Stepping into the humid warmth of late afternoon Bangkok was a pleasant welcome to our Thailand sojourn. We had no particular plans except to arrange a trip to Chang Mai the following week – Alice had already booked a weekend in Lan Na Wild resort, nestled in the mountains a couple of hours away from the city centre. In a way, it was good to be commitment free and Bill & I enjoyed a couple of days with no fixed agenda, plenty of sleep & frequent visits to the rooftop pool in Alice’s apartment complex.
At the end of the week, we met Alice at the Australian embassy, (her workplace), for a celebration in honour of her boss, John, who was moving to Geneva. Unfortunately, a monsoonal downfall thwarted our timing as the local taxi inched its way up the waterlogged, traffic jammed street. It wasn’t that far to walk really but given our lack of all weather cyclonic/typhoon-protective/drown-proof rainwear – whether it be the Hebrides or Bangkok – walking just didn’t seem to be an option.
I would like to clarify that we have no intention of purchasing the aforementioned clothing as to be honest, we would rather just wait until the sun shines. Glad we live in Australia!
Anyway, when we eventually did arrive it was a wonderful evening in the company of Alice’s work colleagues, who are truly a wonderful, entertaining bunch. We loved spending chill downtime with Alice over the weekend.
As an absolute bonus, I took myself to the local shopping centre & found a dress to wear for Edward & Alicia’s wedding! Having done a bit of a recce in the UK, I’d decided that all this ‘mother of the groom/bride’ wedding gear was far too frumpish for a relaxed Aussie betrothal. Consequently, I had the exact dress design in mind, hoping that I might find something fitting the brief in Bangkok. Well, in the end, I found the exact dress – in no conceivable way resembling that preconceived idea, but nevertheless a very suitable attire perfectly fitting the occasion. Well I hope so.
We also visited a huge, (think aerodrome size), Thailand emporium that is held annually to show case the best in all of regional Thailand. Well that was fun! Full of the most amazing fabrics, clothing, ceramics, artworks, woodwork, basketware, jewellery etc etc. as well as a massive food hall full of gastronomic delights. Alice bought some fantastic clothing items, whilst I invested in a beautiful piece of teak – far too gorgeous for a chopping board, but I’ll work it out. I would have been more indulgent, but we were pretty loaded up with stuff coming from the UK & restricted by luggage weight.
In the end, Bill & I booked flights to Chiang Mai the following Wednesday and arranged to stay in a charming place: the Terracotta Arts Hotel situated in the historical old city which was founded in 1296. The building itself was quite magnificent with several imposing terracotta friezes & statues, the rooms very stylishly decorated and the pool set amongst tropical gardens was delightful. The level of service and attention to detail was also second to none – a common theme in Thailand, they really know how to provide exceptional hospitality. That evening we ate at a Burmese restaurant for the first time. The NW border of Thailand converges with Myanmar & Laos, so there has been some ingress of these populations over time, particularly from Myanmar given all the political events that have occurred there in the last few years. The food was delicious especially the Burmese tea leaf salad and Bill heartily tucked into his goat curry! After that we visited the night markets – a vibrant hub featuring locally made textiles, silver jewellery, woodcarvings, and traditional Thai souvenirs as well as an array of mouthwatering street food. It seemed busy enough, even though it was the wet season in Thailand, so not a frantic time of year for visitors. I should imagine the place would be heaving at the height of tourist season!
We got up at about 5.30am the next morning to get a taxi up to the peak of Doi Suthep, a sacred mountain & national park in Chiang Mai reaching almost 1700m above the city. Positioned high in the mountain is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – a 14th century Buddhist temple from where we were hoping to view the sunrise over the mountains. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy, occasionally rainy dawn, so our plans were somewhat thwarted, although we were able to enjoy panoramic views across Chiang Mai. More importantly, we almost had the temple to ourselves – quite incredible to walk through the intricate courtyards, visit the gold painted shrine containing a Buddha relic, (part of the shoulder bone so the story goes), bell towers and several Buddha images with only a handful of other people. In the height of the season, the temple is said to get about 8000 visitors a day so it was very special to be able to enjoy the solitude and peaceful ambience of the place.
Halfway back down the mountain, we visited another temple called Wat Pha Lat – an absolute hidden gem deep within the jungle. Although not as pristine or sparkling as its near neighbour we both loved the temple which had been seemingly integrated into the forest with its moss covered shrines, Buddha statutes and charming waterfall running through the complex. After our early start we arrived back at the hotel still in time for breakfast, (a real feast!) and after a bit of R&R by the pool, we visited the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre – highly recommended for a very insightful look into the history of the city.
We spent the rest of the day meandering through the streets, buying the odd souvenir and enjoying some peace & quiet reading a book in a local cafe housed in a small arts & craft complex, (appropriately called Kalm Village), that Alice had recommended. That night I enjoyed Khao Soi – the local specialty, a hearty flavoursome coconut-curry noodle soup – YUM! After another day of exploring the old city and visiting 2 more temples, (there are about 30 within the walls of the old city – not counting those outside!), we met Alice at the airport, who had flown from Bangkok that afternoon.
We were all heading well & truly into the remote mountainous wilderness to an isolated resort called Lan Na Wild. Alice has a remarkable ability of finding the most interesting & memorable places, usually through personal recommendation. Lan Na Wild was no exception although it is quite a long & winding drive to get there particularly in the rain & darkness. Nevertheless, the place itself was amazing, completely immersed in the mountainous jungle with the most breathtaking views. Our villa was large & comfortable with a spa just outside in which you could immerse yourself to soak up the atmospheric surroundings. The sound of birdlife was beautiful and every now & then, we would spot a multicoloured woodpecker climbing a tree trunk or large bird of prey circling overhead. It was certainly a lot cooler than the city – probably low 20s which was almost a shock to the system. Also being rainy season we were sometimes simply immersed in cloud! The staff were lovely & very accommodating and the food very good considering the remoteness of the resort. We particularly enjoyed a long breakfast admiring the views across the valley & dipping into our favourite novel. All very relaxing. We stayed just a couple of nights, but certainly enough to unwind & recalibrate – well Bill & I haven’t an excuse to do that, but it was certainly a contrast to Alice’s fast paced & busy life in Bangkok. On the way back we stopped at a cute little cafe alongside a meandering river and then a market that Alice had earmarked to visit, which was definitely worth a stop – full of excellent quality, good value clothing & homewares.
We then had a final night in Chiang Mai old city staying in the Tamarind Village Resort. Absolutely spectacular & such luxury – highly recommended. The rooms were beautifully furnished, gardens immaculate with a massive tamarind tree as a centrepiece, bowls of orchids everywhere & to top things off, one of the best meals we had in Thailand. It was such a peaceful haven – hard to imagine that it was right in the heart of the bustling old city. I would go there again in a heartbeat. But alas, all good things must come to a natural conclusion and the following day we were back on the short flight to Bangkok and that evening Bill & I had to say goodbye to our special daughter as we took the overnight flight to Sydney.
And so concluded the three & a half month trip overseas. Lots of fun experiences and of course, great reunions with family & friends. Time to re-orientate ourselves to Sydney winter, (too cold!) and get our heads around returning to our life on the boat. And so another chapter begins….