'Mitch the Entertainer' 's long-awaited visit to Chiang Mai, Dec 2007

Motorbike adventure to Chaing Dao and beyond...

First stop--fill up the hogs



agricultural landscape east of Chiang Dao near Pang Daeng Nai village


Karen village at the end of the road






The beautiful limestone massif of Doi Chiang Dao (2,175 meters)


morning at the Chiang Dao Nest, right at the base of the mountains and the CD Wildlife Sanctuary

our bungalow

massive emergent Dipterocarp trees at the Nest


equally massive bamboo


possibly the largest ever witnessed by world-renowned bamboo expert, Mitch


heading up into the wildlife sanctuary on one of northern Thailand's most beautiful (and paved!) roads



looking back at Doi Chiang Dao





a pack of pigs came between us and our 'hogs'



bathing water buffalo of Muang Kong village, just to the west of Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary




Heading north following the tranquil Mae Taeng River. Just as we were commenting how nice it would be to raft down, a couple floated around the corner.....


scouting out the bridge into a Muser village. We elected not to take the bikes over it....



Dilemma #1. The road seems to end here....



No, our mistake, there goes the road right through the river....


scouting out a crossing


seems a little deep for those bikes in the distance.....but we went for it....


nearby villager pretending to try and catch fish while he really came to watch us lose our expensive rental bikes in the river....


magically, the bikes appear on the other side of the river.....



Dilemma # 2. 100 meters away, we had to make another crossing.....Mitch shows how it's done....




Half the village 'happened' to be there to cheer us on....


Ah, safe on the other side. Time to get those socks back on....and find a place to stay before it gets dark, or we'll be sleeping in the jungle...


Coming out of the pine forest just as the sun is setting....


our last 'bridge' crossing, woven bamboo




rice fields of civilization outside of Wiang Haeng


our dingy cinderblock cell in Wiang Haeng....


next morning, heading back to Chiang Dao and Chiang Mai


early morning mist


Wiang Haeng gas station




the competition


giant rooster in the middle of a field?>?!!


awesome strangler fig


Mitch and a reindeer-like epiphyte


banana stalk hearth for keeping warm at night (drops below 10C)






veggies








lizard sun-bathing on the road


upland agriculture



elephant camp off the highway on the way back to Chiang Mai


First stop in Chiang Mai, a 2 hour Thai massage ($8) to heal the aching body


a celebratory whiskey taste test--Black Label or 100 Pipers?



lights on the town




creative bar name




Pit stop for some sugar cane feeding.....