Phu Chi Fa

Phu Chifa is located approx. 580 Km north of Bangkok, a few miles from the border with Laos, approx. 1780 meters above sea level. The trip to it is in itself a breathtaking sight. The road stretches around one mountain pass after another, and all the time you see a magnificent scenery that changes from jungle to cultivated fields. If you want to visit Phu Chifa and experience its magnificent scenery, you should also remember to visit the park area towards Laos. Here it is necessary to get up early to get the full experience. We get up at 05, and drive in a pickup or other powerful motor vehicle the last Km up to the park. The site is visited every weekend by a thousand, every day by several hundred. A New Year's Day counts several thousand - as the clip at the bottom of the page from Bangkok Post showed on January 3.

On the cliff that stretches over Laos you look down on a village that is hundreds of feet below you. It's Laos. Welcome to one of the northernmost points in Thailand. The best time for this visit is early in the morning, where you may be lucky to see a sunrise of the very rare. Of course, the inhabitants of the area have long discovered that there are many tourists here, both Thai and foreigners.

The children stand here in the hope of being photographed and maybe serving a couple of baths. It's a poor area, so make sure you have coins and small banknotes with. To you, few hundred bath means nothing, but for these poor mountain farmers there is a difference between life or death. I hear many say that if you do not give them anything at all, they will not be here at all, but take care of their school. Is that what you think, then stay home in your safe house and forget about Phu Chifa!

Access to the area is free, but just remember to have some bath ready for the many children raised from their sheltered bed at 5 in the morning ...

The trip up to the actual viewpoint is not too busy!

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