Birds and Temples of northern Thailand - March 2023

[janzin]

Amazing temples! And wonderful photos by both Zvezda and you as always. 

[PeterHG]

Fantastic colours and patterns in those temples!

[michael-ibk]

Gorgeous photos Alex. I’m quite impressed with your sightings so far, Elepants and Gibbons especially are very cool. Love the birds of course but I also appreciate the food photos.🧜🏽‍♀️😉

[xelas]

PUA & DOI PHU KHA NP

 

 

As we have stopped earlier than planned, this day was one of the (three) longer drives during this trip at 350 kms. Using the Rd 11 and Rd 101 our progress was quick and after a longer stop to explore the two wats en route (see previous instalment)  we have reached Pua well before sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

My goal here was to explore Doi Phu Kha NP, and town of Pua, while much smaller than Nan looked like a great location. The Cocoa Valley Resort caught my attention in the early stage of planning this trip, and I was glad to choose it. Small, neat, comfortable, with very professional staff. To be true to their name, a lot of chocolate products was on offer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their gardens are more like a forest, with tall trees, thus birding was not as easy as I have hoped for. But a dedicated birder always captures a bird or two in the frame.

 

Brown-throated Sunbird

 

Hume's Warbler

 

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

[xelas]

Doi Phu Kha national park entrance is about 30 min drive outside of Pua. This was our first completely self-guided birding location, where I have to rely entirely on informations collected from various reports and web sites. 

 

The park itself has quite a number of options to overnight inside it, that varies in comfort from nice villa to camping places. Specially the villas looked very nice both from the outside, and as much as I have been able to see through the windows. While Cocoa Valley Resort is much nicer, I think one night inside the park should not to be missed.

 

Doi Phu Kha accommodation map

 

 

 

 

Blue-eared Barbet

 

Indochinese Blue Flycatcher

[xelas]

Many birders have mentioned a bird hide within this park. The GPS coordinates pointed to a larger car park and a small police/ranger station nearby. While exploring the park we have met a group of local birders, and they have confirm that there is a hide in the vicinity of the car park. But the language barrier prevented them to gave me more exact directions. 

 

I think of myself as being an interpid traveller while Zvezda would use a much different word. Thus while I have decided to find that elusive hide, she opted to wait for me at the car park, and to took a few photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following the only trail down the slope of the hill, miraculously I did not get lost but did found the hide! With our local birders inside!! And some very special birds outside.

 

 

 

 

White-gorgeted Flycatcher

 

Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher

 

Asian Stubtail

 

Rufous-tailed Robin

 

White-tailed Robin

 

Small Niltava

 

 

When I have returned back, with a big smile on my face, Zvezda did not shared my feeling. Obviously, I have not took any care of the time. On top, a ranger approached her, asking where I am going, do I know the trail, and am I bringing enough water with me!! Enough to make her nervous as the (unanswered) answer to all was a resolute no. Apparently the ranger went the same way but I have never met him; I hope he did not get lost while searching for me.

[xelas]

Back in Pua there were some roads closed due to the local event, which was a nice and very colourful one. Parade, music, dancers, vibrant colours, ... To be finalised with a nice dinner at a local kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pedro maia]

I´m thoroughly enjoying the TR Alex, how was the driving, comparing to other places like Sri Lanka?

[xelas]

Thank you, Pedro. Driving was among the easiest and most comfortables I have done so far. The road network is well maintained, the main towns are connected by 2-lanes one direction roads with a separation in between. And on 1-lane one direction roads the traffic was really light. All the drivers were courteous even when I have been in their way either driving too slow or stopping where I should not. Plenty of gas stations and roadside cafes with good coffee and treats to keep the driver happy. I was a bit scared re navigating through the country but apps like maps.me and Google Maps were spot on (but on one occasion). Definitively much easier in comparison with Sri Lanka. 

Edited August 31, 2023 by xelas

[PeterHG]

Intrepid you are, Alex, finding the hide and some very good birds all on your own. I fully understand, though, why Zvezda would have been worried…..

[TonyQ]

You did very well at that Hide @xelas, some lovely photos

[xelas]

Thank you, Peter and Tony. To Pedro: driving in Thailand is much more comfortable in comparison to driving in Sri Lanka. Roads are wider, better maintained, and outside of main roads, which are mostly 2-lanes one direction, there are almost no buses or trucks. Next instalment will be entirely dedicated to such drive.

 

But first we are going to Seewinkel, with Michael and Andreas, to do a side-by-side comparison test between OM-1 and RF-7 mirrorless cameras. In the meantime, as an intermezzo, a few photos of local flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PeterHG]

2 hours ago, xelas said:

to do a side-by-side comparison test between OM-1 and RF-7 mirrorless cameras.

In order to make the test objective it should also include a side-by-side comparison of the photographers . Joking aside, I think they are both excellent tools in the hands of good photographers like Zvezda and Michael. It wil be interesting, though, to compare their thoughts on the switch to mirrorless. 

 

[Atdahl]

Loving the report so far.  The combination of wildlife and temples is perfect for a country like Thailand.  Waiting for more...sort of patiently. 

 

Alan

[Kitsafari]

the town of Pua looks enchanting. you did very well at the hide with the pretty flycatchers!

and hats off to you for undertaking the self-drive. i'm more of a scaredy cat who wouldn't think of doing one myself. 

 

oooh that pad thai looks so yummy. i'd forgotten to tell you to raid the 7-11 kiosks as they have such wonderful delicious ready to eat snacks and meals. many a time they tided us over for a full day birding in the forests. 

 

can't wait for more brilliant shots and adventures. 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Kitsafari

[xelas]

Route 1148 - what self-driving in Thailand looks like

 

 

Reading through bikers blogs, the Route 1148 was often mentioned as Thailand equivalent to Route 66 (just much much shorter) ... a road that every biker must drive before rumbling into the sunset. While not on a motorcycle, I was intrigued by it, and decided to use it when we have crossed east to west. The Rd 1148 is the first half of the drive, the second half till Chiang Rai is on a less appealing Rd 1020.

 

Map

 

 

We have started in the morning and Zvezda took a few fly-by shots of local temples along the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thai authorities understood that good roads are vital for the progress and economy of the country; We have encountered several of such road improvement sites. Which resulted in what a very fine and comfortable to drive local roads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main stopover of Rd 1148 used to be a very popular site, plenty of cafe etc ... but they were all closed during our visit. Be it for the time of the year or due to the influence of covid, I don't know. There are nice views, again, not in March.

 

 

 

 

Once on Rd 1020 we were in the farmers land. A huge sign in the field was intriguing enough for us to stop. We love strawberries! It is either pick-your-own or buy on-site.

 

 

 

 

 

The landscape flattens, dotted by temples and rice fields.

 

 

 

 

And the traffic became more dense, but still very manageable. Our final destination for the day was Chiang Rai's Golden Clocktower.

 

 

 

[pault]

Great adventure. Glad you found everything so easy - that's good to know.

 

Well done finding the hide without any Thai - excellent work. Not so well done for not taking enough water, but I assume it wasn't too far, so you had it all under control. 

 

Re. the cafes on Route 1148, a lot of places like that only really open on the weekend or holidays (there is almost no local demand at those price points) so that could be the reason, along with the absence of the views and clean air which are the whole point of the route as a destination.

 

And yuck, the haze was really quite bad. 

[xelas]

CHIANG RAI

 

 

There are 3 Chiang towns: Chiang Mai is the biggest, and the hub of that area. Chiang Saen is famous for Golden Triangle, and Chiang Rai. This one is probably best known for its three temples: the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Black Temple. But more about those three in the next instalment.

 

So, we stayed at Saan Hotel, a modern hotel in the centre of the town and within walking distance to many local highlights. Having a huge parking lot in front of the hotel is another plus.

 

 

 

 

 

I like this town a lot, as it is small enough to navigate it on foot. We went out to stretch our legs, and to find the way to (and back) from the night market. While I was intrigued by local wiring, Zvezda found some nice examples of urban art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night markets are central point of every Thai town (and probably also every larger village). As during the daytime it is too hot to even visit the market, they open after the sunset in full force. This is how it look before sunset.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by xelas

[xelas]

And this is how it looks after the sunset; a stark contrast! In Chiang Rai there are 2 food courts, larger for general public and a smaller one for more refine patrons. Of course, we have skipped the later one.

 

If one does not want to walk, there are Tuk tuks everywhere.

 

 

 

The food court is quite big, with tables encircled by small kitchens.

 

 

 

There is also a stage where local artist performs. They can be very charming!

 

 

 

 

 

With plenty of different kitchens around, there is something for every taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our selection was the pork meat, and it was very tasty. The meat, the cook and the plate ... plus the beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by xelas

[Atdahl]

Mmmm....all the food looks good.  The prices at the food court seem reasonable if I am reading the sign correct.  60 to 80 Baht is only around $2 USD.  Is that correct?  If so, what a bargain.

[xelas]

Thailand is a very affordable country to visit. On average we have paid 35 USD for a room for two with breakfast. A lunch or dinner in local eatery was about 15 USD for two. Night markets and street food carts half that. 

[Galana]

Enjoying this a lot. Missed the start but have caught up.

More please.

[xelas]

A lazy morning in Chiang Rai 

 

 

As promised to Zvezda, there will not be only birding days but also days entirely dedicated to temples. Both Ciang Mai and Chiang Rai are great locations for doing such a temple exploring. After a late breakfast (another benefit of doing a culture day instead of doing a birding day), the view from our room revealed an overcasted but not rainy sky, perfect for strolling the streets of Chiang Rai.

 

There are many temples and monuments in this town, dispersed all over it. The main attraction is #4 on below table. You will recognise #8 (Clock Tower) from previous post.

 

Our first temple of this day is #7 on the map, and it is located on the other side of the street from our hotel: Wat Mingmuang. I have not remembered much about any temple we have visited, so either find more info on the internet, or just enjoy the sights (as I have done).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by xelas

[xelas]

A short walk through narrow street got us to Wat Phra Kaew with one of the most important religious statues in Thailand - The Emerald Buddha. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

On the way back to the hotel we have passed by a fresh product market which gave us chances to add colours other than gold to our trip report. The market sits next to yet another temple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three most important ingredients of Thai cooking: curry, rice and chilli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course Zvezda didn't want to pass by a temple not to snap a few shots; I was not in a mood to get any more (probably visible from the photo) but one I have to do; we needed good weather in next days!