Tag: Thailand

Chiangrai city is the capital of Chiangrai province, Thailand’s most northern province. It is about 800 kms from the capital city Bangkok, and some 180kms from Chiangmai city. We headed further north to Maesai, a border town between Thailand and Myanmar, about an hour drive from Chiangrai city.  Maesai is well-known for made-in-China counterfeit goodies, from electronic items to clothings to precious stones.  The Myanmar side of the border is Tachilek, a town used to be ruled by warlords in opium business. I was informed it was possible to cross the border for some small fee in USD, but you must leave the passport with Myanmar army at the checkpoint on the river. We did not do this, eventhough I wanted very much to visit Tachilek.  Remember this is the organized tour. I had no control over itinerary. Same excuse.  May be next time. (Anyway,  see my other postings on Yangon, Myanmar).

One more thing before I forget, there is quite a big masjid in Maesai, which goes to show that there is quite a moslem community in this area.  The masjid is along the main road. Follow the sign Masjid An-noor.

The rest of Chiangrai, Maesai and environs pixs are here.

Thailand by Bus (Part 4) – Chiangrai / Maesai

En route Chiangmai, the city of Lampang is a popular stopover for weary travelers.

We left Pattaya early in the morning on the third day. Continued to the north to Chiangmai bypassing Bangkok business district. There were many towns we passed by, as you can see in the photos link below. We finally stopped at Lampang to catch  Zuhur/Asr prayers at Masjid Al Falak. Lampang is the third largest city in Thailand, some 600 kms from the capital city Bangkok, and some 100 kms from Chiangmai. It is famous for its horse-cart (kereta kuda) and colorful buildings made of teak wood (kayu jati). Again, I could not explore the city beyond the authorized bus stops, even though I wanted to. We left this cool city in the drizzling rain and headed for Chiangmai.

Tired and hungry, the first place we stormed in was a chinese restaurant when we reached the city of Chiangmai. The bus driver had a difficulty manouvering the big bus through narrow downtown streets to find the restaurant, but finally he made it to the applause of starving folks in the bus. So welcome to Chiangmai, said the smiling owner. After dinner, we checked in into a riverside hotel and called it a day. Some young ones or young-at-hearts sneaked out to the nearby Night Bazaar, one of the main tourist attraction in Chiangmai.

The next morning, we trekked up the 1700m mountain Doi Suthep, perhaps the most famous tourist destination in Chiangmai. The city was surrounded by the mountains, and of them is Doi Suthep, believed by locals as a spiritual guardian of their city.  Along the winding but good road up the mountain, we passed by a national park, some Buddhist temples and waterfalls amidst lush tropical rainforest.  Not much stories & photos on those places, though. Again, same excuse — I could not stop, this is an organized tour! (Orang gagal beri alasan).

The rest of Chiangmai and environs pixs are here.

Thailand by Bus (Part 3) – Chiangmai

En route Bangkok, I found this pickup truck working extra mile.

We continued the journey to the north and stopped for Maghrib/Isyak prayers and dinner at a rest area along the highway somewhere near Hatyai.  After that it was a long journey along scenic coastal routes and provinces like Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani (gateway to Koh Samui islands) and Chumpon, but alas  we could not enjoy it. It was night time and dark outside. Most were sleeping in the fancy and comfy of the double decker. The bus stopped for fajar prayer at Petchaburi. Continued and stopped again for breakfast somewhere near Ratchaburi, at the outskirt of Bangkok. Entering Bangkok during morning rush hour was a hair-rising experience. Our first place to visit is Floating Market. They had many floating markets around Bangkok, but this one was the most original and most famous one, said Matlee. I could  not remember the name of this market, but tour buses of different colors and shapes were aplenty and fighting for the limited parking space at the entrance of the floating market.

From here, we got on the bus and traveled south of Bangkok to the vibrant city of Pattaya. This was my second trip to this city, the first one being a business trip in 1999 to Rayong — Thailand petrochemical hub, equivalent to Malaysia’s Kerteh in Terengganu –to visit oil refinery and aromatics plant on business matter. We took a turn for a short visit to Pattaya, then.

Pattaya aptly fits “the city never sleeps” tag, as daytime is full of office workers, and nighttime is full of different kind of workers in entertainment business. There is a long and very clean beach with easy access to food, transport and places to stay, which attracts tourists from the globe.  Some come here to remember, most come to forget.

Back track a bit. Before reaching Pattaya we stopped at a big zoo where tigers, elephants and crocodiles and many more our fellow creatures were kept. They were long taken away from their natural habitat and human effort by creating an animal farm or zoo to simulate actual living condition did not work either.  They must be returned to the wild. These creatures were without emotion when they performed to the human crowd.  There are some pixs on this also.

From Pattaya, we moved north along main highway to Chiangmai, passing by towns like Nakhon Sawan, Tak and Lampang. I told you it is an organized group tour so I did not have freedom at the itinerary. But I have some pixs on Lampang where we stopped for solat at Masjid AlFalak there. I also have some pixs on Ayutthaya — an ancient reconstructed city — on the way back from Chiangmai later.  So keep following the upcoming posts.

The rest of Bangkok/Pattaya pixs are here.

Thailand by Bus (Part 2) – Bangkok/Pattaya