Nothing to lose...
12 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
11 March, 2006
A "small" setback
I didn't escape the guesthouse until almost noon. Amongst other things I had to wait for the people that rented the scooter to me (from yesterday) to come with a replacement for me to rent today. They charged me an extra 180 Baht ($4.50) for the flat tire from the night before.
I rode to the center of downtown Chiang Rai, and parked in front of an internet cafe that I had seen during my late walk on my first night here. A few doors down was a Lebanese cafe, which was enticing enough to lure me in. I had a falafel sandwich with french fries, and a couple of iced coffees. It was so good I had to let the owner know. I asked him if many Thai people ate there, and he said they do, though he sees more foreigners come through in general. The place is called Chareeya Restaurant, though the owner said he would be changing the name to Nova Restaurant soon.
After I was finished eating, I stepped into the internet cafe, called Connect Cafe. I wanted to make a call to the Shinsane Guesthouse in Mae Salong where I was planning on arriving in the evening. The woman behind the counter had a mobile phone that I could use for 5 Baht per minute. When I finished the call and paid, I got into a conversation with the woman, who spoke English surprisingly well. She told me a little about Mae Salong, and then pulled out a very high end glossy travel magazine which had in article about the town - in English and Thai. I ordered a fruitshake, which I drank while we continued to talk. She turned out to be one of the two owners of the place, which only came out after I asked how long they had been open. It was a really nice little cafe, almost a bit out of place for such a small city. I took my last sip, and thanked her heartily as I left.
I only had a few more hours in Chiang Rai, as I planned on taking a bus to Ban Basang (on the same road I had ridden the motorscooter the day before). From Ban Basang, I would have to join some random people on a sawngthaew headed up the only steep mountain road to Mae Salong. The last sawngthaews from leave there at 5pm, so I would need to catch the bus in Chiang Rai by 4:20 at the latest to make it all work.
The first place on my "short" list was a temple called Wat Jet Yot. A "Yot" is a kind of cheddi spire, and "Jet" means seven. This refers to the seven spires on the stupa structure behind the main temple. The seven spires represent the seven weeks Buddha spent in Bodhgaya after his enlightenment.
Inside the the wihaan (main hall) itself was a fairly impressive gold gilded Buddha, but most interesting was the uniquely ornamented and painted entrance - particularly the ceiling, which was painted with several geometrically arranged astrological representations of numerous animals. I'm not sure what it all meant.
The main wihaan at Wat Jet Yot
To the left of the front of the temple was an open structure with two women giving massage. The price was 120 Baht for 45 minutes. I would lose some time to see other things, but the price was so fair that I caved in to receiving my first traditional (northern) Thai massage. I had heard that northern Thai massage rather methodical, relaxed, and meditative. I found this to be true. It was hard to resist the temptation to happily fall asleep. When the woman was finished, I gave her 140 Baht.
Next, I went to Wat Phra Kaew, where in the year 1434 the famous Emerald Buddha was revealed after lightning struck the temple's cheddi. Also called the Phra Kaew Morakot, that Emerald Buddha is now housed at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, in Wat Phra Sri Ratanasasadaram - but more commonly also known as Wat Phra Kaew. Possibly in an effort to entice more tourists to Chaing Rai during a development boom, the city commissioned a Chinese sculptor in 1990 to produce a new Emerald Buddha image out of jade, (same as the original - despite being called "emerald".) It is almost a replica of the original, being only a hair shorter. I wandered around in into many of the structures of the Wat Phra Kaew complex, until I found the Emerald Buddha replica, inside Haw Phra Kaew. There is much less formality at this temple than in Bangkok, so it's possible to view the Buddha image up close and personal.
Between the main wihaan and Haw Phra Kaew, there is a rather large gold gilded cheddi, dating back to the 14th century, when the temple complex was called Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest.) The main wihaan contains a set wooden Buddha images that are impressive in their own right.
Time was running out, so I headed back to the guesthouse to return the motorbike and pack my bags. They called a tuk-tuk for me so I could get to the bus station in the center of town. The bus ride to Ban Basang was only about 1 1/2 hours, and I got there at 4:45. When I got off the bus, I immediately noticed there were no sawngthaews waiting anywhere in sight. I anxiously stood around at the three-way intersection for 10 minutes, and then decided to try to ask about where I could find a sawngthaew. I took a few tries but I found someone who explained to me that it was too late, and I could charter one for 500B - far too much for more liking. So I went to the other side of the road to wait for a bus back to Chiang Rai, where I figured I stay one more night and then try again the next day. The bus came after about 20 minutes. On the ride back, I pulled out my laptop to work on some photos, and as usual, I got the attention of half of the riders of the bus. I gave a small slide show, and one man sat down across the aisle from me who could speak English rather well. We chatted for a while, and I gave him my name card. Some 30 minutes later, I realized I could find my wallet, which I had set beside me on the bus seat. Since I had a flashlight, I pulled it out and started scouring the floor under the seat, and then in front of and behind me. No luck. The man asked me what I was looking for, and after I told him, he started asking everyone in the bus if they could see my wallet anywhere. Soon, almost everyone near me was looking for it - except for one man, who was sitting in front of me. He was strangely silent and uninterested in helping. When we arrived at the Chiang Rai bus station, I made one final search before giving up. The man offered to help me with some money, but I explained that I had a stash of cash elsewhere, and I thanked him for his help.
When I got back to the Jitaree Guest House, I explained what had happened. Tu Tu let me use their internet connection so I could call to cancel my debit and credit cards, and request replacements, and also to call my father to let him know what had happened. I planned to have him ship the new cards to a friend of a friend in Bangkok by international express mail. Luckily, I had about 3000 Baht on me, which would be enough to get me to Chiang Mai, where I could have some more money wired to me. I would then "meet up" with my new cards in Bangkok. It would take about two weeks all told for the cards to get there. I decided that I need to be much more watchful of my wallet.
I rode to the center of downtown Chiang Rai, and parked in front of an internet cafe that I had seen during my late walk on my first night here. A few doors down was a Lebanese cafe, which was enticing enough to lure me in. I had a falafel sandwich with french fries, and a couple of iced coffees. It was so good I had to let the owner know. I asked him if many Thai people ate there, and he said they do, though he sees more foreigners come through in general. The place is called Chareeya Restaurant, though the owner said he would be changing the name to Nova Restaurant soon.
After I was finished eating, I stepped into the internet cafe, called Connect Cafe. I wanted to make a call to the Shinsane Guesthouse in Mae Salong where I was planning on arriving in the evening. The woman behind the counter had a mobile phone that I could use for 5 Baht per minute. When I finished the call and paid, I got into a conversation with the woman, who spoke English surprisingly well. She told me a little about Mae Salong, and then pulled out a very high end glossy travel magazine which had in article about the town - in English and Thai. I ordered a fruitshake, which I drank while we continued to talk. She turned out to be one of the two owners of the place, which only came out after I asked how long they had been open. It was a really nice little cafe, almost a bit out of place for such a small city. I took my last sip, and thanked her heartily as I left.
I only had a few more hours in Chiang Rai, as I planned on taking a bus to Ban Basang (on the same road I had ridden the motorscooter the day before). From Ban Basang, I would have to join some random people on a sawngthaew headed up the only steep mountain road to Mae Salong. The last sawngthaews from leave there at 5pm, so I would need to catch the bus in Chiang Rai by 4:20 at the latest to make it all work.
The first place on my "short" list was a temple called Wat Jet Yot. A "Yot" is a kind of cheddi spire, and "Jet" means seven. This refers to the seven spires on the stupa structure behind the main temple. The seven spires represent the seven weeks Buddha spent in Bodhgaya after his enlightenment.
Inside the the wihaan (main hall) itself was a fairly impressive gold gilded Buddha, but most interesting was the uniquely ornamented and painted entrance - particularly the ceiling, which was painted with several geometrically arranged astrological representations of numerous animals. I'm not sure what it all meant.
To the left of the front of the temple was an open structure with two women giving massage. The price was 120 Baht for 45 minutes. I would lose some time to see other things, but the price was so fair that I caved in to receiving my first traditional (northern) Thai massage. I had heard that northern Thai massage rather methodical, relaxed, and meditative. I found this to be true. It was hard to resist the temptation to happily fall asleep. When the woman was finished, I gave her 140 Baht.
Next, I went to Wat Phra Kaew, where in the year 1434 the famous Emerald Buddha was revealed after lightning struck the temple's cheddi. Also called the Phra Kaew Morakot, that Emerald Buddha is now housed at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, in Wat Phra Sri Ratanasasadaram - but more commonly also known as Wat Phra Kaew. Possibly in an effort to entice more tourists to Chaing Rai during a development boom, the city commissioned a Chinese sculptor in 1990 to produce a new Emerald Buddha image out of jade, (same as the original - despite being called "emerald".) It is almost a replica of the original, being only a hair shorter. I wandered around in into many of the structures of the Wat Phra Kaew complex, until I found the Emerald Buddha replica, inside Haw Phra Kaew. There is much less formality at this temple than in Bangkok, so it's possible to view the Buddha image up close and personal.
Between the main wihaan and Haw Phra Kaew, there is a rather large gold gilded cheddi, dating back to the 14th century, when the temple complex was called Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest.) The main wihaan contains a set wooden Buddha images that are impressive in their own right.
Time was running out, so I headed back to the guesthouse to return the motorbike and pack my bags. They called a tuk-tuk for me so I could get to the bus station in the center of town. The bus ride to Ban Basang was only about 1 1/2 hours, and I got there at 4:45. When I got off the bus, I immediately noticed there were no sawngthaews waiting anywhere in sight. I anxiously stood around at the three-way intersection for 10 minutes, and then decided to try to ask about where I could find a sawngthaew. I took a few tries but I found someone who explained to me that it was too late, and I could charter one for 500B - far too much for more liking. So I went to the other side of the road to wait for a bus back to Chiang Rai, where I figured I stay one more night and then try again the next day. The bus came after about 20 minutes. On the ride back, I pulled out my laptop to work on some photos, and as usual, I got the attention of half of the riders of the bus. I gave a small slide show, and one man sat down across the aisle from me who could speak English rather well. We chatted for a while, and I gave him my name card. Some 30 minutes later, I realized I could find my wallet, which I had set beside me on the bus seat. Since I had a flashlight, I pulled it out and started scouring the floor under the seat, and then in front of and behind me. No luck. The man asked me what I was looking for, and after I told him, he started asking everyone in the bus if they could see my wallet anywhere. Soon, almost everyone near me was looking for it - except for one man, who was sitting in front of me. He was strangely silent and uninterested in helping. When we arrived at the Chiang Rai bus station, I made one final search before giving up. The man offered to help me with some money, but I explained that I had a stash of cash elsewhere, and I thanked him for his help.
When I got back to the Jitaree Guest House, I explained what had happened. Tu Tu let me use their internet connection so I could call to cancel my debit and credit cards, and request replacements, and also to call my father to let him know what had happened. I planned to have him ship the new cards to a friend of a friend in Bangkok by international express mail. Luckily, I had about 3000 Baht on me, which would be enough to get me to Chiang Mai, where I could have some more money wired to me. I would then "meet up" with my new cards in Bangkok. It would take about two weeks all told for the cards to get there. I decided that I need to be much more watchful of my wallet.
