Thailand Trip November 2016
Page 5
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Monday 07/11/16 and we were on parade again. A five o'clock call ensured we would have plenty of time to prepare ourselves to participate in the local Saibart (pronounced baht). The weather God's decided to allow some rain to fall and wake us up but, it was warm rain and the monks didn't mind so why should we? We had purchased baskets full of goodies, the idea being to hand something out to each monk as they moved along in line. We soon found ourselves running out of stuff and had to share the last few bits to give to the Monks. |
Saibart over and we had a little time to burn before the cafe across the road opened. We took the opportunity to look at the fine views over the Mekong from the hotel patio. The image right shows the three youngest in the group indulging in a 'Mekong Selfie' and a nice piece of eye candy they make too. All though Chiang Khan is a popular tourist destination it's mainly Thai people who travel there. Consequently the breakfast choices for us Falangs were limited, however we were able to make toast so egg on toast or an omelette with some veg and pork mince bits found its way to our plates. |
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And then we were off in the transport to we knew not where? That's unless we'd taken the time to check out the itinerary of course? As it turned out, Kaeng Khut Khu is just six kilometers east to an 'S' bend in the river. After alighting Jacks roht-maeh (bus), we ran a gauntlet of market stalls to reach the vantage point that normally provides more spectacular views of the Mekong. As the party was predominantly male, we transited the stalls without mishap and our wallet's intact to emerge into a viewing area. |
The rollover above shows why what should have been beautiful views before us were in fact a bit of a damp squib. So here's where I resume a tale of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour). With picture opportunities at a minimum, an enquiring mind looks for other things to do. There was quite a bit of water lying around and on espying a mop Neville picked it up and proceeded to mop up. Of course we bystanders loved it as it gave us fodder for our cameras so we encouraged him to greater efforts. Click on the image right for a full feature video of the action |
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On persuading Neville to give up the mop we walked back into the market area. Mistake! He spotted a little old Thai lady sweeping the excess water away from her stall. OCD in full flow, he wrestled the broom away from her despite the shriek's of protest. Aek in desperation tried to stop the picture taking because of the little old lady lying just out of picture in a puddle of water where Neville had dumped her. Neville did a magnificent job on brushing the water away which went some way to placating the old woman. |
| We bailed Neville out of the 'Nick' and proceeded to do a little shopping to take the heat out of the situation or at least the girls did. OK, so I made up the bit about the old lady in the puddle and the bailing from the 'Nick' but the rest of it is true, he did nick her broom. In fact these pictures (right) show it was a mad half hour with Aek wondering what he'd let himself in for. He should have known by now! |
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It didn't take long for Peter Pan to work his magic on 'Tinkerbell'. I don't know what was said but mirth was definitely on the menu. The banks of the Mekong were about thirty yards away and down quite a steep incline, but the youngest amongst us nipped down to dip his toe in the water. Creaky bones kept the rest of us in situ, but our action man did require a bit of a tow to get him back up top. After the meal we relaxed for a while before climbing aboard our wheels. Peter practiced his swinging technique's with his minder doing the pushing (rollover).
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| After lunch we resumed the journey to Chiang Khan arriving around 16:00 hrs. The Old Chiang Khan hotel circa 1852, had it's frontage facing south on 'Walking Street' and the patio at the rear facing the Mekong. The views were marvellous and definitely good for relaxation. Not many foreigners travel into this region which makes it relatively unspoiled and authentic. We checked into our rooms, showered and changed into our evening wear and then presented ourselves in the lobby. We then set off for a stroll along Walking Street. |
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As we walked the walk up Walking Street, we were the only Falangs on show. There was the usual shop frontages on either side of the road with lots of nick nacks to buy.
We reached the end, turned around and came back towards the hotel. Aek was keeping a sharp eye out for a suitable restaurant and we eventually sat down to eat overlooking the Mekong. After our meal our Thai contingent went back to the hotel as Thai's tend to retire and wake early, We however were ready for some relaxation and banter. After some exploring we found a small bar in a sidestreet.
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| As you can see from the rollover above, the bar was rustic to say the least. The customers were noticeable by their absence that was until we arrived. There were a few young Thai people sitting at rudimentary tables outside including the owner. He was a young man in his thirties and spoke really good English as he had worked in Bangkok. He was a good host and joined in our conversation as we ended the day as usual with good humour. Tomorrow we looked forward to exploring the Loei region. |
Slideshow
A slideshow of pictures below of day four of the tour are shown in chronological order. Place your cursor into the picture window to freeze the motion, remove it allow the slideshow to restart. Depending on your connection, it may take a while for the pictures to download and the slideshow to start |
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