Chiang Rai

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We drove from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. We checked into our hotel before heading to unique hill tribe villages. These were fascinating as I had never seen anything like it my entire life. Most of the people live off little money in these areas. The women mainly make scarves. It takes over 6 hours to weave a single scarf. The other interesting thing was the puppies. There were so many adorable ones running all over the place (and some lying around in the sun). The only problem was they were filthy so it was suggested we don’t try to hold them or play with them. We saw the Long Neck Karen tribe. This tribe includes the women (‘giraffe women’) who have their necks protected by bronze rings. These protect the women against tiger bites as they aren’t strong enough to defend themselves. These rings also help the women maintain tribal identity. The girls start wearing the rings around age 5. Every 5 years, they receive new rings which are welded around their necks – OUCH! BTW – they can only sip through straws. OYE. We also saw the Akha tribes (recognized by their long faces and large hats) and the Palong tribes who are known for their big earrings. I enjoyed this afternoon as this was all new to me and my world!

Nighttime was simply disgusting; we headed with a large group to the food stands by the night markets. Crickets, cockroaches and other random ass bugs were fried up and served on plates. I ate a few crickets and then decided to get some chicken and rice….

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