Chiang Mai

We arrived in the city at mid-afternoon. Founded in the thirteenth century, Chiang Mai is a center of culture and commerce. The metropolitan area holds almost a million people. Located on the Ping River near the Burmese border, Chiang Mai reflects those influences, as well as the more traditional Thai art and architecture. On the way in, we stopped at one of its most famous temples, Wat Chedi Luang.  The huge chedi or "royal pagoda" was heafily damaged in the seventeenth century.  However, it has now been partially reconstructed so one can see how it might have looked. 

Inside one of the buildings in the temple complex is a magnificant standing Buddha statue, and outside is a gilt reclining Buddha.

Everywhere we looked were carved, gilt, painted, bejewled creatures.  Animal, human or fantasy, they never ceased to amaze us.  Embellishments were everywhere, and not even the smallest detail was overlooked.

After a busy day, we were glad to settle into our lovely room at Yaang Come Village Resort. 

All of our hotels here in Thailand have been lovely, and this one was no exception. The room, as you can see, was spacious, and our private balcony overlooked the beautiful hotel grounds.  　

Next door to the hotel was an excellent restaurant called "The Whole Earth." 

Their menu included Thai as well as Ayurvedic Indian cuisine, and we sampled both. 

A few blocks away was Chiang Mai's famous night market.  After dinner we browsed among the many vendors and shopped for souvenirs.

Our next adventure was a bicycle tour of some of the outlying areas of Chiang Mai. We met our guide, "Bird," and set off for a 1 1/2 hour tour. The bikes were first-class, and Bird did a great job of guiding us through what would have been scary streets and intersections. Our ride took us along the Ping River and most of the rods were quiet and narrow.  We saw small villages, rice paddies and local orchards.  We made several stops. One was at a particularly old temple, and another at the seldom-visited ruins of Viang Khum Kaam, which some consider the ancient city on which Chiang Mai was built.

Lunch was a special treat. Duke took us to one of his favorite local restaurants for a sampling of northern Thai cuisine. We enjoyed an egg noodle soup with chicken, fantastic fried pork ribs, fried chicken northern Thai style, sausage and green papaya salad and pork curry. All were served with sticky rice in the Lanna tradition.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing.  Then, after another great meal at The Whole Earth, we enjoyed a quiet evening and prepared for our return to Phnom Penh.

The next day, we said a reluctant goodbye to Dob (left) and Duke, and boarded our flight back to Cambodia.  We carry with us fond memories of the people we met in Thailand, expecially Mr. Ving and Duke, and of all the wonderful things we saw and experienced.  Our ten-day stay passed much more quickly than we expected.

Our special thanks to Sally Watkins of Century Travel in Austin, TX, and to Asia Transpacific Journeys and Khiri Travel for their coordination of our Thailand adventure.  We hope to travel with you again. 

　

Pai and Beyond

After lunch in a lovely outdoor restaurant in Soppong, we continued on to Pai. Upon arriving, we stopped at Coffee in Love, a delightful coffee shop overlooking the valley. The coffee was great, as was the view.

We learned that Pai is a popular destination for Northern Thailand residents who want a romantic get-away. Honeymooning couples were strolling hand-in-hand, and several other hotels and restaurants had a "love" theme.

We drove around the village, marveling at the teak forests that covered the hillsides. Most of the old-growth trees have been logged, but new teak forests have been replanted in many places. We spent the evening in a private cottage at the Belle Villa Resort. Here are a couple of views of and from our room.

Upon arriving and unpacking, we experienced our first real Uh-Oh! of the trip. The nice bottle of Scotch we had brought with us had leaked in John's suitcase, and everthing in it was permeated with the smell! When John checked with hotel staff to see about having his clothes laundered, he was told that it would cost much too much to have the hotel wash his clothes....However, they did have the name of someone just a block away who would launder them in her home. 

John was very relieved when we picked up his clothes the next morning. They were all washed, ironed, folded and ready to go. And the best part was that it only cost $6.00 for a suitcase full of clothes!

On Saturday morning, after picking up the laundry, we left Pai and drove down the mountain...and down the mountain...and down the mountain along a very scenic road that wound past rice fields and through Huay Nam Dang National Park. 

As you can see from this photo, the roads were not only scenic and winding, but very narrow!

On the way, we stopped to visit Pong Deuad Hot Springs. The spring is actually a geyser that bubbles up and then drains away to form shallow pools. We were told that the temperature of the water exiting the geyser is between 90 and 99 degrees Celsius, while the water temperature underground is 170-203 Celsius. Much too hot for a dip!  We enjoyed the short walk and the lovely teak forest alongside the stream.

Our next stop was at Mork Fa Waterfall. The walk to the falls was shaded by these magnificent trees. Some were teak, but there were a number of different species, along with lush vines and other vegetation.

The waterfall itself was lovely, as was the small pool below. I had to pick my shots carefully, though, as there were several couples there at the same time as we were. One thing I have learned about the Thai and Cambodian people.... If there is a landmark or scenic view of any kind, its greatest attraction is as a backdrop for a portrait. There is no telling how many people have pictures of someone with the Mork Fa Waterfall appearing to cascade down onto their heads!

John, having had his fill of long drives and scenic wonders, took a quick look at the waterfall then stretched out on a nearby bench to "rest his eyes."

After yet another sumptious lunch under our belts, we headed down the road to our final Thailand destination, Chiang Mai.　

Tham Lod Cave

We said a reluctant goodbye to Mae Hong Son and set out early with Duke and our driver, Dob, for the trip to the village of Soppong on our way to Pai. The road through the forest is said to be one of Thailand's most scenic. It certainly must be one of the steepest and most winding! Fortunately the forest was so thick that we couldn't see how far down the valley floor was. Dob handled our van with skill, however, and we were able to relax and enjoy the trip.

Not far from Mae Hong Son, we stopped at this roadside market.  

One of the items for sale was a water bucket made from bamboo.  This one has the numbers "1548" carved into the side.  That signifies the number of turns in the road between Mae Hong Son and Chang Mai.






We had finished breakfast only a short time before, so we passed on Thai BBQ. However, we did try some baked sweet potatoes, which were delicious. Duke also insisted we try some sticky rice baked in bamboo. Here he and John show how to peel the bamboo away to expose the yummy, sweet purple rice inside.

Duke said the market was run by the hill tribe known as the Red Karen. This elderly woman was passing her time sewing while her husband played his flute. 

After we contributed some Thai baht to their donation basket, she agreed to pose for us.  She wasn't very enthusiastic about it, though.

We continued down the mountain and at mid-morning stopped at Tham Lod Cave. This cave is part of the largest cave system in Northern Thailand. Set in a parklike valley, the cave is unique in that a subterranean river flows through it.

We boarded a small raft with a guide and were poled down the river into the cave. On either side of the raft, hungry fish broke the water hoping for a handout. The river was very shallow, but the current was swift and the water cool. We were fortunate; sometimes the water is too deep to allow access to the caverns.

Inside the cave, our small party made its way through the various rooms. Some were enormous, as you can see, and our guide's lantern barely lit the dark recesses. (There were no electric lights, so we were very glad the lantern had plenty of fuel!) In some of the photos, you may be able to see slender cords criscrossing the caverns. We were told they were to guide people through the caverns, especially when the water level is high.

Stalagtites, stalagmites, limestone columns, cave bacon and other formations were everywhere. We also saw some prehistoric cave paintings and archeological relics.

The rooms were sometimes connected by very steep stairs. There were also "bridges" like this one. We were glad the guide's lantern didn't reach the bottom....it was a long way down!







After touring for an hour or so, we made our way back to the rafts and back out into the sunlight. The current was too strong for the boatman to pole against, so he got out and towed the raft back to the dock.

It was a great experience, and one we highly recommend to anyone visiting the area.

　

Hill Tribes

Licking the roti off our sticky fingers, we left the Mae Hong Son market and set off on an even greater adventure... a long-tail boat trip to visit two of Thailand's Hill Tribes. 

Our boat was piloted by this father and daughter, while Grandfather sat in the bow and watched for logs, rocks and other hazards. There were quite a few of these, and the water was swift, so we appreciated their concentration.

The little daughter was quite a charmer. She "visited" with me with smiles and sign language, and seemed to have as good a time as we did.

We traveled along the Pai river for half an hour or so, passing dense jungles along both banks. Just over the mountain is the border between Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma).

Around a bend in the river, we abruptly came upon the village shared by the long-necked Karen tribe, and the Kaya, a related group. Both tribes speak the Kareni language. If you look closely at this photo, you can see a group of men replacing the thatch roof on one of the houses.

As we left our boat and walked into the village, we stopped to talk to this woman.

She was busy cleaning a nice fat rat that she had caught across the river near the corn fields. She said (through our guide) that she wished we could stay for dinner as she was planning to stir-fry the rat with some nice fresh basil. (We had enjoyed beef with basil the night before, and weren't sure that we would like it made with rat.) As we started to leave, she stood up to say goodbye.... We were stuck by the irony of someone wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt planning to eat a rat for dinner. Some things are stranger than fiction.





Wickipedia says that the members of the long-necked Karen tribe, also known as the Padaung or Kayan Lawhi, are a sub-group of the Red Karen tribe. The women of this tribe, which is originally from Burma, are known for their tradition of wearing a series of brass rings around their necks. Young girls begin to wear the brass coils, which are added to as they grow. By the time they reach adulthood, their necks appear to be elongated. However, this is an illusion produced when the shoulders are forced down by the weight of the coils. We were told that wearing the brass coils is an option for the women. We met several of different ages who wear them, along with their traditional colorful clothing.

One young woman wanted me to have my picture taken with her, then she placed one of the coils around my neck so I could see how they felt. They were quite heavy.  I understand why a number of the women have chosen not to wear them, even though an elongated neck is considered beautiful in their culture. 

The other tribe which occupies the village is the Kaya, or big-eared tribe. The women of this tribe  wear discs in their ear lobes, and sometimes brass rings on their arms or legs.

Many of the women have small stalls set up in front of their houses where they sell their hand-loomed scarves and other items such as jewelry or hand-carved figures.

The scarves are woven in several traditional designs, and in a rainbow of colors.  They usually sell for 80 to 100 Thai baht, depending on size. 

The women have an interesting device made from a piece of PVC pipe, sticks and cords, which holds their yarn in preparation for weaving the scarves.

The scarves and traditional clothing aren't the only colorful things in the village. This rooster crossed our path in search of bugs. When he stopped to eat one, we were amazed at the colors he displayed.
 

With our guide, Duke, as interpretor, we could have spent several more hours visiting with these interesting people.  We interacted mostly with the women; the men were either away or working, like these fellows who were repairing the roof on one of the houses.

There is some feeling that these hill tribes are being exploited by the tourist industry and forced to continue practices which are detrimental to their health.  However, the people that we met appeared healthy and happy.  A number of the women, like this young lady who was expecting her first child, have chosen not to wear the brass coils (or the disks in her ears if she is of the Kaya tribe).      

Our visit to the hill tribes was one of the highlights of our trip to Thailand.  Like the other people we met, they were friendly and gracious.  We hope to return to spend more time there.