Keith's Travelog
13 March, 2006
To the land of tea finally
Since my bags were basically still packed after the previous evening's debacle, I was able to get a fairly early start. After thanking Tutu again for her and Jira's help, I caught the 8:00am bus from Chiang Rai to Ban Basang. When I got to Ban Basang, there were four other people looking to take a sawngthaew: a couple of young Thai women, and a couple of foreigners. I talked to the women, who both spoke English, and they said that a sawngthaew should cost 50 Baht per person. We all chatted for a while, waiting for the first truck to show up. The women's names were Net and Kai. They were going to Mae Salong as part of a short holiday from their hometown, Bangkok. When a sawngthaew drove up, we had some difficulty because they wanted too much: 80 Baht per person. So after Net and Kai unsuccessfully tried to bargain with the driver, we all decided to start walking up the street. That was enough to convince the driver to lower his price.
Net and Kai (in Ban Basang)
The ride was fairly steep, and a little bumpy, but the view was very nice as we made our way up to the mountainous area where Mae Salong is located. Net and Kai had planned on staying at a different guest house, but after I told them about Shin Sane, they decided to check it out. We arrived there a little before noon. I opted for a private single bungalow, which was 260 Baht per night. Then I arranged with the owner of the guesthouse to rent a motorbike, and the Net and Kai did the same. They told me they were going to take a ride up to a nearby temple after finding some lunch, and invited me to join them. I was hungry and eager to explore the area, so we all set off at about 12:30.
After having a delicious lunch, we made our way along a windy mountain road until there was a turn off to a local tea growing village. We took a dirt road until we came to a hilly are with a terraced tea plantation, and stopped to take some photos.
Net and Kai looking over tea plantations
I posed with two very willing local children
Next we went back the way we came, with the intention to go to the temple. After about 2 kilometers, their motorbike ran out of gas. They decided it would be best if we flagged down someone for help and then one of them went to get some gas while I and the other waited. So Kai went with a man who stopped to help, and Net and I waited, trying to hide from the sun in the shade of some bushes.
A helpful stranger saves the day
They were back in less than 20 minutes, and we set off again. We got to a "downtown" looking stretch of road, and stopped to get a drink, as well as look for any souvenirs. We didn't find anything we wanted to buy. Not even 30 meters from where we stopped, we had seen a turn off to the temple, called Phra Bormma That Chedi Srinakarindra. This temple sits high up on a peak near the summit of Sam Sao Noi Mountain (Doi Sam Sao Noi,) one of the taller peaks in the area at 1708 meters. The site was devoid of people, so we walked around to soak up the views. Unfortunately, both structures were closed, so I didn't have a chance to see inside.
Phra Bormma That Chedi Srinakarindra
Overlooking Mae Salong center in the valley below
When we left, I parted ways with Net and Kai, having made plans to meet up again for dinner. When I got back to the guest house, I started some laundry, and then took a shower. When I finished, I stepped out to check up on the clothes, and after hanging everything to dry, was walking up the concrete steps leading to my bungalow when I slipped, causing a large piece of skin to shear away on my right big toe. There was blood everywhere, and it hurt so much I was actually laughing. I rinsed it off, and bandaged it using my first aid kit. This blew my dinner plans, so I ate at the guesthouse "cafe," and medicated myself with a few beers. While checking up on the wound, a Thai woman sitting next to me told me that she was a nurse and offered to re-make the bandages. Thank goodness for all of the kindness Thai people!
Either from the effects of the beer or the residual adrenaline from the injury to my toe, I still had some energy left, so I went on a short joy ride with Net and Kai, checked out the grounds of a local "upscale" resort, and then after returning with them to Shin Sane, went out on my own in search of an open teahouse serving some of the local Oolong style tea. I found a place easily, and was served many times in the traditional way from a single pot of hot water. The shop also sold a large variety of dried and jarred fruit, but I wasn't inspired to buy any.
From there, I took a 2km solo joy ride, until I found a short turn off leading to a nice nighttime view of the surrounding valleys below. I soaked it up for about 15 minutes before heading back to the guesthouse for a well-deserved night's sleep.
The ride was fairly steep, and a little bumpy, but the view was very nice as we made our way up to the mountainous area where Mae Salong is located. Net and Kai had planned on staying at a different guest house, but after I told them about Shin Sane, they decided to check it out. We arrived there a little before noon. I opted for a private single bungalow, which was 260 Baht per night. Then I arranged with the owner of the guesthouse to rent a motorbike, and the Net and Kai did the same. They told me they were going to take a ride up to a nearby temple after finding some lunch, and invited me to join them. I was hungry and eager to explore the area, so we all set off at about 12:30.
After having a delicious lunch, we made our way along a windy mountain road until there was a turn off to a local tea growing village. We took a dirt road until we came to a hilly are with a terraced tea plantation, and stopped to take some photos.
Next we went back the way we came, with the intention to go to the temple. After about 2 kilometers, their motorbike ran out of gas. They decided it would be best if we flagged down someone for help and then one of them went to get some gas while I and the other waited. So Kai went with a man who stopped to help, and Net and I waited, trying to hide from the sun in the shade of some bushes.
They were back in less than 20 minutes, and we set off again. We got to a "downtown" looking stretch of road, and stopped to get a drink, as well as look for any souvenirs. We didn't find anything we wanted to buy. Not even 30 meters from where we stopped, we had seen a turn off to the temple, called Phra Bormma That Chedi Srinakarindra. This temple sits high up on a peak near the summit of Sam Sao Noi Mountain (Doi Sam Sao Noi,) one of the taller peaks in the area at 1708 meters. The site was devoid of people, so we walked around to soak up the views. Unfortunately, both structures were closed, so I didn't have a chance to see inside.
When we left, I parted ways with Net and Kai, having made plans to meet up again for dinner. When I got back to the guest house, I started some laundry, and then took a shower. When I finished, I stepped out to check up on the clothes, and after hanging everything to dry, was walking up the concrete steps leading to my bungalow when I slipped, causing a large piece of skin to shear away on my right big toe. There was blood everywhere, and it hurt so much I was actually laughing. I rinsed it off, and bandaged it using my first aid kit. This blew my dinner plans, so I ate at the guesthouse "cafe," and medicated myself with a few beers. While checking up on the wound, a Thai woman sitting next to me told me that she was a nurse and offered to re-make the bandages. Thank goodness for all of the kindness Thai people!
Either from the effects of the beer or the residual adrenaline from the injury to my toe, I still had some energy left, so I went on a short joy ride with Net and Kai, checked out the grounds of a local "upscale" resort, and then after returning with them to Shin Sane, went out on my own in search of an open teahouse serving some of the local Oolong style tea. I found a place easily, and was served many times in the traditional way from a single pot of hot water. The shop also sold a large variety of dried and jarred fruit, but I wasn't inspired to buy any.
From there, I took a 2km solo joy ride, until I found a short turn off leading to a nice nighttime view of the surrounding valleys below. I soaked it up for about 15 minutes before heading back to the guesthouse for a well-deserved night's sleep.
Labels: Mae Salong, Thailand
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