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13/04/2009 - KING'S CUP ELEPHANT POLO Publié le Lundi 13 Avril 2009 à 08:55:00The King's Cup Elephant Polo - headed off early from home north to Chiang Saen on the mighty Mekong River, then up to Sop Ruak, to where 3 countries -Thailand, Burma & Laos - meet mid-stream in the Mekong. Starving we grabbed a quick Thai lunch overlooking the Mekong before heading to the Anantara Resort for the game.Its quite a buzz to arrive to see elephants rather than polo ponies, mahout rather than grooms. There's a web-site if you wish to learn more on the game - size of the ground, number of chukkas, handicaps, rules in general....so I want go into the detail here. Apart from that it was 'very polo' - all the Geoffreys, Russels, James & Hamishes (no Fred's, Jim's....) were there, all pronounced with an English accent that was music to the ears. Viewing areas built from bamboo & teak - great feel; exceptionally comfortable seating; great music.....overall a good feel. Moet were sponsoring a team & 'hats off', they plied free champagne to all present, all afternoon. EXCELLENT!We spent some time with the elephants between chukkas; 'close encounters' stuff. To see these guys 'swimming' in the river with just their trunk visible is a knock-out! And yes, of course, Moana was soon bareback atop one of these beasts.....what a pity she didn't have a change of clothing when a quick swim was proposed!The polo, especially the final was great fun. The elephants 'fairly motor' (love the Okerisms) about the pitch; polo stick length varies greatly according to elephant size. There's an advantage in having previously played polo.....& the Moet flows!Prize-giving is another memorable moment - one (yes its very English) has the chance to mingle mid-field with the players & elephants whilst waiters tempt 'one' with complimentary beers &, of course Pimms. Its an amusing moment to drop one's guard for an instant & find an elephant's trunk trying to take your beer, your camera or simply resting its trunk on your head!We'll be back; to play next time!Ecrire un commentaire - Permalien -
12/04/2009 - SONGKRAN Publié le Dimanche 12 Avril 2009 à 08:53:00Trust you haven't overdone the hot-cross buns & Easter eggs.Up bright & early, looking forward to our, no doubt, very wet first Songkran - planning a walk through the central areas a little later to coincide with the procession of the buddhas for the traditional 'bathing'/purification.Ducked down town yesderday to quickly grab something for home & returned drenched. All in great fun! There is no escape; & who would want to escape! Every major entry into town is set up with water roadside & all those who pass have buckets of water thrown over them, much to the amusement of all. Those in the cars retaliate with massive water pistols - these are like canons; those on bikes hang on tightly! As one approaches town an added festival atmosphere greets you - massive stages set up for concerts, food stalls have sprung up everywhere. Interestingly the supermarket i ducked into had masses of huge ice-filled fridges/eskies chock-a-block with beers & all types of 'coolers' - you know, its going to be HUGE!So we headed into the BIGGEST water throwing event of all time. it seems that everyone is out & about on the streets. 100s of 1000s of merry-makers; from families, through school kids to the elderly, everyone wringing wet, everyone smiling & in good spirits; yet a sense of awareness of the 'comfort' of others, of one's 'responsabilities' in throwing water about the place. Its a buzz, well worth the hit-out; of course we'd do it again - in fact, tomorrow cant come quickly enough! Its good to be young!!!Amidst the water files the Procession of Buddhas; some 55 from various temples clarifying the concept of purification through water. The sight of the 'fully decorated' young boys who are to enter the monkhood & the pride this holds for the parents is serene. Rock bands playing/people dancing everywhere & not a drop of water in sight; the food outlets left dry as are any elderly seeking to pass.......how good is it to see simple good fun reign rather than have a great event ruined by a bunch of 'geese'!We returned home, grabbed a motorbike & headed straight back! WET WET WET - on a motorbike you're everyone's target!Happy Songkran.....wait until you feel icy cold water slipping, unexpectantly, down your back.
07/03/2009 - TRIP IN LAOS Publié le Samedi 7 Mars 2009 à 08:57:00LAOS(A little aside before starting....I was in the garden when a noise of some intensity broke out. It sounded like the most dreadful stuff-up in the household waterworks; it was all surrounding. Ultimately we found it to be cicadas! It is an unbelievable din, something I've not experienced, even in Oz. There's another cicarda which makes this screatching noise like your brakes are shot - not good on a steep descent on motorbike!).What a trip; WHAT A TRIP! Headed from Chiang Mai to Phitsanulok then out along the 'Green Route'; how good is this route out through the rice paddies, along the rapids, past the waterfalls, through the mountain views. Looked enviously out towards Tab Berk, the absolutely mind-blowingly positioned Hmong tribe village atop the massive/sheer mountain (Commo military headquarters up to the 1980's) but this time we were headiing for Khao Kho for the evening. Khao Kho is another top spot; canother 'little Switzerland'. High up, great views & surrounded by quality homes, resorts & health farms. We had a magic red, red, red sunset & also some red to wash it all down!We were away next morning through UNFORGETTABLE scenery on the descent through the ranges. We were heading back to the mighty Mekong River via Dan Sai. Lonely Planet says of Dan Sai :'for 362 days a year, DS is an innoculous little town......for the remaining 3 days, its the site of one of Thailand's liveliest & loudest festivals.' They hold a 'Spirits Festival' (its all, 'they say', to summon some supernatural spirit) in June (depending on the full moon) - a boisterous, dance-filled procession, (LOTS of) spirits (the other kind) to get everyone in the mood for what's to come....lots of colour & costumes including 2 central (almost 4m high) figures, one male & one female as is clear from their 'huge, exagerated sexual organs' as LP puts it. Apparently the procession reaches the wat/temple, tins & cow-bells increasing the racket....whilst circling the wat there's abundant sexual inuendo with, to again quote LP 'older village woman, laughing all the time, taking turns grabbing the lengthy male penis'...... You know where to find us in June!!!Arriving at the Mekong we found accommodation between the river towns of Chiang Khan & Nong Khai - rustic bambooo bungalows out over the Mekong (owner told us the river can rise 50 feet!!!! Did you know that in parts the Mekong is 15klms wide!) This was a MAGIC spot; you can not imagine how it was to look out from bed the next morning over the Mekong to a brilliant red sunrise reflecting on one of the world's great rivers. All for $8/bungalow/night. How can people travel otherwise?Down along the Mekong to Nong Khai the next morning to cross over (bridge) to Laos. The Thais profit from the dry season/lower river levels to plant/harvest a quick crop along any available river-bed. The locals complain that China has built a massive dam upstream greatly affecting water flow, & 'life' in & of the river itself. This very dam is blamed for the floods in China that caused so many (million) deaths & in turn flooded Laos, Burma, Thailand & Cambodia when the Chinese 'released the gates'.It was Saturday when we arrived in NK to learn that we could only get 'passports' for cars Mon-Fri! Stuff it; we grabbed the minimum gear & headed over by bus with the intention of hiring transport in Laos. Crossing the bridge we had to stop & watch a train cross, deviated from a track alongside the road (where it would logically continue) to smack bang in the middle thereof! Apparently its that way as Thailand/Laos couldn't agree where the track should run!Not having a car proved no problem, we hired a huge 10 seater 'wog waggon' including driver (proved a very good move); the guy chauffered us through Laos, day & night, for the next 6 days at what it costs to hire a mini in Sydney! We drove up to Vientiane, immediately sensing the French influence with massive Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysee equivalents, French administrative buildings strategically placed, street names in french, (excellent) french food, many speaking french. Its annoying, however, in places to witness the effects of looting over the centuries; its sad to see the culture of a people stolen in this manner.It is thought provoking being in a country such as Laos. Its so different being under a communist regime; so different to what we know/think 'outside', & remember, Laos was only opened to tourists in 1989. The road from Vientiane to Vang Vieng & on to Luang Prabang which we were about to take is perhaps not surprisingly named Hwy 13 & is virtually the only sealed road (sometimes pot-holed) of any significance in the country. This is a truly wonderful journey - cattle wonder freely all over the roads, in & out of houses & even into shops, as do piglets, chickens, goats/kids, water buffalo.... The road climbs up through the mountains past hill-tribe settlement after hill-tribe settlement with the villages constructed literally at the edge of the road. From the car its a window into tribal life, almost 'live'. Houses all of teak with bamboo walls & thatched roofs, communal showers 'road-side', residents go happily about their lives. Kids & babies everywhere - a real worry that one could run over a child if not extremely vigilant.If this was not good enough the sudden descent into Vang Vieng is a drop-dead, gob-smacking! The setting here is staggering, a mountain range to dream about, a beautiful river, unforgetable sunsets. Transport, pleasing to the eye, is still very much the bicycle. We bunked in up-river from town; a quick river swim under the moon-light, then off to bed over-excited about what the next day would surely hold.Grabbed canoes the next morning for around a 10klm paddle downstream to the main town; a paddle of rare & exceptional beauty. Bamboo foot-bridges hang across the river into the fields, tribal woman gather algae whilst men spear fish & collect shells, over the odd rapid or two, on past a meditating buddhist devotee perched in the lotus position on simply the railing of his hotel verandah, & all this whilst framed by the most magnificent mountain scenery imaginable. We continued down to the 'tubing' area for which Vang Vieng is famous or infamous depending on your age - the bars along the river-side, blasting out the rock music, where the booze is cheap & (very) plentiful, bodies in riverside hammocks, people in 'tubes' along the river, massive trapeses set up along the river - you'd want a belly full to muster up the courage to try these monsters! We had dinner in town that night, long into the night watching the covered utes arrive loaded with the massive tubes on their roofs & the pick-up full of totally pissed, bikini or boardshort clad, singing tubers. Takes one back, n'est ce pas!On to Luang Prabang - WHAT A DRIVE; this one is beyond supurlatives. This is truly mountain scenery at its BEST, scenery at its most spectacular best. Tribal villages alone continue; their inhabitants moving by foot about the steep hills they've cleared to cultivate. Woman head off to work the hill-sides, babies strapped to their backs; older woman remaining in the villages preparing plant materials to be used for roofing. The kids, & there are many of hem (shows the 'advantage' of no TV) seem very close, often moving about the place arms around each other, laughing away. Upon reflection one is left with the impression that their lives, their inner beings, are touched positively, despite their poverty & the relative harshness of their existence, in a way long disappeared from a commercial, materialistic world.Luang Prabang - INCREDIBLE place; the former capital of Laos that has been & continues to be restored by UNESCO as part of World Heritage. Set magnificently on the Mekong, full of history, tremendous temples, wonderful restaurants, chic shops & resorts 'a la France'. To witness the massive sea of orange at 6.30 in the morning as lines of monks undertake taak baat is special.We decided to return to Vientiane by the way we had come - a descending drive is often more rewarding visually - intending to stop at 1 of only 2 potential accommodation choices we had seen on the road between Vang Vieng & Luang Prabang. We'd spotted a cluster of 5 rustic bungalows, set amidst a magestic mountain backdrop alongside what appeared to be a nice pond, with a small (associated) restaurant alongside. We arrived after a spectacular mountain-top sunset.This proved to be one of the finds of the trip; one of those inexplicable situations that just 'work'. The tucker was great, those helping us so warm, the surroundings unbeatable & the pond proved to be a natural hot spa! We had a birthday falling on the next day. After dinner, we uncorked the several bottles of (birthday present) red we'd bought in LP, headed into the hot spa & drank the red down until after midnight, singing 'happy birthday' as loud as can be without a worry. Magic moment & the most memorable of birthdays. (I'm no 'natural medicine geek', but I (indeed we all) felt good after this lengthy spa (or was it the red) - relaxed muscles, even bones, a softness of the skin.....Up the next morning, sore heads but made instantly better on seeing just where this place was set - fantastic. Hate to tell you but the bungalows cost $AUD5.50/night, whilst the meals (for 7 people!) - dinner, including beers & a few shots of local whiskey, & a full breakfast of fruit, eggs, toast, tea or coffee totalled $AUD30!In Vientiane we knew of a comfortable resort owned & operated by a french couple - the wife used to run the Crazy Horse in Paris, whilst her husband lived from royalties made from writing songs for Eric clapton, Johnny Halliday, etc. An interesting team! They bought (?) it would seem around 5 hectares back in the early 1990s, when there were only half a dozen (?) cars in Vientiane & had built a great set-up with pools, jaccusis, exercise 'beach', huge comfortable bungalows, fantastic garden......The wife was a lovely, soft, charming woman who looked after a dozen abandoned ponies & had brought the squirrels (previously hunted by the locals), birds & butterflies back to the resort. She had the same caring approach to her staff - one of the staff (27 years old) told us just how excited he'd been last year when she'd paid for him to fly, for the first & only time in his life, home to see his family. A girl, also 27, also worked there - she had never flown; a trip home for her took 72 hours by bus. She couldn't go home this year as she needed to save for her studies. She is quite stunning & the lady running the place has guided her (despite all the foreigners chasing her) to understand that the way 'out' for her is education. The lady is paying for her law studies & she'll graduate next year after 5 years study.Always good to end on a wonderful story!17/02/2009 - MAE SOT & DOI INTHANON Publié le Mardi 17 Février 2009 à 10:36:00Just back from around 1000klms of travel heading south from Chiang Mai down through some great scenery to Tak where we found a vibrant market humming along the shores of a great river setting then on to Mae Sot where one can cross into Burma.
Mae Sot is fairly non-descript but there's always a certain buzz about border-crossings - watching the 'wheelers & dealers' moving across the borders; 'investigating' the deals that are on offer & so on. Amusing having 'urgers' trying to flog you all & anything along the river, watching certain 'farang' (westerners) working the system, seeing more farang trying to out-wit the local stone dealers....... There's some interesting shopping, especially in materials whose availability varies between & within the countries concerned; teak is a good example at present.
A quick walk over to Burma for some $1 CDs & DVDs before returning to head north to Mae Sariang. Magnificent scenery along this route, by the river/s, past hot springs, fabulous rolling agricultural country as well as a camp in a magic setting at the foot of some spectacular mountains for Burmese refugees. Their homes are all constructed from local materials - teak frames, bamboo walls & roofing from large leaves growing in the mountains (sorry, must get more precise info on the tree concerned!) To see the Burmese woman in their sarongs lugging huge leaf filled baskets belted to their foreheads is an experience. It creates the impression that one has just stumbled across a tribe (in their thousands!) all living in, & constructing from, the jungle.
We stayed the night very comfortably on the riverside at Mae Sariang before heading off early the next day for Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain at 2565m. The airforce has built a couple of chedis up there - one for each of the King & the Queen, to celebrate their respective 60th birthdays. Wonderful gardens & exceptional views out over Asia!
We headed down-hill for lunch stopping at a restaurant we'd found by chance when hit by rain one day whilst motorbiking up to Doi Inthanon - looking quickly for shelter/accommodation. Some of the local Hmong tribe suggested the 'Royal Project' site nearby; an agricultural project set up by the King to provide a viable alternative to opium growing for the hill-tribes. Up behing/through the tribe we stumbled across the site (Royal Project) with its wonderful garden, where they grow all sorts of flowers, produce all sorts of fruit & vegies, grow their own trout & even their own red wine! Black swans on the dam, a lovely restuarant setting serving produce from the project, surrounded by a huge waterfall, some great accommodation....what more do you need!22/01/2009 - NORTHERN THAILAND Publié le Jeudi 22 Janvier 2009 à 09:01:00Just spent 10 days cruising through northern Thailand - 2300klms through some great spots, wonderful scenery, & with not a cop or radar in sight - a reconnaisance trip to determine to where we wish to return!Headed north-west from Chiang Mai to Doi Ang Khang - Thailand's "Little Switzerland" - 1300m above sea level, right on the border with Burma. We took the back roads through Arunothai & Tham Ngop; through 3 separate armed border controls, past many an isolated tribal village & surrounded by some great scenery. Stopped at Tham Ngop & by sheer chance ran into General Lee's daughter! General Lee headed the KMT who fought Mao/the communists in China before loosing & fleeing ultimately to Thailand. He set up camp permanently in Tham Ngop & his daughter kindly took us on a tour (not open to the public) through the wonderful mud-brick home he'd built, the officers barracks & so on. Having studied in the USA, she gave us a most informative run-down & the place which is full of history. Incredible to imagine life out/up there in the mountains, donkies/ponies still in use - it remains very wild, very isolated, very beautiful.On to Doi Ang Khang which with its cool year round climate it grows many of the vegies, fruit & flowers normally found in more temperate climates. Production takes place surrounded by a magnificent garden. A market place full of weird & wonderful things, though we were more taken by the 40 degree Lychee schnaps on offer! This is a good spot to 'chill'.Nearby are several tribal villages, notably those of the Lahu & Palong tribes. The Palong village - Nor Lae - is right on the border where a Thai military outpost faces off against two Burmese army posts. We had hoped to descend to Fang from Nor Lae but the border patrol guards stopped us saying the road descended at around 40 degrees & was in such poor condition that there was no way we would make it! We took the more 'traditional' route down past Fang to Tha Ton, a great little spot on the Mae Nam Kok River, which serves as a launching pad for visits to certain hill-tribes & various river/rapids adventures. Stayed at, yes, Riverview! Great spot on the river with views over the buddhas & magnificently lit chedi for which Tha Ton is known. A visit to the chedi is well worth it given the spectacular view & the wonderful collection of Buddhas sent from throughout the world.Away early the next morning, we headed up (& up!) to Doi Mae Salong, the most Chinese of Thai towns! Steep & very chinese - more TVs here are tuned into Honk Kong than Bangkok! Surrounded by scenic tea plantations, its a great base from which to explore (off-road bike only) some very remote areas along the Burmese border (take a guide as its easy to cross into Burma/end up in prison) & very remote (mostly Akha) hill-tribes.We were looking forward to our next destination, the mighty Mekong River, & what a river it is! Cruised into (14th century) Chiang Saen & headed straight for the river. How moving is it to see the Mekong & at a point where the three countries of Thailand, Burma & Laos merge as the river flows down from China. With the massage facilities set-up riverside who could resist - a massage watching the sun set over Laos as the cargo boats from China float by is special. On to the Anantara for a beer & to enquire when the King's Cup Elephant Polo would be staged, then lunch overlooking the river before heading down-stream to an isolated resort - Rai Saeng Arun - for the night. This is a great spot on the Mekong - fabulous/interesting accommodation (way up on bamboo clad mountains, right over the Mekong, or amidst rice paddies, or in/over wonderful ponds....). There's a full-on organic garden & the associated top tucker. We saw photos of where the river rises to in the rainy season - freaky!Headed south along the river to Chiang Khong - great run with no other traffic, no houses, the best river scenery, just Laos opposite. One can cross into Laos from here - by sandpan which is much fun!From Chiang Khong we headed back up through the mountains (yep, & the corners) to Phucheefha by now understanding why northern Thailand is regarded as THE BEST motor bike cruising in the world. Phucheefha is not in Lonely Planet, etc (its kept by the Thais for Thais) but, what a spot! Its this mountain/sheer cliff miles up above everything looking out over the valleys of Laos. Its magic. The big buzz is to be there for sunrise, to see the oceans of cloud below you with the peaks of mountains peering through & watch it all slowly unfold to reveal Laos.Accommodation is limited to A-frames but who cares, sunsets are RED like you've never seen, kids from the tribes come to dance by your room, the monks pass by to receive alms, blessing believers....its a good feeling. We were up at 5am, 8 degrees at the park entrance/probably 5 less on mountain top. Thais of all ages make the climb - kids in their fulll-on tribal colours, barefooted & lightly clad monks with an amazing resilience to the cold.........This is a great & truly unique experience.Cruised on to Nan feeling great! Went past one 'resort' that was so well located - way up high with a view out over these limestone tors protruding from no-where, a lake in the background. We were taken aback, then left pondering as the hill-tribe couple managing the place continued quietly smoking their opium pipes whilst we cruised about the place.Fairly stuffed we decided to rest up in Nan for 2 nights. Away from the beaten tourist track, Nan is a quiet, rural affair, great markets; nice (human) feeling & great value. There are some wonderful trips to be found in the surrounding area.We decided to make the dash to Phitsanulok. Rice paddies; you said rice paddies!!!!! Long, but easy run, we again decided to stay 2 nights. Not many get to Phitsanulok but there's a couple of 'must do's' there. The Chinnarat Buddha is there - even if you are not into temple touring this one is awe inspiring; built in 1357 its the 2nd most venerated Buddha in Thailand; one has to be moved on seeing this one. You should also check out the factory where they make buddahs for all over Thailand. For the less cultured the 'Flying Vegetable Restaurant' is a must - this resto wacks up a vegie concoction in a wok before the chef, looking in the opposite direction, flings it, maybe 20m through the air, to customers waiting atop a clapped out van....or, if you prefer to remain seated, to waiters who catch it on plates to serve you. Very performance orientated, this is a total buzz!We also rushed along the 'green route' towards Lam Sak - a great outing with incredible views. There's one 'off the track' place, Tab Berk, the site of an Hmong tribe village, where everyone should go!We were off again for Sukhothai & Si Satchanalai-Chaliang, two UNESCO projects restoring what remains of buildings from the 11th-14th centuries when Sukhothai was the capital & Thailand in its golden age. This is truly a marvel!Onwards up to Phayao & pigged out by the lake. Not a tourist destination, its a good spot to stroll along the promenade lake-side.Next day on up to Chiang Rai. How good is the Wat Rong Khun!!!!!!!!! Chalernchai Kositpipat, a renowned Thai artist, decided at 40 years of age he'd devote the rest of his life (& millions of $s) to building this temple white & sparkles with clear mirrored chips. Whereas most temples have centuries of history, CK started this one in 1997. Its AMAZING; instead of traditional Buddha life scenarios, this is full of contemporary scenes, from the moment you cross the bridge (of rebirth) surrounded by 100's of grabbing arms symbolising greed & desire, past figurines symbolising the downfall flowing from lust, to paintings in the temple of planes held by demon-like creatures crashing into the twin towers....CK estimates the whole project will take around 70 years to complete & has trained up an army of followers who he supports totally & who assist him & will finish the work for him once he dies. You have to read CK's reasoning behind all this; far too much to cover here.Chiang Rai has plenty going on, but this is already too long. We're safely back home, readying ourselves for a myriad of festivals just around the corner.
