Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
It was again one of these days - everything went wrong so why not get in the car and blow off some steam and get some fresh air. No plan but just heading north-east along road 118 and see where I end up. First stop at what I think is called the Ban Dok Daeng shrine (coordinates - N18.89771 E99.19001). I know how it got there but don't know what else happened with it.
How it got there? Well around 1976/1977 one of the local busses plying the Chiangrai to Chiangmai route went of the road (at that time the road was being rebuilt from a dirt track to a properly paved road). Some of the passengers including a group of French tourists were killed and the shrine was later on put up as a kind of memorial. However, at present there are a large number of spirit houses at the shrine so I assume that these were put up for other people killed on or near that spot which is known to be dangerous due to speeding, etc. In 2007 thirteen teachers were killed in another bus crashonly 5 km. away from the shrine.
Anyway, it was a sobering experience and reminded me that blowing off some steam while driving a car can be dangerous so the remainder of the trip went a bit slower from there on. The going was slow at the roadworks on road 118 due to the slow moving truxkx and the road being muddy.
On previous trips I had seen what looked like part of a steam train at Dr. Lee's Farm and Resort (N19.26644 E99.51061) and, as the steam train which Phil discovered a few years ago (see Steam train surprises in the jungle) has disappeared, I had a quick look but No, this train is quite different and looks more a replica of sorts.
Phil's train and my train - completely different.
So, on the road again on the 118 - turnoff to Phrao - No, lets take the 109 from Mae Sueai to Fang. I had not been on this road for some time but it was still a pleasant road to ride with very little traffic. At the end of the road I stopped at the Fang Oilfield Museum (coordinates N19.85056 E99.21056) but that was a bit of a let down - the doors were open but no-one around - lights switched of, etc. So a quick peek inside - all descriptions in Thai so a bit of a waste of time and therefor just a few pictures of what was on view outside the museum.
I was given a few clips of a larger drone movie of a temple (Wat Santi Wanaram in Ban Maekha) close to the museum so a quick search and I found it at N19.85447 E99.21629 just behind the Museum. In the clips the temple looked nice but the new temple building spoiled it a bit.
One of the clips from the drone movie about Wat Santi Wanaram
and the new temple building next to the older part of the temple
At this time it was close to three o'clock so time to head home but on the way I found this "Japanese complex" under construction at N19.65601 E99.14831 just north of the turnof to Phrao using road 1346
Doi Chiang Dao - picture taken from Rd. 107 and a bit of Tham Pha Plong Monastic Residence
How it got there? Well around 1976/1977 one of the local busses plying the Chiangrai to Chiangmai route went of the road (at that time the road was being rebuilt from a dirt track to a properly paved road). Some of the passengers including a group of French tourists were killed and the shrine was later on put up as a kind of memorial. However, at present there are a large number of spirit houses at the shrine so I assume that these were put up for other people killed on or near that spot which is known to be dangerous due to speeding, etc. In 2007 thirteen teachers were killed in another bus crashonly 5 km. away from the shrine.
Anyway, it was a sobering experience and reminded me that blowing off some steam while driving a car can be dangerous so the remainder of the trip went a bit slower from there on. The going was slow at the roadworks on road 118 due to the slow moving truxkx and the road being muddy.
On previous trips I had seen what looked like part of a steam train at Dr. Lee's Farm and Resort (N19.26644 E99.51061) and, as the steam train which Phil discovered a few years ago (see Steam train surprises in the jungle) has disappeared, I had a quick look but No, this train is quite different and looks more a replica of sorts.
Phil's train and my train - completely different.
So, on the road again on the 118 - turnoff to Phrao - No, lets take the 109 from Mae Sueai to Fang. I had not been on this road for some time but it was still a pleasant road to ride with very little traffic. At the end of the road I stopped at the Fang Oilfield Museum (coordinates N19.85056 E99.21056) but that was a bit of a let down - the doors were open but no-one around - lights switched of, etc. So a quick peek inside - all descriptions in Thai so a bit of a waste of time and therefor just a few pictures of what was on view outside the museum.
I was given a few clips of a larger drone movie of a temple (Wat Santi Wanaram in Ban Maekha) close to the museum so a quick search and I found it at N19.85447 E99.21629 just behind the Museum. In the clips the temple looked nice but the new temple building spoiled it a bit.
One of the clips from the drone movie about Wat Santi Wanaram
and the new temple building next to the older part of the temple
At this time it was close to three o'clock so time to head home but on the way I found this "Japanese complex" under construction at N19.65601 E99.14831 just north of the turnof to Phrao using road 1346
Doi Chiang Dao - picture taken from Rd. 107 and a bit of Tham Pha Plong Monastic Residence
Last edited:
