Market of Eden: Northern Thailand

Phrae is a small town about 3-4 hours away from Chiang Mai by bus, with a reasonable cost of ฿180 for a return ticket. A while ago I joined a Dragonfly English Camp at a remote temple school there, but I decided to stay in Phrae for longer than just the two-day camp, so my partner in mischief could join me for a few days afterwards and have a countryside getaway.

The first thing I noticed was the weather, because Phrae was a different sort of Northern place - it was significantly drier and more humid than Chiang Mai, with a landscape that was quite unfamiliar to what we'd explored already. The feel of the city was much more bare than busy Chiang Mai, and felt quite simple and uncluttered. The best part about our trip was that a short drive outside the city in any direction took you straight into middle-of-nowhere Northern Thailand. Perfect!

This was the real highlight of the place; getting lost out on the open roads alongside lush rice paddies, mountainous backdrops, and long, winding highways to bigger, busier places than quaint old Phrae. As usual, everything I mention is marked on the map below, which you'll need as there is not much English to be found in this tourist-less little heaven.

If you're a big fan of day trips and have already hit up Ob Khan National Park for some cold beers and a refreshing swim, or spent a hot afternoon overlooking Huay Tung Tao Lake with friends, then you would definitely enjoy a lazy Saturday or Sunday spent at Tweechol Botanic Gardens in Chiang Mai.

In May 2013, during the last week of the school term break, my boyfriend and I hopped on our CBR 150cc, and began our adventure to the town of Pai. I had been on this Pai journey once before, in the high season, and didn't quite understand the difference going in the low season would make. Of course, the trip there was thoroughly terrifying, although extremely enjoyable as well (if that makes sense). A lot of the more treacherous roads seemed to have been repaired since I had been on the same ones a few months before, and there were many more construction workers milling about and fiddling with heaps of tar. It rained heavily, as usual, and this was the part that made the trip so dangerous. Unless you can overcome the paranoia of flying down a natural water-slide on your vehicle, I'd recommend pulling over for a coffee while the rain subsides, which it nearly always does.

Because it was so quiet in Pai, with a noticeable lack of people and parties, we spent more time exploring the town and its surroundings. We would drive aimlessly along the little roads that make rings around the place, and stop wherever we thought we had spotted something interesting. This is how we came to find a lonely chained-up elephant, the Pai canyon, some adorable puppy friends, and many, many beautiful views of the scenery. Pai is a lovely little town, but it does have an extroverted, party-crazed personality during the high season, and I'm grateful I got to meet the beauty of this place when things were calm, quiet and peaceful.

A lonely elephant off the beaten track in Pai.

Ob Khan National Park, Thailand.

Here's yet another place to escape the bustle of Chiang Mai: Ob Khan National Park, about 40 minutes to an hour from the old city. The drive is simple, and thankfully has a sign or two in English, and you'll know you're in the right place once you're surrounded by beautiful forests and rocky cliffs. Please take note that it is very difficult to find accurate directions online unless you can write in Thai, so I've had a little trek through Google Streetview and found the exact route to the park. Take a look at my Ob Khan National Park Directions map below:

View Ob Khan National Park Directions in a larger map

My boyfriend and I first found ourselves at the park to test out our new camping equipment, and soon we were coming back for longer stays and camping further into the wilderness. There's nothing better than setting up tent near a gentle stream, surrounded by bamboo trees and sandy pits to make your fires.

The first time we went, we tried to speak to a woman sitting in an office, although we weren't entirely sure what the office was for exactly, or who this woman was meant to be. After a long while of exchanging nonsense, which included us repeatedly pointing out our own tent and camping equipment, and her insisting we still needed to rent one, we paid her 50 Baht just to get out of there. To us, the conclusion was that there was no fee to camp at the park with your own gear, and sure enough, no one checked up on our whereabouts, or asked us for any more money during our stay.

On top of that, there is no entrance fee to this park, unlike many others, and nor is there a charge for parking. The bathroom facilities are better than others I've seen in Thailand, with hot showers that are kept very clean. There is also a small cafeteria-type place which sells Mama's noodles, crisps, and soft drinks, but doesn't provide any cooked meals. It really is just you and your foil-wrapped potatoes at this place, so don't forget to bring anything you might need. The convenient thing is that water and beer can be kept relatively cool by lodging them in between rocks in the stream. You can go off exploring at 10 am in the hot sun and come back in the cool evening to find your drinks are still cool themselves.

At Ob Khan, there are plenty of things to see and do during the day, if you ever get tired of just relaxing in nature. There is a pleasant trail which winds along next to the river, and there are quite a few isolated areas to picnic and swim along the way. There are also waterfalls, viewpoints, and a few interesting birds and creatures to spot. Also, the park is sort of like a hidden gem in the sense that it's usually quite empty. We've seen a camp of churchgoers there once, and another time there was a large group of Fine Art students from Chiang Mai University, who sat around quietly sketching the beauty of our surroundings. All in all, it's an undisturbed, peaceful place to waste away a few days, and come back to the city refreshed and revitalised.

A view of the river at the start of the nature trail.

Hello.

Lost in the trees.

Alongside the river.

Late afternoon.

On the way back to camp.

A view of the same spot of river in the late afternoon.

Our fire as the moon rose.

Perfecting the art of cavemanship.

Relaxing outside the tent in the early morning.

A natural bamboo awning near our tent.

It was during the dry season at this time - still very beautiful.

A little bridge that led to our campsite.

Perfect for swimming.

A street in the heart of Vientiane.

A few months after my first exhausting and educational visa run to Laos, I was shivering on an overnight bus

About 10km out of the old city lies a well-known man-made lake called Huay Tung Tao. It's where you'll find groups of Thais sharing large platters of steamed fish and drinking beers on a sunny afternoon, and goldendoodles plopping in the water to cool off, and fully-clothed Thai children doing the same. It's a lovely place to watch the world pass by, even if that world only consists of a crisp mountain view over an enormous lake.

View Larger Map

It's 20 Baht to get in the park, and you drive to any side of the lake you choose. You can hire pedal boats and tubes, and the menu offers the usual Thai fare, although it is a little pricier than usual. You can bring your own beers and food although you'll have to pay 500 Baht to use the table. We have never swum there, as we've heard rumours about lake-snakes and other creepy-crawlies, and usually get a bit distracted by our ice-cold beers, dancing shrimp, and great conversation.

Here are my photos from various outings to the lake:

Late afternoon skies.

The setting sun.

Some of the other huts.

A view of the lake and mountain from our eating-spot.

Myself, my boyfriend, and our dog for the day.

Serious Teacher Martin and Playful Teacher Matt.

Some gorgeous girlfriends.

A friend squeezing water from her skirt, and fire-smoke in the background.

About an hour out of Chiang Mai, you can find yourself wobbling on a houseboat in the middle of a picturesque dam,

The plane trip from Durban to Dubai, then Dubai to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Chiang Mai, was one filled with excitement, restless leg syndrome, and plane movies! Of course travelling by air is mostly just a long few hours of going through these motions:

1. Sit and buckle up.
2. Do some squirming exercises in your seat to try and get comfortable.
3. Smell some old Sauerkraut coming your way and be afraid.
4. Eat, and feel slightly nauseous.
5. Slurp some liquid, but not nearly enough. You're saving yourself from having to go to the bathroom.
6. Notice your feet are swelling like something out of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

7. Go to the bathroom, and smell some more nauseating smells. Also, fall a little bit in the toilet.
8. Check the screen that shows your plane flying over the Indian Ocean, which hasn't moved for the last hour. Have a few paranoid flashes about crashing and drowning.
9. Smell a fart, investigate, and surmise it's either the man in front of you to the left, or the drooly toddler the next row over. Ponder about how many fart culprits there are on aeroplanes the world over.
10. Do some more squirming exercises in your seat and realize your bum is numb. Clench it repeatedly while trying to look casual.
11. Watch a movie but fall asleep half-way through. Being the pedantic person that you are, rewatch the movie as soon as you wake up. At 4am.
12. Look out the window to see some fires burning through the night in Algeria. Erm...
13. Get served breakfast at the crack of dawn (dawn has literally just cracked in the sky outside your window, and it's unbearably bright). Feel nauseous.
14. Arrive, finally, and swear you'll find other ways of transportation in the future (you won't).

I had arrived in Chiang Mai. It was now September 2012, and I was starting my TEFL course in a few days. These are the pics I managed to get in that first weekend: