CNXJan08 (II) - A Chilling Day

My feet were freezing by the dead of the night. I had to get up reluctantly, yet without a choice to grope in the dark for my woolen socks as my cold feet were preventing me from getting a good night's sleep! I even pulled on an extra layer of clothing to make sure I was snug, instead of trying to save my small stock of clothes over the next 10 days. Before long, I finally got a good, warm rest.

By 4am local time, the floorboards started creaking as one by one, we all woke up and took turns in the washroom. Susan even took a quick shower despite the ice cold water! Gosh, if I thought that at night it was cold, in the morning it was so much more chilling. I was rubbing my hands which were already bound in woolen gloves and my feet felt as if they no longer belonged to me. Walking on the floorboards was even like walking on ice!

On hour later, when I opened the front door, a cold blast greeted my already stiff face. As we were situated on a slope, the wind was mercilessly gushing down from the top of the road. We then quickly bundled into the vans as fast as our limbs and our heavy gear would permit us. Inside was a relief!

It took about 45 minutes to reach the summit of Doi Inthanon, our first stop of the day. The sun had not yet broken the night, so it was still pitch dark and being the summit, of course, you wouldn't expect the temperature at that time to be more than anything but 3 degrees. I simply refused to leave the cosy comfort of the van to step out into the darkness only to have the breeze mocking me! I'm much used to the humid atmosphere of home, so this dry icy air did not seem to agree with me at first.

After an hour and the prospect of catching the Rufous-throated Partridge, I shook myself and bade goodbye to the warm reverie. I stopped over at the visitors' centre to have a look around. Their exhibits are well done - providing much information from the climate to even astronomy.

Displays at the visitors' centre

When the sky turned a pale yellow, Susan ushered us to a spot behind the kitchen of the restaurant to lie in wait for the much-anticipated Partridges. The spot was a favourite for birds as the kitchen leftovers would be strewn there. You could see eggshells and rice grains especially at the water outlet where the dishes are washed. On her previous trip, they had been lucky as a pair of Partridges had been most obliging. However, it was not to be so this time. Some of us waited for hours but there was no show of the wanted bird.

Eagerly awaiting the 'show'

Instead, other feathered friends turned up for the pickings. They made good models for us and this reduced the initial blow of the no-show of the star attraction. A good start with our first dose of birds here!

Blue Whistling Thrush
A radiant sapphire

Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
A cheerful flock of them scurried and scampered around, though their habit of nimbly keeping in the lower storey and playing hide-and-seek in the bushes proved to be a challenge to obtain a clear shot of them.

Being satisfied with the small bird wave, I then headed down to the Ang Ka trail, hoping to catch the endemic Green-tailed Sunbird.

The Ang Ka trail map with a brief description of it.
Note the elevation of this place. That certainly explains my climate shock earlier!

The beginning of the Ang Ka trail.

On entering the trail, I felt as if the landscape around me had been transformed, and that I had been transported to a different world. The trees were draped in moss which hung like tassels from their boughs; the hues were a mix of a deep rich emerald green with a hint of an olive tinge. It seemed so surreal as my words fail me. I just gawked in awe as my camera could not do justice to the colours that surrounded me. I kept taking in slow, deep breaths as if by doing so, I could 'absorb' the strange feelings of being there.

The boardwalk which runs a loop in the Ang Ka trail.
Tall, lanky trees stand gently along the sides of the path. I just could not take in enough of it as I had to leave too soon!

Interesting vegetation which caught my eye. These green-tentacled mosses carpeted the ground, forming what appeared to me to be a somewhat spongy, springy layer. They reminded me too much of beings from another world! Sometimes I would imagine them congregating together like nano particles to morph into a larger creature - like how a huge school of fish or a flock of birds somehow manage to coordinate their movements to resemble a single wave-like creature.

However fascinated I could be with the plants, they could not prevent me from diverting my eyes towards a flutter nearby. Right beside the boardwalk, a small party of Chestnut-tailed Minlas were actively hopping through the bushes. Then arrived a flock of Rufous-winged Fulvettas. These fulvettas were so brightly coloured compared to their other siblings - grey and ochre made up the most of their colours.

Orange-flanked Bush-Robin (female)
We were chasing this shy skulker along a certain stretch of the trail. It would show itself for about five minutes, after which it eludes us as quickly as it appears. We managed to catch it twice before it never came out again.

Gould's Sunbird (male)
The Green-tailed Sunbird failed to show up but at least I got a fair shot of this gem. In bright sunlight, you could see its flaming vermillion chest darting and zipping around.

By noon, the temperature underwent a complete turnaround. It was scorching! As I came out from the cool shady trail, I was nearly blinded by the glaring rays. After getting everyone together, we then headed for lunch at Mr Deang's place.

Mr Deang is the person every birdwatcher should pay a visit in Doi Inthanon. His place is the Inthanon Birds Centre - everything bird-oriented and themed.

Mr Deang's Inthanon Birds Centre - with a White-crowned Forktail as his mascot

You can get a simple meal of fried rice there while doing a spot of birding behind his restaurant. A group of British birders spotted a Scaly Thrush while having lunch there too!

Feeling happy to be basking in warmth again after a good meal. Put those jackets away!

Just look at the number of calling cards on Mr Deang's wall!

Even on the sign to the washrooms, you see some feathered friends

After our meal, we decided to have a go for the River Chat. Susan had planned to bring us to the waterfall where she had sighted it on her previous trip, but when she tried to convey the directions to our drivers, they ended up bringing us to another waterfall.

Oh well, it didn't matter. Just more sightseeing amidst birding, then.

Siribhume Waterfall

We did not trek in all the way to the waterfall but hung around the entrance. As it became apparent that there wasn't going to be a chance to see the River Chat here, we made do by keeping our eyes open for other birds.

Sure enough, I added two new species to my list - Japanese and Chestnut-flanked White-Eyes.

Enthusiastic birders trying to differentiate between the two species of White-Eyes, so as not to miss out!

Local tribal girls who, seeing we were obviously tourists, hung around trying to earn a penny (or 10 baht) or two by selling pretty bouquets.

There, we met the same group of British birders who were led by a Thai bird-guide, Mr Pinit (?). Susan took the opportunity to ask for directions to the waterfall she had in mind then. Soon, we were off on our quest for the River Chat again.

This time, we had to trek steeply downhill to the base of a waterfall. As I kept going further and further down, I was dreading the unavoidable journey uphill again! We passed through a farm and reached the top of the cascading falls. Seeing the water gushing over the edge gave me the shivers as I admittedly do have a certain fear of heights; not to mention that the path became really narrow and was running right beside the drop!

When I reached the bottom of the water curtain, the sight of the torrents made my heart skip a beat. Jason and I then teetered over the edge of a huge boulder below the falls to look for the River Chat as well as the Plumbeous Redstart. We didn't see either at first and decided to turn back.

It was at this moment that I had a very very close accident - could have been fatal, even. My shoes lost their grip and my right leg slipped over the side of the boulder and I was sliding sideways. I would have lost my balance if not for Jason who grabbed me from behind! As I reflect upon that harrowing experience, it was a 15-foot drop over the side. I could easily have broken my neck if I had been dashed upon the rocks below.

Serenity

Further down the river where the water was less savage, we spotted the male Plumbeous Redstart. The female, however, was nowhere in sight. Jason tried to creep closer to it to get a better shot but it was just too skittish.

In the distance where the river rounded a bend, a pair of Slaty-backed Forktails were frolicking, their black-and-white streamers gracefully floating behind them as they danced from boulder to boulder, never losing their footing on the slippery surfaces.

A high pitched whistle then attracted our attention to the bottom of the waterfall. A white cap was bobbing up and down, flicking its tail everytime it stopped - the River Chat! Many of us made a rush for this jewel, but it was out of my camera's range so I just settled down, gluing my eyes to my binoculars.

Uncle David in deep concentraion to shoot the River Chat

The dim lighting and the distance made it rather tricky to get a good picture but nonetheless, everyone still persevered, as you can see in this sequence here:

Jason and Alagan on the very boulder where I almost met my end. I didn't dare to ever stray there again!

Still don't think it's dangerous?
I warned you...

Take a look at the bigger picture!
Only here you don't really get an idea of the cascading falls.

'I'm coming to join you!' - Uncle Gilbert

Four daredevils - all for the sake of a bird!
What lengths photographers go to, to seek the perfect shot...

'Alright, alright, I've had enough. I'm leaving' - Uncle B
Note the sheer drop on the left!

The River Chat and the Plumbeous Redstart were not easy targets. As the sun sank lower behind the mountains, we decided to pack up and head back before nightfall. As I had expected, the trek uphill was an arduous task. I was ready for dinner anytime now!

Our meal was a lesser affair of eggs this time as Uncle David took the responsibility of ordering today. Thanks to his efforts, we even had fried fish, along with broccoli, snow peas and the usual omelette Tom Yam and fried eggs with tomatoes.

After a good bath, I snuggled into my sleeping bag, this time all prepared and bundled up comfortably so that I could sleep through the entire night without having to wake up freezing!

CNXJan08 (I) - How It All Began

It was New Year's Eve just as I was waking up from an afternoon nap. There my mother sat beside my bed and beaming, said to me, "I've got a brilliant idea."

"Why don't you go to Chiang Mai alone?"

I cannot be blamed for the fact that I just sat there like a dummy, speechless.

"Okay ah? I'll call Susan now."

Originally, my mother and I were to join the 11 days trip together with Susan and the rest. At the last minute, certain unforeseen matters arose which rocked all our plans. My mother even pulled out both our names from the list and I had been prepared to spend 8 months of my holiday at home. Then, less than two weeks before departure, she comes up with her 'brilliant' idea.

By 5 plus in the morning on the 9th of January, my first 'adventure' without my parents accompanying me began. Jason kindly gave me a lift to KL Sentral where we boarded the express bus to the LCCT Terminal. There, the others were already waiting and some were snatching a bite at the food shops.

At 8.50am, we boarded the Air Asia Airbus and I shared the last row of seats with Susan and Madam Choo. Gosh, was it cramped! My knees were just brushing the seat in front of me and there was no way I could lean my seat back as the wall of the aircraft firmly prevented anything of the sort. Oh well, I supposed that it could be worse - I may have had a big-sized person painstakingly forcing themselves into the narrow seat beside me, or the passenger in front could always have taken the liberty of testing their seat of 'how low can you go.'

Ah, at least I had a window seat. Which calls for nothing less than whipping out a camera to while away the time and to keep my mind off the surroundings.

The trademark red and white Airbuses which occupy LCCT

Right on the dot, the plane lifted its wheels off the tarmac at 8.55am.

View of LCCT

The scenery was rather interesting at first - there was the vast expanse of oil palm estates surrounding the terminal which appeared like a emerald green woolen rug with several bumps scattered here and there. As the aircraft gained altitude, we broke above the cloud line and steered into a cloudless blue sky. Sensing that there was nothing else of interest outside, I then dug out the on-board pamphlets to check out the menu. A plate of nasi lemak for RM8! A cup of water for half the price! Oh no. I decided to starve it out for the next couple of hours but thankfully, I had a good breakfast earlier. And what's the easiest way to forget about that growling stomach? Doze off.

I really enjoy such interesting cloud formations you can hardly hope to see from the ground. The numerous little upward spiralling peaks just happened to remind me of freshly whipped cream.

As this was taken quite some time into the flight, I guessed this to be one of the mountain backbones in Central or Northeastern Thailand already.

Soon enough, at 10.20 am - touchdown! At Chiang Mai International Airport (code - CNX)

After passing through the usual immigration procedures and collecting out luggage, Mam was already there to meet us. Outside the arrival hall, two vans which she had taken the trouble to charter us were waiting. Introductions ensued and we came to know Pop and Bird, our two loyal drivers for the entire trip. The vans were almost brand new, around a year or less old as we found out from them later. The interior and the works appeared to be in good condition and it was spacious as well as comfortable.

Off we then headed for a quick lunch at the International Academic Services Centre (IC). According to Mam, it provides adequate lodging for international students and locals. If I remember correctly, Mam herself has stayed there in her earlier years.

Our first taste of Thai food upon landing. Mam ordered a sumptuous meal of Tom Yum Goong with huge prawns among other very palatable dishes.

The I.C. and the empty plates - good signs of a good meal! Other than the fact that I'm sure everyone was ravenous.

Pleased that she had fed her guests enough to keep their tummies satisfied for the next leg of the journey, Mam bid us a safe and fruitful journey as she had to get back to work at the hospital. She would join us again after our sortie in Doi Inthanon.

Oh yes, before leaving the IC, I managed to spot a Red-whiskered Bulbul! Common though it may be for them, I have only seen it once - and it was most probably an escapee - back on mainland Penang.

The canal running around Chiang Mai town. Notice something about the canal? No rubbish! How clean these locals are. The water flows smoothly throughout its length. At several locations around town, there were even remnants of the old fort well restored and preserved.

We then had to make a quick stop at the local Tesco store to pick up supplies - especially breakfasts - to last us for the next four days. As it was a first time using the Thai Baht, I often got confused when paying at the cashier and quite blindly, I admit, handed over a sum of money not really knowing whether I was doing the right thing! Only later after checking the receipt and my change, giving it a thought alone did I finally grasp the currency!

We bought mainly food and water but some even needed an extra supply of clothes just in case. Uncle David and a few others too got themselves each a local mobile sim card so that calling or texting home would be less taxing on their credit.

On loading all our supplies into the packed vans, finally we were off to our first stop - Doi Inthanon!

Only after the vans rumbled off did those in my van discover a big store of supplies - apples, mangoes, water, various snacks and even a basket full of cutlery - at the back of our van! Mam had really taken much trouble to ensure we were well stocked! Such evidence to prove the great hospitality of the Thais.

The vans had to stop to refuel at Chom Thong town which allowed time for a cup of tea or coffee and the use of washrooms at a Don Cafe sharing the same premises as the petrol station.

After another hour or so, we reached the base of Doi Inthanon.

The first checkpoint of Doi Inthanon.

We each had to fork out an entrance fee of 400 baht (foreigner's rate) while the locals only needed to pay a tenth of the price. As we had to stop over while Susan was settling the bill (which honestly proved to be a tough job, collecting a group fund from 10 people!), some of us got our first dose of avian friends - a flock of leafbirds hanging around the trees surrounding the checkpoint.

The journey up the slopes of the highlands was truly an eye-opener to me. The different vegetation was what struck me most. Back at home, I have always been accustomed to seeing thick, deep green jungles where the sun barely reaches the ground. You could see towering hardwood trees maybe about a few metres inside, but beyond that would be quite indiscernible, almost pitch darkness when the lighting is less appealing.

Here, instead, the temperate forest dominates the landscape. The trees are noticeably shorter and thinner. They are sparse and since it was winter, many had shed their golden leaves of crimson and orange hues. These crinkled leaves are strewn all over the dry, dusty forest floor. Here, you don't see any sign of mud anywhere!

We passed by a small local village before arriving at the EGAT headquarters where we would be staying, much thanks to another Thai birder who unfortunately could not join us as he was held up with his work.

Susan checking in our group at the EGAT power station. Thank goodness she can converse well enough in Thai to get some of our needs understood, or else it would certainly have a worst case scenario of the blind leading the blind!

The EGAT canteen where we normally have our dinners. The unusual thing about this canteen is, being in Thailand, it does not serve pork! Even chicken meat is hard to come by. The main ingredient in most dishes is chicken eggs, but you can get fish too, at least.

These are the newly constructed chalets where we were initially supposed to stay in.

They gave us two houses which each had a small living room, two rooms (one with an attached bathroom) and another bathroom attached to the living room. I think each chalet could accommodate around 5-6 people, if you strictly count the number of beds, as some bunks can be pulled down. But there were 13 of us, inclusive of the two drivers! Susan really had to sit down and decide who would be sleeping where - not an easy task, mind you!

I recall the first bird I saw up here was an Ashy Drongo hawking for insects above the new chalets.

Our luggage after it was unloaded from the vans. This may only be half of it.

Leaving our belongings in our designated rooms, we decided to do a spot of birding since it was around 4.30pm and there was still ample light. The vans brought us to a small unpaved jeep track slightly higher up but precisely where I do not recall as we go by the kilometre, e.g. KM37 trail etc.

It was rather quiet, but I enjoyed the stroll through the woods which became more and more fascinating to me as I saw more it. At one part, the pine (?) trees towered on each side of the path, creating a hushed sort of atmosphere, one which I have always wondered about, as I used to daydream of sitting quietly alone under such trees, just admiring the beauty of the mossy greenery and the fresh mountain air.

Through the forest...

Wild orchids which clung to the trunks and boughs.

At one point, a cheerful call pricked our ears. It was a melodious whistle: whi-whi-whiu whi-whi-whiu whi-whi-whiu whi-whi - with every falling third note. We stopped in our tracks, craned our necks and cupped our hands to our ears, trying to locate the source of the whistling. It seemed to come from the canopy. We were walking along a sloping part, so this made it more difficult to step off the road. A brief movement. Someone treks up the banks of the path and points their binoculars upwards. Moments later, they gesture to us, waving at us to come have a look. Not wanting to be left out, I manage to catch a glimpse of the bird. Slightly larger than a sparrow, yellowish with a dark throat and crest... A male Yellow-cheeked Tit! My first lifer! It then cheekily (pun intended) flew much further off, where we lost it. Nevertheless, I was beaming with satisfaction. It was a gem, that boy!

The light faded and we had to start leaving. We saw and heard nothing else of interest and were only looking forward to a good meal. What should we find out when we got back but we had been given the wrong rooms and were asked to vacate the new chalets immediately! At first, we thought of putting it off till after dinner but then we decided to get it over and done with. So, we put out backs into it to haul all our luggage out of the rooms, back up the steps (as the chalets are situated on lower ground than the canteen) and into the vans which took them yet further up to the older chalets. Finally the last bag was in and the van doors were slammed shut. By this time, everyone had worked up a good appetite.

Next came yet another unforseen challenge - ordering the menu! It was fully in Thai with only a smattering of English. Jason was given the task of 'deciphering' the menu. When dinner was served, out of the 5 dishes, three had a heap of eggs thrown in! We had tom yam and omelette, vegetable soup, omelette with minced pork, stir-fried mushrooms and omelette with mixed vegetables. Turns out that Jason is actually fond of eggs! But, oh well, there were empty stomachs to fill, and the plates were all licked clean before you could shout Jack Robinson.

Patiently waiting for dinner at the EGAT canteen

After dinner, we still had to face the arduous task of sorting out our luggage again as they had been jumbled up between the two vans. The older chalets were wooden and slightly larger - 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms. This time it was much easier deciding who should stay where, so all we had to do was grab our belongings and head for our room. Thank goodness for the egg-full dinner! Gave us a last energy boost for our long day.

Everyone settled down as fast as they could, and having taken a bath (heaters installed), we tucked into bed. At 9.30 pm, I feel asleep almost immediately, barely remembering that Susan had said we're leaving at 5am (Thai time) tomorrow! Just the thought of that knocked me out!

End of day one!