"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." - Robin Williams
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| (A chalet on the mountain) |
Day 06: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Route: Khon Kaen to Phu Thap Berk
Distance: 232 km
Hotel: Cute Chalet Phu Thap Berk |
| (A McD restaurant next to Hop Inn) |
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| (Pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast) |
We had breakfast at McDonald's. The breakfast set of pancakes and scrambled eggs was filling. This morning we travelled to the highlands of Phu Thap Berk in Phetchabun Province.  |
| (Cool weather in Khon Kaen) |
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| (Stocking provisions from 7-eleven) |
Phu Thap Berk is the highest point of Phetchabun Mountains. The peak rises 12 km west of Highway 203, between the towns of Loei and Phetchabun. Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park surrounds the mountain. The summit of Phu Thap Berk is at 1,768m elevation. December and January are the coldest months, April the hottest. The villagers of Phu Thap Boek are predominantly Hmong hill tribes people who immigrated from northern Thailand. The mountain has since been overrun by allegedly illegal resorts and restaurants.
Our last trip to Phu Thap Berk was with our KTM in 2018 with three other couples.
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| (Driving towards the higlands) |
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| (Less traffic on the trunk roads) |
We took the Route 12 and made a few rest stops for refuelling and provisions. Phu Thab Berk may not have halal eateries so we bought CP fish burgers, maggi mee, bread and some snacks. From Khon Kaen, we passed two mountain ranges which offered fantastic landscapes, greenery, wild and dense vegetation, valleys, rivers and even wild elephant crossings.
Along the highway there are a few beautiful waterfalls and national parks. We stopped for photo shots at the entrance of Nam Nao National Park.
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| (The entrance of Nam Nao National Park) |
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| (Beware of wild elephants!) |
Around noon we reached the 2nd Police Checkpoint where Route 12 exited the national park. We stopped at a small shop with still operational hand-operated fuel pumps which were still in good condition. This is where we stopped during one of our 4-nation biking trips when one bike was out of petrol and needed to be rescued. We bought eggs from the grocery store next to the fuel pumps.
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| (Trying out the hand-operated petrol pumps) |
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| (Ascending the mountainous road) |
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| (Cute chalets of Phu Thap Berk) |
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| (Beautiful panoramic view of the valley) |
We reached Phu Thap Berk summit around 2.30 pm. The weather was bright and sunny and the temperature was about 18°C. We climbed steep slopes to have some photo shots at the summit. We started looking for a lodging for the night when the weather started to get colder.
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