Jan 29 Northern Thailand

Today was probably my "busiest" day of sightseeing. I joined a small group, consisting of two lovely Spanish young ladies and myself. I wanted to see the far north of Thailand, the area known as the Golden Triangle. This was, not that long ago, the center of opium production in Asia. One reason it is called that is the it sits at the junction of two rivers, and it is only a few meters across one river to Burma, and likewise, across the other river to Laos. The only way to get to the Golden Triangle, unless you have your own transportation is with a tour.

So we set out in a nice Toyota SUV, making a few stops along the way.

The first was a return to the White Temple, and I actually enjoyed this visit more than my first one. It was earlier in the morning, and no big tour buses had yet arrived. I was as amazed as the first time.

We then went to what is called the Black House, just north of Chiang Rai. This was another surreal experience. Again the work of one artist, and it also consisted of a large complex, with many buildings. The look like temples, but there are no religious statues. The artist had a thing about death. There are multitudes of bones, animal skulls, antlers and skins. The main building has several large tribal tables, with a center piece of either a large crocodile, with head, or a large snake skin. The chairs are huge and made out of hides, with the backs Buffalo horns or antlers. Lots of bones and antlers along the walls.

The whole things is just plain weird, although some of the wood carvings are very intricate and beautiful.

Our next stop was a tribal village of the Karen people. This village is known for their custom of putting brass rings around the neck of their women, starting at age 4; thus the name "Long Necks". To be honest it was an unsettling experience. The women are quite beautiful, but you felt you were in a human zoo. It was nothing like the tribal villages I visited in Northern Vietnam, where you saw actual functioning communities, not a side show for tourists.

This was followed by a visit to a large tea plantation. Very well organized. The tea plants are like privet hedges, 2 to 3 feet high, and there are a lot of long rows. Pickers remove the new leaves, after which the top of the hedge is trimmed back, and new leaves are allowed to grow for 4 to 6 weeks, when the process is repeated. The pickers  move to the next area, and everything is repeated. The setting is quite beautiful.

Lunch was at a combination "Jewelry/buffet restaurant". There's a new combination for you. The food was pretty good.

We then drove to the Golden Triangle, and enjoyed the view. There is also an Opium Museum, which gives some historical facts. It was informative.

I have seen a lot of Bhudda statues, and it is interesting that the Bhudda in Thailand doesn't look at all like the fat little God you see in India. Here the Bhudda is quite slim and fit looking.

It was amusing, our guide kept saying "Oh, my Bhudda"

I also saw some Burmese script, and it is unlike any other writing I have ever seen.

All in all an excellent day!

Ralf

One of the buildings at the Black House

The thing at the end is a chair

One of the Long Neck women

The tea plantation

The view from the Golden Triangle, the spit of land on the left is Burma, the shore on the right is Laos.