Chiang Rai and the hill tribes

We arrived in Northern Thailand expecting a similar country to that which we witnessed in Southern Thailand. We expected everyone to speak English and to be jaded by the farang (i.e., the white man). Instead we found easy smiles, a laid-back attitude, no touts to speak of and a genuinely helpful manner in all of the locals. From the Laos border we took a small, local bus to Chiang Rai and, surprisingly, drew lots of inquisitive glances and giggles from other passengers. Our experience here has helped us understand why some people stay in Thailand forever.

Chiang Rai is a big town that plays second fiddle to the more popular tourist hub of Chiang Mai. We decided to stay here based on a midnight conversation with some recently expatriated Australians, and it was one of the best decisions we've made - this town is great. We ate dinner last night at the night market which resembles a county fair thanks to the cheesy folk dances and acoustic guitar displays by the local teens. Not only is Chiang Rai a great place to relax, but it also houses some of the best temples we have seen on our trip. Small Wat Phra Kaeo, the original temple of the Emerald Buddha that now sits in the heart of the Imperial Palace in Bangkok, is immaculately landscaped and very well-maintained by smiling monks. Outside of town is the even more amazing White Temple, a modern construction by one of the leading artists in Thailand. Resembling a piece by Gaudi, the artist has pushed the bounds of Buddhist art as seen by his murals that include a rendering of Keanu Reeves from the Matrix and the Twin Towers engulfed by demons.

As most tourists do in this part of Thailand, today we visited the local hill tribes. We were lucky to have a highly experienced guide, Fido, take us personally into some of the least-visited villages to appreciate the communities without the trappings of most large tours and treks. Originally from Tibet, China and Myanmar, the tribes now live peacefully in Northern Thailand having been given refuge by the King. Each tribe has completely different way of living, from the stilted bamboo bungalows of the mellow Lahu that only work enough to eat, to the wooded grounded houses of the enterprising Karen that have melded with the Thai. We shared a meal with a Lahu village, and while Tanya exchanged new words in Lahu for new words in English with the smartest kid we have met in a while, a small naughty girl pelted cows, roosters and pigs with dried dung (pictures to be posted soon). Although a world apart from our own it was nice to realize that in every community there is still the town drunk/opium addict, the hard working people trying to make a living and that one chubby kid that eats everybody else's food. We were really moved by this experience.

Tomorrow we are going to the much larger Chiang Mai. We are working our way to Singapore in the last ten days of our leg in Southeast Asia. We will write more soon from Chiang Mai.