Another varied day out this time on the outskirts of Chiang Mai in an area called Mae Rim. If you have been here it is likely you have visited Mae Rim as it is quite a tourist area with things like elephants, buggy rides, tigers, orchid farms etc etc. However most of these activities are situated on or close to the main road that runs through the area. Once you head off this road you are into more rural hilly country, which for me is far more interesting.
Our day out today was organised thanks to Neil, an Aussie friend of ours, who we met originally as he’s a JP and I needed some documents signed. Neil had invited us along for the day to meet a monk who is living in a “barebones” Wat in the countryside and get some lunch on the way back. It ended up being a wonderfully varied day as you can see from the photos. From monks to tigers.
Neil has an Australian friend called Kim who has been coming to Thailand for twenty five years, living in Chiang Mai for seven, and has lots of contacts in the area. One of them is a Thai monk, called Boonsri, who had been on the staff of a senior monk in Northern Thai Buddhism but decided to get out of the busy mainstream and get closer to the essence of Buddha’s teachings. He found himself a plot of land in the backwaters of Chiang Mai, which was donated to him by the local headman, and is setting himself up in a very simple and basic way, which is what he wanted.
However since he has arrived his desire for a simple life is being challenged. Out of the blue someone arrived from Bangkok and connected the site up with electricity, someone else decided the house Boonsri and his two monks had wasn’t appropriate and is now building two new houses and a huge Buddha statue is being constructed on top of the hill. Our main mission for the day was to meet Boonsri and have a look at his emerging Wat.
The first half of the drive was on the road I covered separately HERE, but we then continued on from the point where we turned around. On this unexplored part of road we came across a Vietnamese temple being constructed in the middle of nowhere. A lot of work and money must have gone into the place but we didn’t see anyone other than four workers. There was little sign of any maintenance and it was all looking a bit sad.
Closing the gate on this empty construction site we continued our journey to the Wat. It is situated just off the only road through this area of Mae Rim at the back of rice fields. The temple site is mainly a small hill with the three monk’s houses set in the trees around the bottom and steps carved out of the hillside to what will be the 30 meter Buddha statue on the top.

The bowl in the above photo is full of these miniature Buddhas, which will be placed in jars and incorporated into the large statue when it is built.

The statue taking shape. The base will become the temple area usually with views up into the hollow centre of the Buddha statue.
Boonsri thinks the Buddha will be ready in a couple of years. There are two people working full-time on it now. There was a third but it is harvest time in Isaan so he has gone home. The workers live on site in some pretty basic shelters. They must be creating some Buddhist brownie points for next time around.

Even here one is never far from chillies. Grown on site needless to say. These small ones would kill a westerner. Gaun eats them raw.

These furry caterpillars were everywhere. Gaun thought they caused a rash if touched but the monk picked one up to show us.

Gaun and Boonsri heading back down. For any ladies visiting Thailand you can never touch a monk or hand things directly to them. Their faith is fragile!

Views from the Wat area over local farming land. Buffalo with bells in the background adding to the peaceful atmosphere.

The hair is made out of concrete and this is the mound they come from. Made from local black clay with kerosene to stop them sticking. Once hardened they have to be unscrewed out of the mound because of their shape.

A garden has been established at the bottom of the hill. Boonsri was a nurseryman in a previous life – this time around!
I found Boonsri to have a lovely quiet energy to him. He was pleased to see us and we have an invitation to return when we want. I wonder if he will get the solitary, introspective life he so craves.
Leaving the temple we headed further into the hills to complete a loop that would eventually bring us back to the main Mae Rim road. In the process we passed beautiful hill farms and country, mostly growing cabbages for some reason.
Back in the foothills we stopped off at Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens for lunch. Gaun and I have been here before and my blog story can be found HERE. The entry fee is 100 THB per person and 100 THB for the car. However if you have a Thai driving licence, which we all did, it is half price! There were lots of signs advertising wild bee hives in a banana plantation section of the gardens. We stopped but couldn’t find any. Maybe the Thais have “harvested” them already. I did however get a photo of the strange looking banana plant.
The cafe, shop and small nursery is at the top of the garden complex, which is a huge area. Just follow the road until you see the big greenhouses and then turn left. The menu was pretty basic but we had a reasonable meal, which cost us $9.00 for four main courses with rice. Afterwards we popped down to check out the orchid greenhouse, as Kim is an enthusiastic grower and I am an enthusiastic photographer of the flowers.
Our final stop for the day was to be Tiger Kingdom – Trip Advisor reviews HERE. The secret to this place is that you gain entry to the cafe at no cost and get a view of all the tourists getting their photos taken with the tigers costing from 420 Baht for the larger tigers to 620 Baht for the baby ones. A photographer will cost another 299 THB. Ask for a couple of queue tickets at the entry booth but there is no need to use them. These get you into the non-petting part of the facility. Go through the main reception and find a table right at the end of the cafe on the left hand side for the best views such as these:
What magnificent creatures. If you do go in for a photo/petting session you will be pleased to hear that they are only fed chicken so they don’t get a taste for blood. Just thought I would pass that on for peace of mind. On the way out Kim bought us a small packet of fish food and in the pond on the right you can get a feeding frenzy happening like this:
I still shake my head at how fortunate I am to be able to experience a day like this one. Retired in Canberra would look somewhat different.
I have just completed my first 12 months in Thailand. I arrived in Phuket on 12 June 2013 a very stressed and tired man. I wrote blog entry called “Thailand Six Months On” HERE and will now revisit this to see how my attitudes have changed over the last six months. A blog entry to follow shortly.
Thanks for reading.
Great post…..beautifully written and lovely pics! Really enjoyed reading about your adventure. Just arrived in Mae Rim and hope to check these places out. Andy
Thanks very much Andy. Sorry to be slow responding. We have been in Bangkok. I am sure you will enjoy Mae Rim. If we were staying in Chiang Mai that’s where I would be looking to stay. Have a great time in Chiang Mai. Hard not to. Tony
Also for anyone interested….banana FLOUR is a good gluten free alternative for wheat in just about anything (makes good bread). Though relatively new here in Australia, I believe it’s been popular in Asian countries for many years.
I bought mine from a company in QLD that’s only been going for about 18 months and they make theirs from green lady finger bananas.
What a versatile little fruit!
Thank you Janet. I have never heard of banana flour and suspect not many others have either. Tony
Another thing i missed mentioning… There are over 100 varieties of bananas in Asia with various levels of sweetness and variations in taste and size. Some eaten straight, some cooked in different styles and some used as potato in curries when still unripe.
You can get a feel for this when walking through the markets and see all the varieties, some ready to be eaten and others a deep green.
Hi Tony
Just read this report. Good information and well rounded. My commrnts on things in your journal? Bananas grow on plants like giant grass and each plant produces fruit only once and it is then cut down when the fruit is harvested. The next bunch will grow from the next biggest sucker that grows from the same root/rhizome.
The caterpillars can cause a nasty rash if your skin touches them but if you hold it with your fingers which have a layer of thick dead skin you may not be affected. Should you be unfortunate enough to rub your skin on a nettle caterpillar you can sooth the pain by ripping the beast apart and rubbing its bodily fluids onto the rash. This will bring almost immediate relief to the pain. Just a tip for you.
Enjoy!
Bob
Thanks for your expertise Bob. I remember you at work bringing in the more exotic bananas. We have several good banana trees growing on our land so I will be able to pick both mangos and bananas in season. What a treat. I will certainly keep your remedy for caterpillar sting in mind! Cheers Tony