And indeed, we are the third of three buses to arrive together, all parking up in the same area. I've suggested that rather than waste a day in Bangkok for no reason why not just jump straight on a bus to Chiang Mai, only another 12 hours... Helen agrees and in looking at the [bus ticket] agencies I gather that the Tour part of Phuket Central Tour [the operators of this last bus journey] means independent bus company, not "tour." After a couple of stilted conversations it seems the Chiang Mai buses go from a different bus station. As sson as we step out the door we're accosted by a cabbie and without arguing accept the B300 fare across town.
Bangkok at 6:30 looks pretty grim, a pall of grey smog hangs over the city though the traffic is surprisingly light. The Northern bus station isn't too bad as bus stations round here go. The real problem is finding a ticket booth that sells you your kind of ticket. Our taxi driver pointed at one who would have happily sold us a ticket on a local, non-airconditioned, non-toileted bus. It's a twelve hour trip. Luckily, we mentioned VIP and the deal was off. He pointed inside.
Inside there were at least sixty booths none of which mentioned Chiang Mai, or VIP. Helen noticed at ticketing sign pointing upstairs and on the third floor (the second was guarded) another sixty including, at second time of asking, one for us. B403 each to Chiang Mai, VIP. There's an hour and a half to go so we settle for a Dunkin Donut -- not a great choice but a bacon and egg croissant made a change from fried rice for breakfast.
At the appointed hour we crossed to the other block and found our coach. A rather more old, less swish affair. They must interpret VIP differently here. On reflection, though, I think it was a better bus. There were genuinely 32 seats which reclined to about 30 degrees, we had several drinks served (coke or brightly coloured fizzy stuff) and a meal ticket at one stop for a plate of rice and a miserly portion of, in my case, beef and chillies served by a woman you didn't argue with. This is quite nice -- I had beef with chillies last night which was a touch fiery, nothing like as bad as the chillies on offer at that curry pub just off J1 of the M5 (simonp?).
We see a little of the landscape, mostly a flat plain with mountains in the distance. There are industrial strength paddy fields here stretching away from the road (a dual carriageway heading slightly west of north). The road looking like it's on an embankment with the first field's worth (about 10m) being left as untended swamp -- plenty of lilies which over the distance of a km might come into bloom and fade away. Quite often a factory or showroom might consume six or eight fields worth, built up to the level of the road and almost always with a gleaming white wall around. The paddy field growing rice right up against it. A lot of the journey is consumed by fitful sleeping or one of a couple of films, one of which really was in the original Thai.
We arrive in Chiang Mai at six -- only a 10 hour journey it seems -- and, as ever, an enterprising taxi driver corners us and, remembering to haggle, we beat him down to B40 for the trip into town: How much?
50 Baht.
40!
OK.
I think we paid over the odds. He did suggest a hotel and since we're none the wiser we accepted as it was in the "right" part of town, by the eastern moat. B350 for air con and hot shower, it's good for us and we dive into the shower straight away.
Refreshed, we head out to orientate ourselves (in the back of a sawnsaeth [hopeless spelling] you have no idea where you are [as you can't see forwards, or sideways for that matter]) and discovering we're just 800 yards from the Phan Phae gate we head off in search of Chinatown, further east, away from the more westernised locality we're in.
Chinatown is a busy, brightly coloured night market selling everything from hand carved pencils to kebabs, often at adjacent stalls. For some reason we're still in "Chinatown must have a Chinese restaurant" [mode] and failing to find one we head back and settle for some Mexican nosh in the extensively menued Art Cafe together with some well deserved beer. Twenty two hours of bus travelling, 1200km north of Phuket for B953 -- that's less than US$0.02 per km north in air conditioned relative comfort. Not so comfortable that we don't sleep like logs.
Home Place Hotel, Chiang Mai N18.78697 E98.99442 Elev. 292m Home Place Hotel, Chiang Mai
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.
