Baan Tam Mi La Guest House Chiang Rai

... a total population of some 2.3 million people in five countries: Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, China and Vietnam. It is said that in Thailand alone there are 70,000 scattered over some 300 villages and live in the mountains through out Chiangmai and Chiangrai provinces. They farm mountain rice, corn, soybeans and raise ...

... from the wheel and as Mr Baker looked down he realized the tire was no longer on the rim. We stopped and we all jumped out of the back onto the road. Straight away the driver new what was wrong and set about fetching the jack and the spare wheel. The only problem was……there was no spare wheel. The wheel was on another truck. We did however know the cause of the problem, Chasha had said as she got on the bus “I bet we will get a ...

... have included taking the children swimming, painting the house, creating a mushroom farm etc etc. We have also been trying to arrange at least one excursion a week just so we can all get out and do things away from the orphange. Unfortuatly the two girls I got on best with Lorna and Larrissa the two Kiwis left a few days ago due to various reasons so things are a bit quiter now for me. Yesterday, we took the day to go out and watch elephnat polo at ...

... and by the end of the year they will be in a good position to continue things without me. I think by the end of the year I would have finished contributing to them having more money, more volunteers and them reaching out to more people in a wider area. So that is good. I think I have made a difference. I am thinking that I may try to work in disaster relief. This is something I have been interested in for a while. It would ...

2 January 2552 This morning I went back to work at Mirror Foundation after a couple days off for New Year. Where is everyone? Eventually just before 0830 a number of the interns came out of the woodwork and Oat and Pan showed up. We had a quick meeting. I was ...

One returning from the previously mentioned trip, we had some time at home and then went to the "Walking Street". Each Saturday night Chiang Rai closes off some streets to traffic and lots of stalls are set up. It is only new (2nd or 3rd weekend it has happened) and I haven't seen it yet. Also our next door neighbour needs to go into town to attend the Chiang Rai version of the King's sister's funeral. Hard to find parking, but ...

... people and spirits throughout the village. It was important not to be caught by him. I warned the volunteers who seemed quite concerned, but curious enough to go with me after lunch to Baan Apa. When we arrived at Baan Apa, everything seemed reasonably normal. No chasing yet. We went and saw the coffin and donated some money to help the family pay for the funeral costs and then we waited and sheltered from the rain. Some of the elders and men from the village were walking ...

... rice to every villager and therefore the government operated an 'aid lottery'. If you are lucky you get aid if not you get nothing. There had been no international aid agencies in the villages nor any health care or medicines. In the village it was planting season and villagers were keen to plant rice seeds. Although their cattle were killed making ploughing difficult and the salt water that has penetrated the fields, they were confident that they ...

... beer in the road. Then there's the morning market. Eating in the middle of the market is quite daunting if you speak no Thai as it's likely nobody will speak English and there's no chance of a menu. Not in Chiang Rai, we walked into the noodle shop area and were met with a cheery "are you looking for lunch" from one of the stall holders who produced a menu in English and then some excellent food. Chiang Rai's assets are not its temples and palaces they are its people.

... such tactics of raping women and using them as tools of war is very common. A very unfortunate truth that has repeated itself over and over again only these women are literally stained for life - in order to perhaps have saved their lives. The last of the group that I saw was the Akha. These hilltribe people, I was told by the guide, were not as 'poor' as the others and that I should spend money with the other two groups instead. I did as was suggested as these women ...