Sometimes things do come together rather well. I had in mind to visit, and recklessly swim in, a lake I'd spotted on google maps. The lady from the guest house was rather helpful and after warning I wouldn't find anywhere to stay, she gave me a lift to the bus station, and we arrived just as a shared taxi service was getting ready to set off, which was nice.
I did have to take a fairly expensive motorcycle sidecar from the turning on the main road, but reached the dam in one piece. And then as I was studying the board of entry fees fearing some inflated foreigner rate, the national park guard just waved me in for free, which was nice.
The houseboats were surprisingly reasonable, but indeed the accommodation in town was rather on the expensive side. I think 8 separate bungalows with a swimming pool stretches the definition of a 'homestay' just a little, perhaps in fact bordering on 'family run resort'. I stopped at a cafe, and making small talk with the locals, who had a good laugh at my attempting all this without a vehicle, they directed me to the next town and gave me a lift to the main road, which was nice.
There was a wonderful sense of adventure striding out on the road in the bright sun, but naturally after a few km, or kilos as they are known here, I began to tire. And just then, a big black pickup truck came along, and i can tell you, sitting on the back of this there was quite a breeze, which was nice.
At the next turning I was quite out of luck for the stream of pickups, the de facto Thai rural 4-wheeled vehicle, didn't slow. But checking the maps there was a 'forest park' just a kilometre up the road, and by chance just as I reached the spot a sign for a resort. I was led to a private wooden bungalow, with attached bathroom and a terrace with a wonderful position looking out from a hill over the forest, and all for a more than reasonable 200B, which was nice.
The forest park didn't seem to be anything worthwhile, but the maps indicated another feature, a waterfall. At just 3km this seemed an easy walk and pleasantly the last half of the walk was well shaded. Fearful of the Chiang Mai pricing I was well prepared to turn back at the checkpoint, you only pay 100baht to see a waterfall once, but as luck would have it the checkpoint was unmanned, and you wouldn't believe it what a wonderful waterfall it was. There was even a crystal clear spring, which was nice.
Trudging back to the village, after all the other tourists had departed, I was caught by the last of the staff, and was able to get a lift all the way back for dinner. And it was just after dinner that I remembered there was a lake in town, which I reached in time for sunset, which was nice.
Needles to say, I needed the rest. The next morning I had barely stepped out of my room when I noticed two, what I now know to be, lantern bugs, or cock's spurs translated from the Thai, which was nice.
Waiting beside the road an engineer, briefly stopping, offered me a lift to the next town and after some small confusion regarding the inclusion of breakfast, dropped me at the resort where he was staying. He even let me use his bicycle, which was nice.
And as I cycled about the large lake, for this town was at the extreme other end of the lake I first set out to visit, I encountered some women hand dyeing cotton. A lady invited me in to the large shed of looms and balls of cotton. As it turns out this was a development project, and I, the ultimate cynic regarding any claim, was able to pick up a genuinely hand dyed and woven scarf for just £3, which was nice.
And that, mother, is why you are getting a scarf this year.
I did have to take a fairly expensive motorcycle sidecar from the turning on the main road, but reached the dam in one piece. And then as I was studying the board of entry fees fearing some inflated foreigner rate, the national park guard just waved me in for free, which was nice.
The houseboats were surprisingly reasonable, but indeed the accommodation in town was rather on the expensive side. I think 8 separate bungalows with a swimming pool stretches the definition of a 'homestay' just a little, perhaps in fact bordering on 'family run resort'. I stopped at a cafe, and making small talk with the locals, who had a good laugh at my attempting all this without a vehicle, they directed me to the next town and gave me a lift to the main road, which was nice.
There was a wonderful sense of adventure striding out on the road in the bright sun, but naturally after a few km, or kilos as they are known here, I began to tire. And just then, a big black pickup truck came along, and i can tell you, sitting on the back of this there was quite a breeze, which was nice.
At the next turning I was quite out of luck for the stream of pickups, the de facto Thai rural 4-wheeled vehicle, didn't slow. But checking the maps there was a 'forest park' just a kilometre up the road, and by chance just as I reached the spot a sign for a resort. I was led to a private wooden bungalow, with attached bathroom and a terrace with a wonderful position looking out from a hill over the forest, and all for a more than reasonable 200B, which was nice.
The forest park didn't seem to be anything worthwhile, but the maps indicated another feature, a waterfall. At just 3km this seemed an easy walk and pleasantly the last half of the walk was well shaded. Fearful of the Chiang Mai pricing I was well prepared to turn back at the checkpoint, you only pay 100baht to see a waterfall once, but as luck would have it the checkpoint was unmanned, and you wouldn't believe it what a wonderful waterfall it was. There was even a crystal clear spring, which was nice.
Trudging back to the village, after all the other tourists had departed, I was caught by the last of the staff, and was able to get a lift all the way back for dinner. And it was just after dinner that I remembered there was a lake in town, which I reached in time for sunset, which was nice.
Needles to say, I needed the rest. The next morning I had barely stepped out of my room when I noticed two, what I now know to be, lantern bugs, or cock's spurs translated from the Thai, which was nice.
Waiting beside the road an engineer, briefly stopping, offered me a lift to the next town and after some small confusion regarding the inclusion of breakfast, dropped me at the resort where he was staying. He even let me use his bicycle, which was nice.
And as I cycled about the large lake, for this town was at the extreme other end of the lake I first set out to visit, I encountered some women hand dyeing cotton. A lady invited me in to the large shed of looms and balls of cotton. As it turns out this was a development project, and I, the ultimate cynic regarding any claim, was able to pick up a genuinely hand dyed and woven scarf for just £3, which was nice.
And that, mother, is why you are getting a scarf this year.
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