Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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Up on the Mountain (again) at Khun Wang

by Mim Saisin

I always feel good about travelling, especially when I’ve been working hard - like now.

So last month, when my friend Loo, who works at the Khun Wang Research centre, down to the south and off up into the mountains to the west, suggested I go with her to her work place - well, I didn’t waste time agreeing.

She’d already told me a lot about the beautiful scenery of the mountains, the waterfalls and flowers there, so when the time came I quickly packed my bag and started out with her - on my wonderful motorbike (this means it worked all the way, didn’t break down like it quite often does). We took the Hangdong Road first, after about 40 minutes arriving at Sanpatong, there turning right at the junction for Maewang, an area I know quite well because I used to work there. However, I’d never been up the mountain at the back of the district office - and that’s the point where it begins to get steep. And I mean steep.

All right, I’ve already said steep, but a little further on and now we could throw in the words - rocky, twisty, sandy and with abysses invitingly looming to left or right. The only good thing to be said was this is the dry season. When this road’s wet, think in terms of a slippery-slide with no prizes for hitting the bottom first.

Now on this trip we’d been following a Landrover that was just up ahead of us, and the driver lost a gear or something on a sharp bend, and started coming back at us. Nothing we could do! Think deer held trapped in the headlight of an approaching car. Fortunately, the guy found his gear again, checked the backward rush, just before reaching us - otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this now. Woooo…

Well, we made it finally, got to the research centre round about noon. About 90 kms in 3 hours: not bad going. But now that I was there, I had one shadow on my mind. Going back. Loo was staying to work, so I would be on my lonesome. Well, no use worrying. Cross your bridges when you come to them - if they’re there, that is.

But a lovely spot up there, the valley flourishing with all kinds of cold-season flowers and crops. The thing that really takes the eye at this time - late January, early February - is Nang Phaya Seu Krong, or Wild Sakura, the beautiful tree with pink flowers that looks like Japanese Sakura. This kind of flower blooms all over the high mountains of the North. In this valley, the flowers were blooming in the trees all along the roadside - really beautiful. And not only Sakura, but also gladiolus, orchids (Cibidium) and flowering fruit trees such as plum and peach, with strawberries on the ground.

The main commercial crop up here though is coffee, which they are researching with a view to promoting the best of all possible varieties for the region.

That evening we went to visit the Royal Project at the Khun Wang site, just 2 kms from Loo’s office. There are many kinds of beautiful flowers and fruits there also, and the outstanding plant is the giant pumpkin, one of the biggest I’ve seen. This project is in the area of a Hmong village, so the cultivators here are mostly Hmong, with their distinctive tribal dress, basically a rough blue material, elaborately embroidered.

Back at Loo’s research station the weather was extremely cold once the sun went down. Naturally, we showered before turning in, but let me confess I had to think about it for half an hour before taking the plunge. Oh my goodness, just like the water had come straight out of the fridge.

And if I took 30 minutes to make up my mind about bathing, I won’t reveal how long it took me to actually do it - but I can tell you I didn’t hang around.

You can rent accommodation here for 600 baht per night/ 3 persons , with tents at 80 – 100 baht per night. Guests who stay overnight here are entitled to free fresh hot coffee, really delicious. We had dinner at the restaurant here, just the simple things like Thai style omelet, fried vegetables and tomyam, spicy soup but it went well with the relaxed atmosphere around us.

So then, the next day dawns, and now I’ve got a bit of an adventure ahead of me - the return alone, Loo staying to get her work done. But I encouraged myself by thinking, “If others can do it, so can I.” So I got up, packed, had breakfast with that terrific fresh coffee - does it taste better when it’s free, I wonder? And got back on the road.

Remembering how tough the steeper parts of the track up had been, I decided to take a longer but easier route, along the pretty smooth surface near the Pha Ngam mountain and about 16 kms to the Khun Klang junction. Nice! Fresh cool air, mountains right up into the sky, great views and a really pretty waterfall near Khun Klang village, turning left there to get down to the district of Jorm Tong, with its big and important temple. (Turn right here and you’re heading straight up Inthanon, and good luck to you!) Lots of things to stop off and view - waterfalls and caves particularly. And thanks to the spirits of the mountain and the good route I’d taken, I was down at Jorm Tong, and on the main road back into Chiang Mai town by 10.30 a.m. with the long long ride with a numb face and a desensitised butt on that blameless highway. But eventually - Hurray! Airport Junction! Airport Plaza. Back in civilisation, with 120 kms behind me.

A good trip, and I arrived back refreshed, renewed like these trips always make me. But next time I go, I’m doing it on four wheels. As for you, if it’s adventure you’re looking for, the feeling of being at the edge of things, go by motorbike.

But don’t fall over!