Northern Thailand
Trip Start
Nov 16, 2007
1
18
20
Trip End
Jan 14, 2008
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Laos come together, was the seat of heroin trade ~100 years ago. Today it's a tourist haven, especially for Thais. They have much more disposable income than do the people of the other countries we visited (with the exception of Japan) and enjoy being tourists within their own country. There were quite a few gaudy, tacky, glittery tourist attractions that were doing a booming business
Golden Triangle
. The Thais also enjoy going by boat to a big casino across the river in Myanmar to gamble and party.In Mae Sai, at the northernmost point of Thailand, Burmese and Thais travel freely across the border. The Burmese are supposed to return to their country at night, but that law is impossible to enforce. When asked what Thailand's biggest problem is, our guide responded that it is the refugees from Myanmar and Cambodia who rob, pick-pocket, and run drugs. There were plenty of Burmese who cross the border to work during the day. They sell lots of inexpensive goods and produce from China that comes down the Mekong. There are also a number of shops and stands selling jade, rubies, and sapphires. We visited a jade factory. Myanmar has a wealth of minerals and precious stones.
We briefly visited three hill tribes in northern Thailand, the Akha, Yao, and Karen. As they've been "discovered" long ago by tourists, they've lost much of their unique culture. Tha Akha in particular, who are the poorest tribe, beg, dress in their traditional costumes only to get tourist money in exchange for photos, and buy handicrafts and resell them to tourists. The Yao are recent Chinese immigrants, and the Karen are originally Tibetan, by way of Myanmar. I certainly don't begrudge these people a more modern life and some tourist dollars, but they haven't yet achieved a perfect balance. The Karen village was nice, and the people were doing their traditional farming and weaving
Golden triangle tourist attractions
.Doi Inthanon National Park is a large, popular area, containing Thailand's highest mountain, at 2500 m (8000 ft). We drove up to the peak in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The Thais love to go up there to experience nature and cold! It was not what we would call cold, but sometimes they get a teeny bit of frost. ;-) Although all of the man-made attractions, viewpoints, and picnic areas were packed with people, when we hiked <1/2 mile up a trail next to a waterfall, there was no one at all. It was beautiful and peaceful, with huge philodendrons and bamboo. Our guide said the trails are pretty much for foreigners who go treking. It sounded as though Thais didn't often use them.
Chiang Mai is a very nice city. It has an interesting history and plenty of modern conveniences without the crush and hassles of Bangkok. The old city, surrounded by a wall and moat, dates from the Lana civilization in the 14th century. There are many beautiful old wats, restored buildings, restaurants, and shops. It was fun to explore on foot or by tuk-tuk, the motorcycle taxis. We visited many of the wats, went to the Sunday Market and the Night Market, and found probably our favorite restaurant of the entire trip. Northern Thai food is a bit different, and that was the specialty of Heuan Phen. We had wonderful food and beer/tea at very reasonable prices ($8 for both of us). Plus, the restaurant was in an historic house loaded to the rafters with funky antiques.
On New Year's Eve, our last day there, we started by giving alms (food) to monks at daybreak and receiving their blessings. We ended with a very nice buffet and show poolside at our hotel - a very nice day, all in all. I would have been happier if I hadn't come down with a cold which dogged me for the rest of our trip, but we made due.
