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Published: July 30th 2008
Wachirathan Waterfall
Simon and Lauren halfway up Wachirathan Waterfall in Doi InthanonChiang Mai, Thailand's northern capital, was a place that couldn't be missed according to Lonely Planet. Thus, Simon and Lauren found themselves walking around Chiang Mai town early one morning, having taken the flight there from Bangkok (train would have been better, but time wasn't on their side).
Day 1:
Doi Inthanon National Park Doi Inthanon is Thailand's highest peak, covered in rainforest and much cooler than the towns on the plains, although even that was better than the sweltering heat of Bangkok. Simon and Lauren boarded the local bus to the town nearest to the park and paid the princely sum of 43 Baht (~US$1) for a one-hour ride with the locals. Trusting the driver (the signs were all in Thai), they were dropped off on the side of the road near a shopping center. Their initial ideas of walking around the parks many waterfalls were replaced by hiring a driver when the size of the park was realised through broken english and much gesturing with the locals over a tourist map (with no scale). Being without a tour group had its advantages however. Driving to Mae Klang, the first of several waterfalls within the park,
Rainforest Flowers
Striking flora filled the damp upper reaches of Doi Inthanon Simon and Lauren weren't told to stop when they climbed over the fence to walk under the thunderous waterfall. High in the mountains of northern Thailand, the water was cool, clear and a refreshing break from the heat of the Asian summer. Things to avoid in waterfalls: Slipping on the algae covered rocks to a certain death, small crawling insects/larvae in the mud you sit in, deceptively powerful jets of water that will certainly give you a deep-pore facial you weren't expecting.
Moving on to other areas of the park, Lauren and Simon walked through thick jungle filled with towering trees, giant bamboo and giant ants. Ant nests could be found everywhere, even atop the highest trees where their spherical appearance reminded Simon of bowling balls perched precariously above the oblivious sightseers below. They enjoyed local pad thai for lunch near another series of cascading falls before heading towards the summit.
Near the peak of Doi Inthanon, two 'great Stupas' pierce the almost perpetual cloud cover. Surrounded by manicured gardens, Simon surprised himself by actually being
interested in the gardens and the crazy insects that were being destroyed in the rain. Inside the Stupas, Lauren photographed the amazing
Great Stupa
One of the great stupas on its precipice, surrounded by lush gardens Buddhist statues and wall motifs. Very amazing but very deserted, possibly due to the heavy rain.
The peak of Doi Inthanon was something of an anticlimax. Simon's anticipation of a heroic ascent to a barren and windswept precipice gave way to a forest clearing and a a sign that stated with some fanfare "the official highest point of Thailand". However, the sign was surrounded by Buddhist statues surrounded by elephant statuettes and an amazing rainforest that grew over everything, leaving nothing uncovered by leaves or at least some kind of greenery. This plant life had an effect unlike any other Simon and Lauren had ever seen. The ground was dry on the footpath leading to the forest, but once inside a permanent drizzle of rain fell from the treetops.
Everything was wet, and even though the peak had not seen rain for some time, the steady passage of cloud through the forest canopy ensured the constant flow of from the leaves to the ground and the clothes of the tourists below. the rainforest sheltered hundreds of unique bird species, lizards, and perfectly placed orchids drinking up the slow drips of rainwater.
Day 2:
Cooking with Gap Simon Deep-Frying
Simon preparing thai fish cakes in a wok of hot oil. The last day in Chiang Mai was an memorable one that appealed to both Simon and Lauren's favourite hobby (not including diving): Eating.
Gap's house is a well-known and reputable guest house on one of the quiet
Soi or side streets in Chiang Mai. Apart from accommodation, Gap's offers authentic Thai cooking classes. With a well-developed love of Thai food, Simon and Lauren found themselves picking up a wok and cooking a mean
Pad Thai.
The instruction began at the local market. The friendly (and very gay) Thai chefs toured the market with the wide-eyed tourists, describing everything for sale. Bamboo shoots being prepared in a steamer, at least four types of eggplant (small, crunchy, spotted, purple), winged beans, banana flowers (for eating), galangal ginger (like ginger but white), lots of chilli varieties and jackfruit were shown to the amazed tourists, along with a host of other ingredients. Heading back to the classroom, everyone was given a gas burner station and a Wok. A heap of amazing Thai food was created including: green curry, amok fish (fish souffle), Thai fish cakes (deep fried, Lauren was reminded of home), lemongrass soup, steamed pumpkin with crazy green coconut
Night Market
Chiang Mai's famous night market, where Simon and Lauren went souvenir shopping and got traditional thai massages. custard, spring rolls, hot and sour chicken, correctly cooked Thai rice and the obligatory pad thai, a quick dish with noodles, fish sauce, peanuts, egg and limes that's a famous staple in the tourist traps of Bangkok. Naturally all of this food was consumed by the creators, so Simon and Lauren were feeling extremely full once again at the end of the day. Fortunately, the spring rolls and pad thai were to go so hospitalisation wasn't necessary.
Night Markets Chiang Mai's night market is supposedly famous (according to the Lonely Planet anyway) so Simon and Lauren payed a visit after recovering from the day of overeating at the cooking class. Set along the streetside near the centre of town, the night market is a gaggle of stores selling everything from knockoff shirts to fruit shakes using the most exotic kinds of fruit imaginable. After dragon fruit shakes, a brutal Thai massage and the purchase of many pairs of fishermen's pants Simon and Lauren headed to the famous Heuan Phen restaurant.
Lonely Planet describes Heuan Phen: "Classy and highly regarded for its Northern-Thai food. Evening meals are served in an amazing antique decorated house at the back of
Simon and Lauren's Dinner Date
Heuan Phen is pricey for Thailand, with the two spending about 25 USD together for their meals, so this was a special occasion. the restaurant, while lunch is served in an open dining area out the front. One dines at Heuan Phen not just to enjoy the antique atmosphere as much as the food, but also to be able to say that you have been there".
Jackfruit Simon and Lauren were due to begin their marathon set of flights to JFK airport the next afternoon, so the morning of that day was spent sleeping in (thai houses typically check out at midday) and finding brunch. the "Thai Thai" restaurant and guesthouse was nearby and offered a convenient location for eating. This is where Simon and Lauren discovered
Jackfruit.
Upon first glance, a jackfruit appears to look like a Durian with stumpy spines. It's just as big, if not bigger, and smells just as weird. Opening the fruit reveals an entirely different interior. Long, stringy pieces of odd-smelling fruit flesh surround chicken-nugget sized yellow pieces, which were prised out by the women waiting on us who were eager to show us this amazing fruit. A single large seed was removed from within the yellow nugget and it was indicated that the remaining yellow flesh was to be eaten. When bitten, the
Jackfruit
Simon and Lauren's new favorite fruit, this hard shell and sticky mess hides bright yellow seed pods bearing shiny fruit that tastes exactly like banana popsicles. Young jackfruit is more tender and used in soups and salads. flavour of Jackfruit becomes apparent immediately and reminded Lauren exactly of a taste she had experienced back in the USA. After several minutes of thinking and discussion it became clear; Jackfruit tastes exactly like banana popsicles! Amazingly the taste is a spot-on match, confirmed independently by Simon in the USA (He'd never had banana popsicles before).
The flight back to Bangkok was a little sad; Simon and Lauren wished they weren't leaving such a wonderful place. Moreover, Simon and Lauren both wished they weren't flying to JFK from the other side of the world, both with layovers of more than 8 hours duration in various parts of the globe. Simon left Lauren at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport (which is leagues better than JFK to sleep in) and flew to Doha international in Qatar for a night amongst restless middle-east travelers (this airport was also much better than JFK with "quiet rooms" for sleepers and complimentary meals for layover travelers). Lauren flew to Narita during this time, then on to San Fransisco before flying to JFK. Meanwhile Simon had boarded the correct plane to Geneva, then on to Newark before taking the most dangerous taxi ride of his life to JFK.
Simon and Lauren at Mae Klang
Simon and Lauren resting at Mae Klang waterfall after a dip in the showering cascades Reunited, Simon and Lauren discovered that JFK airport was intentionally designed to be as uncomfortable as possible to overnighters whilst still wanting money from them: cafes and snack food outlets were open late but there were
no seats anywhere! Any place within the airport that looked to be a nice place to sit/rest was made from hard concrete, no comfy benches were to be seen anywhere and information booths heralded the nearest motel which had rooms available at $120 a night...Finding a nice quiet corner of concrete floor, Simon and Lauren tucked in for the night with sleeping bags and baggage to protect their backs from the hardness of the ground. They found they had picked a great place to sleep when, upon waking in the morning, they found that some homeless people had decided the corner was also an ideal place to get some Z's!
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Ellen Winn
non-member comment
Wonderful Reading!
Hi Lauren and Simon, I'm going to miss reading your blogs about all of your exciting adventures and seeing your great pics and videos. It was wonderful meeting Simon and scuba diving with you both. Hope we can all see you both soon. Simon...had any "Jolly Ranchers" lately? LOL Stay in touch. Have fun and Be Safe! Good Luck in California!