15-May-2004 -- Having completed lunch after getting to confluence point 18N 99E we set off with the aim of getting 18N 100E on the same day, and then finding somewhere to sleep. Travelling from Thung Hua Chang we headed south to Puang and then through Li and Thoen. We headed For Den Chai as the map we had said the point was located to the West of the town.
About 14kms from Den Chai we passed a small road going to a village called Baan Pak Pan and turned back to see were it would lead. Still 9kms from the point at the turn off we ended up parking the car 650m away next to a river underneath a railway bridge. Nonglak and David ( mum and baby ) decided to remain in the car as it was getting late. As the area was covered in thick brush we decided to walk along the railway tracks and see how close we would come. This worked out very well until the fuel train came along when we made a speedy exit to the side of the tracks.
The confluence turned out to be 30m to the south of the railway tracks in very thick vines, thorn bushes and brush. Using bamboo poles to make a path we got to the confluence and then fought with countless bugs and mosquito’s to take the photo’s, hence the unclear shot of the Garmin. However we returned to the car with the shots and a few hundred bites and scratches each. The Thai’s kept asking how many farang (foreigners) did this and how much they got paid. I must have heard the phrase “farang Baar”, ( foreigners are crazy ) more than a couple of times that evening.
Once we had found a place to stay and everyone had had a shower the stories over dinner became more receptive to the idea of walking into the middle of nowhere with a GPS and trying to get to “Zero Zero “ as each confluence point had now become known. Thoughts turned to the next day and the point 19 N 100 .
Thanks again to Steve Price for the use of his Garmin.