Wednesday 14 December 2016

In the spirit of Christmas!........It’s 14th December and for the last 65 years I’ve been in my home town either preparing for or benefitting from Christmas. Not this year. Instead I’m preparing for a tour as if Christmas doesn’t exist. In truth I’ve already put in place the spirit of Christmas before I left home. All that’s different is my absence.
The tour that’s about to start is expected to be for 2 weeks. That means I will be on tour Christmas Day but I’m not expecting anything special. It’s not even a public holiday in Thailand and only the larger shops will take the trouble to erect a Christmas tree principally for commercial reasons of course. The absence of a traditional Christmas is of little consequence to me personally but I get a huge benefit from being in Thailand throughout the cool season. One period that is certainly celebrated in a big way here is New Year. I plan to be back in Bangkok by then as to say the least it is bound to be chaotic on the roads, the most dangerous time of the year. As regards my destination, I’m heading north; to the extreme north of Thailand in fact. The current temperature is 15 degrees Celsius but I’m not expecting to be building a snowman anytime soon but whatever is in store it will be a first for me. So let’s get started and the first thing is to arrange transport.
Feeling comfortable........Securing transport for the forthcoming tour creates another first. I’m most grateful yet again to secure a vehicle from a friend of Katoon. Unfortunately though they cannot deliver it to the residence on this occasion at the time we require it because they are too busy but neither should I expect them to go out of their way. We need to make our way to Samut Prakan the province to the southeast of Bangkok. While there is a perfectly good expressway, part of the eastern ring, no public transport is available. Instead by using passenger trucks, a van and taxi we finally arrive in Bang Pu via Minburi and Bang Phli after a late morning departure. When we arrive the contact has only just arrived back from up-country and has been busy preparing the vehicle but it’s not the one I expected. The old Toyota Hilux is parked outside the business premises but we’re offered the newer 3-4 year old Mitsubishi Triton Plus automatic. Again it’s a pickup but without the rear cab. After the usual greetings we waste no time returning north along the Kanchanapisek Highway in far more comfort than I was expecting. All is set now for departure tomorrow.

Day 1 - Thursday 15 December 2016

Bangkok departure........The morning seems normal but packing gets underway without delay. There is no urgency however. If we depart at around 10am that will be fine. We are heading north but our final destination will not be reached today. In fact I have something else in mind before we arrive in Chiang Rai. This final destination is 789 kilometres from Bangkok and I intend to half the distance today. We’re all ready just after 10am having loaded everything apart from the kitchen sink it seems. There’s some final shopping and we’re on our way logged at 10.30am. With the main outer ring road within 15 minutes from the residence I’m expecting a straightforward departure as I take the Triton out for the first time.

The journey north - Part 1........The Kanchanapisek outer ring road in the northern direction heads towards a major intersection at Bang Pa In but the motorway is congested most of the way. However I’ve seen enough to know that once on the open road this 2.5l turbocharged diesel has plenty of grunt. I guess there won’t be much hanging about! Heading out on Highway 35 the traffic thins as expected and speed picks up to the legal limit of 120km/hour. At this speed our initial destination should be reached around 4pm. Our initial aiming point is Nakhon Sawan which takes us through Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province and the minor provinces of An Thong, Singburi, Chainat and Uthai Thani. When a lunch break is taken in Singburi Province it’s clear that central Thailand is experiencing cooler conditions as air from China permeates down through the delta, an area notable for searing heat in summer. Nevertheless I’m up for a break as I put my head down. I’m awake as we near Nakhon Sawan, a major transport intersection where we head along Higway 117 towards Pitsanulok at 2pm. When I checked the fuel gauge earlier I thought we might make our initial destination without refueling but before Pitsanulok we fill the tank completely. I’m soon in shock. It seems I’ve been spoilt on recent trip with the cost of fuel. The tank is full consuming 1730 baht of diesel. I can’t remember filling a tank recently for much more than 1000. Time will tell how consumption from the Triton motor will pan out but I certainly need to keep an eye on it. I take over the driving again and waste no time in clearing Pitsanulok heading for Sukhothai. We’re on the outskirts well before 4pm.
Chuanchom Resort........Despite my efforts to locate accommodation through the usual booking sites, I’m overruled as Katoon decides to do the job the old fashioned way. I can’t complain as it usually works. However we end up near the old town when most of the resorts lie along Highway 12 on the way to the World Heritage Site. With that corrected we have no trouble in locating suitable accommodation. Chuanchom Resort appears on the left a few kilometers from the city. It doesn’t quite tick all the boxes as we dither about available rooms. Finally I decide on the basic room that doesn’t have a fridge for just 400 baht when I’m offered use of a fridge in reception. I book for two nights. The reason for that soon becomes clear but for the moment Katoon is keen to visit the night market in the city. What could be the attraction? Well dinner of course! It appears that there are dishes here unique to the area with particular emphasis on a fried noodle dish known as Phat Siu. However my attention turns to a fish dish with a sauce that is more Japanese or Korean.

Ancient monument........Clearly it’s obvious now I never intended to use Sukhothai just as a stopover. The meer presence of the Sukhothai Historical Park nearby means I have to record it for this site even though I’ve been here before in the distant past. It seems now that it will occupy a full day tomorrow but today has not ended and I’m in for a big surprise. Katoon mentions a temple she wishes to visit insisting that it’s best viewed after dark when it will be lit up. I’m not enthusiastic but it’s not far away. Well there are times when despite a lot of communication in Thai and English something slips through the net. When we head back past the resort I pick up signs to the historical park but the penny still hasn’t dropped. The temple she refers to is only the magnificent ancient monuments of the park itself. I hadn’t figured on visiting it quite so early and under such conditions of grandeur. I really hadn’t prepared myself for it. The lighting of the monument is in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the granting of UNESCO status and lasts for 3 months. I dropped in at precisely the right time and moreover entry fees have been waived for the celebrations. Clearly this sets up perfectly my visit tomorrow. Next Page.