Kaeng Pha Dai - Wiang Kaen - The Mekong End Of The Road

[DavidFL]

Kaeng Pha Dai

42 kms downstream from Chiang Khong, there is a wild rocky section of the Mekong where it flows away from Thailand & into Laos, and is no longer the border due to a quirk in the border negotiations with the French once upon a time.

After Pha Dai the river is no longer the border between Thailand and Laos until way downstream where the Nam Heung river runs into the Mekong at Ban Tha Ma Di, between Na Kra Seng and Chiang Khan.

This section of the Mekong at Pha Dai is famous for the rocks & rapids in the river. It was also a very food fishing ground for the Mekong fishermen. It is a stunning section of the Khong, & a bit tucked out of the way, but is well worth a visit.

The Mekong River is the second river in the world for its fish diversity, after the Amazon. It was ranked third in 2000 (Dudgeon 2000) but its species list has been substantially updated since then. The Mekong region is thus a biodiversity hotspot, whose magnitude is only being discovered: in the last decade more than 279 new species of fish have been discovered in this basin (WWF 2009). When all animals and plants are considered, it is more than a thousand new species that have been discovered in the basin within a decade. ​

I've been out there several times over the years & the place is always picturesque. There are some reports of visits on GTR, but damned if I can find them all. However here are a few pics from over the years.

2004 in the dry season

A trip with Dave Silverhawk Early: Fang - Chiang Khong Loop

The end of the road in 2004

Up the steps somewhere there is a border boundary post, That Ian Yonok has checked out, but I can't find the post at the moment.
This area was once a major smuggling zone, plus a path for communist insurgents once upon a time.

2015

With Destination Thailand TV, Ian & the DTTV guys

2018

and the river is up. How the boatmen navigate on this river always amazes me.

The area has been cleaned up a bit for tourism promotion.

The end of the road & some nice new asphalt

Some GTR Reports that mention Pha Dai

Fang - Chiang Khong Loop

On the road with Destination Thailand TV part 8

There are more but can't find them at the moment. Ian & Ron Webb please help with links if you can.

Of note too is that have held Valentine's Day Festivals there
Valentine’s Day Festival to Be held at Pha Dai Rapids | Bangkok Informer
date unknown?

 

[ianyonok]

Realise I haven't been to Padai for a while.

A couple trips in 2012

The end of the road at the Khong

and

Chiang Rai Bikers Monthly Day Ride - Run the 1155 - Sunday 3rd June 12

 

[DavidFL]

A google earth view of Kaeng Pha Dai

 

[DavidFL]

A super bonus, en route to Pha Dai from Wian Kaen city is a magic little coffee shop out in the rice paddies.

Caffa Roasting House is the place

The turn of is 2.6 kms north of Wiang Kaen, on the left hand side heading North.

you bump your way down the track a couple of hundred metres and there she is

a gem of a place in the middle of seemingly nowhere.
The aircon is cool & it's clean, with a strong aroma of fresh coffee!

literally buckets of it.

in an adjoining "staff only" room is the packing room. Ask nicely & you can go in for a whiff 'n photo.

Caffa has been in business & marketing coffee for 3 years, but the coffee shop is new and only 3 months old.
They also have numerous teas

plus coffee of course.

A highlight of Caffa is the rooftop patio and a glorious view over the village rice fields.

Highly recommended.
Their Facebook page

Google Maps
Google Maps

Check em out sometime. You won't be disappointed.

 

[ianyonok]

That looks a nice quiet spot. I thought it might be next to the river?....... Guess not.

 

[DavidFL]

5.5 kms north of Caffa Roasting Coffee is the village of Huay Luk . Huay Luek is on the Mekong & where you turn right to meander down along the river to Pha Dai. If you navigate through the maze of sois into Huay Luek & make a left "somewhere" you will find an interesting wat.
Wat Huay Luek.

It probably looks just like a regular temple & so it maybe

however in a sala on the side behind some shrines was a very old log boat, that intrigued me greatly.

Just another log boat perhaps, but the fact it was basically locked up, under cover &

not likely to be used

meant to me that it must have some old history & significance to the village = I wonder what the story is?

Also adjoining the boat an old drum with offerings.

plus a "Buddha Footprint"

They must have some fascinating festivals & ceremonies that revolve around the old boat & drum. Another trip or two is called for to solve the mystery (if there actually is one.)

The google maps location
Google Maps

 

[Lakota]

I understand the Boat was found locally in the Mekhong. The people of Huey Leuk are predominantly Laos in origin down by the River with a small Hmong population as you enter the Village by the School. I don't know if this is due to a Border demarcation at some stage or resettlement but it would be interesting to find out. The village is closer to the Laos border than Wiang Kean. If you go down by the river and down the slipway you can have a knoodle on one of the floating pontoons that serve the Laos Speedboats. It appears the speedboats get there Gas here , Must be cheaper than Huey Xai. The Village does have a Boat race at some time of the year and the 'OK Phansa' Bhuddist ceromony in October is worth seeing with it's candle lit procession on the River. Don't forget the Som O (pomello) Festival , starts tomorrow 28th August in Wiang Kaen

 

[DavidFL]

Some more Pha Dai magic

 

[DavidFL]

Should the Chinese get their way and blow up the reefs & rocks in the Mekong at Pha Dai

A good enough reason to go and visit Pha Dai.

 

[DavidFL]

Another meander back to glorious Kaeng Pha Dai & what a fabulous spot it really is.
Unique with stunning views & scenery as usual.

There is however some variations on the name of the place in English.

Highlight of today's run was a visit to the "new" hill top wat that over looks Huay Luek & the Mekong.

You get magnificent panoramic views of the Mekong

One of the beauties of the wat is the fabulous old monk / abbot @ 72 years of age.

who just happened to be gardening when GTR hit the wat.
Location: Google Maps

 

[DavidFL]

21 November & the tide is way out

One of the highlights of Kaeng Pha Dai used to be the rickety old restaurant overlooking the Khong.

An absolute classic it was with amazing food. Some Tom Yam & fried shrimps are sensational, as is the larb & other fish dishes.
So it was with some disappointment on my last visit I noticed the restaurant gone.

however after a slight stroll upstream I noticed some construction going on & a new location for that magnificent old restaurant

a much more solid premises, but damn I still miss that old beauty.

and the food is still amazing.

Don't miss it if you go to Kaeng Pha Dai!
And if you are there early & if it seems like the restaurant is not open, look out for the security guy, ranger there. It is his wife who runs the restaurant & he will ring her to come open up for you.

The Caffa Coffee House has the flowers blooming

 

[DavidFL]

Should the Chinese get their way and blow up the reefs & rocks in the Mekong at Pha Dai
View attachment 126598

A good enough reason to go and visit Pha Dai.

Fantastic news, the Thai cabinet has canceled the contract for the rock blasting project for the Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong - Kaeng Pha Dai section of the Mekong.

Thais spike China-led plan to dredge Mekong river

Bangkok (AFP) - Thailand has spiked Chinese-led plans to open up a key stretch of the Mekong river, in a rare victory for activists fighting to preserve Southeast Asia's most important waterway.

Beijing has long wanted to blast 97 kilometres (60 miles) of rocks and dredge the riverbed in northern Thailand to open up a passage for massive cargo ships.

The vision is to create a river trade link from China's Yunnan province thousands of kilometres south through the Mekong countries -- Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

But environmentalists warn the river -- the world's most biodiverse after the Amazon -- would be ruined by dredging, while Thailand's sovereignty and security could also be compromised.

The Thai cabinet announced Tuesday it had decided "to stop the project" after Beijing failed to stump up the money for further surveys of the area to be dredged.

"This is a bold decision made by a downstream country," said Pianporn Deetes of advocacy group International Rivers, which has backed a near 20-year grassroots campaign to preserve the key stretch of water.

"This small part of the Mekong river will also save the lower part of the basin from destruction, despite large pressures from a regional actor."

The river, known as the Lancang in Chinese, emerges into the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and a centrepiece in Beijing's Belt and Road strategy on infrastructure and trade.

Beijing rarely gives up on long-term projects in the Mekong area, often revising financing or planning for controversial dams, ports and mines in a region it considers its backyard.

China insists it seeks only the sustainable development of the river through hydropower dams and trade.

But the river is already changing, with complaints of fish stocks decreasing in Thailand and Cambodia and nutrient-rich land in the Vietnamese delta sinking as sediment flow is disturbed by dams lacing the upstream.

Experts also say mega-dams in China and Laos, which has dozens of hydropower projects, are compounding seasonal drought in Thailand.​

 

[ianyonok]

That is good news, thanks for the update.

 

[DavidFL]

Update 27 September 2020

Sadly, the Kaeng Pha Dai beach has been landscaped & modernised. IMHO losing a lot of its natural charm in the process.

However that fabulous restaurant is still there, in the new location.'

and if you do go, don't miss the crispy fried shrimps. A sensational dish there.

 

[ianyonok]

Yes, shame about the beach. Looks like anti-erosion works.

 

[DavidFL]

A Valentine's day ride out to Kaeng Pha Dai to check on the water level & foreshore redevelopment

The water level is incredibly low & you have to wonder what will happen when "our friends" upstream start to release all the water they are sitting on in their dams. How many metres will they open the flood gates all at once?

The river foreshore redevelopment saddens me when I recall how it was only a couple of years ago; but I guess we have to wait & see the finished product before we complain too much.

It used to look like this

but now looks like this

The big sandy beaches gone.

The good news is that the food at the rickety restaurant is still exceptional, making Kaeng Pha Dai well worth a visit.

A fantastic fish larb.

Plus the absolutely outstanding fried crispy shrimps

So just an idea, after the Chiang Khong Music Festival on Saturday April 24.....what about a group GTR trip to Kaeng Pha Dai?
The formula being ride our bikes to Ban Chambon, hire a boat & sail downstream to Kaeng Pha Dai, have a nice nosh up for lunch, then sail back to Ban Chambon, get on the bikes & head off home?

Long live the good times on the Mekong.

 

[hawaiianbrians]

Sounds Good David! This time count us for two seats in for sure. I have booked our room at the Chiangkhong Teak Garden 23-26April, I think I am finally retiring so this will be a celebration ride. I quarantine 1-16April so have lots of time.

 

[ianyonok]

The mighty Maekhong River looks like a Maekhong Stream.

 

[Eoin Christie]

Fantastic news, the Thai cabinet has canceled the contract for the rock blasting project for the Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong - Kaeng Pha Dai section of the Mekong.

Thais spike China-led plan to dredge Mekong river

Bangkok (AFP) - Thailand has spiked Chinese-led plans to open up a key stretch of the Mekong river, in a rare victory for activists fighting to preserve Southeast Asia's most important waterway.​

​

Beijing has long wanted to blast 97 kilometres (60 miles) of rocks and dredge the riverbed in northern Thailand to open up a passage for massive cargo ships.​

​

The vision is to create a river trade link from China's Yunnan province thousands of kilometres south through the Mekong countries -- Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.​

​

But environmentalists warn the river -- the world's most biodiverse after the Amazon -- would be ruined by dredging, while Thailand's sovereignty and security could also be compromised.​

​

The Thai cabinet announced Tuesday it had decided "to stop the project" after Beijing failed to stump up the money for further surveys of the area to be dredged.​

​

"This is a bold decision made by a downstream country," said Pianporn Deetes of advocacy group International Rivers, which has backed a near 20-year grassroots campaign to preserve the key stretch of water.​

​

"This small part of the Mekong river will also save the lower part of the basin from destruction, despite large pressures from a regional actor."​

​

The river, known as the Lancang in Chinese, emerges into the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and a centrepiece in Beijing's Belt and Road strategy on infrastructure and trade.​

​

Beijing rarely gives up on long-term projects in the Mekong area, often revising financing or planning for controversial dams, ports and mines in a region it considers its backyard.​

​

China insists it seeks only the sustainable development of the river through hydropower dams and trade.​

​

But the river is already changing, with complaints of fish stocks decreasing in Thailand and Cambodia and nutrient-rich land in the Vietnamese delta sinking as sediment flow is disturbed by dams lacing the upstream.​

​

Experts also say mega-dams in China and Laos, which has dozens of hydropower projects, are compounding seasonal drought in Thailand.​

It is great to see a victory in amongst the ongoing efforts to destroy the natural resource for commercial gain.

 

[Tejas Barc]

" "to stop the project" after Beijing failed to stump up the money for further surveys of the area to be dredged."

My cynical side tells me just a matter of time until the correct amounts reach the correct pockets then on with the blasting

 

[Eoin Christie]

" "to stop the project" after Beijing failed to stump up the money for further surveys of the area to be dredged."

My cynical side tells me just a matter of time until the correct amounts reach the correct pockets then on with the blasting

I believe your cynical side is a very realistic side. We’ve already seen what happens when commercial push comes to shove, both in use of the river, and the lands around it. My optimistic side takes any delay, temporary or permanent, as a positive.

 

[DavidFL]

" "to stop the project" after Beijing failed to stump up the money for further surveys of the area to be dredged."

My cynical side tells me just a matter of time until the correct amounts reach the correct pockets then on with the blasting

I really think that Kru Tee & the Rak Chiang Khong group have stopped the blasting, permanently.

 

[Tejas Barc]

That's good news let's hope so. Thanks for the update and great photos @DavidFL

 

[DavidFL]

A 1931 French survey map of the Mekong border between Siam & Laos @ Kaeng Pha Dai.

 

[DavidFL]

Some info from a Pak Beng dam report, the dam being built on the Mekong 97 kms downstream from Kaeng Pha Dai

Reporters have interviewed Mr. Thongsuk Inthawong, former Village Headman of Ban Huay Luk, Wiang Kaen District, and leader of the people opposed to the construction of Pak Beng Dam. According to Thongsuk, around November 2019, the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, has informed the village through a letter about the suspension of the construction of Pak Beng Dam following the concern raised by the villagers about the impact at a public hearing. The villagers then raised alarm that the construction of the dam may lead to flood and inundation of thousands of Rai of farmland, agricultural land, and residential area of the villagers.


Thongsuk said that if the dam is built up to the reported height, it will cause flood all over including in Ban Huay Luk, Ban Yai Nua, Ban Yai Tai, Ban Muay Yai, and Ban Tha Kham causing damage to two Tambons including Muang Yai and Lai Ngao located by the Mekong. The flood will expand to low-lying area along the tributaries including the Ngao River affecting paddy field and Pomelo and corn plantation along the river.


“If the dam is built, (with storage) at 315 meters high from mean sea level, it will excessively elevate the level of runoff of the dam. Such height of water level would be equal to the height during the massive flood in 2009 when it was around 305-310 MSL. Just that level, the flood would already devastate large swathe of land. If this dam is built, all the rapids will disappear all year round. For local people, Kaeng Pha Dai serves as a source of food abundant with fish. People can just lay their nets to catch it for the long stretch of water. If everything will get inundated, a very important fishing ground will be lost,” said Thongsuk.


Thongsuk further said that it is even more concerning considering the garbage and toxic substance during the flood since people in Thailand and Laos use toxic chemicals and herbicide in agriculture which are flushed into the Mekong. With the stagnant water, it will cause the spread of ailments and skin disease among the people. Until now, whenever there is flood in low-lying area along the tributaries, it will cause garbage to float around. During high tide, the waste just floats about everywhere. The dam will simply confine the garbage close to our houses.

Source: Pak Beng and Sanakham dams may impact demarcation lines for Thailand-Laos