When I first arrived in Chiang Rai and looked out the bus window at 6AM, to see the sun rising over what I would call rolling hills, I thought to myself, “There are bigger mountains here, right?” Nope. My very first thought of my new home was, “These are the mountains? These are no bigger than large hills.” Coming from Switzerland to Thailand, my idea of a mountain, was far different than Thai’s idea of a mountain. The mountains are more like rolling hills maybe something you would find in Tennessee.
Over the course of the last 8 months, I have generally admired these mountains from afar. Having hiked up one of the smaller ones for a Hash Run, and driven to the top of one to see the Royal Villa (Doi Tung), I knew they existed, but I had never fully appreciated their beauty. That was until last weekend.
Northern Thai Mountains, A View From The Trip.
Friday was Teacher’s Day (a national holiday to celebrate teachers and all the work that they do), which meant, no school. I had this grandiose idea that I would go up into the mountains and camp for the weekend. I asked everyone around me if they would be interested. No takers. I had settled on going solo. I posted a message in a FB group here asking if anyone had a sleeping bag I could borrow for the weekend. I had one response from another teacher in the area. We started chatting, and she asked where I was headed and if she could come along. I told her the plan and said she was more than welcome to join. We agreed to meet Wednesday night to discuss further plans. We met Wednesday night at an Indian dinner buffet at a local restaurant and decided on a time Thursday.
Thursday rolled around, I left school around 2:30 when all the students were getting picked up to go home for the long weekend. I headed into town and rented a motorbike, as mine was definitely not going to make it anywhere outside of town. They didn’t have any of the 150cc available, so instead I rented a brand new 125cc bike. (Did I mention my speedometer had broken the day before on my bike? So I also had them take a look at that for me). I left my bike at the shop and headed to 7/11 to grab some last minute items (batteries, mainly). At 7/11, I took my large backpack off so I could go into the tiny store, and somehow left the keys in the motorbike. A young school girl brought them to me. After asking 4 workers if they had batteries, before I realized I wasn’t stressing the syllabols they stressed, I left the store, hoping on my bike and almost forgetting my backpack. Thank goodness for that young school girl who had my back, again. So I was clearly off to a great start!
Sara met me at the restaurant from the night before and we headed off. It was a straight shot (although the road itself curved, several times). Our first destination was Phu Chi Fah (or Puh Chee Fa), the highest point in Chiang Rai province. It is infamous with Thai’s as being one of the most spectacular sights to enjoy the sunrise. From Chiang Rai city to Phu Chi Fah is ~70km. The drive was pretty uneventful, minus our butts going numb at least two or three times. It was a race against the sun, as it is January, and once the sun goes down (especially in the mountains), it get’s chilly. The mountain raods were absolutely beautiful valleys, but we didn’t have much time to admire them. We drove through several villages, and the road went from beautifully paved, to pot hole city in the matter of a few meters. The signs kept reading “15km to Phu Chi Fah”, “12km”, “10km,” at this point I was shivering. I wanted to pull over and put my gloves on, but I also knew we were almost there. We found the park and the campgrounds. They were on the side of the mountain with tiered, flattened areas. We chose the first level as it was dark and I had twisted my ankle the weekend before. We threw the tent up, and went to find food. Our neighbors had a guitar and a fire going, so we were sure to come back soon. We approached “Mama” (the lady at the rangers station selling hot water and overpriced instant noodles), but her prices were far too high, and we decided to try our luck in town. We got even luckier that there was a restaurant across the street from the state park entrance that had hot Pad Thai and noodle soup. We enjoyed our dinner and chatted a bit, then headed back to our campsite where we met our neighbors. P’Kay was the only one who really spoke English, and she offered us beer, grilled squid, and chicken. (Yes, they had squid, on the side of a mountain, as far away from the ocean as possible, but giant squid tentacles). Sara tried to get them to play some cords so that she could sing, but I think our friends were just a few too many beers deep for it. After a bit of struggling music was finally made, and Sara sang with the strumming guitar. We then asked one of the guys if he knew any English songs, to which he racked his brain and found in his head, The Cranberries song, “Zombies”. He then began playing some Thai songs, which was eventually replaced with someone’s cell phone. Around midnight Sara and I said our good-byes and headed to our tent, which was only maybe 3 meters (9ft) away. They only had 8 beers left, but somehow made it last until 2:30AM.
Our New Thai Friend Working on Some Chords.
Squid, Chicken, and Beer. All The Necessities When Camping.
So Amazed By The Headlamp! And So Many Smiles!
We awoke to the sounds of our neighbors at 4:15AM. We wanted to wake up at 4:30 anyways, so we slowly crawled our way out of the tent, grabbed our cameras, some warm clothes, and got ready for our adventure. Hopping on our motorbikes we drove 1km up the mountain to a parking lot where members of local hill tribes were preparing coffee, tea, and getting ready to sell souvenirs to the tourists. We started up the unlit path. Having read it was only about 800m-1.5km (different websites) and not being able to see much other than our headlamps and those in front of us with flashlights, it was hard to gauge how far we had gone vs where we wanted to be. After about 20 minutes, we reached an area where several people were sitting and a sign reading: “Phu Chi Fah; 1,628m.” We took a seat, sweating from the hike and trying to regain ourselves. I set up my tripod and instantly began trying to take some photos. The sun was no where near up, but I was still able to get some interesting shots. Over the course of the next 30 minutes, I experienced what was one of the most beautiful, astounding, AWEsome sunrise I have ever seen. There was a “sea of fog” that engulfed the mountains and valleys, leaving only the peaks breaking through the fog. The clouds were also very low, leaving a small space for the multitude of red, orange, and yellow hues to break through. I don’t think words can truly justify it. I think pictures can give you an image of it, but to really experience it, you need to go there yourself. It was magical!! We spotted a rainbow over the valley, which was washed out by a little rain. In it’s washing out, most of the Thai tourists also fled. It left the top of the mountain much quieter and much more relaxing. We made our way back down at around 7, stopping to take as many photos as possible on the way down. We meandered into town and ate some food at a restaurant overlooking a valley, and returned to our campsite to try and catch a few more Z’s as most of the other campers had cleaned up and left. After a couple hours of laying in the tent, we decided to breakdown camp and head to our next destination, Phu Langka. We wanted to explore the area a little bit more before embarking, and I had read there was a market and a waterfall available with some tours. I asked 3 different locals where the market was, and they said “don’t have”. I found a guesthouse offering tours to PCF and the market and asked them about it. They told me how to get there (only after a few phone calls and a few u-turns).
We started the drive through the mountains, overlooking miles of valleys below. You could see all the rows of corn, the irrigated strawberry fields, coffee bushes, forests, and small villages. All of it designated with different shades of green. It reminded me of Northern California, the way the road snaked around, the danger of missing a turn. After about 30 minutes, I had to stop and take a picture. Only problem was, there wasn’t really anywhere to stop and do it. We found a boutique cafe not far away, and it had a patio overlooking the valleys. With the acoustic covers of top 40 hits softly playing over the speakers, we decided to order an iced green tea and sit and admire the views for a few minutes (I had also filled my phone up with photos and needed to delete some, something I would have to do several more times over the weekend). We finished our drinks, said our good-byes to the customers who had just rolled in, 5 adults and 2 kids, who were all too engrossed in their selfies (yes, every single one of them had a phone and none of them were talking to each other). We continued on our way passing at least 50 bicyclists who had just done this ride, on a bicycle (amazing!). We made it to a small town and saw a sign for the border city. Unfortunately the market is only open on the weekends, but it is a Thai/Laos market, where people from Laos bring their goods over to Thailand to sell. We stopped at a couple stores to see the plethora of fabrics they had, but everything was a bit too overpriced. We talked with people of the town (who spoke little to no English) and took a few pictures. We made our way through some more rural villages and found the waterfall. It was impossible to miss as the park itself crosses the road and there is a large grassy area straight to the waterfall. This is not a normal waterfall, as the flowing from this waterfall is straight from a hot spring. The falling water is ~35C and mixes with the river (slowly) running below. This waterfall had also created stalactites from the sulfur. It was one of the more interesting waterfalls I have ever seen. As my ankle was starting to hurt I opted to stay down at the base while Sara went up to explore. It was a nice little park and I read a bit about the waterfall and the habitats that could be found up above (one of the only Peat habitats in Thailand, from the hot springs above).
After a few more u-turns, a pit stop at a gas station, asking the attendants where Phu Langka is located, a phone call to the park (the person on the other line spoke no English), and a few more kilometers, we found a sign to Phu Langka! We arrived around 7pm, well after the sun had set. While riding up the mountain we passed two motorbikes and one truck. There were a few signs, half in only Thai and half in Thai/English. I saw a sign that said “Accommodation 2km” and followed the sign. Suddenly the paved road ended and we found ourselves faced with a steep, muddy pathway. We did our best to try and get up this obstacle, but after about 100m we decided it would be better for us to find another place to camp for the night and try our luck in the day time. Riding down was just as difficult as the attempt up. We found an area with small buildings and lights and decided that would be our home for the night. Someone who lived in one of the small buildings came out to greet us. He spoke absolutely no English and kept shining a flashlight on a house up in the hills. Being exhausted from the lack of sleep and the ride, I was in no shape to be trying to communicate with someone (even if we did speak the same language). I kept thinking he was telling us to go back up the terrifying road we had just come from. Finally he walked us over to a map and showed us (the map didn’t really make much sense either). Then he shined his flashlight on a road and we finally understood that was the road to the camp sites. He hoped on his motorbike and road us up, showing us the kitchen, bathroom, parking lot, and camping area. We thanked him profusely. We were the only people there! We set up our tent, ate some fruit, and stared at the stars. There were no lights anywhere near us, and the stars were clear as day. It was also a new moon! I tried taking some photos, but a two cars pulled up and started setting up a campsite not far from ours, drowning out the stars. I was too tired anyways. We crawled into our tent and slept.
We slept for a solid 12 hours. Waking up around 9AM the next morning. Feeling refreshed, we got ready and hopped on our bikes in search for food. There was a small coffee shop on the mountain so we thought we would try our luck there. Despite the sign saying “Clean Food” certified, there was no food to be had. We headed down to the base to try our luck in a small village. We stopped at the nearest shop and asked, they said there was a noodle shop in the village. We got there and it was all pork. The man who lived there spoke excellent English and pointed us in the direction of another town that also had a market. We headed in the opposite direction and after asking once more where the town was, found it. There were not many choices, and we chose the one nearest to the police station so we could ask there about the market. It was another noodle soup restaurant but she also had Pad See Ew (thick fried noodles with egg) and fried rice. We ordered our food and it was promptly delivered. There was an older man, I’m guessing the father of the woman cooking, who came to us and grabbing a spoon and fork, demonstrates to Sara how to “properly” eat in Thailand (i.e. using the fork to move food onto the spoon and using the spoon to shovel food into your mouth). Several laughs and smiles were shared and after we finished eating, the older man brought us some “mah rah go” (papaya). We devoured it. It was so sweet and fresh! He eventually brought over the whole papaya and chopped it into pieces. We shared more smiles and laughs and after deciding to just order some fried rice and vegetables and spicy papaya salad, instead of the market, we headed back to the mountain.
Older Thai Man Cutting Up A “Farang”. (keep reading).
We decided to try our luck again with the road we gave up on the previous night. At least during the day we were able to see what we were up against. It was steep and it was not an easy ride. After making it a little over halfway we found the “accommodation”(which was just small concrete bungalows/rooms), noticeably unmanned. At this point we saw our first signs of human life, a truck full of people heading back down the mountain. This is where it started getting tricky for me and I dropped my bike twice, although I was still in full control of it. We finally made it! The summit was flat and there was a parking area filled with all of 2 pick-up trucks. We sat and enjoyed some tangerines, and decided to find the trail. We followed the marked trail, meeting a Thai man taking photos, who had drove up on a motorbike shortly after us. It was a very overcast day and the man mentioned something about rain, which with the dark clouds looming over the mountain, seemed very possible. He hurried up to the top to take some photos, and we slowly made our way to the top. We passed a family of 6 and another family of 3. Finally reaching the absolute highest point, we sat and enjoyed the stillness. There were no human sounds to be heard. It was so serene, so peaceful. You could hear the wind softly blowing and the birds chirping. You could see into the valleys on all sides. The clouds continued dropping and it appeared like smoke was floating all around us, but there were no fires. It was an absolutely calming place. We spent a good amount of time up there taking it all in. After worrying about the chance of rain (since it was already a slippery, muddy road). We descended. We jumped on our bikes and began the daunting task of driving back down. It was steep, and it was slick. I dropped my bike twice, and on the third time, the whole bike came out from under me. It got my knee pretty bad, along with my hip, the bike itself suffered a few light scratches. We stopped at a sign that said “Waterfall 100m” and started on the trail. I was shaken and in no mood to see a waterfall, or hike down the path. After lot’s of uncomfortable moments and wanting to turn around, we got to the bottom, ate our spicy papaya salad and sticky rice and took a breather. The waterfall was uneventful, it was just a small stream of water flowing over some rocks. We headed back to the bikes and managed to get all the way down. We were back at the campsite, when I suggested we go get a green tea at the coffee shop.
Doi Phu Langka: 1720m
Spirit House. With beer offerings.
We got to the coffee shop and were admiring the strange vegetables growing in the garden, when we were approached by a man who spoke English. He asked where we were from, and told us he had studied in Louisiana at LSU. He told us about the strange vegetables and invited us to drink local liquor made from sticky rice. I, of course, said yes! He told us he was a professor at the near-by university and introduced us to his students, research assistant, park rangers, and a royal officer. He told us about the coffee shop and that it is one of the many Royal Projects throughout Northern Thailand. (The Royal Projects were started to help get the Hill Tribes income. Several years ago, the Hill Tribes grew poppies to make opium, and once it was outlawed, many locals found themselves in economic turmoil. This project was started by the Royal family to help financially support the Hill Tribes, while allowing them to work in the community. At this one in particular, they grow different fruits and vegetables, and they are sold at certain stores in Northern Thailand). We were given a salad that had just been picked from the fields and passionfruit that was picked off the vines not 50m from where we were sitting. We learned about the history of the area (in the 60’s there were a lot of communists living in the mountains, and they left bombs all over the mountains, some of the remnants and bombs were still being found today). They then invited us to sing karaoke with them. As it was starting to get close to the witching hour, we decided to pack up our tents and move down to this area to join them for the rest of the night. We packed up our things and moved down near the coffee shop (where there was also camping and small rooms for rent). We set up our tent with the help of the students and assistant (it is a 2 man job tops, but the more the merrier, right?). The students asked us if we wanted to take a shower in their room, which sounded like a great idea to us! There was warm water and clean towels!! After our shower we joined the rest of the group, who had continued drinking at full speed ahead! We sang Beatles songs, Sweet Caroline, Thai songs, Kung-Fu Fighting, Shakira, and everything in between. The liquor was quickly demolished and more had to be brought. Some food was prepared by the chef. Laughs were shared, songs were shared, and it was a happy night to be had. After the liquor ran out, we all started heading to bed.
The Professor, his Assistant, and one of his Students.
Left over bomb from the Communists.
A relative of the Eggplant, although not edible.
The wonderful Chef.
The Professor singing.
The next morning they showed us around the grounds and where food was grown and packaged. It was all organic and most of it was hydroponics. We were told where to buy it (in our home town of Chiang Rai!). We said our good-byes and our new friends left for Phayao (the nearest city). We packed our stuff and headed into town to get some breakfast. We stopped at our new local restaurant, and were given “farang” (which means guava, but also mean foreigner) and shared a few more good laughs (“farang gin farang” (foreigner eats foreigner, but it’s really foreigner eats guava) gets them every time!). As we were leaving, the older man gave us a GIANT papaya to take on the road, such a sweetheart. We filled up and headed back towards Chiang Rai. We stopped at a sort of rest area. It was a huge filled with sunflowers. There were three cafe’s on the ground and thousands of sunflowers. There were also passionfruit and gooseberries. It was a really nice stop, even in though the sunflowers were on their last legs, er roots? An hour and a half later, we were in Chiang Rai and I was returning my rented motorbike and picking up mine. They had fixed the speedometer for a mere 100 baht ($3)! I had been really freaking out about returning the bike, for fear that they would try and charge me to repair the scratches I had made, but they didn’t even check or notice. I guess I should have taken the Thai moto “Mai Pen Rai” (which means “no worries”) a little more seriously that weekend.
Bee’s doing their thang.
Sunflowers with the Mountains in the background.
Coffeeshop surrounded by a field of sunflowers.
I know that was a lot to read, but it was so much more to have experienced it all. It really was phenomenal, and I caught myself, more times than I can count, saying “WOW, this is so beautiful.” Every inch of that trip was just amazing. From the drive itself, to the tops of the mountains, to the waterfalls, to the people we met, all just so beautiful! I am so grateful I had someone to experience it with, thank you so much Sara! I am also so grateful of the kindness of strangers. I have found myself repeatedly relying on the help of others to get me where I want to go while in this country, and I am always so amazed at how willing people are to help! I have noticed myself stopping strangers in the city now, who are holding a map and looking confused, and asking if they need help. I know that this is something I will carry on with me for the rest of my life, because you never know when you will need help, even the smallest amount of help (asking for directions, asking for someone to make a phone call, or help you didn’t even know you needed). I guess it just comes down to paying it forward and knowing it will come back to you at least ten fold, although this time I think it came back a thousand fold!
rachfro 
