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For hundreds
of years, long before the Bhumibol dam was built, railways and highways still non-existant,
the Ping River
was the main mode of transportation and commerce between the northern region
and Bangkok.
The river was the lifeline of the people.
If you travelling by boat you don’t have
to worry about
traffic problems. Like gondolas that take visitors around the canals of Venice, Italy,
scorpion-tailed boats have been doing much the same for tourists visiting
Chiang Mai taking them on cruise down the Ping River.
The boats are unique to Chiang Mai. After disappearing from the scene
completely, they have been revived and pressed into service, thanks to efforts
of Mr. Samak Laosathirawong who runs a cruise business.
It was a Sunday morning with no sign of traffic
on the
usually busy Bamrungrat Road.
I arrived at Wat Sri Khong temple and walked across the road into a narrow lane
that led to the boat landing.
I noticed several tails of scorpion boats pointing
toward
the sky. There I met Mr Samak who was kind enough to enlighten me about the
boat and tell me how, purely by chance, he found them.
“I spent many years studying the history
of
transportation in the North. It was absolutely by accident that I stumbled upon
them.”
“I am sure nobody, not at least people
from our
generation, has seen scorpion-tailed boat. So I scoured the remote villages hoping
to find one but without success. That is when I realized that the boats had
completely disappeared from the face of Chiang Mai and hence the necessity to
bring them back.” Samak said.
Arjarn Choosith Choochart a
professor at Chiang Mai Rajabhat Institute who spent years researching the
history of Chiang Mai, had this to say:
“In the old days Chiang Mai was one of
the many
independent towns that made up the Northern Kingdom.
Scorpion-tailed boats travelled in fleets in order to be able to help each other
at critical moments, such as passing through rapids or when attacked by pirates
on the river.”
“They were usually loaded with local
goods such as
pure honey, herbs, spices, sandalwood oil and jungle goods for sale in Bangkok.
On the return trip they brought back ironware, kerosene, women’s clothing and
mirrors. Historical records reveal that this style of vessels were in service
during the reign of Queen Chammathewee of Lamphun.”
“They disappeared not long after her
demise after the kingdom of Hariphunchai
as Chiang Mai was then
know, disintegrated.” Added Arjarn Choosith.
Tourists are given a briefing about the history
of the
vessel using videotape available in three languages-English, Thai and Chinese,
French, Spanish and German versions will be available soon.
We began by cruising north, passing by a small
white
chedi that locals call ‘Gew’ in front of the municipality building and Chiang
Mai’s biggest wholesale market for fruit and vegetables. We passed by a tall
twin condominium before approaching the peaceful scenic beauty of Chiang Mai’s
outskirts, single wooden houses alternated with northern style houses set
amidst large trees.
“I always had problems in the channel
during summer
when there’s not enough water in the river but fortunately the ‘Give life back
to Ping River’ project which, among others, calls for deepening of the channel
will help solve that problem,” said Samak. The
morning wind was
refreshing. I hadn’t seen the simple life of the people who lived by the river
for a long time. During the cruise the vessels stop at important historical
landmarks.
We first stopped by the riverside pavillion landing
at
Fa-Harm temple built in 1391, Fa-Harm means bright, clear sky. The temple is
full of trees and peaceful. The vice-abbot led me around and pointed out that
catching fish or harming animals living in the temple compound was prohibited.
It was very sunny when we left the temple and
headed to
the next stop-Chiang Mai’s oldest trading settlement on the eastside of the
Ping River-Tha Chang, or elephant pier.
“The boat will stop for one hour at
Tha Chang, so
named because this was the point from where elephants used to haul logs from
the river in the old days. Hundred of elephants were employed in the logging
industry.” Samak explained.
In the old days, the Wat Gate temple area was
the center
for trade and commerce. Even then it had a sizable number of
foreigners-Chinese, Indian that mostly Sikh, and European traders who lived in
small communities around the temple. It’s a pity that I only had one hour to
explore this page from history. I saw old wooden houses in the traditional
northern architecture and colonial-style buildings still standing firm and in
good condition.
Our guide led me to an old teak building that
was once
the residence of an abbot but had now been turned into a museum. Called Wat
Gate
Historical Museum,
it has some priceless collections, among them rare fabrics belonging to Chiang
Mai’s former princes. Other interesting items on display include old coins,
ancient pottery and rare 100 years-old pictures of Chiang Mai.
I took the opportunity to talk with an old Chiang
Mai
hand from this quarter of the city. 82 years old Mr. Jarin Bain, or Loong
(uncle) Jack who is fondly called by the locals, is of Thai-English descent.
His father lived in Chiang Mai and was manager of the British Logging Company
during the 1910s. Uncle Jack showed me around and gave me an insight into the
community’s history.
“I was born and raised here in this
community. All of
my life I haven’t been anywhere else. This is more than a home to me. I’ve seen
the changes down the generation but you can’t changed history.” Said Uncle
Jack.
Today, the Wat Gate area is relatively quiet,
the museum
somewhat obscured by buildings on the road. There is an interesting blend of
art and culture. Mythical Chinese lions grace the walls of the chapel side by
side Lanna murals.
We saw how people live on either banks of the
river,
thanks to the resurgent scorpion-tailed boats that have returned after a long
absence. The boats leave between 08.00-17.00 hours from the pier opposite Sri
Khong temple.
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