Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [407]
Getting There & Away
From Ubon catch one of the three morning buses to the town of Najaluay (60B, 3½ hours). From Najaluay, túk-túk can be hired for about 300B for the 20km return journey to Nam Tok Huai Luang with a short wait.
CHAIYAPHUM PROVINCE
Travelling through Chaiyaphum Province, you’re almost as likely to run into a tiger as a foreign tourist; and this is not a province with lots of tigers. Despite its position at the heart of the country, it’s a remote region and remains something of a mystery, even to Thais. Famous for its fields of flowers (but not a whole lot else), Chaiyaphum has several sights worth a peep, but its primary appeals are the peace and quiet and sense of straying off the beaten track.
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History
In the late 18th century a Lao court official brought 200 Lao from Vientiane to settle this area, which had been abandoned by the Khmers some 500 years earlier. The community paid tribute to Vientiane but also cultivated relations with Bangkok and Champasak. When Prince Anou (from Vientiane) declared war on Siam in the early 19th century, the Lao ruler of Chaiyaphum, Jao Pho Phraya Lae, wisely switched allegiance to Bangkok, knowing that Anou’s armies didn’t stand a chance against the more powerful Siamese. Although Jao Pho Phraya Lae lost his life in battle in 1806, the Siamese eventually sacked Vientiane and ruled most of western Laos until the coming of the French near the end of the 19th century. Today a statue of Jao Pho Phraya Lae (renamed Phraya Phakdi Chumphon by the Thais) stands at the entrance to the capital city.
CHAIYAPHUM
pop 55,500
Chaiyaphum is a bit of a nowhere town. It is a base for visiting the surrounding attractions, all just a short hop outside the city, rather than a destination in itself. Fashionistas should head west to the silk village of Ban Khwao and the outdoorsy should hit the mountains. There are several national parks in the area, of which Tat Ton is the star.
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Information
Bangkok Bank (1st fl, Tesco-Lotus, Th Sanambin; 10am-8pm) The city centre’s only late-opening bank; exchanges cash only.
Pat Pat (0 4483 0037; Th Tantawan; internet per hr 15B; 11am-10pm) Friendly internet cafe and coffee shop. Owner Pan is a good source of information about Chaiyaphum.
Sights
PRANG KU
This Khmer prang, on Th Bannakan just east of the city, was constructed during the reign of the final Angkor king, Jayavarman VII (1181–1219). It was built as a place of worship, at a ‘healing station’ on the Angkor temple route between the Angkor capital in Cambodia and Prasat Singh in Kanchanaburi Province. The Buddha figure inside the ku (small chedi) purportedly hails from the Dvaravati period (6th to 10th centuries). However, the prang is poorly preserved and not much to look at. As this is the top ancient site in the province, it’s not surprising that history buffs don’t flock to Chaiyaphum.
TAMNAK KEOW
Built in 1950 as the governor’s residence and now restored as a museum, Tamnak Keow (Green Hall; 0 4481 1574; Th Burapha; admission free) has ho-hum displays of old mát·mèe cloth and photos from King Rama IX’s 1955 visit. It’s open by appointment only; it’s hardly worth the effort.
Festivals
Chaiyaphum residents celebrate two nine-day festivals yearly in honour of Jao Pho Phraya Lae (see opposite for more on him). The Jao Pho Phraya Lae Fair starts on 12 January, the date of his death, and takes place at sh·lah glahng (provincial hall), near his statue. Activities in late April or early May during the Jao Pho Phraya Lae Elephant Offering Ceremony are focused on a lakeside shrine erected where he was killed, about 3km southwest of the centre off the road to Ban Khwao. Both events feature music and an elephant parade.
Sleeping
Ratanasiri Hotel (no roman-script