Last week I went back to San Kamphaeng with Pe'Took and investigated the Cave Temple near to the hot springs where I visited the car park on my previous ride and didn't go up the steps.
Well worth the climb & despite the exhaustion & heat, once inside, the air temperature drops like any cave, nice and chilly & a little damp.
Inside there are some Buddha images and lots of stalag tites & mites and to get down into the bowels of the cave, there are concrete steps with rusting iron hand rails.
On exiting the cave, we met up with a girl holding a nice camera. In the car park, she got on a Kawasaki KSR and at the local shop where we both stopped for water, we got chatting. Her name is Nanny
Today, I met up with Nanny for a ride to Mae Rim with the intention of finding Wat Phutthabat Si Roi. This temple is near to where I rode on 22 April, through the mountain from Mork Fa and at that time, I didn't realise this temple existed. (If I had checked the GTR map, I would have known!)
Ally - DTracker
Nanny - Honda ?? Answers on a postcard please.
Distance 150 kms
We took the 107 out of town and after Mae Rim, we turned left onto the 3009 & up to Wat Phrakat Tham, where we turned left.
We followed this road and overshot our intended turning and found ourselves at Wat Nong Kai at which point I realised my mistake.
So we returned and took the turning up the mountain, fully signposted all the way with a yellow footprint on a green sign - How could I miss that !
Our next stop was Tard Luang Waterfall. A little bit of off road but well worth the ride. At the top of the track it gets narrow but just enough space to 6 point turn a bike.
Next stop was Sai Mok Waterfall. This time the light was brighter and the waterfall was more active.
So on up the mountain. This road is a great ride, all concrete, apart from the sand, the cow & deer shit and the hairpins all have mirrors.
On past my exit from Mork Fa 7 weeks ago, we travel just another few kms and arrive at small village, a very large car park and 2 temples with just one food vendor available for lunch.
In the larger of the 2, the ceremony of making merit by adding gold to balls which will shortly be entombed is under way and Nanny & I made our offerings. The detail in this temple is amazing, startling and overwhelming. It is too much for one visit to appreciate.
Across the car park, to the older temple which houses the big foot print (that's a print of a Buddha's foot not Sasquatch) and in an adjoining building there is an enormous collection of various size Buddha images.
So it was all down hill from here, the sky was clouding up and as we descended, the road was wet and steaming from a recent shower but we seemed to be lucky, following the storm down into Chiang Mai, rather than being part of it.
A very pleasant ride and wonderful to have interesting and photographically challenging company ! -
Ally
Well worth the climb & despite the exhaustion & heat, once inside, the air temperature drops like any cave, nice and chilly & a little damp.
Inside there are some Buddha images and lots of stalag tites & mites and to get down into the bowels of the cave, there are concrete steps with rusting iron hand rails.
On exiting the cave, we met up with a girl holding a nice camera. In the car park, she got on a Kawasaki KSR and at the local shop where we both stopped for water, we got chatting. Her name is Nanny
Today, I met up with Nanny for a ride to Mae Rim with the intention of finding Wat Phutthabat Si Roi. This temple is near to where I rode on 22 April, through the mountain from Mork Fa and at that time, I didn't realise this temple existed. (If I had checked the GTR map, I would have known!)
Ally - DTracker
Nanny - Honda ?? Answers on a postcard please.
Distance 150 kms
We took the 107 out of town and after Mae Rim, we turned left onto the 3009 & up to Wat Phrakat Tham, where we turned left.
We followed this road and overshot our intended turning and found ourselves at Wat Nong Kai at which point I realised my mistake.
So we returned and took the turning up the mountain, fully signposted all the way with a yellow footprint on a green sign - How could I miss that !
Our next stop was Tard Luang Waterfall. A little bit of off road but well worth the ride. At the top of the track it gets narrow but just enough space to 6 point turn a bike.
Next stop was Sai Mok Waterfall. This time the light was brighter and the waterfall was more active.
So on up the mountain. This road is a great ride, all concrete, apart from the sand, the cow & deer shit and the hairpins all have mirrors.
On past my exit from Mork Fa 7 weeks ago, we travel just another few kms and arrive at small village, a very large car park and 2 temples with just one food vendor available for lunch.
In the larger of the 2, the ceremony of making merit by adding gold to balls which will shortly be entombed is under way and Nanny & I made our offerings. The detail in this temple is amazing, startling and overwhelming. It is too much for one visit to appreciate.
Across the car park, to the older temple which houses the big foot print (that's a print of a Buddha's foot not Sasquatch) and in an adjoining building there is an enormous collection of various size Buddha images.
So it was all down hill from here, the sky was clouding up and as we descended, the road was wet and steaming from a recent shower but we seemed to be lucky, following the storm down into Chiang Mai, rather than being part of it.
A very pleasant ride and wonderful to have interesting and photographically challenging company ! -
Ally
