Tuesday, April 7 – Chiang Mai

I interrupted my leisurely agenda again by booking a full-day tour.

Highlights of the day included:

• Tour the King Bhumibol & Queen Sirikit Pagodas
• Hike the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail
• Visit the Highest Spot in Thailand
• Explore Wachirathan Waterfall

The day started early, with a 7:30am pickup at my apartment complex. After a 2 hour drive, which included one rest stop, we arrived at our first destination…

The Royal Twin Pagodas were built by the Royal Thai Air Force to commemorate the 60th birthdays of King Bhumibol (1987) and Queen Sirikit (1992). This is the Queen’s Pagoda.

The beautiful gardens at the base of the King’s Pagoda.

Approaching Phra Mahathat Naphaphonphumisiri: Dedicated to Queen Sirikit, meaning “The Great Holy Relics Pagoda of the Strength of the Land and the Beauty of the Air”.

The exterior features these mosaic murals, made from tile, and…

…wood.

A view across the grounds to the King’s Pagoda.

Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon: Dedicated to King Bhumibol, translating to “The Great Holy Relics Pagoda by which the Earth and Sky are Combined”.

The interior features these stone murals.

More murals surrounding the pagoda’s exterior.

Statue of King Bhumibol. The peak of the Queen’s Pagoda is in the background.

The Royal Twin Pagodas are located at an elevation of 2,100 meters (6,900 feet). Above the cloud line!

For seven decades, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit were the beloved “Father and Mother” of the nation. The King passed away in 2016, the Queen just last year. Since taking the throne, their son, King Vajiralongkorn, has faced a very different reception. Points of contention include:

• Unlike his father, who rarely left Thailand, Vajiralongkorn spends the vast majority of his time in Germany.
• Shortly after taking power, he transferred the Crown Property Bureau (estimated at $40–$60 billion) into his personal name, making him the wealthiest monarch in the world.
• His complicated marital history and the public elevation of a “Royal Noble Consort” alongside Queen Suthida contrasts sharply with the monogamous, “family values” image of his father.

Our guide spoke with reverence when discussing King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. She was basically moot though on the subject of King Vajiralongkorn. This is due to the Lèse-majesté laws, which can lead to 15 years in prison for insulting the king, thereby making open disdain dangerous.

Our next stop was the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail.

Nice cool temperatures up here at altitude! (21C=70F)

The trail is a 2.8km (1.7mile) loop, with a 600 foot elevation gain.

On the left is our guide, Mo, explaining the hike. On the right is a local Hmong who was a trail-specific guide. (It is a requirement that a Hmong guide accompany all hikers on the trail)

It is a pretty, well-marked trail.

We are now at the peak elevation of the trail – 2,300 meters (7,500 feet).

Unfortunately, we’re experiencing the hazy conditions due to the agricultural burning. Speaking of which…

A view of the Royal Twin Pagodas from the trail.

This was a fun, and at times, strenuous hike. The only drawback was the fact that the pace was pretty fast. I like to take my time and experience the surroundings. The perils of being part of a group (there were 9 of us). You probably noticed that my photos generally don’t include any of the other hikers in our group. That’s because me and a woman from Czechia kind of hung at the back, with one of the guides, keeping our own pace. I’m not sure the others in the group appreciated waiting for us at the rest stops! Oh well…

The geography of our group was:

• Couple from Germany
• Woman from Czechia
• Woman from China
• Two friends from New York City
• Man from Germany
• Man from Miami

We next made a quick visit within Doi Inthanon National Park.

The main purpose of the visit was to stand on the highest spot in Thailand. 2,565 meters = 8,415 feet.

(Kind of anticlimactic!)

We followed the park visit with a break for lunch, which was included in the tour. It was very good. And plentiful!

It seems like an aspect of every tour is the obligatory visit to local shops and vendors to check out their wares and make a purchase. Not my favorite thing, but I somehow endure it!

Today’s visit was to a Hmong hill-tribe village which is (apparently) known for their coffee plantations. Here we were offered samples of their coffee and teas.

I sampled each of the teas. They were…interesting!

Also for sale were a variety of candles. I liked the containers!

Our tour concluded with a visit to Wachirathan Waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park.

A pretty waterfall within the park.

Working my way downstream…

…where I spotted this guy!

I have now hiked up for a side view of the falls.

Note the observation point in the lower right.

Well, this was a fun day! And a full one too! I was picked up at 7:30am, and dropped off at 5:30pm. The cost of the tour was 62 USD.

Travel Note: As usual I was wearing my Wisconsin baseball cap today, and it was recognized! One of the guys from NYC (a PhD student) asked me about it. Turns out his mom is from Madison; she grew up in Shorewood and went to West High School. She was 10 years behind me though. Small world! He grew up in northern NY state, but has been to Madison several times to visit his grandparents.