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Published: February 19th 2008
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17/2/2008
Sitting in the cafe by the riverside in ChiangKhong last night, munching at the tasty quesillas...something sound like that, the Mexican dish I'd ordered, cheese and chicken meat baked inside a crispy wraps, together with hot and sour pickles, sour milk, rice and smashed green pea on the side, everything look tiny but quite filling. Looking back over the border across the river in Laos, there was not much different from Thailand, full of light and movement, remembered how it was like 10 years ago, dark and quiet.
Took the local bus through ChiangRai to Phayao this morning, love this kind of school bus style vehicle, you wouldn't see much of this old fashion bus in a lot of places nowadays. First arrived in ChiangRai after 2 hours, then I switched to another bus to Phayao. No particular reason why Phayao, just wanted to stay out of tourist area, at least bus station was in the city. Asked the local in the restaurant for budget hotel recommend, "bungalow" someone offered, and said it wasn't far and pointing his finger to the left outside the shop, sound good...bungalow style, so I asked along the road, "bungalow, bungalow " still people
pointed me further, and 200m later I saw a row of wooden bungalow hut in shabby shape, a woman came forward, "con-dew" she asked and took me to number 4 house, a very simple room, 4 bare walls and a toilet, chopper noise fan on the ceiling, ants trailing most of the wall surface, 170 baht she told me, I told her I might came back after if I couldn't find anything else, she told me I can go further for 2km more, there is hotel, cost about 200 something, "that way!" she kept arch her arm over a big circle to the north, it really seem like a long walk and it was hot, with no map and info, perhaps just one night, I gave in and took the room here. "pay now please" she urged me eagerly, I gave her a 1000 note, but she said no, and took my purse and picked a 100 note and three 20 bill, "160 is ok! "she said, well thank you then. Unloaded then I went out to checked the area, the town center is small, and soon I came to the hotel that was supposed 2km away(actually no more than
1km), when asked, I could get a clean decent room for 100 baht. Damit! What can I do now. But still...when I vision all those ants on the wall, and some on the bed, I was itching already, so I went back and try to got some refund(as much as possible), no, that woman not there, only an old woman, seem like she is the owner, I asked how much is the room charge, "50 and 60" she said, "what!" I told her what the woman took from me earlier and finally made her understood I want out, she actually gave me back all the money, what a surprised, and when I passed there in the evening, many women seat outside the gate, ah-ha, it was a brothel! No wonder she willing to took back the room, as they might earn more by hourly charge! and what a contrast few doors away, a pub call Country, many men dressed like a cowboy, of course with cowboy hat seat outside the pub, waiting, for what? I had no idea, but was suspicious, right? The action in town mostly happened around the lake area, many pub and restaurant on the water front,
there was a buddha statue in the middle of the lake, claimed to be the oldest underwater temple in Lanna Land. You paid 20 baht and someone will row you out there. The water front also a good place to watch sunset too. Every Sunday there would be a small night market in town, a great place to filled up you stomach, after the meagre choices in Laos, and the illusion small figure in price. I ate lavishly here in Thailand, still...I only got one stomach, after the six purchasing then I had to stop! Rice noodle top with curry sauce kind of like the Lasha in Malaysia, fried rice noodle, in between I got a pack of papaya, then a stick of grilled sausage, turn around I saw the grilled squid, but the taste wasn't what I expected, what a waste and occupied part of my stomach space, then after 3 more grilled meat rolls I surrendered. I strolled down to the bus station are, there was couple of bar with band music, and also a whole street of food stands along the channel, more choice and some were actually attractive! I already knew what I want for tomorrow,
hahaaahaaa!
Note:
Bus from ChiangKhong to ChiangRai is B57.
Bus from ChiangRai to Phayao is B46.
Phayao at sea level about 400m.
USD$1 = 31 Baht
19/2/2008
Staying in Phayao was relaxing, only those annoying dogs stop me from really enjoy my strolling, no matter you are in the small street in living quarter, those dogs just barking like crazy, some even ventured out threatening, one dog started it, the dogs on the whole street came like vampire! Other than this, Phayao was enjoyable, lot of street food to taste, got my favourite mango rice and rice porridge, yellow chicken rice, wonton noodle almost as good as in HK, of course you wouldn't go without pad-thai and kap-pad, in between you swallowed down you food with a fresh fruit shake, only cost 10 baht! also there was many snack and sweets, the multi color jelky cake, all with lovely favour, pancake, soyamilk, and the best I vote for is the sweet corn milk, so delicious! And the town offered cheap internet accessed, 15 baht/hr, but I went to a cafe there you can use internet for free as long as you ordered drink. The best was they
served fresh coffee! went to ChiangKham about 80km away, said there live many ThaiLue people, the ride took 2 hrs on a good paved road, yes...we are in Thailand now, all road are good! Actually we are heading back to the direction of Laos, and on this side of the border, road was good, houses tidy, infrastructure completed, surrounding was clear, everyone dress and eat good, hard to imagined not far away in another similar country, people live different life. ChiangKham was small, surrounded by huge flat agricultural and, not much you could do if you not come with your own transportation, as most of the Wat or national park are far out in the mountain area. Near the bus station is the town market area, no...didn't see and ThaiLue, but I did spotted one Yao woman, black turban with embroidered on both end wrapped around head, dark long clothes with red fluffy cotton around the lapel like a mink scraf, and the unique yao trousers that full of cross-stitched pattern. No, she wasn't ThaiLue, when I mention Yao, she nod her head, their village wasn't far, and that was about all the Thai that I could managed to asked
her. Back in Phayao, yes...beside visited Wat, there would be Wat also, that was what you mostly do while travel in Thailand. The most important temple here is the Wat Sri Khom Kham, house the biggest sitting buddha status in this Lanna kingdom, 16m height! It was huge indeed, many people came to pray on their way to work or to eat or to any appointment, always had pilgrimages here. The town was simple too, with the big market place in between the main water front and the bus station area.
Note:
Wattana hotel, 100-280 Baht/room
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