Grapestomper's travel blogs:
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Little Chiang Rai
Entry 15 of 35 | show all | print this entry |
After getting a great night's sleep I awoke early and took to the streets. With the sun just rising and causing the Wat next door to shimmer with gold I stopped in for a look. This was Wat Phrae Kaeo, the original home of the Emerald Buddah now housed in the wat of the same name in Bangkok. A replica now sits in it's place - apparently just a hairs-width shorter. I was the only person present at this time in the morning, a vast difference from my experience at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
After admiring the bamboo-laden grounds of the temple I was in dire need of breakfast, and internet access!
Later morning I visited the Hill Tribe Museum to learn all about cultures I will never experience firsthand. A major reason people come to northern Thailand is to trek to various hilltribes - Akha, Hmong, and longneck Karen area few. While I agree it would be interesting to experience, I don't feel the need or desire to act the voyeur and contribute to the disruption of these villagers way of life. They'll be gone soon enough as it is with the rapid modernization of SE Asia. I don't need to be a part of it. Also, I've heard that many of the "villages" that organized treks visit are set up soley for the benefit of tourism, making it little more than a human zoo! No thankyou.
I've booked a ticket on an aircon bus to Chiang Mai tomorrow morning. The trip is supposed to take only 3 hours thankfully. It looks like there's a lot more to do in the big city, as opposed to here in the boonies.
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