The proposal of a friend, a trip on the scorpion-tailed boat, sounds like a good idea and a chance to see Chiang Mai from a different perspective. The atmosphere changes as soon as we arrive at the landing: the slow flow of the river and the warm welcome by the business owner propel us into a new dimension. After a short wait under a pergola where we sneak a peak at old newspaper articles, photos of personalities and vintage images taken along the river, all posted on one of the waiting area walls, we climb aboard the enigmatic scorpion-tailed boat. Just after we set sail, almost opposite the landing, we can see Chiang Mai new town hall, the American Consulate where a stars and stripes flag is waving, and the Khun Nam Tok View temple. Until the middle of the last century this river – the Ping River – was the largest and main communication route to Bangkok. It was a long journey of a thousand kilometers that lasted two to three months. Those who ventured on that trip were probably gambling the income of their family and those of others for that year. The traditional houses along the river lead us to imagine these shores teeming with life in a not so distant past. Today Chiang Mai is connected to the rest of the country with roads, rail and a modern airport. Nowadays, only a few of these boats used for tours, as well as a reasonable number of fishermen, bring life to these shores. Our friendly guide, Khun Samak, tells us interesting anecdotes about the river, and shows us last century pictures that present facts, corners and views of the Ping River. Going downstream, we cross the ruins of a pedestrian bridge collapsed during the floods of 2011, and we are shown the spot where the river overflew. We then pass the iron bridge and sail alongside an old site where in the past timber was processed and traded before being shipped to the south. Today, the cutting and marketing of teak has virtually stopped: after centuries of forests exploitation, it is time for Thailand to save and replant its own natural heritage. Khun Samak assures us that the reforestation program is very serious and strict. Once we arrive at the Kum Phya Dam, a dam that leads the river to a jump of five meters below, the boat makes a u-turn and begins to slowly go up-current. We observe the alternation of natural vegetation with restaurants overlooking the river and modern buildings with elegant apartments that have a view of the city all the way to the hills and down along the river, towards south, towards Bangkok. We also see the home of the last princess of the Lanna Kingdom, who lived there at the beginning of last century and often went traveling around the world financed by her father. Khun Samak shows us a photo of her aboard a side-car, almost wanting to show her as a liberated woman as well as a curious traveler. We then come to a landing where, on the shore, a gardener is cleaning up a flower bed, in silence, in complete harmony with the peaceful atmosphere of the river. We are introduced by our guide, who also doubles up as an excellent host, inside a small botanical garden complete of fruit trees, some varieties of local rice and medicinal plants; Khun Samak gives us a comment for each one of these: cooking uses and details on cultivation. A light refreshment of mango and sticky rice topped with coconut milk and a pineapple juice are a pretext to continue to quibble with our guide, who shows us traps for snakes and eels, and other objects of bygone days . We finally climb back aboard the scorpion-tailed boat, sail backwards for a stretch of the river and return to immerse ourselves in the modern days Chiang Mai. For further information about cruises on the scorpion-tailed boat, click on http://asianitinerary.com/scorpion-tailed-river-cruise/ To book a tour with Khun Samak: SCORPION-TAILED RIVER CRUISE Contact: Hotline 24 hrs.: +66 (08) 1960 9398 http://www.scorpiontailedrivercruise.com – info@scorpiontailed.com

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SCORPION-TAILED RIVER CRUISE Contact: Hotline 24 hrs.: +66 (08) 1960 9398 http://www.scorpiontailedrivercruise.com – info@scorpiontailed.com A Scorpion-Tailed river cruise is guaranteed to take you back to the history of Chiang Mai and of the Ping River. Scorpion-Tailed boats are traditional-style crafts initially built in the 18th century by a local shipbuilder who got inspired by the shape of a shell that was floating in the river. This shell had a scorpion inside who had his barbed tail holding up, and shipbuilder came up with the first version of the boat by copying this image. Scorpion-Tailed boats were mainly used as cargo boats at the time, so once the northern railway route connected Chiang Mai with Bangkok, almost a century ago, Scorpion-Tailed boats quickly disappeared. This icon of the past has been revived thanks to the efforts of tourism industry master graduate of Chiang Mai University, Khun Songsri and knowledgeable tour guide Khun Samak. They have achieved to bring back to life the Scorpion-Tailed boat, that can today serve tourists who are interested in knowing some of the history of this great river, or who simply want to take in the atmosphere of times past. Khun Samak’s concept for the modern Scorpion-Tailed boat took into account several factors, but the most amazing achievement was to make them environmentally-friendly. They have been redesigned to include a benzene engine (the diesel version causes great pollution to the river), they have no toilet on board (to avoid waste going to the waters – you have been warned!), and are much much quieter than other boats. Also, they are super-safe, with the buoyancy compartments in the front keeping Scorpion-Tailed boats nicely afloat. Khun Samak’s Scorpion-Tailed boat fleet today cruises the Ping River exploring the charm of Chiang Mai along its banks. The heart-centered cruises succeed in getting tourists to experience the atmosphere of the past while learning the river and the town recent history. Khun Samak himself is the tour guide on board, a sweet, knowledgable and funny one! He is a playful gentleman who adds a real educational experience to the cruise, and makes the trip entertaining armed with good jokes, century-old pictures and cute stories related to them. The cherry on the cake was a half-hour stop at the Scorpion-Tailed boat village. Set in tropical fruits garden by riverside, this little secret garden from Khun Samak is a botanical heaven where I learned so much about local plants and herbs. He also has different qualities of rice planted in small paddies! They then had us all seated and we were served fresh pineapple juice and a delicious dessert of sticky rice with mango, while Khun Samak showed us snakes and eels’ traps from the old times, and challenged us to drink a whisky aging with a scorpion and a snake inside the bottle. We all skipped that! The entire Scorpion-Tailed boat cruise was a lovely and relaxing experience (a great thanks to the driver too!); I saw Chiang Mai in a very different way, while comfortably sitting and relaxing on a traditional-style vessel. Not to be missed. WHAT YOU WILL SEE/LEARN –   historical background of the boat –   fishing techniques from local fishermen –   Khun Tok View Nam chedi –   American Embassy –   a girdered footbridge between the oldest trading community of Wat Gate and Warorot Market –   Chiang Mai ‘s oldest shopping center –   Chang pier, where hundreds of elephants would haul logs from the river in the old days –   the site of the first city –   the first bridge –   the first Christian church –   the first post office  INFO Scorpion-Tailed boat landing is at Wat Sri Khong pier, 200m north to Nakorn Ping Bridge near Rim Ping Condo, on Charoenrat Road, Chiang Mai. Winner of the Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence 2013. Pick up from different areas of town available. Cruises last between one and a half-hour to two hours. 5 cruises daily: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm. Price per person is 500thb. Minimum booking 2 people. Call 081 9609398. If you make your way there, beware of imitations and make sure you get to the right landing. Watch out for the Scorpion-Tailed River Cruise banner. For further information about cruises on the scorpion-tailed boat, click on http://asianitinerary.com/scorpion-tailed-river-cruise/

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