Huay Tung Tao walk

We hire bicycles today and cycle 12km to the Muay Tung Tao lake which takes about an hour.  The lake is at the foot of Doi Suthep mountain and is a manmade freshwater reservoir used by locals for swimming and picnics.  Its very pretty and surrounded by wooden huts for sunbathing and cafes.  

We've read about a 7km circular walk, starting at the Golden Buddha which overlooks the lake, and decide to give it a go.  The walk is meant to take you past the Dtaat Mook waterfall then up to a helipad where there are nice views.  

So, after a short rest and some lunch, we head off.  The path takes us steadily and sometimes steeply uphill for a good hour.  We don't see anyone else and hear gunshots in the background and wonder if we have come the wrong way - the land is army owned.  Luckily we then come across the helipad where this photo is taken.  We conclude we are on the right path, just walking in the opposite direction ... no problem.  We continue uphill and meet a group of tourists heading in the other direction.  They also came up the same way as us but say they couldn't find the waterfall and the path was getting too steep so they decided to go back the way they came.  Undeterred we continue ... another hour and a half up some really steep and slippery terrain and still no waterfall.  We debate whether to go back but decide to continue.  Needless to say we don't find the waterfall and, after who knows how many wrong turns, we end up on a long, bumpy downhill road which seems to be heading in the opposite direction to the lake.  We eventually make it back to the lake, having had a hard up and downhill walk of well over four hours, and have to hop straight back on the bikes to get them back before dark.  Fun, but tiring and our feet ache.

We reward ourselves with a nice dinner and an hour's foot massage before bed ... bliss.