The Rain Finally Gave Us Waterfalls. I Ran Out of Memory Cards.

For two days, rain had hidden the views and helped close the attractions we wanted to see. On the morning it finally delivered something spectacular, every memory card I brought was full. I had to transfer footage before leaving the hotel. Excellent timing from the man responsible for filming the trip.

Day Three began at 144,929 kilometers. We had two waterfall parks, a family stop, two large temple complexes, and another 319 kilometers ahead. The question was whether all that rain would finally work for us.

Water worth the drive

At Chet Sao Noi National Park in Muak Lek, it did. The water moved across a series of low falls, and the paths let us follow it through different sections. This was a much closer experience than squinting through cloud at a distant mountain viewpoint. It also made us pay attention to where the wet edges were. The park’s individual page explains the park’s many short waterfall tiers; we saw them after days of heavy rain, when the water had considerably more attitude. We paid 150 baht to enter.

The footage looked good. The microphone recorded a long, continuous whoooooosh. If I ever need to drown out a neighbor’s karaoke, I have the soundtrack ready.

Our route then took us to Siriwan’s father’s house. I won’t pin somebody’s home for a travel article, but it explains why the car was getting crowded: we picked up a coffee machine, an air fryer, and some of her things for Pattaya. The Buddha she bought the day before was already riding with us. Cameras, luggage, rain gear, religious protection, and kitchen appliances were all competing for the same space. We stopped for 120-baht noodles nearby, then went looking for more water.

At Namtok Samlan National Park in Saraburi, water crossed areas that looked like part of the walking route. We filmed the lower falls and explored what we could, but skipped a deeper walk into wet forest late in the day with camera gear. The water had spent the first two days ruining our plans; here it had finally made a better one. Our recorded park fee was 70 baht. The individual DNP page covers this park’s wider network of waterfalls and trails, most of which we did not attempt.

From moving water to giant gods

The afternoon took us to Ganesha Park in Nakhon Nayok. After the gray and green of the parks, its statues, offerings, bells, and enormous Ganesha changed the whole visual rhythm of the day. Siriwan helped explain what we were seeing. A man also tried to tell us something; I briefly thought he was angry with me. He wasn’t. Three people had simply found three different ways to fail the same conversation. The park has its own destination listing for anyone who wants to find the complex.

Our final sightseeing stop was Wat Maneewong, also in Nakhon Nayok. Inside, the cave-like chamber was crowded with naga imagery, Buddha figures, gold detail, and lighting. We’d seen plenty of temples by then, but this room still stopped me. Give yourself time to go inside; an exterior photograph won’t tell you why it belongs on the route.

We ended the day at V-Verve Hotel in Chachoengsao, where 790 baht got us a large bed, a microwave, and room for the gear. It did not get me a balcony. In a non-smoking room, that meant going downstairs whenever I wanted a smoke, and after two parks and two temple complexes my legs considered this an unacceptable fifth attraction. We ordered Grab instead of going out; dinner was 520 baht.

Our recorded Day Three spending was 1,892 baht plus fuel, whose amount I failed to write down. The water had given us the footage that the first two days couldn’t. The memory cards were cleared, the car had acquired half a kitchen, and only one final temple stood between us and Pattaya.