Thaton to Chiang Rai
Monday 21st May
Sart arrived bright and early as usual. He appears to consider half an hour early to be the minimum to be considered on time. We set off from Thatong in bright sunshine reflecting that the Lonely Planet guide had been right in suggesting that out of high season (December to February) any Westerner is likely to be the only one in town.
We were heading for the hill top village of Mae Salong where there is a group of Chinese immigrants with an interesting back story. It was billed as "a taste of China without crossing any borders" Mae Salong was originally settled by soldiers who had escaped to Burma from communist rule in 1949. The Burmese moved them on in 1961. Crossing into Northern Thailand in their pony caravans the ex soldiers settled in the mountain villages and re created a society like the one they had left behind. They also brought tea and the know how to grow it with them. There are now many tea plantations growing premium teas. We were surprised by the tea plantation which looked like a lot very long 1 metre high hedges.
As we wound our way up and down Dao Mae Salong (the name
of the mountain) Pauline found endless opportunities to take photos of water buffalo, exotic fruits, rice paddies - wild boar in excrement!
The area we were in was part of the so called Golden Triangle. Golden because the opium poppy crop that was grown there until relatively recently shimmered and looked golden in the sun and because a kilo of opium was the same price as a kilo of gold. The countries of the Golden Triangle all meet at the Mekong river which originates in China. they are Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Laos.
We visited the opium museum in Sop Ruak. Apparently the former opium farmers have all been persuaded to grow high value arabica coffee instead and there is no longer a problem on the Thai side of the border. One wasn't convinced but perhaps one was being a touch cynical. We took a long tailed boat ride around the Golden Triangle area eventually alighting in Laos at a tourist tat market. Even the stall holders seemed to not have their hearts in it and we left after fifteen minutes to head back for an interesting lunch. My heart sank when we saw the tour bus parked in the entrance to the restaurant but it was a buffet restaurant which easily dealt with the numbers involved and we ate very well. Sart insisted on my trying a Thai strength Tom Yum which was HOT HOT HOT but very tasty.
After lunch we climbed up a very steep hill to a view point (in the car - according to Sart NOBODY walks in Thailand) where we could see the ayout of the three countries alongside the might Mekong river. We could also see the electricity pylons stretching from Laos to Thailand carrying electricity which is the product of many Laos hydro schemes as well as a controversial Mekong river dam.
The last visit of the day was probably the highlight of our visit so far and yet it was troubling in lots of ways. Tourism at its worst and tourism at its best at the same time. Our visit was to the Karen hill tribe one of several hill tribes who live in the hills (funnily enough) on the border.
We visited the tribe which is described as the long necked hill tribe because they have a bizarre practice which involves their females wearing rings around their necks. Originally they were made og gold and had something to do with wealth and its display. Now the rings are made of brass and weigh 5 kilos. They gradually add rings as they get older. The lon neck appears to be not from the neck stretching so much as the shoulders and chest collapsing under the weight of the rings.
The men are farmers and the women weave cloth and make handicrafts whilst tending to domestic chores and bringing up the children. The camp was full of laughter and the women seemed happy to pose for photos but I had a nagging feeling that we were not contributing to their survival in a positive way. There was the incongruous sight of the beautiful 19 year old girl dressed in fabulous colourful traditionsl robes weaving traditional cloth whilst holding her smart phone. There was no electricity in the village but they had solar panels providing some electric power to be stored in batteries.
I left having thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Chow Kow (hill tribe) but still wondering if we were part of their destruction or their preservation. I didn't have long to ponder because 35 minutes (and nine seconds) later we were in Chiang Rai checking into the excellent Maryo Resort where we availed ourselves of the free shuttle bus to the largely local night market where we ate at the central food court very well for £5 including beer. What's not to like about Thailand!
Sart arrived bright and early as usual. He appears to consider half an hour early to be the minimum to be considered on time. We set off from Thatong in bright sunshine reflecting that the Lonely Planet guide had been right in suggesting that out of high season (December to February) any Westerner is likely to be the only one in town.
We were heading for the hill top village of Mae Salong where there is a group of Chinese immigrants with an interesting back story. It was billed as "a taste of China without crossing any borders" Mae Salong was originally settled by soldiers who had escaped to Burma from communist rule in 1949. The Burmese moved them on in 1961. Crossing into Northern Thailand in their pony caravans the ex soldiers settled in the mountain villages and re created a society like the one they had left behind. They also brought tea and the know how to grow it with them. There are now many tea plantations growing premium teas. We were surprised by the tea plantation which looked like a lot very long 1 metre high hedges.
As we wound our way up and down Dao Mae Salong (the name
 |
| Tea tea everywhere but not a drop to drink |
The area we were in was part of the so called Golden Triangle. Golden because the opium poppy crop that was grown there until relatively recently shimmered and looked golden in the sun and because a kilo of opium was the same price as a kilo of gold. The countries of the Golden Triangle all meet at the Mekong river which originates in China. they are Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Laos.
We visited the opium museum in Sop Ruak. Apparently the former opium farmers have all been persuaded to grow high value arabica coffee instead and there is no longer a problem on the Thai side of the border. One wasn't convinced but perhaps one was being a touch cynical. We took a long tailed boat ride around the Golden Triangle area eventually alighting in Laos at a tourist tat market. Even the stall holders seemed to not have their hearts in it and we left after fifteen minutes to head back for an interesting lunch. My heart sank when we saw the tour bus parked in the entrance to the restaurant but it was a buffet restaurant which easily dealt with the numbers involved and we ate very well. Sart insisted on my trying a Thai strength Tom Yum which was HOT HOT HOT but very tasty.
After lunch we climbed up a very steep hill to a view point (in the car - according to Sart NOBODY walks in Thailand) where we could see the ayout of the three countries alongside the might Mekong river. We could also see the electricity pylons stretching from Laos to Thailand carrying electricity which is the product of many Laos hydro schemes as well as a controversial Mekong river dam.
The last visit of the day was probably the highlight of our visit so far and yet it was troubling in lots of ways. Tourism at its worst and tourism at its best at the same time. Our visit was to the Karen hill tribe one of several hill tribes who live in the hills (funnily enough) on the border.
We visited the tribe which is described as the long necked hill tribe because they have a bizarre practice which involves their females wearing rings around their necks. Originally they were made og gold and had something to do with wealth and its display. Now the rings are made of brass and weigh 5 kilos. They gradually add rings as they get older. The lon neck appears to be not from the neck stretching so much as the shoulders and chest collapsing under the weight of the rings.
The men are farmers and the women weave cloth and make handicrafts whilst tending to domestic chores and bringing up the children. The camp was full of laughter and the women seemed happy to pose for photos but I had a nagging feeling that we were not contributing to their survival in a positive way. There was the incongruous sight of the beautiful 19 year old girl dressed in fabulous colourful traditionsl robes weaving traditional cloth whilst holding her smart phone. There was no electricity in the village but they had solar panels providing some electric power to be stored in batteries.I left having thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Chow Kow (hill tribe) but still wondering if we were part of their destruction or their preservation. I didn't have long to ponder because 35 minutes (and nine seconds) later we were in Chiang Rai checking into the excellent Maryo Resort where we availed ourselves of the free shuttle bus to the largely local night market where we ate at the central food court very well for £5 including beer. What's not to like about Thailand!
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