Doi Mae Salong in Chiang Rai

Mae Salong in Chiang Rai is very reminiscent of parts of China and much of the area’s history has a strong Chinese connections. When the Communists took over mainland China in 1949, remnants of the Nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border. In 1961 they were driven into Thailand and some settled own on Doi Mae Salong Mountain and formed a Yunnanese community right in the heart of the Thai kingdom. The Yunnese who settled here were involved in the opium trade until the Royal Thai Army resisted these activities. A road was built into the area in the 1980s and since then there has been a great effort to incorporate the Yunnanese into mainstream Thai society. Despite this effort, however, a strong Chinese heritage is still very much apparent - Chinese is still often spoken in Mae Salong, and it’s not unusual for people to have Chinese satellite TV.

Aside from Doi Mae Salong’s picturesque scenery, there is quite a bit to do here. If you wanted to you could quite easily stay two or three days. A tour of the Chokechamrern Tea plantation is worthwhile – the fact that this brand of tea originally came from Taiwan underscores the area’s Chinese connections. There is also a museum and the village market sells the fine teas produced around the village. There are also a number of Akha, Lisu, Mien and Hmong villages in the area, and the Hilltribe Development and Welfare Centre supports them with the sale of their handicrafts (mainly woven cloth and silverware).

Details: The museum opens daily from 08.30 to 16.30. The entrance fee is 30 Baht per person.

How to get there: Doi Mae Salong is located on Route 1089, 40 kilometres from Mae Chan. It is possible to get to the mountain by bus from Chiang Rai to Ban Basang (fare 15 Baht) where you can pick up a Songtaew to the mountain top (50 Baht).

credit:discoverythailand

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle was an expansive area taking in parts of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The region was famed for providing an estimated 50% of the world’s illicit heroin and opium supply. Various US Agencies (including the CIA) were (supposedly) active in the region to counter opiate production and it is one of the few places on earth outside Vietnam where ‘Agent Orange’ was (supposedly) utilised to kill vegetation – in this case the opium poppies that flourished in the fertile land around the Mekong River. So rewarding was the region’s drug trade that various factions inside the three countries fought each other struggling over control of the lucrative crop. The Golden Triangle was a “no-go-zone” except for the fearless, the foolhardy, and the military. Nowhere else in Southeast Asia earned so much infamy … nowhere else conjured so many images of warlords and wickedness… For many then, a visit to the latter-day Golden Triangle must be a bit of a disappointment.

Opium production has been illegal in Thailand since 1959 and His Majesty King Bhumipol’s ‘Royal Projects Foundation’ initiated a ‘crop substitution program’ that has moved farmers away from cultivating deadly opium and successfully driven them towards more lucrative (if less immediate) produce. The success of the program has all but tamed the region’s drug trade, and today the Golden Triangle is simply a small area around where the three countries meet around a village called Sop Ruak.

In many respects there’s not a lot to a visit to the Golden Triangle except looking at the scenery and having your picture taken in front of a big “Golden Triangle” sign. There’s nothing extraordinary about the place – quite the contrary in fact (probably a testament to the success of King Bhumipol’s project). The water is slow moving and murky, and the river traffic little more than huge Chinese flat-bottomed boats carrying export goods to Thailand and Myanmar. Unless of course you can get to Myanmar side of the river where there is a Casio (there was a plan to make this an international haven for gambling, but nothing much materialised), there’s little to do save eat at a few decent restaurants and visit a few ancient temples. However, the Golden Triangle is one of those ‘been there; done that’ type of places. As such, it’s certainly worth the visit, so long as you don’t expect more than it offers.

How to get there: From Chiang Rai you can take a bus to Chiang Saen. From Chiang Saen take a Songtaew to Sop Ruak (fare 10 Baht). If you need to let people know where you are going simply say ‘Golden Triangle’ in English - they should have heard that before! credit:discoverythailand

Thai Tribal Crafts - A Beautiful Hand Made

"The Craftsman"

Welcome to Thai Tribal Crafts site, a beautiful hand made stylish. The products in this cataloque are produced by the hilltribe people of Northern Thailand. Most of the Karen, Lahu, Akha, Lisu, Meo, and Yao people are subsistence farmers, trying to carve a livelihood out of the marginal land available to them in the highlands. Others are displaced people who have fled from neighboring countries and are now living as refugees in Thailand. The selling of their handicrafts is virtualty their only means of gaining a cash income.

Although economically poor, these people have a rich heritage of artistic skill which has come down to the present generation in the form of their ctafts. It has been only in recent years that these crafts with their many artistic forms have come to be appreciated by people atside of their own tribes.

Some of the world's most exquisite hand-woven fabrics, needlework, and baskettry are produced by these six tribes, who traditionally live in Southern China, Eastern Burma, Northern Laos, and Northern Thailand.

credit:en.nomao

Wat Phra Non (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Wat Phra Non (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is so called because the temple houses the largest reclining Buddha statue in Maehongson. The statue is housed in the sermon hall. Wat Phra Non lies in the west of town, next to the stairways to Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu. It is an important temple because it was built by order of Phraya Singha-nat Racha, the first ruler of Maehongson, in 1874 AD to commemorate his coronation. Another reason for its presitigious status is that the royal ashes of all the past rulers are enshrined here. The temple's land was officially granted to the temple as a consecrated ground by a royal charter in 1925. The incumbent abbot is Phra Bai Dika Sat Satsano.



credit:en.nomao

Chiang Mai Night Safari

Chiang Mai Night Safari (เชียงใหม่ ไนท์ซาฟารี) The Safari offers a series of trails over three main zones. The Jaguar Trail offers visitors a walk of around 1,200 meters and is open during the day and at night. The Savanna Safari and Predator Prowl areas use rail cars to move visitors around. This is the ideal opportunity to observe wildlife at night.







credit:en.nomao

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ)

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ) Locals would say, You haven't really gone to Chiang Mai unless you're been to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Truly, the places is the most important and famous Chiang Mai landmark. Built in 1383, this mountaintop temple has a chedi that houses holy Buddha relics. The gold-plated chedi lies in the middle of a square marble-tiled court yard. It is the perfect place to get a bird eye view of the city. The temple can be reached via a steep Naga staircase comprised of 290 steps or railcares.







credit:en.nomao