Trang Province - The Deep South

We had heard most tourists headed for Krabi and that the beaches were crowded.  We therefore flew to Trang.  Trang is famous for rubber, oil palms, fisheries and now underwater weddings!  We stayed for one night in the Thumrin Thana Hotel a white monstrosity overlooking the town.  Trang didn’t detain us so the next day we caught a taxi  to Hat Chang Lang and the Anantara Si Kao Resort.  We had booked to stay at the Anantara for four days.  To be honest, it did feel like a resort, but was big enough that it never felt overcrowded.  The staff were attentive, friendly and helpful.  It was a great place to relax – made more so by the fact we were upgraded to a suite!  The hotel is set on the mouth of a river and is exposed to tidal fluxes.  At low tide you can walk for 200/300 metres out into the ocean and all kinds of marine life are exposed.  At high tide sea offered perfect swimming in crystal clear water.  In the distance you can see small islands, their limestone cliffs rising from the Andaman Sea.  It is possible to borrow kayaks from the hotel to explore the nearby mangroves. 

Instead, we borrowed bikes and explored the coast.  From Pak Meng pier down to the mouth of the Trang River runs approximately 30kms of lovely beaches with surprisingly little development as the shoreline is part of Hat Chao Mai National Park. 

As the tide turned and the sun set we would watch fishermen and women wade out into sea to gather in their fishing nets and crab pots.  More often than not the nets would be empty.  

Each day a speedboat would take guests to the island of Ko Kradan.  We were happy to enjoy the tranquillity of the beach and pass on the trip, but on our last day we decided to go.  Ko Kradan has white powder-like sand and turquoise water full of tropical fish.  While snorkelling in shallow water I saw fish in a myriad of colours.  Unfortunately, at midday boats arrive and disgorge huge numbers of visitors and the fantasy of a deserted paradise island is shattered.  However, if you are prepared to walk over to the other side of the island it is possible to find an empty beach.  Be warned that if the sea is rough the ride back is bumpy and it’s best to sit in the back of the boat!

Displays made of the rubbish washed up on Ko Kradan

All this plastic makes you think.

Sawat dii kah Thailand!

Nan, Northern Thailand - January 2014

We caught the bus from Chiang Mai.  The bus takes between 5 and 6 hours to get to Nan, but we decided to stop off en route at the town of Phrae - 3 hours away.  Not many western tourists visit this remote corner of northern Thailand, which was great for us!  Lots of smiles and hellos from the school children as they zoomed past on their mopeds.  Whilst in Phrae we visited the Yongburi House Museum, which was originally the residence of the lords of Phrae.  The house, built in 1897 and is painted pink and white.  The woodwork looks like white lace.

Another 2 hours on the bus took us to Nan through wonderful scenery of paddy fields and rolling hills. Nan is located 50 kms from the border with Laos.




The town of Nan is fabulous and it was everything and more than we hoped it would be. It really felt like the real Thailand.



We stayed in the wonderful Pukha Nanfa Hotel  - a traditional Thai wooden place with an open breezy terrace overlooking the bustling street below. To learn a little of Nan's history we visited the Nan National Museum.

Our stay coincided with the walking streets (night markets), which are held on Saturday and Sunday nights.   We passed on the insects and instead headed to the Poom Sam restaurant where we ate a  delicious masaman veg curry.  The food was so good we ate at Poom Sam's every evening!


The next day we visited the temples of Wat Phumin with its famous murals (see photo) and Wat Chang Kham where we had our first monk chat - a petite moment.  Wat Chang Kham is over 500 years old.  The main feature is the gold-capped Chedi, supported by stone elephants (see picture).

Another day, another temple - we needed transport to reach Wat Nong Bua as it is 50 minute drive from Nan so we enlisted the help of Fhu Travel and the owner, Oon Ang, drove us herself.  En route, we stopped off at the Riverside gallery, where, amongst other things, they had a Haiku art exhibition - if only I could read Thai!   

Wat Nong Bua is also famous for its murals.  Behind the temple it is possible to see the Tai Lue hill tribes women weaving their traditional cloth.  Each intricate design was laboriously created on an ancient loom.   

Here's one she made earlier - how could I resist!

In the evenings, we borrowed  bikes from the hotel to get out and explore the surrounding countryside, a

patchwork of paddy fields, shimmering temples and grazing cattle.  Nan is famous for its longboat racing. The races are held on this stretch of river every September/October.

It was hard to drag ourselves away from this unspoilt place, but we had booked our internal flights south and the beaches beckoned.  

Chiang Mai

As the plane touched down at Chiang Mai airport I was relieved to see lots of green hills and space.  We were staying at  the lovely Ruen-Come-In Guesthouse.  The owner’s son, Taam, met us at the airport and we soon joined the queue of traffic.  The guesthouse, built in traditional Thai style in teak, has just 5 rooms and is located just outside the centre of Chiang Mai.  Our hosts were very helpful and made us feel at home.  There are no busses in Chaing Mai - instead you hail a songthaew (communal taxi) if the driver’s going your way you agree a price and hop in, if not, you continue walking until you find one that is.   Our first morning we visited the government run Hill Tribe craft centre where I wished I had brought a bigger ruck sack.  I couldn’t resist some small souvenirs, which were placed in a recycled shopping bag depicting five different hill tribe characters.  We   walked through the city gate into the old town and headed to the river where we took a boat trip up the river, which was very relaxing.  When we got off the boat our boatman pointed to one of the characters on our shopping bag and explained that it was his very own hill tribe.    

At the weekend Chiang Mai holds its "walking streets" or night markets.  We were lucky enough to be there and headed into the throng of people.  There were colourful sights, delicious smells and enthusiastic entertainers.  We couldn't move for the mass of people.  At six o'clock an announcement came over the speaker and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still - then the national anthem was played.  I have never witnessed anything like it - a bit like musical statues.  Once it finished everyone resumed what they had been doing before.  I later learnt that the national anthem is played in public places twice a day (eight in the morning and six in the evening) and everyone is expected to stop what they are doing.

I plucked up courage to have my first foot massage.  It was painful in parts, but all in all a relaxing experience.  The session was an hour long with the last 15 minutes dedicated to a shoulder and back massage Thai style - I thought I was going to be trampled to death as the lady literally walked all over me!  

Soi Pui Summit 1,688 mtrs

Coffee Beans 

The next day feeling revived by our massage we decided to go up the summit of Doi Suthep.  We hailed a Songthaew along with two other passengers who also wanted to go to the summit.  En route we stopped off at a coffee plantation.  The road soon deteriorated and the driver enthusiastically pointed to the track going uphill saying that was the way to the summit.  He wasn't sure how long the walk would take.  In the end it only took 50 minutes and was very low key - in fact we were the only ones making the climb to the top.   

Next stop was at a Hill Tribe village, where we wandered beyond the usual souvenir stalls and stumbled on a local sporting event where the participants wore traditional dress.  We were the only tourists watching and they seemed totally oblivious to our presence.  

Then it was back down the hill to the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep with its panoramic views over Chiang Mai (I haven't managed to capture it!)  The temple was lovely, but busy with tourists, including monks on holiday.

I had read about the government run Elephant Conservation Centre, which came highly recommended in our guidebook as being a worthwhile and ethical thing to do.  It was an hour’s drive away so entailed having to hire a driver, but I’m so pleased we did as I had an unforgettable day.   

Again, it was very low-key and there weren’t many visitors.   It was possible to get up close to the elephants and I’ve never seen such happy and healthy looking animals – sadly the ones I’ve seen in the past were working in the streets of India.  There was a German man who was volunteering at the centre and he happily told us all about his day and the fact that it is geared towards the elephant’s needs and not the tourist’s needs.  The centre recognises the intelligence of these huge beasts and encourages activities – I would not have believed an elephant could paint unless I had seen it with my own eyes!  

We went on to the town of Lampang where we had a delicious lunch at the Riverside café (my first massaman curry) where we got chatting to a couple of British cyclists who were on an epic journey through Asia.  On the drive back we stopped off at Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao Temple – there are no shortages of temples in Thailand!

Thailand

We arrived in Bangkok on New Year's Day and the City was very quiet.  We stayed in the Sukhumvit sector where some of the embassies are located.  We had 2 days to explore the city.  Day 1 we took the sky train down to the river where we hopped on a river boat stopping at various points including the grand palace.  It cost 500 Baht (£10) to get in - men have to wear long trousers and women skirts or trousers below the knee and shoulders covered. Being high season it was very busy, but even with the crowds it was possible to have a quiet moment sitting and staring up at the famous emerald Buddha.  No photos were allowed.  We took another boat across the river to the dawn temple - think this temple is more dramatic viewed from a distance.  Then a boat back and another temple this time housing a huge reclining Buddha (200 Baht entrance fee).  Another popular spot with lots of tourists.  The soles of the reclining Buddha's huge feet are inlaid with intricate patterns picked out in mother of pearl.  The boats were so busy that we walked back through China Town and past the flower market - beautiful. 


Day 2 we visited Jim Thompson's house/museum - a tranquil spot amidst the frenetic city.  Jim Thompson was an American entrepreneur responsible for making Thai silk popular with the west.   He disappeared in mysterious circumstances whilst visiting friends in Malaysia in 1967.  His traditional Thai house and his antiques have been preserved.
We had three great meals - two at very simple places and one at the more upmarket Baan Khanitha where the roasted seabass with Thai basil and chilli was sublime! 

Bangkok is a city of contrasts with shrines and temples competing with modern swanky air conditioned shopping centres selling designer goods.  Boots the chemist is a popular brand here!  Monks in saffron coloured robs walk along with their smart phones and people selling anything and everything.  The roads are choked with cars, tuktuks and busses while the sky train glides seemingly effortlessly above the chaos.  There aren't many green spaces.  I was glad to have stayed, but after 3 nights I was glad to be on my way to the city of Chiang Mai.

Flower Garlands 

The Maz Circuit

Every day I try and fit in a walk, even if it is just the “Maz Circuit.”  The Maz Circuit is the name we have given to the local walk we do.  It only takes 35 minutes, but there is a climb involved so it gets the heart pumping.  In our early days here we insisted that all our visitors did the Maz Circuit at least once in their stay!  We leave the house, walk through our tiny hamlet of Mazerolles, up past the old stone church, then right past a couple of houses and following an old mule track uphill.  The track is littered with rocks and stones, some moss-covered and lethal when wet, others worn smooth over the ages.  Often we are compelled to stop and admire the view (a good excuse to catch your breath!) Below the church and chateau of Mazerolles stretch before us and in the distance sits Najac castle.  I love the view whatever the season.  In the winter smoke unfurls from chimneys.   In the summer the trees are full of birdsong and children’s laughter floats up.  In early autumn our walking is slower as we stop to pick blackberries.  When we reach the top we are usually joined by a couple of local dogs eager to be out on a walk.  We turn left to join the main road where it is an easy walk downhill past the cemetery with its view across the hills to Najac, spread along the ridge like a string of pearls.    

Rioja

Continued from previous post.

From Bilbao we took the bus back to San Sebastian where we were reunited with our car.  We spent two days exploring San Sebastian, which is an eclectic mix of surfers, beach babes, retirees and designer-clad people.   There are four beaches in San Sebastian: Playa de la Concha, Playa de Ondarreta, Playa de la Zurriola and Playa de Gros.   It wasn’t really beach weather so instead we went for a walk around the headland and up Monte Urgull to the summit and the huge figure of Christ, from which the views were stunning.  We ate fish in a restaurant overlooking the harbour in the old town.  Hotel accommodation in San Sebastian is surprisingly expensive, so we didn’t linger.  Instead, we decided to spend the last couple of days of our holiday in Rioja. 

The drive from San Sebastian to Laguardia in the Rioja region took a couple of hours.  The scenery changed so much in those miles.  Laguardia is an old walled town perched on top of a hill.  It is beautiful.  Laguardia reminded us of Montepulciano in Italy, but I guess that is not surprising considering both places are famous for their wine.  We were staying in the fantastic Casa Rural Erletxe, which is built into the wall of the town.   The hosts were so helpful and arranged for us to go on two wine tours.  We also ate the most amazing breakfast of fresh fruit, homemade breads, jams and honey.  Laguardia is built on a network of caves and tunnels.  In fact, some of the tunnels and caves are so fragile that no cars are allowed within the village walls.  Many of these caves are now home to wine cellars.  Of course, being in Rioja meant we had to taste the wine – it would have been rude not to.   The first wine tour was to Bodegas El Fabulista, named after locally born fable writer Felix Maria de Samaniego.  The cellar dates back to the 12^th century and is using traditional methods to produce wine today.   The tour was in Spanish, but luckily, we had Martin a fellow visitor, also staying at Casa Rural Erletxe, who kindly translated the Spanish into English for us. 

The next morning we visited the Torre de Ona vineyard.  Inma was our host and was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot – especially the best way to taste wine – you swill it!  The vines, some of which are 75 years old, are protected from bad weather by the mountains that rise in the distance.  They don’t water the vines, but let nature take its course.   The Reserva  was very good!  Afterwards we walked to the nearby Hector Oribe restaurant for lunch, which was delicious.

Then it was a walk to Bodegas Ysios, this time to look at the building, not to taste the wine.  The building features an undulating titanium roof designed by Santiago Calatrava.   Someone told us that the roof is now leaking! 

That evening there was traditional dancing and singing in the square.  We wiled away some time drinking wine and eating tapas with some fellow wine loving travellers – a great evening with good wine and good company!   

The Camino Del Norte

THE CAMINO DEL NORTE

This has been on our agenda since we walked some of the Camino Portuges last year.  We used the     The Cicerone Guide book to The Northern Caminos by Laura Perazzoli and Davie Whitson, but we could have done without it as the route was clearly way marked.  The plan was to start from San Sebastian, leaving the car, and walk a week of the Camino Del Norte, through the Basque country. 

Day 1 (the official day 1 route starts in Irun and goes to San Sebastian, but as we were already in San Sebastian we jumped ahead to the route for day 2)

San Sebastian to Getaria

(approx. 22 kms)

As luck would have it our hotel (Leku Edr) was located right on the path so it made for an easy start and saved us the climb out of San Sebastian.  Unfortunately we were both feeling very unfit.   The official day 2 route goes to Zarautz, but we were walking 2kms further to Getaria.  The route took us through rolling hills with views of the sea.  It was a very hot day.  There was a short stretch of main road before the town of Orio, which was unpleasant.  We arrived in the town of Orio in time for lunch – a baguette eaten with a chunk of cheese on a bench in the covered market area.  The climb out of Orio was hard in the afternoon heat, but the scenery was stunning.  Zarautz was a huge beach resort type town.  We stopped for a well-deserved beer and then pressed on via the coastal road to Getaria.  Getaria was lovely and lively.  We stayed in the hotel  Itxas Gain.  We had tapas, or Pintxos as it’s known in this region, washed down with the local Txakoli Wine. 

Day 2

Getaria to Deba

(Approx 22 kms)

Today’s walk was very pretty – views of sea and hills with a nice cooling breeze.  We saw some familiar faces from yesterday.  We stopped for a drink in the town of Zumaia, which was a nice town.  The path led through a wooded area with goats.  After a while we came out onto a road where there was a conveniently located bar.  Next there followed an ascent up to the small village of Itziar and then a long descent into the town of Deba.  We stayed at the Zumardi pension, which was very good value for money and we had a lovely room in the attic.

Day 3

Today we caught the bus because:-

• Storms were forecast
• Our hotel for the night was 17kms from the end of today's trail in the town of Lekeitio!
• I was suffering with sinusitis

Well that was our excuse and we’re sticking to it!  After waiting for an hour at the bus station we saw our bus go thundering by - it didn’t even slow down!  We realised we were waiting at the wrong bus stop!  In the end we decided to get on a bus to the town of Ondarroa and change there. The old town of Ondarroa felt a little sad and neglected.  To while away the time before the bus was due we took the coastal path, which ended in a forlorn memorial garden to those lost in the Spanish Civil war. Eventually the bus came and we arrived in the pretty coastal town of Lekeitio.  Unfortunately it was their fete weekend so we didn’t see the town at its best.     We stayed in the elegant Hotel Zubieta, which was just outside the walled town.  Nearby was a great Tibetan/Basque restaurant, Meson Arropain, where we ate fish soup followed by a fabulous monk fish dish.

Day 4

A rainy day so instead of taking a bus to the trail we took a bus to the town of Gernika!  We arrived in Gernika at midday, which gave us plenty of time to explore and to visit the famous Peace Museum.  I picked up an informative booklet from the helpful tourist office on the history of Gernika.  Gernika was destroyed in the Spanish Civil war by the Condor Legion of Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe who were supporting Franco in his efforts to overthrow the Basque Government and the Spanish Republican Government.   On 26^th April 1937 Gernika was celebrating its market day like every other Monday of the year.  The bombing began at 16.30.  The bell of Santa Maria Church rang three times warning the population of the attack.  After flying over the village several times, the first plane dropped three explosive bombs.  It was to be the beginning of an uninterrupted bombing which ended around 19.30. 

A visit to the Peace Museum was very thought provoking, but left us feeling stunned and a bit flat. 

A visit to the Assembly House, the stained glass ceiling was incredible (my photo isn't great), and the Basque Museum provided some more insight into Basque culture.  We stayed at the Gernika Hotel.

Day 5

Gernika to Lezama

22kms approx.

For once we were on the trail at 9.15 and so didn’t see any other walkers all day.  After leaving Gernika the path zigzagged up through a forest.  The going was muddy after yesterday’s rain.   There was no refreshment stops along the way so we were glad we had saved our roll from breakfast.  The weather was misty and drizzly and I had to wear my poncho – not an attractive look!  It was a lovely walk mostly on twisting pathways through Eucalyptus and pine forests.  After 15.5 kms we arrived in Goikolexea, but the bar was closed!  From here the walk was along minor roads.  Another 1.4kms later we arrived in Larrabetzu where every other building seemed to be a bar and they were all open!  We arrived in Lezama at 4 where we stayed at a Tourismo Rural.  The town was en fete so after a quick shower we went to investigate.  There were trestle tables and a live Basque band.  We made our way to the make-shift bar to ask if we could buy a drink and some food.  There were lots of mutterings and smiles and then a huge cauldron was produced and reheated.  It was the most delicious tuna and potato stew I have ever eaten.  We were invited to take a place at one of the tables and made to feel very welcome.  Traditional rice pudding was produced along with sangria!  Any attempts to pay for the food were dismissed.  We learnt some more about the Basque culture.  The Basque language is very different from any other European Language and may have its routes in Asia.  It was an evening to remember.

Day 6

Lezama to Bilbao

Today’s walk was mostly along roads so we took a train and arrived in the vibrant city of Bilbao in time for a late breakfast of tortilla and a coffee. 

The Camino del Norte carries on from Bilbao for another twenty five days before reaching Santiago de Compostela, but that was it for us; at least for the time being.  We’re hoping to do some more of the route next year and maybe this time we will do more walking and less bussing!  Instead we spent the day exploring Bilbao and visiting the wonderful Guggenheim museum.  I was particularly taken with the “Bilbao puppy.”  Bilbao is a city I could return to.

Next stop was San Sebastian and then the Rioja region, which deserves a blog post of its own!