We left Siem Reap by fast private taxi, enjoying more lovely rural countryside until after two and a half hours we were dropped off at the border. We had our passports stamped by the Cambodian authorities, then we walked the short distance across No-Man's-Land to the Thai Immigration control, where we obtained our visas and entered Thailand.
With little effort we found a luxury coach to take us to Bangkok where, after a five hour journey, we hoisted our rucksacks and strode the short distance from the bus terminal to the railway station like proper backpackers. We managed to book two berths on the night sleeper train to Chiang Mai, fourteen hours away.
The sleeper train was good fun; a couple of hours in the bar till it closed at 10am, then back to our carriage to find that our seats had miraculously changed into very comfortable bunk beds with spotless white linen. We weren't disturbed by our 48 fellow passengers, and we loved the novelty of falling asleep to the steady rhythm of the train. Sharing one toilet and washbasin with 48 other people over 14 hours presented its challenges, but we got by.
We found a modest but comfortable hotel in the old walled quarter of Chiang Mai, and spent our time wandering in the sunshine around the many ornate temples, browsing the shops, or simply observing the street life. We ate delicious food in this town and one awful meal which had repercussions I won't go into. My big discovery in Chiang Mai was butterscotch daiquiri - mmmmm.
The King of Thailand celebrated his birthday while we were in Chiang Mai - at 82 years young he has the distinction of being currently the longest-reigning living monarch on the planet. Shrines, posters, and hoardings offering congratulations were displayed everywhere, and the festivities, including open-air concerts and spectacular fireworks, lasted about two weeks.
I spent an enjoyable day on a Thai cookery course, which Brian dipped out of at the last minute in favour of a duvet day, citing man flu as his excuse. (I'm still not sure if it was man flu or man u, as our hotel room curiously had an English premiership football channel which endlessly repeated recent matches.)
Templed out after a few days in Chiang Mai, we took a first class bus to Chiang Rai, three hours to the north through mountains and busy rural villages, small-holdings and paddy fields - not as ancient and unspoilt as Cambodian country life, but interesting nonetheless.
In Chiang Rai we hired a car and drove even further north to Sop Ruak, otherwise known as the Golden Triangle. Three borders meet at Sop Ruak; Thailand, Burma, and Laos; and the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers also occurs here, making it an unmissable place to visit.
In days gone by this border area was a desolate and dangerous place, sparsely inhabited and left to the lawless devices of drug overlords smuggling and distibuting opium. An American politician is credited with making first mention of the 'Golden Triangle' in a speech referring to the wealth generated by illegal drug-running. As much of the drug trade was cleaned up, and the rest disappeared underground, the name Golden Triangle stuck to the tourist attraction that took its place.
Huge statues of buddhas and elephants line the road, together with t-shirt shops, handicraft stalls and food outlets - tacky yes, but the serenity and grandeur of the magnificent river views remain untainted, and the good humour and obvious enjoyment of the mainly Asian tourists, coupled with the glorious weather, made it a memorable outing.
Most of northern Thailand along the main highway was surprisingly built-up, however the quieter back roads which we took offered some tempting peeks of mountain and forest. After spending the night in a quiet village resort, we drove up into the hills till we reached the Burma border, which we hugged as long as we could, enchanted by the wonderful landscape of rolling mountains, faraway rivers, bamboo forests and poinsettias as big as trees.
We enjoyed the drama of being stopped at Thai army checkpoints on the border (the Thais try to control the ongoing drug-smuggling problem), and we were allowed to wander around the trenches and sandbanks from more troubled times. The scenery across to Burma - huge mountain ranges and distant rivers - was breathtakingly spectacular, and we were enchanted by this Thailand far removed from the beaches, islands and cities further south.
Numerous ethnic hill-tribes live in these mountains, and we were intrigued by their villages, traditional dress, and primitive homes. The ethnic Chinese in particular have a strong work ethic, and the areas they inhabited were cultivated with tea plantations, orange groves, and fields of crops being tended by bowed workers in their conical hats.
As we drove down from the mountains we entered a national park to see some natural hot springs which featured a very impressive thirty foot geyser, finally returning to Chiang Rai feeling extremely pleased with our few days in Thailand as God intended.
PS - I have lots of photos; trapped at present on a dvd but coming to you as soon as I get the technology.
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