One Man in Thailand

Dateline: Thursday 8th January, somewhere in the jungle... Another early start this morning as we head off up the 'motorway' and into the jungle.  There are no wild elephants left in Thailand but working elephants have been used for thousands of years both for domestic and military purposes.  I am visiting the 'Mae Taeng Elephant Park' north of Chiang Mai in Chiang Rai province. Do you know that they even preserve the elephant dung for a variety of purposes including making paper. The cardboard frames of the souvenir photos are made of this along with other functional gifts.

After a late night returning from Chiang Rai I did not make an early start today deciding to have a wander up what used to be the southern wall of the old city.  In 1296 all traffic would have passed through this gate when travelling to or arriving from the south.  I wandered along the street from my hotel, marvelling at the multitude of businesses conducted from the 'lock ups' along the way, past a school which looks more like a 'Wat' perhaps it was originally? Then dodging the traffic for a closer look at the moat and the remains of the huge wall which surrounded the original city. There is the equivalent of a 'mile post' set into the wall of the gate with various figures given in 'Thai' script which must have been very important in those days where some rode on carts but most walked. I continued walking along past "Tesco", the local shops were not driven out here, they just set up in front!  Most tourists are busy looking around the centr

It is about 8:30 am on Thuesday the 6th January 2015, time for an early breakfast snack from a local vendor as we wait for the last of our passengers before leaving Chiang Mai for Chaing Rai and the "Golden Triangle".  This was the first of two excursions which I had booked during my visit to Chiang Mai and though very interesting I would recommend actually staying around Chiang Rai for a couple of days as there is so much to see. We set off fighting 'rush hour' traffic to leave the city behind, travelling along one of the recently constructed 'motorways' cut through the natural forest of the area.  After about 90 minutes we made out first stop at the natural hot springs for light refreshment and souvenir hunting if you are that way inclined.

It is now the afternoon of the 5th January, after a couple of hours rest I decided to venture out and explore my surroundings on foot. Reaching the main road at the end of the side street where the hotel is situated I decided to turn left for no other reason than most of the traffic seemed to be heading in that direction at the time.  I came to a junction and discovered, quite by accident, that I had hit the corner of the old city. A very substantial ruin of a wall and what appeared to be a moat greeted me in the bright afternoon sunshine.

After a leisurely day by the pool I make my way to my first adventure by train in Thailand. I arrive in darkness at the well lit main railway station for trains to the north, my bags packed and my ticket ready.  Entering the foyer I am greeted by a throng of people, some families, some backpackers all eager to get somewhere - in my case Chiang Mai, a popular destination in the north of the country. The station is watched over by the ever present portrait of the King and is beautifully laid out with flowers and ornaments. Destinations are clearly marked in both Thai and English and the experience is most welcoming.  I have chosen to travel 2nd class on the 'Special Express' night sleeper. I could travel 1st Class in an air conditioned compartment but where is the fun in that?

The largest Buddha image in the world is located in the Traimit Witthayaram Temple in Bangkok.  Not only is it the largest image it is also the heaviest and, probably, the most valuable weighing in at 5.5 tonnes and made of solid gold. Measuring 12 feet 5 inches in diameter and has a height of 15 feet 9 inches from the base to the crown, this was only discovered in 1955 when the image was being moved to its present location.  The plaster cracked and broke on one of the arms revealing the gold underneath. Subsequent investigation revealed the Buddha in all its glory.  The Buddha Image is in the mara conquering attitude, the typical artistic style of the days when Sukhothai was the capital of Thailand.  Now more than 700 years old, it is a valuable treasure of Thailand and of Buddhism, it was concealed to hide it from the enemy then invading Thailand. Funny how things come together as I did not know at the time that I would be paying a visit to the old city of Sukhothai later in my trip

After the visit to the Damnoen Saduak floating market I thought that I would be returning to Bangkok however Uncle Sam, my driver, told me that we were on the way to see them take down the umbrellas for the train. I hadn't the faintest idea what he was talking about!  We backtracked along our route, due to the way they drive and the complete absence of rules of the road it is difficult to find anything on a map. At one point we were heading into a wall of traffic coming in the opposite direction, I am sure that we were going the wrong way up a slip road but Uncle Sam continues as if he had right of way.  We arrived at a busy town and found a parking spot then walked back to the main street looking for somewhere to eat.

The main purpose of the day was to visit one of Thailand's famous floating markets but as we travelled to the south west of Bangkok I managed to take a few shots of Thailand's annual sea salt production.  According to this CNN report in 2012 .... The largest source of Thailand's salt industry can be viewed along side Thai Road 35, better known as Thon Buri-Pak Tho Highway. Taking the highway southwest of Bangkok from Samut Sakhon to Samut Songkhram, you will see rectangular ponds with windmills and workers hand moving brine pumped in from the Gulf of Thailand. The brine is pumped into the shallow ponds allowing the water to evaporate. The salt is raked up with wooden implements into piles for draining. The piles are raked into small hills and then bagged for transportation. Some of the retail bags are sold directly in front of the drying ponds. Large bags of freshly bagged Thai sea salt can be purchased at the "factory" for 30-60 Tbht ($1-2 USD).... never let it b

Perhaps the sun doesn't rise at 04:30 here as I woke from a good night's sleep, surprising how quiet it is on the 29th floor!  After a buffet breakfast which caters for all tastes I decided to go for a walk around the surrounding area to get the feel of the place. Despite it being Winter here in Thailand it was still hot and humid as I strolled firstly through the immediate area surrounding the hotel and then along one of the main thoroughfares to see where I would end up.  There are no boundaries here, emerging from a luxurious hotel one is immediately surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city as all classes live cheek by jowl and street stalls are everywhere.  Everyone is friendly and I did not feel at all threatened.  It could take an age to get anywhere if one stops to examine all of the goods on display or nibble at all of the vendors wares from fresh fruit to candies to fried banana or satay chicken on a stick.

It is 10:54 am on the 31st December 2014 as I prepare to board my 'Jet Airways' flight from Johannesburg to Bangkok. This leg of the flight is operated by South African Airways to Mumbai where I will land at 00:05 (local) hours on New Years Day.  It occurred to me that it would still be around 20:00 and 18:00 in Johannesburg and London respectively, had I been flying the other way I could have celebrated at least twice!