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Phayao - Chiang Kham It's been a while since the last time we toured the North. So this week we're going all the way to Phayao, 150 kilometres northeast of Chiang Mai which was hit by a flash flood last weekend. Well, there's no better place to start today's journey than from Kwan Phayao, the lake that is a symbol of the province. The Watthanatham Nithet Museum and Wat Si Khomkham are just about a kilometre from the Somdet Ya Park on the lakeside. From Wat Si Khomkham, if you have time to spare, you can go to the other side of the lake and visit the newer, but no less interesting, Wat Analayo.Once you're done with the town area, drive southward along Highway 1 for five kilometres and turn left at Mae Tam intersection onto Highway 1021 towards Dok Kham Tai. (A note to coffee addicts: just before you reach Dok Kham Tai town, there's a gas station on the left-hand side with a tiny coffeeshop that serves good expresso. I can't remember the name of the coffeeshop but its owner is a friendly person who also happens to be a mountain biker.) Six kilometres from Dok Kham Tai, you'll reach Ban San Khong. Here, if you wish to go to Point C, Pha Thevada and Huai Chomphoo Waterfall, turn right onto a minor road and ask any villager you find along the way for the direction to Ban Jamkai. To move on to Point D, Wiang Lor, you need to get back to Highway 1021. About 23 kilometres from Ban San Khong, just five kilometres before the town of Chun, you'll see on the left-hand side the Rural Highway 4006. Wing Lor is a dozen kilometres or so down that road. In Chun there's a intersection where the 1021 meets with the 1091. Turn left to stay on the 1021. From here, it's an easy drive to Chiang Kham. Once you reach the town of Chiang Kham, other than Wat Phra Nang Din, you can also visit Wat Nantaram and its intricate teak wood architecture. Also, not to be missed is the Tai Lue community at Wat Yuan. Villagers there are descendants of the Tai Lue ethnic group who migrated from Yunnan Province in southern China over a century ago. Bangkok Post August 2005 www.bangkokpost.com |