bedroom was relatively small, suitable for two people. The bathroom was also small but clean and equipped with a hot water heater and toiletries. Overall, it was a good experience, although the wooden floor creaked a bit when we walked.

The cost of the hotel per night was 600 baht (booked through Agoda).

After we finished packing our belongings, we were ready to walk through the walking street. It was around 7:00 PM, which is considered the peak time for people to come out and walk. It was quite crowded, so we had to squeeze through the crowd, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. The traffic flow was smooth.

Food for Energy

• Grilled mushrooms: 2 skewers, 10 baht each
• Khao Piek: 40 baht per bowl
• Jok (ours): 30 baht per bowl (younger sister's)
• Plain water: 2 bottles, 10 baht each (total 20 baht)
• Sausage with glass noodles: 1 skewer, 20 baht each

Various souvenirs, totaling 500 baht as before.

The original text describes a morning routine in Thailand, where the writer wakes up early to participate in a merit-making tradition called "tak bat" (offering food to monks). They mention buying offerings from vendors at a walking street market and spending around 100 baht on the entire ritual.

Here's the translated text:

In the morning, we woke up around 5:00 AM to participate in the merit-making tradition of "tak bat," offering sticky rice to monks. At the walking street market, we purchased offerings from vendors and also encountered people selling goods. We spent approximately 100 baht on the offerings and chanted "Sadhu" (a term expressing reverence) throughout the ritual.

The morning atmosphere was excellent, with high ozone levels and a cool temperature. The area along the Mekong River was particularly pleasant in the morning. Some shops on the walking street were already open, allowing for a bit of shopping.

Energy-Boosting Food - Dim Sum and Congee

For around 250 baht, you can enjoy a delicious and filling meal of dim sum and congee at the restaurant opposite the Poolsawat Hotel. This is a great option for those looking for a quick and affordable energy boost.

After leaving the hotel around 8:00 AM, we traveled to the Nakhon Chai Air Terminal, located near Chiang Khan, to board a bus to Loei Airport. The journey from the hotel to the bus terminal took approximately 15 minutes. We traveled on a motorcycle with a sidecar, similar to our arrival at the hotel. The fare remained the same regardless of distance. The bus fare was 61 baht per person.

This was our solo trip as two siblings. We hope this information is helpful to everyone. Although our search for maple leaves was unsuccessful, we are glad we attempted to achieve our goal. Even though our trip occurred last year, we are just now publishing this review. We believe this timing is still relevant for those planning a trip to Loei Province during the New Year 2023. Happy New Year to everyone!

Estimated cost per person

Total travel expenses per person: 1,335 baht (including bus and flight tickets booked in advance and during promotional periods).

Total food expenses per person: 825 baht (we ate a lot, haha!)

Other fees within Phu Kradueng National Park per person: 500 baht

Hotel cost per person in Chiang Khan: 300 Baht

Average cost of gifts per person: 500 baht (Mostly mine, my sister's contribution was minimal, but included for clarity).

Total cost per person: 3,460 Baht