Connected - to nature

In this age when technology always keeps you “connected” and even addicted to it, how far do you need to travel to really get away from it all? Is there any nice place where you can enjoy the surroundings without constantly checking your mobile phone?

The answer is yes, many. Hup Khao Wong Reservoir in Suphan Buri’s Dan Chang district, less than 200km from Bangkok, is one such place.

Nestled at the bottom of a small valley sealed from the outside world by lush hills, Hup Khao Wong, misleadingly nicknamed Pang Oung of Suphan after the famous attraction of Mae Hong Son, is a place where your IT devices become useless. Mobile signal, if any is available, is too weak to make a call, let alone connect to the internet and social media. Even electricity is not available. It’s ideal for a digital detox.

The mixed deciduous forest that surrounds the reservoir is a community woodland under the care of villagers of Ban Phu Nam Ron, who over the past 25 years have managed to bring nature back to the area which once suffered heavy deforestation. It not only helps maintain water in the reservoir but also serves as a rich source of mushrooms, bamboo shoots and other foodstuff for the locals.

In December of 2015, makeshift tourist accommodation and other facilities were built and Hup Khao Wong was officially opened to outsiders. From then on, it also gave the villagers extra income from tourism.

But this place is not open all year round; it is closed from April to July to give both nature and the local people a break. This year, Hup Khao Wong will welcome visitors again after the next three weeks.

With no intention to stay overnight, I recently went to the reservoir before it opened just to roughly explore the area on two wheels. The access road is still unpaved. As a mountain biker, I would rather ride it now than wait until the day it is replaced by an asphalt road.

With the refreshing greenery along the way, it was a short yet pleasurable ride.

At the reservoir, I saw nobody but two villagers, one tending a kitchen garden and the other in the water further away catching fish with traditional gear. After saying hello and asking for permission from the lady on dry land, I went to check out the bamboo raft houses built for visitors. They were all empty. The only amenity available at each floating hut was an oil lamp. Mattress and pillows will be added once the tourist season begins.

Later, I went back to the lady to ask her about a few things, including the trail I had seen on Google Earth that runs from the south side of the reservoir across the hill to Road 3086. She did know what the conditions were like but told me that she had heard that some motorbike riders use it during drier months.

All visitors are required to enter Hup Khao Wong via the access road on the northern side so that the villagers can keep track of everybody and minimise their impact on the environment. But if one can bike out via the forest trail, it’s going to be an awesome loop.

If possible, I would like to return to Hup Khao Wong after the rainy season, maybe on some weekdays in December or January, which is the high season for this area because the forest trees will be changing the colour of their foliage from green to different shades of yellow, orange and red. Perhaps I would also be able to find out whether or not the loop ride is possible.

Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to Freewheel Bangkok community page on Facebook.