Ferg & Jude\'s Thailand Adventure 2002

Tuesday 12th November
Chiangmai Umbrella Factory & Kantoke dinner

Awoke at 6am and sat on our tiny balcony as the day dawned. We watched several monks dressed in their orange robes walk down the street with the alms bowls. A very old samlor driver stopped and gave the monks some money, then he took off his shoes and knelt before them and prayed. Once the monks had left he started scavenging through the garbage. It didn't seem right somehow.

We had a big breakfast at the coffee shop (75bt) then a brisk walk to the bus station to catch the 8am bus to Chiangmai. There was a blanket of fog over the surrounding rice paddy fields which didn't lift until 9.30am. On the buses in Thailand they have hostesses who bring around cold drinks and wet ice cold towellettes to freshen up before we arrive. We grabbed a tuk-tuk from the bus station back to the Riverside Guesthouse. We left our bags then hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Umbrella factory (80bt). The Umbrella factory is worth a visit. We saw the artists at work painting colourful umbrellas.

We returned to the river at 2pm and checked out the ferry times. Next ferry left at 3pm so we grabbed a couple of burgers and Singha beers at a nearby restaurant. We paid 150bt each for the 2 hour trip up river. As luck will have it the only other people on board were two Aussies from Sydney and were great company. The boat made a slow journey up the river passing riverside cafes and lovely houses. After an hour we stopped at a local café and our boatman took us on a tour of the cafes garden showing us many herb and fruit trees. We had a cold drink then back onto the boat for a quick journey home. Much faster going down stream.

We had earlier booked a tour to the Old Chiangmai Cultural Centre to experience a Kantoke Dinner (250bt each). Our minivan picked us up at 7pm. It was packed with tourists, we were ushered in, leaving our shoes at the door. As soon as we sat at our table our food was served. There were a dozen or so small dishes on a round serving table. The drinks were very expensive, 335bt for one Singha, 2 nips of Mekong and one Coke. The centre stage was surrounded by floor seating and large cushions. We had opted for a table at the back. After dinner the dancing began with the fingernail dance. All the dancers were exquisitely dressed. We saw the candle dance, sword dance, flaming stick dance and many others. The second half of the show featured various hill tribes in their many coloured costumes. It was an interesting show but a little too touristy for my liking.