For those that have not visited the Sarika Waterfall outside Nakon Nayok recently, the main gate entry is now closed. Previously you could drive up close to the main gate, park, get a ticket, and then walk 100 meters to see the waterfall.

Now you have to park about 1Km back from the main gate, hike the 1Km on a path through the jungle to get to the falls.

This seems to make no sense at all for the visitors at all, only making sense for the people collecting the money for tickets.

It is too bad because this long him will prohibit the elderly and handicapped from being able to see the falls.

Mai Sa Waterfall in Chiang Mai, is a site to definitely visit during your trip to Chiang Mai. Mae Sa is a series of 10 waterfalls, with walking path and scenic overlooks at each of the 10 falls. This is a wonderful hike through nature and some of the nicest waterfalls in Thailand. It is very slippery around the rocks so pay attention.

There are also warning signs advising visitors what to and not to do. Please pay attention and follow the warning signs.

It is very humid in the jungle along the falls, so be sure to bring a bottle of water with you, you will need it before you get to the top at Falls #10.

Once again foreigners get jammed with the “foreigner tax” of 200 baht to see the falls, whereas Thai people only have to pay 40 baht and 20 baht for children.

Still a must see during your trip to Chiang Mai.

See 100’s of Mae Sa Waterfall photos here http://www.visualthailand.com/jalbum_maisa/index.html

About an hour east of Chiang Mai, is Chiang Dao, home of the famous Chiang Dao Cave. Visiting the cave is a once in a lifetime experience and I strongly urge anyone visiting Chiang Mai to make a trip to visit the cave.

In my whole life, I have never been in a cave, so I had no idea what to expect. Saying this is just a cave, is a misnomer. Chiang Dao Cave in in a small mountain and the caves tunnel around and up to the very top, some 750+ meters from the bottom.

What’s it like in the cave? First of all it is damp. Secondly, there are 1,000’s of bats in there and the smell is like a pair of wet wool socks that have been left out too long!

The cave floor is all rock and very slippery. You can hire a guide with a Coleman Latern for 100 baht which is a good idea, unless you want to get lost or fall down and hurt yourself.

The caves are gigantic and you have the feeling like the whole inside of the mountain is nothing but caves. The ceilings in most places are very high and the the caves very large EXCEPT?

Except there are some area’s where you have to crawl through a very small opening to get from one cave to the next. This is not fun, unless you are the size of a child.

It was so humid, I was soaked with sweat before finishing the trip inside the cave. It is so big, you almost wish the ending was nearing than it is. You spend allot of time inside the cave going on the tour.

It is a once in a lifetime trip and I strongly recommend you try it at least once. That way you can say, been there and done that. Now no more caving for me!

Chiang Dao gives you the feeling of the real Thailand, far away from the tourists areas. A very nice journey indeed.

Visit http://www.visualthailand.com/jalbum_chiangday/index.html for 100’s of cave photos

Saturday May 31, 2008 we stopped by Extreme Sports in Chiang Mai. Extreme Sports offers off-road motorcycling, sand-rail type buggies, bungy jumping and paintball. We paid the 3000 thb for myself and my son to try the off-road sand-rail buggy. 3000thb seems quite high and it probably is. Even in the low tourist season, this business operates with the mindset that even the locals are tourists and never adjust pricing to reflect discounts for locals who may come back time and time again. This particular Saturday had only 2 other riders while we were there.

While there are some nice new shiny sand-rail buggies parked out front, after we suited up and got our helmets, around pulled our sand-rail which looked like it had seen better days and was quite beat up. Not quite the same as what they were showing out front.

As we took off down the highway towards the off-road trail, the sand-rail was backfiring everytime the gas pedal was stepped on. Not such a smooth ride at all.

Once on the trail, it was extreme as advertised. The ground was hard with some seriously deep tire treads making steering a challenge. Steep hills, sharp drops and tight corners were normal. I would venture to say this is not for novice off-roaders as one wrong manuever could have you heading straight off the path and hurtling down the mountain through the woods. The course was very extreme as advertised.

We stopped at the halfway point for photos with the guide that was driving ahead of us.

After splashing through water, streams, mud, dust, and some crazy hills and turns, we made it back to the starting point soaking wet and caked in mud. A very extreme time indeed.

Showers are provided to clean yourself up, if you thought ahead to bring clean and dry clothes.

There is also a sports bar and grill where we ate lunch. Lunch was really not that good in my opinion and I personally would shy away from eating there again.

The place is very clean and the staff very friendly.

Overall it is was a good time, but a bit pricey for the off-season.

Every where you turn in Thailand, you come across these small strange lizards. I have seen these with bright blue heads, bright orange and other colors. It also appears that they can change colors to match the background of what ever it is they are on. Are these harmful? I have no idea but it appears not. There are very interesting, seem fearful of people and spend most of their time eating bugs.

For those considering visiting Chiang Mai, I feel there is a real transportation problem and it is only getting worse. If and when you can find a taxi, they are so over priced it is ridiculous. How is it that no matter where you are going in Chiang Mai the price is always the same for every single taxi driver. If this is not racketeering, I don’t know what is.

Even the red trucks are that way. While at the Chiang Mai Zoo, inquired about taking the red truck up to the top of Doi Sutep. Was told 500 baht, however, you can wait over there and when there are 10 people or more the truck will go and only charge you 40 baht. However, if you hang around, the driver will offer you 150 baht. There were at least 15 trucks parked idol when this was happening.

The taxi’s in Chiang Mai won’t go anywhere for less than 150 baht. Meter? Forget that concept except maybe straight out of the airport only. It is hard to believe Chiang Mai taxi’s are like 3 times more expensive than Bangkok.

Your own real choice for transportation is to rent a Honda Wave for 200 for the whole day, if you can manage to drive one. That way you can get around to see all the sights without going broke paying for taxi’s.

If there ever was a time for John Rambo in Myanmar, now is the time. It seems with the fight on to push democracy all over the world, now would be time for pushing in this part of the world. With all the people in Myanmar suffering in the aftermath of Cyclone Nagris, some country should step forward and do the right thing. If you have seen Rambo 4, just the thoughts of this happening to any country is a horrific thought. I hope and pray for a miracle that will free Myanmar.

Air Asia airlines is sponsoring a F1 car driven by Nico Rosberg. Business must be great for Asia’s fastest growing discount airlines. The car is showcased in the Air Asia terminal in Kuala Lumpur.

It’s only May but it has started to rain every day. Heavy, heavy rains and dark skies a few hours or more each day. Here is an example of how much rain can fall in less than 2 hours.

Kjartan Adolfsson and his thai family have opened the Thai Iceland Restaurant at Klong 6 Thanyaburi. www.thaiiceland.com. Phone number is 02 9043122. Stop by and visit with Kjartan and his family and sample their delicious and low priced Thai food. There is a big flat screen TV and free Wi-Fi available.