Where am I ?

I have been spending the last few days in the towns of Phrae, Nan and Lampang which are the capitals of the respective provinces of the same name. Both Phrae and Nan have populations under 20,000. Lampang is about 230,000.These towns are off most tourist's maps especially non Thai tourists and especially Phrae. Nan has a bit more tourism due to availability of white water rafting (but not this season; as the water is too low) and the attraction of the Phumin Wat (which see below) Generally throughout Thailand tourism is down a bit as there are fewer Europeans traveling as opposed to previous years. Partly that decrease has been offset by Russians and Chinese. The Chinese are coming as a result of a Chinese movie “Lost in Thailand” and the Russians have apparently 'taken over' the popular beach/club/moon party Phuket.

There's a lot of bricks in the wall - end view

Remainder of old city wall - Nan, Thailand

Home of the Phumin temple, imfamous for its murals that depict Buddha in another incarnation as well as scenes of village life during that lifetime

Buddha's Lover

Buddha in one of his incarnations

Buddha Today inside Wat

Together

Interesting Old Wooden Building Phrae

Interesting Old Wooden Building Detail Phrae

Typical stilted wooden Thai house in a Ban (Village) near Phrae
Cattle and livestock kept underneath living quarters.
Now mostly used for parking vehicles and for patios.
Black container outside is garbage bin.

Typical stilted mahogany wooden Thai house # 2

Cocks of Thailand used for fighting.
 Important symbol as ancient Thai King defeated a Burmese King
in a cockfight.  One official fight site allowed per town

Single bloom along highway

Community Life part of wall mural in Phumin Wat, Nan

There are several National Parks in Northern
Thailand but, for an aging, whitey who doesn't speak Thai travels alone and doesn't know how to drive a motorcycle; getting to them is somewhat problematical. In Phrae I thought I had it all arranged. I went to the queue of Blue Songteous with map and official TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) brochure in hand; both of which showed the park in Thai writing. It took several attempts of 'talking' with different people before concluding which songteou went in that direction, at what time and for how much. So I took note of the tag number and said I would return the next day. Which I did. I found the target vehicle and the driver shook his head indicating no when I showed him the same info as the day before. He pointed toward another songteau so I approached it and there were several people whom I considered were drivers and so repeated my song and dance with them. They shook their heads 'no', and pointed me back to the guy I originally talked to. So I went back to my room. I didn't want to hop onto a songteau and not know where I was going and no idea, if I did get to the park, how I would return.

These modes of transport usually don't have fixed schedules and the drivers usually waits until they have an acceptable number of passengers before leaving their station. In Chiang Mai that is no problem. But in smaller towns where English is seldom heard it's a different matter. There may be days when there is no sonteau that passes by the park. In fact today I walked several kms in that direction and I think not a one passed by in either direction.

In Phrae one hardly sees another tourist. In Nan there are quite a number of Thai tourists. TAT's brochures for the different Provinces usually focus on Wats and Provincial Parks. Generally speaking I would say only those people seriously interested in studying the historical and architectural nuances or seeking out so called relics of the Bhudda as well as those on 'homage' would be attracted to these smaller places. For me, after I have seen a dozen or so Wats I have no need to see more.

It is surprisingly hard to find vegetarian food in these parts – especially as most eating places have no menu or menus in Thai only and no staff that speaks English. On my last vist to Phrae there was an excellant Vegetarian restaurant with an eco-enviro consciousness about it. It is no longer here. At one of the eateries a partially English literate pointed me 'just past the 7-11, turn left and then right. I did find the place but it was closed. In Nan there was a Vegetarian restaurant close to the guest house. For a few days it was closed as the apparent manager/owner who spoke English told me her mother was in the hospital and she had to take care of that. She reopened the day before I left.

Decorations on bow of long boat

Long Boat on Display

Songteau queue Phrae, Thailand
Transport to National Park?

Long Boat in River

 

Randomness in Photos

Here is Teemu and Ulla-Maija cooking up Xmas dinner at Lazy Boys Lodge in Ferringhi.  At Teemu's  blog site http://www.teemusyrjala.com/  you can see yours truly and Teemu's tribute to me.  If it comes up in Finnish click on "translate" and you will get the English version

Proof I was there in Georgetown

Near Ferry Terminal - Butterworth

Little India Taking it Easy - Georgetown

Small Container Port - Butterworth opposite Georgetown 

Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Venue for the Penang Marathon includes crossing the Penang Bridge connecting Butterworth on the mainland to Georgetown on Penang Island.  A second bridge up island is under construction.

Getting onto the Penang Bridge from Butterworth

East section Penang Bridge

West section Penang Bridge

At Fort Cornwallis

Georgetown Clock Tower

Municipal Buildings - Georgetown

From the plaque:

"The Esplanade was in bygone days, a rather romantic place. On the fifteenth night of Chinese New Year, called Chap Goh Meh, when the moon was full, the Straits Chinese would gather atthe Esplanade.  The highlight of the occasion was a procession of Nyonya maidens who were cloistered in their homes at other times.This was therefore the only opportunity for young men to view the girls, and then to make enquiries that might lead to marriage.  The girls would alight from their carriages or cars to throw oranges into the sea, wishing for a good match."

Coach for ladies only

Penang Holidays - Where I spent Xmas

I have been in Batu Ferringhi up the coast from Georgetown. Batu Ferringhi is a beach town and I am Lazy Boy Lodge (owned by absentee Swedes). Nearby is a National Park (Taman Negara) with a trail system that includes a trail to Monkey Beach and onward to a lighthouse. I have trouble with my photo uploader so had to use a roundabout way of first creating a Picasa WebAlbum and the linking to Blogger.

At the Park Entrance

On the Trail to Monkey Beach

Finding My Roots

Sometimes the trail is not so smooth

Only 1 km to go

Here is Monkey Beach

Seen at Monkey Beach - Not Edible

Another 1.2 km from Monkey Beach up 300 concrete steps 
Remember  - "Open Your Shoes"

Lighthouse at End of Trail

Back in KL

I took the bus from Tana Rata to Ipoh and then took the electric train from there to Kuala Lumpur.  I de-trained at Kuala Lumpur station which is the stop before KL Sentral at the old train station.  The KL stop is close to the Matahari Lodge where I am staying; which, in turn is close to my dentist, Central Market and Chinatown.

I had been under the weather for three days with some kind of bug with flu like symptoms.  I thought maybe I had been a recipient of a spillover virus or bacterium. Or perhaps it was a psychosomatic reaction to the book Spillover by  David Quammen which discusses many infections from the past such as SARS, AIDS virus, Q Fever and so on.  In particular the story of each event details the search for primary hosts and the path that the pathogen took on its way to humans.

Good Run Y'all - soaked from the heat and humidity

Check out those new LunarGlide4's Post Race

David on the left and Azri on the right
I have his medal and official shirt
(on a timer on the trunk of the car)

I was chatting with Azri in the Matahari Lodge when the subject turned to running. Azri 42 years old, had started running a couple of years ago when his doctor told him he could change his life style or go on meds for the rest of his life. He took up running quite seriously and was quite impressed that I, at my age was running marathons and halfs  and at my times. I became his inspiration as I became the oldest runner of his acquaintance.  He told me of an upcoming 12 km run and invited me to join him. It was too late to register, but he was confident I could run wihtout being registered. So he picked me up at 6:00AM Sunday and off we went to the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club where, at the Equestrian park where the race was to begin.

By the time we arrived parking along the thoroughfares already extended far from the entrance and along both sides of the collector lane. Azri decided to go past the entrance and circle back on the other side of the boulevard. In the meantime a bus was trying to come onto the collector lane but couldn't make the turn because runner's vehicles were parked on both sides and one car was blocking the bus path. We were behind the bus. So a group of guys lifted the offending car out of the way and we finally got moving again.

We walked back to the start point and it was evident from the throngs of runners I could remain anonymous. Azri had given me his T shirt so I would 'blend in' and he wore his timing bib on another shirt. Since there were several thousands no one was going to spot me and pull me from the run. I called the run the HHH Run. - Hot, Humid and Hilly. About three km from the end at the last water stop I could feel my brain boiling from increased core temp. I had already taken my shirt off (the only one on the course to do so, I am sure) and took a couple of cups of water and poured over my head. Fortuneately the last three km were on a down slope so I cruised into the finish at 1:08. Azri had come in at 1:07. I was happy at my time especially with the environmental conditions and since I have not been doing much running as I was not intending on another event this year after Moncton.

Afterwards Azri picked up his package and medal – I had to pass on that as I was not a registrant. You can see in the photo my borrowed official shirt and the finisher`s medal. I told Azri that when I did a run with my daughter that we had a ritual of going to Starbucks afterwards. So that`s what we did. We went to one in the office complex where Azri used to have his office. He owns two companies – One manufactures children`s playground equipment and the other manufactures aquaculture tanks.

On the return we passed by the King`s Palace, State Mosque and Sharia Court but no tourist pics! So you have to imagine or go to the web.  And then returned to the Lodge. Azri and his wife who, co-manages Matahari Lodge, are both Muslims – I think quite liberal ones.

Now Monday morning I am on the Express Sinaran Utara in first class (Train) headed to Butterworth from where I will cross to Georgetown (UESCO Heritage) on Penang Island. Maybe I will get a place there to hunker down over the Xmas – New Year period.

Gettin High and Chillin

Cameron Highlands

I moved on from Ipoh to Tana Rata  which is the bus termination point in Cameron Highlands.  All the time I was writing "Ipoh"  I had a feeling I had encountered that name before.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that it was an anagram of IHOP ( International House of Pancakes) .
The ride from Ipoh to Tana Rata is 2 1/2 hours by bus up over winding rain forest roads.  I took a dramamine ahead of time as I recalled from my last visit that the trip could be a nauseating experience.

 From Wikitravel:  'At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is also the highest point in Malaysia accessible by road. During the day, the temperature seldom rises above 25 °C; at night, it can drop to as low as 12 °C'.  

So as you can see there is quite a change in climate from the lowlands.

  Even though I had been here some 11 years ago it somehow seemed all unfamiliar.  It seems now to be much more congested and to have many more strawberry plantations than I recall.  Last night I had dinner in an Indian restaurant and at the time I was the only customer. So I asked the proprietor (I assumed)  if it had changed as much as it seemed to me.  When I said it seemed more congested he said this was a school holiday week so more families than usual were holidaying here but, he said, European visitor counts are way down from last year.  When I asked about the strawberry farms he confirmed that there had been tremendous growth.  There were only two operations in the beginning started by Indians and the Malays 'saw the money' and set up many more operations. Now there is 'strawberry tourism' with tours of strawberry farms, strawberry souvenirs and strawberry resorts  He told me there are only two tea plantations (that used to be the primary crop here and that's what I recalled).

In addition to strawberries there are many diversified vegetable producers and many roadside stands.

Below is typical architecture in the Highlands.

I walked the 5.5 km switch backed up and down road between Tana Rata and Brinchang.  Brinchang is much like Tana Rata, maybe a bit bigger but no Starbucks and no bus station.  I did have a good veggie meal at a Chinese restaurant.  

Golf Club between Tana Rata and Brinchang

Centre of Brinchang

I  returned to Tana Rata on the low road (which I didn't know existed until I was at Brinchang) that basically went around the golf course and up a Valley.On the return I came upon Picnic Park at Parit Falls

Parit Falls (just  LOL)

Picnic Park at Parit Falls

Market Garden Plot at Brinchang