The cold weather on the hill make everyone chilling in coldness but for me it was truly comfortable as it was free air-conditioning. Nevertheless, with proper blanket cover, everyone was indeed having a very good rest throughout the night early, as we need to be ready at around 5 AM in the morning in order to make our trip to Phu Chi Fa peak to witness the legendary sea of clouds and sunrise moment there! This was itinerary that I worried the most, considering a hike in the early morning and also the wait time shivering on top of the peak waiting for the moment to come, for the seniors in the group especially my mum. I did the study on the hike and it was a pretty short one and was comfortable for senior to walk along, and to counter the coldness issue, I personally brought a lot of extra layers from head to legs for my mum, to ensure she will be comfortable waiting up there. Reminder also set for the rest of the folks as well. Once all ready, we board the pickup car at 5 AM with Tonkhaw as our tour guide along with the Korean family in a group. I am truly excited for this adventure!
There was 2 car parks area to start the hike to the peak of Phu Chi Fa, and for shorter trail route do let the driver drop you at the car park (Phu Chi Fah View from the photo) that passing through the Watershed Management area.
Thom's husband, our driver drop us at the car park after passing through Watershed Management area, which offer the shorter route towards the peak. Tonkhaw lead the way with the Korean families following close by to the peak, while the rest of us making it up slowly based on our pace comfortably, no rush. I am not worry about direction at all with the help of MAPS.ME navigation, so I just notify Tonkhaw to go ahead while I will make sure my group gather back at the car park area at around the time aligned later. The route here started with some staircases but thanks god it wasn't too steep, and after a while we were walking along the cliff and the peak can be seen not too far away, with the help of the bright moonlight. First challenge passed after around 45 minutes of walk, the trail was convenient enough for senior and we manage to get a good spot by the cliff with a safety distance from the vertical fall. We waiting slowly for the moment while enjoying the twilight slowly transfer to dusk, and subsequently you can see the sea of clouds covering the land of Laos beneath the hill. Yeah, this spot was exactly at the border between Thailand and Laos!
5:52 AM.
5:59 AM.
6:09 AM.
6:23 AM.
6:34 AM.
We find a spot for mum to sit there while waiting, with keep on adding the extra layers so that she won't feel uncomfortable, and luckily her condition was quite OK and she was excited too seeing the sky getting brighter along with the magnificent scenery! The sea of clouds scenery here was truly unreal, it looked so mysterious and it make us feel like we were on top of the world!
Our viewing spot.
The sky getting brighter, and the visible sea of clouds down there was absolutely magnificent!
Closer view on these priceless view.
Twilight over and here come the dusk.
The mountain range along the horizon.
Close up view on the mist surface, truly looked like a water painting artwork!
Perhaps this is the artwork from the world of nature.
Peaceful vibe on the air surrounded by these magical mist.
The horizon getting more and more reddish, perhaps the moment will be here anytime soon!
The layers manage to keep mum warm so that she can happily enjoy the scenery here.
After more than an hour of wait, finally the horizon becoming very reddish and we knew that the big red sun going to rise very very soon! Everyone concentrate their eyes and camera towards that direction, holding their breath and focus, worrying that they will miss the moment as it might last for only a minute or two! When the first ray of sun light risen, I can feel the goosebumps beneath my heart and realize that sunrise was one of the best gift from the world of nature! Life indeed pressuring us with too many challenges until we forgot that the best view in life was in fact free! I am truly speechless on the beauty of it and stuck in the moment for quite some time, and I am glad the rest of the family members enjoy the moment as much as I did as well! It was indeed a challenging plan for them, but I glad they manage cope it well, well done!
Focus or you might miss it!
Here come the first ray of the sunshine for a brand new day!
Do remember that something priceless in life was absolutely free!
The complete big and round red sun totally showing itself over the horizon.
Perfect morning to start up our day trip!
My family enjoy the moment very much too and I am glad of it.
Boundary stone marking the territory of Laos.
Another side of the same boundary stone, it was Thailand territory.
Mum, sister, and niece at the peak with the crowd.
The peak towards the top left of the photo was the place we shivering for an hour or two, but it definitely worth it!
Time to get back to the car park and back to Sutta Farm for our breakfast.
Another posting tribal kids, skip as usual.
