Health issues........With a big risk of labouring the point, this tour is set against a background of uncertainty. Uncertainty about health issues, particularly the allergy I’m prone to in this part of the world; the cause unknown, leaving me hospitalised in the early part of the year. Unable to find the cause, I can at least take some precautions and keeping a travel blog as I do there are some pointers that may help. One obvious danger is exposure to contaminated water. I assume this to be external but you can never be sure how food is prepared when you go travelling around. Off limits for this tour are oceans, lakes, rivers, hot springs and even swimming pools. In come gels, lotions, and medication. A precaution in itself is the area I’m travelling: The areas of the north and northeast have caused little trouble for me so far.
As the tour progressed Katoon concentrated on personal hygiene and treated every cut and insect bite: At one point when a combination of these caused concern she insisted on a course of antibiotics. Rather surprisingly my left leg, the cause of so much anguish in the past, had swollen more than expected despite the cool conditions in the north. It was obviously the cause of some relief that I arrived back in Bangkok after my 16 day trip, relatively unscathed.
The Tour........The tour itself had one primary objective and that was to reach Loei province and combine the tour with family visits. In practical terms it’s possible to reach Chiang Khan in a day but it is over 500 kilometres from Bangkok. We decided at an early stage to do a circular tour taking in adjoining provinces. In the event we spent 4 nights in Chiayaphum province, 9 nights in Loei province and one each in Nong Bua Lamphu and Khon Kaen provinces. All the stopovers were in areas with seemingly unlimited attractions most in areas of natural beauty and of historic interest.
Transport…..The Toyota Vois was hired for the whole tour but in Pak Chom, Katoon’s brother took us on two afternoon trips while on three occasions local transport was used to reach hill tops. The total cost of fuel was 5,610 baht.
Accommodation........The accommodation used was a mostly chalets or bungalows at resorts. These varied in price and comfort for between 500 and 700 baht per night which is cheap for Thailand as a whole. The cost of accommodation was 8,350 baht.
Weather........The weather was cool for Thailand dipping down to well under 20C in Pak Com by morning. Generally for one of the cooler months in Thailand the temperatures averaged a comfortable 25 C with Leoi province typically recording the lowest temperatures.
Food........Food in the northeastern provinces is usually spicy and hot using a variety of local produce which I refer to as ‘jungle curries’. The tastiest curry turned out to be forest pig or wild boar but chicken, pork and river fish is widely eaten. Farmed fish known as bpla nin is popular. It is dried first and then deep fried with garlic and salt. Seafood is available but has to travel a long way from the coast so is less popular but a spicy salad known as som tum made from fresh papaya is very popular. Rather the normal rice, sticky rice is often preferred eating with gai yang (grilled chicken) or gai tod (deep fried chicken). Knom geen (rice spaghetti) is also popular.
Technology........For the first time this tour I bought an unlimited 4G package for my phone. If I thought it might be of limited value on tour, I could not have been more wrong. I soon found that all I needed to keep in touch with family and friends back home was Facebook. I began to use the internet on the go for gathering information to supplement what Katoon found using the old methods. For guidance, I used Google Map but had to be careful not to rely on it entirely. It wasn’t till the second week, I used it as a satnav. That helped a lot in awkward places. It also helped plan time and distance. Finally I needed it to tether my computer on a number of occasions where the wifi signal wasn’t strong. It’s clear from the way I used my mobile device that I won’t be without it again.
Having outlined the positives there were a few negatives. The phones memory is no longer sufficient to run all the aps I need so will need replacing. The other issue was with my camera. Some of its functions are failing and I made a lot of use of the camera phone to compensate. Clearly some upgrades are needed before I take on another tour.
Rating........The quantity of photographs and data I collected was again substantial with the danger I may not find the time to use it all. To help with classification, rating, presentation and layout I have been working on program changes to my system but it will take weeks, perhaps months to examine all the data. Finally I have enjoyed this tour immensely and quite happy to give it an 8/10 overall.