The second leg of the journey takes us up to the huge reservoir created by the damming of the Pa Sak River, a project, completed in 1999, that resulted is the biggest lake in Thailand. It's history seems interesting; as with many 'big picture' projects in Thailand the idea of damming this powerful and untamed river, which starts some 500 km further north before flowing lazily through the fertile plains of the Lopburi and Saraburi provinces, came from a proposal from His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Pa Sak River is a tributary to the Chao Phraya River, joining it slightly further on at Ayutthaya, and during the monsoon season when the water head builds up, uncontrolled surges were apparently the source of much flooding in Bangkok, although conversely on a bad year it would dry to a trickle and farmers in the region, which depended on the river for their livelihoods, would see their crops fail. The King saw the building of a dam as a solution to manage the erratic water supply in the region and alleviate the flooding problems in Bangkok, promoting environmental management and responsibility, creating a steady supply of water all year round for irrigation and creating a new local ecosystem which would allow fishing to flourish. Anyway, after much hands-on involvement in the proposals, in early 1989 the King gave the green light to the Pa Sak River Basin Development Project and ten years, later the Pa Sak Jolasid Dam, which can hold up to 960 million cubic meters of water, and with royal seal of approval for the name, was in operation.
The train takes us through Pa Sak Jolasid Dam station from where the railway line snakes north, but rather than running on the land it snakes across the water on long sections of bridges, briefly cutting onto solid land as it crosses the many jutting headlands. After a couple of kilometers the train pulls up in the middle of one of these long sections and everyone scrambles out to take photos in this interesting setting, a photo op that one would be unlikely to be offered on a train trip in the West. The waters of the reservoir lap under the narrow bridge which is just a single track, while the sun relentlessly beats down. After climbing back on board, the train continues another kilometer or so to the station of Khok Salung where the locomotive is uncoupled and moved round to the other end so we can return the way we came.
Back down the lake to Pa Sak Jolasid Dam Station once more and the final break of the day lets everyone explore this area, which has become a key recreational spot. There is food stall after food stall and giant car parks to cater for the mass of Sunday afternoon leisure seekers. The top of the dam has been turned into a recreational park with a tall observation tower, from which I am told the view over the surrounding area is excellent at night, a museum that traces the history of the dam building project and the surrounding area, and attractions dotted down to the water's edge. Schools of fish snap up food that is thrown to them while there are various amusements for children. Small road trains haul visitors across the dam, and these incessantly pass by and are all packed out. The lack of time prevents anything more than drinking in a quick snapshot of the scene, going down to the where the water laps the banks, and seeing the vast lake rolling out as far as the eye can see.
Soon its back onto the train for the last leg of the journey, retracing our steps back to Bangkok and our final destination in the cavernous Hua Lamphong station. The journey goes smoothly, aided by the sight of a glorious deep red sunset, and by early evening we chug back into the terminus station. It's been a very pleasant day out and a word must be mentioned for the staff on the trip (numbering at least one to every coach) who have been pleasant and helpful.
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Giant Perch @ Ayutthayaby nopiero3,917 views
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