Ping River and the road loop towards Burma

We started the day with a trip up the river Ping to a farm on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. A fellow passenger was a charming Japanese youth so we did not mention the railway and yes he was a structural engineer! It was a glorious trip in a long boat. The farm grew a number of herbs and rice. We had a demonstration of rice flailing.
We then visited the National Museum and as with so much in Thailand each area was beautifully illustrated in English.
Later in the day we visited a silk factory and emporium. Despite the greatest range of silk you can imagine Linda could not find the right silk for a dress she wants made!

Today we started on a loop which will take us into the mountains and on to the Burmese border. We firstly drove into the Doiinthanon National Park and walked to the Mae Ya waterfalls which are the highest in Thailand at nearly 900 feet. It was a fantastic spectacle and stunningly beautiful. There were no farangs about - just a few Thai families enjoying a sunday picnic by the river.
We then continued into what is the country's most remote area. The road was reasonable and the montain scenery breathtaking. Eventually we arrived at Mae Saraing and the guest house which is made entirely of wood and our room overlooks the River Yuam.The views are quite fantastic. At dusk we sat on our balcony- it was very still as we watched the river drifting by and to cap it all opposite is a perfect example of an ox-bow lake.