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On the Road Again
  • Allyson Stratmann
нояб. – дек. 2022

On the Road Again

Revisiting North Thailand 2022 Читать далее
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  • Начало поездки
    28 ноября 2022 г.
    Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    And off we fly!

    28 ноября 2022 г., Германия ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Full of a cold but in a jolly good mood..... off we go with Thai Airlines!

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Home from home - Baan Thai, Ayutthaya

    29 ноября 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Actually, the reason you come to Ayutthaya is to visit its historical park, which boasts a vast number of ancient Siamese temples and Buddhist monasteries dating from the 14th - 18th centuries. I have dozens of magical photographs from former visits to prove it.
    And then there's a boat ride you can do on the canals and a floating market, which has dropped in standard since Corona, apparently, but nevertheless now charges a relatively high entrance fee.
    However our night had been shortened by 6 hours and we hadn't had a wink of sleep, plus there had been several minor hiccups before arriving at Baan Thai, a collection of very sweetly furnished tourist bungalows that we discovered on our first trip to Thailand.
    So when the sunshine disappeared and the thunder began to roll in the distance, we could not face a historic stroĺl in the mugginess of the afternoon. So we decided to spend a lazy afternoon at our little resort to recuperate.
    A pad thai and a pad see ew revived us somewhat. Birdsong, the playing of several fountains and the rippling of water in the river behind our Thai style "villa" lulled us into complete relaxation to recompense for the non-existent night on the plane.
    You always get a warm welcome at Baan Thai, a bit of home from home.    Читать далее

  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Surprise, surprise!

    30 ноября 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    What a day! To break our long journey from Ayutthaya to the very UNtouristy Kamphaeng Phet, (planned only to break the even longer journey to the Burmese border), we called in to Nakhon Sawan, where the origins of the Chao Phraya are advertised for miles on the AHI.

    There was supposed to be a monument there. Google maps navigated us into the town on a modern road that passes the university and a series of small lakes and then down a muddy track fringed by modest homes and not much else. And suddenly there were a few snack bars and an official in a prefab office who signed us in. The monument was an amazing piece of architecture in honour of the greatest river in Thailand. We were gobsmacked!

    After a brief visit to the banana market on the edge of Kamphaeng Phet town, which also sells brooms and basketwork and plants and pottery, where we watched crisps and banana chips being made and bought a couple of bags to keep the business going, we found our boutique hotel and quickly signed in.

    There was just enough time to drive to the historical park and photograph a few chedis and three gorgeous Buddhas before the sun went down. We finished the evening in a fantastic restaurant on the banks of the River Mae Ping, where we enjoyed the most delicious meal for 17 EUR including 2 huge bottles of Singha beer.

    We hadn't expected much of a day at all, but this country is full of surprises.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Across the river from Myanmar

    1 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    We seem to have caught the tail of the monsoon season and woke up to a comfortable 25° following the torrential rain in the night.

    Our first stop was only about 18 km away from Kamphaeng Phet. We were curious about the Phra Roang hot springs and were certainly not disappointed. There are foot baths and hot and cold wells dotted around lovely gardens with plenty of pretty places to enjoy a picnic or just relax. We took the time to bathe our feet and took photographs with a pleasant Thai couple doing the same.

    There was little traffic, but a lot of rain on the road as far as Tak. From there a broad, well maintained road takes you up into the hills to the border town of Mae Sot. It's a sinewy road, rather steep in places, fairly challenging owing to the heavy lorries who do not stick to the left. But the rain stopped and the clouds cleared and Mae Sot greeted us with a sunny sky.

    Having checked in at the Monte Hotel into a modern, functional room, we headed towards the Friendship Bridge, expecting to find Burmese and colourful hill tribe folks milling round the market. Instead, the bridge was closed and the border to Myanmar was shut off with rolls of barbed wire. Friendship my foot! The market was noticeably quiet and the storekeepers half asleep.

    So we decided to visit the Burmese style Wat Thai Wattharam, a serene temple complex glittering with gold, which immediately raised our spirits. This was one of the most elaborate temples we have ever seen and soooo photogenic in the bright sun.

    But being even more fond of natural beauty, we wanted to find the Mae Kasa hot springs while it was still sunny. Alas, we were not sufficiently prepared to find the place. Instead we enjoyed a rural drive along the Burmese border, parallel to the Mywaddy River, where school children were returning home in funny little open taxis and the farmers were busy emptying their dried rice crops into huge plastic bags to await collection for the rice mills. Single villagers were pushing stroppy water buffaloes along the roadside. This was Thailand as we love to experience it!

    Back in town we called in at Wat Mani Phra Son, which previous visitors had described as out of the ordinary. It was a complete contrast to the first temple of the day. A bit scrubby really, with many flea-bitten soi dogs and a few plump, uncommunicative monks sitting around. The architecture was simpler. We had read that the temple is equipped with a sauna, which sends off whiffs of lemongrass. We did not find this, but there was a sort of outside gym.

    Outside the temple we had a short stroll round the narrow streets, all one way these days, teeming with small shops and businesses, but the traffic was pretty heavy, so we gave up. Our evening meal was s simple affair in a basic restaurant near the hotel.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    In and around Lampang

    2 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Lampang was our destination for today. Before we reached the city, we called in to Wat Prathat Lampang Luang, a magnificent Lanna style temple dating from 13th century and a place of pilgrimage. The temple complex is amazing with its intricately decorated buildings mainly intact. The traditional horse carriages were ferrying people in from the city nonstop and the atmosphere was very festive.

    We checked into our simple room at the back of a back street, where Kanecha explained where we could eat and what there was to do in town.

    Our walk along the River Wank took us to the Clock Tower and from there we fell upon two lovely temples and the city pillar shrine. Here we noticed an elderly man, evidently a dance teacher, coaching a group of ladies, who, unknown to us, were about to perform a dance in the square. We showed interest and in no time the delightful man had me leading the dance troupe onto the "stage". A bit of fun and a great way to communicate!

    Later we found the much praised Aroi One Baht restaurant where we had 3 large Chang beers ( we were pretty dehydrated by then!) and stirfried vegetables, pork and veg and cashews in peanut sauce and rice for about 9.50 EUR.

    We are now relaxing on a wooden terrace on the River Wank, thoroughly satisfied with our wonderful day.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    At the Elephant Conservation Centre

    3 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After a breakfast snack on the open common room at Kanecha's overlooking the river, we headed for the Elephant Conservation Centre. It took us a while for the people at the ticket office to find our booking, but eventually we were able to drive to the accommodation building.

    We were delighted to find a functional but spacious room in a very new building that gleams with cleanliness. We appear to be the only guests here. It took us a while to understand that we would be able to order our food at the restaurant in the park and that our breakfast would also be delivered from there to the hotel.

    The park itself is a little disappointing to be honest. It was part of our deal to be allowed to drive anywhere in the park and to attend the show, in which about 10 elephants show the work instructions they have been taught to carry out. All a little contrived, but it was lovely to see families enjoying themselves. The environment is very natural and quite pretty. We had a pad thai lunch and Willi treated himself to a ride and we watched the show twice, which turned out to be rather clever as they were not identical.

    Apart from those activities, there is not an awful lot to do here, but we were quite grateful for a bit of peace and quiet after the past few days. There are plenty of mosquitoes around, so although it has cooled down, we'll be spending our evening inside.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Temples and a waterfall

    4 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    A couple of elephants came to join us for breakfast. We would have appreciated a Thai breakfast, but instead there was a Thai version of a cooked English one, which was not brilliant.

    However we left the TECC feeling rested and ready for new adventures. We found our way to the Wat Phra That Haripunchai in Lamphun easily and within minutes we had a parking space, too. It was around 10.15 and already the temple was teeming with visitors, mainly Thais.

    The temple complex is colourful and the visitors were in a holiday mood, dressed festively, clutching iced grass tea and plastic glasses with fruit juice. There was a sweet smell of pancakes in the air. The flower and candle vendors were doing good business and the worshippers were also buying plastic bottles containing jasmine water. This was poured into a vessel shaped like a boat and is apparently used for washing the Buddha statues . Some people were buying small bells and others gifts to offer to the monks. A mother was writing a message on a roll of golden material in her neat, intricate Thai handwriting.

    The buildings here were so different from one another and there was do much to see, that combined with the heat, it made you feel giddy. So we opted to walk through the cooler back streets and a covered market to reach the Phra Chamadevi monument. This was a small park decorated with thousands of brightly coloured lanterns and a magnifucent statue of the bold queen who founded the city.

    To visit the temple which bears her name we took the car. The temple itself was almost deserted compared to the previous one and much more serene, much simpler. It contains a chedi which reminded us of some of the Hindu architecture we have seen in India.

    You can't visit temples all day, so we then made our way into the hills to check out our homestay and met Pansa and Kevin, our hosts. They recommended that we should take a trip to the nearby Mae Ya waterfall before dinner. This was an excellent idea, giving us the opportunity to get a little exercise. Besides the waterfall was really quite spectacular.

    Dinner was a really good chicken curry with a Singha beer and Kevin and Pansa were very good company.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    On the highest point in Thailand

    5 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After a genuine Thai breakfast which included fish soup, we went to admire Kevin's pizza oven, built himself and his dream of the past 3 years, and the remarkable cacti collection that Pansa has grown this year. We said our goodbyes and left to see what treasures Doi Inthanon had for us.

    The first waterfall was a treasure indeed! A huge powerful cascade of foaming water that drenched anyone who came anywhere near the viewing point. There were several rainbows to boot.

    We missed the turning for the second waterfall, but carried on regardless ready for number three. We entered a minor road that turned into a narrower mountain road. This became very steep and increasingly remote and I felt a little uneasy. Especially when the brakes light came on, indicating that the brakes were overheated! There was no suitable place to turn, so we carried on at snail's pace until the road broadened a little at a place where a friendly young Mong gent was building a house. And beyond the few houses around his was a pretty rice terrace, the first of it's kind that we have seen in Thailand.

    By this time the brakes had gone off. We managed to turn our vehicle, decided to skip the waterfall and drive on to the summit and the cloud forest. The cloud forest walk was lovely. At the end Willi noticed a number of Thais with cameras and incredibly long lenses hanging around. They were apparently waiting for the lalin, the silver-eared whistling thrush to appear. And suddenly, there they were, two of them, flying in and out of two trees in a flash of yellow, teasing the photographers. I managed to catch one on my Lumix and Willi got a good shot on his mobile phone.

    The brakes lights came back on, so we returned very cautiously. There was yet another waterfall just outside the national park and on a whim really we decided to try our luck. What a good job we did! The fall itself was beautiful, but what was outstanding was the number of families picnicking and even dining on the river. Several restaurants serve people on carpeted rocks and ledges on tiny tables, the waiters crossing rafts and bridges and hopping from rock to rock.

    Our destination for the evening was a boutique hotel in Lanna style in Chiang Mai, which we saw on our last visit and vowed to stay at if we ever returned to the city. We were given a royal welcome at the Tamarind Village in the centre of town, complete with a ginger-infused ice cold sauna cloth and a chilled ginger tea. We spent a delightful evening here, trying out North Thai specialities and a delicious Burmese fermented tea leaf salad.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Chiang Mai - culture pure!

    6 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I was a little ashamed of myself for having a European breakfast this morning, especially when the Thai food looked equally tempting, but having had a rather spicy dinner, I thought it might be sensible.

    This splendid hotel offers a morning walk to three minor temples and we naturally accepted this offer. Tanna, our guide, is a lovely slim and agile Chai Mai resident with a good command of English and a fantastic sense of humour accentuated by a little giggle that made her seem younger than the 60 years we estimated. After a short introduction and a most interesting potted history of the city and the Lanna culture she marched about 10 of us off to the first of three temples, taking care to keep us in the shade whenever possible.

    At the Duang Dee temple, which has a richly decorated ubod, she explained what every Buddhist does when they enter a temple and gave an insight into the differences between the Lanna and the Siamese depictions of Buddha. We then entered another building to offer food for the monks from the hotel, which a rather grim monk in a red robe took and blessed, singing in a monotonous tone into a microphone.

    On the way to the second temple we passed a street full of local eateries and Tanna recommended a few of the best. Wat Saden Muang, which was the next place of interest, has a particularly beautiful facade, in front of which we all posed for a picture. Here you can purchase a bronze leaf according to the Chinese year in which you were born to improve your karma. We spent time discussing the advantages of the Chiese horoscope signs and the significance of the day on which you were born.

    Tanna then pointed out a 3D map of the city and took us to see the Three Kings Monument, which depicts the peaceful period of history when the kings of Chiang Mai, Sukothai and Phayao built an allegiance against the Burmese. There were another couple of restaurants that she recommended, including one which specialises in mango with sticky rice.

    We were now on our way to the third temple, which was actually a sort of meditation school with a chedi that was supposed to have an escape tunnel built underneath in case of war. This, in fact, is fake news . Here Tanna explained the colourful murals depicting the life of Buddha and the lessons to be learned from it.

    And finally we examined the hotel gallery, a fascinating collection of pictures depicting the Lanna way of life some 2 millennia ago.

    After a good rest by the pool and, in Willi's case, a refreshing swim, we had the good fortune to get engaged in a lively conversation with Marini and Amal, a very charming young couple originally from Sri Lanka, who live in Melbourne. We bonded straight away and quickly became Facebook friends, as you do.

    Later in the afternoon we set off to visit three major temples not too far away. The first was Chiang Mai's most famous temple, Wat Phra Singh. This temple is always busy but a delight to visit with its ancient, mainly wooden buildings and a golden pagoda decorated with elephants.

    As we were climbing up the steps to visit a wihan full of wax monks sitting on benches and kneeling before the altar, I heard a bird which always reminds us of our time in Kenya and which is jolly hard to find. Willi went off in search of the colourful coppersmith barbet and found it perched right at the top of a tree. We have lovely photos on my camera to prove it.

    It was getting quite dark when we eventually found the main entrance to Wat Chedi Luang, which houses the old city pillar shrine in a building that is accessible to men only, since legend has it that menstrual blood near the shrine could cause a disaster to the city...... a very long story!

    In addition to the shrine there is an ancient Lanna chedi on the premises which has seen better days.

    For the Wat Pantao we could not have chosen a better time to visit. The very old wooden main hall was empty last time we came. It has been restored and is now complete with a dark wooden open roof. The interior is also dark. A large, brightly shining Buddha reigns over the temple, particularly impressive st this time in the evening. I was extremely moved.

    We have now had dinner. My choice was a khao soi, chicken with noodles in a creamy curried gravy, THE dish to try in this city. It is still quite balmy, the musicians are playing oldies on two electric guitars, there is a sweet, flowery scent in the air and all is well.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Chiang Rai and Two Legends

    7 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Before leaving Tamarind Village, we ran into Marini and Amal and Marini was eager for us to have a photo taken together so she could show her Mum. We were naturally flattered and eager to comply!

    It took us over 3 hours to reach Chiang Rai . It was relatively cool and we were instantly pleased with our The Legend boutique hotel, even though it had grown a tiny bit shabby with its years.

    Within minutes we were on our way to Wat Rong Suea Ten, otherwise known as the Blue Temple, situated across the river. The name means " temple of the dancing tiger " and legend has it that on this spot years ago there was a temple over which tigers were free to roam.

    The temple was completed in 2016 by a student of the architect of the famous eccentric White Temple situated about 15 km south of the city. The sapphire colouring makes for a lavish-looking temple complex in which glass balls, some of them with hagar holographs in them, play a major role. We loved it.

    We felt it was too early to return to the hotel , so we parked in town to make a short visit in the already failing light to the King Meng Rai monument. King Meng Rai was the founder not only of this city but also of the Lanna kingdom in the thirteenth century. I also bought some children's books for practising the writing of the Thai alphabet, my New Years resolution being to master it!

    And here we are at happy hour with a Mai Thai in our hands awaiting dinner.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Doi Tung and Opium

    8 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We woke up to a familiar sound heard in bungalow hotels around the world: of early bird gardeners brushing the footpaths with the regular swish, swish of brooms. During breakfast overlooking the River Kok, we sighted another coppersmith barbet. An auspicious start to the day, perhaps?

    Our first destination was Doi Tung, with its royal villa and botanical gardens. The villa was closed for an hour when we arrived at the popular hillside site, so we visited the gardens, at an altitude of 1,939 m. The gardens were not, by European standards, spectacular but the late Princess Srinagarindra, the present king's grandmother, who had inhabited the royal villa until she died at the age of 94, had realised that the area was suitable for many European plants and flowers which were unknown to the average Thai person. So she had had them planted here. The gardens are rather kitschy in a Disneyland sort of way, but lots of families were enjoying them and that is, of-course, the main thing.

    The sun was shy at first, but later we were able to take some pleasing pictures. Then we walked up to the villa, built in Swiss chalet style. We were requested to take off our shoes, sunglasses and hat and given an audio guide. This was really good and during the visit we felt we had learned a lot about the wonderful princess who had lived here and done so much for the people of Doi Tung.

    We had almost reached the bottom of the hill that takes you through the Doi "bazar" to the carpark, when we were asked to stop and the whole street came to a standstill. Silence dropped on the busy road. A princess was on her way with an amazing encourage.

    The Hall of Opium in Sop Ruak has a very good reputation and I have been looking forward to visiting for many years. It was worth waiting for. Apart from being very modern and full of the newest museum techniques it gave us a great insight into the history of world trade and particularly that of the British India Company. It explained the opium wars and described the devastating effect the consumption of opium had in Asia. And it became clear why North Thailand gave Princess Srinagarindra the nickname Royal Grandmother, for it was on her initiative that the peoples of the Doi Tung opium area were given education, health care and alternatives to the cultivation of opium.

    If the museum had impressed us, the Golden Triangle was a disappointment. The drop in tourism, mainly due to Corona, has left the stallholders with very few customers and the boat trip people with nothing to do. Very, very sad!    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Stunning Chiang Rai

    9 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    If there's just one attraction you HAVE to see in Chiang Rai, it's the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun.

    On our previous visit we were unfortunate with the weather and Willi was determined he was going to get to film the temple in sunshine this year. We got up quite early and it paid off. There was hardly a cloud in the sky!

    Completed at the end of the last century, it was badly damaged by an earthquake in 2014, but consequently restored and rebuilt by the original artist and architect Chalermchai Kositpipat.

    The main temple is all in white with mirror mosaic and in the sunshine the result is a filigree, shimmering fairytale building which in its eccentricity, at least, reminds one of Gaudì. There are also grey elements, like the sea of outstretched hands outside the ubosot, and silver and gold. The public toilets are designed like a magnificent temple, all in gold. There is also a natural section in the form of a waterfall set in rock and a Buddha in antique style with a backdrop of plants and trees. And there is a temple dedicated to Ganesha.

    It was difficult for us to tear ourselves away from the White Temple, but we wanted to take advantage of the light for the Hilltribe Village just north of the city and left just after eleven. There was just one tourist vehicle in the parking space and when we entered the village, we could understand why.

    Here the lack of tourism since Covid has had disastrous effects. The village seems deserted and the number of local people here depleted by about two thirds, I would think.

    We were "greeted" by people from the Akha tribe, who put on a fairly pathetic show for us, consisting of about 5 sullen old women in their complicated dress and headdresses and three men, who turned up one after another to beat out a rhythm with their percussion instruments. Instead of a smile, they grunted among themselves. A sign saying " Photo 50 Baht" put us off doing anything of the sort. We had just paid 300 Baht each for entrance fees!

    There was noone to be seen in the Yao village and nobody in the Lahu section. The Yawans were also not at home. Instead there were badly broken wooden shacks and very many skinny chickens. But in the Karen village, around ten ladies were weaving half-heartedly and/or looking after their young children. The Karen ladies are gentle people and did not mind having their photos taken. I recognised some of them from 9 years ago and it was frustrating not to be able to communicate with them and tell them that. We gave a small donation.

    I must admit we were a more than a little sad when we left the village. But our spirits were raised when we entered the Black House Museum. This is another eccentric project. It can be best described as a motley collection of artefacts, religious artefacts, farm implements, animal skins and bones, unusual North Thai buildings and works of all kinds by the artist Thawan Duchanee.

    The outside museum attracts both locals and "farangs" and was full of visitors. We treated ourselves to a coconut in my case and a fruit smoothie for Willi and sat drinking them in a barn full of baskets watching the people come and go.

    Today we had time to relax by the pool after being driven away from the swing seat on our small terrace by the mosquitos. What a lovely way to reflect on our busy day!    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Nan and its people, past and present

    10 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We were dreading the journey to Nan. Only about 230 km but Google had warned us to allow 4 hours. Despite a toilet stop and one wrong turn, we took slightly less.The rural road was actually quite good, but there were a few roadworks because they are turning this curvy and hilly road into a four laned highway.

    The last 60 km were particularly steep and winding, but we arrived at our business hotel with no problems and settled into our comfortable, spacious room.

    Not for long, though. One of the reasons for coming here was to visit Wat Phumin, built in the 16th century by the Chinese Lu tribe who had settled here. Instead of the usual one Buddha statue opposite the main entrance, there were four Buddhas, one facing each door. But the most impressive feature of this main hall is the murals. Faded in places, the murals are basically in good shape and portray the life of the Nan people at that time.

    One of the most famous parts of the murals depicts a tattooed gentleman whispering words of love to a young lady - the famous Whisper of Love. There are quite humorous scenes including a pair of monkeys about to mate and a homosexual pair, each accompanying a young lady, but with eyes only for each other.

    In another part of the temple complex there were statues of strange beings torturing other beings. Heaven only knows what that signifies!

    Outside the temple complex we popped into the tourist office, where nobody spoke English, and came out with a tourist map that confused us completely. A walking market was being set up alongside the temple. We bought a few bananas and ate them in the grounds of the Nan Museum, where throngs of people were excitedly taking pictures in a small avenue of frangipani trees that were totally bereft of leaves and flowers.

    We felt too old to buy food at the market and eat it sitting down on the ground. So we strolled through the town completely lost, until a
    kind lady on a moped stopped and asked if we needed help. She put us right and we carried on over a large bridge to the Heritage Hotel on the other side of the river and enjoyed a beer on the riverside. For dinner we stopped at a local riverside eatery and had a lovely meal of chicken with rice and morning glory. We also did some people watching, observing that most of them came by car and what huge cars the Thais drive here!    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Day trip to Bo Kluea

    11 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After a really good Thai buffet breakfast this morning which included rice soup with pork meatballs, sticky rice baked with banana in banana leaf, guava juice, papaya and watermelon and a sort of Thai churros which the local people dip into sweetened condensed milk, we set off into the Khunnan National Park for a 2 hour drive up along the famous twisting and hilly 1081 road to Bo Kluea.

    Yesterday we had noticed signposts in Nan advertising the No. 3 curve and this lay right on our route. It is a double curve which resembles the number 3 and is a great attraction here. The viewpoint was absolutely full of cars parked in partly dangerous positions and a couple of good hmoured policemen were trying to keep the selfie - mad tourists under control, one of them roaring into a microphone.

    There were several viewpoints for the stunning scenery in the hills along the way and we arrived at the tiny village of Bo Kluea with its shops and restaurants and the salt pans which have helped to develop this region close to the Laotian border.

    The mountain salt is found in natural ponds and is extracted in flat pans heated over log fires in little huts throughout the village. This is sold to tourists in various forms, as soap and bath salts and body scrubs as well as for cooking. The local wampee fruit, black organic rice and herbs are also on sale . There are plenty of restaurants along the street.

    We were attracted by a stall selling feather light slightly sweet rice flour crackers and also bought some peanut cookies as well as some small salt products to take back home.

    Our journey back to Nan took us through the Doi Phu Kha National Park , through ancient virgin forest and with absolutely spectacular views but hardly any viewpoints for photographing them. And you wouldn't want to risk stopping on these twisting roads to take photographs.! At one of the rare stopping places about 20 cyclists who had made the 1,700 metres up the hill were resting before the downhill ride. Later we stopped at a temple and a chompoon phu tree which is allegedly the only tree of it's kind to exist in its natural habitat here in the forest.

    On our way back to our hotel, we stopped to visit a noble teak house in the city which has won architectural awards for the conservation of historical buildings. Here a lady explained how cotton was spun and woven and sang a song in the Lanna language to the sound of her phin, a local stringed instrument rather like a flute.

    Willi strolled over the walking street market when we got back, while I managed to stave off a migraine by resting in the room. With success!    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Sandstone and ghost pillars

    12 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Our drive from Nan to the sandstone formations Sao Din Na Noi took us along several rural roads and along rice fields in every possible stage of cultivation, from the shimmering ponds of silvery water aiting for the fresh plants to the last stubble of rice straw waiting to be burnt to make way for the new crops.

    We paid 100 baht entrance fees each and 30 for the car, which was well worth it if only for the use of the clean toilets. The area reminded us of Death Valley in miniature and the air was similarly hot and dry. We could not have had better light and wandered around for around 40 minutes mesmerised, taking pictures.

    From here we chose a strenuous drive through the Kuhn Satan National Park, which took us through some magnificent jungle forest again.
    Here we found enormous bushes of poinsettia. The views across the hills were fantastic.

    Finally we arrived at the Pha Muang Phi Forest Park, where more strange formations known as ghost pillars can be visited. We had the good fortune to meet a family with two Buddhist monks in their wake and one in them was all for having a photo taken with us.

    Phrae is an exceptionally quiet city and our boutique hotel, its leafy grounds set between two temples in a very tranquil street, is conveniently situated in the old town within the city walls. It was too hot to explore, so we made for the night market to see if we could have a beer somewhere.

     The night market area was not quite what we were looking for, but we happened to find a quirky restaurant with tables and chairs fashioned from old trees and ordered a Chang beer. They were offering barbecue meals to cook on gas ovens on your table, so we decided to give it a try and were pleasantly surprised. A couple sitting at a table nearby who we stopped to chat to presented us with a bag of small donuts purchased from the night market.

    Like the Thais, we had been up relatively early, had dinner early too and were ready to go to bed very soon.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Goodbye Phrae, hello Phitsanulok

    13 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    In an open restaurant area in which three heavy long wooden tables were waiting for breakfast guests, twoThai ladies made us a European-style breakfast using Thai products, which is never satisfying. But gave us the energy to start our city wall walk.

    Whoever had mentioned on the internet that Phrae's city wall was mainly intact had got it wrong. From the night market we found the ramparts that led us alongside the moat on a cool leafy path with unwanted views into the prison yard. We admired the Buddhist poles at the place where the North city gate once stood and followed a very unkempt path until it suddenly came to an end. The road we had arrived at was in a quiet residential area with some attractive teak houses. This took us to a bridge crossing the lazy Yom river.

    Eventually we arrived at the beautiful Vongburi noble house, also known as the pink mansion, a teak building in the gingerbread style, built by the son of a former ruler. We strolled round, imagining what it must have been like to live here at the end of the nineternth century.

    On the way back to our hotel, we passed the temple which the same Vongburi family had built. This one of the sweetest temples I have seen anywhere! All in white and gold with a delicate pink design on the back of the main hall, the complex boasted a stupa on the back of a turtle. A reclining Buddha and, my favourite feature, a bronze statue of Buddha, the wandering preacher, that reminded me of Gandhi, were also featured in this lovely place.

    It took us about 2 hours 45 minutes to drive to our wonderful resort in Phitsanulok. The resort has hardly changed since our visit 9 years ago and for me it is The Perfect Hotel. Zen-style, complete with ponds with lotus flowers and waterways everywhere it is calm and calming. We snacked on prawn cakes and spring rolls with pork and a beer, then set off for War Phra Rattana Marharat.

    This temple is home to the Buddha image deemed the most beautiful in Thailand, the so-called Chinnarat Buddha. Nevertheless there were relatively few worshippers, so we were able to take our time and enjoy it. The temple is on the whole pretty photogenic, especially at this time of day.

    The sun was just setting as we reached another temple on the River Nan. It was full of stray dogs and this new temple is not yet complete, so we didn't linger. Instead we ordered a whisky and coke in the absence of gin at our resort and enjoyed dinner by the lotus pond.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Lotus ponds and Khmer chedis

    14 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Before we left our dream resort in Phitsanulok, I just had to photograph the beautiful lotus flowers and water lilies in the morning sun.

    The journey to Ayutthaya was almost four hours long, but we had slept so well and both felt totally refreshed. The highway views were also refreshing, especially on the rice plains, which were an ever-changing kaleidoscope of rice fields in various stages of cultivation and rural activity.

    It was cooler and less humid in Ayutthaya than two weeks earlier, so we decided to forego the prospect of extremely reasonable massages and visit the historical park, which we have visited several times before, instead. The light was perfect and the climate too. I think our pictures speak for themselves .

    In the second phase of the park, near the elephant kraal, Willi discovered several amazing birds: first an elusive kingfisher, then a colourful Indian roller, followed by a couple of hoopoes in breeding modus and finally a crane,which we have never seen before. Elated, we returned to Baan Thai for two (!) gin and tonics and dinner.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Bangkok and the Shangri-La Hotel

    15 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The night was somewhat short. The fridge in our room was agonisingly loud and a whistling gecko trying to vie for attention and outdo the crickets made things worse.

    However were we were in a good mood on the way to Bangkok.... until the traffic jams started just before Bang Sue. This town is where the really high rise buildings start to sprout on the horizon. About 30 km north of Bangkok it boasts an enormous rail station which sprawls alongside the expressway.

    Trying to find the parking bay at the car rental station was a nightmare, but we managed. Getting a taxi to the hotel was much easier and within minutes of arriving, we were ushered into the very air-conditioned cafe by a spruce, charming young man for a delicious welcome drink.

    The Shangri-La in Bangkok is one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever stayed in. The public spaces are over-sized (and over-priced) but totally elegant. The rooms have seen better days but are also spacious and luxuriously furnished. The bathrooms cater for Western guests and have no useful toilet shower. It took us no time at all to get settled in, then we toured the hotel facilities and checked the times for the boat shuttle

    Actually we were keen to stretch our legs, so our first venture was to walk the streets surrounding the hotel, which are full of tailoring businesses and jewelry shops and massage parlours. But there are also local outdoor cafes and tantalising whifts of ginger and garlic filled the air. The rest of the afternoon was spent on two sunbeds overlooking the Chao Praya.

    The boat shuttle to the new shopping mall on the opposite side of the river left shortly after five, so we arrived at a good time to have a pre- dinner cocktail. The mall itself is pretty fantastic, boasting the highest fountains in Asia and various other superlatives. On the 6th floor we found a terrace restaurant which served a pretty decent Singapore Sling and I'm afraid we let ourselves be beguiled by the constant flow of French fries passing our table and ordered hamburgers..... which I never, ever, ever eat! The beat part of the evening was the enchanting view over the river as the sun dropped and the dark sky lit up the illuminations.

    We finished the evening back at the hotel, from where we were able to see two firework displays from different malls.    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Doing Bangkok

    16 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    You wouldn't call Bangkok a beautiful city. But it has charming little nooks and is most certainly fascinating. One of our goals today was to relax in one of those nooks.

    In order to get there we took the skytrain, which is an experience in itself. The monorail hovers above main streets level with high rise buildings, but every now and then there's a gap which reveals chaotic street alleys down below. It's surrealistic!

    We descended about half a kilometre away from the Erawan shrine. The same Erawan shrine that suffered a terrorist attack 7 years ago. To get there we passed a series of luxurious hotels.. Anantara, St. Regis, the Hyatt to name a few.

    The best way to enjoy and to understand the Erawan shrine is to sit down on one of the many wooden benches, ideally in the shade, and watch. There is a continual coming and going of worshippers offering lotus flowers and garlands and incense sticks to the four -faced golden Buddha in the centre of the shrine. Now and again a devotee will pay for the temple dancers to come and dance for Buddha, accompanied by a sort of gamalan orchestra. It is very peaceful here, although the traffic operates on many different levels all around.

    Our walk to the Jim Thompson house started badly, as we began in the opposite direction snd discovered our mistake only after about 20 minutes. Walking along these busy streets is no pleasure. The traffic, the fumes and the noise is abominable. Basically you walk from one enormous shopping mall to the next. I was exhausted and foot sore when we arrived at this oasis.

    Down a street off the main road the museum is situated in a beautiful, peaceful spot surrounded by trees and plants. This is the house where Jim Thompson, an American who started and built up the Thai silk industry in the fifties, began his work. Just the ticket for a long sit down and later a Thai coconut ice-cream in the outdoor restaurant.

    Back at the Sathorn Taksin monorail station, Wiili and I wandered off in search of the Yannawa temple, which is built like a ship on the river. What a disappointment! The temple is more of less a parking spot for buses and the buildings are covered in scaffolding awaiting repair.

    On the way back to the Shangri-La we found a supermarket where we found most of the ingredients needed for tom kha gai and Thai green curry to make at home. But for dinner we opted to eat Chinese food at the high end Shang Palace restaurant on the hotel. After a shared plate of delicious Cantonese dumplings, we shared duck with plum sauce and sliced beef with a special pepper and black bean sauce.

    We had walked well over 18,000 steps and were beginning to feel it!    Читать далее

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  • Allyson StratmannOn the Road AgainПутешественник

    Farewell Bangkok

    17 декабря 2022 г., Таиланд ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We were not in the least motivated to spend our last day in the city, but made the effort and took the Chao Praya Expressboat to the Tha Chang station, where Willi had envisaged walking in the Grand Palace area. I was sceptical because my memories of that part of Bangkok were more accurate than his and we soon realised that we would be pestered by the tuktuk drivers if we did .

    So we got back on the boat and visited Chinatown instead. Chinatown has hardly changed. It is a busy, fumey, noisy area which smells of dried fish and sizzling oil. The arcades are crowded. Mopeds and hand trucks weave in and out of the visitors and customers. But these days there is a lot of electric light and even electric staircases in some places. However the dark, narrow living quarters above the shops are as depressing as ever.

    Back on the boat we were pleased to see that the sun had come out. So after a late check out it was quite pleasant to relax by the pool and reflect on this trip. Our conclusion being that we will be sad to leave this wonderful country, but will not necessarily return to the monster that Bangkok has turned into.    Читать далее

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    17 декабря 2022 г.