These massive, fossilized magic ‘mushrooms’ are millions of years old.



Prehistoric cave paintings.

TRAVEL: Mountain of death

By Wanlaya Ruenbotr

24 July 2006

A national park, once cursed, is now a natural wonder at raising spirits with its bizarre sights

Many years ago, before it was made a national park and put on tourist itineraries, local villagers believed that Pha Taem was cursed. They called it the Mountain of Death and they said that whoever visited the area would be eternally damned.

Given the dangerous, high cliffs, unusual rock formations and other geological oddities the park contains, it’s not surprising locals feared the area.

But after a group of lecturers and students from Silpakorn University ventured there and found precious prehistoric paintings, this lush area was transformed from a no-mans land into a popular destination.

In August 1981, the area was designated Thailand’s 74th national park and is now important to the economy of Ubon Ratchathani, as it is one of the province’s many natural wonders.

Covering a vast 212,000 rai and embracing three districts (Khong Jiam, Sri Muang Mai and Pho Sai), Pha Taem National Park can be reached by highways 217, 2222 and 2112 from the center of Ubon Ratchathani. The park lies parallel to the Laos border, which is formed by the Mekong River. It is mountainous, reaching heights of up to 600 meters above sea level, and contains many precipitous cliffs.

The cave paintings may be the main attraction of Pha Taem National Park area, but on the way to the paintings, there are a few other worthwhile stops.

Roughly two kilometers before reaching Pha Taem cliff, the access point for the paintings, you’ll no doubt be inspired to stop and gawk at a group of exotic rocky formations called Sao Chaliang.

These rock formations, which look like giant mushrooms, were sculpted by the hands of nature over millions of years. Mother Nature’s tools? A combination of water, wind and sunlight.

The formations are believed to have evolved over the course of 180 million years, beginning during the Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstone periods.

Near these peculiar “statues,” you can climb up to observe another bewildering sight of nature called Laan Hin Taek, which translated into English means Broken-Rock Ground. This bizarre attraction is an approximately 50-meter long crevice that is about a half-meter wide. If you are not careful, you could fall into that crack and never see the sun again.

Not far from Broken-Rock Ground is Pha Taem cliff, where the park’s office is located. There, in the exhibition room, you can learn something about the park and rest a bit before starting your trek to the ancient paintings.

[Pha Taem cliff as well as Pha Chana Dai cliff, by the way, are the first two spots to receive the morning light in Thailand.]

Pha Taem cliff is the access point for the cave paintings, which are comprised of four groups (Pha Kham, Pha Mon, Pha Mon Noi and Pha Taem) spanning a distance of two kilometers. You can take a guide with you or explore the paintings on your own.

“Ninety-nine percent of visitors quit after the second group of paintings, the most well-preserved ones,” the guide from the Fine Arts Department told me.

She also explained that many thousand years ago this area was under the sea. This hypothesis can be partially proven by the fossils of aquatic animals which can be found in the shale of the area. After the sea level dropped, humans came to settle here. Painting was one of the initial means for them to show their descendants some stories of their lives.

Besides these highlights, there are many other natural attractions to explore in the park. One of them, Saeng Chan or Moonlight Waterfall, has been designated one of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Unseen Thailand attractions.

This unusual site, 41km from the park office, is special due to its unique form – a small brook flows through a hole in a rock and spills out on the other side, creating the waterfall (see picture below left).

One of the national park officers clarifies that the name of this waterfall derives from its appearance. The sun shines through the hole, illuminating both the hole and water, creating the effect of moonlight.

Other attractions include Thung Na Muang waterfall, where you will find a gigantic, braided vine, and Soi Sawan waterfall, whose summit houses colorful wild flowers.

A newly-found spot for visitors in wintertime where you can wade through a sea of fog is Pha Chana Dai cliff. The route there is a challenging trail and can only be accessed by four-wheel drive.

Visiting a national park isn’t always the most popular trip to propose to friends and family, but if you give Pha Taem a try just once, you may find yourself blissfully cursed with a desire to visit again and again.

TRAVEL DETAILS

• The only way to get to Pha Taem National Park is by car. The park is about 80km from Ubon Ratchathani.

• The best time to visit Pha Taem is during or after the end of the rainy season, from late September to January. During this time, waterfalls and streams have been replenished by rains and wild flowers are in full bloom.

• There is still no accommodation available for visitors who wish to stay overnight in the park, but if you bring your own camping equipment, you can set up in a designated area for campers.

• For more information about the national park, visit http://www.dnp.go.th or call 045-249-780 or 045-246-332.

Thai Day

One thing that always amaze about Thailand was the bundle existance of fossil available. A lot of the fossil are still hidden.

I heard some of the fossil such as dinosaur dung, fish bone, stone, and etc was sole around certain market place in Thailand. 8)

I`m surprised, I would have thought that any fossils would have been viewed as some sort of National Treasure and the Government would have kept them.

BTW, bernkly, welcome to the forum.

There is a large fossil area in the NE, Phuweing or something like that, where there has been lots of dinosaur finds, I will try to get more details about the area