Ban Rai is a quaint little town in the hills in western Uthai Thani province and this was to be our next location. Named after the owner’s pet, the Owl Yard campsite was a pristinely kept spot, clearly aimed at Bangkok glampers with power sockets at each pitch, trolleys available to cart the gear from their shiny SUVs to the camping spot, and meticulously kept gardens and toilet facilities.
When Thais go camping, it’s all about the food rather than the surroundings, with most of them bringing entire kitchens with them and constantly cooking and eating. We had a pleasant and relaxing evening camping at this spot where, like many private campsites, they have connections with a local restaurant that will deliver food.
Ratchaburi
After another good night’s sleep (the hi-sos are usually quiet and in bed early), we decamped and headed south again, with a four-hour drive taking us to Suan Pheung west of Ratchaburi, our seventh province on this trip.
This mountainous Amphur on the Burmese border is also a bit of a big playground for Bangkokheads, being less than three hours’ drive from the capital. Needless to say, it was uber touristy with fancy resorts, animal parks, and pricey coffee shops for the phalanx of weekend warriors that would invade tomorrow. Being a Thursday, the place was deserted, so we found a campsite near the hot springs, which would be one of our first activities after another week of sleeping on the floor!
The ‘Daddy Camp’ was a picturesque spot on a lake that didn’t appear on Google Maps but it was also one of the noisiest of the trip despite there only being only two other tents there. Some muppet practicing the drums across the lake shattered the evening peace, while the morning’s mist over the lake tranquility was destroyed by hundreds of roosters wandering around the campsite trying to out-screech each other.
Petchaburi
Once the tent had dried out from the moisture of the cool night, where temperatures dropped to 15 degrees, we hit the road again to finish the trip at our regular camping spot on the river in Kaeng Krachan, which was also pleasantly peaceful despite being a Friday.
Previous: Tak and Chong Yen
