Thailand Highlands Tour

Ted. In addition to exploring Chiang Mai, Judy and I wanted to spend a day up in the hills so we booked a private tour called “1 Day Authentic Hill Tribe Tour” with a firm called Thailand Hilltribe Holidays. 

Northern Thailand is home to seven “Hill Tribes” which are identified by language and culture as being distinct from the Thai people. I won’t go into a lot of detail about these folks because there is lots on info on Wikipedia. 

On our tour we had a brief glimpse of four of these groups and also visited two national parks to see some of the natural beauty. 

Our driver, Adon, was a Thai from Chiang Mai but our guide was Surachai, who was a member of the Karen tribe. 

Our first stop was at a Hmong  village. We had coffee and a snack, visited a market and walked around the village. It was Sunday and there was even a small group worshiping at a little Christian church. Surachai, who like many Karen people, is Roman Catholic, said that good number of the hill tribe people attend Christian churches but aren't above calling on local animist shamans for big problems. 

A Thai snack, sort of like little waffles

We then did a quick drive through a Lisu village on the way to a Lahu village. Here we spent several hours with a local family who prepared lunch, with our help and took us on a tour of the village. The son did his best to speak English but our guide stayed busy interpreting. Of course, Judy and the Mom instantly bonded and never needed an interpreter. 

Judy chopped taro while Surachai chatted with Mom

Lunch (all local vegetables served with rice)

The colorful native dress doesn't quite fit me!

The village sits on a ridge

A longan fruit orchard

Our next stop was Pre Daeng National Park to see a waterfall and relax in the hot springs (where I chose not to risk getting my iPhone wet). 

Srisangwan Falls

We finished the day at Chiang Dao Cave. It has been a Buddhist pilgrimage site for centuries and is filled with shrines. 

A mellow Buddha

Cave entrance

This trip was a great way to wrap up our 2-1/2 weeks in Thailand. Frankly, the big cities and beaches were nice but, in the end, it was the ancient hills that really spoke to me.

Quote du Jour

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." 

                                 - Benjamin Disraeli

                                   

More about Chiang Mai

Ted. This was definitely my favorite destination in Thailand. We were here for a full week and stayed very busy. 

As in Bangkok and Koh Samui, very modern buildings stand side by side with ancient wooden houses. 

The metropolitan area population is over a million but the downtown is pretty compact. Located in the Thai Highlands, it has an elevation of about 1,000 feet so, while it was warm during the afternoon, the temperature dropped nicely at night. 

Waulai Night Market

The old city is clearly defined by a wall that creates a square about a mile on a side. It is surrounded by a moat. 

In the 12th century, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna kingdom.

Three Kings

We learned a lot about Lanna history and art at the Lanna Folklife Center. 

Textiles are a big deal

Prime examples of Lanna decorative arts are found at a Wat (temple complex) called Phra Singh. 

Stupas

Stucco figures

These are statues of old monks. Those green figures are jade!

Stories of Buddha told in murals

Old door

The Thai people are very serious about their Buddhist faith and there are 117 Wats in Chiang Mai. We explored a couple more. 

Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple)

Wat Lok Molee

We loved to just wander around, dropping into shops and cafes as they called to us. Our favorite restaurant, Pani served Thai/Japanese fusion dishes and is listed in the Michelin Guide. We had one big adventure outside the city but we’ll cover that in another blog. However, I will not soon forget the friendliness of the people in Chiang Mai.

A charming helper in a Burmese restaurant

Nomads, Ladyboys, Massages and iWauLai

Judy. On our flight into Chiang Mai, Thailand, we met and got into conversations with two young couples, Tyler and Kayla from Canada, and Stefanny and Giovanni from Brazil. Unfortunately, our short stays and different plans kept us from meeting up with Tyler and Kayla again, but in Stefanny and Gio we met fellow nomads and spent some time together. 

Canadians Kayla & Tyler

Giovanni and Stefanny

Our Brazilian buddies are digital nomads—Stefanny teaches Chinese (!) online, and Gio is a graphic designer. The bad news is that they have to work Brazilian time, which means 3:30 PM till late night, but they do have days off, and we hassled them to get up and meet us for lunch and a visit to a Wat one day. We got so involved in our conversations that they nearly missed getting home in time for work! Despite the age difference, we found we had a great deal in common, and we hope to meet up with them in Hanoi in a few weeks. 

The 4 nomads at Wat Phra Singh

We had all heard about the Ram Bar, a “straight-friendly gay bar,” as they advertise. Our digital nomad friend Sonya had made us promise to go there, and it was well worth it! Gio had to work, but Stefanny was game! We met at the main night market, then walked to the Ram Bar. Evidently, my darling husband is a big tipper, so we got tons of attention from the ladyboys, even winding up onstage for the curtain call! If you come to Chiang Mai, this is not to be missed. “Madonna” and I got up close and personal! When the show was over, the hostess said, “Stay! There’s a second show!” But Ted grabbed us —“I’m outta tip money, we gotta go!” We put Stefanny on a Grab (Asia’s Lyft or Uber) motor scooter and caught our own ride back to our hotel. 

It was a wild night!

Part of the audience & part of the curtain call!

A quick ride home--for young people

One of the best parts of Chiang Mai was the Women’s Massage Center. There are several branches throughout the city, and they are very popular. The masseuses are all ex-prisoners. The story is that women who got out of prison couldn’t get work, so Thierry Gallo got the idea to train them as massage therapists, then open their own centers, giving them the work they needed to get started again. My Thai massage cost about $12 American (including aromatherapy) plus a tip. My therapist was outstanding, and I much preferred giving my money to these women rather than the ubiquitous shops on every street. 

Trip Advisor and even the UN have recommended the Women's Massage Center

We spent one week at the iWauLai Hotel, which almost became home. I don’t know why we never got any photos, but Max and his warm crew chatted with us every day, offering suggestions, listening to our adventures, and wishing us safe travels and hopes to come back. (“In April! There’s a big festival then!”) One woman even came over on her day off to say goodbye. They were wonderful. It all was. 

But Singapore calls….

Koh Samui, Thailand

Judy. A friend asked me, “Where is Koh Samui?” Fair enough question—I didn’t know, either. Not till another friend recommended we come here. Koh Samui is the lesser-known  sister of Phuket, Thailand. This is the beach resort that never quite became famous, and our idea of the best kind.

Oh, there is plenty to see here: Big Buddhas, waterfalls, Pig Island, but we’ve not done those. I’ll tell you this: If you come down with a “travel cold” and feel rotten, there’s not a better place to be than in a lovely warm place by the ocean, and that’s where we are. 

Mornings are so peaceful

There are shrines everywhere. This is outside our hotel

The town, or rather the strip along the ring road, is one of those awful touristy places with a massage parlor every other store front, “gas stations” that consist of bottles of gasoline (which we also saw in Cambodia), touristy restaurants serving Thai food and pizza, and the ubiquitous 7-11. 

The mountains across the road look inviting!

The streets, not so much

Takes me back to the 70's

Double duty in this shop

A different kind of gas station

You should see it. But once you get inside our little Resotel, all that disappears. There are glowing white villas with private or semi-private pools, morning birdsong, open-air restaurants, and the ocean and beach. Just what we needed for recovery.

Shrine in the Resotel lobby

 

Evening at our shared pool

We have ventured out for lunch. We had delicious sushi and tempura at Bento, a small Japanese restaurant up the road, and, most notably, Phensiri, a Michelin Thai restaurant, an out-of-this-world experience in Thai food—for a total (with tip and drinks) of less than $60 American. 

A little piece of Japan in Koh Samui

Phensiri

Tomorrow we head to Chiang Mai. Looking forward to it. But this chance to get over jet lag (first time we slept through the night since arriving in Asia) and to heal our bodies has been a sweet gift.