My Thailand And Why I Love It.

californiabeachboy · April 29, 2011

I am a beach person at heart, so even though I have been to Thailand three times, I have never been to Chiang Mai. Now I must go.

seriouseats · April 29, 2011

Nice zoo. Definitely not phuket zoo ah.

Why is it that your young friends have all the ugly girls and you get the better looking ones at 2x their ages?

angiud · April 29, 2011

Ian, thank you for sharing your experience, your life and your always beautiful pictures.

Antonio

IanForbes · April 29, 2011

ALL of Ian's Thailand pictures -- and I mean A-L-L of the pictures, not just the ones he wants you to see on TV -- are available on his website:

http://gallery.fishb...umName=album209

.. and there are also a lot of fish pictures.

... and ain't it always those last 2000 words or that last half chapter that is always the reason why the book isn't finished ... Ms. Lebowitz would be proud.

The reason the book isn't finished is my first draft was too negative and I had to go back to all the places I visited over the past 50 years just to put a more positive spin on the subjects I was writing about. The chapters in the book are excerpts from my 50 years of diaries. The fishing and the topography has changed a LOT in that time and not for the better... even though there is some hope for the future. Then, after reading chapters from my book to a writers group in Chiang Mai they gave me a lot of positive and creative feedback. That also caused me to take a slightly different direction. Anyone who has done any creative writing will tell you that an essay or book seems to take on a life of its own that even the writer doesn't know where it's going. I personally want to thank all those in the Chiang Mai writers group led by Lee Thomas. Oh, and after today I am down to only 500 words left now.

But back on topic...

There are many day trips that can be arranged by tourist companies and they tailer them to fit the person. Some require a bit of physical effort while others are suitable for anyone who can walk a 100 meters. An easier day trip is to the highest point of land in the Kingdom... at Doi Inthanon. It is a few hours drive south west of Chiang Mai and two Royal buildings are situated almost at the top. There are boardwalk trails around the forest at the top of the mountain. For the nature enthusiast there is birdlife and butterflies unique to only that area.

The gardens around the two temples are truly lovely

And the sculptured art work is amazing.

Edited April 29, 2011 by IanForbes

IanForbes · April 29, 2011

And most tourist companies don't take you to just one location. They usually add a few more scenic spots... like this water fall. Somebody please correct me about the name of this waterfall. I have it listed as the Siriphum water fall, but I think it's near Mae Wang. In any case it is a beautiful falls so typical of many mountain streams in Thailand.

IanForbes · April 29, 2011

Any foreigner who stays longer than a 30 day holiday in Thailand has to at some point go out of the country to get an endorsement on their visa. In Chiang Mai that means a border run to Mae Sai and a walk across the creek to Tachilek on the Myanmar (Burma) side. It is about a 5 hour bus ride from Chiang Mai to Mae Sai and a 4 hour bus ride back. It's quicker if you take a private van. The cost is about 600 baht on a VIP bus, and cheaper if you don't mind the puddle jumper bus that stops every couple of kilometers. There is a 500 baht charge to cross the border. If you take a private vehicle I suggest a stop at the glass castle on the way up. It is truly impressive and worth the stop.

The VIP bus stops at the station about 5 km from Mae Sai and you take a 15 baht songtaow from there to the border. Try not to go on holidays or there might be a wait at the border. Somebody ALWAYS has over stayed their visa and the whole line comes to a halt.

A small, shallow stream separates Thailand from Burma, and at night there are illegal crossings. That is the reason for all the police bus checks on the highway.

Mae Sai is the most northern point of Thailand and the topography changes from flat, river valley bottom land to mountainous terrain.

It takes a full, 12 hour return trip from Chiang Mai to Tachilek and it's rather tiring, so an alternative is to stay over night at one of the many guest cottages along the river. It also gives you time to do a little shopping in one of the thousand stalls on both sides of the border. But, once the border shuts down about 5 PM all the shops start closing. There is not a lot to do at night but drink.

I suggest a steep walk up to the temple at the top of the hill where there is a good view point for photos.

Gig got a little tired because she's not used to walking up so many stairs.

It is worth it though.

bprinceuk · April 29, 2011

Thanks Ian, great photographs and info. Hope to read your book when its finished

jazzbo · April 29, 2011

2000 words left ... and now 500 words left ... then a few edits and illustration changes ... this picture -- no that picture ... and pretty soon we are at Zeno's half-way paradox.

NaiGreg · April 29, 2011

Hate to break the news....but it will never be 'your' Thailand and Thailand does NOT care about its trees..... absolutely not.....

Just the facts........nice pics though regardless.

You sound like an expert (Ha Ha Ha)

If you stay here a while and pay attention you will find that there are strong spiritual beliefs and feelings about trees (not just the Bo tree) - Have you seen the trees in the roads that were NOT cut down? And, there's a reason Thai men piss in the grass instead of on trees in the forest.

But you will NOT make it here for very long, Mr. "Not-here" (at least not in a meaningful way, you will head off to be an expert in another fourth-world dirty stinking country) - Just the facts.

Nice pics Mr. Forbes. Thank you for showing us your Thailand. It looks a lot like mine and I love it, too.

WinnieTheKhwai · April 29, 2011

Excellent pictures Ian!! Nice reminder of what a nice city it is.

I can add a couple myself too. Note that not all pictures are mine.

First some city pics:

Sunset.. With the mountain in the West you don't actually get 'true' sunsets in Chiang Mai City. This is as good as it gets.

City moat is nice.

The Big Market / China town area that Ian also mentioned.

First glance this looks like a run down little shop. But look how magnificent that building really is. The wait is for someone to turn this into a beautifully restored landmark, possibly an upmarket restaurant or part of a boutique hotel..

Chiang Mai has a hundred temples. And a good number of ex-temples, where only the pagoda still stands but the rest turned into something else. This one is in the middle of a gas station.

Atypical pagoda shape. (Wat Ku Tao)

Some tuk tuk drivers even are nice!

Edited April 29, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

WinnieTheKhwai · April 29, 2011

And some out of town pics, not too far from Chiang Mai town:

Terraced rice fields; you don't see that too often in Thailand.

Scenic rice field about 20 mins South of my house.

Waterfalls

Big waterfall

The Royal Flora, seen from Wat Doi Kham temple

The Tiger Kingdom place in Mae Rim

Nobody will guess where this historical site is. (Also below) Hint: It's not Wiang Khum Kam.

Edited April 29, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

Nawtier · April 29, 2011

feelings about trees (not just the Bo tree) - Have you seen the trees in the roads that were NOT cut down? And, there's a reason Thai men piss in the grass instead of on trees in the forest.

That's hilarious....thanks for the giggle.

I'll give you some contacts re the care and attention Thai's lavish on their BIG trees in this country.......if you care to ruin your dream like state.

NaiGreg · April 29, 2011

feelings about trees (not just the Bo tree) - Have you seen the trees in the roads that were NOT cut down? And, there's a reason Thai men piss in the grass instead of on trees in the forest.

That's hilarious....thanks for the giggle.

I'll give you some contacts re the care and attention Thai's lavish on their BIG trees in this country.......if you care to ruin your dream like state.

Sure, give me your contacts.

I'm sure you speak Thai, being an expert and all. So you've seen some of the Thai feature films about tree poaching and the exploitation of forest lands. Good stuff. In your opinion, when you see the wardens shooting the tree poachers do you think they were following instructions of the gov't or getting paid off by the logging companies. I'll give you the answer if your contacts can't provide the answer.

Thanks for waking me up from my dream state.

zzaa09 · April 29, 2011

I am a beach person at heart, so even though I have been to Thailand three times, I have never been to Chiang Mai. Now I must go.

The whole of the mountainous north should be taken in....quite spectacular!

Edited April 29, 2011 by zzaa09

WinnieTheKhwai · April 29, 2011

If you visit Chiang Mai you will see plenty trees and greenery. I'm aware of the rape that happens to Thailand's jungles when there's a buck to be made, but really there are some very green towns around, with very well looked after trees.

In fact the legend goes that when the huge tree at the Chedi Luang temple dies, Chiang Mai will fall down too..

This one:

IanForbes · April 29, 2011

Thanks for the pictures, Winnie, I hadn't even gotten to the temples around town, but everywhere you go in Chiang Mai there is a temple of some sort... either ancient or new.

And, the debate about trees is an entirely different subject. It could go on and on from polarized viewpoints. I'll just say that when there is money involved in ANYTHING then there will be people who will exploit it with no thought of the damage it does or who it hurts. Thais, for the most part, do love their trees. They also love their children, but I see many examples of Thais using their children as pawns to be used as a source of income.

As Winnie pointed out there are temples everywhere and most are wonderful examples of sculpture. The dedication to the intricate carvings and art work is amazing.

I sometimes wonder, though, about the opulence of the temples in contrast to the poverty of so many people earning bare minimum wages. That has always bothered me about religion.

thaitot · April 29, 2011

Be shure to add Doi Tung to your travels.

These photos bring back memories of my 5 month stay in Chiang Mai.

I must say I have experienced most if not all of you travels and photos you posted.

Good job and many thanks

robbo1 · April 29, 2011

I love Chang Mai only been there once but have promised the missus we will go next time back in Thailand.

Ian have you ever gone to the Queen Mothers palace in the mountains of Chang Rai if not it is worth a look it is spectacular.

If I remember correctly you turn off the road between Chaing Rai and Mas Sai mate.

basinboy · April 30, 2011

You are a lucky and happy man Ian, thanks for the photos.

Hope the cost of Chiang Mai accommodation doesn't go up too much after the visitor influx you are creating.

jazzbo · April 30, 2011

The Publishing Industry has been stung lately by their publishing of what proved to be 'fictitious' non-fiction memoirs including the most recent 'Three Cups of Tea' by Greg Mortenson, Founder of The Central Asia Institute (CAI) and often mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Three Cups of Tea (18 APR 2011)

Then there was Oprah Winfrey being stung by A Million Little Pieces and by a fraudulent account of holocaust survivors.

Even the most innocuous of memoirs are now requiring careful scrutiny by editors and fact-checkers lest some claim be proved over-blown or mis-represented and the Publisher's credibility be put at risk.

IanForbes · April 30, 2011

Thank you to both Thaitot and Robbo for their suggestions. I have not visited the Queen Mother's palace near Chaing Rai, nor have I been to Doi Tung. I'll check them out in the future.

In the past I mostly traveled with friends in their vehicles and I went along as a passenger. Or, I took the tourist trips through agents. I was a bit unsure of traveling on my own without a GPS and taking a wrong turn. I don't read the Thai language and was a bit worried about taking a wrong turn which is easy enough to do even when you know where you are going.

I"ve taken a compass with me when traveling by bus, but with all the little side roads they take to let off passengers it's easy enough to get confused. I've got a pretty good sense of direction, but even WITH a GPS I think I would get lost in Bangkok. In the hazy light it's hard to tell where north from south.

But back on my travels.

Pai is a small town north west of Chiang Mai. For some strange reason it has become a popular tourist destination. The few times I've been there it doesn't look any different than any other sleepy little village in Thailand. There are sad little hotsprings nearby, but not much else. I've heard it became popular with the Back packer crowd who wanted some place cheap to stay away from the city life, and a place to smoke a little weed. It certainly is attractive if you like a quiet farming valley beside a slow moving stream. A whole series of inexpensive stream-side huts were set up to service the back packer crowd that are mostly made up of young foreigners in their twenties. The town is pretty quiet during the day and comes a bit more lively on one or two streets in the evening. From what I could determine there are few if any drinking establishments wtih the attending bar girls and pool tables. We went there to see if the river was worth fishing, but discovered the locals eat anything and everything that swims. Maybe we just have to go further into the hills.

What I discovered is it is the RIDE to Pai that makes the trip worthwhile. It truly is a spectacular trip if you are not in too much of a hurry. It takes about 4 hours to reach Pai. The highway from Chiang Mai to the turn-off near Mae Tang is pretty boring and you have to pay attention to the crazy Thai traffic. From the edge of the moat in Chiang Mai it is about 34 km to the turn onto Hwy 1095. It is pretty well marked and unless you are asleep it's hard to miss it. The road sign at Mae Tang says "Pai - 98 km" but don't think you can speed. Highway 1095 gradually climbs for about 20 kilometers until it hits the mountains, and then it REALLY goes up in a series of tight 180 degree switch-backs. Once on top, the road runs along the crest of the hill before it switch-backs steeply down to Pai. Only the silver tourist vans seem to speed and cut corners on the hills. For that reason alone I stay under 70 km per hour.

On my most recent trip. My friend and I went from Chiang Mai to Pai to Mae Hong Son and down to Mae Sariang where we returned to Chiang Mai in a 600 km circle. There were many mountain passes with lots of switch-backs up the steep roads to the height of land at about 5000 feet or more (1530 M). From the top we could see down into two separate valleys. It's been voted as one of the 10 best motorbike rides in the world. It was a great trip along winding, curving roads! We rode my two bikes and they both performed well in the mountains even though they are both a little under powered. For safety sake, we seldom took them over 75 km/hr. I brought along my Garmin GPS that I had loaded with Thailand maps. It is great for finding places to stay, and seems to be spot on. My son made a bracket for it and I have it plugged into the battery so it's always on without losing power.

Brad at the highest point...

Robby nz · April 30, 2011

First time I have looked at this thread, very good Ian.

Havent seen a decent hill since I was last in NZ.

I should be up your way in July, will give you a PM then, perhaps we can meet and talk fishing and things.

Robby

Just looked again and see you go back to Canada in April so that wont work, still maybe next trip.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Robby nz

farang000999 · April 30, 2011

who is the girl in the orange tank top?

IanForbes · April 30, 2011

If you intend to stay in Pai then this is what to expect. We stayed at the Brook View Resort for about 400 baht per night, but there are many cheaper places and some much more expensive.

As I already mentioned, it is a pretty sleepy little town.

But it is quite pretty along the river where back packer cottages have popped up everywhere...

We tried a little fishing but nothing seemed interested even when we got away from the town.

It really is just a sleepy little farming community over run by the back packer crowd who just want to chill out with friends.

jazzbo · April 30, 2011

Almost as important to any author these days as getting published is getting yourself on the first page of a generic Google Search i.e. one that does not have your name or refer to you specifically. A Google search for My Thailand (all with no quotes) is hopelessly crowded. However, thanks to all the posts herein and links for the creeper spiders to find, Kuhn IF now appears on page 3 of a search for My Thailand Love and pops up right on page one for My Thailand Love It ...

And if this thread keeps progressing who knows where this 'best of worlds' guy could show up? -- maybe soon page #1 on My Thailand ... BTW I have many generic searches where I show up on the front page due to extensive commenting on refereed websites, blogs, association memberships, my own websites, etc ... and everybody knows that NO ONE looks beyond the first Google page.

WinnieTheKhwai · April 30, 2011

Thank you to both Thaitot and Robbo for their suggestions. I have not visited the Queen Mother's palace near Chaing Rai, nor have I been to Doi Tung. I'll check them out in the future.

I have. I've been almost everywhere.

Doi Tung:

IanForbes · April 30, 2011

Thank you to both Thaitot and Robbo for their suggestions. I have not visited the Queen Mother's palace near Chaing Rai, nor have I been to Doi Tung. I'll check them out in the future.

I have. I've been almost everywhere.

Doi Tung:

Thanks for those, Winnie. I'll have to check out Doi Tung when I get back to Thailand. The garden photo reminds me of The Royal international floral show in Chiang Mai. It's always worth a visit if you enjoy plants. I especially love the variety of orchids. We only have a few varieties of wild orchids in Canada, but Thailand has many and it's an ideal climate for growing them.

bobbysan124 · May 1, 2011

Very nice post. Enjoyed.

jazzbo · May 1, 2011

Thanks to the now 2000+ views -- every one of which creates about 25 or so links to Kuhn IF's website photos -- a search for MY THAILAND LOVE on Google now ranks this ThaiVisa thread on the Google front page (although under the heading ' I Love My Thai Wife') ... clever for an old codger -- makes a good show & tell for a potential book publisher.

IanForbes · May 1, 2011

Thanks to the now 2000+ views -- every one of which creates about 25 or so links to Kuhn IF's website photos -- a search for MY THAILAND LOVE on Google now ranks this ThaiVisa thread on the Google front page (although under the heading ' I Love My Thai Wife') ... clever for an old codger -- makes a good show & tell for a potential book publisher.

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't even thought of it. My book is about Vancouver Island which I have been very familiar with for over 50 years. This topic is about Thailand; a country I've gradually come to love in the past 15 years.

As anyone knows who has been following my posts on Thai visa knows, I love my fishing and I've searched all over Thailand to find what I enjoy. The fishing in Thailand does not match what I have in British Columbia, but there is enough to keep me happy for 5 months of the winter. Virtually ALL waterways in Thailand hold fish of some description, but only a few species are truly sport fish. Many of the species that anglers fish for in Thailand have been introduced from other countries. Most are contained in pay for play fishing parks scattered around major cities. But, even the locals enjoy the little dug-out ponds that owners have stocked with the various species. Fishng in Thailand does not require a license, but on private ponds you have to pay the owner a small fee. Many species are on a catch and release basis only. I prefer fishing many of the reservoirs scattered around the country. The only fly in the ointment is you must have your own boat or know someone who does. That means having a Thai friend who can do the negotiating for you. I'm fortunate that I have a few Thai friends like that.

In the big reservoirs our target species are Giant snakeheads...

And Jungle perch

Both are great sport fish that will feed on surface lures and flies that look like minnows or frogs.

Occasionally we will catch other speces such as Pacu, which is a form of pirhana. The pacu can be little guys like this one...

Or much larger ones that weigh up to 4 or 5 kilos

In one pay for play pond south of Hua Hin I was fortunate to catch an Arawana that are actually an expensive aquarium fish. It fought and jumped like a tarpon, which I initially thought it was.

But the most common pay for play fishing pond fish is a giant Mekong River catfish. They are mostly taken on bait but we catch them on white rabbit fur flies that look like bread.