Road Trip To Thailand

[Shibadog]

I forgot what animal this is but it's really interesting as it's essentially a cross between a dog and a kangaroo. It stands on all fours like a dog and hops like a 'roo

Kinda shy though. It didn't allow us to go near so we left the feed pellets on the ground for it to enjoy at a comfortable distance.

 

Wallaby. We fed them with leaves plucked from bushes just outside it's enclosure.

 

The last enclosure was for cats! They're kept in an airconditioned room with lots of toys and space. About 10 cats inside when I was there. Most of them are long-haired but there's one short haired tabby.

This particular one came to me for scratches. When I sat on a stool, it jumped into my lap. After it had enough, it left without a word.

 

 

Overall, I felt the animals were happy and well cared for. Worth bringing kids there if you are in BKK, instead of hanging out at the typical malls.

 

[TameDriver]

13 hours ago, JohnSHL said:

part ii

I was super duper lucky. Because...

This beautiful animal crossed the road just 20m ahead of my pickup shortly after we started the journey.

It ambled to the right side of the road, munched on some leaves while looking at us (perhaps wondering if we were a threat or food?)

It moved into the bushes after about 5min.

If I didn't see any more elephants after this, I would have left contented and said "mission accomplished".

But no. Throughout the 2hr "tour", I saw close ups of elephants 3 more times (in the trees on the sides of the road) . Hearing them trumpet just 20-30m away sent chills down my spine.

I also saw herds of elephants twice in the same watching area.

This photo was taken with my crappy hp. Expecting to see them at a distance, I had brought a pair of binoculars for better viewing. (BTW one can rent binos at the visitor center)

Quite a few pro photographers were there.

 

A very satisfying experience for me. I saw groups of adults as well as families with young kids (primary school?) but the kids were being kids, so I think it might suit older kids better?

Alpaca hill on the other hand, suits kids of all ages.

Like a Safari.  Did u spot other wild animals besides elephants? 

Any accomodation nearby the park?   

 

 

[Shibadog]

3 hours ago, TameDriver said:

Like a Safari.  Did u spot other wild animals besides elephants? 

Any accomodation nearby the park?   

 

 

we saw a couple of white parrots flying thru the trees approx. 30m on our side but that's all. 

The local ox (Gaur) declined to make an appearance this time, but it's ok. I was more interested in the elephants haha

 

There are a few homestays in the nearby village but it's a really quiet area esp at night.

I'd rather stay at a town 1-2hours away and make it a daytrip from there.

[lenniechua]

Thanks for sharing. Calling everyone who loves road trips, do join us at our ROAD TRIPS IN ASIA FACEBOOK GROUP and share your road trip ideas and experiences! 

[Shibadog]

I recently did a drive up to North Thailand again. This is my 3rd drive to North Thai.

This time, I went back to some provinces which I've been to before (Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son) but also went to a couple of new provinces (Phayao and Nan).

i'll share some of the pics in this thread, over a few posts.

(The food pics are already in the "Makan in Thailand" thread.)

North Thailand is all abt the mountains. Magnificient views abound. Unfortunately, some areas were smog-heavy, from the dry season + farmers burning of agricultural waste.

This one below is from my hotel in Phayao, on top of a ridgeline. Sunrise was awesome.

The clouds... the jetstream is the bonus

Sun setting as I made my way to the night's stop.

Further along the same ridgeline.

this was sunrise over Mae Hong Son city. You can make out the airstrip in the middle.

Also sunrise over Mae Hong Son, looking towards a different direction. They call this "cloud sea". It occurs slowly as the sun rises.

 

 

 

[Shibadog]

How are the roads in North Thai?

This is Nan.

Some interesting sights on the road:

two monkeys hanging on. They're probably the ones that climb up the trees to get coconuts.

truck with bales of hay

pine trees

took this little RORO boat to cross a lake. It has ramps on both ends.

But not all roads are smooth and easy. One particular route I choose to take from Chiang Dao to Pai was rough. I think my car barely made it through in the dry. It would be impassable in the wet season unless in a 4x4 with appropriate tyres.

The first stream crossing. The bed was rocky but it wasn't too deep. This pic was taken after crossing it. Scratched a corner of my bumper at the entry point due to the long overhang.

Second stream. This was narrow but deeper in the middle as it was V-shaped. Smooth sandy bottom.

smoother dirt road

This is water running over a road in a village in Mae Hong Son. Easy in the dry season. Not sure how high it gets in the rainy season. The bottom is rough concrete.

the best "road". It's the airstrip at Mae Hong Son airport. Sunset in the back

 

 

 

[Shibadog]

Some general pics

breakfast at Soppong. It was abt 10degC in the morning. It warms up quickly abt 1hr after the sun rises.

Ladies shopping for clothes at Soppong

Textile stall along the road

Friendly lady selling foodstuff at Soppong. The long sticks on the right are bamboo with sticky rice inside.

Guy climbing up the pickup, showing the distinctive baggy pants worn by males in some of the hilltribes.

a more modern market

dried sausage and pork

gourds

various plant products with medicinal uses

 

[Shibadog]

Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin. Monument for 7 Thai kings. Unfortunately not much information in English.

Close up

Poster at Pai-Surin bridge, one of the many border control points near Myanmar. It's a river that leads to Myanmar. Not sure why no magazine in the AR15/M16. The two chaps manning the radio inside looked badass but were friendly enough to a dumb foreigner that didn't speak Thai. The dog (bottom right of the pic) was very fierce and growled when I approached.

Saw these two guys leaving the border checkpoint.  they probably just finished their shift.

Public bath at a hot spring in Chiang Dao. No fees.  There's a private facility abt 5min walk away. Can get a private bath for a small fee.

Traditional stoves for boiling off pans of salt water at Bo Kluea Rock Salt Pond, Nan.

Barber shop at a village

Water level at Sirikit lake/dam in Nan/Uttaradit. This is where I took the boat mentioned earlier. Due to the drought, the water level is very low and the hotel I stayed at previously had warned me that the boat may not be operating due to the low water level.

Fire-damaged but still standing tall

Wat Phrathat in Mae Hong Son.

 

 

[Shibadog]

Kids of North Thailand.

This time, with support from a couple of friends, I was able to deliver a small donation of food supplies and cold weather clothes/blankets to a small orphanage on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. The cold weather gear was brought up from SG while the food supplies that they had requested (including a 30" wok for mass cooking) were purchased from the local wet market and supermarket. We had communicated via FB prior to the trip, so I was able to target their specific needs.

Despite having to disrupt their football game, the kids had all lined up enthusiastically to help unload the items fm the car and it was heartening to see the older kids do their best to carry the heavy items (liquids such as detergent, milk, coconut milk as well as meats). Even the younger ones did their part by taking the lighter boxes.

Kids are really the same everywhere. This boy is eagerly waiting for his ice cream. Soppong market.

It's interesting how they carry their kids on their backs

Finger-licking good?

Little girl with her pet unicorn

Shopping for clothes. Note the girl in the pink cap measuring out a pair of shorts for the boy as he munches on a bag of Lay's chips

Granny with her grandkid at a Hmong village in Mae Hong Son.

Saw these two kids sitting under a partially collapsed hut in the same village. The girl was munching on some cabbage bits in her hand.

 

 

[Shibadog]

elephants are loved and revered in Thailand. Strangely, they were also used as logging animals and war animals before that.

After logging was banned, a lot of elephants and their owners were out of work and they turned to the tourist sector. There are now many elephant camps and "sanctuaries" but as they are not regulated, a lot of things are not what they seem. If planning to go see elephants in sanctuaries, do be sure to do some research on the particular place. Esp if the ethics of keeping animals for tourist income is important to you.

If wanna see elephants in the wild, I recommend Kui Buri National park. I posted a trip review earlier in this thread.

This pic is from a place I saw as I was approaching Pai (a well-known backpacker enclave). Three elephants kept in small pens along the road to attract tourists. They assured me that the elephants are brought out for walks daily but still....

On this trip, I also went to Alpaca Hill again.

It was a hot day so the alpacas had taken up prime spots in front of fans.

Beautiful birds

Wallaby

I also have pics of the cats at Alpaca Hill as well as other cats/dogs I saw along the trip. I'll probably put them in the respective cat/dog threads later.

but here's a 2mth old kitten from Alpaca Hill

 

[TameDriver]

@Shibadog, thank you for sharing your pics.   Looked like you really took your time, visited the really ulu places and given us a glimpse of their simple lives.  Loved how the pics of their daily activities are awashed in vibrant colors amidst their daily activities.  

 

Did you roused this cutie from its sleep?  So adorable

[Shibadog]

9 minutes ago, TameDriver said:

@Shibadog, thank you for sharing your pics.   Looked like you really took your time, visited the really ulu places and given us a glimpse of their simple lives.  Loved how the pics of their daily activities are awashed in vibrant colors amidst their daily activities.  

 

Did you roused this cutie from its sleep?  So adorable

 

I think visiting all those ulu places is good for the soul. Gives a fresh perspective on life in SG.

 

ah I didn't even notice the kitten at first, as it was in the middle of the room with 27 cats lounging about. The guide pointed it out and I went over to say hi. It was just staring at me with those eyes and didn't move away when I sat down on the lounge chair beside it. It's really quite skinny beneath all that fluff

bonus cat yawning pic

[Shibadog]

i drove to North Thai last month. Swapped to a rental bike to explore the north this time

On my way back south, i met an SG family that was just finishing their 5 week self-drive trip to North Thailand in their Toyota Sienna. Great to see more SG cars exploring North Thai.

[TameDriver]

@Shibadog was that u I've met?   

Nah, just pulling ur leg. Mine was a conti suv with just 2 pax.  

Sharing ticket & location map of my car ferry ride in Songkhla.  20 Bht only. 

 

 

 

[Shibadog]

On 1/4/2024 at 4:32 PM, TameDriver said:

@Shibadog was that u I've met?   

Nah, just pulling ur leg. Mine was a conti suv with just 2 pax.  

Sharing ticket & location map of my car ferry ride in Songkhla.  20 Bht only. 

 

 

 

hope u had a good trip despite the rainy season 

 

[TameDriver]

@Shibadog  The weather on drive north towards Phetchaburi was sunny but not humid,  nights were cool. Was so windy in Hua Hin with cool 23C there that most people had to wear warmer clothings.  Only encountered intermittent rainy weather southwards from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Hatyai. 
 Thankfully, the roads were clear, didn’t encounter any flood.