The Journey To Huaymalai
Travelog Log #2
From Chiang Mai to Huay Malai...............
October 2005
My journeys through Northern and Central Thailand were part vacation and part fact finding mission on the region where my son is involved in missionary work with the Karen Hilltribe refugees from Burma.
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Well.....Here is Point A.
We left Chiang Mai on the night train to Bangkok on the first leg of our journey to the jungle village of Huay Malai, in the Sangkhlaburi district of Kanchanaburi province. The night train is a relatively inexpensive way to spend the night somewhere, and get from point A to point B at the same time..
The trip would take about 24 hours, with about 20 of those hours spent in motion either in a train, a taxi, or a Songtaew. At the Chiang Mai train station, Chris and I took turns sitting with our bags, and with the heat, humidity, and diesel exhaust I was glad I could move around and enjoy the "ambiance".
Another important discovery....."ambiance". It was my favorite word to describe various sights, sounds, smells, heat and humidity and how quickly it can change every four steps. Perhaps I can best describe ambiance as the smell of fish frying followed by the smell of cotton candy followed by the smell of chicken roasting over charcoals followed by the smell of fresh cut pineapple followed by the smell of something very bad that defies description, followed by the smell of something very good that defies description....every four steps.
Add high temperatures and humidity, probable intermittant heavy rainfall, and exhaust from cars /trucks /motorcycles/ Tuk Tuks/ buses . I came to the conclusion that "ambiance" good or bad, is part of the adventure in Thailand. And while you may detect a trace of sarcasm, the overall effect of the "ambiance" is to unlock a world that is reminescent of your childhood and your first taste of ice cream, or the first time you smelled a rose. You also learned the taste of medicine, and the smell of a garbage can. Come prepared for adventure, and try to experience as much as possible while you are here. There are times when an antacid, a Vicks inhaler, or a small handheld battery powered fan can be well worth the trouble of bringing along.
Bad
This Street Market in the Northern town of Pai was a perfect example of "Ambiance". After smelling something particularly foul, I turned around to photograph my son when he got to it. Instead I got this group just as the young man on the left exclaimed loudly "What is that smell"? The young woman's face is just beginning to register "the ambiance"
Good
Located at the top of a hill on the sprawling grounds of Phu Ping Palace, we could smell this juice stand before we could see it. It was freshly squeezed oranges which were more the size of a limes, and very sweet. Ahhhh. One more please.
Bad
I like sausage alot, but whatever these sausages were made from, the smell absolutely did not make me want to try them....I picked up the pace I was walking at, and left the sausages for those who found the aroma tempting.
Good
Not ten feet away from the sausage, the most pleasant smells of incense, flowers, and spices drew me into the next area of the Bazarre. The added exotic view of the Wat in the background made this a very quick turnaround of "Ambiance".
The platform at the Chiang Mai train station had plenty of exotic ambiance, and we were enjoying every minute of it( seriously, there is some great food in the snack bar which can be purchased to-go and brought aboard the train ). Just to be safe we bought some cold drinks, fruit and potato chips for the trip. We spoke for a bit with a family from Great Brittain who would be traveling on the same train as us, and then it was time to go. The second-class air conditioned sleeper car was a refreshing way to see the countryside of Thailand and it was a good chance to relax and discuss what we had seen and done in and around Chiang Mai.
It takes a fair bit of time to clear Chiang Mai Province and the agricultural areas which surround it. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate as far as taking photos, and the trackside vegetation, the power poles and lines, and the smudged water spotted windows did'nt help either.
Fortunately we still saw a lot of beautiful countryside and probably enjoyed it more without the distraction of the cameras.
We enjoyed views of vast rice paddies, jungled hillsides, muddy rivers and wild orchids growing in the trees along the tracks.
Since we took the "early" night train we would have a couple extra hours to see the scenery as the train made it's way through the heavily jungled mountains of Doi Khuntan National Park.
After what was a so-so dinner of Thai food served at our seats, we talked for an hour or so and then the porter made up the sleeping compartments and we reluctantly turned in at about 9 PM and went through the motions of sleeping.
Not everyone was ready to call it a day and the open layout of the car allowed us to occasionally mingle with the other passengers, and everyone seemed to be having a good experience. I slept maybe three hours out of eight, Chris slept like a baby. Those clack clack, clack clack , screech, clankity clank sounds from all of those movies were accurate, just add rocking back and forth to the soundtrack. Still, it was a lot of fun and I've done it a couple of times since.
About 45 minutes prior to our arrival in Bangkok, our sleeping berths were converted back to seats, coffee was served, and with little fanfare we coasted into Bangkok at dawn. And this Bangkok morning started with a heavy drizzle to greet the trackside residents along with their coffee and breakfast.
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The plywood and corrugated metal dwellings along the tracks were a reminder of the less fortunate inhabitants of this sprawling city, but seeing them going about their daily lives I got the feeling that even they understand that there are much worse circumstances to be in than theirs.
The conductor announced Bangkok Station and we climbed down off the train, made our way into the terminal, and immediately checked our baggage into storage.
And here is point B the next morning 13 hours later.
The Bangkok train station was not as crazy as I thought it would be, and actually the people were quite orderly and polite. Still, as trains arrive the people come in waves.
The Bangkok train station is an interesting Art Deco relic and since we had a couple of hours to wait for Sharon coming in on the next train from Chiang Mai, we took advantage of the coffee bar upstairs for some much needed caffiene.
My son Chris was kind enough to pose for this photo, even though he had not even been allowed to taste his coffee yet..... what a good kid!
The upstairs vantage point offered a great view of the waiting area, and the hustle and bustle of the morning commuters. It was kind of nice relaxing upstairs and enjoying some people watching while we waited for Sharon's train, because normally when you arrive on the night train, you immediately leave the station.
I truly expected it to be much busier in the train station, but it worked out just fine and we met up with our friend and made arrangements for a taxi so we could leave Bangkok immediately for Kanchanaburi (Point C), where we would catch another train to Namtok ( Point D).
Stepping outside into daylight and the big city of Bangkok was a blur while trying to keep up with the driver assigned to us by the travel office but we had expressed to him we were in a bit of a hurry, and it was nice to see he was ready to do his part.
We got a smile and a thumbs-up from one of the tuk tuk drivers while our driver was trying to make our size #ten amount of stuff fit into his size #eight trunk.
I must say that most of the tuk tuk drivers I've met were nice guys who really know their way around. During the day, with a lot of drivers around, feel free to bargain them down 20% or so if you are into bargaining.
Sometimes they throw out a price with a bit of a sheepish grin. If I pay that price I don't tip.
If I bargain him down and he does a good job, points out places of interest, and drops me where it is convenient for me, instead of himself, I'll go ahead and pay his asking price. Expect to pay more late at night when there are fewer tuk tuks available.
Sharon's train arrived on time and after allowing her to catch a quick snack, we contracted a taxi to wisk us off through Bangkok's early morning traffic to the city of Kanchanaburi, two hours away, where we would catch another train to the end of the line in Namtok. As our driver made his way through the crowded streets, we were free to enjoy the sights as the residents of Bangkok began their busy work days. Bangkok is very different from Chiang Mai, very busy, very crowded, and watching the street life was both interesting and educational. Making our way out of Bangkok reminded me of leaving Los Angeles which takes a fair bit of time to do, whether there is traffic or not.
The small elephant-like statue on the dash is a Hindu god named Ganesh.
That indicates a high probability that this driver may be Hindu. You can learn a lot about your drivers by what statues and medalions they display on their dash or rear-view mirror. The flowered necklaces are seen hanging everywhere from rear-view mirrors to the tusks of elephant statues at the temples, and the spirit houses along the roads.
We left Bangkok in such of a hurry that I'm not even going to discuss it here other than to say that usually the streets are crowded with cars, taxis, tuk tuks, songtaews, buses, trucks, motorcycles weaving in and out, and lots of people on foot, pushing carts, selling food, eating food, and walking everywhere where there was nobody driving at, and our driver was taking every alternate route he could think of to avoid joining that club.
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The skyline from the freeway looked an awful lot like the view from the 5 freeway in Los Angeles down to the 7-11 sign sticking up from below.
Next Stop, the city of Kanchanaburi.
Thanks to our driver's excellent skills, we made it to Kanchanaburi with time to spare.
Since we had a bit of time to wait at the Kanchanaburi train station, we took the opportunity to explore the famous Bridge over the River Kwai, and to enjoy some iced coffees from a sidewalk vendor. This is a very interesting restaurant area with several levels of restaurants from water level on the river to various levels overlooking the river.
We were glad to have some time to look around, and the taxi fare from Bangkok was well worth the extra time it created.This was a another major discovery, the money can be replaced at an ATM, while the time you have in country is limited.
That said, I very much enjoy riding in the back of a Songtaew* ( when there is no rain ), especially when out in the country(* A less expensive mode of transportation is a pick-up truck with a covered tubular metal enclosure and benches, with tarps that roll down if it rains ).
Before we knew it the trains' whistle was blowing and it's bell was clanging and we pulled out of Kanchanaburi through some beautiful farmlands and into the jungled lowland forests and sawtoothed limestone buttes of Kanchanaburi province. In fact the jungle grows so close to the tracks that at some points, we ended up with a lap full of leaves brushed off of the trackside vegetation.
But the cool moist air coming through the open windows felt good and the smells of the jungle and the river added to the exotic atmosphere. There were dramatic views of the jungle and the river, and in some locations there were bungalows built on barges moored along the riverbank. These "floatels" are becoming popular getaways for tourists from Bangkok, and foreign visitors as well.
After our arrival at Namtok, looking around, it was clear from the sounds of the birds and insects that we were officially "out in the jungle". As we left the tourists behind, Sharon went over and spoke to a Grandmotherly looking woman sitting parked with her grandchildren in a "well used" Songtaew. When Sharon returned she seemed very happy to tell us that this woman was willing to drive us the rest of the way to our destination, the village of Huay Malai in the Sangkhlaburi district of Kanchanaburi province. Looking around, I did'nt see any other modes of transportation, and wondered what plan B would have been. For some reason, I felt that if I had asked Sharon about Plan B, she would have said " Dont worry, God knows we are coming ".
We stopped at a couple of the local waterfalls and had lunch before continuing on to Huay Malai.
Young Buddhist monks in safron robes laughed as they made their way across the concrete stepping stones set in the wide streams below the falls trying to keep their robes dry.
It was some type of holiday and there were many Thai families either bathing in the cool waters, browsing the merchants' stands, or having a picnic. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and we were too.
After lunch we were off in our open air Songtaew enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the forest.
About 2 hours out of Namtok, we found ourselves steadily climbing up winding mountain roads overlooked by misty peaks.
Then at one point coming around a curve, there was suddenly a large lake stretching into the distance. Vajiralongkorn Lake, (formerly the Khao Laem reservoir) formed behind the Khao Laem Dam and flooded many villages and even temples in the Sangkhlaburi district.
Many of the ever industrious Mon and Karen tribes people, have built their homes on rafts fashioned on top of empty fuel drums, or in some cases bundled lengths of bamboo.
As we traveled along the lake's edge, we saw many of these floating bungalows, both singles and in groups. These floating raft homes are either tied up along the shore, or anchored out on the lake. It was getting to be late afternoon and although we were in the open back of the Songtaew, it was quite comfortable.
Finally, my son told me that we were nearing the town of Sangkhlaburi and our destination was another fifteen or twenty minutes further.
We soon arrived at the home of Pawlulu and Nandoe, where Sharon and Chris were quickly surrounded by smiling faces. 
From the time we left Chiang Mai, it had been one adventure after another getting to our destination here in Huay Malai.
It then occured to me at that moment as I arrived at Point E - the jungle village of Huay Malai- that I had come all this way and that I had no idea what I was going to do while I was there. Then, smiling at the opportunities for spontaneity, I went inside to meet our hosts.
End of Travelog
All photos, videos, artwork and image editing by Christopher Mills or Gary Mills
