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Buddha's Footprint (Khao Khitchakut)


deejay1952

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Buddha's Footprint (Khao Khitchakut)

A friend came to us and asked if we wanted to join him and his TG and family to this shrine on a mountain.

Always up to visit somewhere new in Thailand we agreed plus it brought the cost of the minibus down by more people going making it a reasonable price for a day trip, or night as we found out when we set off at midnight to hopefully get to the top for dawn but the best made plans never work out. Read on.

We got to the base where a huge new temple is being built and I am sure it will appear in many photos on the internet when completed and it was like a mini town or market, sometimes there appears no difference and we had never seen so many Thais in one place. It was like Walking Street without the farangs us being the only three there.

To get up the mountain requires going up in 4 wheel drive pick up trucks in two stages and when we got our tickets found out there was a 6 hour wait before we could set off so we looked around and one TG found a songtheaw that would take us a couple of kilometres up for 10 baht to the entrance to the park which we agreed to. The beginning of the park was like a Jungle, probably was.

It was pitch dark and we followed some Thais who were walking and what an experience. Climbing through a Jungle at night with just a torch after it had rained the day before and some of you will know what that is like. Yes, slippery and treacherous with roots appearing in the beams and sometimes spikes of branches like a bear trap. Amazingly for someone who is accident prone I didn't break my neck. At times we popped out of the Jungle onto the road to get to the next trail and found out that the trucks do not stop and use all of the road to get up and down. I got bogged into some mud so the others went ahead and I found out the next bit had no handholds so I thought about turning around but some Thais came past so I joined the queue as they made their way up the road avoiding getting sideswiped. It was getting light and I figured they knew what they were doing so I might make it and I did. Joining the others we continued until we finally reached the second stage where it was still crowded but less so. We got our ticket and within half a hour we piled into a pick up and set off.

You need nerves of steel to go up in these things at sometimes a 60 degree angle while going around a hairpin bend with no barriers and to the entertainment of my friends and family I gave them a running commentary or it could have been a girlish scream which had them laughing although the lad next to me wished he had headphones and an Ipod.

Even the Thais at the next stage had a laugh as I jumped off pretending to kiss the ground then hugging anyone within reach and standing pretending my legs were made of jelly. It was fun, I had survived.

It was daylight now and we could see steps leading up the mountain and masses of gold and colour all around as they Thais got their offerings. This is where we walk said my friend, where had I heard that before, and we didn't, walk that is, we climbed.

Sometimes the path narrowed and when you get a million people trying to get up and down a mountain then you get bottlenecks. That is a conservative estimate of the number by the way, there was probably more. This place is only open for three months of the year during dry season but this year only for two months. Do you think they know something we don't? I would say expect a lot of rain this year.

I saw old people, young people, children and even people carrying babies or children and in one case, a dog. People with walking sticks trying to get up and down and being helped by others myself included and you have to admire their dedication. The only time we celebrate our religion in England is when they have the TV cameras in church for “Songs of Praise”.

At the top hours later than we started from the bottom we found a viewpoint and of course took the obligatory photos for posterity. I found out I look better in B & W than colour so that is the future for me.

Working it out from Google Earth I found out that it is 3300 metres high which is equal to a third of Everest which is unbelievable. It took us 11 hours to get up but only 6 to get back down.

Would I recommend it to anyone, yes. I am 60 and have been a dedicated smoker for 44 years and I did it so if you are fit enough with no medical conditions then do it. It was an adventure and everyone got a laugh out of my antics about being accident prone when in the end all I got was a scraped toe getting into one of the trucks. Well worth it. If doing it brings me luck then let it be the next lottery ticket or being able to cross a Pattaya road without a book to read.

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Thanks for sharing your photo's and experience, looks like an amazing place

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And also out of the " one million Thais " that were there....I spotted some gorgeous ladies!

suddenly i had forgotten about " Buddha's footprint " and " my eyes locked on this delight like an F16 " .............. :GoldenSmile1:

Mr Sunshine x

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I read it wrong on Google Earth and it is only over 3000 feet not metres so only a tenth the size of Everest. Now I cannot believe it took 11 hours for less than a mile.

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  • 3 months later...

i went here a few months ago , was invited by an old gf,and her friends, we left pattaya at 1.00am by taxi and arrived at base camp in about 2hrs, had some food then made our way to the truck stop, there are stacks of 4 by 4`s waiting to shuttle you up the mountain, it`s amazing as it`s the best off road jeeping experience i`ve ever had,it is so steep and winding, this place is only open certain times of year as you would never get up this mountain in rainy season, it`s so far up it`s like it`s in the sky, awesome sight when the sun rises,and you realise how far up you came, could not believe how many people visit this place, there were thousands of them sitting and listening to the monks chanting, a touching experience, they asked me to go again next year, we`ll see what happens, not for the faint hearted, but well worth it,

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  • 2 months later...

i like it

stay two times

 

this pics from march 2009

 

 

 

start here ( 500 baht ?)

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

yesi also did this trip earlier this year, well worth a trip, quite amazing to see so many people on top of a mountain in the middle of the night, also the 4 by 4 trip is an experience in itself, you would have to pay big money for that elsewhere, wierd going up in the dark, and seeing the sun rising,and then quite a different trip coming down in the daylight, lol, if you have chance go for it, we took a taxi and he waited for us for hours, 2000bht round trip, they want to go again next year, i will go again i`m sure,

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Wow sounds like a great experience, definitely on my to do list. Thanks for sharing.

Work the curse of the drinking classes. - Oscar Wilde

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