I have many family in rural Isaan who have never been anywhere.
15 of us decided to take a road trip to Phetchabun to see some sights and also to camp on top of one of the mountains.
Camping is pretty famous in Thailand and Thai people are hard-core campers.
This was our first time and my relatives all wanted to try it.
We contacted a company with a mountain top location in Khao Kho.
As advertised, the top of the mountain with temps around 17c and a howling wind.
The tents were advertised to house 6 to 8, only to find out 3 adults as the maximum.
Also, each tent only came with 1 blanket, when we specifically reserved for 15 people.
After sitting around shivering for about 2 additional hours, 2 extra tents were set up that both had holes in them.
Extra blankets were delivered but no extra pillows.
The tent came with one 6″ decorative pillow, not a sleeping pillow.
There are ground lights all over the place so people don’t trip and fall on the electric wires powering many tents.
The lights cast through the tent walls making in very hard to sleep.
There is only a thin cover on the tent floor so you feel every rock and stump underneath.
You can hear people talking, walking and using the bathrooms which are very close to the tenting area.
The highway is very close down below, and the roar of loud motorcycles kept me awake most of the evening.
Not one of my relatives was able to sleep. Most were up at 4:30 can’t waiting to get out of there and to drive home.
I can understand the people that invest in camping equipment to make their stay enjoyable, but renting a tent from places like this are not the answer.
Not one of us ever wants to try camping again!