Cycling in the countryside of Chiang Mai
In recent years there have been quite a lot of articles on cycling in Bangkok, but very little on the corresponding experience in Chiang Mai. I and Jan decided to try it out. We booked a tour by Spice Roads. Taking the ride from Chiang Mai to Lamphun which showed to be a 35 kilometer smooth and flat road through enchanting northern Thai villages.
The trip was partly along the Ping River which is one of four rivers that together with Nan, Wang, and Yom flows together to create the Chao Phraya in Nakorn Sawann and further down through Bangkok to the Bay of Siam. We followed the tracks of the ancient Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai and trade routs along the now dry area where the old flow of the Ping River used to be. It was a kind of thrilling experience to bike along routes where trade caravans of elephants and buffaloes once were carrying spices and wood.
For us the excursion was more about how to come into harmony with the countryside and villages we passed and not so much about the actual physical challenge. The Cicero of the day was Danny, an aussie who never hesitated to hold back with his humor and Mr. Win, a friendly thai localguide with a very suitable name. He proved to be pretty fast on his bike and was way ahead of us most of the time.
The day began with a visit to Wieng Khum Kham, sometimes called The Lost Kingdom of Chiang Mai.
Some scholars say that King Mengrai, the founder of the Lanna Kingdom, established Wiang Kum Kam in 1286, intending to make it the first Lanna capital on the grounds of what previous was a Mon settlement. What could then have been the reason for changing his location to Chiang Mai? Then, about 700 years ago, floods and mudslides hit Wiang Kum Kam, so severely that its secrets were all buried.
The rediscovery of the "Lost City" came in 1974, when the Fine Arts Department embarked on a restoration project to dig out the ancient structures. About four meters down, they unearthed old temples, ponds and stupas. The area is located about 5km south of Chiang Mai and covers about 9 square kilometers. Around 20 wats have been found and dug out so far.
The villages along the way are really captivating and the roads seem like made for cycling. Traffic is not at all disruptive. We cycle along fields of soybeans, tobacco plants and maize. Longan plantations and mango plantations that we see every now and then gives you the impression that the living standard is fairly high in the region. Proof of prosperity can be seen in the form of majestic teak houses in Lanna style with their kalae-buffalohorns on the roofs. After a short ride we pass a house with plenty of woven bamboo cages outside. Danny stops and invites us in. He knows the owner.
Inside the cages are roosters. Here were find some of the best northern Thai roosters for cockfighting. The owner's champ was a Burmese rooster valued as much as 40,000 baht (about 1200 U.S.) During the last contest he won around 150,000 baht. (4 550 USD).
One of the highlights of the day is a stop at a local chip producer. We are just amazed by freshness of these chips, lightly salted and with a tone of pandanus herb. They are crisp and not at all greasy. We enjoyed this stop a lot, gorging ourselves with a whole plate of chips. The chip factory owner proudly explained that they use only fresh oil every time when they fry the chips.
- Give me two big bags cried Jan. I need two kilos!
We stocked the treasure in Dannys car. Some time later we drop by a an old wood house where an elderly couple grow “mouse ear mushrooms” along the riverbanks of Ping.
Now it was my turn:
- Please one big bag of mushrooms. Put it in Dannys car.
These mushrooms taste great fried with toufu or with glass noodles.
The best thing about cycling here in the north is the time we get to take in the countryside and enjoy any aspect of it. When you bike you hear sounds and you can get the scents and smells of the area you pass. The sounds and smells you always miss out when you sit in a cold air-conditioned bus. Maybe for someone it might feel a bit strange to do longer biking tours in the tropical heat, but honestly it wasn’t that hot nd Danny and Win made sure that there were enough breaks and pauses for water and fruits.
Early afternoon, we reached Lamphun an important industrial city today and perhaps primarily known for its industrial park. However it was once the capital of the Haripunchai kingdom in the 8th century, a Mon kingdom ruled by a queen named Chamadevi and a rival to the Khmers that dominated South East Asia at the time. The city fell to the Thai kingdom of Lanna in the 13th century.
In Lamphun we enjoyed a wonderful lunch by the river and then rounded the day off with a visit to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai (วัดพระธาตุหริภุญชัย) with its 46-metre tall golden Chedi. At the top of the the majestical golden Chedi, it is said, that one very special relic from the Buddha Shakyamuni rests; Some of the Buddhas hair!
© Copyright | Text: Per Sundberg and Photos: Jan Friman
