Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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Ang Khang in the rain

Text : Cherry
Image : Audcharee

If you have seen the recent Thai romantic movie The Letter, then you probably cried your eyes out at some scenes shot at the Ang Khang mountain. Two days after I saw the movie, the Amari Rincome hotel announced a media trip to this marvelous place where nature is still abounding. The actual reason I joined the trip was because of my big impression of the big old peach tree that was portrayed in the movie. It was the tree where the dying young hero wrote his final love letter. This was my chance to see the scene in the flesh.

The group left the Amari Rimcome at nine in the morning, and spent over 3 hours on journey. The road from Mae Rim to Chiang Dao was packed with natural tourist attractions for both Chiang Mai and foreign visitors alike. The weather in the rainy season is also cool enough with some rain, but it never is a problem for those with travel lust of this kind of trip.

We reached our destination before lunch time. Our first trip of the day was to visit a school of Pa-long hilltribe children. It was part of an education scheme for the Young Guide Project at Khob Dong school. This project focuses on giving local tourism-related information to the children and enhances their knowledge about the significance of their locality. The students were actually very lovely and greeted us with fine courtesy and smiles that helped refresh us from the long journey.

We stayed there for a while, and then left on a tight schedule to visit moh phi (Doctor Ghost). His admission that he was deeply scared of ghosts puzzled us all. Then the guide resolved the matter by adding that the moh phi was actually the village leader who normally headed their animistic rituals. The moh phi told us that His Majesty the King had paid a visit to this village once and had tea in his house, leaving the village so proud of this auspicious moment.

Then the troupe moved on to the farmers' fields, which have received enormous support from the Royal Project. The guide said that in the further past, Ang Khang was home to an opium plantation and deforestation was practiced at an incredible pace. This in turn has made the streams and water sources disappear, harming the ecology to a great extent. The present fields were now full of cold climate plants, some of which can be grown only at this location.

After a while we became tired of touring around. So we went back to rest before joining the BBQ party for the night program. The food was so fantastic, especially when accompanied by live music from our journalist friends in the trip. Both lulled us into a good night's sleep and woke us fresh in the next morning.

That dawn proved to be fine for taking photographs of the resort. The flowers at Ang Khang, especially after the rain, were memorable. We barely had time to contemplate the beauty since the vans were leaving for Ang Khang agricultural development station very soon and we were booked to try vegetables freshly plucked from the fields.

The five vans headed straight to the wood burning facility first. At our first stop today we learned so much about the values of various kinds of wood that would soon become furniture or even medicine. We were also informed that no trees in the forest were cut for these purposes. Instead they were planted as part of a Royal Project's research project. In addition, we also learned about how to use different woods to plant mushrooms.

Then we chose to walk the nature trail. On the rugged path we saw several birds and trees. These trees had been planted in the once exploited land to help absorb water into the ground and reduce flooding tendencies in the lower parts of Thailand. The weather was nice - I felt as if I was in Switzerland. (I have never actually been there but I just felt like it.) Then the road led us to the Royal Palace, where we took photos and toured around. Then it was time that we were all looking forward to, to taste fresh vegetables from the Royal Project and to pay visit to the peach tree in the movie. I asked the photographer to take pictures while daydreaming of such romance like the movie (but with a happy ending!). My castle in the air tumbled down when it was after noon and the photographer reminded me that everybody was going home. The time of sweet delights was short and the trip was drawing to an end.

It was an incredible experience to visit Ang Khang in the rainy season. The trees looked more green than ever, especially than in the hot season. There was less crowd so we did not have to stand on our toes to get a glimpse of the sea of mist like in Winter. Some may think the rain was a trouble for any trip, but actually it helped to cool down the entire journey. See for yourself and you will find Ang Khang, so close to Chiang Mai, a Thai-style Switzerland.

Then you may find that, like me, the best thing for you may be so close that you have long overlooked. Who knows - it may even be here in Ang Khang!