I was up to my eyebrows with work then. I had to go to Kuala Lumpur and then grade my end-of-semester exam papers as well as preparing for the MNS Perak committee meeting minutes and agenda (December 12). I completed the necessary banking, payments, etc and attended my Uncle's 80th birthday dinner the next day, Saturday. On December 14 at 7.30 am the next morning, I led a group to Teluk Senangin as the inaugural trip for the Marine group. On 15 December morning at 9.30am my wife and I left Ipoh with four other members, Iris Kok Kem Chong and Lillian Lee in my car, Dr. Chan Kai Soon and Chan Beng Tiow for Hadyai, Thailand. Man I need a holiday!
The exchange rate was RM1.00 for 11.7 Bahts. We stayed a night there and flew to Chiang Mai (only 3930 Bahts or about RM336 one way) at about 12.15 pm. We reached Chiang Mai at about 4.15 pm and checked into the Paradise Guest House (a very affordable fan room but with hot shower, very clean and no mouldy smell) which we had stayed before in 1994 for 150 bahts. We expected an increase with allowance for inflation but lo! the large sign said loudly - fan rooms for only 100 bahts (RM8.55). The buffet breakfast was a steal at 65 bahts (RM5.55).
The next day we rented a Suzuki Jeep for 800 bahts and drove to Doi Inthanon the highest mountain in Thailand. I drove while Dr. Chan sat in front while Beng Tiow squeezed in with the ladies. We checked in at the park headquarters (100 bahts a person) and eagerly turned out to look for our chalet. About 300 metres away we saw Mr. Deang's (the unofficial bird guide of Doi Inthanon) shop which he named the Doi Inthanon Bird Center. We stopped and introduced ourselves and chatted with him. I gave him a cutting of Andrew Ponnampalam's article about him in the New Straits Times and ordered some food. He signalled to me to follow him quietly to look at a feeder beside his shop. He told me that I might see the Rufous-bellied Niltava which was calling nearby if I kept still. It didn't come. Deang was so happy with us he told his wife to serve us "pengat" - banana cooked in santan with a lot of sugar - free. After the meal Deang insisted on having our photographs taken in front of the shop (he is on the extreme right in the photo on the homepage).
After lunch we took off and realised that I had taken a wrong turn to go to our lodgings. We turned back and reached it after asking about half a dozen people. After unloading our luggage into the bare-bone chalet (only 3 beds with mattress, pillow and quilts, no heated showers) we rushed out again to Doi Inthanon. We reached the stupas, modern Thai-style Buddhist temples built by the Thai Air Force, for some snapshots and sight-seeing. I noticed water dripping and heard a gurgling sound from the radiator. I then realised that I had used first gear all the time up the mountain as I had a full load. The engine had overheated - too overexcited! I also realised then I had left my camera gear back in the chalet - outside rather. I tried to calm myself and after a while I drove all of them back. I was relieved when I saw my camera bag still outside the chalet on the cement bench. Whew!
We then drove around the winding road to look at the panoramic scenery around the lodge. We stopped to take some photographs and stretch our legs beside a small waterfall (actually water trickling over an escarpment!). A unique species of balsam plant (Impatiens) was found growing beside it. Then we went to Deang's shop for dinner. While he was preparing our meal we browsed around his shop and noticed the walls covered with birders calling cards from all over the world.
We walked behind the shop and crossed a small stream and discovered a farmer growing strawberries with irrigation water from a mountain stream. He covered the sides of the beds with a kind of big-leaved thatch normally used for roofing sheds. The farmer signalled us to taste the fruits. I was apprehensive at first but the offer was irresistible. They were sweet and juicy so we kept on plucking and eating. We felt guilty and gave him 20 bahts. Kok and Lillian came later and were jumping for joy when I told her and both chipped in 20 bahts each. We ate our full and packed some back for dessert. Deang prepared a lovely meal for 6 of us for only 210 bahts. After a dry bath at our lodge we chit chat with Martini Bianco (no rocks) and titbits before retiring to bed. It was chilly (temperature about 11-13C in the morning) so Dr. Chan slept in his raincoat.
We were up by 7 am the next morning and went up the summit after breakfast at Mr. Deang's. At the 33rd km we stopped and saw lots of bulbuls (whiskered especially), minivets and other birds. At the second checkpoint we explored a trail - there were many birds we couldn't identify. At the summit we saw the endemic Green-tailed sunbird and the Ashy-throated warbler. We saw many other birds that were very interesting but we could identify them with confidence for lack of a guide. Dr. Chan, my wife and I went up the summit again the next day. The rest decided to stay behind to see the hill tribes and their activities. At the summit I discovered an interesting plant that looks like a gesneriad with Saintpaulia-like leaves (Tuck Lock told me it looks like a primula with its four petals forming the corolla). We couldn't get another day at the lodge as it was fully booked. At 12.30pm we came down, had meals, said good-bye to Mr. Deang and went back to Chiangmai. On the way we visited two waterfalls. At the majestic Vachiratharn Waterfall we saw a blue whistling thrush sitting on the mist shrouded rocks nonchalantly without a care in the world.
Dr. Chan and Chan Beng Tiow had to go back the next day (Sunday 21) as he cannot take long leave. Kok and Lillian decided they had enough of birding and wanted to see the long-necked people and Mae Hong Son. I rented a jeep and drove to Chiang Saen at about 12.30 pm. We reached the small town at about 5.15 pm and checked into a guest house (Gin's) run by a husband and wife team who were ex-teachers (250 bahts per day). They told us to go to the Rinkhong restaurant 4 km away by the Mekong river bank. We walked along the sand banks and saw some egrets, terns, ringed neck plovers and the spotted bill ducks. The sun set and we had our meal at the restaurant. While waiting a European came over and introduced himself as Anders Wikland from Sweden who works in a university supervising a project to conserve the Oakland sparrow which is a delicacy among the French and Italians. He knows Thailand very well and can even write Thai - he has been there for the past 7 or 8 years and stays for months. He gave us a lot of information on birding in Thailand and told us the location of the Chiang Saen lake.
Early the next morning we looked for the Chiang Saen Lake. It was very misty so we saw only a small pond with a few moorhens and a common kingfisher. We stumbled upon a raptor we couldn't identify and a black shoulder kite. Following a shrike-like bird we came to a tobacco patch with lots of reeds nearby. We heard a waterfowl calling loudly but we could not see it although it seems it was no more than 5 meters away. However I saw my green bee-eater, another lifer. We went for lunch and realised we had gone the wrong way. It was back to the road. This time we reached the big lake. There were hundreds of whistling and other ducks afloat and flying about the lake. We drove around the periphery of the lake (more than 4 km) and saw many waterfowl and many birds perched on trees, bushes or on the ground. If only we had a sifoo with us!
It was getting late and so we drove back to Chiangmai as we had promised Kok and Lillian to go to Sukhothai the next day. We stayed the night in Sukhothai and visited the ruins the next day. The skies were clear and blue. Among the ruins we saw a few birds that looked familiar, like Richard's pipit. Slowly we pored through Boonsong's book and decided that it was an Olive-backed pipit.
We had a cheap meal (chicken rice and noodles) at noon before the jovial receptionist from the Guest house came and took us back to clean up before taking us to the booking office to board the bus to Bangkok (dinner included). We stayed a night in Bangkok before flying back to Hadyai the next day. Loaded with a lot of goodies - titbits and foodstuff, we drove slowly back to Ipoh. Seems like MNS stands for Makan (first, then) Nature and Shopping/Sightseeing.