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| Teenage member of the Long Neck Kayan (or Karen) tribe |
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| Buddhist Temple in Chiang Mai Thailand |
I made it through customs and immigration in a flash and while waiting for my luggage was able to get some Thai Baht from an ATM next to the luggage belt. Once I picked up my bag I walked through the glass doors and had my choice of three or four cellphone companies selling SIM cards. And then, I was directed down to the rapid transit to take me into the center of the city! Simple!
Thailand, of all the countries in Asia that I have visited of late, seems the best organized for tourism.After attending the World Peace Symposium I wanted to head to northern Thailand … to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Again, it was so simple. My guesthouse was able to make my train booking and one evening I boarded the train in Bangkok (had a nice meal onboard) and the next morning I arrived in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai is a much smaller town than Bangkok so I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet. I also had a chance to explore the small city on foot and photograph the many Buddhist temples scattered around the town… and there are many!
But what drew me more to northern Thailand was not the temples, but the opportunity to visit the infamous Golden Triangle where for many years (since the 1920s) the majority of the world’s opium was produced. It is a huge area that overlaps the mountains of four countries of Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
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| Golden Buddha beside the Mekong River at the Golden Triangle |
As I found out though, the term ‘Golden Triangle’ has been appropriated by the Thailand tourism industry to describe the spot where the countries of Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Thailand all come together. At the ‘triangle’ the Mekong River passes through.
Because of limited time I joined a small group trip from Chiang Mai up to Chiang Rai and then up to the Golden Triangle. We did a short boat trip across the Mekong River to Laos. It was just a very short visit but I would love to explore more of Laos at some point.
There are border crossings between Thailand and Laos where travelers can cross, but you cannot enter Myanmar overland at least not in this part of the country.Part of the ‘tour’ included an optional visit to a Hill Tribe village. The villagers are mostly from Myanmar but have moved into northern Thailand. Tourism is the main source of income for the villagers. I had seen some of them (wearing traditional clothes) in Chiang Rai trying to sell their bracelets, beads etc.
I was particularly keen to see and photograph the famous ‘Long Necks’ of the Karen (or Kayan) tribe that I had read about and seen photographs of in National Geographic as a kid.
I have long wondered why the women wear the rings around their necks and how the tradition developed. Some say that it is to make the women less attractive (and therefore less likely to be 'stolen' into slavery) while others say it is the opposite, in that the brass rings and long necks enhance the beauty of the women. They are strikingly beautiful.
I have to admit that the experience seemed a bit staged but the villagers were genuine and friendly (and open to having their photos taken). It was fascinating to both the older women and the younger girls wearing newer fashions. I am not sure what their parents thought about the new colours and styles, but the girls seemed to like them. Apparently some of the younger women prefer not to wear the rings as was evident in the village. That said, many young and old still do as it is a significant economic input into the community through tourism.
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| Long Neck Woman in Northern Thailand (but from Myanmar) |
