Beginning of the journey
from Bangkok
Previous
The Me Nam is a magnificent
river, and always strikes with admiration the visitor fresh from
Europe. No matter how often one proceeds along it, there is always
something interesting that assumes a new form not recognized before.
The low banks fringed with fruit-trees, the cocoa and areca palms
gracefully swaying to and fro over the wooden houses that nestle
in the shade, the gilded wats (temples) glittering through the
leaves like a daylight illumination, the graceful pagodas occasionally
peeping through the trees, form a varied scene that is most striking
and beautiful. Enormous rice-fields stretch away far into the
horizon, and are bounded by the outlines of the fantastically-shaped
limestone hills of the sacred place of pilgrimage, Phra Bat (Guatama's
foot-print), and of Lopburi.
A steamer once in the channel
can either day or night steam full speed ahead to Bangkok without
any fear of shifting shoals, and in this the Me Nam differs from
the rivers of Burmah. Only steamers of small draught (12 feet
6 inches is the limit), can cross the bar, others must remain
outside. The dredging of a channel through the bar to enable
ships of heavy tonnage to come up to Bangkok unfit for use. It
is a well-known fact that when the rivers are at their lowest
just before the rainy season begins, the flood-tide renders the
water brackish for some distance above the city, and great sickness
is the result. This happens particularly when the rainfall of
the previous year has been deficient.
As we proceed onward up stream
the flat stretches on each bank are sees to be covered with waving
rice-fields, while the river is alive with boats, which with their
whitee sails look like huge birds floating on the water. The
banks in some places are riddled with holes, the nests of a speckled
black and white kingfisher and of a green and rather large species
of fly-catcher. These holes go as much as eight feet into the
bank. Some are on the perpendicular face of the bank, others
are within easy reach of snakes, but the inhabitants tell me that
the snakes do not enter the holes, as they are perfectly straight
and narrow, and if the snake got in it could not get out. The
birds appear perfectly happy as though they knew no danger, and
the two different species seem to live together in harmony and
peace. On we go past the white-sailed boats skimming over the
water, and we must make the most of our time, as the river each
day is falling. Chainat, the teak Revenue Station, is passed,
and then there is a curious bend in the river, with a number of
small hills on the left bank, and beyond these the Me Nam bifurcates,
a fact which few observe.
After a straight run with low
hills on the eastern flank, Nakawn Sawan (the city of the sky)
is reached. We accomplished the journey thither in four days
in comfort and ease. There had been a few day's rain, which raised
the level of the water two feet, otherwise we could not have proceeded
as far as this. Beyond this it is too late in the season for
the steamer to proceed, though it is possible to reach Raehang
during the rainy season. In order to improve our chances of getting
means of transport we move up to Paknam Po, the junction of the
two streams, which after receiving all the waters of the northern
part of Siam, commonly called Lao, here unite and form the Me
Nam Chao Phrayah
. The varieties of boats used on the river are
remarkable and some are peculiar to differents rivers. The Kwe
Yai
(main channel) from Nan is narrow and deep, the Kwe Noi (minor
channel) from Chieng Mai is shallow and wide, in some places eight
hundred yards in width.
At Paknam Po we divided into
two parties. One I sent under Phra Sarisdi, a Siamese gentleman
who has been with me almost from boyhood, and who has developed
into an excellent explorer, never flincing at any difficulties,
and taking the greatest interest in the work, to which he has
rendered loyal and solid assistance. It was arranged that Phra
Sarisdi should explore as much of the country as he could and
then meet me at Muang Fang. We based our calculations on the
probable amount of obstruction and delays, for many of the local
officials were unfavourable to my investigations. Yet it was
impossible for me to procure the best possible transport without
their hearty co-operation and support. It was therefore necessary
that I should go to Chieng Mai, it being the head-quarters of
the chief official of the north, and there make all necessary
arrangements for the extension of the work. Although I took a
small boat, my progress was slow, the river being wide with a
steep fall. Volumes of sand are brought down by the stream, and
at this season of the year much time is taken up in digging passages
in the sand through which the boats have to be dragged. Some
elephants were met with hounding logs of teak. This process consists
in each log being dragged by the elephant along the stream, but
as at this time of the year there was not enough water to float
the logs, a desperate attempt was being made to hound some two
hundred of them along the stream to Paknam Po, a distance of about
forty miles.
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