THAILAND 2

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JANUARY 2008

Most tourists drive the famous loop but we fancy an alternate way– so, after a quick visit to the beautiful mountain temple of Doi Suthep, we set off toward Chom Thong. We are hoping that the road through Doi Inthanon National Park is free and will take us to Mae Chaem but, when we reach the road we discover the Park wants to charge 400thb per person just to enter. It really annoys us that Thailand charges 10 times the entrance fee for foreigners to see areas of natural beauty- at least in India you get to see some amazing architecture for the price. We turn around and drive a few miles further south before turning up to Om Khut, where we spend the night at a hot spring resort– it was great to have a bath in a hot lake at the end of the day!

This is where our adventure began! We continued north on this road to Wat Chan, along a 4wd track that was dusty as hell, had severe water damage- leaving huge deep troughs to navigate and was, at times, ridiculously steep. By the 3rd village we had to go into low box and were fortunate to meet only 4 other vehicles during the drive which took us through 12 tribal villages– it was tremendous. The local women wore traditional clothing because that is their way of life– not because there are tourists to please, and most of the tribal women seemed to either be smoking small handmade pipes, hand rolled cigars or were betel chewing. (We reckon we saw at least 4 different tribes.) It took a total of 5 hours to drive from the Khun Yuam turn-off to Wat Chan and this road will only be accessible during the dry season. There is a Royal Project garden at Wat Chan and it made the perfect spot to spend the night beside the lake relaxing after our hard drive. Our plans had been to continue to Mae Hong Son along another 4wd track but even the locals said it was not a good idea– so we took the paved road to Pai before driving the north end of the loop. The scenery is lovely but if you took away the occasional paddy field and bamboo tree, you could be anywhere in Europe with the autumnal tree clad hills.

Next day we met up with Frank and Sue to share some information on the different routes we have taken and generally enjoy their company, before leaving the loop and driving north toward Mae Sai. We can’t believe how damn cold it is– one night we were in bed by 7pm it was so bad!By the time we reach Mae Taeng we are sick fed up of twisting mountain roads and scenery– we know it’s very pretty at times but after the first 300km’s it all starts to look the same. We’ve driven over 1,000km’s so far!!!!!The scenery from here to Tha Ton is great and we are very lucky to be offered the chance to camp in the grounds of the lovely Mae Kok River Village Resort as a personal favour. If you’ve got some spare cash we would recommend booking a poolside villa as a treat.After 2 days of luxury camping we drove north to Mae Salong, a Chinese tea hill town( pretty enough but not special), before heading to Nan and Phrae– two friendly places with a laid back feel. On the way to Sukhothai we stopped at Si Satchanalai for lunch. We took the first signed turn coming from the north and ended up by a wooded ridge that had no fewer than 5 ruined Chedi’s– it was a gorgeous spot where you could easily bush camp for the night. We reckon we were just on the edge of the historical park. See GPS POINTS PAGE.

We were in Sukhothai by early afternoon, we drove into the historical park and had a look around the beautiful grounds and temples before cooking dinner by the lovely Wat Mahathat then setting up camp in the central zone. We loved Old Sukhothai with it’s water lily filled moats and atmospheric temples.

An overnight stop at Bung Boraphet– Thailand’s largest swamp lake, came as a bit of a shock– we ended up wearing our winter fleece jackets it was so cold- the rain was torrential, even by Scottish standards, and the mosquitoes were horrendous!! It was a hard night’s camping.

Next day we were back in Bangkok after a very easy drive to our city centre hotel. We go to the Immigration office to extent our visa’s and then shop ‘til we drop– fab!

TOP TIP; If you’re going to drive into Bangkok try and get into the city centre before 10am on a Saturday or Sunday– it’s much quieter then. On the way out of the city we stopped at the Landrover garage to buy some spare parts. Now, we’ve read about how unfriendly this particular garage is but hoped that was some-one else’s bad day experience, not so- these guys are assholes to everyone it would appear. Dave asked to buy a seal- ‘We don’t have it’, ‘Yes you do’ said Dave- ‘The Phuket garage showed me on their computer that you hold it in stock’. ‘No we don’t’. In the end Dave managed to convince them to look it up and they then lied to say they still didn’t have it. It was quite clear that selling parts to overlanders is a big NO-NO to the staff at this place. If you need anything then forget buying it here– get it from the friendly staff in Phuket but it may involve a wait if it has to be posted down from Bangkok. Lady luck is with us though- our friend has a villa at Jomtien beach, so we head down there for a luxury break and an opportunity to rest up before the drive into Cambodia. We invite our friends, Frank and Sue to join us on our ‘mini holiday’ and have a great time. We have decided to miss out the entire eastern section of Thailand– mainly because we believe the scenery in Laos will be exactly the same.

We drove down the narrow slither of land wedged between the Cardamon Mountains of Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand– this area is not a place to linger as the mosquitoes are medicine resistant.

We camped on a beach and arrived at the border by 9am– our passport and carnet checks went well but, just as we were about to drive through the barrier, we were called back. We mentioned earlier that we had been told of a problem with carnet and vehicles in Thailand– the carnet is not officially recognised in Thailand and although the staff were happy to stamp our exit on our carnet they also were demanding an ‘immigration slip’ for our car. Dave stayed in the car and I handled the staff– patience, a smile and claiming utter ignorance seemed to help– they let us through with a warning. We were lucky– they have every right to fine you for illegal vehicle entry! We know this border has refused some overlanders exit and forced them back into Thailand to obtain the correct paperwork.

Our recommendation would be to demand a vehicle immigration form at the border when you enter– it’s free but has to be renewed every 30 days at any immigration office– there’s one in every big town.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Bush camping on Ko Lanta and Phuket island.

Nakhon Si Thammarat– we didn’t do it this trip but last trip we did and it was lovely.

Ban Krud hilltop temple and surrounding beaches.

Kanchanaburi and surrounding area.

Sukhothai.

4wd track to Wat Chan for the non tourist side of tribal villages.

Chiang Mai– a great town to shop, relax and overdose on temples!

And, of course, Bangkok for the jaw dropping Grand Palace, the mother of pearl feet on Wat Pho’s Buddha, superb dining and shopping experiences. Don’t miss MBK a shopping centre where you can get ANYTHING you want– fake I.D, stickers for your car and cheap DVD’s!

DISAPPONTMENTS:

No specific disappointments but just that nagging feeling that you’re driving huge miles for small sights– especially in the north.

THOUGHTS: From the golden beaches of the south, to the amazing temples of the central area and the tribal hills of the north- Thailand has a bit of everything. Our first trip left us with the impression that the middle and north of the country would be a treasure trove of sights, but the reality was a little different, we would suggest visiting from OCT to NOV- festival time and a real treat for any visitor!Some of our best experiences have been meeting the people, especially in rural areas and Nan– you can’t beat the genuine Thai welcome and smile.

BUDGET: The hotel stays in Chiang Mai and Bangkok plus our trip to Ko Lipe are NOT included in the budget.

FUEL: We’re not convinced about the quality of the diesel but it is readily available. Costs 29.40 Baht per litre.

SHOPPING: Thailand should be renamed Tescoland– every big town has a Tesco Lotus.

WATER: NEVER fill up from a car washing hose– it’s normally fed from a sewer mixed stream and be very careful when using a garden hose– you’ll end up with a tank full of decaying vegetation. Otherwise it’s good quality.

ROADS: Superb. European standard with no tolls until you get to Bangkok and the expressways. Drivers are either good or recklessly dangerous.

POLICE: Check points and police road side stops are everywhere but we were never stopped and there was never any hint of corruption. Maybe having our insurance sticker on the windscreen helped and remember– slow down to let them see you at check points!

SAFETY: We were very surprised at how safe Thailand seems to be. Bush camping is almost always an option if you want to.

LANDY: There is a good coverage of landrover garages and an area in Bangkok where spare parts are readily available. SEE TOP TIPS PAGE.

Baby Nellie blowing bubbles.

Wat Suan Dork– Chiang Mai

DID YOU

KNOW?

Chiang Mai

has

61 temples!

4WD

FUN

THRU

TRIBAL

VILLAGES

ASSHOLE

LANDY

GARAGE

SUPERB

TEMPLES

FRIENDLY

TOWNS

TRACK MAP FOR 4WD ROUTE TO WAT CHAN BIG BUDDHA at Ban Sai Yoi Wat NEAR PHRAE

BEAUTIFUL OLD SUKHOTHAI

COLD &VERY WET in BUNG BORAPHET

overlooking ‘Noah’s Ark’!

THAI POLICE ‘VEHICLE’

IN BANGKOK

AKHA & PADAUNG

TRIBAL WOMEN

NEXT COUNTRY

BORDER

CROSSING

WARNING!

We decided to get off the main road so took a small road that links Mae Ramat Noi to Sam Ngao– it’s a beautiful drive on empty roads through tribal areas. We began to wonder why such a small road had so many checkpoints until we saw all the cabbage fields– in some hill areas of Thailand opium was the crop of choice, until the government decided to step in and offer the locals a more legal way of making money– cabbage growing. This area is full of cabbages and probably some secret opium fields as well! (Check out our GPS page for a lovely stop on this road.)We spent the night camping at Bhumibol Dam before driving to Wat Phra That Lampang Luang–

a superb Lanna temple that should not be missed. By lunchtime we were at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre where abandoned, orphaned and sick elephants live. You can visit the hospital and go for a ride before watching them paint and play instruments as part of the show. Chiang Mai is only an hour north and we decide to treat ourselves by booking into a very nice hotel for 3 nights– budget be damned!

We are in this area to experience traditional tribal people and although yesterdays drive was great for that, we didn’t want to spoil the moment by whipping out our camera and taking photo’s -especially in an area that isn’t used to tourists. So today we head to ‘tribal tourist land’ and visit the Padaung women at Nai Soi. It was a terrible experience. The tribe are refugees from Burma who have been living in this ‘resettlement’ village for several years now– it’s a damp, dark sorry affair, where even the chicks have to huddle next to the open fire embers to get some warmth at mid-day. The Burmese government has banned the use of neck rings, although we spoke to one 16year old girl who came to the village as a refugee 10 years ago wearing her neck ring then. Your visit has no positive effect on the people of the village and leaves you feeling pretty bad. NOT NICE.

STUPENDOUS

GRAND PALACE in BANGKOK

GUEST BOOK