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You are here: Home / Memoir / Notes From The Road: From Chiang Mai To Tak

Notes From The Road: From Chiang Mai To Tak

January 15, 2012 By Laura Dal Farra Leave a Comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transcript

 

Hey Once Again,

 

The decision to come to Tak (city) was fairly organic. New Year’s Eve was approaching and Brandy (my partner in crime) and I had only booked our hotel until the 29th.  Trying to find accommodations until the first was becoming cumbersome, so as we were trying to determine our next move sitting side by side at a net cafe, I suggested to Brandy “Maybe we should pull up a map of Thailand”.  She did. Then asked,  “What about Tak?”  I had never heard of it; neither had she. It was a go.

 

Two days and a six hour bus ride later, we arrive in Tak, at nightfall to find the only hotel we knew of in the city to be booked.  A Thai friend in Chiang Mai had something to the effect of…”Suuuuuree it’ll be easy to find a hotel in Tak. No one goes there for New Years…”  Our songtao (bus/van type thingy) driver recommended another hotel/resort.  For whatever reason, I asked, “Is there a hotel near a market….or muay thai?”  Perfect thing to ask as we land at an old, bungalow style hotel within a short walking distance of the Taksin Maharachanuson Fair; essentially the only  thing going on in the city, which has both a (huge) market and muay thai, every single night of its duration.

 

Bonus:  Baby elephants, one shorter than me, hanging out. Baby elephants.

 

Much to write on Tak. Too much to write about now as writing detracts from my time to experience our last night here. Plan is to hit the city of Kanchanaburi tomorrow.  We know of two routes – (1) Tak – Bangkok – Kanchanaburi by bus. Basically it’s sort of like backtracking. Tak to Bangkok is listed as a six hour trip, this means there’s a good shot it’ll take eight, maybe.  Then Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, including waiting time for a Bus?  No clue. Was told today all buses are booked to Bangkok as people are going back to work after the New Year festivities, but maybe there will be an opening….Option (2) Take a bus or minivan to Nakhon Sawan in the morning. The bus terminal people believe there is a bus leaving Nakhon Sawan for Kanchanaburi at 4:30 pm, however, there may be others…is the 4:30 pm bus full already?  Who knows.  Do we know a thing about Nakhon Sawan?  There’s a waterfall there….Wish us luck….trying to take a minivan to a national park approximately 20km away, almost landed us in Burma/Myanmar, 80 kms away yesterday.

 

Situation in short – Woman selling the ticket said the minivan was going to the park.  The guy organizing/getting the people on the vehicle confirmed it was going to the park.  However, no one told me two things:

 

1) The van would pass the park enroute to Burma/Myanmar

 

2) I had to tell the driver where I was going. Although the ride was longer than anticipated, I thought….travel times are rarely accurate in Thailand. In addition, I was trying not to heave as we were speeding through winding mountain.  I kept curling up into a ball on my seat.

 

What tipped me off?  Immigration police.  Nice one.

 

Bye For Now,

ldf.

 

*As Mae Sot is a highly secured border city to Burma/Myanmar, there was an immigration police checkpoint prior to hitting Immigration at the border.

 

 

Tak City hotel review here.

 

 

The Ping River, Tak City, Tak, Thailand 2011

 

As Dusk Approaches, The Ping River, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2011

 

Door On The Grounds Of Panasan Hotel, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2011

 

Our Room At The Panasan Hotel, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2011

 

A Slow Night at The Taksin Maharachanuson + Red Cross Fair, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2012
New Year’s Even Fireworks, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2011/2012

 

Taksin Maharachanuson + Red Cross Fair, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2012

 

Hey Baby! Baby Elephant, Taksin Maharachanuson + Red Cross Fair, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2011

 

Tak Street Light, Tak City, Tak, Thailand, 2012

 

 

Read the next memoir, From Tak To Nakhon Sawan To Suphanburi To Kanchanaburi, here.

Read the previous memoir, From Buriram To Bangkok To Chiang Mai, here.

 

 

For Thailand hotel reviews, travel information and tips, check out Backpacking Thailand, my free Thailand resource.

 

Filed Under: Memoir, Thailand Tagged With: Chiang Mai, On the Road, Tak

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About Laura Dal Farra

After a six month adventure training Muay Thai in Thailand in 2007, Laura Dal Farra returned to her native Canada, sold most of what she owned, and boarded a plane set for Bangkok alone. She spent the next 3.5 years training in traditional Muay Thai gyms, pushing her limits, and embracing the unknown. Realizing little was being written on the subject, she began to blog about it. Laura Dal Farra is the founder of Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb.

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