Holiday Time In Chiang Mai,Mae Hong Son And Chiang Rai 2012.

[billyboy]

Hi,

I have just had a holiday and Songkran in the North of Thailand and will process my pictures soon and start posting them also with a couple of videos i took for the first time whils't away.But this was a holiday that was tinged with some bad moments, some very enjoyable moments and ended with my two most worst ever flights of my life, one which was tragic and the other which was horrendous. I have travelled to Thailand many times and can remember most of my trips but this one was one i will never forget.

The trip started of in Bangkok and i spent a few days at the markets and had a trip to the Baiyoke Tower and it's magnificent views, a lovely evening at a moo kata bbq with a friend i had met last year in Indonesia, it was her first trip to Thailand.She had actualy booked a room at the same place where i stay in Bangkok and i was returning there one afternoon when i noticed her in a taxi, she had just come from the airport. I opened the door to surprise her only to find the driver demanding 1,000 baht of her for the fare, we soon sorted that out! Another evening i took her to the Royal Dragon restaurant, that was good fun and great to return there again.

After Bangkok it was a few days in Chiang Mai relaxing then onto Mae Hong Son, happy to be back here after two years. I met a TCB member here Karnkanz, we have met before and we had a lovely day out at Ban Ruam Thai with her mum and brother.Songkran was very low key here but still fun, and a funny thing happened one night here that had a very happy ending, all will be explained later, but also there was a bad night.

Chiang Rai was my next destination from here with a sole purpose to see the White Temple and the magnificent clock in the town centre that changes colour on the hour at night.if anyone has seen the White Temple before it is stunning but i bought the book about it and it's reason for being built and it is a realy good story, i will explain later in the thread.

It was back to Bangkok and to meet up with Mikeheart, again a fellow TCB member. He treated me to a lovely evening at a singing and small dance bar near Ploenchit station. It was one of my best evenings i have had in Bangkok. Well worth going to visit. Mike and i managed to get boss to let me do a video, hopefully later on as we progress the thread i will get it edited and posted.

I was happy after my holiday and exhausted at Survanabhumi when it became time to fly home and that is when the most tragic flight i have ever had was, then after that my second flight was the most horrendous. Can you believe my joy when i got an upgrade on my second flight then after about one hour or so i asked if i could get a seat in the economy class! I will explain all later in the postings

Billy

( I will still be continuing my Indonesia thread also, plenty more to come from there).

[djaidee]

Sounds really a great trip except the Flight back.

Anxious waiting for your Photos and Videos.

I remember Karnkanz but haven't seen her around anymore with Posts; maybe she is only busy at TCB

Never tried TCB yet, maybe should do so in the future

[Wolfy]

An intriguing start to your story BillyBoy. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

By the way, what's TCB ?

[djaidee]

By the way, what's TCB ?

Hi Wolfy,

it's the Abbreviation for "Thai Chat Box", that's the Chat Forum of this Website, you can find it under the Friendship Forum named "Thai Chat Room".

It seems that some Regular Members use it quite frequently, as there are also many Members who only Chat but never Post anything.

I have never used it so far as I am not a big friend of Chatting, but maybe will try it later.

[wilma]

Hi Billy, I'm glad you started a new thread. Looking forward for your pictures and travel stories

[PeaBrain]

Excellent! It just wouldn't be travel if all went perfect. I really hope you got some pics of the moat with the not so good guys and the huge tusks on the bridge to Wat Rong Kuhn. Even more, I hope you left some undrunk beer there.

[billyboy]

Peabrain, i do have some photographs of Wat RongKhun which will be posted later in the thread, a remarkable place with an equaly remarkable story to go with it.

But we will start with a night in Mae Hong Son.Those of you who know Mae Hong Son will appreciate just how quieter a place it is. This was my first time back here for two years now, granted it has got a little busier and where it used to virtualy close down at around 21-00pm now it is more like midnight. It still holds that special charm for me and i was recognised by many people after i landed during the day. I must add that the flight was a real scary one, it is about thirty minutes to Mae Hong Son from Chiang Mai and i think we made it in twenty. On approach i was convinced we where going too, fast the plane was rocking from side to side and as we where virtualy on the ground i took a firm hold of the seat in front expecting the worst...as did others i noticed. Well we got there in the end even if our nerves where a bit rattled.

That evening i was at a bar called Crossroads bar, on the main road at the crossroads hence the name, it was well after midnight and the town was quiet, deserted almost, no traffic on the roads at all.I had just been chatting to a girl from New Zealand i had met ther sharing travel stories and enjoying the peace and quiet plus the cool night air. Then as i was looking out across the deserted crossroads junction a scooter appeared and as it turned left a computer bag slipped of and was stood upright in the middle of the road! I ran quickly out,,( I think the barman thought i was running of without paying my bill..lol. ) I picked the bag up but by then the scooter was gone. I went back to the bar and asked for it to be looked after incase the man returned for it.

The following day i was thinking no way would he have known where his bag was lost, so that evening..( This is the one in the photographs) i returned to the bar, a good excuse for another beer! I asked if the bag had been claimed which it had not, so i asked the barman to open it up and see if there was an address or something and i would take a taxi to the owners home and return it. The barman opened the side zip and we both went 'ohhh' there was a large amount of one thousand and one hundred Baht notes loose plus his wallet,I don't know how much money there was i never counted it, it was irelavant it belonged to someone else. in the main part of the bag where documents and i believe a PC. At the time there was a table with two Thai men and there wives/ girlfriends, the barman handed the wallet to one man and he proceeded to make a phone call.

I was excited now, my little bit of detective work seemed to have been worthwhile as the man closed his phone and said to me...'He is coming now' , I was sitting there on a stool with my hand on my cheek when this guy rushed in with a huge smile on his face. The man who telephoned him pointed to me and said farang, i just gave him a little grin and a wink and he gave me a massive hug. The bar was busy that night and everyone was happy and smilling when they new what had happened.I think he surely must have thought all was lost when he discovered his bag gone.It turned out that it was by his feet on the scooter and just slid of as he turned the bend.

He grabbed a few bottles of beer and went to Nongjongkum lake and chatted for ages while we also watched some entertainment...there was a stage erected for Songkran. His name was Apisit Chaermphon Wongkul and he worked for the Mae Hong Son governments international rescue commitee taking care of the hilltribe Karon long neck people.He was 25 years old and had worked for the International Rescue for three and a half years. He had travelled a long way that evening when he lost the bag and only noticed it gone when he got to his home. These days we seem to carry a large part of our work and life on these computers and phones and to lose one or both is unthinkable.

My dearly departed mum who had nothing taught me honesty, manners and respect, these three things have done me and her proud, they have allowed me to get on in life, always be in work, make friends and enjoy my day to day life and travel. There are two photographs here,one with the man having been reunited with his bag and belongings, the other with little old me with my arm around him, i have cropped it because i am shy.Do they look like pictures of a happy man! It seemed fitting that someone who helps others got some help himself.

Would it be okay if i post some older photographs from Mae Hong Son on other trips, or should i just stick to pictures from this one?

Thank you.

Billy.

[billyboy]

When i am in Mae Hong Son i always stay at the same guest house, it is called The Pia Guest House and is only yards from Nongjonkum Lake.The garden there is small but has many butterflys and birds flying and fluttering about, i have seen the ocassional snake there one time. It is a peacefull place, nice friendly staff and clean rooms. This morning i happened to see a flash of blue some distance away...( i can't read without my glasses but i can spot small things at distance) I grabbed my camera and went to find out what it was, not sure if it is a Tookay but it's colours where amazing, i have seen these before but they are like lightening, they move so fast.Luckily this time i think he had other things on his mind and ignored me for a few seconds. My feet got burned while i was trying to get a picture of this little blue beauty....i was barefoot at the time.

Billy.

[Khun Don]

Bill-post whatever photos you think are best-maybe a mixture-then& now?

[Marie]

I was sitting there on a stool with my hand on my cheek when this guy rushed in with a huge smile on his face. The man who telephoned him pointed to me and said farang, i just gave him a little grin and a wink and he gave me a massive hug...

He grabbed a few bottles of beer and went to Nongjongkum lake and chatted for ages while we also watched some entertainment...there was a stage erected for Songkran. His name was Apisit Chaermphon Wongkul and he worked for the Mae Hong Son governments international rescue commitee taking care of the hilltribe Karon long neck people.He was 25 years old and had worked for the International Rescue for three and a half years.

I am sure you had just made a new Thai friend in your already long list!

My dearly departed mum who had nothing taught me honesty, manners and respect, these three things have done me and her proud, they have allowed me to get on in life, always be in work, make friends and enjoy my day to day life and travel.

Billy, we are also very proud of you and we consider it a big pleasure that you are a part of this forum!

Would it be okay if I post some older photographs from Mae Hong Son on other trips, or should I just stick to pictures from this one?

If you ask me both would be fine. It's the stories you tell about the pictures that make the latter come to life and which count more.