Our First Visit to Naan
in Northern Thailand
(Dec 29, 2012 - Jan 1, 2013)
Day Three (Part 5)
Mon. Dec 31, 2012 (B.E. 2555) : Still on Doi Phuka.
Beautiful view near the camping site followed by more views further ahead on the main (and the only) road up the mountain:
(Original photos by Sompote, resized by me.)
Much excitement ahead...
Living traditions, Ancient Forest, gorgeous views...
We did not go up to the Ancient Forest. Maybe the next time!
We saw a sign at the parking lot pointing to a rare tree called "Chompu Phuka (ชมพูภูคา)". Chompu means pink. There were no flowers on the tree yet:
* See Doi Phuka photos above in bigger sizes at Facebook: Naan2012Dec31(E)-1 *
Additional info from the internet:
(What we had missed!)
The Chompu Phuka flowers:
Video from tankura at youtube Picture from palmy374.blogspot.com
Further up beyond the Ancient Forest near the Thai-Lao border there was a district called "Bo Kluea" (บ่อเกลือ), which place literally meant salt wells. It was amazing there were that many salt water wells so high up in the mountain. There was a legend of how the two ancient Kings competed for the right to these wells: http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/อำเภอบ่อเกลือ. This could have happened more than 800 years ago. Wikipedia said there were 9 ancient wells. Some are still in operation:
Salt Wells (pic from Wikipedia):
Fantastic pictures of Bo Kluea:
(teakdoor.com...-bo-klua-salt-well-nan-province.html)
Back to our trip.
The time was already 5 p.m. Getting dark soon! We had to give up going further up to the Ancient Salt Well village or whatever. The trip back down the mostly steep, narrow, and winding road was still breathtaking but there were no one waving at us this time! The locals must have all gone home! Earlier, on our way upwards we saw small children here and there by the steep road joyfully waving and smiling to the passing cars, just like what we had seen ages ago on Doi Mae Salong and some high mountains in the north and northwest. In those places, some of the kids not just waved and smiled, but also begged and even requested for coins and money. Sometimes they were with their mothers. I hope that the children on Doi Phuka won't develop their innocent wavings into begging or extorting....
Below showed the only wider space along the road. A few more steps behind us and the land ended. A vertically chipped mountain "wall" was in front of us - but you cannot see them here.
The sky over the mountainous road gradually turned dark. There was nothing except a few cars and pick-up trucks. Just as we wondered where we would have dinner there suddenly appeared a nicely decorated resort with a restaurant! Krua Kra-tae (ครัวกระแต) was the name. The tables in the restaurant looked fully occupied. Their parking lot had many cars. It seemed "safe enough ". We decided to give it a try!
The owner looked like a kindhearted retired General. He told the waiters to seat us and take the order. He also said it would take a little longer to wait and hope we could understand. Sure, no problem...
Just when we felt bored the "General" came again giving every table a big round and flat paper thing. He said these were floating lanterns.
"Courtesy of our restaurant! It is New Year's Eve. Float and make wishes! "
Wow, that was generous! It would have cost more than 100 Baht for a floating lantern! We followed other people to the front of the restaurant, borrowed a lighter and some matches, lit the fire at the center of our lantern and let the accumulated hot air took it up the sky. It was awesome seeing the thing going up and up with other lanterns. Together they looked like real stars!
And the food at Krua Kra-Tae was, of course, very delicious!
I have not retrieved the pictures or Ken's videos taken while floating the lantern at Krua Kra-Tae. Will add later if possible.
After dinner we continued our way back and reached Huan Pak Jai at 9 p.m. safe and sound but only to go out again to Khuang Mueang Intersection*. There we joined the merry crowd to countdown and to watch the fireworks. From one of the stalls along the intersection we bought another lantern and did the floating. As soon as this lantern floated we rushed back to our car to follow it. Good that there was no traffic jam or tall buildings. The lantern took us away from the Hua Khuang intersection and went southeast, crossed Naan River, until we reached Wat Phrathat Chae Haeng[1] (วัดพระธาตุแช่แห้ง)[2], another well-known ancient wat that could be more than 600 years old.
After that, the floating lantern went too high up for us to continue following.
Good bye Lanterns! Happy New Year 2013 (B.E. 2556) !
The weather was getting colder and colder! See photos below:
Top: left - Dec 30, 2012; right - Evening, Dec 31, 2012.
Bottom: left - Dec 31, around 10 pm; right - same day, 23:22.
See the photos above in bigger sizes at Facebook: Naan2012Dec31(E)-2
* I mentioned Khuang Mueang Intersection HERE.
[1]
Wat Phrathat Chae Haeng "was constructed back in 1354 by Chao Phraya KanMuang, who was then ruler of the Nan valley, with his capital at Pua. When the king moved his capital to Nan a few years later, he decided to move the temple as well; however, temple came back to its present location in 1368 in accordance with the wishes of then ruler Chao Pha Kong."
– a.northernthailand.com/en/nan-temples/605-wat-phra-that-chae-haeng.html
[2]
ประวัติพระธาตุแช่แห้ง – http://www.ch.or.th/showmenu.php?idod=19
Tue. Jan 1, 2013 (B.E. 2556) – Epilogue
We started our way back home around 11:30 a.m. on New Year's Day. It was a little daunting having to travel ALL THE WAY with so many cars on the road with us for hundreds of kilos no matter how the road condition would be! It turned out to be a 12 hours' drive for us with occasional stops at the gas stations that were always severely crowded. Nevertheless we survived the ordeal, hahaha !
The most impressive was not all kinds of the vehicles that moved forward with ours but the super big orange moon that showed up on our left. The time was around 8:30 p.m. The gigantic orange moon was hanging so low, and was following us for quite some time before it rose higher up and became smaller and brighter the way the full moon would appear in the night sky.
Amazing: we managed to reach home a few minutes before midnight despite the very heavy traffic!
Kudos to Sompote, who did the driving all by himself.
– THE END –