Thursday, March 4 - to Doi Ang Khang

We met at six, loaded onto the vans and drove in the dark up into the park to a side road. The cooks had coffee and donuts ready and after snacking we set off on a crude concrete road that went straight up a steep hill through dry deciduous trees and scrub.

Got some great views of Black-headed and White-bellied Woodpeckers and other birds and returned to the cooks’ van by 8. Bob and I got the cook to whip us up a cheese omelet instead of the fried eggs that were a little cool by that time. We drove to and birded a waterfall and then the rice paddy that I had explored yesterday and finally got back to the hotel to pack up by 10:30.

We sadly left Doi Inthanon Highlands Resort and headed back to the city of Chaing Mai, arriving there at 12:00 at our old friend, the Amari Rincome Hotel, for a large buffet of Italian and Thai food followed by make-your-own sundae with a variety of toppings, mysterious but delicious. We were to meet at 1:45 so I dashed out to a nearby street where some crafts were available - you have to move fast to buy anything on this trip! - and found some nice scarves and fabric stores. Found an ATM as we’re running through our beer/internet/laundry money fast and postage stamps for a few postcards and made it back on the dot for our departure.

We left Chaing Mai, driving past the colorful center strip plantings of bougainvilleas and entered rich agricultural countryside: melons, corn, rice,.


We climbed up and up and gradually approached the Burmese border. The two countries meet at a river that cuts very deeply through sharply rounded peaks creating a stunning landscape.

Unfortunately this is the agricultural burning season and the smoke somewhat dims the views of the mountains. Our poor vans really had to struggle to get up and down the very steep roads, and finally arrived at Ang Khang Nature Resort, a beautiful, quite luxurious, hotel, really in the middle of nowhere! We settled into our nice room for a few minutes and returned to the lobby for the List and dinner of plain rice, fried rice, veggie dishes, chicken, salads. Delicious but too much!!