Ford Caravan Story
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tired of pollution in the City of Angels? Don’t worry… because just two hours drive from Bangkok is the sweet escape to Khao Yai where the lush greenery and refreshing pure air await you. A number of proud Ford owners recently had a chance to visit this wonderful location which is reported to rank seventh in the world for ozone volume.
Of course, we are talking about the ‘Make every day … your fun-filled Ford Focus day’ program, and a very special Ford Focus Caravan on the route of Bangkok to Khao Yai, led by Khun Piamsook Suthapreeda, Passenger Car Product Manager, Ford Thailand.
Commenting on the trip, Khun Piamsook stated that, “We want to make sure that our fun-loving, independent, trendy and travel-bound Ford Focus lovers are having a really, really good time. Exactly what we have in mind for our ‘Make every day … your fun-filled Ford Focus day’ concept. This is also a great opportunity for us to strengthen the relationships we have with our valued Ford customers.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that participants of this caravan were privileged to learn what true enjoyment really is. We started out on the Rangsit – Nakhonnayok road, heading towards Dong Payayen Forest in Khao Yai. This remarkably intact forest is a world natural heritage site and is not very far from the city. It is like a giant classroom where one learns and appreciates more about Mother Nature. The vast expanse of the forest and the endlessly rolling hills seem to have belittled a caravan of 40 cars. Our first stop was Khao Yai National Park where Ford Focus families presented a contribution to the Khao Yai Preservation Fund to support their endeavours. The caravan then proceeded to PB Valley Khao Yai Winery – the largest winery in Thailand covering an area of thousands of rai. This is where we learned about the different kinds of grapes and how top Thai wines are made, right from the harvest and the screening to the fermentation. Each of us had a couple of drinks for the sake of making the winery experience complete, while having a country lunch amidst nature. Isn’t that wonderful?
After lunch, the caravan moved on to spend the rest of the day as cowboys in the embrace of scenic hills at the world-famous Chokechai Farm. Believe it or not, the stables here, milking cows and horses alike, are of the same quality as ones in the United States. We also had a chance to keep our hands busy making real ice-cream with the ‘Umm! Milk Icecream Workshop’. We managed to bring out six flavours altogether: coffee, chocolate, cookie and cream, rum raisin, strawberry and blueberry. The fun did not stop there as we had a most memorable camp-out dinner after the last light of the day, complete with a mini concert by Sumate and The Punk, plus games and lots of smiles and laughter until very late at night. After that, we enjoyed the beauty of the night our own different ways. Some laid down and sat back, some listened to the buzzing crickets in the background, some simply marveled at the dazzling starry sky … before we all called it a night and headed back to our ‘boutique camping’ tents.
We woke up very early the following morning which, by the way, was very peaceful. Gentle sunlight and fresh mountain breezes caressed us as we walked up a naturally rich track to the scenic point on Khao Noi of Chokechai Farm. That was a decent morning exercise but the effort paid off completely once we got to see the whole farm from up there. It was such a sensational sight.
A picnic breakfast came next. We had some warm milk, hot coffee, croissants and sandwiches then went to pack our stuff for the trip back to Bangkok, fully charged for the next business day.
We believe this is a trip to remember for Ford Focus lovers. After all, we got to see new things, live the outdoor life and spend some quality time without the need to rush. Besides, the trip gave us new perspectives on life and illustrated how convenient and flexible Ford Focus is as an automobile.
We promise to bring more fun-filled experiences like this to Ford Active members in the near future. Please stay tuned!
