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Published: March 2nd 2009
First proper day of our Intrepid Tour of Northern Thailand. We start by walking to the river pier, jumping into a larg longtail boat which sets off for a tour of the canals on the Thornbury side of Bangkok. These canals are used like water versions of roads, with main canals, side canals and very narrow sois. We pass residential areas and the temple area where we feed 'lucky' bread to the fish - for a small donation of course. We also see a longtail construction barge and a garbage longtail !! We are then of to another Wat - this one is very famous - The Reclining Budda - and it is absolutely huge. Golf (our tour guide) is very knowledgable and explains all about the temple, its construction and what all the various buildings do. And we learn that the monks are not allowed to cook or carry money. Visit to the Wat over we collect our bags and head to the bus station where we catch a public bus to Kanchanaburi. Despite Golf arranging (that morning) for 13 rickshaws to meet us only 10 turn up. Still most of the tour (including Sue) get a rickshaw ride to
our hotel. We are staying in Apple Resort Guest House - which is new and fantastic, clean sheets and air con !! A quick unpack and we take the optional tour by rickshaw to visit the Kanchanaburi World War Two war cemetary and the 'Bridge Over The River Kwai'. The cemetary was a very somber reminder of the lives that were lost, with over 6000 buried here - both of us were moved by the experience and we left very quietly. Back onto the rickshaw we head off to the famous bridge. Along with the railroad it was completed in 16 months by the POWs, but bombed in 1945. Subsequently rebuilt it is very old and rickety. We walked over the rail bridge - but as we came back across the 17.00 train came (it was 18.00 now !) - and we had to jump into the safety platforms at the side of the bridge - we got a very close up view of the train 😉. Tonight we had dinner at our guest house - thai food which was so tasty it is going into our best restaurants list !
Day two of our tour and we are
off to visit the waterfall at Erawan National Park, about 75 mins away by songtheaw, which is a thai method of transport - basically a covered truck with seats along the sides in the back. The waterfall has seven levels and you can swim at levels 2,3,4 & 5. We decide to walk up to the 7th level before swimming. Its just over 1 hour to reach the top, but the heat is intense and we are soon sweating buckets. The going gets progressively harder the higher you go and between levels 6 and 7 it is basically rock scrambling - we got lost once as the trail just evaporated. Back on track we eventually reach the 'End of Trail' marker after taking pictures at each level. The waterfall is stunning, with crystal clear water and lots of big fish 😊 On the way back down we stop at level 4 for Bill to scramble up some rocks and come down a big boulder waterslide. We both swim at levels 2 and 3 - and both get nibbles on our bodies from the fish 😉 And guess what - its the tacky souvenier plate photo time again - and we
finally sucumb - well we just had to get one somewhere. On the way back to the guest house we both opt to canoe down the River Kwai - these are proper 2 person canoes and off we set with about 2/3 of the group. One couple seem to be training for the River Kwai speed canoeing olympic event and set off at such a cracking pace we are soon lagging behind - no matter, one of the guides hung back with us to make sure we were ok. The river scenery was very nice - and we pass under the famous River Kwai rail bridge - just after the train went over - it was only 15 mins late today. We stopped at the side of the river to look at some water buffalo - and get up very close !
The next day starts by a visit to the Jeath Museum. This has information about the inhuman conditions and pictures of the POW camps which housed the men that built the Death Railway, including the River Kwai Rail Bridge. The POWs suffered appalling conditions and the museum made us very sad. Leaving there we walk down to
War Graves
Rows on Rows - so sadthe pier and boarded a rice barge, which is our accomodation for tonight. The rice barge is basically 3 floating rafts linked together, one for sleeping, one for eating and one for swimming 😊 There was an offer to swim before lunch so while Sue dozed Bill jumped into a truck tyre inner tube and was slowly towed along the river for an hour before lunch - very chilled 😉 After our nice lunch the barge stopped at Bantum Temple. This temple is inside a cave halfway up a hill, so we climb up the steps through a serpents mouth, then more steps with murals on either side. When we finally get inside the temple our guide Golf tells us the story behind the temple which is the story the murals tell. Bill wanted to be able to give alms to the monks so Golf our guide arranges this with a monk. A basket of items pre packaged is chosen and Bill makes his donation (200 baht) in an envelope. Bill and Golf then move over to a mat with the basket in front of them, the monk sits down in front of them and begins chanting and reciting blessings
in his language which is different to Thai, normally the giver repeats what the monk says but in Bill's case Golf did this part for Bill. This carried on for about 5 mins and then Bill and Golf were blessed with the Holy water. At this point the basket is passed in front of the monk, Bill then pours a small urn of water while a departed loved one is thought about, the monk is still chanting! Bill thought it was a very moving ceremony even though he couldn't understand what was being said!! After this there was the option to walk up even more stairs to a small cave, Bill and a couple of others went but due to the heat and already being soaking wet with sweat Sue declined and went back to the barge. Bill gets to the top after the tough climb and goes in the cave where there are bats and a few stalagtites amd stalagmites, it was like a small version of the Jenola Caves we visited previously on our trip. Everyone back on the barge and off we go again with some of us floating along the back in car inner tubes, very
Ewerera Falls
Bill ready for the water slide at level 4 refreshing. We then stop again at another temple called Tum Sua Temple-built at the top of a hill (these temples are always high up hills). We climb lots of stairs again and get to the top to see a very impressive temple and a huge budda. At the top of the main temple are huge gold statues and beautiful ceilings, Bill was the only one to go up there as he did not see the no entry sign!! On the way out we saw a preserved body of the monk who built the temple. We go back on the barge for dinner, after which the generator is turned on and disco lights and music come on. We did not enjoy the noise and were too tired to even think about dancing as some of the youngsters were - and they were getting very drunk on samsung!! We opted for a card game with a few others as it was too early to go to bed and there was no escaping the loud music. About 10pm we decided to go to the bedroom raft where everyone was sleeping on mattresses on the floor, open air with your own mosquito net, clean
In the Falls
Watch out for the Fish ! sheets and blanket with the couples mattresses pushed together. Most of us, apart from 2 girls, Golf and the crew, were trying to get to sleep despite the loud music still blasting out of the huge speakers. By about 11pm we are getting fed up with the noise when Bill asks Golf how long its going on for, he said midnight so Bill said he would pull the plug out before then. We think he took the hint and turned the music off and tried with great difficulty to get the 2 party girls to settle down, lots of giggles and drunken conversation and finally all goes quiet and a good nights sleep in the breeze.
Up at 6am next day to see the pre dawn grey sky, the sunrise on the river in the mist was brilliant. Getting off the barge we board local buses for a 4 hour trip to Ayutthaya - air con is open windows - half way the bus stops for a break and street food vendors swarm on - we buy 10 skewers of honey glazed bbq chicken and a bag of rice for 20 baht (40p) - very tasty. Arriving at Ayutthaya
- a quick lunch and its off to yet more temples -
getting templed out now:
- Wat Phanan Choeng - a big budda with clothes and a monk allowed us to take his picture
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkol - victory stuppa of great warrior king, but greatly deteriorated
- Wat Mahathat - ruins of Wats burned down by Burmese centuries ago, but now famous for the budda's head which is encased in tree roots
Its then off on the overnight train to Chiang Mai - 2nd class sleeper with 38 other people in the carriage, Bill gets the top bunk, while Sue gets the much larger lower bunk - still we both get some sleep. Arriving at our Chiang Mai hotel very early morning we have less than 2 hours to sort out our washing, have a shower and get breakfast - sounds enough time, but everything moves at Thai speed 😉 It's then off for a packed day, starting with elephant jungle ride (the elephants were originally used for logging but now rely on us tourists) we climb a big platform and an elephant walks up - but Sue can't get her leg over
- he is too big - so we get a smaller one and off we go up and down some very steep jungle tracks - 5 mins in and we reach a jungle stall selling bananas and suger cane - with the very reassuring marketing slogan "keep your elephant happy". So we buy 2 bunches of bananas for 20 baht (40p) which Sue quickly feeds the elephant and we run out, with much snorting and trumpeting from the elephant - but not to worry - suprise suprise - another jungle store appears round the corner! This happens 5 times, but it still only cost us 2 pounds over about 45 mins and it was a nice, if somewhat scary experience. But wait - yes its the souvenier photo again - against Sue's better judgement Bill decides to buy it 😉. We pit stop in a jungle cafe for lunch - very limited menu, but for 230 baht (4 pounds & 50 pence) we both have lunch and drinks. Next stop is bamboo rafting - 2 per raft with our own raft man with a pole - we start by sitting back and relaxing and letting the raft man do all
the work with the pole, but very soon we hit some gentle rapids and start colliding with other rafts. The whole thing degenerates into a big water fight and Bill decides to 'help' the raft man, by grabbing the other pole and he gets quite good at steering (his words!) and causing mayhem with the other rafts. On the way down river:
* We see a really small baby elephant with it's mother on the river bank
* And elephants walking up river with tourists - so what - but behind the elephants is an elephant man scooping their dung out of the river and throwing it on the river bank - great addition to a CV 😉
*On the biggest rapids we go shooting through - only suddenly we are firmly wedged on a rock and are stuck fast with water rushing everywhere (must have been Bill's excellent steering) - it was so bad the raft man had to jump off and try to push us sidways off the rock - it took about 30 seconds and he was worried and when we were free he looked back in case we were upset - no chance - it
Another Temple
They are all on hills in this area just added to the fun
All to soon we finish and guess what - another souvenier photo - and yes we bought it - a matching set! Next stop yet another temple - this ones claim to fame is 306 steps up - Sue counted - and a white elephant (very sacred) - there is a really good story behind it (thanks Golf), but we are all templed out and barely listen. Tonight we head out to the Night Bazaar where we eat very cheaply in the Thai version of a food court, before we head off shopping, with Sue haggling the prices down.
The next day we are still in Chiang Mai and Bill wanted to do the opional bike ride - but out of the 12 people on the tour he was the only one - what a shame - still he joined Sue on the half day thai cookery school. This started with a trip to the market to buy our ingredients, before we started coooking the 3 dishes we had chosen - they all tasted great - hope you are all waiting for the invites to a thai dinner when we get home 😉
Dinner tonight in a fish restaurant before we decide to head off to a bar on the riverside. Golf made sure the tuk tuk driver knew where we were going and agreed a price of 40 baht, but when the driver realised Golf was not going with us - it suddenly jumped to 60 baht, with Golf looking very apologetic - not his fault - its the thai way - one price for locals - a bigger price for farang (foreigners). Still we had a couple of drinks in a quiet bar overlooking the river.
Off again the next day - to Chiang Rai - this time by a nice air con coach 😊 After having lunch at Cabbages and Condoms - an agency that has the aim of reducing the average thai family children from 7 to 2 and promotes the use and free distribution of condoms (among other things). Lunch over we visit the Hill Tribe Reasearch Museum and learn about the tribes and the opium trade, history and today, before presentations on the hill tribes we are visiting, their customs and taboos (no mixing of the sexes and no public affection - the manchester couple, by
now nicknamed mc, will struggle with this) and about our 3 day trek. We then head off for a homestay in a local village - Baan Huay San Plab Pla - which is near the start point for our trek. The accomodation is basic multishare:
- Boys in separate room from girls
- Basic thin mattress on the floor
- Mosie net, with holes
- Cold showers
- European toilets - but byo toilet paper !
Dinner tonight was almost vegetarian, with just a sprinkling of meat - 3 dishes; melon, pumpkin & tomatoe - and rice of course. Little did we know - but this was to be our best dinner of the trek😞 Dinner was followed by dancing and music by the local school children - the standard was very good, especially as the instruments were primative and homemade.
First day trekking sees a breakfast of toast and donuts and off we go - jumping into the back of a 30-40 year old farmers truck (it was hand crank start) for an hours drive off road to the start point, picking up our porters on the way. The porters to carry your back pack were optional
White Elephants
White elepants are sacred , but Golf recommended them, at least for the first day as the trek is 10 Km, 2/3 of which is uphill jungle, going up 2000 feet, with some of the path difficult to traverse. 8 of the 12 take his advice (including both of us). In the truck before we start one of the porters rolls his own cigarette - as well as tobacco he adds some white flakes - Golf said these were 'herbal' but we are not convinced ......... Anyway off we set, starting at 09.40 and finally arriving at the Lisu Hill Tribe village at 15.00 after a hard going trek - but we did stop at a great waterfall for lunch. Tonight we are in a 5 star bamboo hut. After a rest and a cold shower its off to the village souvenier shop where we feel obliged to buy something. We then get a short walk through the village - more hills - have a look at the village spirit house and see lots of cockerals, dogs, pigs and a pet monkey. Back for dinner - dishes of cabbage, a potatoe like vegetable and cold tomatoe, with even less meat than last night -
and yes more rice. The traditional village costume was worn by the women who cooked and served dinner - and we finally realise the origins of the hats and basic jewellery that the street hawkers keep trying to sell us!
Day two of our trek started well with a nice breakfast of boiled egg, toast and jams and freshly brewed elephant mountain coffee, which is the local brew and we will walk through the plantation later today. Its then off to the local village school so that we can teach the children english. But we get the grade ones, 6-7 years old and as we have no grasp of teaching skills and there is no Lisu teacher present it soon degenerates into games of noughts and crosses and picture taking (by the kids) with the odd english word on the board. But we are soon to find out they already have a good grasp of english and know the alphabet, numbers and many words. After lunch we set off on our afternoon trek to the Akha Village. This is a comparitively easy trek, only 5 km, but still tiring and lots of ups and downs, although the path is
a track so not difficult. We arrive at the village and our hut tonight and its definately back down to earth - a 3 star bamboo hut and there is no electric in the village. We have a walk round the village and find crisps for sale! We look at a typical Akha house and The Happy Room which is where couples just married are allowed to stay for 1 year to make babies . We walk around the village and are chased by excited children appearing everywhere, we then walk up a hill to see the sunset, but we were a bit early and it was very hazy. Back to the accommodation for dinner, dishes of cabbage, leaf and pumpkin and more boiled rice, not very appealing but it was all there was - the pumpkin was the best. After dinner some of the villagers performed a traditional Akha new year dance with a drummer and 3 women in traditional costume banging bamboo poles on a plank. The performance did not last very long and by about 8 o clock we were ready to go to bed in the dark rooms with no electric, as there was nothing else
A Fat Budda
Yet another temple - all templed out now !! left to do that night.
Our final day of trekking we are awoken early by dogs fighting, cockerels, people and banging noises, who needs an alarm clock in a Hilltribe village!! Breakfast is served consisting of pancakes, toast, jam and hard boiled eggs and sliced banana. More appetising than dinner last night!! We are then given our packed lunch to take with us, a banana leaf nicely tied up containing boiled rice with a bag of cabbage, 😞 horrifed we quickly put it in our bag knowing it is not going to be eaten. Golf sees everyones faces and hints we will be stopping somewhere else for lunch at the end of the trek if we can wait. We then set off on our 3 hour trek mostly downhill but a couple of steep uphills. Not as hard as our guide made out, we finish our trek, Sue had a porter again but didn't really need one, but she wanted to help out the local community. We arrive at the local cafe and all 12 packed lunches are fed to the local dogs while we ordered something more appetising. Golf recommended pork and egg curry with rice to Bill,
Very Famous
This is a picture of a buddas head which has been embedded naturally in tree rooks at the site of an old ransacked temple it was very tasty and cheap - only 20 baht (40p). Sue decided she couldnt face anymore thai food and ate the cheesy biscuits we had with us for emergencies. We are then back to our hotel to clean off the dirt and dust that was everywhere, even after showering the towels were dirty. Tonight Golf takes us to a nice Italian restaurant in the town for a much needed pizza, then shows us a great rock and roll bar where we sit on cushions and watch videos of 60s & 70s rock music and wear wigs to have photos taken. An excellent night and a tuk tuk back to our hotel.
Today we had to walk about 15 mins to find a place for breakfast which was good but a bit rushed as we were leaving at 9am for a 1 hour trip in a songthaew to Mae Sai on the Burmese border. We decided to cross the border and paid US$10 each for a visa and surrendered our passports for a temporary entry permit to Myanmar. We visit the local market and are pestered non stop by cigarette boys, who sell home made or out of date
cigarettes. There are also people selling Sadam Hussein playing cards, knives and lighters. All we brought were some fake dvds. We only had 1 hour there which was enough, but we have now visited another country and have the stamp in our passports. Back over the border reclaiming our passports, and more paper work, lots of hassle all for 1 hour in Burma!! We join the rest of our group who did not go to Burma and go by Songthaew to the Mekong river for lunch, then its off to the Opium Museum. We decide to take the optional late afternoon fast longtail on the Mekong River to Laos - this turns out to be the biggest tourist scam we have fallen for (Intrepid you should be ashamed !!!!!!!!). Yes we get on the river and yes we land in Laos - but its just a very tatty and dirty tourist market with the same crap you can buy in Chiang Rai and with nothing else around except bushland. The exception was snake whisky - Robin you were so close to getting this! and Laos beer - well we had a can each - and yes we did get a
Baby Elephant
On the riverbank as we passed on the raft Laos stamp in our passport - so 3 countries in a day 😊
The next day is basically spent travelling, bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai and then the overnight train to Bangkok - Bill gets the bigger bottom bunk this time. To give an insight into how much the thai people love their king - the national anthem is played at 08.00 each day and we happened to be in Chiang Rai bus station when this happened - everyone stands, stops moving and goes silent - very respectfully we do the same! Next stop Bangkok part two, a fun goodbye to Golf and the tour group and a new part of the city for us.
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Marge & Don xx
non-member comment
Blogs are great - keep them coming. What an amazing trip - did you really plan it in such detail? Anyway, we'll book up a Thai restaurant for when you return, ok?