Each year, in the month from December to February, the fields of the foothills in Lopburi feature a nice spectacle that is memorable for flower-fans. Sunflowers are in full bloom and some people drive far to witness this.
To the farmers here, its just a regular crop to feed to the markets as sunflower seeds are a delicious snack. Roasted and salted they are offering big bags of this treat along the roadside and at Pasak Jolasids Dam-site. Phattana Nikhom is this area beeing called and it is only a few KM west of Lopburi city.
The Pasak Jolasid Dam keeps floodwaters during rainy Seasin away from the fertile Central Plains and after the completion of this royal project, the flooding there and as far downstream as Bangkok was reduced by a significant amount The water here is being used for irrigation purposes and the farmers quickly adapted to the availability of year-round water and it's benefits. Pasak Jolasid Lake is the largest man-made lake in the central region of Thailand.
Pasak Jolasid is the royal name the monarch gave this project and it translates into "to effectively retain water". The waters of the large lake of 180+ KM² also hold an abundance of fresh water fish and it generates also some electricity. The entire eastern shore plus some of the outlying agricultural areas specialise in sunflower crop. Right before harvesting time in the peak of the dry season it may be rewarding to take the family out to the lakeshore for a flowery trip.
Driving from Bangkok is quite easy, just take the Asia Highway to Bang Pa-In and then continue towards Saraburi on Pahonyothin Road. Just before hitting Saraburi City, continue north on road number 1 to Lopburi until it forks off into road 21 to Chai Ban Dan and Petchabun. Take road 21 until you see the sunflower fields or signs for the damsite. The road 21 passes the lakeside on the left. Basic tourist facilities are provided for on the lakefront, snacks and drinks can be bought there as well. Tourist oriented businesses may soon follow on the lakeshore.
Prepare some extra rolls of film or plenty of storage on your media for the digital camera as photo opportunities come up frequently here.
Most of the sunflower fields are accessible from the roads, be careful when walking around in them and don't damage the fragile plants.
Timing is essential here, the best time of the day are early mornings and late afternoons, when the sun is low and the colors are much more alive. Our pictures here were taken in February 2009 and between the hours of 16:00 and 17.00 afternoon.
The city of Lopburi is famous for it's temples and monkeys, combine the two attractions and have a great weekend out in the central plains. Accommodation can be found easily in Lopburi City. Inquire with the state railway, the dam as well as lopburi are linked to the Thai State Railway! Inexpensive buses to Lopburi can be boarded at Mor Chit or Future Park.
