in 1975, king bhumibol surveyed the land on phu phan mountain using aerial photographs, and even wandered the forest for inspiration for his northeastern residence. phu phan palace or phra tamnak phu phan Rajanives contains a group of four royal residences the first one was built as a wooden slab house while the other three were built later as two-storey modern- style buildings. phu phan palace's main attraction is the garden,which uses various rare kinds of foliage and flowering plants and other materials. there are five styles of garden here : mixed gardens,formal-style gardens,formal-style gardens,informal-style gardens,rock gardens, and stone gardens. with these regional summer residences,HM king bhumibol can visit the remote areas of thailand more often and more conveniently. he not only visits with the villagers,but through his royal projects he helps to develop th quality of their lives