Buathong Waterfalls

Two days after My Man got hit by a truck (resulting in a sprained knee, broken foot, and lots of gross road rash, but thankfully nothing more), we were scheduled to check out Buathong Waterfalls with a few other consulate families. The kids were super excited and My Man gallantly encouraged us to go without him while he had a boring day stuck in bed, with no one around to help him out. We felt bad leaving, but were excited to check out this place we'd heard so much about.

The falls don't look like much from the top, in fact you can't really see them at all, but there is a trail to take you down to the bottom so you can climb up.

The falls are a unique formation. The hardness of the water has caused layers of calcium deposits to build up on the rocks so that they aren't very slippery and you can actually climb right up the waterfall!  It's hard to believe until you experience it yourself, but it is super fun. I didn't get many good pictures because the lighting was weird and I didn't keep my phone with me very much (too wet!).

The kids absolutely loved it. Young Man headed up the group of older kids and after climbing up the falls a few times, they decided to follow the creek downstream as far as they could to see if there were more falls down below (there are several tiers). Darling Daughter and Funny Guy, of course, were not to be left behind, so we sludged through calf-deep mud through dense overgrowth (all I could think of were all the many kinds of venomous snakes native to Thailand, until I started wondering if there are leaches here?). But the kids loved it. Young Man even got a big bamboo stick and was using it like a machete to cut down vines. Really, we were only about 50 yards downstream from the main area, but it felt like an adventure. Finally, the way got a bit too tricky and, hiding a sigh of relief, they decided to turn around and head back to the falls.

It was a tricky balance between letting the kids go and making sure they were safe. One wrong step could send you bouncing 50 or more feet back down the waterfall. In fact, one little boy in the group tripped early on and got a little banged up (luckily not serious) and a friend had warned me that she had seen a little girl slip near the top and fall all the way down. So I knew it was kind of dangerous--on the other hand, I think experiences like this are a great way to make fun memories. I compromised by making the kids promise to not get carried away and step carefully and then followed Funny Guy everywhere, just in case. It was a great workout! There are also a few ropes for the more slippery sections near the top of each section, which is very nice.

Finally after a few trips up the waterfall, we stopped for a picnic at the top, which was a great chance to get to know some of the other consulate families a little better. One of the great things about this place was that there was a great picnic area at the top near the parking so we didn't have to lug our stuff too far. There was also a tiny little convenience store and café. The kids all joked that the place even had a free "Dr. Fish spa" because when they sat in the little pool, hundreds of little fish came over and started nibbling their toes.

After lunch, the kids each got a popsicle for 10 baht (about 30 cents) and then played in the creek or played soccer.

I thought it was hilarious watching all the older kids running around playing soccer while eating their popsicles (I ran over to get a picture, but by then they had finished their popsicles). After lunch, most of the other families were done and headed home, but our kids begged for more time. So we stayed, climbing the waterfall another dozen times or so. Best waterpark I've ever been to. :-)  I can't wait to go back after the smoky season is over.