Pay as you go

One of the things I am struggling to come to terms with is that you must pay for everything. Rice paddies are in abundance - where we are staying there are ornamental, but working fields, and by the roadside they are a common sight. So when our driver asked whether we would like to stop and see rice paddies, take photos etc on our way up the mountain we readily agreed. Only to arrive and be charged a fee to view the rice paddies from a variety of viewing platforms located opposite and amidst yet another, tacky roadside selection of stalls selling crap. These rice paddies are set up as a tourist trap, and while you can see them across the hillside quite plainly, the view is nothing compared to some of the others we have seen while driving around Ubud. Further up the mountain we were also charged to enter the network of roads surroundings e of two active volcanos in Bali. Only problem was it was pouring rain, and with the fog, visibility was nil! What a rip off! Luckily for us we had a great lunch at a traditional buffet styled restaurant. 27.5.13

Buffalo butlers

The resort has its own water buffalo and "buffalo butlers" who look after their every need. A typical day in the life of the buffalo goes something like this. Start work at 8.00am, then have a bath.tour around the resort greeting guests and having photos taken. Allow an occasional guest to sit on you for a minute or two, and smile for the camera. Spend the rest of the morning nibbling some luscious grass under the shade of the buffalo hut. Work in the rice paddies for an hour is two. Munch some grass after all of the hard effort. Have another bath to wash off the mud from the rice paddies, then go with the buffalo butler for another meet and greet with guests until knock off time at 5.00pm.

Tong the albino buffalo is the newest addition to the buffalo herd. His mates are Tone and Thae (Thai for smart-looking). The rice paddies they work grow the Sanpatong variety of rice. Fields are planted and harvested on a staggered basis so that visitors can see all stages of growth. Any rice harvested is donated to local hill tribe villages though a Royal Project endorsed by the King of Thailand and overseen by Prince Bhisadej Rajani. 1.2.2103

Four Seasons Chiang Mai

Finally, in need of some rest and relaxation we decided to stay in for the day and enjoy all that the Four Seasons has to offer. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast in our room, then strolled down to the resort library. Open from 9.00 - 10.30 am each morning, or by appointment, the collection is small, but in a beautiful room which encourages you to sit and read. Computers and daily papers are available as well as select titles on Thai cuisine, arts and crafts, culture and nature. I spent some time looking at a great book "The vanishing tribes of Burma" and then finding a book on the birds of Thailand was able to identify a number of the birds we have seen so far. The bird watching list to date includes the following: Bittern (edge of rice paddies) olive backed sunbird (by the pool deck in the flowering shrubs) red whiskered bulbul (in cages everywhere kept as song birds) nutmeg mannikin (in flocks within the rice paddies), Thai green parrots (in cages at Baan Tong Luang) spotted dove and greater coucal (within the tropical gardens of the resort).

The resort is truly beautiful and the overnight rain has freshened things up. The gardens are gorgeous and very well maintained. We even saw staff sweeping both the top of the walls, in addition to the leaves of tall shrubs so that loose leaves were brushed down and within reach to be picked up and taken away. Such attention to detail is not often observed at home.

Late morning we spent some time poolside. The pool deck is gorgeous, and there is a lower deck area reserved for adults as opposed to families. This lower area hangs right over the edge of the rice paddies and as such is a relaxing place to while away the hours. After a swim and a drink poolside it was back to our room for lunch on our private deck, before heading off to the spa for the afternoon. Quite possibly a perfect day.

1.2.2013