Destination Thailand North

We begin in Bangkok, a thoroughly modern city of 20 million people that seems a world away from India and Sri Lanka’s exotic-ness. The Sheraton Hotel, a stones throw from the Oriental, Shangri-La and The Peninsula, offers us a great deal—three nights for the price of two—a quarter of the price of the other top-end hotels so we check in to a beautiful room on the 26th floor overlooking the Chao Phraya River for only $90/night. We like Bangkok already.

We do all the good tourist stuff visiting Wats, shopping in uber-chic Siam Square and the historic Chatachuk weekend market. Our choice of restaurants is disappointing with the exception of the Mahanaga where we join one of Tim’s old friends, Matthew, who he hasn’t seen for 22 years. Matthew gives us the VIP treatment arranging to whisk us through customs at the airport, having his driver pick us up in his Mercedes and treating us to a lavish dinner. Thank you very much Matthew, we owe you BIG-time!

The huge 46 meter long and 15 meter high reclining Buddah at Wat Pho, Bangkok.

We visit Ayuthaya on a day trip, Thailand’s ancient capital from 1350-1767 and home to 33 kings and numerous Thai dynasties. It was a majestic city until the mid-18th century with three palaces and 400 splendid temples on an island threaded with canals—a sight that impressed early European visitors and us. The elegant chedi of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayuthaya, above.

Another reclining Buddha has Tim thinking he wants to recline for an afternoon snooze too.

The center of the old city is Wat Mahathat but most impressive is the handiwork of the encroaching forest that has created the temples most visited image—the Buddha head embedded in twisted tree roots.

After four nights luxuriating in Bangkok (and, gulp, we admit, watching the Australian Open) we fly to Chiang Mai and stay at the Baan Orapin Guesthouse—a great find from our trusted Frommers Guidebook. It’s an oasis with 12 rooms and tranquil garden set around a small pool and the best breakfast we’ve had in a long time. We feel Thailand is like returning to the western world with all the comforts of home—there’s Starbucks, Haagen Daas and 7-11 stores and we think the sights are already lackluster to those we’ve seen anywhere else on our travels. Cleanliness is MUCH higher than India and most cars and buses are brand new. The economic downturn doesn’t seem to have affected the Thais and the only thing we notice is the lack of western tourists.

We make a day trip to Doi Suthep and in the heat of the day struggle up 306 steps to see Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. Tim stands in front of the exquisite copper-plated chedi topped by a five-tiered gold umbrella. It is being renovated surrounded by apropos, reverent gold scaffolding.

Like Britain, Thailand also drives on the left so in Chiang Mai Tim feels comfortable enough to rent a car and do the driving for an eight day tour of the north. After one overnight in the hippy town of Pai we head to Mae Hong Son where we visit the Paduang refugee villages of Nai Soi and Mae Aw where the ‘long neck’ Karen tribeswomen live. They wear a continuous coil around their necks that weighs up to 50 pounds and can stand as tall as 30 cm. The neck coils depress the collar bone and rib cage which makes their necks look unnaturally stretched. Nobody knows how the custom got started, one theory being it was meant to make the women unattractive to men from other tribes. Another story says it was to stop tigers carrying the women off by their throats.

Sandi proves it’s not as difficult as it looks but quickly decides simple hoop earrings are the better choice.

Near the small town of Soppong is Tham Lot—a large, limestone cave with impressive stalagmites. The total length of the cave is 1600m and for 600m a wide stream runs through it and we must hire a bamboo raft to take us through making stops along the way with a gas lantern-carrying guide. Some of the caves contain ancient, teak coffins carved from solid tree logs carbon dated between 1200 and 2200 years old. We stay the night at Chiang Dao at a little guesthouse run by an eccentric, ex-Oxford professor and the next day visit the cave complex of Tham Chiang Dao which extends 14 km into the mountain.

At the peak, 1800m above sea level, Tim chimes the many bells at the hilltop Buddhist temple, Wat Phra That Doi Tung. From these hills we are looking right into Myanmar.

Thailand’s northernmost town, Mae Sai, is the starting point for exploring the Golden Triangle, the border area where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, once made famous for lots of opium growing.

Along the roadside we see many miles of emerald-coloured rice paddies being harvested by hard-working local women. Where are the men?

Onto Chiang Saen and the ruins of the Wat Pa Sak with Buddhas sculpted in the mudra (‘calling for rain’) pose, with both hands held pointing down at the image’s sides—a pose common in Laos but not in Thailand. We enjoy a pleasant evening dining on sticky rice, grilled chicken and green papaya salad from the evening food vendors sitting cross-legged on grass mats along the river bank.

Ginny, the friendly manager of our hotel gives us a paper lantern with an attached candle to light and tells us to make a wish before letting it be carried away into the heavens. On special occasions northern Thais light hundreds of these lanterns wishing for prosperity, health and happiness.

In Chiang Rai we visit the Wat Phra Kaew, the city’s most revered Buddhist Temple. In 1990 a Chinese artist was commissioned to sculpt an image from Canadian jade (yay Canada!) modelled after the Emerald Buddha in the Wat Phra Kaew Morakot in Bangkok.

Young monks outside the Wat Phra Kaew in Chiang Rai.

We end our northern tour back in Chiang Mai in time to get caught in the evening’s Chinese Festival of Light parade. We’ll finish the south later but first it’s off to the airport again tomorrow to board a jet to Luang Prabang, Laos for another adventure!