sightseeing

I searched the Internet for information on silk production in Chiang Mai and came up with two tourist traps: Thai Silk Village and Shinawatra Thai Silk.  I could have arranged with a travel agent to go to these facilities, but it  would be expensive and really touristy. I have pictures of real silk production from the last time I was here and wanted to take new digital photos on this trip.  After several weeks of red herrings I had a business card with the location of weaving demonstrations and a handwritten address for silk worm displays. 

Neither seemed to be real production facilities, so I turned to the Lonely Planet guide book where I found instructions to Bo Sang (the umbrella village) and San Kamphaeng where apparently "actual weaving is done in small factories down side streets".  Perfect.

I left the condo at 9:30 this morning and walked half way to the white Sǎwngthǎew stop as instructed in the book(about 20 min) before realizing that I didn't have my camera.  I had to tuk tuk (vehicle 1- 100 Bhat) home to get the camera and then tuk tuk to the Sǎwngthǎew stop where I caught a yellow (vehicle 2- 25 Bhat) truck to San Kamphaeng from a driver that spoke no English.   After about half an hour a nice Thai woman sitting across from me asked politely in perfect English what the hell I was doing on a yellow Sǎwngthǎew.   Good question- the guidebook specifically said white.  She listened to my story and promptly leaned out of the truck window to conference with the driver.  When she returned to her seat, she wrote a note explaining my search in Thai for me to show to non-English speakers.  With in a few minutes, our truck stopped and an arrangement was made with another yellow Sǎwngthǎew to take me (vehicle 3- 10 Bhat) back in the direction we had come from.

This is the note.  I think the is right-side-up, but am not sure.

I showed the new driver my note, got in, got off a few minutes later when instructed and walked in the direction indicated.  It quickly became obvious that I was not in the silk weaving centre of the universe, so I stopped to show my trusty note to a small group of ladies operating a laundry.  The boss kindly pulled a chair out on to the sidewalk and instructed me to sit and wait 5 minutes.  She did not explain what exactly I was waiting for, but I did not question her.  After deep reflection on why people book sightseeing trips from travel agents, a white Sǎwngthǎew pulled up and the laundry ladies stopped it and explained to the driver where I wanted to go (vehicle 4- 10 Baht).

This is the sign I saw when I turned the corner.  

So now I am on my third Sǎwngthǎew of the day.  Again, a passenger sitting across from me, this one wearing the hair spray and makeup of a professional lady, demanded to know where I was going in perfect English and I was obliged to explain myself. I was pleased to find we were driving through Bo Sang because the umbrella stalls are pretty and, according to the Lonely Planet, it is only 2 km from my destination.  I was less pleased when my new friend pushed the buzzer and told me to get off, turn the corner and take the next white Sǎwngthǎew. 

Again, I did as I was instructed.  I have included a picture of the sign that indicated that I had was only 6 km closer to my destination than when I started. 

(vehicle 5- 10 Baht) The soldier, the monk and the two school boys on the next Sǎwngthǎew were not curious about me in the least and did not seem to care where I was going.  I finally arrived-San Kamphaeng, where I found...NOTHING.  So, I presented my note once again, this time to a nice lady in a motorcycle repair shop.  She looked at me like I was crazy, arranged for me to take a side-car motorcycle taxi thingy (vehicle 6- 10 Baht), handed me a hand drawn map and recommended that I stay in tourist areas. 

  

This next leg of the trip was the most expensive because the senior selected to take me did not have a permit to drive on the highway and I made him miss lunch. Grandpa delivered me safely to the tourist traps Thai Silk Village and Shinawatra Thai Silk Factory Store (both within the Chiang Mai city limits) before flagging a white Sǎwngthǎew (vehicle 7- 20 Baht) to deliver me back to the city centre. I arrived back at the condo (by tuk tuk (vehicle 8- 50 Baht)) at 3:30 this afternoon with some nice photos of silk production and a new found appreciation for organized sightseeing tours.