Tulips In Chai Prakan

[Greenside]

So for one reason or another we thought that a trip to Chai Prakan to see the magnificence of the tulip fields would make a good focal point to a couple of days out of town and in view of the likely crowds and traffic we went yesterday and returned today.

Influenced by plentiful roadside adverts and a press release in Thai News that reads:

BANGKOK, 21 December 2009 (NNT) – The tulip season has started off at Chai Prakan district in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

The 3rd Chai Prakan Tulip Blooming Festival will be held from 31 December 2009 to 4 January 2010, according to the Chai Prakan Chief District Officer, Chokdee Amornwat. Tulips from the Netherlands have been grown at Ban Pha Daeng in Tambon Nong Bua of Chiang Mai province.

Around 10,000-20,000 tulips have started to bloom in various colors , red, yellow, purple, pink, orange as well as red and white. Tourists can also enjoy a number of side activities such as hill tribes' beauty contest, cultural performances and tribal sports competition. On the night of 31 December 2009, there will be a New Year Countdown at the tulip field.

we set off to Chai Prakan, which is a couple of hours north west of CM on the road to Fang. Once there, the signage which had been adequate all the way from Mae Rim got a bit dodgy and we only found the turning off the main road by interrogating some fruit vendors and some tedious backtracking.

OK, having found the road we were expecting a short drive - maybe ten km or so, after all the blooms were in Chai Prakan, right? No, the road wound on and on with the occasional sign until we found ourselves at Doi Angkan and then we had to do the final stretch on a very hilly and dusty red dirt road.

Mutterings of "They'd better be worth it..." could be heard from the poor unfortunates in the back of the truck along with "Where can we get some more Dramamine?", but we were in the mountains by now and the prospects of magnificent fields of tulips were looking increasingly slim unless they had engineered a breed that flourished on 45 degree slopes.

At last, through the thick cloud of red dust thrown up be the vehicle in front, we glimpsed a collection of plastic shelters in a small valley. "That'll be the preparations for the hill tribes' beauty contest, cultural performances and tribal sports competition" I said, changing down into first gear for the final descent. But no - this was it and here they are...

About 80 x 80 metres, sparsely planted with tulips of various kinds about half of which were in bloom - if there are 5,000 I'd be surprised. There were tents and a small stage for the promised New Year Countdown and other festivities and two or three vendor shacks selling fruit. Unkind, but we had to laugh at the absurdity of it but on further reflection started to wonder how the owners of this little plot had organised and financed the publicity but most of all, why.

There's no entrance charge (well, they couldn't) and no serious attempt to sell anything or direct people to local homestays or other ventures - car washes would have done good business judging by the state of ours - so who profits?

The guy at the gate seemed embarrassed by it all and said that tulips were very expensive, difficult to grow and that they had more than last year. Luckily my Thai isn't sufficient to point out the unusual sight of tulip fields in Thailand was why we'd just driven 160 km to get there so we just set off to find a freezing camp site redeemed by magnificent early morning views.

Any ideas?

Happy New Year to one and all.

[elektrified]

That last photo is awesome Greenside!

You could have saved the trip and gone to the Festival at the 700 year stadium. They had some (sad looking) tulips there. We went by there today for about 30 minutes - that was enough. Pretty much like the last couple of festivals in town recently, lots of food and used clothing; not much of anything else. There is however supposed to be some musical events planned for the next few days. I suspect Thai pop and rock bands. They are issuing warnings that the musical events could become rowdy and people could be injured...

[cm das]

There is however supposed to be some musical events planned for the next few days. I suspect Thai pop and rock bands. They are issuing warnings that the musical events could become rowdy and people could be injured...

The usual winter fest is on as of today. From now til Jan 10 there will be many bands performing & all kinds of cheap stuff for sale out by the 700 year stadium. I can hear the drums & bass from my window as I type. I saw a good show by Taxi a few years ago, but the the concerts do get rowdy & trouble does break out. When I was there standing in the middle of the crowd, a sudden commotion behind me caught my attention. I turned to see a wide space opening quickly around a group of 10 or so teenage thugs. Some held sticks & bottles, a few blows were thrown. Then just as quickly the police moved in, in bigger numbers and with bigger sticks. What followed wasn't pretty but I have to say the authorities stopped the trouble quickly & thoroughly. Until the next night, that is... Haven't been back since.

[samuijimmy]

"The guy at the gate seemed embarrassed by it all and said that tulips were very expensive, difficult to grow and that they had more than last year".......

Well a long trip for sure, but as the gate man said "more than last year" ... it's a start & next year there will be more! It all looks pretty well organized & weed free at least...

I admire them for trying such a venture, obviously a labour of love, to start with, than them making any money for a few years... but think too, when the Dutch first started growing tulips, it was probably the same & not many, but now a much different story...

Perhaps the article you read was a little misleading, but one day I would not mind seeing it & the what looks like lovely countryside also... so it could not have been a totally wasted trip? The scenery so different than Samui for sure! The last picture should have made up for the disappointment of lack of tulips.... !

Thanks for sharing the story & the pictures!

[mcgriffith]

That is a coincidence; I was just up that way last week, but didn't go to Doi Ang Khang.

However, member svenivan on the Chiang Rai sub-forum posted these photos of the Chiang Rai Flower Festival.

If it was tulips you want, here they are courtesy of svenivan:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=3226820

Enjoy!

[Greenside]

That's more like it McG! The trip was an adventure but this was the scale of flower wonderfulness we had envisaged. Chiang Rai next year, I think.

[hansnl]

The fact that those people have managed to grow the tulips at allis a wonder on itself.

The bulbs came from Dutch growers and are in fact not suited to the Thai climate.

My wife tried several times to raise bulbs to flowers and succeeded.......for one day only.

[IanForbes]

Thanks for the report, Greenside. Every trip into the rural surroundings of Thailand is an adventure... and most often not what you were expecting. Your last photo would have made the whole trip for me. It continually amazes me about advertising in Thailand. Very seldom do the ads match what is available. A few weeks ago I went on a fishing trip into the mountains west of Chiang Mai. I was there last year in February and had a great time, but this December we went too early and the river was still too high and dirty for ideal fishing. The trip takes 8 hours by a high clearance vehicle to get to our destination, so it is no small undertaking. If you take the trip as the adventure and don't expect too much then it is all worthwhile. We didn't catch too much, but I got some delightful pictures of the local children.

[Greenside]

I agree with you Ian. I don't regard any travelling as a complete waste of time since you can always discover something interesting along the way if you're in the right frame of mind. I'm continually amazed at the number of tourists I see locked away in their own soundscape fed by an iPod or whatnot - not only in the city where you might forgive someone for wanting to get away from the traffic noise (however dangerous that might prove) but in the most peaceful rural settings too.

Something else gathered from this trip: there really are some total maniacs on the road at the moment. We saw three very near misses on the Fang to CM road and I can't say I was overly surprised to learn of the 40 people reported killed on the first official day of the holidays.

No connection, but we're having a New Year's Eve at home this year!

[samuijimmy]

Lovely shots... You see those large wall posters with scenes like that, with the tulips, I often wondered if they were taken in Thailand, now I know, they probably are!

You guys in the north are lucky for that, it's those cool nights you get... sometimes I miss that!

"Every trip into the rural surroundings of Thailand is an adventure."as Ian said... I sure agree with that statement!

One of my favorite areas of South Thailand is Thali Noi Lake in Songklha Province, ...... breathe taking when you see millions of various kinds of water lilies blooming & birds... simply stunning... but missed by many tourists as there are not many places to stay (although starting, with a few resorts)... and off the beaten track a little... which is what makes it so pleasant too!

April is the best time to see the lilies, (in the morning they close up after about 11 am!) although January is not bad, you see more kinds of migratory birds then, but still lots of lilies...

I can't seem to get the photo thing to upload, so can't post a shot or two...