Phayao to Chiang Rai

---

Our plan for today is not too strenuous, for a change. We started the day with a visit to a local temple, Wat Si Khom Kham, on the lake shore. There are actually two temples side by side here, in the same complex, each with large golden Buddhas in beautifully decorated buildings. One of the temples is built on stilts in a small artificial bay. All very nice, but the interesting thing about the place isn't the temples themselves but the gardens in the complex. One of them in particular. In one small area of the temple grounds are a collection of sculptures that depict a very graphic and gruesome version of Hell, complete with demons, tortured people being beheaded or boiled in a pot, creatures attacking people who are trying to escape by climbing thorny trees, and more. And all the tortured souls are naked. Creepy! But there were also orchids growing on the trees around there, birds, and fresh air so we could leave with a good feeling.

We got out of there (with our clothes still on) and got some iced coffee across the street. We could do without the torture.

Our next destination is Doi Luang National Park and the Namtok Phu Kaeng waterfall. The rout to there took us through some small villages and their fields. We saw some houses that had great big ceramic jars in the yard, used as water cisterns. I guess running water isn't taken for granted in these backwaters. Gilat spotted a grove of trees with what looked like taps stuck in them, reminiscent of maple trees in Canada, so of course we had to stop. No, they were not maple. They were rubber trees! We could see how the farmers cut a diagonal groove in the bark, about half way around the tree, and the sap runs down the groove, into a small spout, and into a small bowl. When the sap stops running, another groove is cut below it, until a whole patch shaped like a sergeant's stripes.

We tried to see if the white rubber sap hardened, but it stuck to our fingers and it STINKS! But a few minutes later it dried and felt like latex. Well, stinky latex. Very interesting!

We reached the national park and once again had to show our vaccination papers. And again we had the park to ourselves. This is getting to be a habit! (Not that I mind). The nature trail here is a round trip (as opposed to there-and-back). We started up the hill into the jungle, along a clear path. There were lots of different flowers, butterflies, lianas, bamboo stands, but we mainly felt the heat, humidity and mosquitos! I guess they didn't hear that mosquito repellent is supposed to repel them! But eventually the trail did take us back down to the river and the falls. There is a whole cascade of falls of various height along the path back to the park's entrance, and they are all very beautiful, cascading over rocks, surrounded by greenery as they are. But we were still happy to get back to the car's AC.

By now it was after noon and we were getting hungry. We passed a small home in one of the villages that had a few tables set out restaurant-style, so we stopped. And yes, they did have a makeshift restaurant there. Very few people in Thailand actually cook at home. Food is so cheap that they just eat out, so every other housewife sets up shop in her yard to feed the neighbors. In this case she made us papaya salad. She grated the papaya and pounded the ingredients in mortar & pestle just for us. And it was spicy hot and delicious!

We said our thanks and headed on. Another waterfall lies in wait, again after driving through farming villages. We saw fields of pineapple in neat rows on the hillsides, buffalo grazing in the cut rice fields, and of course forest.

At the end of a narrow road through a village we came to a small place to park. No entrance gate, no forestry service and no fee! There were a few kids listening to music by the river, but otherwise it was quiet. We walked up the path and very soon found the falls. And they are magical! A large waterfall (about 15 m tall) pours into a deep pool in a narrow crevasse of black rock. The water then flows over some rocks and then down some more rapids and cascades. And right next to the large pool is a small sandy beach, a perfect place to put our stuff, and, since nobody but us was there, change into bathing suits and go for a dip! The water is cool and refreshing, but not cold, and the warm air makes for a very comfortable experience. I'd say this spot has it all - easy to get to but nobody was there, the fall was tall, but not so tall that the water stings when it hits you, the temperature was just right, and it's less than an hour's drive to our hotel in Chiang Rai.

On the walk back to the car we noticed a huge stream of ants going up the railing. It started with the ants leaving an old log (all in one direction), crossing a short steel bridge, and going up the railing for at least 30 meters. A constant flow of millions of ants all going in the same direction. Migrating? Perhaps. I guess it will remain a mystery.

We got to our hotel in Chiang Rai, dropped our stuff, had a shower and headed out for something to eat and maybe a massage. The first thing we noticed upon leaving the hotel were millions of swallows sitting on the electric cables along the streets. The cables were so crowded with the little birds that hundreds were flying around looking for a spot! It was incredible! I've never seen such a concentration of swallows before. But the birds were all flying and roosting along one section of the main street, You pass a certain utility pole and no birds.

We found the town's night food market and although many of the stalls were closed, several were open and we got a hotpot - a ceramic pot of soup over a ceramic stand full of hot coals. A plate of your chosen meat in strips, and a basket of vegetables. You put some of your meat and veggies in the pot, wait a few minutes, and fish them out, eat and repeat. Fun and yummy. But we felt too bloated for a massage tonight. We'll get one tomorrow in Chiang Mai.

---

Photos

Rice drying in the sun
... and chickens snacking on it