Tourist appeal blossoms in chilly Chiang Rai

[webfact]

Tourist appeal blossoms in chilly Chiang Rai

By The Nation

 

The temperature is falling in the Thai North, which means mountain-climbing season has arrived.

 

Tourists numbers are proportionately rising at a Chiang Rai national forest and several mountain trekking sites thanks to the cooler weather and the breath-taking vistas of fog it creates.

 

Somphet Pang-ngern of the Ngao-Ngaow Watershed Forest Management Unit said many visitors had stayed overnight in the campsite at his office this past weekend, waking early to scale the several peaks nearby.

 

He’s within easy hiking distance of Mounts Phu Chi Fah, Phu Chi Dao and Phu Chi Duan as well as Doi Pha Mon and Doi Pha Tung.

 

Somphet said they breathe in the cool mist and then come back down later in the morning to gasp at vast fields of indigenous plants whose leaves turn red with the cold and will soon sprout white flowers.

 

It’s the Wild Himalayan Cherry, dubbed “Thailand’s sakura”, and it covers the slopes around his forestry management site.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30355100

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-24

[villagefarang]

On 8/26/2018 at 10:21 AM, villagefarang said:

Phu Chi Fa is East of town and is only one of several beautiful Phu's or peaks along that lovely range of mountains.  Below are images I took this last year at Phu Chi Fa, Phu Chi Dao, Phu Chi Duen, Doi Pha Mon and Doi Pha Tang.  The winter months provide the best hiking atmosphere but the morning hours can be quite pleasant much of the year.  There are even cherry blossoms during winter, with one of the best viewing areas located at a school near Pha Tang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SoilSpoil]

Beautiful, Village Farang. Having lived in Chiang Rai, I have only seen views like this after rain showers. The rest of the year the smog and smoke will limit the views.

[My Thai Life]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourists numbers are proportionately rising

They always do at this time of year. And they are overwhelmingly not farang.  Read the license plates on the cars - oops!

[persimmon]

Looks wonderfull in the pics,but isn`t Pu Chi Fah quite a long way from Chiangrai and not easy to get to unless you have your own transport.

[villagefarang]

Chiang Rai without your own transportation is something I find hard to fathom but tourists do seem to find their way to these places.  Personally I could not live here without a vehicle or two.  Distance is a relative thing, and for me, Phu Chi Fa and the other Phu’s are relatively close.  They are actually closer to where I live than Chiang Rai town, though driving time is longer due to the terrain.  It is roughly 54 km to town and 40 km to Phu Chi Fa.

 

This last winter was good for hiking and photography, though a couple of times the fog was so thick you couldn’t see much, but that can be interesting too.

[rumak]

Many moons ago I traveled around Northern Thailand on my good old Honda 125.   Beautiful roads through the mountains....and very remote in those days.  Mostly red dirt roads.  Now I am quite content to sit on my porch and

enjoy my view , then take a short ride (on my bicycle, that is).  This mtn range is the Doi Intanon one.

I really enjoy having a few farangs around also  ????

[My Thai Life]

1 hour ago, persimmon said:

Looks wonderfull in the pics,but isn`t Pu Chi Fah quite a long way from Chiangrai and not easy to get to unless you have your own transport.

Quite so, and this thread was about tourists. By far the greatest number of tourists to Chiang Rai are Thais. They tend not to trek, and many have have been here over 40 years, and one or two live in houses.

[rumak]

17 minutes ago, My Thai Life said:

Quite so, and this thread was about tourists. By far the greatest number of tourists to Chiang Rai are Thais. They tend not to trek, and many have have been here over 40 years, and one or two live in houses.

i came here as a tourist.   and according to immig. i still am one   ????   Sorry if that upsets you for being off topic

 

[My Thai Life]

I'm not upset at all by your comment, why should I be? I think almost all farangs came here as tourists (as do most visiting Thais). What I do think is amusing though is that even after decades, let's say 40 years, some farangs still are tourists, having no meaningful interaction with Thai society at all, apart from the old 90 day report. 

[my friend I]

13 hours ago, persimmon said:

Looks wonderfull in the pics,but isn`t Pu Chi Fah quite a long way from Chiangrai and not easy to get to unless you have your own transport.

Not sure if it's still running but there used to be a van from downtown bus station direct.

[villagefarang]

Granted, most of the people we run into on the trail are Thais from Bangkok or elsewhere.  Most also avail themselves of the vehicles which carry people most of the way up to the mountain top, leaving a relatively short walk.  We prefer to park next to the main road and walk all the way but the ride in the back of a four wheel drive pickup can be exciting in its own way.

 

[mauGR1]

1 hour ago, villagefarang said:

Granted, most of the people we run into on the trail are Thais from Bangkok or elsewhere.  Most also avail themselves of the vehicles which carry people most of the way up to the mountain top, leaving a relatively short walk.  We prefer to park next to the main road and walk all the way but the ride in the back of a four wheel drive pickup can be exciting in its own way.

 

Great pictures as usual VF, still i suspect i should not take for granted such glorious weather, specially in this season.

[villagefarang]

Weather can never be taken for granted during any season, also the weather may change more than once during the day.  There are days when I don’t take any pictures because there is nothing photogenic about my surroundings but it is still nice to be out in nature with my wife.  We probably spend more time talking, with less to look at.

 

I noticed that this OP had no images so I volunteered some of mine to give people an idea of what they may potentially see if they venture out this way.

 

 

[Randell]

Striking photos as always VF The scenery around CR is awe inspiring. You present it in a way that is just irresistible and make you want to head out and see more thank so again  

[rumak]

On 9/24/2018 at 11:00 PM, My Thai Life said:

I'm not upset at all by your comment, why should I be? I think almost all farangs came here as tourists (as do most visiting Thais). What I do think is amusing though is that even after decades, let's say 40 years, some farangs still are tourists, having no meaningful interaction with Thai society at all, apart from the old 90 day report. 

sorry i misunderstood your post.   I will say that the 2 farang friends i have I met in CM about 30 years ago.

I left thailand and came back a few times, but have not been out of the country for about 15 years now.

Those 2 are still the only Farangs I have anything to do with (except for those in my pic 55).  The only meaningful interaction i have on a daily basis is with thais and in thai.   Neither my gf nor I (naturally) come

from this rural area of Lamphun....but we are treated and greeted with friendliness and I like to think respect.  We work our land ourselves and live a simple life.   When i tried this lifestyle 30 years ago I was not really ready ( and no cable or internet to distract).   But I always liked the rural Northern Thai people...and still do !

[rumak]

I don't live in the mountains so my photos can't compete with those nice ones VF posted.   But i can share a photo of our scenery on our bike rides.  When I was younger it was the call of nature pulling on me : the female kind.    Now a nice view does the trick . 

[My Thai Life]

34 minutes ago, rumak said:

sorry i misunderstood your post.

No need to apologise, I was being provocative, and regretted my post after. If I may expand, I see several categories of farangs:

 

- those who arrive in couples (I mean 2 farangs) living in almost complete isolation from Thai society

- those married to Thais who have the opportunity to engage to a much greater extent than group 1

- those working here, often as teachers, who get a significant exposure to the Thai community, but often from the wrong end of the stick

- those engaged in business here, who are usually immersed in Thai society warts and all

- I haven't mentioned the largest category (single guys playing the gold fish bowl - as it's not especially relevant to the North)

 

or, from a different perspective:

 

- tourist visa

- extension of stay

- permanent residence

- citizenship

 

or, from another perspective:

 

- speak just their own language

- speak some Thai (but often no Northern Thai)

- read and write Thai

- read and write Northern Thai (I would guess the membership of that group is zero !).

 

Nothing wrong with any of these groups of course, each to their own.

 

But people who have basically been tourists for 40 years are just long term tourists. It's a bit like the Thai Visa myth that the more posts you have the more you know about Thailand,  but all it actually demonstrates is that they've spent more time on their computer screen.

 

 

 

 

[villagefarang]

I have lived in Thailand my entire adult life and began visiting while I was still a university student.  Soon after completing my studies, I moved to Bangkok where I lived for 30 years. I was not sent here by military, government, god or corporation. I just bought a ticket and boarded a plane at 23 with no real plan. I had no idea what I would do or how I would stay here. Somehow it all worked out.  I worked in Bangkok for many years.  I was single for the first twenty years but have been with my wife for twenty one years now.

 

I have been treated well by Thais and Thailand. You will hear no horror stories from me about this place I call home. I seem to have very little in common with the average retiree these days but that is fine with me.  My life in Thailand has been uncommon to say the least, spanning four decades, friendships from all levels of Thai society, single life, married life, city life, country life, work and leisure.  For some of us, no one category covers the full extent of our relationship with Thailand but I guess labels make it easier for some people to cope.

 

I, too, am an avid cyclist.

 

 

 

[rumak]

1 hour ago, My Thai Life said:

the Thai Visa myth that the more posts you have the more you know about Thailand, 

well,  as you can translate ( i think) from my user name I do know a lot !    hahahaha   but if i use northern thai i would have to change my name.   My first name is Farang.......   I used to wonder how some girls knew my name as they often were upset and were quick to say   Farang Rumak (followed by mai dee sometimes).

I have not heard the mai dee for quite some time now....living the peaceful life .  

 

[rumak]

thanks MTL, VF, mau.........et al  for some nice posts.   i'd better go to sleep before someone takes offence at my username  ????

 

btw:  amazing how similar VF's bike photo and mine was !