DOI PHA HOM POK, CHIANG MAI 2006 Part 3

THIS STORY CONTINUES FROM PART 2 - INDEX OF THIS SERIES ARE HERE

**THE KIW LOM CAMPING SITE**

It took no more than half an hour until the pick-up truck reached the 'KIW LOM (in Thai - กิ่วลม)' camping site. The camping site was very quiet but traces of visitors were still stained everywhere. Kiw Lom camping site was the highest point in this mountain that the National Park of Thailand allow visitors to spend their night(s). The driver told us that visitors could camp at the mountain top in the past, but as the increasing of number of visitors and the mountain-top safety procedures, Kiw lom was the highest place to camp for years.

'I'll park here,' the driver said, in a very fluent central Thai language, then pointed his hand left and right. 'there are only a few groups of people today, you may select your best camping area and then go rent some tents at the national park office out there' His hand stopped on a large half wooden building on the one end of the camping site.

'You've a lot of experiences here. Where do you recommend?' Far asked the driver.

'Well... normally, people will camp near bathroom or water supply. However, some groups may think otherwise 'cause there will be some disturbance when others come and use the facility.'

'Oh, that's a very g'd point! Let's go round d' table. Jeab, what d' you think?' Ple asked, in a conference-like style.

The company agreed to camp a little far from bathroom but near the water supply in the matter of facts that there are only a few groups of people on the camping site, so, the water supply won't be too crowded, including to facilitate cooking and washing. When Jane and Jeab was helping each other setting up his newly brought tent, which he carried along the way from Bangkok, the other four went to the office of national park, which located just 300 metres away, to rent tents and gears.

'Jeab, The official will help us setting up tents' Far said to Jeab when we arrived back at the site. She smiling at her limit, since she successfully persuaded officials to help. But Jane finished the setting up of his tent. 'I also rent pillows, look!' she hit poor Jeab with 2 pillows in her hand (-*-).

The tent was set up very quickly, the officials had been very skillful. In half an hour, we had 3 rented tents, plus 1 tent of Jane, standing in the shade of pine trees, protected from sunlight.

**THE SUNSET @ THE CAMPING SITE**

It was almost half past two in the afternoon when we finished our lunch. The air was cool and windy. Cooking in the mountain proved more difficult than in the lower ground, lower boiling point of water made things cooked harder. We had a brasier we rented, as our main heat source, and a small camping gas stove as secondary heat source. The cooking gears we brought along from Bangkok proved its cost very quickly, as well as the drinking water. The water from the supply, didn't good enough for cooking nor drinking, was hard.

'HEY!!! HEY!!!' One woman voice rose when we were enjoy our lunch. A woman from the nearby tent walked towards our group 'Can you please lower your voice??? We come here to stay away from voices!!!' She came there with a man who was now sitting near his tent. She turned away after sending her commanding voice.

'I don't think we use too much noise' Ple said quietly

'she may be mad?' I added 'However, let's stay quiet for a while. Look, they've a cleaver on that stump \(~_~")\ /("~_~)/'

After finishing everything, including washing up all gears, the company sat back, planing things to be done that day and the next. Only one and a half hour to stroll around and to rest, then the cooking for dinner was going to be started, we couldn't do things much in the dark, of course!! The driver was gone, he went down because he was going to drive another group of tourist on the next day, he's running a good business, indeed!! (even he did complain a bit about getting empty-truck downhill) We all hurry up to shooting photos around the camping site. The nearby couple was moved their tent away up the hill ^_^

It was almost at the sunset when we started dinner. The sky is red, as red as it could be, and did not provided us with warmth anymore. Things which are shined with red light, were red. Temperature was dropping and dropping and we was starting to realise how cold we will have that night. The sunset was remarkable, we took many pictures with her before she hid away behind the mountain.

THIS STORY CONTINUES IN THE NEXT PART

EXCLUSIVE!! AMAZING PATTAYA SALE 2008

FROM: Today

UNTIL: 30 SEP 2008

SITE: The Avenue Shopping Mall, Pattaya 2nd Road

SALE: 10 – 70% Off

++TAT ORGANISES AMAZING PATTAYA SALE 2008++

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in collaboration with Pattaya City and the private sector, opened the Amazing Pattaya Sale 2008, at The Avenue Shopping Mall, Pattaya 2nd Road, on July 10, 2008. The sale is due to last for 3 months. TAT has great expectations for the event.

During the next three months, from 1 July to 30 September, the Amazing Pattaya Sale returns for a second consecutive year. Shopping complexes, superstores, retail outlets and jewellers will be participating in the shopping extravaganza and are offering shoppers deep discounts of up to 70%. Looking for some great buys and irresistible bargains? Participating outlets include the following;

• The Avenue
• Royal Garden Plaza
• Central Festival
• Home Products Center
• Mike Shopping Mall
• Carrefour Pattaya
• World Gems Collection Pattaya
• Bali Hai Plaza
• The OTOP Thai Pavilion
• Krungthep Bangkok Hospital

The event was jointly inaugurated by Mr. Pracha Tae-rat, Chonburi Mayor, Mr. Ithipol Khun-pluem, Pattaya Mayor, and Mr. Akapol Pruek-sawan of the TAT Tourist Products Sector. Honoured guests and many interested people were also present at the opening ceremony at the Recreation Court of The Avenue.

The project is to promote tourism during the low season to encourage tourists and the public to come and shop for Thai products and boost the income of the locals and also to benefit the economy of the entire region.

The atmosphere at the event was very lively, chock-a-block with booths run by Pattaya and regional business operators selling discount products. In addition, Bangkok Pattaya hospital was offering a special rate for health check-ups at the event. There was also a fashion show, performed by actors and male and female models.

Source:

• Pattaya Daily News
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: Event update
• Sanook! Travel

DOI PHA HOM POK, CHIANG MAI 2006 Part2

(This story continues from Part 1 - The index of this series are here)

**MAE FANG - THE TOWN OF MIST**

The company travelled north by first class coach. The coach was driven smoothly by professional driver and we found no surprise nor unexpected event that night. Our destination was 'Mae Fang' district, located 2-hour north of the city of Chiang Mai. It was half past six when I awoke and saw nothing but darkness.

'Why it's still dark....what time is it?' I asked Far who sat on the seat next to me. She looked a little bit pale as a result of uneasy-sleep-on-the-coach she suffered last night.

'It's already half past six...' she answered 'but the mist was too thick that the Sun can't do her job. It must be very cold outside.'

I starred out of the coach, looked at the pale white Sun. The closed windows of the coach was very cold. The mist condensed into water on the outside glass. This means the inner side was colder. That's why Far was shaking under her blanket and might be her reason of uneasy-sleep. I was okay with my blanket at that time. Travelling through wind and rain in Portugal has helped harden me up. The outside light was grwowing little by little as the time passed by.

'Are we reached Chiang Mai city?' I asked her after some minutes. 'I thought we had to reach Chiang Mai at 6:30....but I think the mist might slowed us down...and if we reached Mae Fang late, is there any problem?' She was the one who did the arrangment of this trip.

'Well...actually,' She seemed to be annoying at me 'the coach stopped for about 15 minutes in Chiang Mai city station around half an hour ago. You was sleeping...and if you rest enough...just let me rest a bit more, please.' and then she turned away.

'Oh, sorry...'

We arrived at Mae Fang around 8 a.m. We struggled a bit carrying our things off the coach. Mae Fang is a rural district of Chiang Mai, located on the higher land, and things here move much slower than in the lower regions. The town was still covered in mist, but lighter than I have seen in the coach.

It took about an hour before the pick-up truck which was going to bring us to the mountain arrived but it proofed very useful. Spending a night in the moving coach made us wary. Some rest on our feet were what we hungered for, as well as a warm breakfast. We walked to and fro, seeking some additional things we needed for camping but decided not to carry them along the road. Then, after an easy breakfast and a few nice cups of tea, I felt warmer and was ready.

'Is the pick-up arrive?' Kiead said, pouring more tea to her cup 'Arr, this tea's very hot but I'll, for sure, miss it shortly after we travel up high.'

'I think he's come!! Get yourselves ready' Far said after her mobile phone rang. 'Hullo, is that (Mr.) Tum?....Well, we're in the nearby caff....No, wait for us there, we've left our luggages where you're now.'

'We gotta go...' She talked to us and then turnd away to the cafe owner 'Bill, please!!'

We moved back to the station, actually, it's too small to be called "station", like a "stop", it is, where we left our luggages and saw a man who was called "Tum" and his modified pick-up truck. We put everything on the open part in the back of the vehicle, including ourselves. We then left the misty town behind, heading for the Office of Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park.

**UP THE MOUNTAIN SLOPE**

The Office of Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park was located near 'Mae Fang Hot Spring'. There was little mist there since the ground was warmer than the other places or it was day enough. The outside scenary was very beautiful; green and bright: the Sun could doing her job well here. We registered ourselves to the officials and requested to rent 3 tents and related gears. It was great that the national park can provide you with these things because it must be so tired carrying them from Bangkok.

We left the beautiful Mae Fang Hot Spring with the intention to come back in a few days. We again, sat on the back of the pick-up truck which now heading directly towards the mountain. The road was started to climb up steadily and became non-asphalted. It was rougher and tougher as we get higher up the mountain. The truck climbed skillfully through the gravelled road. Sometimes, we found travelling on the road, the local people with their cattle. We spoke less and less to each other, concentrating on the oncoming pitfalls and stems, and trying to steady ourselves as best as we can.

More than an hour passed, the pick-up truck, which was driven pass many gorges' border, suddenly stopped on the sideways.

'Ooi, Ahoy!! I'll stop here for a bit!!' The driver said. 'It's the sightseeing spot, you can com'off!!'

We headed ourselves up and slowly went off the truck, as some muscles are stiffed. It was another gorge's border but the most beautiful than others we had seen along the way. There was a sign labelled "ป่าสนปลูก สูงจากระดับน้ำทะเล 1,564 ม. - Planted Pine Forest; 1,564 metres from sea level".

'Look at that!! it's very beautiful!! - the sea of mist!!' Ple said excitedly.

THIS STORY CONTINUES IN THE NEXT PART

DOI PHA HOM POK, CHIANG MAI 2006 Part 1

Hi, and welcome to my NEW series.

(The index of this series is here)

It was right just after I travelled back from Portugal that I and my university friends decided to travel somewhere North, where we could do some camping activities and have some experiences sleeping in the tent. After some searching and recommendations, we selected to visit 'Doi Pha Hom Pok' or Pha-Hom-Pok Mountain, the second most highest mountain in Thailand. Where the nature was still preserved at its best and tent was the only way to stay there.

++DOI PHA HOM POK NATIONAL PARK++

Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, located in Amphur Mae Eye, Amphur Fang, Amphur Chai Prakarn of Chiang Mai Province, consists of complicated geography which is a part of a watershed called Dan Lao Mountain Range. It is the productive forest which not only has a great number of plants and animals but also beautiful natures, for examples, Huai Bond Cave, Hot-mineral Water Pond, Hot Spring and Mae Jai Stream. It is an importantly traveling place of Chiangmai Province. Traveler can take convenient ways to get there. It is 524 square kilometers, and has been declared a national park since September 4, 2000.

The temperature in this area is approximately 25 degrees Celsius all the year round; it is about 14 - 19 degrees Celsius on November to February, the highest temperature is 39 degree Celsius on April and heavy rain on May to September approximately 1,184 mm. of rain all the year round.

The forest is productive and consists of semi-evergreen forest, montane forest, pine forest (coniferous forest), mixed forest and deciduous forest which have many kinds of economically valuable plants such as Malabar ironwood, wild Euphorbiaceae, Yang, Burmese ebony, Lagerstroemia, Teak wood, wild champak and emblic myrabolan etc. And more importantly, there are rare floras such as Impatiens jurpioides T. Shimizu and Rhododendronwhich which can be normally found in Doi Pha hom Pok.

The forest of Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park is on complicated mountain and in contact with the forest of Myanmar so that makes many kinds of wild animal migrating into this area regularly. And because it is the productive forest so that makes it have a number of animals, for examples, mammals such as barking deer, deer, bear, wild bore, loris and mountain goat—a reserve animal of Thailand, birds such as turtledove and purple cochoa--found only in Northern Thailand, and nearly extinct butterfly such as Imperial Butterfly, Kaiser Butterfly and Phutan Butterfly.

Source: National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Thailand

**THE COMPANY GOES NORTH**

'We haf'ta go around New year, when the north is cold and the weather is usually clear...' I gave my comment to others. '...It's no use if you climb to the top of the mount 'n it's hot as hell!!'

'But it must be crowded,' Far, one of my companions said 'I wanna go there where nature are everywhere, not with too many people, it will be bad chasing for this and those with them.'

'I think so,' Ple, another of my companions, added 'but we should make decision early, I might have things to rearrange.'

We ended up with a choice to go there a week after 'Newyear's week' as everyone are free. My companions in this trip are; Miss Farsai 'FAR' Chanjaruporn, Miss Chuleewan 'PLE' Wattanawannax, Miss Ranida 'JEAB' Jiwarungruang, Miss Jeerawan 'KIEAD' Tunsiri, and Mr. Jane (sorry, I dunno your real name, Jane). So, it's quite a big company.

'See ya all at 6 on the 5th of Jan, at Mo chit, don't forget to bring your mobile, okay?' Far concluded

It was Thursday afternoon, a fair afternoon with bright sun and cool wind. I was waiting for Far, Ple and Jeab, who was working in the same office as me, and we decided to go to Mochit station together. Far was the first to come.

'Hi, Jeab will follow me very soon but Ple is at home now. She will see us at Mochit. Let's find Taxi first'

'Well, I hope she will be there in-time...'

Due to troublesome traffic jam, we arrived at Mochit around 6 o'clock. Mochit was jammed with people travelled back from Newyear holiday. There were not many departure passengers there and buying ticket was not a problem. The rest of the company was arrived in-time; 'the wet hair' Ple, right from her bathroom, 'the new face' Jane, Jeab's BF whom I was introduced for the first time, and last of all.... 'the almost unrecognisable' Kiead, she gained some weight.

'K-I-E-A-DDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!' Girls called her out loud with a lot of amazement.

'Hullo, everyone, long time no see.'

'Yeah! Seems like it's a very long time, indeed!' I said. Kiead in my memory was a slender girl from Northestern region of Thailand. But she was slender no more...

'What happen, Kiead, why...why d' you be like this?' Ple asked, she was smiling at all her might.

'I dunno. I just eat things a bit more...' She replied, waving her hand.

The company started asking others of their life and living but the time came short. The coach was about to leave, we'd to be in a hurry...

'CHIANG MAI, I'M COMING BACK TO YOU AGAIN!!' I thought.

THIS SERIES CONTINUES IN THE NEXT PART