A couple of days back in Lampang doing some very enjoyable catching-up and making new discoveries and we were off in the trusty Vios I had hired again, heading north east to Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai Province borders the Mekong and it’s a short longtail ferry ride across the river to Laos. There is also a new-ish road bridge. But that wasn’t our aim and we didn’t even drive through the famous Golden Triangle where the three countries – Thailand, Laos and Myanmar- come together and where China can be seen in the distance.
The drive is quite long but easy with good dual carriageway all the way. Not at all as it was when first I drove it: then it was nothing but roadworks as the road was upgraded to take account of much heavier road traffic. Straddling the road are small communities making a living from farming rice or pineapples or occasionally sweet corn and, every few miles a larger community with a bigger market and petrol pumps but still fairly basic.
Our first stop on this journey has always been Phayao – the first place in Thailand where I discovered Doi Chang coffee . Phayao is known throughout Thailand for its lake which is the biggest in the country. But for me, and those who’ve travelled with me, it’s the place to eat ‘pla bao’- salted barbecued fish stuffed with pandan leaves for extra flavour. Yum! Any of the lakeside restaurants is good but later in the day is better than early. On this occasion we were early – but still enjoyed pla neung with somtam, the local papaya salad.
On the way in to the town we had spotted a local crafts exhibition so decided to look on the way out. There were very few people around and, as the only foreigner to be seen, I was a prime target for the local MC looking for people to interview. He asked why I was there and how I knew about the event. There was some surprise that I was able to answer in Thai! And that, in turn, led to more questions and, probably, therefore, a longer interview. I was relieved when they moved on!
Old habits die hard and our next stop was at a temple built over recent years by Aj. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a renowned Thai artist, and a team trained by him. Wat Rong Khun is unusual because it is white. It is also unusual in its decor. Inside the wiharn are images representing the evils of war- the plane flying into the twin towers, for example, a grenade about to be tossed, machine guns and the message as this is juxtaposed to the calmness of the huge gold Buddha and the gentle decoration around it on the opposite wall is very clear.
But on this visit I was disappointed. What started as a place of awe and worship has become more of a theme park where the wat itself is the only place of calm surrounded by chaotic hoarders of visitors. It’s still well worth a visit though ! Frequently, the artist himself is there and he’s always good for a conversation about his biggest project ever.
After a shorter visit than on some previous occasions we moved on to the city looking for somewhere to stay. We ended up in the B2 hotel: a reasonable walk from the Night Bazaar and good for the market next morning. Both were successes! But I especially enjoyed a couple of interactions at the morning market where a foreign face ( especially one who can manage the odd request in Thai) is less common. They’re all over the Night Bazaar which is intended primarily for souvenir shopping.
The first encounter was with the owner of a wool shop where my friend regularly buys materials for her crochet projects. She was just off to a ceremony with Rotary at the local school and was quite self-conscious about wearing traditional Thai dress- but she looked lovely!
Then there was a little boy sitting at a vegetable stall with his dad. The father was very happy for photos to be taken, but the little lad was keen to finish his snack first. Fun!
And so we set off on the road to ChiangMai where we were to meet friends later in the day. One of the first local coffee brands was developed on this road and there is a really good cafe on the site of the original factory. Of course, we had to stop for Doi Chang- hot or cold!
The road from Wiang Pa Pao to Chiang Mai is notorious. It was here that a bus load of tourists went off the side of the road a couple of years ago. I don’t think there were any survivors. But currently almost the whole distance is being improved – widened to become a ‘super highway’ and having the camber adjusted for an easier ride. I was very grateful that the rain that had been threatening for the last twenty-four hours hadn’t materialised. A wet, muddy road with heavy traffic and limited visibility would have been treacherous. But it wasn’t and we were safely in town in time to meet the others in one of Chiang Mai’s newer shopping malls before driving the 100 km. back to Lampang and a good night’s sleep. Fifteen years ago, I would have avoided driving that road in the dark having already done the drive from Chiang Rai but the infrastructure is so much better now that it’s an easy, pleasant drive and need not be avoided even in adverse circumstances.
Living the Journey 