Tag: waterfall
Road trip Atlanta to Blue Ridge Mountains, NC
June 21, 2019
Road Trip in April
Spring is a beautiful time for a road trip. The first leg of a trip with my sister was from Atlanta to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and lasted 5 days. We stayed with friends for 2 nights, in Air BnB for 2 nights and a hotel for 1 night.
For our road trip, we rented a car that we booked ahead with the Alberta Motor Association (part of CAA). Their prices include up to 2 free additional drivers as a standard option. We picked up the car at the Atlanta Airport.
A non-stop WestJet flight took us from Calgary to Atlanta, Georgia. Check the prices carefully when you book. We discovered that the premiere seats at the front of the plane (WestJet’s equivalent of first class) were actually noticeably cheaper than the economy seats for our flight.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is a hub for Delta Airlines and is a busy airport. We were surprised to arrive at the luggage carousel and find only 2 other passengers from our flight. They were driving to Chattanooga for a conference so my sister and I were the only people from Calgary who were actually staying in Atlanta and not travelling on to some other destination.
Ponce de Leon
I met a resident of Atlanta during my previous visits to North Carolina. She welcomed us to her home for a couple of nights. Her condo building maintains a small suite on the roof that they can book for guests. The roof had 2 large structures that looked like belfries, without the bells. The suites were under these towers and were surrounded by statues of lions looking out over the city. Constructed in 1913, the building has a lobby with stain glass windows and a beautiful circular staircase.
Old stone church 
Stone tower with an apartment in the base. Old and new Lions guard the rooftop
We were located on Ponce de Leon St. in Midtown, Atlanta. It is a mix of old and new with many historical buildings scattered among new builds. There were trees and wide sidewalks that made this a very walkable area. Much of Atlanta was destroyed by General Sherman during the civil war but is a city of about 450 000 today, although the metropolitan area has over 5 million.
Eateries
Bon Ton
We had a delicious meal at Bon Ton. They describe themselves as Louisiana meets Vietnam. The boiled peanuts were a good starter but the smoked snow crab was exceptional. We had charbroiled oysters then finished with a jicama and papaya salad. What a feast to introduce us to the south!
Poor Calvin’s
Poor Calvin’s was within walking distance of our rooftop suite and recommended by our host. They describe themselves as Asian Fusion with Southern Influences. We sat at the bar, which is a great place to meet people, watch the bartenders entertain and get seated quickly without a reservation.
The cocktail list included charring fresh ginger, cardamom and star anise before shaking with gin, lime juice and culantro (a relative of cilantro). An orange rind run through a flame was used to rim a Manhattan. My Curried Seafood was spectacular and my sister’s duck was gluten free. The garnish was not, however, but the kitchen staff came personally to check her meal and make sure it was corrected.
Heating an orange rind to rim the glass. Seafood curry.
Bab’s
We met a couple of local women at Bab’s, a nearby breakfast/lunch cafe. I asked them what we should do if we only had one day in Atlanta. I was surprised when they replied that there is not really much to see or do in the city. The zoo was mentioned but that was it. It’s hard for visitors to get excited about getting off the plane in Atlanta, when the locals don’t think very highly of their city. My Moroccan Stew with eggs was worth going to Atlanta for brunch.
Mercedes Benz Stadium
I wanted to tour the Mercedes Benz Stadium. I watched a program on the construction of this building while living in Cambodia last year and was excited to visit it in person. Although we had a car, we chose Uber to take us. A $7 cost was better than worrying about navigating and parking at our destination.
The tour was $26. We had a guide and 2 more who were in training. There were only 6 of us visiting the building. I really enjoyed it. There is lots of information on the Internet about the stadium, but a couple of things stood out for me. The amount of solar energy they produce from the panels on the grounds is impressive. The building employs 1500 staff on non-game days and 5-6000 people on NFL game days. Concession prices are intentionally affordable and the WiFi capability is unbelievable. There is also an abundance of art decorating the building, including a metal Falcon outside where individual feathers can be seen.
Model of the building without the roof. Reflection in the giant soccer ball Reminded me of the “bean” in Chicago. Giant metal Falcon outside the stadium Falcons locker room Tour guide with giant screen encircling the stadium View of the field with curtains covering the upper decks for soccer games.
Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site
As Canadians, we have been less impacted by the Civil Rights movement of the United States. Most of what I know of this struggle has come from books and movies. This is not to say that there is no racism in Canada, but it has not been as visible or organized as in the USA.
We took another Uber to the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site. It was difficult to pin the entrance to the Stadium on the Uber map and the driver had difficulty finding us. The driver was also not sure where to drop us off. Atlanta could improve interest in their city by making obvious tourist locations a priority for Uber drivers.
It was getting late in the afternoon so we only had time to visit the main information building, and not the other sites in the neighborhood. I was so engaged by the displays that I didn’t take many pictures. They included lots of photographs of Martin Luther King and his family as well as video recordings of his speeches. The descriptions and commentary covered his life and the many encounters he had with angry citizens. His visit to India and meetings with Gandhi were the foundation for his non-violent protests.
It is a solemn and thoughtful exhibit telling about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and accomplishments during an era of massive social change.
There was also an exhibit in the building on the accomplishments of Jimmy Carter. His goals for the people of Georgia and Martin Luther King Jr.’s hopes and dreams have many parallels.
North to the Mountains
Our host in Atlanta gave us a road trip itinerary to get from Atlanta to Brevard, NC. After a delicious southern breakfast at Flying Biscuit Cafe we left the city on I-85. The highway was good and not too busy. The scenery was mostly forest to begin, but soon felt more like the foothills of Alberta.
Table Top State Park
It was about 150 km to the South Carolina Visitor Center. We stopped to pick up a couple of maps and suggestions then carried on another 85 km to Table Top State Park. We travelled on Highway 11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy. The road was good but single lane each way. It was secluded and beautiful. We had clear skies and moderate temperatures.
We checked in at the visitors center and studied the maps of the area. This park was built by the Conservation Corps in the 1930’s and several cabins used by the Corps still exist here. It is popular for hikes to the top of Table Top Mountain. It also has several campgrounds and lakes.
We took a short walk to one of the waterfalls. It was so green and quiet as we were the only ones there for most of our visit.
Cherokee Foothills Hwy So much green Great photo location
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
We turned left off the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy on Geer Highway, also called Highway 276. Bald Rock Heritage Preserve was an easy pull off. We walked out onto a big slab of granite. It was covered in prohibited graffiti that included invitations to prom and declarations of love. The view was a 180 degree vista over the foothills, complete with blue skies and a few clouds. How impressive!
Caesars Head State Park
Geer Highway 276 led us up higher into the foothills below the Blue Ridge Mountains. Just before the pass was Caesar Head State Park. This escarpment viewpoint had massive vistas. Wow!
At the end of the parking lot is Devil’s Kitchen where a set of stairs are built down a narrow crack in the rock to a trail below the cliff. The views from here are also impressive. You can see all the way down to Table Top Rock.
Stairs inside the crack View back to Table Top Rock
Drive into North Carolina
The road trip continued with many switchbacks through the trees until we started down into North Carolina. We arrived in Brevard, NC which is at about 2400 ft. After a quick stop at a grocery store for a supper salad, we checked into our AirBnb. Jennifer was a fantastic host and treated us like family. We spent the evening watching the mountains from the front porch and were offered lots of suggestions of how to spend our next couple of days in the area.
Front porch evening View from the porch
A land of waterfalls
Dupont State Park
We checked out the local farmer’s market in Brevard and wandered down main street where there was a Porsche Show and Shine. The sky was clear and blue at a perfect 20 degrees.
It was a short drive on Cascade Lake Road to Dupont State Park. We found parking at High Falls Access and hiked for about 5 km along smooth trails with some ups and downs. For a Saturday, the trails weren’t too busy. There were many families and lots of dogs. The waterfalls were large and well worth the walk.
The host at our AirBnB made the kitchen and grill available to guests so we picked up a steak, potatoes for baking, mushrooms and some wine. Our dinner was perfect and another night on the front porch ended a wonderful day.
Brevard Farmer’s Market Porsche Show and Shine Hiking Trail High Falls Triple Falls
Pisgah Forest
We left the AirBnB after breakfast and travelled into the Pisgah Forest with our first stop at the Visitor’s Center. Although it was Sunday, the park didn’t seem as busy as I expected. The Visitor’s Center had just opened for the season but the staff were very helpful. We collected maps to see several more waterfalls. Some, like Looking Glass Falls, were just off the road, and others required a bit of a hike in and out.
The trail to Moose Cove Falls was about 1 km each way on a well managed trail. There were boardwalks and a stream controlled by rocks directing it across the path without causing unnecessary erosion. A few families and couples were also in the area admiring the wildflowers and the 50 ft falls.
Looking Glass Falls Moose Cove Falls water diversion It was so green in the forest Dwarf Iris
Sliding Rock
It was a warm day for April at 19 degrees C but the river water was only 13 degrees C. The idea of sliding along the granite slabs and landing in 2 1/2 m of water was not that appealing. There were some hardy souls who tried it but we were happy enough to just sit with our feet in the water and watch.
I imagine that in the heat of the summer, this place must be very popular. A life guard was working weekends and life jackets could be rented from a booth in the parking lot. Our rivers are either gravel or limestone which would not be suitable at all for sliding so this opportunity for a natural water slide was appealing. The cost to enter was $3/person.
Sliding Rock 
Sliding Rock
Cradle of Forestry
Our last visit in the Pisgah National Forest was to the Cradle of Forestry. We watched a movie and toured the museum displays inside. This is where the first school of foresty in the United States began. Sustainable forests were a new idea in the early 1900’s and foresters came here to learn how to manage forests that had previously been seen as a never ending resource during the industrial revolution.
There was a very interesting display where you had a view of a forest fire from inside a simulated helicopter. There was also a movie related to the building of the Vanderbilt home in Asheville and the landscaper who designed the grounds.
Blueridge Parkway
Pisgah Inn
The road from the Cradle of Forestry meets the Blue Ridge Parkway so we headed north through arches of trees and switchbacks to the peak of the parkway. We had booked a night at the Pisgah Inn which sits at about 5000 feet of elevation.
All the rooms, including the restaurant, face the view of the mountains and foothills. You can drive to viewpoints to see sunset, but the balcony of each room is a perfect place to see the sunrise.
I got up early and took several photos of sunrise sneaking over the peaks of the hills. It was pretty chilly so I crawled back into bed to warm up. A couple of hours later I awoke and opened the curtains to check out the views. There were none! We were in the clouds and there was zero visibility. I was so glad that I got up to catch the early views. Although the roads were clear a couple of km on either side of the Inn, the sky didn’t clear until nearly 11.
dav Balcony view Evening views Sunrise In the clouds Breakfast view
Asheville or Oriental
We considered visiting Asheville and the Biltmore House before heading east to a Girl’s Retreat. The entrance fee was $65 US, which was almost $100 Canadian. We decided that was more than we wanted to spend so got on the interstate, turned on a road trip audio book and drove to Oriental, North Carolina.
This part of our trip was easy and quiet in April. It would be spectacular in October when the leaves turn red and orange. I understand it would be considerably busier on the roads and at all the viewpoints.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the road trip from Oriental to Savannah, Georgia. It was less about nature and more about history, although equally enjoyable.
Pokhara, Nepal…Some views are good, and others not so much
March 31, 2017
Road to Pokhara
We had 10 days in Nepal and after 4 days in Kathmandu, we decided to take several people’s advice and go to Pokhara. It’s a city about 200 km to the west. I was told it was pristine and tranquil. There is a big lake and the International Mountain Museum to visit. After the noise, pollution and energy of Kathmandu, it sounded like a perfect trip.
Our hotel, the Tibet Peace Inn, organized it all for us. We decided to book a car and driver so we could see some of the countryside. He would also be available to take us to all the sites once we got there. His hotel costs would be covered by us, but it would be less expensive than flying there. In all it cost us about $300 for the transportation for 3 days.
At home, 200 km would take about 2 hours on a calm, organized highway. In the mountains, it might take 3 hours with traffic. Our trip to Pokhara took 6 hours with a half hour lunch stop! The road travelled down into the valley and then mostly curved along the agricultural land and through small villages. Where mud or rocks slid onto the toad, they were left and traffic just had to go around.
Hundreds of buses and large, brightly decorated trucks all tried to pass each other on every curve. The honking was constant, but along with flashing light signals, everyone seemed to know how to make it through. I was going to say safely, but there were many close calls. I stopped watching. Our driver knew the road and didn’t drive as aggressively as he could have.
Nepalese Villages
The villages obviously did not expect to have that much traffic as they built there homes along old trade routes. Houses were built close to the roads with terraced fields taking up most of the land along the valley floor and up the sides. There were a few suspension bridges that crossed the river to allow access to more homes up on the slopes. There didn’t appear to be any roads on the other side so most people would have to walk up and down steep slopes to get to their homes.
Water standpipes were in front of about every 6th house. Women gathered here to wash clothes and children. Men played games of chance on tables with cards or throwing coins at a target. Families sat in the shade outside small shops. Children kicked tattered soccer balls around. Farmers were already planting rice in the fields using cattle to pull a plow. We saw one mechanical plow in our travels in Nepal.
We went to Pokhara on a Thursday and saw many children waiting with their parents for the school bus to pick them up. Their traditional British uniforms seemed so out of place in these tiny, dusty villages. Most of the women here dress in pants and Indian tunics in beautiful colours. They really contrasted against the mostly blues and greys of the children’s clothing. These bright sweaters were unusual.
school uniforms
Pokhara
Our arrival in Pokhara was quite disappointing. It was cloudy and smoggy. It is a large city (250 000) but the tourist area of Lakeside was admittedly tranquil, but certainly not pristine. We checked into the Family Home Hotel which had been booked by our hotel in Kathmandu. The room was large and even had a balcony to sit on and watch the goings-on of the community. The hotels in Nepal advertise 24 hour hot water and we would agree that this shower had the best heat and pressure of any in Asia. At breakfast the manager told us to ask for anything we wanted because we were to feel like we were at home. From our experience, they “get” customer service here.
We walked by the lake. I had my second surprise to see a scrum of photographers on the shore snapping pics of a woman standing in one of the boats, dressed in a lovely saree. There was a fog machine nearby trying to create a misty scene. I don’t know the story, but I took a picture too. While Peter was waiting, he met a family from India who were visiting. After a short conversation, they wanted to take our picture with their little girl. As India is close to Nepal, there were mostly Indians and Caucasians in Pokhara. We didn’t see many Asian visitors.
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- Woman and fog machine
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- Photographer scrum
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- View of the lake
Sunrise
Our driver picked us up at 5 am and drove us to the top of a sunrise lookout. People were waiting to be hired to show us the best place to stand. We declined. As I was the first there, I had to choose the best place to set up my tripod. The spot was great, but was difficult to protect once all the tour vans and buses began to arrive. We did meet a very nice man from South Korea who was well-travelled and showed us some of his incredible mountain pictures.
The hills were still shrouded in mist and a few clouds had formed. The sunrise looked nice and you could see several terraced fields. Suddenly the top of a mountain appeared, way above the surrounding hills. It had snow on the top and was barely pink in the sunrise. This was Annapurna. This is why people come to Pokhara. It is the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit, a trek up the mountain. Now I knew what all the excitement was about. The tip of Fishtail Mountain also appeared for a few moments. The smog and clouds soon covered all the spectacular views and left us with just hills.
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- Annapurna
Pokhara Sites
We spent the rest of the day touring the area. We saw the White Pagoda on another viewpoint. It was built by a Japanese Buddhist who wanted there to be 100 of these built around the world to honor the birth of Buddha in Nepal. It was begun in 1974, but when it reached 35 feet high it was torn down by the government of the time but was finally completed in 1998. The 4 Buddhas face the cardinal directions and were donated by countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka. If you are not sure the expectations at a temple, look for signs. They will usually tell you. There was a great little coffee shop with views on the way down.
In the town itself is Devi’s Falls. It is the dry season, and you have to pay to get in to see the falls. There are fences and walkways all around this area that is a little bigger than our back yard. However, there is only on spot you can actually see the falls so it was a little underwhelming.
Devi’s Falls
Across the street is Gupteshwor Mahadev cave. These were much better. The river from the falls flows under the street and runs through a cave. You enter through a newly (as in the cement was still being shaped) renovated entrance, past a shrine, and down many steps to see a waterfall entering the cave. There is an opening in the rock behind the water so it was quite beautiful.
International Mountain Museum
After lunch we visited the International Mountain Museum. It is a large, modern building. We saw photographs and statistics on all the important mountains and when they had been climbed, including quotes from those who were the first to ascend to the peak. There were profiles on some of the most prolific climbers and samples of some of the gear used in the past. Descriptions of the culture of the tribes of the mountains were displayed. Pictures comparing the glaciers in the mountains from 50 years ago to know show that the climate is changing.
Toni Hagen
There was also a display of photographs taken by Toni Hagen in the 1950’s. He was a Swiss geologist who came to Nepal with the United Nations to survey and map the area. His pictures show Pokhara and the mountains at a time when there were no roads to this area. Supplies were delivered by a DC-3 plane in those days. There is an interesting documentary about his time in Nepal that would be easier to watch with English subtitles, but the pictures and views are still worth seeing.
Neighborhood Happenings
After breakfast, we watched the neighbors across the street remove a tin addition to their small house and begin digging the dirt out from that area. When we returned in the afternoon, the dirt had all been bagged and replaced with large stones and smaller rocks and bricks as a foundation. A load of large cement blocks had been delivered and was waiting on the street.
The workers were resting, but 2 men on bicycles arrived. They bagged up all the metal pieces and loaded them onto the bikes. Even the tin walls and roof were balanced onto the bike using good knowledge of levers and balance. They pushed the loaded bikes away from the site.
Sunrise #2
After being led astray by Google Maps to the wrong, but okay restaurant we planned on an early night. A big lightning storm passed north of town for a couple of hours. The sound of the thunder echoing around the peaks was more evidence that big mountains really do exist in this area. We hoped some rain might clear the skies for another try at sunrise, although I worried for some friends who were trekking on the mountain at the time.
At 5 am the stars and moon were bright overhead so we were optimistic. While the sunrise was quite lovely, and the tall peaks did appear in their entirety, the smog quickly swallowed them up so there was not much left for us to than return to Kathmandu. Our friends who were on the mountain in the storm had arrived at their guest house early in the afternoon and got to watch the storm. They arrived in Pokhara 3 days after we left and thought it was the beautiful place. Click the link to see what they saw. Pokhara Images.
Luang Prabang, Laos…a visa run holiday
January 28, 2017
Since our visa extension was expiring soon, (see the blog on Travel Documents for Thailand), we decided to take a trip to Luang Prabang, Laos and have a visa run holiday. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, the town was described by the global body as “an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique, remarkably well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two distinct cultural traditions.” We can certainly see what is special about it and I want to share that with you.
Trip to Laos
Laos Airlines flies directly from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang every afternoon. Â It only takes an hour and cost us $234 USD each which included a box lunch on the plane. Â It was a propeller plane, but saves a stopover in Bangkok and it was an easy flight over the forested mountains into Laos.
We had completed our visa forms and arrival/departure cards on the plane. Â Since I amazed myself by packing some clothes and my camera gear into my daypack, we were quick to arrive at the visa line. Â We had pictures, passports, forms and $42 USD ready to go and moved quickly into a new country where we would be allowed to stay for 30 days if we wanted to.
A puzzle we haven’t been able to solve is why it costs more for Canadians to enter Laos than it does for anyone else in the world. Â It is $35 for Americans and only $40 for citizens from Afghanistan. Â Another part of the puzzle is why you pay in American dollars. Â They do accept Thai Baht, but the exchange rate they offer would discourage most travellers so have American currency. Fortunately we exchanged some Thai money for American at the airport in Chiang Mai.
Laos Money
Money in general is challenging to sort out here. Â The kip has been so devalued, that $1 CAD is the equivalent of about 6000 kip. Â A million kip is about $160. Â Although they have a 100 000 kip note, the bank machines often run out of cash. Â Many places take Thai baht or American dollars, but few places take credit cards. Â Once you leave the country, there are few places that will take kip in exchange for another currency.
The money exchange offices do a good business exchanging mostly American dollars into kip.  We didn’t bring cash except for the visa payment so we used the ATM to take out money from our account at home.  The exchange rate was much better for us than if we exchanged it at the booth.  We did discover, however, that the ATM’s close to the money exchangers charged a 3% fee to withdraw funds.  The bank ATM’s charged a flat rate of 20 000 kip (about $3).  I read later that a bank machine near the market doesn’t charge any fees for withdrawals. This could be related to the company or bank that owns the ATM, but it would be worth paying attention to the fees, depending on whether you are taking out a large or a small amount of cash.
Phonesaseuth Guesthouse-link
I found a guesthouse on TripAdvisor, but chose to book it directly through the guesthouse website. Â I had also emailed the owner to let him know when we were arriving. Â For $35/night we got a room with a king size bed, tv, fridge and shower. Â It also included a hot egg breakfast with a large warm, white baguette and real drip coffee. Â The use of a bicycle and pick up and delivery to the airport were also part of the package. Â The webpage describes the bridge across the Nam Kham (the route to the main part of the city) as a rickety, rackety bridge. Â It was surprisingly sturdy, however. Â They have to take it down in the rainy season or it would just wash away.
The guesthouse is only 6 years old and was built where a coconut forest used to exist.  It was built in the French Colonial style to match the UNESCO preservation expectations.  It feels old but has wonderful wood stairs and dark furniture.  The front staff here speak excellent English and went out of their way to make us feel welcome, even returning our missing phone to us at the airport.
Laos Expectations
I knew that Laos was a poor country with the GDP only $3000 per capita. During the Viet Nam War, this country was hit with more bombs by the Americans than Germany received during WW 2. The number of people living in poverty is very high as are illiteracy levels. Â I expected something much different that what I saw.
People here live in a fertile land.  Forests cover the mountains and the Mekong River provides water, transportation and fish.   The rainy season renews the land. Tourists flock here to see the old French buildings and experience a part of Asia that moves much more slowly and quietly than most other towns and cities.
The people themselves are so resourceful.  Old houses are converted into guesthouses and cafes serve french food, Laotian food and even wonderful fusion food using fresh local ingredients.  Silk, cotton and bamboo from Laos are woven into beautiful handmade scarves, bags and wall hangings.  The textile industry is bustling here but you might not notice it for the artistic appeal of the products.  Even old bombs are used to make metal items like spoons.  There is a day market and a night market where they sell these products.  Check the travel menu page for more pictures and details on Laos Textiles.
French Architecture
Farmers have terraced the land and grow lots of rice. Â Other fields are divided into small raised beds and grow lettuce, herbs and other fresh vegetables. Â We saw a water buffalo dairy on a side trip.
Kuang Si Waterfall
We rented a scooter and rode to a Natural Preserved area about 25 km away. Â The road was pretty smooth, although narrow considering it is the main road through the country from China to Cambodia. Â There were a few potholes but we did ok. Â The views on each side of the road were quite a contrast. Â The infrastructure still needs some work in Laos.
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- Left side views
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- Right side views
Bear Rescue Center
There was a village outside the park with lots of stalls selling fruits, grilled meat and locally made textiles.  We had to pay  about $3 to get in to this Area.  The first thing we saw were bears!  I love surprises.
The Bear Rescue Center was similar to one we visited for grizzly bears in West Yellowstone a couple of years ago.  They rescue Asiatic Bears that trapped by poachers or whose mothers were killed.  They are on display in large natural areas part of the time and in cages the rest of the time.  We watched as a keeper placed food around the enclosure for the bears to find.  These animals seemed pretty comfortable and I didn’t see any clear paths where they had been pacing.  They were sleeping, eating or wrestling with each other.  We saw about 12 bears altogether.
Waterfall
The park had many groups of people from all over the world. Â They were swimming in the pond, walking along the paths, taking pictures of the waterfalls and just enjoying the beauty of nature. Â The park contained several picnic tables, pathways, bridges, changing rooms and signs describing the importance of the many plants and animals. Â Like many of the places we are finding in Asia, this park could be anywhere in the world.
The falls themselves drain the mountains and eventually the water ends up in the Mekong River that starts in Tibet and after flowing through Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, passes through Viet Nam into the South China Sea. In this area, the water flows over limestone. Â As the rock breaks down from the flow of water, it gets carried along. Â The light reflects off the calcium carbonate in much the same way as the light does on glacier water in the Rockies, giving the ponds a lovely blue color.
The overall drop is 85m. Â If you look carefully you can see some swimmers standing 2/3 of the way up on the highest falls. Â In other places, it looked like the water was just flooding into the jungle. Â It is such a spectacular place that is so well preserved in a part of the world where people are more attuned to trying to feed their families.
I will leave you at the park and continue in another post describing the Royal Palace and some of the amazing food we discovered in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Road to Mae Hong Son-Part 3 The road back home
December 15, 2016
Our time on the road to Mae Hong Son gave us a great opportunity to get out and see the country. Part 3, the road back home will share our experiences in Mae Hong Son at the evening market, as well as the trip home through Mae Sariang.
Romtai Guesthouse
We arrived at the hotel to discover again that emails were sent but not received. This hotel was also booked up, however they sent us to a beautiful spot just around the corner from the lake. The Romtai Guest House had a room with air conditioning for $22.32/night. The room was big enough, clean and the bed not so hard as in Pai. The shower was just in a corner of the bathroom again, but it felt like camping. There was coffee and tea available in the “lobby” which was just an open area with a soccer game playing on the tv. When the owner heard we were in Thailand until March she said, “You can stay here as long as you want.”
The things that set this place apart from just another guest house were the grounds that were Mexican resort-like. There was a huge lily pond filled with fish and little paths led through the jungle to hidden cottages. There was a large covered area with furniture and several lawns with flowering plants. From the street, it looked like a regular low-budget motel, with towels drying on the railings and racks but inside was such a surprise. And less than $25/night! The only con was it is much cooler in the mountains at night and I could have used another blanket on the bed.
Wat Jong Kam
The lake near our guesthouse was apparently used to bathe elephants in the olddays. Now it just provides a gathering place for the Sunday market, as well as great reflections of the Wat Jong Kam. There is a strong Burmese influence here since the border to Myanmar is quite close and the spires on the wat reflected this. The teak construction in the coffee bar also helped to remind us where we were in the world.
Mae Hong Son Sunday Market
We sat up on the second floor of the Coffee Bar and watched the market unfold below us. There were numbers on the pavement for each cart. Some sale items came in cars, or push carts, but most arrived in side carts on scooters. People seem to buy at the market like the place is a big salad bar. They get a stick of meat here, a bag of soup there, a banana leaf pouch of I don’t know what’s in them yet, a fruit drink somewhere else. There were some tourists in the area, but this town is much less popular than Pai, so we saw mostly locals doing their shopping. Most shoppers were on foot, but some use drive through and pull right up to a stall. On the website, I included a separate page of photos under the Travel menu on the ways we have seen families travel so far.
Time to Wonder
As we sat in the same spot for breakfast the next morning, looking out at the quiet empty street, 
I so glad we decided to come and spend enough time in Thailand to really wonder. What are in those banana leaf packets? Are those brown cubes roasting over the charcoal really sticky rice? How do families manage to live with so little? How do parents look so calm while riding down the road with their 2 children wedged on the bike between them. We find when we just travel quickly through a place the questions are all about us. Where will we sleep tonight? Where will we go next? Having time to wonder makes this trip so enriching.
View point surprise
The first viewpoint of the day was well worth the stop. The hills are so green and lush now that the rainy season has ended. It rained one day the first week we were here but we haven’t seen another drop since. This spot had cement viewing steps with a Burmese style roof. The coffee shop here had pots of strawberries is racks and a cement fire pit in the middle of the floor to boil water for tea.
Pete ordered a banana smoothie. I didn’t want anything, but he brought over a little teapot with 2 tiny cups and a small bowl of roasted chickpeas to nibble. He said they offer that to everyone. His smoothie came with a plate of cut up banana topped with a sweet syrup and garnished with a flower. What a special place to sit and appreciate the care that had gone into our order.
Namtok Mae Surin National Park
There were many other beautiful views for the next hour or so, but no places to stop along the road for pictures. After heading south from the viewpoint we turned at Khun Yuam and headed east then north back into the hills towards the National Park.
Along the road we saw many farming areas where the women were sitting on the ground or around tables sorting some kind of small crop. We saw very small houses on stilts that looked like the change house at the hot springs. Sometimes a scooter was parked underneath. There were some farm trucks (over)loaded with products on the roads. One was loaded with kids.
About 12 km up the hilly, twisty road, we arrived at Bua Tong or Wild Sunflower fields. The hills were just covered with these bushes that were covered with yellow flowers. They were more the size of small daisies than what I think of as sunflowers. 
They were past their prime but November is when they begin blooming and the locals celebrate with a festival. There was a viewpoint here, but it was busy and we didn’t know how much longer it would take us to get to the National Park and the waterfall at the top.
We saw a few large plants covered in red flowers. Pete asked me what they were and I replied with, “How the heck should I know.” In the parking lot at the park we saw one of the big plants with red flowers. I was very surprised to find it was a wild poinsettia. There was a nice blue hydrangea too. Neither seemed very Thai. 
Mae Surin Waterfall
It wasn’t much farther and after paying the tourist entry of 200 baht each, (not much by our standards, but almost as much as our hotel room) we drove down a very narrow one way road to the parking lot. After a short walk up the path, we saw the Mae Surin (Mae meaning river) waterfall. AT 85 m it is the highest waterfall in Thailand. The viewpoint is right across the valley from the top of the falls, so it was a great spot. The sharpened bamboo posts and barb wire certainly reminded you not to go beyond the fence. There is a trail to the bottom but we didn’t have time to take it down.
On to Mae Sariang
The rest of the ride was uneventful. We stopped for a quick lunch in a restaurant back in Khun Yuam. I had a noodle soup and Pete pointed on the menu to a meat and rice dish that didn’t really taste great to him. He only ate a little. We arrived at the Good View Guest house about sunset and our emailed reservation for room 10 actually worked. (about $37) The whole building is teak and looks out on the Sariang River. We even had a balcony with folding shutter doors to open to the view. Unfortunately there were no screens so we didn’t want to leave them open.
It was good we had a room with a private bathroom as something Pete ate was not good for him. We don’t know if it was the pork lunch, the ice in the smoothie or something he touched along the way. He was sick all night. The hotel offered tea and toast for breakfast which stayed put so Pete was able to drive us back to Chiang Mai the next day. The rental car was safely returned to the airport and we took a $4.00 private taxi van back to our apartment.
He laid low for a couple of days but everything is fine now. We feel pretty lucky that we have eaten mostly what we wanted and made it 5 weeks before Thai bacteria overwhelmed our Canadian stomachs.