The above photo shows some paintings found on the rock at Pha Taem. They attract a lot of visitors. I have seen them on TV and other media such newspapers and books. I had a wish -- One day I would have a chance to see the real things. I did have the chance and took it. I decided to visit Pha Taem on the 2nd of January 2010.
Getting to Pha Taem is easy if you have a car. Public transport is quite convenient. From Bangkok, you can take a bus to Khong Jiam, a small district in Ubon Ratchathani province. How far is it from Bangkok? I'd say several hundreds kilometers.
From Ubon Ratchathani, I drove across the Moon River to Amphur Warin Chamrab. This small district is very close to the province. It's only about five kilometers from Ubon. From this district, I continued driving to another twon called Piboon Mungsaharn, which is about 35 kilometers from Warin Chamrab. From Piboon, I drove to Khong Jiam, a district where I stayed overnight.
Prehistoric people were believed to have been living around the area --- 3000-4000 years ago.
What I really liked about it was the air; it was clean and clear. It was not too cold or too warm. It's just right.
Spiritual Significance of Pha Taem
Why Pha Taem? You may ask me why I took a great deal of effort to witness the first sunrise over the cliff. My simplest answer is that one needs, every now and then, to enrich one's spiritual quality. The feeling of being the first to experience something as significant as the first sunrise in Thailand is hard to put into words. You have to experience it yourself.
Being on the cliff and looking down the river basin of Mekhong, and looking over the hills and mountains of another country (Laos) can bring us joy. The joy of being in this wonderful world, the joy of being able to witness the feeling of being alive and being one with the earth. Looking at the world from the top of the cliff brought me a sense of time. I was actually looking into the history. The land as ancient as the earth itself is here right before our eyes. We know that beauty is real when so many people are witnessing it.
Another aspect I would like to share is the fact that Pha Taem alone is just a cliff. What makes it more amazing is its surroundings, the mountains and hills to the east are not in Thailand. They are in the Republic of Laos. The Mekhong is infact an international river for several peoples. This is something to remind us that nature is about oneness. The wonder of nature is greater than what humans have imagned it to be. Precisely, this is teh main reason why we should experience the beauty of nature.
ผาแต้ม ได้แต้มไว้ ในใจฉัน
แต้มอดีต ปัจจุบัน แต้มวันใหม่
ธรรมชาติ อัศจรรย์ ความเป็นไป
แต้มเอาไว้ ตราบนิจ นิรันดร
In summary, Pha Taem is not a big cliff with rock paitings of prehistoric people. It is a wonderful place, a place of natural wonder, a place with fresh air and amazing acenery. Every morning, there are a lot of people who are happy to wake up very early to witness the first sunrise of the day.
I was luckly to have a chance to experience the moment when the sun made its way to the sky of Thailand. I was just one of the many people who have had such the experience. I shall never forget this experience. How about you? Would you like to experience the feeling of being the first and the feeling of being one with Time? If your answer is positive, then .... welcome to Pa Taem.
