Doi Inthanon - The Highest Peak in Thailand
Trip Start
Oct 11, 2006
1
36
65
Trip End
Apr 24, 2007
Chom Tong, Thailand
Friday, January 26, 2007
Let's back up for a moment though. The fact is that we are doing this little expedition on a Thursday. Yes, a Thursday. Now you might be wondering now what possible reason I could have for not attending class yet again. The reason this time is scout camp, which is a large organized event for all the younger students that takes place over a long 4-day weekend. The opportunity to join this operation was presented to us, but we figured that a weekend spent away from the students might serve us better, so off we went to Chiang Mai. There are many opportunities around Chiang Mai for getting out of the city and enjoying a little nature, and Doi Inthanon happens to be a good one
Bewarfsliding
.The trip started early at Bake 'N' Bite for a hearty breakfast of omelettes, yoghurt, fruit, muesli, bagels, coffee, and juice, and then on to the bus station for the trip to Chom Tong where we would catch a ride up to the mountain. This time around, it was just me, Justin, and Sarah because Sebastian had already been to the mountain. The three of us managed to arrive at the bus station about 10 minutes before the next bus was leaving, so score one for good timing. The bus ride was relatively short and easy enough, and we landed at an empty lot that was the "station" in town. We managed to find a man that was taking people up the mountain, but he wanted some ridiculous price for it that I don't even remember. We instead just went with him to the gate at the base of the mountain and let him and his high prices go on without us.
We purchased our tickets at Thai prices since we are legally working and living in the country, so we saved about 90% on the price of our park ticket. We then walked about 1km to a waterfall nearby. What a spectacular sight. The water was roaring through the rocks and misting us as if to entice us to try a swim. The rocks were smooth and shiny having been washed by water for so many years, and we reluctantly left the area after exploring for about 20 minutes.
Of course the first hurdle in the trip would come now
Cascading Water
. The afternoon was growing, and most of the people heading to the top of the mountain had already gone up. That means that all of the vans and song-thaews were empty and no one was waiting with us to get a ride. In a group, the price per person isn't bad because the price for the vehicle is always the same, but in a small group, like three, the price becomes horrendous. We decided to wait by the road in hopes of catching a partially full vehicle up the mountian, and in the blistering sun, I walked back to the gate to find some shade and hopefully a nice person to give us a lift. Sarah and Justin stayed in the van lot to talk to drivers and find a group there.After about 15 minutes or so of flagging down cars and getting nowhere with trying to find a ride, I finally managed to catch the attention of a trio of Thais in a pickup truck coming into the park, and not two minutes after telling Justin to give me a few more minutes before hiring a van as well. One of them, named Ome, spoke decent English, and I asked him if my two friends and I could have a ride up the mountain. He said that would be fine, so I called Sarah and Justin and told them to run up to the gate because our chariot was waiting. We all climbed in back of the pickup and took of for what would be one of the scarier things I have ever done in my life.
Dii was the guy who was driving, and he was driving the hell out of this truck
Chom Tong from the back of a truck
. I'm glad we were going up hill because down hill would have been unbearable. Speeding up at every possible opportunity, passing everyone, screeching tires around turns, and terror at every moment. Wow. It's hard to gauge how close we ever were to some disaster, but with such exposure, it sure felt close. But again, on the plus side, we got up the mountain in record time and free of charge. It was also during a mid-mountain break that we had the Most Humorous Conversation of the Trip, which went as follows:Ome: "My friend drives very fast. It scares me. Are you scared in the back?"
Dane: "Yeah, terrified."
Sarah: "Um, yeah."
Justin: "Very scared, but Sarah here is barely breathing"
Ome: "Don't worry though. My friend has much experience. He is a cross-country racing champion."
Sarah: "Oh, that makes me feel a little better."
Justin: "Yeah, so he know's what he's doing, right?"
Ome: "Actually, I'm just joking, but he does have experience
Colorful Sands
. Midnight racer."Dane: "Isn't that a video game?"
So we never determined if Dii was a racer or not, but the car never left the road. I guess I should be thankful.
At the peak of the mountain are two stupas built in honor of the queen and king. The king's stupa is a bronzish color, while the queen's has a purple hue to it. Both are identical in shape and size and open for the public to explore. There are also some nice gardens in the area, and of course the view is spectacular. Unfortunately, the haze was rather thick, so we couldn't see as far as one might be able to otherwise, but it was still breathtaking. Another random surprise at the summit that wouldn't have happened had we not been with Ome was that he pointed out a man in the crowd who is actually the second most-renowned astrologer in Thailand. He was walking around with a little squad of family and friends, as well as a film crew. I never got a clear picture of what he was doing, but it must have been worthy enough to preserve on film, whatever it was.
Inside the queen's stupa was an interesting scene of farangs (westerners) sitting on one side of the room chanting during some sort of organized meditation. I don't know why it struck me so, but it seemed really out of place and didn't sit well with me
Detail on the King's Stupa
. Perhaps it was because all the people were in touristy clothes, or the fact that they seemed to emit this sense of desire to take advantage of what they consider "eastern" thought. In any case, it just seemed like an unfortunate commodification of a religious and spiritual experience that makes cultures and practices like buddhism what they are. Honestly, how would you feel if you went to one of the more prominent churches in town to find a paying group of foreigners taking up half the space in some attempt to become part of the prominent local faith during their month-long holiday by mimicking some sacred right or ceremony you had been performing for as long as you could remember?And you might be wondering now how far up we actually are in the sky, and I will tell you in just a moment once we are at the part about the true summit. The true summit is actually not that exciting. There is just a simple spirit house at the top, various statues of elephants and other significant Buddhist and Thai figures, and a benchmark to mark the height. And when I say benchmark, it is a literal mark on a concrete bench. Something must have been lost in the translation. The forest itself is amazing as well, for the moisture creates a startling green cover on almost everything. And the canopy is so thick that sunlight barely makes its way down through the leaves. There is also some sort of public works facility there with a giant golf-ball looking structure
Dii, Nan, and Ome
. The club I hear is still under construction. And as for the height, well, it is a whopping 2565.334 meters, which is about 8416 feet. Not the most spectacular ascent I've ever done, but I can now say I've visited the tallest point of two countries. (I'll let you know the other at the end of the entry).The day was wearign on, and Ome, Dii, and Nan were staying on the mountian, so we hired at song-thaew to take us back to the station. The ride was rather painless as the covered bed at least gave us the illusion of some added security. I managed to fall asleep on the ride, so it felt like it took no time at all. Once back at the base, we flagged down the bus running back to Chiang Mai and eventually made it back to the city for an easy night of good food and fun times.
And that other country is Vatican City, which peaks out at 75m. Better bring the oxygen.
