Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [329]
Getting Around
Rides on the town’s Darth Vader–like shm·lór start at 60B. Outside the train station there’s a sign indicating túk-túk prices for different destinations around town.
Ordinary city buses cost 8B to 11B and there are several routes, making it easy to get just about anywhere by bus. The main bus stop for city buses is next to the Asia Hotel, on Th Ekathotsarot, and there is a chart describing the various bus routes in English.
Run by the TAT, the Phitsanulok Tour Tramway (PTT) is a quick way to see many sights. The ride takes around 45 minutes, with the first departing at 9am and the last at 3pm. The tram (child/adult 20/30B) leaves from Wat Yai and stops at 15 sights before returning to the same temple.
Budget (0 5530 1020; www.budget.co.th) and Avis (0 5524 2060; www.avisthailand.com) have car-rental offices at the airport. They charge from 1350B per day.
PHU HIN RONG KLA NATIONAL PARK
Between 1967 and 1982, the mountain that is known as Phu Hin Rong Kla served as the strategic headquarters for the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) and its tactical arm, the People’s Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT). The remote, easily defended summit was perfect for an insurgent army. China’s Yunnan Province is only 300km away and it was here that CPT cadres received their training in revolutionary tactics. (This was until the 1979 split between the Chinese and Vietnamese communists, when the CPT sided with Vietnam.)
For nearly 20 years the area around Phu Hin Rong Kla served as a battlefield for Thai troops and the communists. In 1972 the Thai government launched an unsuccessful major offensive against the PLAT. The CPT camp at Phu Hin Rong Kla became especially active after the Thai military killed hundreds of students in Bangkok during the October 1976 student-worker uprising. Many students subsequently fled here to join the CPT, setting up a hospital and a school of political and military tactics. By 1978 the PLAT ranks here had swelled to 4000. In 1980 and 1981 the Thai armed forces tried again and were able to recapture some parts of CPT territory. But the decisive blow to the CPT came in 1982, when the government declared an amnesty for all the students who had joined the communists after 1976. The departure of most of the students broke the spine of the movement, which had become dependent on their membership. A final military push in late 1982 resulted in the surrender of the PLAT, and Phu Hin Rong Kla was declared a national park in 1984.
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Orientation & Information
The park (0 5523 3527; admission 200B; 8.30am-5pm) covers about 307 sq km of rugged mountains and forest, much of it covered by rocks and wildflowers. The elevation at park headquarters is about 1000m, so the area is refreshingly cool even in the hot season. The main attractions don’t tend to stray too far from the main road through the park and include the remains of the CPT stronghold – a rustic meeting hall, the school of political and military tactics – and the CPT administration building. Across the road from the school is a water wheel designed by exiled engineering students.
Sights & Activities
A 1km trail leads to Pha Chu Thong (Flag Raising Cliff, sometimes called Red Flag Cliff), where the communists would raise the red flag to announce a military victory. Also in this area is an air-raid shelter, a lookout and the remains of the main CPT headquarters – the most inaccessible point in the territory before a road was constructed by the Thai government. The buildings in the