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Travel & Leisure in and around Pattaya
Willie Netzer puts one of his young students
through dressage lessons.
by Ken Bailey
Pattaya Riding Club - Escape the concrete jungle of
Pattaya for the wonderful serenity of the surrounding countryside.
Amid the vast array of coastal and cultural activities Pattaya has to
offer, it is easy to forget that the exciting pastime of horseback riding is
available just a few kilometers out of town on highway 36 to Rayong.
Offering both lessons and trail rides, the Pattaya Riding Club is an
excellent way to spend a few hours of leisure.
According to operator Willie Netzer, most of his customers are beginners, a
large number being the children of expats. Willie gives patient and expert
tutorial in correct dressage and horse handling techniques at the club’s
well-equipped training facilities. Willie says that four lessons are
generally enough to give a complete novice the confidence and competence to
ride any of the club’s horses around the beautiful mountain riding grounds.
Hailing from Germany, Willie comes from a horse-loving family, and has been
around them most of his life. His expertise with his beloved four-legged
friends is obvious as he puts his students through their paces.
“It is most important to analyze each rider and horse to get a suitable
match”, he explains. There are 17 horses at the club, ranging from small
ponies to magnificent former racing horses. Matching rider and horse is part
of Willie’s thorough safety precautions. Rider safety is a paramount
concern, and he takes great pains to instill this in his students.
Facilities at the club include an enclosed training area where beginners
learn to walk, canter and gallop the horses. Additionally, there are scenic
trails through the hilly countryside.
For those looking for a short wilderness escape, or for those who’d like to
learn how to ride, contact Willie at the Pattaya Riding Club on (038) 251
984, or 01 942 2409. For those who don’t have their own transport, Willie
will organize to pick you up and drop you off back in town at the end of
your session.
Any operators of attractions who would like their activity featured in
“Travel and leisure, in and around Pattaya” can contact Ken Bailey on 427
822 or 429 444.
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A trip to Mae Hon Song
by Mai Pen Arai
I think I must have been born with ‘itchy-feet’, as travelling
gives me great pleasure, much more than any precious stone. For
those who are also interested in travel and out-of-the-way
places, I’d like to tell you about Mae Hong Son. This is a
fairly large town, tucked away amongst the Northern Hills.
There are two routes which lead you from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong
Son. One goes through Hang Dong, Chom Thon, Hot and Mae Sariang.
This is a good road, wide along some stretches, but rather a
long way around. The other road is shorter by 100 kms, passing
Pai, which is very curvy and narrow. This road has 1,864 curves
and when you arrive in Mae Hon Son, you are presented with a
Diploma of Achievement.
Driving along the mountainous course, you have to pilot your car
around elbow-bends, hairpin bends, most of which are steep up or
abruptly down. Owing to rain, there had been some landslips and
some parts of the narrow road were under repair, with hazardous
rocks and branches from trees laid at random, some sticking out
over half of the road. It was impossible to view or enjoy the
scenery, as we had to watch out for on-coming traffic, be it
large trucks or fast moving vehicles which suddenly appeared
around a sharp corner.
Living in the hills around Mae Hong Son are, of course, Hill
Tribes. The most well known are the ‘Long Necked’ tribe. They
are of the Padaung Tribe: refugees from Burma many years ago.
While the male of the tribe attend school and go out to work,
either in the fields or in town, the females are the attraction
to tourists. From the early age of five years old, a girl has
loops of bronze (used to be gold) wound around her neck, to
which are added more rings as she grows. These neck rings are
not removed for bathing or sleeping, and by wearing them
constantly, the shoulder bones are pushed down, giving the neck
a stretched look. Although the bones actually remain unchanged,
the capacity of the lungs is limited, causing normal childbirth
difficult. They also intermarry and the close relationship show
in their features.
I was under the impression that the women wore these rings
around their necks to embellish themselves, but I was wrong.
They told me that their origin was from a Holy Serpent, so they
wear the neck-rings to induce long necks, thus to be more
serpent like.
Although we did not see much scenery on the drive up to Mae Hong
Son, the trip through the forest to the Padaung tribe was bumpy,
sloshy, yet at peace with nature. The dirt road was slightly
better than a buffalo-track, with brooks gaily shimmering
through dead leaves. Tall grass and other native plants bowed
and waved as the car passed. A band of Cicadae vibrated in
chorus, with a husky solo between. Now and again, we could hear
a tweet from a small bird which had been disturbed whilst
looking for tasty grubs. Butterflies fluttered and twirled, as
if showing off their colourful wings.
Interwoven between the trees were patches of land, where on
deftly ploughed ridges a settler had planted his crop. A school
sat proudly atop a hillock, with a stream flowing smoothly over
rocks at its base. As the car slowly manoeuvred over the stream
‘Hallo’ was hollered to us and we saw many tiny hands waving
through the bars of the school room.
Overall it was nature’s wonderland, with a touch of human
element thrown in, and I certainly recommend a trip to Mae Hong
Son. People with common sense go by plane, but it is more
adventurous to go by road.
I am aware that Pattaya Mail gives information of the Eastern
Seaboard, but because I enjoyed this visit up amongst the
Northern Hills, I wanted to share my experience.
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