Cruising the Mekong

27th – 28th February

Shompoo Cruise river boat

I had ordered a breakfast of coffee and fruit salad for breakfast and the coffee had barely been put

been put on my table when I overheard a tuk tuk driver walking past the other tables with a sign with names and saying “Shompoo cruise” Identifying that he might be looking for me, it seemed that he was expecting me to leave shortly. Given that it was 8:15am and I had been told a 9:30 pick up, I hurried only slightly and was ready, checked out and waiting. We left at 8:45am and although we seemed to go via a large number of backstreets to pick up others, no one was ready and I was the first passenger on the boat.

The boat landing at Houay Xai

My first impressions were that it looked nice. The seats were high, as they were on the bus. My feet did not touch floor – I am not sure who designed them or for whom, but for many it must be very uncomfortable.

By about 10am, all the passengers are abroad and we cast off.

Our guide, Mr Daeng (Cam) gives us a bit of background about Laos and the cultural diversity: as for both Thailand and Vietnam, there is a huge number of ethnic groups with a great diversity of languages. The greatest proportion are still farmers.

River activities

He talks a little about the damming of the Mekong upstream in China. It is the dry season now, there has been little rain and the Chinese have shut the dams and reduced the flow of the river even further. This impacts on boat traffic: there are areas of Rapids we will need to navigate and the speedboats often have accidents as the driver has insufficient visibility.

Further impact on villagers will come as more dams are built, including these planned for Laos. Fishing will be reduced and a significant source of protein for the villagers will be lost. We see some of the traditional fishing poles and nets and I recall reading somewhere that the use of these is being prohibited after dam construction, the suggestion being that ecological surveys of fish populations will show less impact from the dam construction.

Traditional fishing equipment

Dam construction will also reduce the riverboat traffic and the accessibility of some areas to tourists. This will further impact the economy of these villages.

And villagers are being relocated to towns: a recipe for social problems as traditional farmers are faced with a different life style and cannot find work as they have few transferable skills. There is the suggestion that the government cares more about income from the hydro electricity from these dams than for the impact on the people.

River beach

As we travel down stream, we pass from fairly flat to more hilly areas and the point at which the Thai border diverts from the river and we are now true in Laos. The occasional speedboat passes us, creating a small wash that affects even our larger boat.

We stop to pay taxes at a village (more taxes) and we hear more about how the tax money does not benefit most of the people. There is a pension scheme for government workers, but none for others. School attendance requires fees to b paid and it seems that many of the minority groups are at a disadvantage when it comes to school. Free schooling is provided for monks and this is an option for boys from poorer families. Monastic education in Laos does include the non-secular subjects and there is no requirement for a boy to remain in the monastic community past when he is ready to move on.

Villages nestled amongst the vegetation

Tranquil reflections

Lunch Is served on board, Lao food, but made bland for the tourists. Shame, I might see what I can negotiate tomorrow!

The countryside becomes a little more rugged and tiny villages appear along the river, high enough, generally, to be above the summer floods. The rocks by the river are sedimentary, tilted at around 45degrees. Evidence of a geographically tumultuous past. There are some houses which are in the flood plain area, people will move from these when the rain comes.... They are nomads, says Cam Daeng.

We pass rubber and banana plantations but the biggest crop is sticky rice, which is slash and burn agriculture on a 3-4 year rotation. Not much of the forest loos to be old growth, although all is very green. Small shelter huts are in evidence for the farmers to spend the night to scare of marauding birds and animals and to clean off the insects.

Marks on the cliffs and beaches give an approximate idea of the river level when it is in flood.

There are areas of the river which are approaching being Rapids, and our captain negotiates these carefully and at an even slower pace. However there is still the occasional ominous noise that sounds a little like a bottom scrape.

Approaching the rapids

The range of boats on the river is huge, from simple small canoe like structures to outriggers, to the bigger longboats, the riverboats like we are on and the Occasionally much larger vessel, including one very flash looking boat that has passenger accommodation. Our boat is the home for the captain and his family, who appear to be viewing cruising the Mekong on a Saturday afternoon as an opportunity for a bit of a party.

We stop to visit a Khmu village .... The Laos have a slightly different name for this minority group which originally came from what is now Cambodia some 700 years ago and are known in other areas as Khmer.

Speedboats: drivers but not passengers wear helmets

just lovely scenery

It's a new village, relocated from a 4 hour walk up the hills on the opposite side of the river. Their relocation is related to discourage their production and consumption of opium and what I interpret to be marijuana. The cruise company supports this village with 2% of their income from cruises and visitors are encouraged to contribute to the education fund via the donations box but I am somewhat concerned about the number of small children who are begging. Given that the village shops sell canned soft drink and junk food, and there are adults sitting on the veranda drinking beer, that the level of poverty is somewhat driven by choice. It is interesting to hear that pregnancy rates average around one per year but child mortality and childbirth death is common. Healthcare must be paid for, but most villages have a shaman who is skilled in herbal medicine.

Working river boat

The houses are simple bamboo houses, on stilts. One room only which may house a family of around 15 and this room served for cooking, sleeping and general living. We had the "honeymoon house" pointed out. I guess that if you are living in such crowded quarters, a little privacy just after your wedding would be desirable.

I inquire subsequently about crafts and it appears that this village had no such skills. That's a shame, as this could potentially provide pocket money that the begging is seeking.

We resume our cruise and arrive at the halfway point /overnight stop at around 4:30. We are informed that porters will come to carry our bags. When my porter gets to the top of the steps and puts my bag down to pull it over the rough ground, I suggest that I will do that myself, so he picks it up again. Then he asks for more money after I pay him the amount we were told. I clarify with the reception staff that I have the amount correct and he acquiesces.

Just part of the family that live in this small bamboo house

The room is small but neat, nicer than last night, and the shared balcony overlooks the Main Street and gives glimpses of the river. Wifi semi-works on the balcony but not in my room.

I go to explore the town: a task that takes no more than half an hour, including watching the anticipation of small children who are awaiting the inflation of what looks to be a jumping castle.

I return to the guest house and watch the world go by. The backpackers from the cheaper slow boat arriving, the lady in a restaurant across the street actively touting for business, a local lady attempting to sell a giant mole to the restaurants and of course the ubiquitous motorbikes transporting up to 4 people.

One of the village honeymoon houses

One couple from the cruise indicate they have gone looking for the party bar, but it does not open until 9 pm!

Working out the shower took a little time. First I thought that being at the end of the veranda, the hot water was taking a while to come through, but then decided I must have an on-demand hot water heater hidden behind the shower wall, as low pressure yielded much warmer water than turning the hot tap on full.

Pak Beng main (only) road

My accommodation is a package with dinner and breakfast provided, but I am disappointed with the food. Chicken wings have been coated in batter and deep fried sometime in the past and the Lao curry is definitely the tourist version even though I requested the local version. It was served with a side dish of sliced chilli but this does not substitute well for cooking the curry with chilli. The breakfast claimed "home made jam", which I seriously doubted, and my scrambled eggs was an omelette. Dinner came with a drink: coke, sprite or beer. I tried the beer, but was a little disappointed. It did not taste like the Thai beer. And of course nothing tastes like Bhutan's Druk 11000, which I quite like.

I decline the services of a porter for the morning and return for our 7:15am boarding. The manoeuvring of the boat from its tight morning between other boats is interesting to observe and we putter upstream a little way until the boat can turn.

Pak Beng from the river

As we head downstream there is some stunning early morning light on the hills and on the river but it is chilly and my fellow passengers are rugged up against the cool breeze - the cruise provides fleece blankets for this.

Once again we pass through rapids, while few rocks are visible above the water, the turbulence is evidence of their presence and Cam says that maybe there is only 30-60 cm clearance for the boat.

Nice morning light on the river

There is more lovely scenery, tiny and not so tiny villages, quite a few other riverboats, boys and men attending their fishing gear, some evidence of larger trees and possibly old growth forest on some of the very steep slopes. And more intricate life stone formations along the river banks or protruding into the river.

We stop to visit Pak Du Cave – an upper cave and a lower cave. These caves are reputed to contain 4000 Buddha statues, with more being brought by pilgrims every year. On the path to the upper cave, children and ladies with little children and babies are selling stuff: rice cakes, banana chips, trinkets, all of which seem rather overpriced. I purchased a rice cake from one little girl and a whole hoard of other children descended on me with their wares, requesting me to buy them. Still, its much better than the begging that I experienced at the village the previous day.

Another passenger river boat

Shortly after this we stopped again at Kamu village to look at the lao whiskey production process and sample the product.

 The clear Lao whiskey, made from white rice, has all the redeeming features of rocket fuel and is very alcoholic. The the dark beverage, on the other hand, is a little more like sherry, not so alcoholic, but did not tempt me to buy a bottle.

Superb karst scenery

The village is also a weaving village and there was a long row of stalls of ladies selling their wares (and those of their sisters, aunts, second cousins twice removed … I suspect). I buy a very bright silk scarf for $US10, and a traditional skirt length for 80,000 kip before the guide comes running up the hill to tell me I have exceeded the allocated 20 minutes in the village. I think many of the ladies were disappointed, they had someone who was spending money!

Buddha statues in Pak Du Cave

The ability of the ladies to switch between baht, $ US and Kip impresses me, as it continued to in all the marketplaces I visited in Luang Prabang. Bartering is done with the aid of a calculator – not for calculating currency exchanges but for displaying the price under discussion. “Open to offers” or “your turn to bid a price” is achieved by handing the calculator to the potential customer – effective in the absence of a shared language and since tourists are from many different countries, language can be a barrier. I suspect that some of the minority group ladies may not even be fluent in the majority language.

There are a lot of vegetable gardens on the river banks, the sediments are presumably not as sandy as they look, although these gardens are flooded once the wet season starts (or when the Chinese open the dams upstream)

Elephants on an outing from their nearby camp

Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, a transfer was provided to our accommodation and the minivan driver looked horrified at my suitcase! Yes it is huge compared to the average traveller, and I feel compelled to explain to many people that it contains most of my worldly goods from living a year in another country.

Crossing to Laos

25^th – 26^th February

The Green Bus to Chiang Kong

I had decided that, given the uncertainty of my travel to the border and the time it make take to complete border crossing formalities, it might be best to plan to spend one night on each side of the border, so I booked for one night in Chiang Khong in Thailand  and one night directly across the river in Houay Xay in Laos.

In retrospect I could have omitted the first night and stayed at extra night at Bamboo next but hindsight is a wonderful thing. 

Nok , our Bamboo Nest hostess provided our transfer back to Chiang Rai and dropped us at the bus station – pointing out that I should catch the green bus for Chiang Kong.  I wandered vaguely in the direction she pointed, wishing that I was travelling with substantially less luggage but pleased that my suitcase at least had 4 wheels that worked better than your average supermarket trolley.

Riverboat on the Mekong, looking towards Laos

A very kind lady, who turned out to be the bus conductor, asked me “Chiang Kong?” and when I nodded, she directed me to the rear door of the bus, indicated that I should get on first and she would lift my suitcase, but a kind passenger lifted my suitcase for me and put it directly in front of him in the back seat.  I asked, using makeshift sign language of course, if he would like to change seats, and I would sit with zero leg space behind my suitcase, but he declined.

The bus was a “local bus” so it cost me 65 baht (a little over $AUD2) for the journey, which was nearly 4 hours.  Towards the end of the journey, my bladder was definitely saying “are we there yet?”

The lights of Laos at night - somewhat mysterious and alluring
 - a close glimpse of a country I had not yet visited

The conductress continued her kindness to all and sundry; leaving the bus terminal, the bus slowed as it passed a couple with backpacks who were obviously tourists, and she called out “Chiang Kong?”  At each but stop, she similarly called out and when passengers were about to leave the bus, especially the young and the old, she would hold onto them until the bus was sufficiently slowed.

The latter was probably highly desirable, as bus ventilation consisted of strapping the doors open.  This provided equal quantities of fresh air and diesel fumes to me for the duration of the trip.

Chiang Kong in the morning was hardly exciting

Her kindness and consideration also reminded me of the kindness of the songthaew drivers to and from the White Temple.  As I wandered, slightly uncertainly, into the bus station, a driver had approached me, asking “white temple?” and pointed to his songthaew, assuring me that it would leave before the one labeled “white temple” that had more people sitting in it. And it did.  I did clarify that we would wait for more people and I would only pay 30 baht (I was not hiring the whole vehicle).   Similarly, when I emerged from the white temple, a songthaew driver asked “Chiang Rai?” and pointed to his songthaew.  I must point out that these conversations are conducted with minimal common language!

The Thai side of the border crossing at the Friendship Bridge

As the bus wound its way through the streets of Chiang Rai, I saw again the occasional older Caucasian man accompanied by a young (or in some cases not so young) Thai woman, some dressed in a way that suggested to me that the relationship might be more mercenary than emotional.  What might be referred to as “short term friendships” by a couple of my diving friends who encountered this expression on one of their many overseas trips.

 The traffic in Chiang Rai can be really slow and chaotic.  Often the streets are narrow and there may or may not be footpaths.  Let me clarify that footpaths do not actually seem to be for pedestrian traffic – this is true of much of Thailand.  “Footpaths” are areas on which to do business – park your street food cart, expand your shops goods, weld some random pieces of metal together… or an area to park your car or motorbike.  Pedestrians need to take their life into their hands and venture onto the side of the road, trusting that the vehicular traffic will endeavour to avoid them.

Although the traffic is often slow and chaotic, albeit in a gentle way, it is relatively quiet and patient.  Thais do not indulge in the honking of horns in the same way that some other Asian countries do.

My Chiang Kong hotel from the Mekong River

As the bus passed from the quite extended metropolitan area into more open and rural areas, hills started to come into view.  Some of these are karst, and promise interesting formations, others are gentle rolling hills.  Even the gentle rolling hills provide a challenge to this ancient bus as it grinds, bumps and winds it way laboriously up some of the hills.  We climb incredibly gently but steadily, and as the area becomes very rural, the villages and towns become more separated and the houses in the villages and towns tend to reflect more of the traditional architecture:  wooden houses on stilts -  the latter to avoid flood damage.

The temptation of Lao textiles.
Silk with silk brocade trim

Eventually we reached the outskirts of Chiang Kong, and the conductress came back to where I was sitting to ascertain whether I wished to alight at the point where I could connect with the Lao boarder that afternoon.  This was, of course, done monosyllabically with the query “Laos?”  Having ascertained that this was not my intent, she resumed her seat until we pulled into the bus station by the market place.

Having extricated myself and my suitcase from the bus, I was immediately approached by a tuk-tuk driver, offering his services.  My attention to ensuring that all my accommodation bookings are stored on my mobile phone made it easy to tell him in English and show him in Thai where I wished to go, but I thought I might be being charged over the top.  A 5-minute journey would cost almost 2/3 of my 4 hour bus trip.  I postponed an immediate decision by trying to find a toilet and was pointed in the general direction.  It is interesting to note that the toilets I have experienced over the last few days that demand a payment for their use are generally less desirable and less clean than those that are free.

More tempting Lao textiles.
At about $450, worth the money for hand woven,
but I was not very tempted

Since Google Maps (my current favourite app) told me that it was a 25 minute walk to the hotel, and the footpaths, where they existed, seemed to be used in much the same way as many other places in the country, I elected to take the tuk-tuk to my hotel. 

 My hotel room was very motel style clean and comfortable but with a balcony overlooking the river that promised for a pleasant, quiet evening. (We won’t go into the source or meaning of the sounds of reveille periodically emanating from somewhere close by…)  To look across the river, and know that the river itself is a political border, was in some ways rather exotic.  It’s a long time since I crossed a land border and to know that it was only a stone’s throw across to another country, a different set of values, culture, customs etc, was a bit of promise of things to come.

Thailand (Chiang Khong) from Laos (Houat Xai)

I headed out for a walk to see the “sights” of the town, and visited the market.  I had decided to buy a beer to accompany my sitting on my verandah later (Asian beer is very different to Australian beer, don’t worry, I am not about to replace a cold glass of bubbles or Sav Blanc with the amber liquid once I am back in Aus) but the girl in the 7/11 store pointed to the sign that indicated alcohol was not to be served at this particular hour.  Not to worry, when I got to the market, an enterprising lady was quick to tell me the price of her bottled alcohol (although she could not tell me what was in the bottle) and I brought a bottle with a label that included English somewhat cheaper than that which I could not buy minutes before in the 7/11.

And the lights of Thailand from Laos....

English is even less spoken here than in Chiang Rai, I remember much more English in Chiang Mai several years back, but maybe its my memory and the distance of the time gap that is impacting on this impression.

Hunger was setting in:  food intake since breakfast had been minimal dried fruit snacks and a snickers bar which I remembered was somewhere in my backpack.  A street food stall selling sweet things appealed (yes, I can have dessert before my mains if I want to!) so I succumbed to one which seemed to have a quantity of dried fruit like raisins and was given the odd taste of this and that to try in addition, then found a restaurant that was cooking and ordered pad thai – a tasty noodle dish before getting back to my hotel just on dusk to enjoy the river views.

Laos has stunning orchids too

I did consider, briefly, some of the fish options from the menus, but these are freshwater fish, and I suspect many come from the Mekong, and I don’t even want to think about what goes into that river upstream.

 The mattress was unusually hard, even by Asian mattress standards, and I was reminded of a night in Mae Hong Son when Lynne Morrison and I spent a most uncomfortable night to discover, in the morning, that our mattresses were on the bed upside down!  However, I did not have the heart to respond negatively to my hostesses inquiries the following morning about whether I had slept well.

More lovely Lao orchids

The hotel did not provide breakfast, but it did provide free dripper coffee and bananas and the local deep fried pastries that are somewhat like doughnuts.  This was sufficient as I spent a leisurely morning getting ready to leave.

I had looked at umbrellas the day before and it would have been prudent to have purchased one, but hindsight…..

It was raining and I asked my hostess if it was possible that whatever vehicle would be transporting me to the border could keep me dry.  It was not only raining, but cold, and my merino mid-layer got its first airing since I put it in my bag after leaving Paro.

I had been told that the fare to the border was 150 baht and I was a little concerned when the driver loaded my suitcase into the back, with nothing to stop it sliding clean out of the back of the vehicle, and indicated I should sit in the dry cab with him.  That bit was OK.  He stopped after 50 metres to go, presumably to his house, to find a cloth to wrap over my suitcase.  I would have preferred a rope to tie it in place, but the thought was a sweet one.

Temple in the centre of  Houay Xai

We approached the Thai side of the boarder and, although it will sound completely silly, I had been so focused on what I might need for Laos immigration and my Laos visa that I had forgotten that I would have to clear Thai Emigration.  I went through these formalities, then was informed that I would need a bus ticket.  As this seemed consistent with the sign that said there should be no foot traffic across the bridge, I purchased the ticket and went outside to wait for the bus.  The unseasonal cold weather was sufficient to have me diving into my suitcase for yet another warm layer.  I passed the time chatting with some fellow travelers from the UK, then the bus was ready for boarding.  It seemed positive luxury after the local bus the previous day.  We were dropped about 5 minutes later on the other side of the bridge at Laos immigration, and signs directed us to the source of visa and immigration forms.  It was cheaper to pay for the visa in US dollars ($30) than in Baht (1500 Baht) and fortunately I still held some US dollars.  Actually – even cheaper, I think I purchased this currency back when the Australian dollar was approaching parity.

Houay Xai is a little underwhelming.
So much so that a British couple I had met at the border crossing
decided that less than one day was more than enough!

The process was quite slow, and I was grateful that I had not elected to do this in the early morning before being met by my guide for the river cruise. 

The ATM dispensed Lao Kip – though it feels wrong to press the button saying I wish to withdraw one million.  I had suggested to my British fellow travelers that we share a taxi, since they were not only headed for the town but for the same hotel, and we proceeded to attempt negotiations. Nothing doing.  The fare was set per person.  Payable in Kip or Baht.  My mental arithmetic suggested Baht was the better option, although subsequent calculations suggested not much difference.

Interesting temple murals around the main door

The general appearance as we progressed towards Houay Xai was a little more rustic than on the Thai side of the boarder, and the hotel gave a similar impression.  The electricity was off – and would be off until around 4 pm – it turned out this was not just the hotel but the whole town.  I was shown to my room – I think that most of a can of air freshener had been emptied into it, but the man in charge muttered a word that sounded quite like mosquito, and when I pressed the point that it was a little overpowering, he opened the door to the balcony – which overlooks the kitchen and contains the air con unit.   At least it can be opened.

I wandered down to the restaurant and glanced at the menu and the riverside view – the staff looked at me somewhat disinterestedly – so I wandered up to the main street to explore the town.  I found the tourist information centre, which was closed, so climbed the steps to a nearby temple and was intrigued to find it locked – unlike all the Thai temples I had visited – but enjoyed trying to work out what the murals were about.  I noted that the painting and statues of Buddha were all much more androgynous than those in Thailand and Bhutan and Buddha was portrayed with elongated ear lobes.

Temple murals

A young monk approached me with greetings and a wish to practice his English ready for his test that afternoon.  My query as to whether he could practice by explaining the paintings was declined, as he had not been there long enough to interpret all the murals.  He is 16 years old and has been there as a monk for 3 years.  They have a school for the monks and he studies Maths and English and Physics and Chemistry as well as 2 subjects in Buddhism.  I am impressed; his English is better than of any young person I met in my few days in Thailand.  We discuss  a little of the differences between the requirements of Buddhist monks in the different Asian countries.  He wishes to do well in English, to go to university so he can teach English to the young children, and to be a tour guide so that he can explain Buddhism to visitors. 

More interesting temple murals

I find a nearby restaurant that is prepared to serve me lunch, and it was cooked on the open fire beside my table.  Electricity is still not on.  This place serves not only as a guest house and restaurant, but as a training centre for hill tribe girls who have come to the town and are at risk.  They produce handicraft as well as participate in the running of the restaurant and guesthouse.  It seems a worthwhile project.

I wander through the town and am intrigued by the general lack of interest should I look at items in a shop.  I inspect some jewellery and gemstones – I wish I knew more, I suspect there might be some bargains to be had with buying unset stones, but have insufficient knowledge to venture there. 

Making friends with a young monk

I find a couple of shops selling textiles and am very impressed by some of the styles for the jackets/blouses.  Nicely fitted and trimmed with brocade edging, they are beautiful, but not half as beautiful as the traditional Lao silk lengths with their deep brocade-like pattern borders.  I am intrigued that those I see have an adhesive fabric bonded to the back – presumably to protect the carried warp threads from being caught, but am uncertain as to why this would be done to the plain pieces.  The shop people can show me the prices, either written into a notebook or on a calculator, but cannot tell me if the product is silk or not. 

I am tempted by a couple of pieces – one navy with a beautiful blue brocade pattern and the other navy with gold.  They are not cheap.  Around $120-$150 AUD.  I do not know if these are hand or machine woven either.  I don’t think the bonding would be all that comfortable in warm weather.  There is one REALLY intricate and stunning piece, complete with the matching scarf type wrap and a couple of borders at the ends that are intended to be cut off and used as strip for a blouse or jacket.  Gorgeous but too intricate for me to actually wear.

I see a duty free shop and inquire – yes, I can buy and not take across the border, so a bottle of Tanqueray is procured.  I even find a can of tonic to go with it, the latter being ridiculously expensive – but that how it goes if you buy such things from a bar.

I negotiate, with no shared language other than “internet” and “call” the purchase of a local sim card for my phone – hopefully with enough credit to last the distance.  I am using wifi at the hotels, but it is useful to have my maps app and internet should I want to get a message to family or friends during the day.

I find a quiet and very scenic corner of the hotel restaurant deck for dinner, and enjoy watching the river go by and the dynamics of a young group of travellers from Paris – a small group of boys very much distance themselves from a much larger group of more mature and noisier girls and are happy to engage in some conversation – to his credit, one is very fluent in English.

I looked forward to a good nights sleep (subject to the elephants in the room above me stopping their running around) and tomorrow’s adventures.

Bamboo Nest

23-25 February

Pineapple plantations - produce the best fruit!

On Lonely Planet's recommendation, I decided a couple of nights outside the city of Chiang Rai, at Bamboo Nest, would be a welcome change from temples and markets that would dominate my time in the city.  I was absolutely correct.

Transfers were provided for stays of 2 nights or more, and pick up (around 4:30) happened a bit after 5 and the twin cab utility vehicle was rearranged to provide seating space in the back, which 2 of my younger co-passengers happily occupied. The journey of about 1 hour moved us into rural areas, with plantations of pineapple, rubber and areas of rice paddies, then into forested areas.

The road deteriorated, especially as it approached the village

As we climbed higher into the hills, the road deteriorated, in a way that made me feel quite at home (Bhutan home). Steep slopes and rough surface about which Mr Pun, my driver from a couple of days ago, would have been horrified.....  Our driver and hostess, Nok, negotiated these safely and competently while the young man in the front passenger seat, at my request, happily snapped away with my camera. We passed through an Akha village then rounded the corner for our first view of bamboo nest... it looked really beautiful, nestled on the hillside.



The billing system was explained ... an honour system on a notepad. We were requested to order dinner in advance. The range of choices on the menu did match the description "local and international cuisine" but the choice was not extensive; however it was sufficient and the stir fried chicken with cashew and vegetables was lovely, as was the company of a couple of Canadian guests.

peaceful views of the surrounding hills

The bungalows are rather cute, bamboo of course, but with a layer of metal roofing between the thatch and the bamboo ceiling. The bathrooms are adequate, with a gas on-demand hot water system and the usual bin beside the toilet for toilet paper. I guess, from the notices in many places requesting use of these bins, that the majority of the plumbing systems in Thailand do not cope well with flushing toilet paper. 

 The floors in the bedroom and on the verandah are also bamboo and ok enough to walk on at night but in daylight, when one can see the irregular supporting bamboo that supports the split bamboo, one tended to step with more uncertainty. I was reminded of a Vietnamese home stay in the BaBe national park some 10 years ago, and I was even more tentative about stepping on the floors back then.

Forested hills being cleared for farmland

The setting is very peaceful. As I sat on the swing with a gin, lime and soda (have only found two shops so far that sell tonic) I could hear only the sounds of the cicadas. I debated what I would like to do the following day: join a guided walk, sit and contemplate, read and write, walk on my own, learn to weave.....

I had thought that sleeping might be difficult - it was still very warm and a notice advised that if windows were left open, animals might join me. However, tucked into a king size bed, under the mosquito net, I went out like a light for 9 hours.

By morning I had decided I would try to learn to weave, and it was confirmed that I could do this at short notice. I chose to weave a scarf, and chose 2 colours.  The start was slow, as bamboo sticks were selected and sharpened and hammered into the rock-hard dry ground, but eventually I was settled to the backbreaking work of winding the weft threads around bamboo rods hammered into the dry and dusty ground. Backbreaking because of the posture required to do this.

the view from my window

A young girl took over from my older teacher as my supervisor and threaded of the string that would perform some important function in separating the threads once the actual weaving started. After some time she said "ok", indicating that I should cease my winding, but she did not understand my query about whether I should wind a few more strands of one particular colour so that the sides would match.

She disappeared into the kitchen and when I went to find out what was next, she gave me the universal symbol for eating but was unable to interpret any of my requests for something from the lunch menu. I took her into the kitchen and pointed at bananas and the bread I found in the fridge but that was too difficult. I requested banana to eat, using universal sign language, and was successful with this, then the older lady appeared and waved a loaf of bread and tin of tuna in front of me. I declined the tuna and pointed to some eggs I had spotted.... Heaven help me if I had tried to order one of the other dishes from the menu.  Egg sandwich it was.

the inside of my bungalow

Sandwich finished, my tutor was starting to do things with the wound thread, including winding a little more blue to achieve the symmetry that had concerned me earlier. With my assistance the sticks were removed from the ground and carefully wound then transferred, in some cases, to larger lengths of bamboo, and tying one end to a fence rail she strapped herself to the other end with what looked like the remains of an ancient t-shirt. A slightly more primitive version of a blackstrap loom than I had seen in Bhutan.

verandah, complete with bamboo hammock

My tutor started the weaving and I was pleased to see that the pattern was following my request of shorter lengths of unwoven threads - I am concerned about how easily these will catch and generally spoil the look of the scarf. After a few cm of weaving, she handed over to me. I was intrigued that her width was none too constant, the scarf was getting wider and wider. It took me ages to get the hang of using the rod with the threaded string and the big rod to change the weft threads but I finally got it. I was concerned when she took over to adjust the wound rod and move it further along the threads. The result was a very wavy stripe which she attempted to straighten but it only compressed one edge a bit.

I would eventually understand how this rod, with its
threads would alternately around it, would function

Each subsequent time she adjusted this rod, it changed the regularity of the pattern I had been so careful to keep even. It was going to be interesting to see how it impacted on the overall effect.

Eventually, after a few delays when I had to find my tutor or wait for her to finish some of her own work, my weaving was about finished and she she came back and indicated she should take over. She did a few more passes with the shuttle and then started the process of removing the rods, together we held the scarf so the short edges were even and she cut the threads to make the fringe. There was no suggestion of any little finesses such as finishing the ends by twisting them as had been done with my Bhutanese scarves. I might have to try this subsequently to improve the look and reduce the chance of my weaving coming unravelled.

The wound threads

I felt rather pleased with my efforts. But a hot bath and a massage to follow would have been good. A shower and change into fresh clothes and a gin, lime and soda was an ok substitute, followed by dinner of yellow Thai curry which had a nice flavour, albeit not very hot (chilli hot) but with a tad too much potato for my liking. After this, and at a ridiculously early hour, my back was ready to be horizontal.

I woke around midnight to a rip-roaring thunderstorm, which kept me awake for a while, but the rain really cleared the smoke haze and morning views were much clearer, although clouds obscured some of the hilltops.

my finished product

I could see, much more clearly, where the local villagers had cleared large areas of bamboo forest and some areas that had already been burned ready for agriculture. I have been told this activity is illegal, however it does not stop them. I can only hope, unlike many areas of recent planting I have seen on the hills, that they will terrace before planting otherwise a lot of topsoil will be lost when the monsoon season starts.

Breakfast was lemon pancakes - the best lemon pancakes I have had in over a year.  Not quite thin enough to be crepes, but lovely and lemony.

I could easy spend at least one more night at this place, it is so peaceful. I don't think anywhere else in Thailand could be more opposite to Bangkok.

Chiang Rai

Wat Phra Kaow

19^th February

Arriving at the airport, there was a sense of serenity. Orchids decorated the centre of the luggage carousel and there was a well organized taxi service, with priced listed on a large sign board.  My driver, who had no English, gave me the names of some of the hills and the wats which are on the hills, and offered a full day tour during my stay – that could be interesting with no English!  I wrote down the names of the places he was suggesting:  some were places I had decided I do not want to visit, and took his mobile phone number, though with little intent of using it.

My accommodation was OK though nothing special (I wasn’t exactly paying a fortune for it). A concrete bungalow, but an aged wooden outside table and chairs looked at an undercover area that has a hundred or so hanging baskets of somewhat dry orchids and provided vies of a green garden with some interesting flowers and generally provided a pleasant place to sit.

The Emerald Buddha (replica)

My first activity was a walk to visit Wat Phrao Kaow (which had housed the original emerald Buddha) and the duplicate Emerald Buddha.  Visiting this temple, unlike visiting its namesake in Bangkok was serene, beautiful, and what I think visiting a temple should be like!  Orchids abounded and I could not resist photographing the fabulous variety of colours.  Too many photos to add to the blog, but see them here if you want to.

An excursion to the night market is listed as a must do for Chiang Rai, so I walked.  

On the way I passed a couple of fabric shops and diverted to enjoy the relatively cheap prices and delightful range available.  I was quite tempted by one piece but my already overweight suitcase suggested this might not be a realty great idea!

Sunset from Chiang Rai

The market seemed limited until I turned the corner, then it went on for ever.  I succumbed to 2 scarves – a silk (hand woven 650Baht) and a pashmina (100 baht) and snacked on a banana pancake then later selected stir fried shrimp and mushroom from the food stalls.  Ok-ish.  Lonely planet describes these food stalls as a bit dire!

I did find a can of tonic from a bar to go with my duty free gin – but paid bar prices for it!

20^th February

The guest house included breakfast in the room rate, and this was adequate – papaya, toast and fried eggs.

Chaing Rai - night market

I decided on a trip to the morning market and again am fascinated by the huge range of produce and various other items for sale.  I am tempted by a traditional design blouse, which I ended up trying on, and while the lady indicted it could be altered, the shoulders are too wide.  I do buy a lovely length of edging at 200 baht per metre. An enterprising vendor offers me a sample of the fried or baked broad beans which make a nice snack, so I purchased a packet of these.

The area is quite well known for its coffee, so I head for a coffee shop and enjoy a latte, which has an interesting flavour – not quite what I would have expected.

I head towards Wat Phra That Chom Thong but arrive at Wat Ngam Muang.  Wat Ngam Muang is a Lana design and has a stupa that contains relics of King Muang Rai and an intricate Naga handrail entrance to the main temple.  The large Buddha statue in the main temple is under maintenance – photos on display show cracks that had developed.   

Attractive clothing at the morning market

Having admired this temple, and made my offerings, I re-ascertain my location and head for Wat Phra That Chomg Thong (avoiding somewhat persistent dogs on the way). I think this is the temple pointed out to me by my taxi driver the previous day.  It is on the site from which King Mengrai first surveyed the site for Chiang Rai and the chedi is more than 500 years old and is suspected to house an even older chedi inside.  The roof of the main temple is under maintenance but I can still enter.  I am quite surprised at how plain the inside is. 

Walking the streets of Chiang Rai can be somewhat hazardous, often there is a lack of footpaths or footpaths are cluttered with vehicles and cars parked too close to fences or walls so as to make it impossible to pass.

Pink Elephant at Wat Ngam Muang

My next destination is the Oub Kham Museum, a private museum, but I distract myself with a

delicious serving of crispy pork on rice on the way.  While Lonely Planet says it is a bit difficult to find, the maps app on my phone gives me excellent directions. If for nothing else, it is worth getting a local SIM to enable use of the maps app – standing on a street corner checking my phone feels much less obvious than pulling out a map which identifies me as a lost tourist!

At the museum I wait for my guide – the museum may only be visited with a museum guide.  I received a very personalized tour, and did not see anyone else for the whole duration.  It took me  a few minutes to get used to her accent, but once I did, there was lots of explanation about the exhibits.  We discuss the conflict in Myanamar that is affecting some of the minority groups. 

The interior of Wat Phra That Chom Thong
is quite plain compared to many temples

My guide also explains the different faces of Buddha and how the artist will make the face of Buddha more like the people of the place – and time – so thin Buddha images are representative of hard times, and fat Buddha images are representative of good harvest times.  She also explained how 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd era Buddhas could be distinguished by the sash on the shoulder. 

The costumes exhibition included Bhutan and I noticed that the wonju sleeve was not folded correctly – I had a strong desire to fix this, but it was behind glass! One length of intricately hand woven Thai silk was on display with a price of 120 000 Baht ($AUD4800), I was not tempted!  After my tour, green tea was served after in an elegant room adjoining the ticket office.

A visit to Tesco supermarket on the way back yielded Schweppes tonic at 1/3 of the price of the previous day.

Drinking tea in the delightful surroundings of
the Oub Kham Museum

It was the evening for the walking street; the mobile market that takes over some of the roads during the evening, and there were lots of stalls. After a while I realized I was walking against the direction of the rest of the crowd but it was a bit late to change without repeating or missing some stalls.  An adjacent park had trees and shrub beautifully lit up with fairy lights and was providing lots of opportunities for selfies for other visitors.

Tea plantations: very neat and aesthetically pleasing

There were plenty of street food stalls and I indulged in deep fried noodle wrapped pork balls, a cup of corn (without the condensed milk and sugar that seemed to be automatically added), a deep fried spiral potato, a fried pastry with condensed milk and a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice before returning to the guest house and settling for a G&T outside.  I had intended to make some notes and sort some photos, but made friends with Judith instead.  Judith is an older lady living in nearby town who was previously teaching English at the university there.

21^st February:  Further Afield

The guest house was offering banana pancakes for breakfast , one of my favourites – the 1^st was

 lovely, as was the second one after it had been back to the kitchen for more cooking.

Unusual displays in the building of Baan Dun

My helpful guesthouse hostess had organized me a driver (“good price – cheaper than normal”) for a day and I had planned my destinations.

Mr Pun, my driver, fronted on time.  A retired school principal and administrator, he supplements his pension with some tour services;  we headed off towards Mae Salong.

Our first stop was the Black House, Baan Dum. It was rather weird and somewhat macabre. There were numerous buildings and many included displays of bones, horns, pelts and other animal remains.  This has been created by a Thai national artist and attracts heaps of tourists.  We arrived just on opening, so it was not too busy but comments from Mr Pun indicates that he does not like Chinese tourists, a sentiment I was to hear repeated by others in other locations.

Wat Santikhiri

It took some time to escape the metropolitan area, Chiang Rai expands into other towns, and the spread is greater than I expected.  Eventually we were winding our way along roads through cultivated areas and forests and gently gaining altitude.  Pineapple plantations, rice paddies, banana trees, and rubber plantations were plentiful.

The winding roads make me feel quite at home (Bhutan home) although the surface was considerably better than most of Bhutan’s roads.

We visit a tea plantation, very beautifully and symmetrically laid out - nice to take photos.  My driver, ever solicitous of my comfort, points out clean toilets at most of our stops. 

There is a lovely pink blossom on some of the trees, from my interpretations possibly cherry blossom.  Plus there are some white flowering trees and some yellow flowering trees.  Flowers for every season, Mr Pun says. The cherry blossom only last 15 days, so I am lucky to have this view.

Stained glass window in
the Chedi above Wat Santikhiri - unusual

I visit Wat Santikhiri and the chedi on a hill above Mae Salong, and then the tomb of a famous general of the Kuomintang.  The Kuomintang fled to Burma from communist rule in China until the Rangoon based government decided they could not stay, so they moved into Northern Thailand and recreated their Yunnan homes.  So Mae Salong has a distinctly Chinese flavour.

We ate lunch at the hotel near the market - noodles and pork with veg and a coffee.  Although Nong, the guesthouse manager, had told me I was not expected to pay for lunch for my driver, it seemed that he expected it.  220Baht probably was not worth worrying about.

We walk in the market.  A lady in traditional Lisu dress, including full silver headdress, tried to sell me her wares but had nothing that is really of interest to me.  I sampled and brought some dried longan.  

By the Chedi above Wat Santikhiri

Dried fruits in Thailand are wonderful.  This added to my supply of dried strawberries and dried pomello.  I suspect I was overcharged, given what I paid for the other dried fruits at a stall in a Bangkok railway station.  An English speaking Swiss gentleman quietly answered one questions about the purchase of the longan, and a brief conversation introduced the topic of his brand new motorbike that he had brought himself as a 60^th birthday present; I told him it looked a bit like a midlife crisis purchase!!  And I need to figure out what my present to me for 60 might look like!  Maybe I am having it right now.

Mae Salong from the Chedi

The market did have some authentic crafts, and I would have liked a bit more time to look but Mr Pun was keen to hurry me along.  I looked at some embroidered backpacks which were claimed to be hand made but I suspect they were machine embroidery.

Mr Pun commented on occasions about motor bike drivers “children” and I had to agree with them, some looked hardly old enough to be in charge of a motorbike; many were in school uniform.

The Chinese influence on Mae Salong's architecture

We travelled on and found Ban Thoet Thai, very prosperous looking for a hill village – which probably fits with its history.  It was the base of Khun Sa, the Shan narcotics war-lord, the “opium king” who managed to corner the market on the world opium trade for a while.  I would have liked a little time to explore but again my driver was keen to find our next destination – Ban Ah Hai.

Finding Ban Ah Hai was interesting… there were many diversions and much going around in circles.   My driver very uncomfortable when we got there and gave me 10 minutes!  He “was worried it was going to rain” – an almost legitimate excuse given that his largish car was not a four wheel drive and the roads were steep, and the one to Ban Ah Hai was also narrow and poorly surfaced.  However, the sky did not look much like rain to me – but I am not familiar with the signs of rain in Northern Thailand, so he may have been correct (it did not rain though).  

Sun protection on a motorbike

I did not find the adobe temple which is mentioned in Lonely Planet.  I did see what I assume to be a Christian church.  I suspect we were not really at the village, as Bah Ah Hai is an Akha village and Akha villages traditionally have a village gate, of which I also saw no evidence.  I think Mr Pun had a slight anxiety attach at the steep descent road (it was about 45 degrees) so he decided he would not go any further, we must be there, as there were houses.  I walked a bit along the road but turned round after 5 minutes, just before a particularly large black dog.

The route to Ban Ah Hai had us winding up through bamboo forests – I found out the next day that there used to be significant forests of giant bamboo in northern Thailand (a bamboo shoot being the height of a person) but this has long since disappeared – hopefully not extinct but humans are having such a devastating effect on the ecology of this planet…

The countryside got more hilly as we progressed

As the road deteriorated I felt really at home and to some extent could not see what his concern was about.  I had driven Zangmo’s tiny car over worse roads in Bhutan, some just as steep (though I had to ride the clutch to get through some sections).  However I had not really driver her car over steep roads in the wet – only in the rain on one occasion. 

Mr Pun definitely seemed happier once we were back down from Ban Ah Hai and even happier when we were out of the real hills.  He even told me I could take as long as I liked at our visit to a second tea plantation.  I’m not totally sure why we visited this place; it did provide a toilet stop and an opportunity for afternoon tea, which I did not bother indulging in, and I had to wonder whether he gets a commission at the gift shop?  I must have disappointed him there, if this was the case.

Ban Thoet Thai - quite prosperous looking

He did provide me with information about “Happy Street”  a Sunday walking market that is not in Lonely Planet’s information about Chiang Rai,  so after a quick look at the guest house garden with Judith, I went there. I rather liked it, it was a nicer atmosphere than the other walking market on Saturday night. It felt more gentle, there was some thing for everyone and slightly more craft.  There were fewer stalls selling the ubiquitous  pashmina/silk scarves

The road to Ban Ah Hai

For dinner I ate steamed buns, followed by noodles with vegetables and mushroom.  I adore the mushrooms, there are so many varieties.  I also indulged in fried Japanese dumplings, then a plate of skinned pomello (breaking travel doctor food hygiene rules again – though peeling and then peeling the sections of my own pomello would be tedious) rather than the ice cream I was looking for.  Then I discovered one of the wonderful food area. What a serious shame I was full.  I tried fried grubs! – had not intended to, but as I looked closely at what was on offer, the lady proffered a sample of two different types – deep fried, they had a slightly nutty flavour.  I admired many other dishes, but the universal signal for full stomach worked well!

Ban Ah Hai - or maybe we were not quite there

I think I may have seen my record number of people on a motorbike, I think the 2 adults had 2 children and a baby in a papoose sling:  total 5!

It was quite a long walk back to guest house after that, but upon arrival I enjoyed sitting and chatting with Judith.

Wat Rhun Khun: the white temple

22^nd February

After the previous evening’s conversation with Judith, I had agreed to join her and her friend for early morning prayers at Wat Phrao Kaow.  Being one of the significant full moon days in the Buddhist calendar, Maghapuja day, apparently this was a good thing to do.

So I set my alarm for 5:30am.

Assuming that I should make an effort with my dress, and cover my arms and legs, I emerged with a cultural blend of formal Bhutanese and Thai Beach.  My choice of my raw silk kira, mixed with a white embroidered cheesecloth shirt, raised comment and demanded a photo session – which I found interesting. If I had added a taego, I could have understood, but I guess the kira is more tailored than a casual long beach skirt!

At Wat Rhun Khu

 The white top was a good choice – white is the colour for the formal prayers and many were dressed totally in white, but there were also ladies who wore white blouses with coloured skirts.  All through the day, people in their white temple clothes were in evidence.

I was quite surprised that prayers are not conducted in the main temple, but in a prayer hall, with normal chairs (for which I am very grateful, as while I can semi maintain a pretence at cross legged on the floor, Bhutanese style, I simply cannot kneel and sit back on my ankles  - that flexibility has completely gone!)  We are located where we can see nothing for a while, but a kind gentleman finds and suitably relocates chairs for us after a short time.

At Wat Rhun Khun

Part of this ceremony is making offerings of rice to the monks, and I had assumed that we would take this with us, but not so.  At one stage during prayers, I was passed a small container of rice, but uncertain, I passed it on, as others seemed to also be doing that.  It was indicated that we should go out to the table outside the prayer hall, where there were lots of offering bowls and baskets filled with food, and it became apparent that small quantities of rice should be placed in each offering bowl.  The gentleman behind me kindly provided me with some of his rice so that I could perform this ritual.

We returned to the guest house for a leisurely breakfast and I said goodbye to Judith, who was returning to her current home that morning.

I walked through the pavement vegetable market to the market place and bus station.  I am intrigued by the vegetable market, these take up the entire footpath and I observed one car stop, in the middle of the road (not that there is much other choice) for someone to purchase their needs.  

At Wat Rhun Khun

All other cars wait patiently; the motorbikes do their usual zipping in and out to get around the larger vehicles.  It never ceases to amaze me how patient the drivers are, there is very little honking of horns.

Once at the bus station, it was assumed that I would be going to the key tourist destination for the blue songthaew, the White Temple – which was correct – and I was directed to an appropriate vehicle.  Establishing that I wanted to pay just the fare for one and not hire the entire vehicle, I got on and waited for a few more passengers.  The gentleman who had directed me to the appropriate vehicle had also identified who would be my “chauffeur” for the trip.  A rather grand, but nice, title for a songthaew driver.

The White Temple, Wat Run Khun, is a stunningly beautiful all white construction that is quite new, with additional new building going on.  

at Wat Rhun Khun

Inside the main temple the murals are different, to say the least!  There are no traditional paintings of the life of Buddha, but instead some odd pictures of current personalities.  The grounds are quite extensive, and there are several buildings, all very elaborate, and even the main toilet building is elaborate!

I visited an on-site art exhibition on one artist’s work.  Many of the pictures were related to Buddhism but there was a series of paintings with Christian influence, which had been painted while the artist was overseas.

I returned to Chiang Rai and waked to a small food shack recommended by Lonely Planet, Lung Ed.  It serves a rather nice dish called Lahp Gai, and the proprietor must know about his publicity, as I was asked if this was what I wanted to order.  Wanting a drink, other than water, to go with it, I chose a bottle of what I though was a lime flavoured softdrink from the fridge.  It was a fairly disgusting sweet green concoction with no particular flavour.

at Wat Rhun Khun

My plan to visit the Hill Tribe Museum was thwarted by its being closed for the holiday.  Instead I redirected myself towards a couple of wats I had on my list of places to visit.  My attention was distracted by some costumed statues in a park, and I diverted into this to enjoy a bit of shade and some stunning plant displays:  walls of orchids, clever walls of potted plants, bedded liliums, begonias and cyclamen were among those that impressed me most.  The costumed statues were also interesting.  It seemed from the way that the costumed were slightly faded that these costumes had been on for a while, and I mentally marvelled at the apparent lack of interference with these.  I wonder if there are many places in the world where such displays could be left without loss or damage.

Costumed statues in the park

I proceeded to Wat Klang Wieng and another Wat, both stunningly beautiful.  At one I was a little concerned to find a busload of tourists descending to share my quiet experience of the place, but I should have had my doubts assuaged by their all-white attire.  They descending en-mass upon the stalls that sell offerings, these stalls grace many wats, and proceeded to perform their 3 circumambulations, complete with offerings of candles and flowers and accompanied by the chanting of prayers.  Unlike the Bhutanese practice of 3 circumambulations of any religious structure at any time, this, in Thailand, is only performed on special religious holidays.

At one wat, one other visitor asked if I am Buddhist.  My reply is no, but after a year of living in a Buddhist culture, I do not feel comfortable to not observe the standard ritual practice of prostration and prayer within a temple.  Besides, recent news from friends at home tells me there are those I know who need as many prayers as possible.

It was a particularly hot day and I decided that I’d had enough of mad dogs and Englishmen behaviour and returned to the coolness of my guest house air conditioner for a couple of hours and to book my accommodation for the border towns. 

I ventured out again to see the clock change colour and to find dinner.  I settled for a takeaway green

papaya salad as the restaurant I chose was full, plus I picked up fried chicken and sticky rice on way and came back to eat at my little outdoor table at the guesthouse. On arrival, I saw Judith’s friend, Wa, and she recommended an evening visit to Wat Phra Kaow and a visit to a particular park for the next day.

The changing colours of the clock

After my meal, I went to the temple and brought offerings of candle and flowers, and joined the throng in circumambulations and made offerings then decided I would go once again to look at the Emerald Buddha.  I was aware of a monk behind the open door, and assumed he was keeping and eye on things as there were so many people, but as I left, he shut and locked the doors. So on this religious holiday, I not only got some time to contemplate the emerald Buddha, effectively on my own, but was also the last person, except for the monk, to do so on that day.  Special.

My later evening activity is to sort my suitcase to determine what might be posted home the next day.  I decide to risk my raincoat.  If I need rain protection, an umbrella will suffice.

23^rd February

Tom Yam with mushrooms

I am quite impressed with the efficiency of the Post office although their idea of packing goods into a box does not quite match Bhutan’s  sellotaping of parcels – in Bhutan, if the entire parcel is not sellotaped round and round, it is not adequately packed.  Having seen the effect of the postal system on parcels that have not had this treatment, it is not such a bad idea…. I requested the commercial level taping in addition to a few centimetres of Sellotape and piece of string that purchasing a packing box included and I had to pay an extra 5 baht for this service.  

I had pressed for a service counter ticket before I went to do the packing and once the packing was done, my number was ready. I chose the SAL service, which should take 3-4 weeks.  Let’s see if the parcel gets to Australia before I do!

Naga handrail at Wat Srikird

My visit to the hill tribe museum, postponed from the previous day, was interesting.  It provided an insight into the history of opium ..  including information about the resistance of the Chinese to early attempts to introduce the smoking of it.  This early resistance contrasted sharply with the later perception of opium dens in the Chinese quarters of Australia and U.S. towns as absolute dens of iniquity.  It was not originally a Chinese habit!

It was also interesting to read about the elephant camps... While I have previously experienced these, I am still in 2 minds about these.  Are they truly a good experience for the elephants which have previously been working elephants and could probably not survive effectively in the wild should they be released, or are the elephants being cruelly exploited.  I do not have the answer to this.

There was also considerable information about the long necked Karen villages – which were described by one writer as "human zoos", created by Thai businessmen as tourist attractions, in which the women are kept as virtual prisoners in the village.  However, this does not quite match with my limited knowledge from my last trip in 2008 when the information I had was that they were effectively refugees from Myanamar, persecuted by troops on that side of the border and only just tolerated by the authorities on the Thai side.  Then, my impression was where the ladies said (via our driver who was not a tourist guide) they moved back and forth to Myanamar to exchange their cash from sales for more goods to sell...albeit that this movement was illegal.

 The Karen, like many of the Thai minorities, are not Thai citizens and do not have the same rights as the majority peoples; access to schooling is one of the areas of inequality.

I watched and talked with a young lady weaving ... her explanation of her use of indigo, cochineal and mango bark as dyes was interesting.  These are fast dyes, they will not run when washed, unlike my experience of some of the natural dyes in Vietnam.  She was charging quite highly for her work but it was nice and her price was probably fair given the amount of work involved.

There was also an article on display about the impact of tourism on hill tribe cultures – how people’s interest in the culture and lifestyle is actually contributing to eroding that culture.  I have not doubt that this is a problem worldwide;  as people are exposed to ideas and goods, it becomes harder to maintain their own culture.  One can only hope they can learn to strike a balance, to take what is useful but discerningly, so that their own values, skills, traditions  and knowledge are not lost.

Buddhism is not the only religion in Thailand

I found a cafe for lunch, a random little backstreet café, and the man at the food cart out front spoke enough English to tell me that one of the pictured dishes was Tom Yam with mushroom, not noodles with mushroom. Yes, good choice, so I ordered and clarified "medium please" in response to the query as to whether I would like it hot.  It was superb.  Relatively expensive though, at 90 baht, which included my water. 

I walked to visit 2 more temples, Wat Chet Tod ATOD and Wat Ming Muang and popped in to a third Wat Srikird that I passed because it was there ( I'd really messed up my navigation) then returned to the guest house to await pick up for the airport.

A different entrance to a temple