If mention about Nan, everyone would know that here is a tourist town with many attraction and variety places. Who ever go there will impressed with the beauty in various part of this province.

But for us... Our group of people are people who are going to visit Nan for the first time and have seen many reviews such as Doi Samer Dao and Palin Temples. We also expect to see and take the beautiful picture like in those reviews. But! Is it really be like that as we expected?

And this is an experience at Nan, which we have seen and met.

On the day we start the journey

First, we would like to tell you about our traveling plan. We travel during a long holiday (Magha Puja Day). We have a hard time to book the ticket. Of course, the amount of people and cars headed to Mo chit is overwhelming. The way to the place is narrow even motorcycle also can't get in it. We also afraid that we can't reach Mo chit on time that show on ticket. In the bus ticket of CHERDCHAI Tour Company, we booked it with the price 464 baht. It shows that departure time is 20.45 PM. We almost don't get here on time, but! at the end,the BUS comes late.

The bus departs from Bangkok around 22.00 PM., very late. People who used to travel during long holiday would imagine how busy the place is.

It is a long time sitting on the bus from Bangkok to Nan station. Takes time almost 11 hours.

This is the face of criminal... No, the passenger of this trip. After a little stretch, we jump onto the minibus to go in town.

To rent a motorcycle. This moment, internet is less benefits than walk and ask people around , then we find TIANGTAM Motor store here.

TIANGTAM Moter store is located opposite to the Government Savings Bank. Here they provide motorcycle for rent with the price 200 baht for manual gear motorcycle and 300 baht for auto gear motorcycle and collect 500 Baht for deposit. Shop closes every Sunday. The owner is very kind man.

First Day officially travelling from Nan to Doi Samer Dao

After we arrange the main vehicle for this trip. We start departure from Nan city and follow the path that show on GPS and heading to Doi Samer Dao, Nan National Park. We drive around 2 hours and finally arrive at Si Nan National Park.

And when we reach Doi Samer Dao the checkpoint is there, admission fee is 40 baht. There is a restaurant services with very affordable price when passing through the gate.

And who want to enjoy a delicious grill pork on Doi Samer Dao. You can order at the shop, the price is 200 baht per set.

There is a welfare shop of national park and a good bathroom to serve tourists on Doi Samer Dao as well. No wonder why this place becomes a popular tourist attraction place. Because It's comfortable and convenience.

Going up to Doi Samer Dao, if you are not going to set up the tent and have one night stay and see the star here then how can you tell anyone that you arrive here.

Therefore we have to stay here for one night. For those who don't bring your own tent or sleepware with you, you can contact the staff here. There is a tent for rent and find an area for you too.

Doi Samer Dao has set up the zone for tent orderly, even on the day that tourists are more than the number of trees up here.

We can see the view up here, whether it is a mountain, Nan river and Pra Hua Sing cliff because no tent overlay the view.

There is nothing much to do during the middle of the day here. We just walk around the area. Sightseeing and sitting in the shade under the tree, people who like to take pictures like me will wait for evening time to take picture of the last light of day. Before the night we will have grilled pork party under the the sky that fulled of stars... We expect to see it like that.

Beautiful evening but the plan goes wrong at night

During 17.00 pm. viewpoint of the Doi Samer Dao looks normal but at the same time, the other side of the viewpoint is waiting to show its beauty for us to see.

During the walk and wait for the sunset, we see a kind couple of uncle and aunt. They point us the beautiful view point to see the sunset and take a picture together, and they also volunteer to bring us to go there. So we get a pretty cool sunset view even the sky is cloudy and not quite good.

After we press the shutter to capture the evening light until we satisfied. Then we keep the camera and walk back to the tent. On the way, we still see the beautiful mountains along with a cool and beautiful light.

And then it's time we've been waiting for, that is a grilled pork party on Doi Samor Dao, it is both delicious and good atmosphere here. Grilled pork make me warm among the cold wind that I think it is too cold. Someone said that if the food has small in quantity and we have to snatch for it, then that food will be more delicious! ha ha ha.

The story goes, as we expected. But!!!!

But wait! The stars are all gone. Only the brighten moon lefts in the sky that looks like the sun rises up at night. We think we can't blame anyone for that because no one request us to wait and see the star during the full moon night but it is our own decision !!

I think that many people will come to reserve their seats at this viewpoint to see the stars but few people are here like the stars today. We stand together here until we can't bear the heavy wind and cold weather. We decide to cut out the choice that we can't get the picture of the stars as we hope. So what we should do now is to have dispersed and get sleep.

A bright tomorrow is waiting for us

Last night, even through we feel a little disappointed that things don't go as we expected. But this morning we still hope to see the morning light. So we wake up since 5.00 AM, Why???!!!

Waiting for the morning light on the day tourists are many as quantity of the number of tents x 3. We can't just walk around, I recommend that you must have plan and stay in that place because not so long after that, you might not have a suitable place to take the photo at the back area.

Before the bright sky appears, before the warmth of the sun occurs and before the weather becomes frigid. We don't prepare for the winter journey. I'm shaking like a ghost is haunting me. The only thing that make me tolerate to stand and shake there is that I need a beautiful picture before I leave the place.

The darkness is gone the same time that the sun of the new day rises up. The time that we endure to stand in the cold weather is just come. It is the morning that I feel very satisfied because before we are here we expect to see only one star without expecting to see such a beautiful sky in the morning.

I also enjoyed seeing the sunrise on Doi Samor Dao for a while before returning to the tents to keep the stuffs and go down from the mountain. At the moment we expect to see one thing but then we miss it. On the other side, we are very happy with the unexpected things we have seen too. At Doi Samor Dao, even I do not get the pictures of the stars like other people do but I still feel impressed with what I have seen.

Before returning to the city, we visit the place that located in Sao Din Na Noi at Si Nan National Park too.

This kind of pillar is created by nature. It is piled up of alluvial soil which pushes upward as well as being eroded by water. It is located there through time for thousands of years. It looks attractive in a mound-shaped.This place also becomes one of the area that is being developed as a tourist attraction place.

Around the pillars in Sao Din Na Noi. Each point have signs explain data points as well.

Important thing that we can not forget when visiting here or anywhere is.. is... is taking a group photo. Ha ha!

Next to Sao Din Na Noi. We drive there by follow the road sign and using GPS signal, not far away then we reach the point called Kok Sua which is a high and mound up of soil like Na Noi pillar, but here its look like a wall surrounding the open-space area.

Come down to walk around here for a while. The weather during the day here starts to change from warmth to hot now. After finish taking a group photo, then let's go back to the city. There are so many things waiting for us to see.

Go to the city, temple are our specialty

Leaving Doi Samor Dao and Si Nan national park area, passing to the Viang Sa district to go back to Nan city. We drive a long distance and break to refuel once so it make us arrive at the hotel we booked early a little bit more than I think. The hotel we booked for this trip is Nan Sabaidee Hotel. Not far from the attractions place in the city. Price starts at 790 baht per night / room.

And because we come here very early so we have a lot of time to leave the luggage, shower and sleep. But the subject of the story tell that we come here to travel so we cant just sleep and nothing. Nan has a lot of places to travel so we better start out the journey!

Start at the first tourist attraction place in Nan, A National Museum of Nan Province where exhibits antiques of Nan Province. Unfortunately at that moment, it is under construction. But that's fine, Archway with Plumeria trees on both side still opens. So this become a check-in point of traveler who travel to Nan, so we definitely can't miss it.

From the information that I search before traveling here, attraction place in Nan is almost the temples which each temple has different primitiveness and beauty. Anyway we are expert in visiting temple (Really !! ??). lets us traveling to many temples.

Start with Wat Phra That Chang Kam Worawihan.

The outstanding architecture of this temple is Chang Kham Pagoda. There are half stucco statues of elephants adorn around the area. Inside Pagoda is containing the relic. This is another important bethel of Nan Province.

Let comes to another temple, Wat Sri Pantheon. It is outstanding by the golden color. It is beautiful even I see it in far distance at the traffic light before comes here. And there is a seven-headed serpent painting stucco on both sides of the stairs. Inside there are beautiful, apart from that an ancient ship that used to use for boat racing is there which allows visitors to see it as well.

Next temple that we visit is another famous temple of Nan Province. It is a Wat Phumin. Wat Phumin looks strange because of the Buddhist temple. Fine Arts Department has assumed that the temple is a pearl cardinal shape, the first temple of the Thailand. Apart from that, its outside looks is like the temple is located in the central body of the serpent.

There are 4 Lord Buddhas placing inside the temple, his face turn to all 4 directions.

In addition, mural around the temple's inside is also outstanding and beautiful but the image that has been the most interesting nationwide is the picture called Human Yaman.

Picture of Pullman Yaman or whispered of love is the most popular picture. The ancient man and women in Tai Luer period had whispered some conversation. Men has ink tattoo, women dress in Tai Luer formal style. This painting is painted neatly. It has been hailed as the great picture of beauty of Wat Pumin and Nan province which attracts tourists to visit.

Another temples we go is Wat Phra That Chae Haeng, a royal temple which is located about 3 kilometers away from the city. The temple has a very wide area.

The outstanding feature of this temple is Phra That Chae Haeng. The relic is enshrined there. It is an ancient sanctuary and a symbol of the province. Local people seriously worship this place.

We are about to leave the temples.We still have time left on the second day. So we went to another destination that we plan to visit in the beginning on the next day morning which is Wat Phra That Khao Noi. This round we just explore the area first.

Wat Phra That Khao Noi is located at the top of the hill, little higher to the west of Nan. The temple is outstanding because of the large Buddha image and when walking up the hill, you can see the view of the Nan city clearly from the top. We're here until the sunset and went back into the city. Find something to eat and then go back and relax. The next day there still a little time before returning to Bangkok.

We have plenty of time on last day...

Let's back to morning of the another day. Today is the last day of this trip. Actually, we don't have any travelling program on the last day, except relax, just chill out and find something to eat in town. But this morning we have a meeting at Wat Phra That Khao Noi, the same place where people keep telling that the very beautiful sun rises up here in dawn. I afraid that I will miss it so I better get up here since 5:00 AM.

Near the time we are waiting. The first light of day just comes. Just wait to see the sun rises in the good corner and press the shutter but at that time!!!

I want to say that before we go to the temple,We have seen other examples picture of the morning's sunrise. It rises exactly up to the head of the statue and becomes the beautiful point of the star, but the moment we go there ... It's not exactly rises as we expected.

When plan does not go as we thought, so we have to find the corner by ourselves. We take a few minutes to take photo and leave, we went back to the hotel to prepare the luggage and check- out the hotel go back to Bangkok. For the rest of time, we take a walk and find something to eat.

This trip, there are many things that do not get in my way but we also impressed many things that we do not anticipate. The charm of Nan city may not be excited like going to the top of the high mountain and take the beautiful pictures. But, the charm of the place is the city's peaceful.

And things I didn't mentioned in this journey because even if I describe it, you would not probably feel like us. That thing is a friendship and joyful with my friends that make this journey end impressively.

This is another experience of my journey that I want to share to people that want to travel with us. If someone wants to talk or ask the information about traveling from our trip, I would like to take this opportunity to share my page www.facebook.com/journeygallery

Next time, if there is an interesting trip. I will write in publish to let you join together with us again. Bye!