Northern Adventures: Day 1

---

Friday morning we hopped on a plane and headed north for a little weekend R&R. Our first destination was the city of Chiang Rai which is the northern most city in Thailand. From the airport we drove into town and made a quick stop at our hotel to drop off our stuff and have what would be our first of many large Buffet meals of the weekend. I have to think these restaurants loose money when a big bunch of "fat americans" show up to eat, as many of us had three or four plate of the wonderful food (of course I can't stop until I've tried everything).

Anyways, after lunch we got back on our bus and headed torwards the mountians to visit some of the native hill tribes. Since our "big" group of 8 was traveling around in a vehicle the size of a rockstar tour bus, we had to switch to the local "busses" before assending the mountain (i.e. a covered pickup truck with benches in the back). As soon as we got there you could tell that we were not exactly visiting the true tribal town, but an area that was set up for tourists to visit and do what we do best, shop. But despite the touristiness of it all, it was cool to see the people from several different tribes in their native dress and the large variety of crafts that they make and sell. This was also the first stop on what would become my "don't think, just buy" weekend shopping extraviganza (more on that later).

After leaving the mountain we headed to the imfamous Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma) all meet. The area is somewhat notorious for once being the major center for opium drug trafficing, but it has also become a rather touristy place to visit because the area surrounding it is so beautiful. The three countries are all seperated by a large river, so we hired a boat and took a little ride around the three points. On the Burma side there really isn't anythying to see or stop at other than a large casino, so after a little sight seeing we headed over to Laos for a quick stop and just to say we'd been there. Technically you need a visa to enter the country but since Laos is so poor they're more than happy to look the other way as visitors spend their money at the shops along the water. So of course did a little shopping, took the obligatory pictures in front of the "welcome to Laos" sign, and some even sent a few post cards just to see how long they'd take to get home. However by far the most important discovery that was made were the bottles of Beer Lao for a mear 30 Bhat. By this point of the week we were getting a little sick of our Thai beer choices of Singha or Singha, so it was definitely a welcome change and a nice addition to our afternoon boat ride back to Thailand.

Once back on land we boarded our tour bus and drove to the landlocked border between Thailand and Myanmar so we could cross on over, get the old passport stamped and then cross another country off the list. Unfortunately when we got there we were told that we had just missed the 5 o'clock cuttoff for Americans crossing the border (it closes for everyone else at 6 so don't ask me why we were the exception) so we had to settle for just taking a picture of the welcome sign from afar. This was only a minor setback however as there was a whole market of Burmeese goods set up on the Thai side of the border. So we killed some time shopping for the last of our golden triangle souvenirs before heading back into the city.

That brought us to the end of our first day in northern thailand, and while I could still share more from that evening, it's getting pretty late here so I'll send you more updates tomorrow. In the mean time send me an e-mail or post some more comments as I'd love to hear from you too!

---

Photos

Ahka women with child
The first of several tribal women we met in the mountains.

Golden Triangle
Picture from our boat while cruising the river between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

Hello from Laos
Check one more country off the list!

Comments

[Erin]

I know I've heard "don't think, just buy" somewhere before... It sounds like you're still having a great time so I won't even burden you with a Cubs update. Looking forward to hearing about the return trip since I've heard elephants will be involved.

[Marnie]

sling
maybe I need to start carrying Ryan like that old lady was carrying that little kid. Maybe it would help my back - he's so darn heavy! I think it's so funny you keep asking for e-mails from us. Like you're not busy enough? Are you so used to being connected that you can't live without getting e-mail for 2 weeks?! ;)

[Bro-n-law]

When's the next test?
Scott, Love the blog. This is fantastic. I feel like you are experienceing the same sort of trip that I did when Kyle and I went to Africa. Seeing these places is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you are right to take advantage of it. I'm curious to know how much room you have left over in your suitcase for all the wares you are buying. Stay safe. Chris