The Wonders of Phetchabun 🇹🇭 Thailand’s Stunning Masterpiece

The Wonders of Phetchabun 🇹🇭 Thailand’s Stunning Masterpiece

Hello everybody and welcome back. Welcome to the 
beautiful Petchabun, one of my favorite provinces and I’m so thrilled to be back here for the next 
3 days as we explore Khao Khor. We’re going to stay at two separate parts of Khao Khor in two different 
accommodations at two different price points. Tonight’s going to be a bit more expensive and 
then tomorrow I haven’t actually booked anything,   but I’m hoping to find something a little bit 
more budget friendly. One thing’s for sure, however, because we’re here in Petchabun, it’s going 
to be so beautiful wherever we stay. I’m just on my way up to Khao Khor now. Check out the health and 
safety from the guys ahead of me. Okay, thank you. [Music]   Just saw this little cafe/ viewpoint. Looks 
really nice. I’ll show you in a second. Got myself a nice little lemon iced tea. Let’s 
just see what happens. Let’s just go out   on the bike. Let’s just explore. It’s such a 
beautiful part of the world. We can’t go wrong. The weather today was hot and humid, and I 
could sense a storm brewing in the sky. So, I thought it would be best to explore some of 
this area before I checked into my hotel. Luckily, this area is actually quite compact, and there’s 
lots of attractions all grouped close together. Okay, me and Zelda barely made it up here. It was 
quite steep. So, we’ll just let her relax a little bit cuz that was tricky. That was not easy. And 
there’s a weapons museum and a war memorial. So, let’s go in. I have been here before, but it’s 
nice to revisit places. And it’s just as clean and neat and tidy as I remember from last time. 
They’ve really done a great job of landscaping. I mean, just look at the state of the road as well. 
Like the reason why it was a struggle was my bike   is underpowered and overpacked. So, it’s not the 
road’s fault. The road is immaculate. I mean, this is rural Thailand. I’ve been saying 
this for years, but the roads in Thailand   are just always a joy to drive, especially 
when you’re riding a motorcycle. [Music] I don’t trust it. Just down the road 
is the weapons museum. Guess how much a ticket was. 10 Bart. 10 Bart. 
Can you believe it? Cover my cap. Wow. Looks like impact from a missile or a rocket. Once an active air defense base, today it’s filled 
with relics of a Cold War era. Old artillery, old helicopters, and even some tanks that 
were actually used in the battles. Wow. Wa. [Music] So cool to be able to see these relics 
of an old war, an old skirmish. And I just can’t get over how beautiful the 
grounds are. Let’s have a look in here. Oh, you can see people leave coins inside. [Music] So cool. This is cool, man. This is really cool. [Music] What? It’s also home to this beautiful sacrifice 
memorial. It’s a striking marble monument that was built in 1983 to honor the civilians, soldiers, 
and the police who all lost their lives fighting against the communist insurgents. There must 
have been a battle here. Looks like they were entrenched. It’s good location. You’re up high. 
You got a great vantage. I mean, back in the 60s and the ‘7s, you know, everything you could 
have as your advantage, you would try to hold, right? Together, the Weapons Museum and the 
memorial offer a glimpse into a turbulent   chapter of Thai history. and set against the 
beautiful KCO misty mountains. It’s definitely worth a visit. Super far in the distance is 
one of the highlights of Petraun Koro region,   but it’s far far away. We’ll go check 
that out in the afternoon. Right, let’s get down into the valley and find 
our accommodation. My apps are telling me   the storm is headed my way. Although, I don’t 
exactly need an app to tell me that. I just need to look up into the sky or just listen 
out for the rumble of the thunder closing in. It feels like there is just so much rain in 
every direction. I look in that direction,   I see dark clouds. I hear distant thunder rumbling 
away. All around me, it’s coming up to check-in time. My accommodation is in the valley somewhere, 
not far from here. I think we should probably make our way there before we get soaked cuz it seems 
to be thundering and lightning everywhere. Also, the insects up here are crazy. It’s so loud and so 
noisy and so different sounding. That’s an insect. Crazy. [Music] I don’t know how we stay dry, but this is my 
accommodation. It looks really interesting. So, let’s check in. I do have a rain 
jacket and a rain coat this time. Let’s see if we can check in. Anybody 
here? Let’s ring the magic bell. Oh, uh, chicken. Okay, so it 
was 2,450 B for one night, including breakfast. Quite expensive, 
but I think it could be quite nice. So, we’re going to follow the guy to our room. 
Basically, I think I’ve rented a a little cottage. My god, that storm is literally 
minutes away, seconds away. And I think this is us. Oh my goodness. So, 
look, this is all for me. This is a wooden cabin. I mean, if this was Switzerland, 
this would be €300, €500 a night. All right. Welcome drink. Okay. Free. Okay. 
Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you very much. Lovely guy. Lovely guy. He’s the gardener 
and he’ll be busy cuz this place is huge. So upstairs looks like there is a kids room. Looks 
like dead bodies. Uh two beds and a hangout area and another two beds. So you could sleep one two 
three four and yeah two in the master and it has air con. It’s rustic. It’s beautiful. It’s a bit 
overkill for me, but I do like to show you guys other options because some of you watching this 
might not be on a motorbike, right? You might   be in a car with your wife, with your kids, with 
your family, with your friends. And if you come up to Petra and you might be like, “Oh, we can stay 
here. Yes, it’s 2,450 B a night, but we can split it between four people or six people.” Literally, 
the rain’s about to begin. So, actually,   what I want to do is just go for a little walk 
around. Let me see what that free drink was. Ginger beer. Okay, down here we’ve got a little 
living space and a TV. Lights. It’s going to be really nice and cozy in here. Just got to 
make sure that I close these mosquito doors. I think on the images for the website, 
this was blue, not brown, but you know, rainy season. And look, all the little 
cabins have their own little atmosphere. This one looks like it’s being renovated. 
Let’s have a look. Let’s be nosy. Yes. Looks like they’re stripping the paint 
and giving it a new varnish. I’m keeping   my eyes peeled for giant snakes as well. 
Can you hear that? Big thunder, big storm. That is scary. That’s close. You can probably tell why I was paranoid about 
the mosquito doors and windows. All of this water, all of this uh area here is going to be mosquito 
paradise, especially before or just after a storm. Okay, plan of attack is I’m going to go back to my 
wooden cabin and just see out this storm and then maybe get a little bit of lunch and we’ll see how 
long it lasts because could be a could be an hour, could be 10 minutes. I don’t know how long this 
storm is going to last, but uh I’m going to take   this time to just relax in the cabin, have a bit 
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website. As the first few drops of rain come, I’m going to go back in and uh enjoy the 
storm from the safety of the cabin. [Music] I got a bit of work done and it was just nice 
to be cozy inside the cabin. And to be fair, this couldn’t be a better place 
to wait out and admire nature. I forgot to get lunch and now it’s really 
coming down. I think we might be going hungry. [Music] Around 5:00 p.m. the storm had faded and I 
was hungry. I also wanted to show you one of Thailand’s most magical places and somewhere 
you have to visit if you come to Kore. [Music]
[Music] It’s been so long since I’ve been here and I was 
a bit worried that the sunset wasn’t really going to happen, but the rain just stopped enough and I 
thought, let me just go for a drive and see what   happens. And I was right. So, we’re not going to 
get a good sunset because the storm has passed that way and it’s going to block the sunset. 
But it has left behind a lot of low pressure,   a lot of clag and cloud and fog. So it’ll just 
add to a bit more of a dramatic backdrop to one of the most dramatic looking temples ever 
constructed. Not just here in Thailand, but in the world. And if you’re ever in Petraun, 
you have to come visit this temple because it’s two for one. Let me show you. I’ve never seen 
it this quiet. This is brilliant. I think it’s   cuz it’s a Friday and I think it’s cuz 
it’s just been raining all afternoon, right? Not many people have braved coming up here. 
So There’s the five headed statue. Absolutely incredible. And the grounds inside there are 
beautiful. And then over here you’ve got the mosaic temple. They have all these beautiful 
orbs over this temple. Sometimes they’re in the water. Sometimes they’re here representing 
different planets and things. To be honest, I just like looking at it. Doesn’t matter 
if you go in or out. It’s free to go in. They don’t charge anything which is incredible if 
you think about how beautiful it is. And it’s got   the most incredible spot on this hill in Kore. I 
mean just look at the view. It really is something to behold. Is it? Yeah. 1 2 3 4 five Buddhas sat 
behind each other. The tallest, the biggest with a golden crown. It is starting to show a little bit 
of wear and tear. It’s been here for a while now, so it’s not as immaculately white. There 
is a bit of white paint chipping off. So,   it does need a refurbishment. And the star of 
the show really is the mosaic temple. Like, that is incredible. Obviously, don’t get me wrong, 
but there’s this golden beautiful mosaic temple. And I was just so blown away last time I went in 
there. And it was sunset and it was so beautiful. The sun was kissing this the the gold leaf. It was 
kissing all the sparkle in the mosaic. And it blew my mind. And I came back here two or three more 
times over the years with friends, with family, because whenever I’m showing people around 
Thailand and they want to see things outside   of Bangkok, I take them here because there’s 
mountains, there’s these beautiful temples, and then there’s another place tomorrow which I’ll 
show you. It’s just it’s just beautiful. [Music] This striking statue features five seated Buddhas, 
each stacked one in front of the other. Together, they actually symbolize different stages 
of the Buddha’s life and his path to   enlightenment. The beautiful gleaming 
white design set against the colorful mosaic tiles of the nearby temple make it 
one of the most iconic sites in Thailand. [Music]   Not a bad view for a pack dinner. [Music] Okay, that was a fun fun day here in 
Kore. We just scratched the surface, but uh don’t worry because fingers crossed 
tomorrow we have some nice weather and we can   go explore some more. There’s so many more 
surprises about this place that I want to share with you. But if the weather’s bad, then 
I don’t think we can go where I want to go. So, I’m not even going to check the weather 
because there’s nothing you can do. I’m   going to get cozy in my cabin. I think 
I’m going to watch like a horror movie, particularly one that’s set in a wooden 
cabin in the woods. Let’s get into character. [Music] Morning. I slept really well last night. Nice 
and cozy in the wooden cabin. It’s threatening to be a nice day. The sun wants to come out 
and play, but um we’ll see. We’ll see. Let’s go for a little wander, stretch our legs, 
and then let’s get some local breakfast. After another stroll around the pond, it was 
time for the hotel breakfast. Some yummy Thai rice congi and some stale corn flakes. The storm 
was still hanging around and so the morning ride was a little bit cold and a little bit 
wet, but I was still in great spirits. Being back on the road, especially on 
Zelda, it just gives me so much life. This region of Petraun is also home 
to some magnificent roads as well   as some stunning bridges. Just look at these ones. These types of details you often miss if you’re 
just driving around in a car. Riding a motorbike, it’s just such a visceral experience. 
And here in Thailand especially,   it really is just a magical 
thing. [Music] [Applause] And I even spotted a superhero 
at the local traffic lights. Okie dokie. As you can see, the weather has 
improved quite a lot. And I’ll be honest with you, that is because it’s the next day. So, I was 
driving around in the rain in Petraun and uh just waiting for the weather to improve. It’s difficult 
to film during a wet miserable day. [Music] So, what I did was I just kind of limped around for 
an hour or two waiting for the weather to change or for it to look like it might change. and I just 
kept checking the weather apps and everything just pointed to the fact that it wasn’t going to 
improve at all. So, I ended up just finding   a really cheap hotel, 1,000 Bart, and I 
just I just waited it out. I waited out the weather and I thought, let me just try 
again tomorrow. So this is the 2331 road and it is one of the most magnificent roads 
to drive especially to ride a motorcycle   on and up into the mountains are incredible 
luxury glamping places more rustic villages to stay in and one of the most incredible 
temples and monuments I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. And about 3 years ago when I 
went up into these mountains one afternoon, I was completely blown away. I was left speechless 
and it was imprinted in my mind. So I’ve come back because the incredible monument that I want 
to show you was under construction. It wasn’t   even finished and I wasn’t allowed to go in and 
explore a lot because it was a building site. And I just looked at it and I thought, what 
on earth are they building here? One of the   good things about this trip and this series is 
because I’m able to go slow, I’m not in a rush, I can just if it’s terrible weather and I 
can see that it might be okay the next day, I can just wait and I can really take my 
time to show off these locations to you. This has to be one of the most 
beautiful roads in all of Thailand,   guys. Save this. Especially if 
you like to drive motorbikes. [Music] If you come here to ride this road, make 
sure to go slow. Not just to enjoy the views, but also to notice and stop at all the little cafes 
and viewpoints that you’ll find along the way. Quick stop to admire this view. We’re 
nowhere near the top and it’s already   so epic. Zelda is struggling. See 
this back box? This is heavy. This weighs a ton. It’s full of gear. This 
is full of clothes and toothbrushes. And uh she’s just she’s got a small engine but a 
big weight. So she’s definitely underpowered. And I see all the comments like, “Oh, 125cc 
is not enough.” I know it’s not enough,   but it does the job. And I like small bikes. This 
bike here, this is 350cc. No, it’s not. It’s 750. Sorry, this is the new one. I haven’t seen one of 
these before. Also, what’s quite cool in Petraun,   and I’ve seen this over in Cowakor and on this 
mountain, is there are men underneath umbrellas and they have cameras and they take pictures of 
all the riders and then they have their Facebook   information on a sign and so you can get home 
after your ride, go on their Facebook and see nice photographs of you driving your motorbike. 
Go for my close-up. [Music] The higher I rode, the colder it became. And the higher I rode even 
more, the more cloudy and foggy it became. [Music] It’s getting misty. Very, very misty. There 
are loads of accommodation offers up here. Your best rates will be found in person, 
so don’t book anything online. The views   are incredible, and you can pick a 
room to suit your budget. [Music] This is wild. [Music] Oh, can I get some? Mama. Nothing like a little cup of uh noodles or mama 
as they call this brand in Thailand. [Music] [Applause] After my quick little noodle lunch at that scenic 
cafe, it was time to keep riding higher and taking my time to enjoy all of the views whenever the 
clouds parted ways. My final destination wasn’t too far away. Now, when you get past all of the 
accommodations on the hills and all the glamping spots, you actually get to a Mong tribe. And 
what’s interesting behind me, they have a church.   Now, it is Sunday and they’re having mass. I’m not 
going to poke my head in, but there are hundreds of Mong tribe. We’re right next to a very famous 
temple, so I thought this area would be Buddhist,   but seems like the majority of the villages 
here are Christian, which is interesting. When you get up to these Mong tribes as well, 
you see the real rustic way of life. Everyone   seems to be living in wooden homes, mothers 
carrying their babies as a backpack, and six or seven people to a motorbike. Whole families 
jammed on top of a little Honda 125. [Music] Seems busy. Okay, we’re here. Zelda made it. 
Come on. So, I’d come all the way up here a few years ago and I just had to come back and revisit. 
Back then, it was still under construction and not really open to the public. Another thing I’m just 
remembering now is I was the only one here last time. Number one, it was a weekday. Number two, it 
was a building site. Look at all the people here. [Music]   Get out of it. What was once white plaster or clay is now a 
colorful story told through sculpture and art. There’s a beautiful lady behind me and as 
it reveals as you go high you see her body is actually a serpent that goes snaking into the 
lake. She seems to have a a royal boyfriend. There must be a king or a queen. And what’s happening 
here? There’s a monkey. There’s a magical being. Lots of mystical animals, mystical creatures, 
mystical people from famous Buddhist stories and they’re being told here by beautiful 
colorful sculpture. It’s incredible. [Music] There’s our first glimpse. Looks like 
something from an alien planet or a magical Egyptian Stargate film, you 
know? Just so interesting and unique. [Music]   So, the last time I was here, this 
was completely under construction   and you couldn’t go inside. So, let’s go inside. That is awesome. last time. This is all completely new as well. 
Um, or it was since the last time I was here, or maybe I didn’t even see it, 
but there’s a beautiful golden   temple here. And what’s interesting 
is it’s guarded by a pack of huskys. It’s all going off here. There’s 
people doing incense. There’s   people praying inside. There 
are people taking pictures, taking videos. There’s a Buddha footprint up 
here as well, which is a very holy thing. So, probably the significance of why it’s so 
busy. The dogs are getting a lot of attention. Yeah, that sound, that’s someone rubbing the gong. High five you long me okay. Thank you. Not as loud as you. He got it really loud. Okay. 
That was so much fun. one of the monks came out and he was asking me all sorts of questions. 
He was like, “Oh, make sure you get a video   of this. Make sure you get a video of this.” And 
uh and then he filmed me doing the gong. Hello, Thailand. Welcome to Thailand. Thai 
people are very shy. Okay. Okay. Well, I think I’m going to continue my travels towards 
Li, the province of Ly on the Mir Kong because next week I’m going to begin a very big special 
journey of following the Mong all the way from Ly where it joins Thailand and acts as a border 
between Thailand and Laos for about 900 km or so. And so it will take us through province after 
province. And that’s what’s coming up next week. The Mir Kong journey or the Mong adventures. I 
haven’t thought of a name for the series. But the last few videos of leaving Bangkok and coming 
all the way up here was just kind of a prelude to that big series. If you enjoyed the video, please 
give it a like and subscribe if you’re new so you   don’t miss the next adventure. Or if you’re 
really lazy, you can just tap on the screen right now and go and watch the first episode of 
the Mong series. Thank you so much for watching.   I hope you enjoyed this uh adventure in 
Petraun and I’ll see you next week right

Let’s explore the stunning Phetchabun – Thailand – Head to https://www.squarespace.com/paddydoyle to get 10% off your first website or domain with Squarespace.

Khao Kho is one of my favourite area of Thailand and our first stop is the Khao Kho Sacrifice Memorial, a poignant reminder of Thailand’s past conflicts, followed by a visit to the peaceful Khaokho Herbary Resort, surrounded by lush gardens and mountain views.

From there, the journey continues to one of Thailand’s most breathtaking temples — Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew, home to the iconic five-faced Buddha statue set against a backdrop of rolling green hills. After taking in this masterpiece, we head to the Pho Khun Pha Muang Bridge View Point, where sweeping panoramas of the valleys below offer the perfect chance to soak up the beauty of Phetchabun.

The day winds down with a stop at the cozy Scenic Coffee Shop, where mountain views and a warm drink create the perfect pause before the final highlight. We end at the remarkable Wat Pa Phu Thap Boek, a mountaintop temple shrouded in mist and surrounded by cabbage fields, offering one of the most atmospheric settings in northern Thailand.

🗺️ – Locations Featured:
📍 Chattanooga Coffee – https://maps.app.goo.gl/NSgq7krvMgpTznvX7
📍Khao Kho Sacrifice Memorial – https://maps.app.goo.gl/tuvioiw4Aw5zyoMi9
📍Khaokho Herbary Resort – https://maps.app.goo.gl/iHKFgqkiL1tX39v49
📍Wat Phra That Pha Sorn Kaew – https://maps.app.goo.gl/JiyLg6rx1DNwCpj69
📍Pho Khun Pha Muang Bridge View Point – https://maps.app.goo.gl/FiSz7ZkpZzJTTjzy8
📍Scenic Coffee Shop – https://maps.app.goo.gl/WtDjuNBjCuReL7pa8
📍Wat Pa Phu Thap Boek – https://maps.app.goo.gl/sCRhSS4RsbYb1dGX9

Chapters:
00:00 – Driving to Khao Khor
1:10 – Cute Cafe
1:52 – War Memorial
6:40 – Wooden Cottage
11:04 – Squarespace
12:05 – Stormy Afternoon
12:54 – Incredible Temple
18:05 – Lazy Morning
18:54 – Epic Bridges
20:45 – The 2331 Road
26:50 – Highlight Location

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