Thread: Mathos' trip from Chiang Mai to Laos

Originally Posted by Mathos

See, he was still there.

The dog in that shot is called a Dingo (Australian wild dog) here in Oz.
The Asian sailors introduced them here around 5,000 years ago.

They are descendants of the Asian Wolf which still run wild in the jungles of Asia.
Among the most intelligent of all dogs.

Originally Posted by Panda

The dog in that shot is called a Dingo (Australian wild dog) here in Oz. The Asian sailors introduced them here around 5,000 years ago. They are descendants of the Asian Wolf which still run wild in the jungles of Asia. Among the most intelligent of all dogs.

Saw a program on Discovery or Nat Geo about the dingo. Apparently they used to travel back and forth via the land bridge eons ago. Scientists have found kangaroo mites on Thai dogs.

First time I saw a Thai dog back in the early '80s, I said to my mate "That's a bloody dingo!" and he agreed.

I know what you mean. I got a shock on my first visit to see the occasional Dingo walking around Bangkok. Saw quite a few more up country too.

That one in the pic actually looks more like the New Guinea sub species, -- pic in link below.
Google Image Result for http://www.rarebreed.com/breeds/ngsd/ngsd_buna.jpg

There are a a few different sub species across Asia.

I know this is a little off topic so I will keep it brief.
You can get water filled cooling mats for dogs in hot climates.
They work well, I have one for my old pooch.

Cooling Mats

That is 'novel' from my view Panda, brilliant.

I thought I'd just stick this one on, it's one I took in the north of Thailand, Mae hong Son I seem to remember. Why the hell the dog needed a shirt, I have no idea.





There is always the chance that the owner might have soaked the dog down every few hours and the shirt would have retained some water to help keep it cooler?

awesome travel thread mate!

Thanks KW appreciated mate.

It's threads like this that first drew me to TD! Great pics Mathos and a lovely writing style if i may say so. Your thread's reduced my work output to zero today but I've enjoyed myself

Machman -- Thanks a lot mate.

Nice pics Mathos

Aqueduct

1.Civil Engineering. a.a conduit or artificial channel for conducting water from a distance, usually by means of gravity. b.a bridge-like structure that carries a water conduit or canal across a valley or over a river.

2.Anatomy. a canal or passage through which liquids pass.


Viaduct

a bridge for carrying a road, railway, etc., over a valley or the like, consisting of a number of short spans.

Originally Posted by Propagator

Nice pics Mathos

Thanks Propagator.. Nice of you to comment.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Aqueduct

1.Civil Engineering. a.a conduit or artificial channel for conducting water from a distance, usually by means of gravity. b.a bridge-like structure that carries a water conduit or canal across a valley or over a river.

2.Anatomy. a canal or passage through which liquids pass.


Viaduct

a bridge for carrying a road, railway, etc., over a valley or the like, consisting of a number of short spans.

Yep I'm with you Marmite, I was trying to assess the action of it's conveyance in relationship to it's noun though.

It's carrying a pipe, the pipe could be carrying gas, oil, ice cream, water, pea soup, or an army of dwarves ready to invade Manchester which would probably mean it cannot be an aqueduct.


So, in order for it to be a definite aqueduct we would have to be able to see the water flowing like a canal.

Am I right on this?

This is good.





Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is generally regarded as one of Thomas Telford's greatest civil engineering achievements. Its construction was revolutionary at the time for, apart from its dramatic size and setting, Telford, rejecting all precedents, designed a cast iron trough 3.25 meters wide and 307 meters long laid along the top of 18 stone piers to carry the waterway 37 meters above the River Dee. The first stone was laid in July 1795 and construction took ten years at a total cost of £47,018.


The Pontcysllte Aqueduct is one of the main tourist attractions within Wrexham County Borough. It can be accessed from either end - at Trefor (signed off the A539) or at Froncysyllte (signed off the A5(T)). Car parking is available at both ends of the Aqueduct. It is an amazing experience to walk across the Aqueduct as it towers 37 meters above the River Dee and to take in the panoramic views of the whole area. However, you need a head for heights! The international importance of the Aqueduct is reflected in its inclusion on the tentative list of future nominations for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.


For the adventurous, it is possible to hire a canal boat both at Chirk Marina (Tel: 01691 774558) or at Trefor Basin (Tel:Anglo Welsh on 01978 821749 or Ribbon Plate on 01978 823215) and cross the Aqueduct by boat, alternatively there are canal boat trips available for those who want to sit and take it all in.





Info and photograph from Wrexham on Line Tour.

A little more additional information here, I was wondering about the walk across, I'd like to do that.

Walk one way and back in a boat the other.

Will probably try it with Flobo trhis summer, it's only about 70 miles from our home.


From Waterscape.com



Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

North Wales

Everyone should experience a trip over Thomas Telford and William Jessop's awe-inspiring aqueduct, by boat or on foot. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument; a candidate for World Heritage Status; and a Grade I Listed structure.
The aqueduct, taking the Llangollen Canal over the beautiful River Dee valley, is 1000 feet long and 125 feet high. Such distances had never before been conquered, until Telford's audacious decision to build it by laying an iron water-carrying trough on stone piers. To this day, the joints are effectively sealed using a mixture of flannel and lead dipped in liquid sugar.
For those crossing in a narrowboat, the effect is that of being suspended in mid-air. The thin iron trough, which extends to only about a foot above the water level is unprotected on one side - so looking out of one side of the boat, there is literally nothing there. Children should stay inside the craft during the crossing. Two-hour trips by canal (01978 860702) over the aqueduct are available at Llangollen Wharf, just four miles away. For more details, call the local Tourist Information Centre on 01978 860828.
You can also walk across the aqueduct, and the towpath is mercifully protected by a set of railings.
Staying near Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
You can, of course, hire a boat from one of the numerous hire-bases on the Llangollen Canal to cruise over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Find boats available for hire through Waterscape.com.


Aqueduct facts and figures

• The cast iron trough which holds the canal water is 11ft wide, 5ft 3ins deep and 1,007ft long at its highest point.
• There are 19 arches, each with a 45ft span and piers 116ft high.
• To keep the aqueduct as light as possible, the slender masonry piers are partly hollow and taper at their summit.
• The mortar was made of oxen blood, lime and water.
• The aqueduct holds 1.5 million litres of water and takes two hours to drain.
• And for the non-Welsh speaker, Pontcysyllte is pronounced 'pont-kersulty' - you may need to practise the famous Welsh 'll' sound!

Don't know where you are Mathos but there are many aquaducts around as can be seen from this site

Canal Aqueducts

If you are up around the Cheshire area dont forget to try the worlds first and Englands only boat lift - The Anderton Boat lift near Northwich.

Thanks for that info Propagator. I lived in Cheshire once upon a time. Sale. The Bridgewater Canal ran right through there. Winters were cold then too. Winter of 62/63, we rode motorcycles along the canal on the ice. Between Brooklands and Sale Station.

I know one or two of the aqueducts and viaducts by sight, but never really paid them much attention, there is a really high one runs between two peaks and over a valley at Accrington.

I have heard of the Anderton Boat Lift too.

I used to do some cycling around that neck of the woods when I was a youngster.

The wife likes it round there too, a country pub at Lower Peover, near Jodrell Bank nice Sunday Lunch.

'The Whipping Stocks' steeped in history, it was General Patton's local during WW11

You might get me on a quest with that information you put up. Anderton Boat lift will be on the agenda, that's for sure.

Brilliant Thread!

I think I will transfer some of the Lancashire photographs and postings to the Lancashire thread. I'll still leave the issues on here, but excuse me if you come across the same postings twice.

I thought I'd put a couple of photographs on of places were we found accommodation here and there as well.




These bungalow accommodations in the north are normally pleasant and clean. This particular place in Mae Sariang was about Bt400 per night.

The one below was in the Mae Sot region.

Reasonable prices but room cleaning and maintenance whilst we were there proved to be extremely poor, we did complain on the first day, it fell on deaf ears though, so we left after the third night and two days of personal room maintenance which is not appreciated when you return late afternoon, tired, hot and sweaty.





Nice place at Pai, family run, clean and well maintained about Bt 500 per night.




These were the bungalows.




I've not forgotten the thread on The River Kwai and Kanchanaburi. Not had enough spare time to get it going yet. Hopefully next week.

Originally Posted by Reaper

Brilliant Thread!

Thanks very much Reaper, appreciated mate.

I'd been sifting about looking for some specific photographs which I didn't find. You never do.

However, I came across a few that will compliment this thread, so I'll stick them up.

This one is from Khao San Road area, near the Chao Phraya.

Probably five years ago.






Working elephants here up in The North.




Late 1980's. You used to come across a great number of them in those days. Dragging Teak out of the forest and along the roadside.



Probably just because you get more familiar with seeing Elephants as years progress. But in those days, they certainly appeared to be far larger beasts than they seem now.



They are wonderful animals though.

An old suspension bridge.

It could have been anywhere on the road between Phitsanulok and Khon Kaen.
It was in January 1996 though.




We have stayed in the mountains and all over the place up there, one nice and somewhat different resort, well worth a visit for it's originality.



Imperial Phukaew Hill Resort, it's well worth a Google. Check it out, it's absolute years since we stopped there and it was brand new then.

Things change, but if it's half as good now as it was then, it's well worth a visit.

We seem to think this was between Khon Kaen and Nong Khai.

One of you might just recognise the spot?



There's a link here for the Phukaew Resort.

The Imperial Phukaew Hillthe luxurious Imperial Phukaew Hill Resort is a Swiss-style retreat offering endless opportunities for exploring one of the most beautiful but least known ...
www.imperialhotels.com/phukaew/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

Without doubt back in the late 80's and early 90's Thailand was getting a start on the infrastructure in general.

When I think back to how bad the roads were, the state of the vehicles on them, the deaths.. It was a real mess.



They used to have placards up like the one on the right of this photograph to show the people what they were doing.

They had no idea though.

They had no idea were they were on the planet.

This was a modern shop by all standards. The Market in Chiang Rai was a hell of a mess and all under grass, straw and leaf covering as a roof. I have been looking for photographs of it. I'll come across them eventually.

They used to sell rat as well.
Just dead rats on trays, a hundred at a time or more.



I wonder what this lass is doing now?

That's a lovely smile.



More lovely smiles.

Thai people have a lovely smile. I think they smiled more and better back then though.

They still open roadside stalls next to one another. Then all sell the same thing.

It cracks me up when I see that.

Ten miles of stalls all selling brooms.


This one will make you laugh.

New Years eve at The Dusit Island resort Chiang Rai..

Mathos wearing a bloody tie.

December 1995.



Hope I've not bored anyone with this lot tonight. I did get a little nostalgic.