The third Park on the list is Chiang Dao National Park. Dao means star in Thai and this mountain range is a real celebrity, all sheer cliffs and impossible angles, reminding me of the Dolomites or the Pyrenees.
Clare's having a rest day so after a hearty English breakfast in the much-lauded and well-positioned Nest restaurant and guesthouse, she plugs into their wifi and I go off scampering around the lower regions of Chiang Dao mountain (it takes two days to get to the peak and everyone says you can't really do it without a guide).
There's a temple up 350 steps with a splendid aspect and views far up and down the valley...
....a real scramble of a nature trail featuring precipitous paths – one is even roped up – vociferous birdlife and mighty bamboos...
...and some very exciting caves, which I'm guided around with local lady Malee by the light of her hand-held lantern.
Malee points out rock and stalactite formations that look like lotus flowers, or snakes, or tigers. At one point she says Batman or Pacman, but the lump didn't remind me of either. Here I am in the "picture frame".
Outside the cave is a temple, a fish pond, lots of street food and a row of stalls offering an assortment of natural remedies collected by local villagers, all looking pretty much like ginger. You probably have to know what you're looking for – they don't seem to come with instructions.
We drive back the scenic route, a steep road climb that takes the car into its lowest gear.
There's a temple up 350 steps with a splendid aspect and views far up and down the valley...
....a real scramble of a nature trail featuring precipitous paths – one is even roped up – vociferous birdlife and mighty bamboos...
...and some very exciting caves, which I'm guided around with local lady Malee by the light of her hand-held lantern.
Malee points out rock and stalactite formations that look like lotus flowers, or snakes, or tigers. At one point she says Batman or Pacman, but the lump didn't remind me of either. Here I am in the "picture frame".
Outside the cave is a temple, a fish pond, lots of street food and a row of stalls offering an assortment of natural remedies collected by local villagers, all looking pretty much like ginger. You probably have to know what you're looking for – they don't seem to come with instructions.
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