Saturday 28th Feb.
Day with a difference so far, the Legend Hotel, is certainly top class, and breakfast was excellent – however as we were eating in an open sided building it was rather chilly , down to 20C and the staff were wearing their anoracks but the food was lovely, although less of a choice than we have had most mornings
Onto the bus and away at 7.30 a.m. heading north again to stop at a big service area and transfer over into small jeep type buses which were going to take us up into the mountains, Off we went at the toot, roads were still very good but down to two lanes and then turned into a camp used by some of the minority groups who live here. All very colourful in their costumes which some wear all the time – Granny was sitting smoking her pipe, and in one house we went into there was a youth lying in bed watching the TV, a couple of mobile phones on the wall being charged, but a wood fire in a bucket in the kitchen and the dog having a pee in the corner on the mud floor – bit contrasting !! There was a communal outside toilet and shower cabin in the middle of the village. The kids were selling trinkets and we were giving them 40 p a time and later discovered that they would have accepted 20 p. One little girl, about six years, was wandering about with a little pack on her back and we discovered there was a new born baby sound asleep, just peeking out - some babysitter, taking the bairn out to work with her.
Back into the jeep and up into the mountains, it was like the Big dipper at Blackpool, up and down, climbing and twisting for about 45 minutes until we reached a very large settlement of Chinese immigrants at Maisalon., about 3000 ft above sea level.
We stopped at a shop and the lady started to give us samples of various teas, thy were lovely and she was pleased that we were able to use our Chinese phrases with her.
It was then back into he “mini buses” for a hair raising trip back down the mountains to the main road and the bus.
Our sandwich man, turns out to be very much an intrepid traveller taking up to seven trips a year and has been all over the world, but has a hectic schedule all pencilled in for the next two years – very interesting gent.
So now we are heading south again , via a ten mile detour back to the hotel to uplift a jacket which one of the others had left behind.
Now we have a run of about one hundred and fifty miles to Chaing Mai, where we do stop for three nights. There should be a lunch stop and then a dinner and karaoke organised for this evening.
Will miss the rugby on the TV – so might need to catch up on the results later, then 1st march , Sandra and William’s 40th Wedding Anniversary.
C.C. Blooms take care, there is opposition in the form of a range of C. & C.’s in Thailand, but it stands for Cabbage and Condoms !! The stop we had was at one of them at Chiangrai, complete with the Rubber Triangle, sign, Condom Cottages, and all customers got a free condom with their final bill. Place was opened by one of the government ministers who was trying to promote birth control, so whenever folks came in for their meal, normally cabbage, they got a condom!! easy.
Back on the road we stopped for twenty minutes to soak our feet in the warm waters of the hot springs, which was very soothing, with one person on the bus not doing so we soon found out whose feet were smelling.
On the road again we were soon to run the gauntlet at the silver factory and then the massive gems factory, have to say that their stuff was beautiful, very expensive, but definite tourist traps.
The Empress Hotel, home for the next tree nights is lovely, in the centre of the town, so tonight we are off to have a banquet dinner followed by a show and then into the night market , for a foot massage and somewhere supposedly for a karaoke.
Tomorrow we head out to the elephant sanctuary where we are going to have an hours ride out , something different for a wedding anniversary treat for William and Sandra’s 40th.
Day with a difference so far, the Legend Hotel, is certainly top class, and breakfast was excellent – however as we were eating in an open sided building it was rather chilly , down to 20C and the staff were wearing their anoracks but the food was lovely, although less of a choice than we have had most mornings
Onto the bus and away at 7.30 a.m. heading north again to stop at a big service area and transfer over into small jeep type buses which were going to take us up into the mountains, Off we went at the toot, roads were still very good but down to two lanes and then turned into a camp used by some of the minority groups who live here. All very colourful in their costumes which some wear all the time – Granny was sitting smoking her pipe, and in one house we went into there was a youth lying in bed watching the TV, a couple of mobile phones on the wall being charged, but a wood fire in a bucket in the kitchen and the dog having a pee in the corner on the mud floor – bit contrasting !! There was a communal outside toilet and shower cabin in the middle of the village. The kids were selling trinkets and we were giving them 40 p a time and later discovered that they would have accepted 20 p. One little girl, about six years, was wandering about with a little pack on her back and we discovered there was a new born baby sound asleep, just peeking out - some babysitter, taking the bairn out to work with her.
Back into the jeep and up into the mountains, it was like the Big dipper at Blackpool, up and down, climbing and twisting for about 45 minutes until we reached a very large settlement of Chinese immigrants at Maisalon., about 3000 ft above sea level.
We stopped at a shop and the lady started to give us samples of various teas, thy were lovely and she was pleased that we were able to use our Chinese phrases with her.
It was then back into he “mini buses” for a hair raising trip back down the mountains to the main road and the bus.
Our sandwich man, turns out to be very much an intrepid traveller taking up to seven trips a year and has been all over the world, but has a hectic schedule all pencilled in for the next two years – very interesting gent.
So now we are heading south again , via a ten mile detour back to the hotel to uplift a jacket which one of the others had left behind.
Now we have a run of about one hundred and fifty miles to Chaing Mai, where we do stop for three nights. There should be a lunch stop and then a dinner and karaoke organised for this evening.
Will miss the rugby on the TV – so might need to catch up on the results later, then 1st march , Sandra and William’s 40th Wedding Anniversary.
C.C. Blooms take care, there is opposition in the form of a range of C. & C.’s in Thailand, but it stands for Cabbage and Condoms !! The stop we had was at one of them at Chiangrai, complete with the Rubber Triangle, sign, Condom Cottages, and all customers got a free condom with their final bill. Place was opened by one of the government ministers who was trying to promote birth control, so whenever folks came in for their meal, normally cabbage, they got a condom!! easy.
Back on the road we stopped for twenty minutes to soak our feet in the warm waters of the hot springs, which was very soothing, with one person on the bus not doing so we soon found out whose feet were smelling.
On the road again we were soon to run the gauntlet at the silver factory and then the massive gems factory, have to say that their stuff was beautiful, very expensive, but definite tourist traps.
The Empress Hotel, home for the next tree nights is lovely, in the centre of the town, so tonight we are off to have a banquet dinner followed by a show and then into the night market , for a foot massage and somewhere supposedly for a karaoke.
Tomorrow we head out to the elephant sanctuary where we are going to have an hours ride out , something different for a wedding anniversary treat for William and Sandra’s 40th.
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