Day 97
Trip Start
Sep 14, 2006
1
91
169
Trip End
??? ??, 2007
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Tha Ton,
Thailand
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Our next destination was determined by a river that runs North-East from Chiang Rai. An even smaller town called Tha Ton was four hours away by boat. The boat was called a long-tailed boat and we had to sit on cushions in the thin boat - the driver had a motor that looked like a garden strimmer with a propeller attached! The journey was really nice - upriver in shallow water. Every time we hit some rapids you could feel the boat slow as the motor struggled against the current. After only one hour we stopped at a little elephant sanctuary/toilet stop. Two of the girls got their bags out as they were staying here and we all got a bit more room as a result. At the stop we saw snakes, monkeys, many elephants and some dogs. The monkey was chained up and had the run of the roof - me being me thought about where it goes to toilet and why there was no evidence of it. A little later on I witnessed the monkey having a number two and one of the dogs running to the landing site and "consuming the evidence" urgh! The snakes were interesting - very big anacondas and very cold to the touch. The girls who got off our boat to stay paid some money to hold one of them and I took some photos.
1 In the boat
All around the snake cages were pictures of tourists who had held the snakes - including one that stood out. It was a 007 poster of Sean Connery from one of the movies - superimposed was a picture of an elderly tourist who one would concede has a passing resemblance to the actor. From this the snake owner was touting in poor English "hold the snakes like movie stars from all over the world".We arrived in the sleepy town of Tha Ton around 3pm. It was a nice little place and we found some basic accommodation and had a look around. There really is nothing to do here except climb a hill and look down on the place, and then walk down again. It was pleasant enough, and I could see how this might become the next Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai/Pai as tourists look for ever remote resorts to head for. Our evening meal was in a nice restaurant that we chose simply for it's walls. The temperature in Northern Thailand was a lot lower than expected and tonight was only about 10 degrees. The restaurant was built for many guests but we were the only ones in tonight. I ordered a red curry from the waiter and as it was served the owner came out to check if I was "OK with spicy food" - she waited while I tried it and I'm sure she wanted to see an adverse reaction so I wasn't sure if her concern was genuine! After we finished I had a chat with the her and learned that she was desperate for more tourists to visit - despite being listed in the Lonely Planet she was finding times difficult. I liked Tha Ton but there was no question - we were moving along tomorrow.
