Phayao - ...Lost, too far from home...

I arrived in Phayao (Payao or Pa Yao) by bus from Lampang. Phayao is a small city and there are few ferang (foreign) tourists who come here. At the bus station I got a city map and matched it to a sketch I had made from one on the net. There were two hotels I had targeted and they were shown on the map. So I make my way in that direction and came to where I thought the hotels should be according to my map. But I couldn't see any hotels and figured they were probably there but had signage in Thai and a non hotel like entrance and I just couldn't see them.

I stopped a monk and showed him my map, pointing to the two hotels (also identified in Thai). He puts on his glasses, looks at map and then points for me to go further down the street. I proceed quite a bit further and find my two target hotel. They weren't quite as indicated on the map. First they were in reverse order of location on the street than they were on the map, so I was momentarily disoriented as to which direction I was going; and, secondly the map showed them close to a market, which I had previously found, and well before a major street called Pratedudontit Rd. Not. They were both beyond that street. The tourist map cartographer must have had a bad day or was dyslexic.

After checking in to the one star Wattana Hotel, I take my trustworthy map and find my way to the lake Kwan Phayao. It's not a large lake and has quite a bit of fish farming activity. I don't think I would want to eat any of the fish as the lake looked pretty polluted to me. Other than that, there is a sunken Wat for a tourist attraction. After all, this is Thailand and no lake would be complete without a Wat!

My map showed a roadway along the shore of the lake and after confirming that I could find my way to the lake and that, yes there was a roadway, I planned to do my morning run on it. Next morning I am up and ready at six and it is foggy and and predawn. I go out on the lake roadway and after about 30 min realize I am nowhere near a lake. I go down a couple of side streets on the thinking that they would come to the lake. After running around in a fog I came across early morning people and asked Lake? Water? But no one seemed to know what I was talking about. So I headed back (?) and the density of buildings got less and less; so I turned back again. A couple of people called out “hello” and I thought maybe they could speak english and tell me the direction to the Lake. Not to be.

Anyway the sun still had not come up and I was totally disoriented as to North direction. Then there was a road sign in English and Thai with arrows; one of which pointed to Phayao Municipality and another to Police Station. I recognized the 'municipality' signs being the place of government buildings close to the lake, so I sighed relief and continued in that direction. I never did see the sign again but low and behold I came upon my hotel. Don't ask me how, for I never thought in a million years that that was where I was headed. The Police station was just beyond the hotel. Now that I was well past one hour into my run, and with renewed confidence, I continued my run past my hotel, out to the super highway and back down a road pointing to the Lake Park. At the Lake I retraced my earlier steps and still could not find the road along the Lake as indicated on my map. Anyway I knew where I was this time and I turned and went back to the hotel; finally completing my target two hour run.

All this experience is good for the brain as THEY say one way to keep the brain conditioned is to 'get lost' in an unfamiliar city. And THEY couldn't be wrong. Could they?

I was reminded of the words of Bob Segar - “I was lost, too far from home...”

Along Kaow Phayao in the fog 1

 I remembered to take my camera with me on my run.  Usually I come across something interesting and I don't have it with me.

Along Kaow Phayao in the fog2

Posted by Wi Fi at Doi Chaang (expensive) coffee shop, Chiang Rai

Sunday Walking Street, Phrae

Phrae, Northern Thailand

I had planned to go to Phrae on Saturday, Dec 3. Phrae is the capitol city of the Phrae Province in Northern Thailand. Since this paast weekend was the Kings Birthday holiday weekend I asked the person here at Taicoon if she would call to make reservation for me. So I had a reservation for a room, but on Saturday all buses of all classes were full all day. I bought a ticket on the Green bus for the next day, no problem.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Phrae on this weekend was because of a mini – marathon that I became aware of in a brochure at the Chiang Mai office of the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT). A mini marathon consists of a half marathon, a quarter marathon and a kids fun run. All the information as to place, time and registration etc was in Thai. I had translation enough to know registration was 10:00 to 17:00 Sunday and 4:00 to 5:00 AM on Monday with the Half starting at 5:30 in the morning on Monday. All I needed to do once arriving at Phrae was to find the registration place and the place for the start of the run. Well, it turned out that these were both out of town in another community about 5 km away. That doesn't sound like much but---the problem was there was no public or taxi transportation available at 4:00 in the morning. I didn't want to walk 5km before attempting to do 21.1 km; even if I could find the place by myself. It is doubtful I could find it as the next day I went for a run in the direction I thought I was supposed to go. Not.

Anyway, all for the best as my legs have been bothering me a bit the last little while, Probably the hurt results from a fair amount of air and bus travel in the last couple of weeks and running on concrete which I am not used to doing.

Phrae was once a centre for teak trade, but the teak has long since been deforested and all that remains are some houses constructed with teak lumber. These houses and the numerous Wats are about all the tourist attractions there are around here. Consequently no tourists. Especially of the pale face variety. There was a 20 something guy from Seattle staying at the hotel where I am staying and he is the only other Caucasian tourist I have seen and we ended up at the same eatery last night and he said I was the only one he had seen.

The hotel is the Tepwiman Hotel. Definitely rates 1/2 star. I got the name from some travel forum on line which only named this one and another nearby (which in fact was the one the taxi delivered me to from the bus station). Don't know quite why these hotels were singled out because I have seen others that no doubt are a bit better. Oh well such is life on the road.

Sunday nite was the 'walking street night'. That occurs on the first Sunday of each month when several blocks of Chareonmuang St (where the Tepwiman is located) is turned into an open air market. As it happened there was some kind of dance competition also; with what appeared to be high school age participants doing traditional Thai dance and modern shake your booty dance.

On Tuesday I came  back as far as Lampang and hten will go back to Chiang Mai today, Wednesday.

Dentist Visits, Chiang Mai

Over the past few years I have been successfully controlling the occasional gum infection with clove oil.

My dentist in Miramichi said the root cause of the infection was a cracked root and prescribed antibiotics a couple of times and strongly recommended extraction and replacement with an implant or a bridge and. However none of this work could be done in the Miramichi and I was referred to a 'specialist' in Bathurst or Moncton The extraction was going to cost in excess of $500.;and then there would be five or six thousand for an implant or bridge. I, of course, balked at the cost and my Miramichi dentist began to soften his position and last spring said as long as I could control the periodical infection (he didn't know i was not using his antibiotic prescriptions), and as long as the crown did not come off one more time I could probably limp along for some unknown time.

That was some three years ago. However I added further injury just before leaving Canada and infection flared up and didn't seem completely controlled even with a penicillin prescription I had from the summer of 2009. So I decided to consult a dentist here in Chiang Mai.

I consulted with an aesthetic dentist and he took an x-ray and while displaying a large screen image explained why I had the problem crack in my root that was the root of the problem (so to speak) . Actually it was caused my an error by the dentist who installed the original post for the crown. The post had been inserted incorrectly and stressed the tooth and cracked the root.

He agreed with my Canadian dentist that priority should be given to extraction. He then outlined in detail the costs of a plan for an implant and the costs of a plan for a bridge. I opted for the implant which under normal conditions could be done simultaneously with the extraction.

Anyhow the extraction went without a hitch. ( Cost: X-ray $5.00Cdn and extraction $52.00 Cdn). The 'freezing' unaesthetic was instant. Unfortunately there was an infection, which I kind of thought there might be, and so an implant couldn't be done the same day. Interestingly when I asked whether I should take antibiotic, he said no, just let nature heal. (try that in Canada!). I had absolutely zero pain or nauseous after effects and had the sutures removed yesterday.

I will follow up Dec 20. If the implant can be done then I will go ahead. If not I may heve one in Indonesia or return to Chiang Mai before returning to Canada.

Chiang Mai Break

An original corner of the former wall around Chiang Mai and the moat

 Tuesday, 29 November 2011

I went down to Lampang city, capitol of Lampang Province.  It's SE of here, one and one half hours on second class A/C bus. Lampang is kind of a nondescript type of place on the Wang River.

Not a whole lot of English spoken here but enough to eat and sleep. No Golden Arches or Starbucks My first night was in a very fine guest house – except there was a night club across an open space facing my room and the music was LOUD with a heavy boom box base. I couldn't sleep and packed my bags ready to leave if it didn't stop by midnight. A couple came back as I was just on my way out and said it would definitely stop at midnight or a few minutes after, else the police would come and shut it down. So back to my room and the boom boom did stop.

Of course there are many Wats in Lampang, one of which is an UNESCO heritage site. I followed a map until I came to a multiple street intersection with no markings. I was standing there, perplexed when a lady asked what I was looking for and had me hop on her motorbike and drove me to the Wat. There were no english interpretation signs (there may have been some in Thai, but it didn't appear to be). So I am not sure why UNESCO. I assume historical significance.

Part of Wat Pongsanook, Old City Lampang

Lampang is 'known for' it's ceramics, horse drawn carriages and the occasional heritage teak building and it's Ratsadaphisek Bridge:

I know, I know - it's just a plain, old ordinary bridge.  But wait...........

Verbatim from plaque on the bridge:

"Ratsadaphisek Bridge is the classic bridge with a white hen as the city symbol decked up right at the head of the entrance of the bridge. It was Built in reign of King Rama VI and Chao Bunyawat Wonmanit who ruled Northern Lampang. It was built with wood and reinforced concrete for celebrating the silver jubilee in Bangkok for King Rama V. Later the bridge tumbled down in A.D.1915 and King Rama VI has continued to rebuild the bridge with more of reinforced concrete for stabilizing permanency of the bridge. The main parts of the bridge are four historical posts which are the head and tail of the bridge. The decoration right on top of the spire that is the garland in commemoration of King Rama V and the lower part of the Royal Garuda in reign of King Rama VI and also the royal Hen.

Ratsadaphisek Bridge has gone through two generations of World War. Also by saying the bridge had no war strategy usefulness of Mrs. Lucy Starling, ex director of Witchanaree School who was the advisor of the Allies.

Ratsadaphisek Bridge is a reflection of the Royal Railways civilization and The Cement products of Thailand according to the royal remark of King Rama VI. Presently the general steel bridges for crossing the rivers of the same generation with Ratsadaphisek bridge on the Northern Railway have all been tumbled down.

Nevertheless Ratsadaphisek Bridge is still stable until today."

There is even an annual "historical memorial day" for the bridge. How to have a holiday!

One of the four pillars showing the royal Hen

Next morn I go to bus station, undecided whether to go on to Phrae, return to Chiang Mai or stay another nite in Lampang. While sitting on the step of the 7-11 across from the bus station having Yogurt and orange juice a motor cycle taxi driver asked where I was going. I said Phrae and he said “oh very cold there. Three degrees”. Well that sort of gelled my decision making. I had left my jeans in Chiang Mai and I needed to return by Friday for a dentist appointment and I was very tired. So I stayed one more night in Lampang in a one star Hotel ( not bad) for some quiet rest. Went for a short run the next morning, had coffee at Wawee and caught a bus back to Chiang Mai.

I am planning to go to Phrae on Saturday. Since this weekend is the Kings Birthday holiday weekend I asked the person here at Taicoon if she would call to make reservation for me. Done.

I left Moncton on November 18 with light snow on the ground and -1 temperature. We left one half hour late and I arrived at the departure gate for Hong Kong just as the boarding was commencing. My boarding pass had already been printed out and was awaiting my arrival. We left Toronto one half hour late.

After passing through customs and immigration I bought my tourist transit pass which entitles one to a return trip on the airport express train and three days unlimited rides on any of the seven subway (MTR) systems. Travelling on HK's MTR is a breeze. It would be difficult to get lost as all routes and stations are so well marked and you can always tell in what direction you are supposed to go.

After transferring from the express train at Central on Hong Kong Island I boarded the MTR to go under the harbour and into Kowloon. No problems – until I came to the surface. Then, I turned the wrong way on the street and had trouble finding my hostel. Unlike the subway system, streets aren't always so easy as the numbering ( if there is any) is not like you would find in a Canadian or US city.

Once I got in the right direction I found Sincere House within which, on the 14^th floor was Ah Shan hostel. Hostels, guest houses and inns in Hong Kong are most usually found several floors up on a high rise building and not as a separate self contained building as in many countries.

I arrived and found I had screwed up my reservation. I thought it was Sunday , but it was only Saturday and I had not reserved for Saturday. Fortunately it was early enough in the day that there was still a single room with shared toilet still available. So I slept there and next day moved into a four bed dorm. Actually the dorm was very comfortable and had very sturdy wooden bunk beds in a quite spacious room ( for Hong Kong that is). Much better than the Paris Guesthouse in the Chunking Mansion where I stayed last year.

The next morning I am up bright and early to catch the 6:00AM MTR to Victoria Park on HK Island. This park has, among other things, a 600 m running track. (20 gets you 12). The park is always full of activity early in the morning with various Tai Chi groups, walkers and runners, basketball and tennis players and so on.

Tai Chi, Victoria Park, HK

Jogging Track, Victoria Park, HK

So I have four days in HK wondering what to do and the day before scheduled departure I realize that my planned stay in Thailand exceeds my automatic 30 day allowance without a visa. What I need is a 60 day visa. So I scurry over to the Thai consulate and fill out the paper work and pay the fee, only to find that the visa wouldn't be ready for pick up until the following day. That didn't work of course as my flight to Bangkok was scheduled to leave at 10:00 AM. So cancel that and berate myself for not having looked into this a couple of days before. Oh well sometimes the lack of planning leads to change in non-plans.

So non plan B is to do a “ visa run” from Thailand into Myanmar or Laos later in December. Re-entering Thailand by surface means allows a 15 day stamp for Canadians as opposed to the 30 day stamp when entering by air.

Meanwhile here in Chiang Mai I am acclimatizing to the weather and trying a vegan diet. I decided to change to non - animal - protein after reading “Senior Fitness” by Ruth E.Heidrich, PhD. Interestingly enough, after reading that book and while on an Air Asia flight, there was a short piece in the Air Asia magazine “Better Late than Never” citing Researchers fro University of Toronto who had come to the same conclusions as Ms Heidrich had written about back in 2003.

Preparing for 2011-2012 Travel

Last year this blog didn't seem to work for people.  The link thru google+ works.

I have my passport renewal application in and expect it back in a few days.  Based on that assumption I am planning leaving Canada around Nov 15.  I want to go to Indonesia and Philippines.  I just don't know yet which to do first.  Compounding my decision making is the fact there is a Christmas morning Marathon and Half Marathon in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I would like to do that. Oh well I guess it will sort out.