Visit to Hang Dong

This was the day we had arranged to visit Sheila at her home in Hang Dong (Nam Phrae).  Shelia is a long time friend we made while we all lived in India.

Transportation out of Town

Uber operates only to the airport and within the city limits.  

To get a ride out of town,  Jay installed the Grab Taxi application on his phone.  This app is Uber-like but “hails” the yellow and blue taxis that ply Chiang Mai’s city streets.

In a nod to “nothing really moves in a straight line in Asia” we could not find the address Sheila provided to us in the Grab Taxi app.  

Fortunately, Sheila told us that she lived just a short distance from Wat Sala.  We found Wat Sala on Google Maps and then used Google’s street images to literally walk down the road past the temple and over the bridge to Sheila’s house. Just amazing! We were ready to travel.

Baansaunhimdo Restaurant side entrance

With the Grab Taxi app, we got a taxi with a driver who spoke pretty good English. The Grab Taxi app said the fare would be150 baht, but the driver noted that since we were leaving the meter zone, that a rate card applied. The fare was 400 baht ($11.70).

The drive to Hang Dong took about 30 minutes (15 km), giving us an opportunity to see a bit more of the area south of Chiang Mai.

Upon arrival at Sheila’s house we used the taxi to drive to a nearby restaurant, Baansaunhimdo Guest House and Restaurant.  We had a delightful lunch and conversation with Sheila.  

Helen and Shelia

Afterwards we walked back to her house on a dirt road that is in the early stages of becoming another paved lane for the highway. We also walked past a very upscale gated community (Master Piece – Scenery Hill).  

We have found in our Asian travels that areas of money appear in the most unlikely places.

Helen and Shelia in Front of Wat Sala

We visited Wat Sala on our walk to Sheila’s house.  Sheila noted that this neighborhood had “money” and the temple with its ornate doors and well-maintained gold domes was evidence of this local wealth.

We took a tour of Sheila’s modest one bedroom home (she pays 4,000 baht a month). 

There were some sloping floors and the landlord had cobbled together some bits and pieces (e.g., department store changing room door for her bedroom door). However, it worked well for Sheila, a tough Brit in her mid-seventies, and her two dogs and one tortoise shell cat with half a tail (which is common for Thai cats). 

Back of Shelia's home in Hang Dong

Sheila has lived alone in Thailand as she did in India. These animals will be shipped back to England to continue their loving relationship with her.

Sheila arranged for a sŏng tăew (red truck) to drive us back to the city (250 baht).

Travel Tip

• Install and use the Grab Taxi app to book trips out of town. You can also bargain with a songteaw driver to take you to a desired out of town location, but the Grab Taxi app will bring a driver, an air conditioned car and a set rate card for the trip.