Thailand 2020

Bangkok: The Adventure Begins

It was the novelist Alex Garland who christened Bangkok “the centre of the backpacking universe”, and, by reputation, several other universes ranging from sex tourism to lady boys to diverse cuisine, are centred here. However, on the City Line train and MRT from the airport to the centre, it seems to us that Bangkok has become the centre of the face mask universe. Most likely the propensity of Asians for wearing protective masks in city atmospheres has been intensified by the Coronavirus scare, but whatever, most of the passengers are sporting one.

An overnight flight from the UK means that it is late afternoon as we check in the hotel, despite having had in flight breakfast just before landing, and so our first sortie into this city is for our first taste of its nightlife. Khao San Road will no doubt be about as far away from authentic Thailand as you can get, but it has to be done and we may as well dive straight in.

As you would expect, this street is hedonistic, loud, pulsating and sultry, full of life and colour, and it’s fun to melt into it. Adjacent to Khao San Road is Ram Buttri Road, a few decibels down the scale but with live bands in virtually every bar it’s a great alternative to its better known neighbour, and just a little bit more …. errr…. sensible? 

So it’s beer in Khao San Road, Thai curry in Ram Buttri Road listening to a blues band with a liking for a Eric Clapton songs (nothing wrong with that!) and, later on, a second stroll up and down Khao San Road. With the evening wearing on, the volume controls are nearing ear bleed territory and there is direct correlation between the decibel level of a bar and the number of people in it. What it is to be young!

Our tuk-tuk ride is of the Formula 1 variety, the rush of cool air on our faces most welcome. 

Waking to our first full day in Bangkok, the city is still quiet, temples amidst high rise buildings shrouded in the city haze and early morning sun, terrific views from our 19th floor balcony.  We are staying in the heart of Chinatown, but have purposefully opted out of taking hotel breakfast, part of our intention instead to maximise the street food experience.  Shops are just opening, market stalls being set out, street vendors preparing food and lighting their barbecues in readiness for the hungry passers by.  Halfway along Yaowarat Road there is a crowd of people on the pavement, a closer look reveals that it’s a queue for a tiny eatery, it must be good here so we take our place amongst the locals. Breakfast is a far cry from a full English or a continental and the bowl of double boiled noodle soup with pork, crackling, chicken and liver is delicious!

We assign the rest of the day to following the tourist trail and take in the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaeo and Wat Pho with its colossal “reclining Buddha” before taking the ferry across the river to Wat Arun. The Palace and all of the Wats (temples) are on such a huge scale and are simply stunning, the architecture incredible, the colours amazing and the gold dazzling in the blazing sun. Every corner turned brings another wow moment. 

The short ferry trip each way across the Chao Phaya River really brings home the architectural diversity of Bangkok, with cityscape modern high rise towers, gleaming golden temples, billboards praising the King, and cluttered decaying wharf buildings all visible in the same scene. 

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Time in Bangkok: Our Review

And so after three full days and four evenings in Bangkok, we are moving on to our next destination. It’s been something of a whirlwind start to our Asian adventure but a more chilled spell is on the near horizon. So here’s a resume of our time in the capital and our recommendations for coping with Bangkok…

• Bangkok is…..

Vibrant, lively, energetic, peaceful, devout. Shiny new, immensely ancient. Respectful and religious; iniquitous, rebellious and debauched. If those words sound contradictory, then they are meant to, because this place has just about everything.

Whilst it is a bustling city full of life and full of contradictions, we wouldn’t really describe Bangkok as chaotic. Our times in Sri Lankan and Indian cities have shown us truly chaotic places, and in that sense Bangkok isn’t on the same scale as, say, Colombo or Delhi. Having said that, it IS bustling, it IS full of culture clashes, it IS in your face. There is peace within its hedonism though, as the Thais throughout the city are quick to demonstrate their renowned friendliness. 

• What to see and do – Temples

Bangkok certainly has more than its fair share of splendid temples, lots with opulent decoration which has to be seen to be believed. Many are truly stunning, the sheer size and scale of the construction, the level of detail, the amount of statuary and artistic flair, is incredible. Some which don’t even make the guide books are spectacular. From the ones we visited, the pick of them is (not in any particular order):

Wat Arun (the Temple Of The Dawn)

Wat Phra Kaeo (within the Royal Palace complex)

Wat Pho (with its colossal “reclining Buddha”)

Wat Traimit (with its golden Buddha, see below)

Wat Chakrawat (complete with live crocodile)

Wat Saket (the Golden Mountain), probably the most unusual and spectacular of them all, with wonderful panoramas of the city from the top.

The Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit has a remarkable history, being the largest gold Buddha in the entire world, weighing around 5.5 tons and with an estimated gold value approaching £30 million. Centuries ago, the Buddha was covered in plaster in order to hide the gold from Siam’s enemies. In 1955 when the King decided to move the Buddha to its current home, the plaster was accidentally cracked in transit, and, incredibly, only then was the truth discovered, that beneath the giant plaster cast was a Buddha made entirely from gold. Amazing.

• Other things to see and do – not Temples

Of course there are dozens of other attractions away from the Temples, too many to list, but a few we really enjoyed are (again in no particular order):

The majesty of the mighty Chao Phaya River as it winds its way through the city, and the huge variety of boats plying various trades thereon. 

Jim Thompson’s House, a beautiful traditional Thai house, built from original material by the rather remarkable Thompson, an American businessman who pretty much single handedly established worldwide markets for Thai silk.

The ridiculously splendid Royal Palace.

The bustle and noise of Chinatown.

Chatuchak Weekend Market, a giant sprawling market full of life and colour selling just about everything imaginable.

Having a massage. Massage houses are, of course, everywhere. Don’t ignore it just because it’s a tourist trap: instead, lie back on a comfy bed on a pavement and lose yourself in half an hour of heaven.

• Getting around

Whilst we walked a lot of the city (Fitbit step count 103,219 in 3 days), public transport is easy, quick and extremely efficient. At your disposal you have the MRT, the Sky Train, tuk tuks and taxis, and ferries across the river, each of which is very useful when the heat has you beaten. The MRT and Sky train are particularly user friendly, so much so that it would actually be hard to get it wrong. 

• How to cope

It’s late January, early Feb. The days start off gently, a pleasant breeze cooling the warm air. Somewhere around 10am someone flicks the temperature control and the mercury rockets up the thermometer; just after lunch the natural sauna kicks in and humidity ramps up. Dehydration is, as ever in this climate, an enemy, it’s essential to have a bottle of water in your hand literally all the time: you’ll need it. Fortunately, reviving fresh fruit smoothies and ice cold coffees abound, both ideal energy boosts.

• Nightlife

We’ve come here to experience the best of all South East Asian cultures, but so far seem to have rather immersed ourselves in beer and bars and rock and roll. Khao San Road is what it is; the adjacent Rambuttri has such a great atmosphere. There are of course many other areas, but personally we found Soi Cowboy too tacky to even dwell for a beer, and by all accounts it’s not the tackiest! For when all that revelry has become too much, spend an evening in the streetfood heaven of Chinatown (local name Yaorawat), with its wonderful atmosphere. Really, in a nutshell, if you can’t have a good time in Bangkok, it’s your own fault!

• Food

Never mind allergies or intolerances, we both suffer from TSDS: Try Something Different Syndrome. Well, you can’t have a blog with our title and be picky with food, can you. Bangkok food has been an utter delight: probably only in the Oaxaca region of Mexico have we come across so many stimulating combinations. Papaya salad with salted egg, in chilli sauce; fried grated catfish in mango and chilli sauce; curries flavoured with kaffir lime; pork in tamarind; a heavenly vegetable dish called Morning Glory…… we could go on and on. There’s an amazing array of different drinks too: chrysanthemum juice, anyone? Street food in its various forms is by far the best bet, whether it’s cafes within markets, stalls with plastic chairs at the roadside, or eateries with outdoor wok kitchens or charcoal barbecues. Fresh, tasty, exciting, cheap. What more could you want?! 

• Did we like Bangkok?

Loved it! All five senses have been battered, and we’ve walked till we dropped, in the intense heat and humidity. Full on days and fun filled evenings. We feel absolutely alive and absolutely shattered at the same time. We think we need to embrace the peace and calm of Buddha’s teachings now, and unwind for a while!

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Kanchanaburi and Relative History

The gravestone above sits amongst thousands of others in the War cemetery at Kanchanaburi, site of the infamous Death Railway of World War 2, but this one resonates with us. This modest headstone is the memorial to Phil’s Dad’s cousin Roland, who, like so many other young men, died a dreadful death here at the hands of the Japanese during construction of the Thai-Burma railway. He must have suffered unimaginable torment. We have come to Kanchanaburi purely to pay our respects to our family member, some 76 years after his death.

We find the whole experience of visiting this headstone surprisingly emotional, given that this was someone who died more than 10 years before Phil was born. Just imagining the conditions in which our family member must have lived his final days, is painful…….

It’s an early start today, out of Bangkok on an early train northwards to Kanchanaburi, after a bit of nonsense with a taxi driver who didn’t know where the Thonburi railway station was! Right next to Thonburi station is a huge food market, madly busy before 7am; we thought Chatuchak was big but this is clearly where the entire city buys most of its food!

The train moves through lush green countryside and rice fields, successive vendors boarding the train to hawk foodstuffs of various types. Kanchanaburi is these days a mix of things. A long street of backpacker territory stretches away from the main drag towards the river, cheap bars and hostels abound. Step by step towards the river and its famous bridge, this atmosphere changes, but more of that later.

This is, of course, the Bridge On The River Kwai, famed from World War II and the subsequent movie, and Kanchanaburi itself was home to one of the epicentres for the construction of the so called Death Railway. In all of the atrocities in the history of war, the brutal treatment of POWs by the Japanese right here, is surely one of the most extreme, and makes appalling reading. Thousands of young men, mostly British, Dutch, Burmese and Malay, perished in the most unimaginably horrific circumstances. Nowadays Kanchanaburi is home not only to the cemetery and the bridge, but also a Death Railway Museum, recounting in horrific detail the suffering inflicted on these men. The word “inhumane” simply doesn’t do justice. And here before us, in stark reality, is the resting place of one of our own. We laid flowers, and cleaned the headstone. It’s not much. But he was family.

It’s a little bit confusing to find that the bridge itself has become such a tourist attraction. Hotels have sprung up on the banks of the river, resorts are under construction, floating restaurants afford diners views of the river and the bridge. Most disconcerting of all – offensive even? – is the reconstruction of a POW camp right by the bridge, so that modern day visitors can enjoy a beer and a meal whilst supposedly seeing what a POW camp would have looked like. And all this a 5-minute tuk-tuk ride from the cemetery and the museum. Poor taste, surely? It’s a strange world sometimes. It’s as if the memory of the movie is stronger than the memory of those who suffered, and that’s not right.

Our short stay in the town is in a guest house in a delightful garden setting, abundant bird life all around, we wake to exotic calls and a crowing cockerel instead of the sounds of a city. Despite our reservations we engage a bit with the tourist thing: a river trip on a long boat (actually really enjoyable) and dinner of fresh river fish at a floating restaurant looking up at the bridge, and of course we take the walk across the bridge itself.

International coach tour parties come and go rather like cruise ship crowds in a port, help themselves to a pile of food from the laid-on buffet and then each leave half of what they’ve taken, meaning tons of it goes in the bin. It’s a strange world sometimes.

And so the first part of our trip comes to a close. We move on to Southern Thailand next…

From the City to the Islands: The Next Stage

We’ve now moved on from what was essentially a city break and on to the island holiday part of our trip, the idea always having been that after the Bangkok experience we chill out for a couple of weeks before we start the more adventurous parts of this journey. So we’re into a certain mode now, we know this is holiday island and not the “real” Thailand, but it’s chill time before we hit the real country.

And so we now find ourselves in the village of Klong Nin on the island of Koh Lanta in the southern part of Thailand, billeted right on the beach with the sea lapping the shore and the sunsets directly ahead. Our journey down from the capital was first an Air Asia flight to Krabi, followed by three fun stages; a mini bus from Krabi to the pier; a speedboat to the island, then the back of a truck to Klong Nin. 

Researching which island to base ourselves on took quite a bit of effort prior to starting our journey. We definitely didn’t want one of the party islands, but it’s also clear that you can go too far the other way and leave yourself too remote. So we were aiming for a kind of half way; not too much of a holiday island and with a decent amount of Thai culture, but with enough to do and plenty of places to eat. Our first impressions are that we’ve made a good choice with Koh Lanta.

Our intention is to explore surrounding islands, indulge in some activities, and to chill and unwind before the next adventure starts.

 This might be our first opportunity to mention the Thai people. What amazingly friendly, helpful and happy people they are. The Land Of Smiles? It’s more like the Land Of Laughter! We’ve already met and chatted with so many lovely people; no doubt we’ll post about that later. 

Koh Lanta: The First 7 Days

Klong Nin village

We have now spent a few days on Koh Lanta and the village of Klong Nin has become our paradise. The aquamarine Andaman sea gently laps the long pale soft sand beach.  A selection of accommodation in the form of beach huts inconspicuously line the beach, nestled amongst palm trees with attractive tropical gardens and a backdrop of wooded hills. Beach bars/ restaurants are rustic and low key, decked in driftwood and shells, cool seating areas with mats and cushions on the floor, there is a real chilled out vibe here. Music from the bars is kept at an acceptably low level and the overall feel is relaxed and calm. 

Swedes, Germans and French seem to outnumber visitors from other lands, and, with the beach so wide and the sea so friendly, Klong Nin is a popular family destination. Rather cleverly, a couple of the beach bars will only serve alcohol and no soft drinks at all; these are clearly designed for those moments when childless visitors want some time away from the sound of kids.

Koh Lanta is predominantly Muslim, the mosques brightly coloured lime green and the mournful call to prayer drifts across the trees to mingle with the gently lapping waves transporting your thoughts. Whilst the Muslim ladies here are modestly dressed in traditional Muslim clothing, they appear to have a relaxed stance and, rather unusually, contentedly serve both pork and alcohol in their establishments for the visitors to their island. There is one minor road running behind the beach bars which is also low key hosting a few more restaurants, a number of street food vendors, a handful of shops and some ATM’s, there is all you need here without any tacky tourist traps.

Klong Nin is perfect for sunrise strolls along the beach, the sunsets are absolutely stunning and once the sun goes down the pretty lights and the cool chilled music from the beach bars entice you in for a cocktail or two and the atmosphere simply washes over you. We end our evenings with moonlit walks along the beach, and drift off to sleep to the sound of the sea, yes Klong Nin on Koh Lanta is our kind of paradise; calm, peaceful and romantic.

Elsewhere on Koh Lanta 

There is much to see and do here despite the narrowness of the island, though of course most of it is based on the sea. We have in our first week visited Lanta Old Town, a town of traditional wooden houses built on stilts over the sea, now housing shops and attractive restaurants. The Shine-Talay restaurant serves a Massaman curry which probably tops the “best food” list so far. The tuk tuk ride over the top of the island adds to the fun.

We have also indulged in a longtail boat trip to visit three other islands – Koh Aung, Koh Talabeng and Bubu Island, out through the mangroves into the open sea. The visit to Koh Talabeng and its sea caves afforded us the opportunity for our first experience of kayaking, and we loved every minute of it.

Apart from Lanta Old Town, the only other place of any size on the island is the small town of Saladan, the ferry point where all visitors first arrive on the island. Its streets are lined with cool eateries, the so-called “Walking Street” is another street food haven, and the ferry point itself is surrounded by more restaurants on stilts above the water, like Old Town. Saladan though comes into its own as darkness falls; night markets come alive, smoke billows from street food stalls, restaurants fill with chattering guests. Vendors entice you in to each eatery, a buzz fizzes through the town. It’s a rather special atmosphere.

But back to “our” village. Within Klong Nin, tour organisers and agents are aplenty; it wouldn’t be difficult to organise anything from day trips, snorkelling or fishing trips, visits to other islands, onward journeys, return to Krabi, it’s all very easy.

Foodie stuff

Throughout our Thai journey so far, the food has been exceptionally good, everywhere, far exceeding our expectations even though those expectations were pretty high. Bangkok was varied and tasty with the additional attraction brought by the Oriental influence in Chinatown street food; Kanchanaburi was good; Koh Lanta is so far, for the most part at least, outstanding.

The bars which line the beach double front on to the bumpy coast road; the nightly beach restaurants look terrific and the atmosphere is cool, but the food at these establishments is westernised and generally pretty bland. But walk along the coast road to the village and there are plenty of more authentic Thai restaurants- yes still with some “international” offerings but also with a great choice of Thai staples, and a few surprising fish dishes.

Curries are spicy and tasty; Tom Yum Goong is a very spicy soup containing river shrimps and is madly tasty; the Massaman curry, originally a Muslim dish, now adopted and adapted by Thai cuisine, is unbelievably good. The Massaman curry Phil enjoyed in Lanta Old Town was just simply fabulous. After two weeks in this country, Thailand is in the running for top foodie country ever visited!

The tsunami remembered

All around the island there are tsunami escape routes directing you inland and uphill; the pole mounted warning sirens are equally numerous. Blue posts indicate the height of the tsunami wave which devastated this area on Boxing Day 2004. Standing next to one of these 4m high poles (that’s 4 metres in the village, not 4 metres wave height) and imagining that day is humbling: this village must have been obliterated. It is simply terrifying to close your eyes and picture what happened that day, even though we are told that Koh Lanta was relatively lucky, saved by the elongated shape of the island.

Half way

We are now half way through our time on this lovely island, seven days in, seven to go, and feel immensely content here. This romantic location is the perfect resting place before we head off to less well trodden paths.

Tales From The Land Of Smiles

Amusing Encounters Of The Travelling Kind

In these early weeks of our trip, the character of the people of Thailand is already one of the undoubted highlights. So friendly, always ready to smile, calm, peaceful and considerate, you just can’t imagine any of them ever losing their temper. And several of them seem to fall into the “joker” category. 

One such is a guy working at our residence. His name (not sure of the spelling) is Pass. We can’t help but imagine him on Mastermind….

“And we welcome our first contender. Your name is?”

“Pass”.

Pass is a real joker. On our first day, I placed my arm next to his and told him that we will soon be the same colour. “No way!” he laughed, “me Thai, you farang”. A couple of days later, with my skin, I thought, turning a nice shade of tan, he repeated the action and laughed again. “See!”, he shouted, “me crocodile, you lobster!”.

The lady at a restaurant down the road throws ripe bananas to the monkeys every day. She jokes that the sweetness makes them taste better when she catches one and cooks tom yum monkey for the family. At least, we THINK she’s joking…

Have you ever noticed that the sounds of early morning often give you your memories of a trip? We swapped the city sounds of Bangkok for the birdsong of Kanchanaburi; then swapped that birdsong for the gently rolling waves of Klong Nin shore. Which in turn were swapped one morning for the scuttling of a giant cockroach on our tiled floor. It was so big that for a moment we considered saddling it and offering rides to the children, but decided that maybe that would be exploitative.

Local cats wander in and share the shade of our porch; hungry monkeys boarded our longtail boat and sat on Michaela’s lap; a giant bug lives on the shrub outside our door. Amongst all this nature, it’s the people who are the real stars. Thai people are, so far, beautiful people.

Wildlife

With jungles, mountains and rivers to come on this journey, we anticipate that wildlife spotting will become more and more exciting. Yet it’s already been pretty good despite only so far seeing cities and islands. 

Bird wise, Bangkok is home to countless numbers of zebra doves and the common mynah bird. Koh Lanta has even more mynahs but we haven’t spied a single dove. Egrets, storks, cranes and herons feed throughout the countryside and many types of raptor circle the skies. Notable sightings so far include fish eagle, a Brahimy kite, Chinese pond heron, glossy starling and pied kingfisher. 

Multiple crab species occupy the beach, from tiny white cartwheeling versions to ambling hermit crabs to huge burrowing types with eyes on stalks. Fish of all shapes and sizes are equally plentiful.

Bugs and insects abound, though this is probably the most fly-free part of Asia we have experienced to date.

On Koh Lanta we have seen several large monitor lizards moving in seemingly slow motion, and of course there are troops of monkeys in the trees, hanging around the fringes of restaurants, and climbing aboard the visitor boats. They know where to find dinner.

Language Barriers

We all know how English has become the international communication language, we all regularly hear different nationalities conversing in English as the language of common ground. It makes us English speakers rather lazy when it comes to learning, but, for ourselves, we try and give it a go.

No guide book or phrase book quite prepared us for the Thai style of speech though. No matter what the written phonetics say, every single Thai sentence ever spoken ends in an elongated vowel sound, like for instance “caaaaaa”. If there isn’t one, they add an “aaaaaaa” for good measure. With a smile. It’s very endearing. The word for “hello” is sawasdee, according to our books. It isn’t. It’s either “sawasdeeeeee” or, more often than not, simply “caaaaaaaa”. 

Is it the same laziness which makes us British find it funny when English translations are incorrect? They’re not funny at all, are they. Even when one of the rules on a notice in your room is…

“Please do not have cook in the room”. Well, as it happens, I wasn’t intending to!!

Health and wellbeing 

The massage hut on the beach has been tempting us during our stay here, it’s right next to our hut, and as we sit on our terrace shading from the late afternoon sun we choose…. a full body oil massage for Michaela and head, shoulder and back for Phil. As we lay on our mats under the shade of palm trees, an old fan helps cool us, the sea breeze gently caresses the strings of shells adding to the serenity of this place, the sound of the sea and heavy scent of the oils transport us to a distant place as we luxuriate in the expert touches of these tiny Thai ladies. We lose ourselves. This is indescribably good.

They gently rouse us. It’s been a wonderful hour. For Phil it’s almost like waking from a hypnotic trance, Michaela feels herself walking through ancient underground arches towards a bright light. What exactly happened then? Was that our first spiritual experience?  Who knows…..

Potholes and Waterfalls: Koh Lanta By Road

The best and most commonly used way of getting around this island is by moped, but if like us you don’t ride then there are tuk tuks and backs of trucks, but it’s around 300-350 baht each way to cross the island, so hiring a small car for 24 hours at 1200 baht is a decent option.

A grocery store near our home in Klong Nin has hire cars available; there’s no insurance forms to complete, you can’t pay by card (cash only), they don’t even check driving licences. They take no deposit, but instead hold my passport hostage until we return the car. Husband is slightly moody as he hands the key over and we can’t help but suspect that we are simply borrowing the family car for the 1200 baht fee. 

The roads are bumpy and potholed, either dusty as hell or muddy if the water lorry has passed through, littered with mopeds and tuk tuks. Tight bends, steep hills. Consequently the driving is like the way of life here; slow and courteous.

First we head south, towards the national park at the southern tip, though the 12km drive is punctuated by regular viewpoint stops along the beautiful coastline. 

Despite the heat, a couple of hikes form part of today’s plan. First up we follow a steep trail through the forest within the national park, colossal trees with spectacular root structures, heavy vines draped between boughs. But the real joy of the day comes with our second walk stop…

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Leaving the car in a dusty clearing, we head off past an emerald pool up into the forest, following the upstream route of a mountain stream which must be a torrent in the rainy season. The path is brilliant, crisscrossing the water, clambering over rocks and fallen trees, sometimes alongside the stream, sometimes high above it. We see large lizards, stunning butterflies, chattering monkeys, and eventually come to the target destination close to the spring which is the source of the river. Here, high up towards the centre of the island, deep into the forest, the cold fresh spring water cascades over a waterfall into a natural pool. Wading across the pool, we stand under the waterfall, showering in the cold spring water which feels wonderfully refreshing on our overheated bodies. The feeling is one of exhilaration. It’s a beautiful experience. 

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Back to the car, it’s now over the very top of the island and on to the dirt road on the eastern shore, to the end of the road at Sang Kha Ou, a so called “sea gipsy village” where the Chao Leh people live, very different from the resort shores just a matter of kilometres away. A couple of faces appear, another beaming Thai smile, even here there is only friendliness.

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Buying petrol here is an experience. Petrol stations are rare and for the most part you pull up at a single, unmanned self service pump, usually outside a grocery store. It’s cash only; you pay first and then fill up, pushing buttons at the right moment. At our first fill up, we are working through our confusion when inevitably, a neighbour offers to help. Once done, the MO becomes clear. Interesting though that this particular neighbour is standing just a few feet from the petrol pump – and he’s lighting his barbecue. Health & Safety? Oi vay!

Our day on the island’s roads is completed with a return to Saladan, its Walking Street again alive with the fantastic street food aromas. Night driving is even more of an obstacle course: potholes jump out at you, roughly a third of all mopeds have no lights. Pedestrians loom out of the dark on unlit roads. Little wonder the pace is slow.

Today means we’ve now seen the greater part of this lovely island. The following morning we return the car, carefully operating another standalone petrol pump to ensure the amount of fuel in the tank is right, wanting to avoid a charge and wanting to do the right thing. We happily return the car without a scratch. We hand over the key, she returns my passport. She doesn’t even check the car, let alone the fuel level.

Laid back or what.

Koh Lanta: Our Second Week On The Island

The Bucket List Reduces…

For so long we have wanted to go potholing, which apparently is called spelunking in US English. We had no idea we would find it here…

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On our previous travels we have visited many spectacular caves, all brilliant however they are mostly very organised with walkways and barriers and following a guide in a regimented fashion. But once we read something about Mai Kaew cave on Koh Lanta just outside Klong Nin we knew we just had to visit it. Suitably attired with hiking boots we take a taxi truck the short drive along dirt tracks to a hut nestled amongst the rubber plantations. Birdsong fills the air and there are chickens everywhere, scratching the dry earth in search of food, yellow chicks scurrying close behind them. Off we go, it’s a 30 minute trek up the mountainside to the mouth of the cave, Raff our guide leads us through the jungle, we clamber up slippery rock faces with the aid of ropes, cross pretty streams shaded by palms, this is a fantastic start to the day. We reach another rock face, we can’t see the cave yet but Raff hands us a head torch and leads us over a ridge to an entrance we hadn’t even spied, then through a hole no bigger than a cupboard door, into the deep darkness beyond, this is clearly no ordinary cave visit. A rickety ladder handmade from tree branches disappears down into apparent nothingness, we carefully follow Raff into the depths of the cave. Narrow tunnels give way to cathedral size caverns, adorned with clusters of stalactites. We continue, more uneven ladders, some vertical, bamboo bridges across crevasses, water dripping down the rocks making progress slow and treacherous in places. It’s humid down here, we are drenched in sweat making it harder and harder to grip onto the rocks.  We reach a small tunnel, just inches from floor to ceiling, the only way though is on our bellies, we drag ourselves through like cumbersome lizards to be rewarded by yet another huge cavern with a small emerald pool.  Raff says we are now a kilometre below ground. This hour long assault course is thrilling, a wow factor round every corner. We briefly retrace our steps then take a different route out, more ladders, more clambering until we reach the bat cave, thousands of huge bats hanging from the walls and ceiling, some fly past our heads, the squeaking sound intense, this is fantastic.  On we go, to emerge eventually into the blinding light and amongst the undergrowth, blinking in the sunlight, clothes covered in mud and grime, this is just the most extraordinary visit to a cave we have experienced. Potholing, caving, spelunking, whatever you call it – that was just fantastic. 

On the day we arrived in Klong Nin, the strand line was dotted with jellyfish half sunk in the sand. We’ve been told in the past that jellyfish thus stranded are already dead, though we aren’t 100% confident that’s true. Since that first day, there hasn’t been a single one on the beach at any point. Then one morning, the tenth day here, the normally clear sea is murky with sand and pieces of weed: on closer inspection, it isn’t all weed. There are, literally, tens of thousands of tiny jellyfish, each one the size of a drawing pin, brown in colour, riding the incoming tide. What have we witnessed in those ten days? The death of one generation and the birth of the next?

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Wow the food here is still so so good. This is now the 21st day of our time here and we are yet to have anything other than delicious food, there are so many good dishes it’s hard to list all of them. Suffice to say that we are now definitely of the joint opinion that Thailand has shot straight to our number one food destination so far; Mexico now has to drop to second. All we’ll add at this stage is…. if you come to Klong Nin, eat at Roi Thai. And order….well….anything off the Thai menu, it’ll be delicious. 

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It’s around 7pm and the fiercely orange ball of sunshine drops towards the horizon, the final descent speedy. Facing directly west, this coast enjoys spectacular sunsets, and once again the fiery colours fill the sky, cloud shapes changing colour as the sky burns bright orange. We sip cocktails, toes buried in the warm sand, watching another amazing sunset display.

Darkness falls quickly, and now the horizon turns vivid green from mysterious lights, some clearly visible our side of the horizon, some beyond it, forming eerie green hues arching in the dark sky. These are the peculiar lights of the squid fishermen way out at sea; the green lights entice plankton to the surface, then the squid follow the plankton. The effect, immediately after the brilliant sunset, is ethereal. 

Music drifts over from the Majestic Bar. The moon rises behind the island. Diners take their seats on the nightly pop-up beach restaurants. The Andaman rolls in, gently caressing the still warm sand. And so  another Klong Nin evening subsides.

It’s been terrific here and perfectly fitted our plan for this part of our South East Asia journey: proper chill time in between the madness of Bangkok and the more adventurous destinations ahead. Koh Lanta is a beautiful island and Klong Nin has pretty much everything you need. But you know what: our spirit has kicked in, the excitement of what lies ahead has taken over from the desire to chill. It’s been terrific. But we’re ready to move on.

Northern Thailand is calling…….our next destination is over 900 miles north, and 3,000 feet higher….

Northwards to Chiang Mai

The evening flight from Krabi brings us to the 700-year old city of Chiang Mai, over 900 miles north of our previous location and some 3,000 feet higher. With a domestic flight and an airport so close to the centre, it’s a satisfyingly quick transfer and we get from aeroplane seat to hotel room in record time.

From Koh Lanta to Krabi, the road trip by minibus, or minivan as it’s called here, had its own dramas, the driver continually pulling off the route to pick up more passengers and luggage even though we seemed already full to bursting. Each time we felt there wasn’t another inch of space, on came more, until the van was utterly rammed with people and baggage. And then we stopped again, for two very sizeable passengers with equally expansive luggage to board. Bags are strapped to seat backs, the aisle is rammed, and passengers nurse the bags of other passengers on their laps. No wonder it was the cheap option!

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As expected, the evening air is slightly cooler than the islands but is still very pleasantly warm as we poke our noses out for our first sortie within the Old City walls, quickly finding exciting street food and taking our first Chiang Mai meal at a street side plastic table. We also sample salapao, a local sweet parcel in an unusually chewy coating.

The city is much more compact than Bangkok, yet houses over 300 temples within its confines, probably enough to satisfy even the most ardent temple-ologist. There might just come a point when we’ve templed ourselves to the max if we’re not careful. Old Chiang Mai nestles within a square which was originally the city walls – bits of the wall and its gates remain, but the remaining line of the wall is now a moat with fountains and bridges.

Character wise, the city isn’t quite what we expected, only parts of the Old City have a feel of the East, with much of the city quite modernised and much more of it catering for its many visitors. The feel of an Asian city is here, but you have to work fairly hard to find it. 

Our first day in Chiang Mai we visit as many of the 300 temples as we can. Wat Phra Singh (golden temple) is visible from our room, we head there first, its golden stupa dazzling in the morning sunlight, the grounds tranquil, soft chanting music drifts through the gentle breeze, Buddhist mantras hang in the trees, it’s peaceful here.

Wat Chedi Luang is considered by some as the oldest in Chiang Mai, its colossal crumbling walls still housing giant elephant sculptures, this must have been an imposing structure in its day, as it’s pretty impressive now. There are several temples within its grounds and it seems to be home to a Buddhist monk school, a group of young monks are sitting in the shade, chatting and enjoying their class, on closer look they have sketch pads and each has produced excellent representations of the serpents which adorn many of the temple balustrades.

Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple) is completely made of silver and is a spectacular sight, kept in good order by the numerous silversmiths who reside in this area; it’s also not the first temple we have come across where women are not allowed in so I have to rely on Phil’s photography to see the beautiful silver interior. Wat Lok Molee is just outside the old town wall, one of the older temples and equally as stunning.  The list goes on, at the turn of every corner yet another temple, and yes, we become templed out….. for the day anyway.

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A second day and a 40 minute journey in a Songthaew into the surrounding mountains to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep perched high up overlooking Chiang Mai.  This temple is perhaps the most important one in the region and is simply stunning.  A steep climb of 300 steps, ornate Naga serpents form the banisters for the entire climb, we are rewarded by the most dazzling gold stupa, and an array of Buddhas.  Candles and flowers adorn the Buddhas, people kneeling giving thanks and a stream of people slowly walking clockwise around the golden stupa, chanting and carrying flowers which are later placed at the feet of one of the Buddhas. The two Viharn (assembly halls) are like treasure troves of Buddhism, we kneel and take in this wondrous site and move towards the awaiting monk who blesses us with a shower of water from a bamboo brush and the gift of a bracelet placed carefully on Michaela’s wrist. What a special place this is.

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Back in old Chiang Mai we visit one last temple. Wat Chiang Man is one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, set in serene gardens, the base of the stone Chedi is decorated by 15 life size carvings of elephants. It’s an amazingly tranquil corner of the city, and again mantras for life are hung from the trees. Despite the number we’ve visited, there is something special about this one, and we almost feel that we inadvertently left the best temple till last.

The third and final day of our time in Chiang Mai is a combination of market tours and a very enjoyable and peaceful one hour longtail boat trip on the River Ping. But our time here ends on a high, the Saturday night market turning out to be the best one here, full of local craft stalls and alive with atmosphere – cool buskers and great street food everywhere. The Khao Soi from one of the stalls is the best we’ve tasted.

Our time in Chiang Mai has had its moments, watching ten minutes of an amazing sport called Sepak Takraw was incredible, and the local dish of Khao Soi is another on the “delicious food” list, but in summary this city is unlikely to make our top ten ever visited and we are content to move on now.

We head next to spend a few days in a more rural setting, a tribal village in the hills…

3 Days With The Karen Tribespeople

It’s all too easy when travelling to be OTT about current experiences, but it’s hard not to use effusive phrases like “best ever” after our wonderful, educational and humbling few days with the Karen tribespeople in Northern Thailand. Experiences like this are what travelling really is about….

1: Welcome to Nongtao

After cities and islands, we head out in search of the “real” Thailand. Chiang Mai gives way to rice fields, the roads become narrower, villages become fewer and farther between. Straight roads become hairpins, the climbs get steeper, farmland becomes jungle. The dust roads lead us finally to Nongtao, a tiny village and a traditional home to Karen tribespeople, way up in the mountains.

Our home for the next few days is a small wooden shack, this is a “homestay”, an opportunity to live amongst the Karen people and learn just what mountain village life is. The setting is wonderfully remote, peaceful and rural, far away from the cities in every sense. We meet Soe, our hostess, and take our first stroll through Nongtao, there are only small traditional wooden houses here, all raised on stilts in readiness for the rainy season, cockerels, chickens and broods of tiny chicks everywhere, inquisitive dogs coming to greet. A guy tends the crop fields near our home; he introduces himself as Kaew. He has little English but large quantities of smile.

Karen people, the older ladies in traditional tribal dress, mostly greet us with a smile, some look down and avoid eye contact with these strange looking farangs. We venture off along one dusty track, but we don’t fancy taking on the crowd of water buffalo blocking our way so we divert and head off up a dusty mountain track, climbing high above Nongtao, wonderful views across jungle mountains. Here, we are more than 5,000 feet above sea level; Doi Inthanon, the highest point in all of Thailand, is visible nearby.

Before we start, a cooking pot in one hut smells divine, we are gestured in and enjoy lunch, despite a 100% language barrier. Not difficult to get over that hurdle when there’s only one pot cooking. Food is definitely less spicy here than down south, the idea being, it seems, that you regulate your own level by adding spices yourself.

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The sun goes down around 6pm, and the temperature immediately starts to drop. Soe asks us what we would like to do in Nongtao, we tell her we want to see elephants, but at an ethical place, not a tourist site which mistreats the animals; we tell her we want some jungle trekking. Ok, she says, elephants 10am tomorrow, trekking 9am next day. Sorted.

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Kaew turns up with some friends, some whiskey, and a guitar. They play for us, we sit and chat, Soe interpreting, they offer us whiskey. Rude not to. The bottled water they are swigging is offered to us too.

“Be careful”, they say, and grin. It isn’t bottled water at all, it’s a ferocious clear brandy. “Moonshine”, they say, “made from roots”. Welcome to Nongtao!

And all the while the temperature drops. It’s so cold by the time we go to bed, the mountain air so much colder than we anticipated. We use both of the quilts provided, and our rather brilliant “nod pods” come into their own, not for the first time. We are to learn later that tonight dips to 6 degrees, that’s a sweep of about 30 degrees in a matter of hours.

This is some introduction.

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Nongtao Part 2: The Elephants

A cacophony of crowing cockerels breaks the morning silence of this remote Karen village, the mountain air still fresh, and then the booming sound of the Thai National Anthem is played through loudspeakers throughout the village, it’s clearly time to get up! School starts at 7am preceded by this tribute to their King, it happens every day, you really couldn’t oversleep here. 

It’s time to see the elephants, we take the 15 minute drive in the back of a pickup truck to Elephant Freedom Village and spend a while with Nongchai who explains about the elephants and the difficulties the Karen tribespeople have encountered, even to this day, it’s all very interesting, disturbing even.  Now it’s time, our adventure begins,  no sign of the elephants yet but we have work to do, we make protein balls from an assortment of ingredients, grinding them into a paste in some sort of foot operated wooden pestle and mortar then rolling it into balls leaving them to bake in the sun. With baskets of fruit it is time to meet our elephants, a short stroll and there they are heading towards us knowing what is in store for them. We offer them one piece of fruit at a time and although they take it gently our hands almost disappear into their cavernous mouths.  We can’t feed these huge animals quickly enough, there is a sudden feeding frenzy and we find ourselves encircled by these giants, searching trunks from all directions stealing the fruit, our baskets empty in no time and they continue to munch on the bundles of leafy stems deposited on the ground. 

We spend an hour or so getting to know the four elephants, these intelligent animals all with different personalities.  The youngest is just 2 years old and just starting to become independent, such a little character. One is hugely pregnant, we can see the baby move, we feel on her belly, she doesn’t mind and we feel  the baby push against our hands, incredible feeling.  It’s quite daunting at first standing next to these giants, their feet so big they could crush you without realising but with the encouragement of Nongchai and his partner Carmel we are encouraged to walk amongst them, cuddle them, pat them firmly, we soon become relaxed around them. We get kisses from them, their trunks pressed up against our cheeks as they suck, its such a funny feeling. 

Time to walk with our elephants, we head off through the jungle, nothing rushed, the elephants dictate the pace, they trundle along, sure footed down a narrow dusty track, trunks reaching out to grab leaves as they go, we reach a stream, they briefly linger for a drink then amazingly one of the elephants crosses the stream carefully using the stepping stones not wanting to get her feet wet, how can a creature of this size do this with such grace?! The youngster tries to follow in her footsteps without success and amusingly slides into the water, he still has a lot to learn. We sit on a log and watch them head off into trees, devouring leaves as they go, we are fascinated at how dexterous they are with their trunks, pulling up plants with their trunks and expertly bashing the roots on their legs to shake off the soil. They clamber over fallen trees using their knees and the climb the steepest of slopes to get at the most succulent leaves, we are truly in awe of these majestic creatures.  

Time for a bath, we follow the elephants into a deeper part of the stream, they lie down and wallow in the cool water, armed with bowls and brushes we scrub hard along the contours of their skin, how is it possible that these thick skinned animals feel let alone enjoy us scrubbing their bodies like this. A water fight begins, the keepers start it then encourage the elephants to join in spraying us with their trunks, we are soaked and giggling, this is such a fun experience.  Our day with the elephants is almost over, we walk them back to camp, they cover themselves and us in red earth as we go, we feed them the protein balls we made earlier, they devour them as if it is their favourite food of the day. 

We feel privileged to have shared such a wonderful day with these majestic animals, they are intelligent and even graceful for their immense size. They are simply wonderful to be around and they appeared to love being around people, however, whilst gentle they are still a wild animal and deserve respect from everyone. We are very pleased and impressed with Elephant Freedom Village; Nongchai clearly loves his animals and this is just the sort of caring establishment we had hoped for. The elephants have space and are not mistreated in any way.

We are the elephants’ only visitors today: for several hours it’s just us, Nongchai and Carmel, three keepers, and the animals. Over lunch we chat  at length with Nongchai and Carmel, and mention our travel philosophies, particularly learning different cultures and cuisines. Carmel looks up.

“I might be able to help you there”, she says……

Nongtao Part 3: The People

We leave the elephants behind and head for coffee with Lazyman. Carmel explains to us that some of the villagers are known by Karen nicknames rather than their real name, including “Lazyman” and “Big Sister”. We are destined to meet both.

Lazyman has a small fruit and coffee plantation in the village; we are treated to coffee ground from freshly picked beans and taken on a tour of the small garden. The coffee itself is delicious, and so, surprisingly, is the juicy flesh from around the coffee bean.

But our visit to Lazyman is more than just to share a coffee. Lazyman is a descendant of senior Karen tribesmen and is steeped in knowledge of Karen history and culture, and is delighted when we say we want to learn more. He speaks wonderfully of Karen beliefs, how the body is made up of more than thirty spirits, how illness is caused by a spirit leaving the body, and cured by coaxing that spirit back in. He speaks too of Karen history, the reasons they stay in the mountains, of their origins in Myanmar, but becomes most animated as he discusses the natural world, respecting nature, living as one with the animals (all of whom carry a human spirit). His beliefs, handed down through generations, are held passionately. “We have only one World”, he muses, “we must treasure it”. 

This is an ancient tribal belief, not the spouting of some 21st century activist. You can only wonder how and when the modern world lost sight of these principles.

The hour or so spent listening to Lazyman is so interesting, so stimulating, so humbling. We have visited the wise man of the village. And we feel privileged. 

Its time to eat, “Big Sister” is to cook for us, Carmel has arranged for us to join Big Sister’s family in their home tonight to indulge in traditional Karen fare. We meet her in the village shop where she is buying groceries in preparation, we chip in with a few beers and white whiskey, the suggested gifts for our hosts. They sure do drink an awful lot of whiskey round here.

We climb the rickety stairs and enter the traditional wooden stilted house, the main room is large and open to the outside world, in the middle is a fire pit and a roaring open fire, surely a fire hazard in a building made entirely of wood. The cooking is clearly done in this room too, cluttered shelves on one wall, even a roosting chicken nestled on her eggs amongst the cooking pots on the shelf. The sink and prep area in one corner overlooking the countryside, no wall to hinder the view. Carmel had mentioned to “big sister” that Michaela would like to learn to cook in the traditional Karen way, so she is instantly put to work. A quick demonstration then Michaela is left to continue; scaling and gutting fish, chopping chicken, preparing veg, all under a brief instruction from “big sister” with no common ground with language. Nothing is wasted, the scraps just scraped straight off the chopping board and thrown into the garden for the roaming chickens and pigs to devour, this is a far cry from the clinical kitchen of home we are used to. Phil is in charge of the fire and grinding spices in the pestle and mortar, the work seems endless. 

(Don’t read this bit if you’re squeamish!) Next a male member of the family is called for, he takes a catapult into the garden and stuns a chicken, reappearing in the house and proudly presenting the unfortunate bird to us holding it in the air by its legs, everyone cheers with joy.  The chicken is promptly strangled in front of us, dunked briefly in a boiling cauldron of water and feathers plucked. In no time at all, a cleaver is taken to the newly slaughtered chicken which revealed fresh eggs inside, these along with the now boiled chicken were ready for the banquet, you can’t get much fresher than that!

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The food is served in bowls and placed on the floor, a soup-like dish with tofu and wild mushrooms, chicken and vegetables, savoury sticky rice, steamed rice and chicken, whole deep fried river fish salted, the flavours delicate apart from sprat like little fish baked smothered in a chilli, garlic and turmeric paste and baked in banana leaves. We sit on the floor around the fire and devour this feast. Our plan was to write down the recipes for these Karen dishes however we soon abandoned this idea as there were just too many herbs and vegetables, and even flowers and dried stems, which were not recognisable to us and many which were gathered from the jungle, not likely to re-create these tastes back in England. 

Roughly every two minutes we are offered another shot of clear whiskey, we have to keep declining in order to stay conscious! 

So, home Thai food, certainly home Karen food, is indeed very different from the restaurant variety, though is still actually less, rather than more, spicy than the food down south. A meal invite into someone’s home is always a privilege when travelling, particularly when the experience is as unique as this one.

Nongtao Part 4: The Jungle Trek

Night noises. You fall asleep to the sound of a thousand cicadas, and wake to dozens of cockerels. Now and again in the darkest hours, the village dogs bark and howl as one; maybe a wild animal has passed through the village and the dogs are on guard. As dawn approaches, our wooden hut creaks and groans as the temperature plummets. And then the national anthem booms out.

The morning dew is heavy as we await our guide, these sweeps between day and night temperatures absolutely soak the ground each morning with both dew and mist. Still cold at dawn, the rising sun brings instant warmth and another mountain day begins.

Our guide tells us to call him Tony; we climb into the back of Tony’s pick up truck and our next adventure is under way, just us two and our guide. Tony carries a small backpack, a shoulder bag (everyone carries one here) and a catapult (everyone carries one of those, too). 

Our last experience of jungle trekking was Malaysia a couple of years ago, which was fantastic, but as today unfolds it is clear that this is going to be every bit as good. The trek is never easy, always either steep climb or steep descent, negotiating fallen trees, tree roots, vines draped across the trail, cloying plants, biting insects, annoying flies. Underfoot, much of the way is covered with dry leaves, pine needles, or both, often concealing tree roots, holes and other obstacles. Basically, every footfall is a potential hazard.

For much of the day the trail is all but invisible, completely indiscernible to the untrained eye, but Tony seems to know every step and, by reputation, most of the jungle. Our nerves kick in as Tony strides along the trunk of a fallen tree, balancing tightrope style, over a drop of about ten feet. But Tony’s done it, so we have no choice but to follow him across, and it’s not as hard as it looked.

One touch of our arms reminds us just how far up in the mountains we are: despite overheating and being drenched in sweat, our flesh is icy cold to the touch. It’s an odd sensation.

Our education today comes from Tony’s knowledge of the jungle plant life, knowledge which is common to Karen people. He shows us which plants are edible, which plants to chew on if you need energy, which plants to drink sap from if you have run out of water. Here is a leaf to cure indigestion; there is one to ward off mosquitos. 

He draws his machete and cuts into the bark of a giant tree, and instantly a milky white sap oozes from the wood. Tony takes some, licks his finger, and says a word we really don’t expect. “Paracetamol “, he says. Sure enough, this sap is the exact bitter taste of painkiller, and Tony assures us that Karen people use this sap for precisely that purpose. Next is a piece of bark cut from a smaller tree, the inside surface of which has the distinctive pungent odour of antiseptic. “This one” he says, “you put on insect bite”. This trek is an entire lesson in natural medicine.

This ancient skill set and knowledge base goes to a new level when we stop for lunch. Tony has picked herbs along the way, and has brought some food from home. Picking giant leaves from stream side plants and cutting stalks from surrounding bamboo, Tony first lights a fire, then chops up the herbs and vegetables, and creates a large pouch from the giant leaves. With water added, the pouch is tied with bamboo string and hung between bamboo poles over the fire. Chicken and sausages are speared into kebabs, again using bamboo, and cooking is underway. The result, twenty or so minutes later, is delicious, fresh and energising, but the joy is in watching Tony’s survival skills. So wonderfully resourceful, knowing just how to use what nature provides.

The actual aim of today’s trek is a double shot of waterfall: two separate treks either side of lunch, each leading to that massive wow moment as we clamber around a rock and the stunning sight of a huge cascading waterfall meets our eyes. Each of the waterfalls is spectacular, both are hidden deep in the mountainside jungle, both well worthy of the long trek.

By the time we finish it’s been around seven hours of tough trekking. We are dishevelled, dusty, sweaty, covered in plant scratches and mud spatters, though thankfully seemingly pretty free of insect bites. We are also extremely tired and clamber awkwardly into the back of the pickup for the drive home. It’s been another amazing, wonderful, day.

Nongtao has been wonderful. We are leaving too soon.

Final Word

Meeting these people has been inspiring, educational and humbling. Their life is so, so different from our world. On our first day in Nongtao, Soe said to us, “here we have plenty of water, we can grow plenty food, so we are not poor people. But we do not have money here”.

She also used another phrase, “Karen people do not have knowledge”. Talking with Nongchai at the elephant village, and asking him whether they were suffering depopulation, he used exactly the same phrase. When pushed, he said, “they would not know how to have job in a city. They don’t know that life. They do not have knowledge”.

Well, in our experience of the last few days, when it comes to understanding and living with the world around you, Karen people have more knowledge than virtually every westerner we have ever met.

Wonderful people, fabulous experience.

We leave Nongtao and the Karen people with both fabulous memories and enormous affection. 

Out Of Thailand Into Laos

Leaving the amazing experience of Nongtao behind us, our last port of call in Thailand is Chiang Rai, towards the north east corner of the country, our stepping stone to Laos. We make two stops en route to Chiang Rai, firstly at the hot springs at Wiang Pa Pao, the water not just hot but boiling as it shoots out through the geysers. What the hell is happening underground to create that amount of heat??!

The second stop is at the famous White Temple which sits around 20 minutes from Chiang Rai, a slightly bizarre creation which can’t make its mind up whether it’s a temple, a tourist trap, or a theme park. With echoes of Gaudi’s influence in Barcelona, this creation, whilst still an important Buddhist temple, is the plaything of local artist made good, Chalermchai Khotsitpipat, whose sculptures and paintings in this temple depict everything from Man’s ascent to Heaven through to modern day cartoon characters and movie super heroes. It’s all a bit, errr, weird.

Khotsitpipat is also responsible for the city’s other main source of pride, the clock tower, which by contrast is actually quite cool, and delivers its own quirky music and light show as the chimes ring in the hour at each of 7,8 and 9pm.

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Chiang Rai is, as all the guidebooks say, low key and relaxed, and it’s fun to sip beer and watch life go on, and watch the clock tower do its stuff. We take our meals at plastic tables within the market, it’s delicious, fresh, and cheap, and, for us, this is where we bid our farewell to Thailand after 30 days. It’s been brilliant. Goodbye Thailand, and khaawp khun kaaaaaa.