For so long I have been far too busy to get out and about and enjoy some proper freetime for myself.
So it was a welcome break from day to day work , with The Stratton ABC Foundation, when I took a long overdue ride out with my good friend Ally.
Meeting for coffee at the WiFi Coffee shop at Chiang Mai Paintball, on the road from Sarapee to Hang Dong,
we sat for a chat and Ally kitted me out with a walkie talkie so that we could communicate whilst riding.
At around 9.30 we heading off along the River Ping, towards Lamphun. Its a lovely ride along the river , with so much to see.
If you do it don’t rush, take your time and get a real insight into life along the river.
There are many pituresque views to be spotted, especially at this time of year with everything growing so fast and full of lush shades of green.
There was quite alot of activity along the waterway with local people harvesting the river plants.
And it was a day of contrasts where we watched many harvesting by hand, either wading of in small boats;
and further down the river saw a large mechanised harvesting boat, operated by a local lady.
You can also find many fish farms along the way.
Again see the contrast between the more advanced and well cared for operations, with air being pumped into the tanks;
and the less cared for where the healthy fish share their tanks with the dead.
Ally has done this route many times , so knows it well and stopped at a delightful little coffee shop run by an elderly Thai lady.
Its a lovely spot to sit and take a break, the coffee was very good and there are icecreams and other snackfood available snackfoods .
Ally got a phonecall at the coffee shop and whilst waiting for her to finish, I carried on up the road a little and popped into a small Wat. From the outside it didn’t look so exciting; but inside the grounds was a mini treasure trove of sculptures.
I had to smile at this wonderful elephant on wheels which actually turned out to be a mobile light source, with cable and plug coming from its rear end and a light bulb in its trunk.
To the rear of the Temple were many sculptures, including one of some very grotesque looking demons.
As I took photos the Monk in residence came out to greet me and seeing my interest, eagerly led me round to the Temples scared tree which was adorned with yet more sculptures of birds and insects.
We had a lovely chat, where I surprised my self with my increased grasp of Thai language.
Again I failed in good reporting, having neglected to take a notebook with me and can not remember his name, but I would like to extend thanks for the warm welcome and much respect for this gentle Phra.
A way down from the coffee shop we stopped briefly to snap some Lamyai harvesting at a small family home.
This year the rains have been less than usual and Lamyai are relatively expensive due to the shortage of decent sized fruits.
By the time we stopped for lunch, having turned of the river road towards Hang Dong, the rains that had been threatening all morning got closer.
added to this was that Allys phonecall had been work related and meant that she needed to get back earlier than planned.
Having sat and enjoyed some Barmee Duck, thats yellow noodles with duck, we decided to head back to Ally’s house for coffee and a movie.
I can’t believe its the first time I’ve been to Allys home. And a lovely home it is to. Unfortunately none of the photos I took do the house justice, so that will have to wait for next time. If there is a next time after my apparent recent curse with toilets struck yet again(inside joke).
It was very nice to see Allys partner and my fellow Foundation Director, Pee Took, who was just on her way out.
Sitting in the comfort of Allys home office watching the latest version of Sherlock Holmes was a great end to a very enjoyable day off the stresses of my busy schedule.
So if you are looking for a chilled day out with some real Thai life to be seen, grab a bike and head off along the River Ping. Enjoy!
For more photos please visit our photobucket album here.
This weeks meeting point was in Hang Dong, at the Kow Soi Restaurant opposite the Hang Dong Police station, 9.30am.
The title says ‘via’ Mae Wang, but in actuality Mae Wang was a short detour to see yet another stunning reservoir.
Close by is also another small shrine featuring three model wooden Thai houses.
Fortunately, a group of young girls, busy washing empty drinks cans for recycling, pointed us to the path to the main event.
Although its not the biggest I’ve seen it rates as one of the most beautiful, with a touch of magical quality about it.
Again, as well as the many rice fields, you see so much more going on up here, with huge nursery set-ups sprawling all over many hills.
we rode on to the Doi Inthanon Shop, through rain that got quite heavy for a while. There we had lunch and coffee and for a while the rain had stopped, but by the time we got going, so had it once again.
It took me quite a while to stop the shakes and the coffee was very much needed.
Still, although we still had to go back down through the icey cold squalls, it wasn’t so long before we were down to Wachirathan Waterfall in much more pleasant conditions, and after that short visit, on our way home.
Our start point was Wat Pang Yuu, which you will find by taking the Hang Dong turn off Highway 11, the one that actually carries on to Samoeng. The Temple is on the left with the entry road being just before the river bridge.
Ally informed me that, although it was not the first time she had visited , she was very impressed with what is clearly a relatively recent facelift. On her previous visit it had apparently been a very run down and neglected place.
Also, don’t miss the ancient looking Buddha scene, under the trees to the left of the pond. Though not lavishly painted like the newer statues you see from the road, for me this image has the real Buddha spirit about it somehow.
And very nice it was to. The River Ping, away from the city centre, certainly on this stretch towards Lamphun, has a wonderfully relaxing effect and a look that belies its size and strength. With the many ancient overhanging trees, floating water plants and its many twists and turns it feels more like a beautiful winding stream.
Didn’t actually get the name of the place but it appears to be a Thai concern, that, the lady who served us our coffee informed us, specializes in fish dishes along with other common Thai options. It is right on the river bank, looking towards the large weir we would visit shortly after. A lovely quiet place for coffee and a very likely meal out place in the future, being not so far from home.
after coffee it was just a couple of minutes ride before we reached the impressive looking weir, which looks to be a fairly new addition, or has at least been recently refurbished and acts also as a river crossing for pedestrians and motorcys. It is at this point that the canal system for Lamphun starts. The surrounding area is quiet lovely, with a nice size gazebo on the banks of the canal, which was occupied by a friendly bunch of local youngsters at the time.
All along the way, apart from the river there are several amazing buildings, from lavish homes to ‘wild shacks’ as Ally calls them.
On the way back to Chiang Mai we spotted a few fishermen in the water hauling nets; stopped for lunch at a local Thai outlet, very tasty food and only 20 baht!;
and shortly before parting at 1.30 , took a short detour to a very nice coffee shop just off the super highway.
This Temple turned out to be just 5 minutes or so ride down the road and a wonderful place to visit.
Indeed it seems to have been developed into a ‘teaching’ Temple.
Other notable features are the gigantic Golden reclining Buddha; a group of quaint concrete Animal statues, including dinosaurs, and a curious dome shape Vihara.
It became quite impossible to take photographs of the concrete animals without several children rushing into the shot and posing. Many of them seemed keen to practice their English and there was a prolonged period of answering the same questions, ‘what is your name?’, ‘where do you come from?’. The lovely part of that was the genuine looks of delight when they got an answer, seemingly surprised that I’d actually understood them.
One confident young lad, Boom, became my guide for a short time, keen to point all the many different things worth photographing.
It was he who took me around to the dome shape Vihara, quite different in design to anything I’ve seen at Thai Temples before, it had more of a Dutch feel about it to me.
