Pai, Maehongson, a city in the fog

I with my wife,Tid and Bim, my son, joined the Wor Por Ror Or 41-11[National Defense College] trip to Pai via Chiangmai between January 23-26 2009. Meanwhile, the weather there was rather cool, with fog covered the area in the morning. We stayed at Pai Hotspring Spa Resort which located on the Pai River surrounded with the mountainous view.
On the way to Pai, driving through Mae Tang District, Chiangmai, we stopped at the coffee house "Ran Pang Kled" on the road and then, we were back on the road and stopped again at Huey Nam Dang National Park for picture taken. At the night time, having dinner at the resort which was so beautiful seeing the Pai River during eating, we then went to night walking street in town where everyone came to get together.
On the night walking street, I saw many happy young people walking, taking pictures, and took some fun walking along the northern style stores and on the road market.
The next day, we went to see the Hot Spring Park where the Austin Mini Team were camping at the place, then stopped for coffee at Coffee in Love, visited some Buddhist Temples and ended up in the evening for a brief visit and dinner at the Chinese Yunnan Village [Ban Santichon]. At lunch time, we stopped at Somtam Na Amphoe in front of the District Office. Somtam[papaya hot salad] was a popular food for all Thais. But in this small but crowded retuarant, it was a kind of very hot Somtam.
When I was working as the oil crop extension program leader about 25-30 years ago,I came to Pai quite often. At that time, Pai was still covered with complete nature, and the very green forest. Water in the river where I took a bath was very cool even in the summer. Villagers were happy to grow rice, and soybean alternatively between the rain and dry season, Some grew garlic onion and other vegetable. it was one of the beautiful natural place. There were not many resorts as there are now.
This time, Pai is still a resort area where people come for camping or living in the nature. There are many resorts to serve for the tourists. Thai People like to come up here for touching the cool which we never have in Bangkok.


On the last day in Pai, we longed for staying longer, but had to leave early for Chiangmai. We stopped again at the roadside coffee house on the way back. Arriving Chiangmai on lunch time, we were able to have a fish ball noodle in the city center and went to Aquarium and Panda Bear at the Chiangmai Zoo. In the evening, we had a very good dinner on the hill near Klisda Doi Suburb where a wooden house with the wide outdoor balcony was built. Food were in northern style. Karaoke was set for us. We were so happy with the atmosphere, food, and company.
As talking about the coffee houses we stopped along the way to Pai and back, Unlike the small coffee shop in town. They were the beautiful coffee houses in the middle of the large fields which were decorated with trees, gardens, spaces etc. Tables were set outdoor and look happy to sit. They, again, were pretty scenery coffee houses existing along the roadside.

I felt that this trip was wonderful to me because I could go back to Pai, bringing back memory, and seeing how much change and how miraculous man could invent for attracting the tourists. They still kept atmosphere as the northern style and green forest nature. Pai was my favourite town if I have a chance to go there again. I accepted that things in the past have to change. Nature still remains because they are strong in mind although business has already changed some of them, like any where in the world. Next few decades, new groups will come because I, a senior, may not exist in the world at that time. Pai is still there. Chavalvut Chainuvati[Wor Por Ror Or 41-11 member]

visiting Na Moon in Srimahosot, Prachinburi

Na Moon[Aunt Moon] is respected as our relative who is almost 80 years old. I heard that she could not walk because of her knee joints deterioration. I and Tid went to see her at her house on the rice farm in Paichalouad, Srimahosod, Prachinburi. We left home about 10.30 am and drove through Minburi, Bangnamprew, Ban Srang, Muang Prachinburi and took a U-turn to Paichalouad. The scenery on the roadside were mostly rice farms which the plant were in the beautifully green vegetative stage and some scenery of buildings for business and industry. The distance from Bangkok to Na Moon's house was about 150 km. It took 2 hours to get there by driving slowly and viewing the scenery on the roadside.
Na Moon could not walk. She moved in the house by crawling on her knees. She could also stand with the stick for a few minutes but it was hurtful. She was sitting on the wooden floor of her Thai style house. TV was turning on with loud. Na Moon said that her eyes could not watch anything on TV but want to listen from it. TV. was her daytime friend. However, there were a sister in law taking care by cooking, and their grand children staying the night with her after they were back from school.
This is a life. We grow up and get old. If we are not lucky enough, we may have problem at the old age. I am also hurting my knee joints, back bone and neck bone because of over exercise and too much activities and drinking when I was in the working life. Moreover, I have eyes skin irritation and need lubricant eye drops solution everyday all life. Therefore, when I saw Na Moon, I wondered to myself what I would be like when I am in her age. Any thing could happen to me too.
If one can prepare for the situation. I used to learn from TV. [ I guessed it was from Mae Chee[nun] Sansanee]. Just trying to seperate body from mind. We will not suffer if the body is in pain but mind is in peace. This is a way to practice meditation to make mind peaceful.
Secondly, when the mind is in peace, the body should also be healthy. Just keep the body slim by eating less fat food, but more vegetable, fruits and fishes, and practising appropriate exercise everyday. Besides,I learnt from my senior friend that giving was a great merit and the greatest was "forgiveness". Forgivness makes your mind in peace.
On the way back, we went on the main road through Panon Sarakam, Chachoengsao and Nong jok. We have lunch at the gas station in Panom Sarakam. Actually, I did not have regular lunch that food looked as being long kept but bought 2 curry puffs from the 24 hours mini mart there. We intended to buy some coconut from the roadside huts out of Chachoengsao and did it so. We got about 20 coconuts home.
I hope that Na Moon will be OK living with cousins and grand children there. Certainly I have been visiting her for long whereas she was so good to us in the old days

Vientiane and new year trip

Last new year time was the long weekend. My sister and her assistant, my wife, my son, and I rented a 12 seats car to Nongkhai via Udornthanee between December 31th-January 2nd, by which we spent 2 nights at the Napalai Hotel in Udornthanee. There were very heavy traffics on the ways back and forth. We spent almost 12 hours from home to Udornthanee and the same hours coming back

I wonder why people in Thailand go out of the houses for the long weekend such as new year time whereas the people in many cold countries travel back to their hometowns and stay with the families. It is winter time for them. Those people, I assume, have special vacation and do some travelling in any appropriate time. Their holiday are out of the cities such as camping or touring aboard.

For Thailand, I try to explain to myself that, it is the warm country and dense population, it is good to travel all year round, and many people can not afford to provide holiday from working days, while they get less pay and uncertain job security. Mostly, they are in the service business such as retailers, workers, etc and need to work almost everyday. When the seasonal holiday starts, they plan happily to travel.

This year, the hotel in Udornthanee was not full. This city might not be the tourist spot or the economics were down. After getting to the hotel before midnight on the new year eve, we had the comfortable rest and heard about midnight counting down while we were half asleep. And we heard the tragedy about the pub in Bangkok was in flame in the morning. We felt sad for the deads and injured. Why these tragedies always happen while we are having a good time. Are we all in the stage of unluck?

The next day which was the first new year day, heading to Vientiane, we travelled to the Thai-Laos Border where the tourists crowded. At the immigration check when we departed, it was not hard to take a bus from the Thai customs to Laos' for 20 baht each. But on the way back, there was a mess of crowd waiting for buses, after trying to get on the bus with the having already purchased tickets but did not work out, we decided to pay for a 12 seats car with the another 300 baht for crossing that one kilometer Thai-Laos Bridge. No other car allowed but the licensed or the authorized ones.

Actually, there are many gateways from Thailand to Laos, for examples, from Ubonrachathanee to Chumpasak, from Mookdaharn to Savannakhet and go directly to Danang[Vietnam], from Nan to Luangprabang, etc. But, if we want to shop in Laos, Vientiane is the best place. The stuff are such as silk, silver wares, modern electronic goods[cell phone], etc. Besides, if we spend the night in Vientiane, there are many entertainment such as Bar Rumwong[folk dance bars], restuarants, and riverside drinking places. Like anywhere in the world, the more money we spend, the pleasure we get.

I had not been to Vientiane for more than 10 years, but going this time, somewhere had changed. Now, there were big shopping malls. I went to one. It was the big 4 storeyed building. The shops were seen as many small rooms showing goodstuff in the building and on the ground surrounded the building. Quality goods were quite cheap after we bargained a little. Bargaining was a common habit for Thais. Other memory was the toilets, we had to pay 5 baht for entering each time. We should always collect coins in the pocket. The sum was for the cleaners, I guessed. Finally, the last destination we visited in Vientiane was the temple where a monk whom my sister knew staying. We had a good chat and exchanged some small gifts as tradition. After coming back to Thailand, we went straight to Dang Vietnamese Restuarant in Nongkhai. The food was delicious and cheap. We spent about 600 baht for dinner at Dang restuarant. This restuarant was located on the riverside and the open market in the city center. The scenery was also not bad while we were eating outdoor by the resting path along the riverside.

The last day, we left Udornthanee heading for Nongkhai again before taking off long trip home. This time was for last minutes shopping at the open market and the packed Vietnamese food from Dang back home and for friends. And then, started driving back home through very heavy traffic along the way, we stopped for late lunch by having fried chicken, somtam[papaya hot salad] and glutinous rice at Kao Suan Kwang, Konkaen. And we had dinner at almost 10 pm in Muaklek, Saraburi. The restuarant was crowded and the waiters were too busy to find us. We waited more than half hour before being able to call a waiter for ordering. Besides, for the payment, they charged the sum which was over 140 baht than the exact price. In addition, the toilet was a little dirty and bad smell. [I, therefore, suggest anyone, don't stop at this big roadside Restuarant in Muaklek.] Finally, We got home at midnight time with exhaustion.

The next and the next second days were also holidays, we spent time in Bangkok with peace. we went on shopping, and visiting our sick old lady who was staying with my wife's sister in Thonburi. We felt at ease travelling on the Bangkok roads. As a matter of fact, we missed Bangkok traffic atmosphere among the long weekend because the majority went out of the city. However, it was good for me to see Vientiane again after last seeing more than 10 years time. We would like to go back there in the future but I am not certain I can afford it. There are so many places we would like to visit again, Chavalvut Chainuvati