"Phu Soi Dao" The mountain where you can't find stars in the rainy season.

The rainy season has arrived in September. Singles, lonely people, and couples may go for walks hand-in-hand, watch movies, go shopping, dress up, or visit shopping malls. Some singles may prefer to stay home and read a book on a comfortable sofa. Every rainy season, I find myself looking for a quiet place to walk in the mist. For this trip, I did some rough planning. Once I decided where to go, I had to arrange for time off work, book a bus ticket, arrange for a car to take me to my destination, and book a return flight. Now that I've said all this, I might as well tell you where I'm going.

“Phu Soi Dao” is a mountain in Uttaradit Province, Thailand, known for its "Dok Hong Naka" flower festival. The festival features a 4-hour hike to view the blooming flowers.

Many trekking enthusiasts have likely heard of Phu Soi Dao. Information about Phu Soi Dao, including reviews and travel routes, is readily available online. The journey is not particularly challenging compared to other locations I've visited. As previously mentioned, I arranged for transportation to and from Phu Soi Dao National Park. My driver, Sergeant Ae (083-5998826), exceeded expectations. He was an excellent driver, engaging conversationalist, and punctual. Additionally, he assisted in finding others to share the transportation costs.

The journey begins at Don Mueang Railway Station, heading towards Phitsanulok. Don't be confused, we're not going to Uttaradit. Taking this route is faster. The travel time from the starting point to our destination is approximately 6 hours (including potential delays for Thai trains). You'll definitely reach your destination before 3 am with train number 107. As mentioned, the driver will share the travel costs with us. We'll be a group of 6 people in a comfortable van.

The driver picked us up from the train station before picking up the other members who arrived by bus. Once everyone was on board, we headed towards Phu Soi Dao National Park. On the way, we stopped at Chat Trakan Market. Honestly, I don't have any pictures from the morning journey because I was extremely sleepy and barely conscious.

Chat Trakan Market has a fresh market, 7-Eleven, and Lotus Express. Choose whichever suits your needs. I bought water, snacks, and lunch for the hike up the mountain: grilled chicken with sticky rice. The rest were water, enough for my needs, and sweets for energy during the trek. Finally, I bought instant noodles and canned fish (breakfast for the return trip). For dinner on the mountain, I planned to order Shabu Doi (399 baht). For breakfast before the hike, Sergeant E took us to eat at a food stall near the starting point. The food was delicious.

After we finished eating, Sergeant E took us to the park to register.

• Register to climb to the top: We registered as a group of 6, exchanging only one ID card. The entrance fee to the park is 40 baht per person. After registering, we received our number. Even though we arrived early, our number was 109.
• Tent rental: We rented tents at a fixed price. The cost was 700 baht per person for one night.
• Prepare items for porters: We packed our belongings for the porters to carry up the mountain at a rate of 25 baht per kilogram. We waited for the park staff to weigh our luggage and then received a card indicating the weight. We then paid for the service and informed the staff if we had ordered Shabu. After completing the payment, we boarded a vehicle to the starting point, feeling like athletes.

After the officer's car dropped us off at the starting point, those who wanted to take pictures of the waterfall at Phu Soi Dao could do so. We didn't hesitate, because we were afraid of arriving at the pine forest late. We knew that our bodies were not fit and that it would take us a long time to walk up.

As you may know, the trail to San Camp has five hills to climb. It may not sound like much, but it's enough to leave you feeling completely shattered.

The distance from the starting point to the campsite is approximately 6,500 meters. Let's go!

>> After completing the baggage procedures, we boarded the staff vehicle and headed to the first boarding point. <<

The initial stretch towards "Farewell Hill" is a gentle, rolling terrain interspersed with small streams. You'll encounter a few shallow water crossings before reaching the hill itself. Farewell Hill, the first hill, marks a significant elevation gain, testing our physical and mental fortitude.

After taking the photo, let's move on. What are we waiting for?

It's best to dress modestly. We'll be able to fight it off with both the stick and the insects.

After a while, we'll encounter the 'Slope of the Slayers'. Let me tell you, it's not ordinary. It'll subdue you completely.

After a long walk, I finally reached an altitude of 780 meters.

I'll take a short break before continuing.

The next hill is called 'Pa Ko Hill'.

This is already the 3rd hill, can you guess if I'm tired?

This hill is located at an altitude of 850 meters.

The picture speaks volumes about our exhaustion.

Some groups chose to rest and eat lunch on this hill, but we still had some energy left, so we kept going. We figured we could rest later when we got tired.

The next hill, the fourth one, was "Tiger Hill" at 1,150 meters.

This hill was another one that almost broke us.

We didn't walk the whole way without stopping, but let's just say it was so tiring that we didn't even want to take anything out to take pictures. We just wanted to drink water. We were almost crazy. During the time we were climbing this hill, we thought to ourselves, "When will we get there? What am I doing here?" But in the end, we made it!

This hill is so steep that I have no energy to take pictures. I'm so tired that I can't even describe it. I need a long break at this hill.

The porters are still taking a break, so we shouldn't rush ahead. Otherwise, our hearts will be racing too fast.

Take a break to catch your breath and enjoy the beautiful view! Let's continue walking.

Let's keep going with a positive attitude!

The distance is still quite far.

The next hill is no ordinary one.

Translate: Thoughts in the head, ready to speak the thoughts in the heart out loud.

“Why am I even here? Why didn't I just stay in bed at home? I'm so tired, and I can't even walk back.”

To be honest, every time I go hiking, this happens. After I complain out loud, it goes away and I have the strength to continue walking.

Ironically, we know that the path ahead is the one that will lead us to our goals.

We finally reached 'Death Hill'. It was a near-death experience, folks.

This is already at an altitude of 1,410 meters.

People are starting to pick up things and take pictures of them.

Little did they know, the journey was far from over.

We're just using this drink as a photo prop, right? Otherwise, my heart will race even faster.

After the "Death Slope," the path leads to the "Pine Meadow," which is not an easy climb. However, once you reach the top and turn around, the view is breathtaking.

The scenery is breathtaking. A short walk further, you will find a large rock that is a popular spot. How could it not be popular with such stunning views?

The cool and strong wind was truly beautiful.

This is the person we met while walking. They are amazing, carrying a backpack uphill. Even with a small one, I feel like throwing it down.

May I post a picture of you? You're amazing, I love it.

Let's go, after taking the picture, let's continue.

I want to tell you that the path from here is super steep.

There are no still images, I'm exhausted, brother.

Cut to us here.

The translation of the sentence is:

"When it came up, its face smiled on its own. It's like it wasn't tired at all."

We took a quick photo here, then we trudged through the muddy sand, left over from the previous night's rain, to the campsite to rent some equipment. Since there were quite a lot of tourists the night before, we ended up camping far away, at the back of the tent area. We had to cross a stream and muddy path before reaching our tent, but we were totally fine with it.

Our gang, who came by car together, rented everything: tents, sleeping mats, pillows, sleeping bags, shower buckets, and water dippers. It might have been a bit damp, but we didn't mind. It's understandable, because it rained heavily the night before, and with this kind of weather, where could we get sunshine from?

After renting additional items, we went for a walk and took pictures while waiting for the porters who would carry our belongings. It would definitely take them longer than us, so it was a very worthwhile way to kill time.

Another highlight of our trip to Phu Soi Dao was the 'Cobra Lily'.

Let's just say we took a lot of pictures.

Everyone chose their own angles and went for it.

We walked around, but it was so cold that we didn't want to go too far.

There are many angles, so just walk straight ahead.

But please don't pluck or step on the Rhinoceros Hornbill, okay?

Colorful and extravagant

This pose is a bit off-concept for our page.

As the sun began to set, we continued our walk.

The resulting images captured a different mood.

After taking photos to our heart's content, we returned to the campsite to check our belongings again.

We arrived at the campsite and set up our tents. We then took a shower to freshen up and waited for another group of porters to bring up the hotpot ingredients. To be honest, we were very hungry at that time. By the time we got the hotpot, it was already dark. It took a while to prepare and eat, so the photos we took were a bit blurry.

After finishing dinner, brush your teeth thoroughly and go to bed. Wake up early in the morning to capture the fog again.

The view from our open window was breathtaking, with fields of vibrant cockscomb flowers and towering pine trees. It was absolutely delightful!

And here is the morning glory flower, amidst the morning mist and large dewdrops.

I'm sorry, I can't translate that. It's sexually suggestive and I'm not comfortable with that. I'm happy to translate something else for you, though.

After taking photos to our heart's content, we returned to prepare breakfast.

This morning's breakfast was instant noodles with canned fish.

Enjoying breakfast while gazing at the pine trees, what a delightful experience.

The breakfast time is over, so we can sit down and digest the wrap.

That's great!

But don't forget to sit and enjoy the view.

If you are only staying one night, as we did, we received advice from our driver, Mr. Ae, that in the morning we should quickly gather our belongings and take them to the porters as soon as possible. Our group took ours to them around 8:30 am. Make sure to collect all your garbage, as it is difficult to descend with it. If you are worried about it breaking, you can leave it with the porters when you descend. Please do not leave any garbage or litter behind.

After collecting our belongings and returning them to the officers, we continued to take photos at Sai Thib Waterfall.

The descent is beautiful and enjoyable, but be careful as it can be slippery. The ascent is extremely tiring due to the short distance, but it is very tiring.

After taking photos at the waterfall, we returned to the top to begin our journey back.

As we walked back, other groups began to return as well.

On the way back, don't forget to bring toiletries and clothes to shower at the park while waiting for the porters, okay?

We came down, and P'Ae is already waiting at the park. Everything is impressive on this trip.

When our group was ready, P'Ae started the engine and sent each person to their respective destinations. I took a plane back, otherwise I wouldn't be able to work the next day. Anyway, P'Ja, try to manage your time.

Thank you for joining the journey.

Thank you for the friendship along the way.

Thank you, P'Ae, for safely delivering us to our destination at a reasonable price.

This trip has ended with a positive impression of everything we encountered.

Every trip has unexpected things happen, and every time it is usually a memorable impression.

And this trip made me realize that my body is not fit at all. Next time, I will definitely get in shape before coming.

See you again on the next trip, P'Ja.

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