Links to 18 multi day elephant treks!

 

Chiang Mai is located on the serene Mai Ping River in a beautiful mountain valley.

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Northern Thailand sits at the Southeastern edge of the Himalayan Mountain foothills. 

A beautiful 1/2 day drive from Chiang Mai is Mae Hong Son & a remote mountainous region near the Burmese border.  It is famous for the famous "Long Necked" Karen tribal women.

Mae Hong Son City from road vista point  .. note 'air port' top right

The full day drive from Chiang Mai is worth the time

Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive.~ Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

 

The 'coolest hot rod', :-o)) , water taxis are on the Mekong ..  at the Golden Triangle. Best Thai water taxi rides.. get it on!..  Haulin' ass in a canoe like vessel.. you are 'easy chair reclined' on the bottom of the craft.. inches above the river .. your butt may be below the water line. Oh, if haulin' ass offends you.. ya probably wouldn't like the ride! .. but if haulin' ass is something you have an affinity for.. carry yo' ass to the Mekong. An exhilarating blast!

A few miles from modern Chiang Mai, Yao hill tribes live a traditional tribal existence. North of Chiang Mai are Chiang Rai & Mai Sai.. & the center of the infamous 'Golden Triangle'. The modern city of Chiang Mai is actually built around the ancient, 1100 AD,  moated walled city. Google Satellite map of Chiang Mai City  .. Walled city left "square" .. Mai Ping River Right .. foot bridge center, 2 auto bridges .. Chiang Mai has a major University with all that brings to an area. The University area is fun.  College crowd type restaurants, snack shops, multiplex cinemas .. Chiang Mai is surrounded by unbelievable trekking, Elephant trek, river rafting, hiking .. any or all .. for days. Sleep in native village / hooch, multi day treks though mountain passes & teak forests .. down rivers & via elephant .. You can actually stay in a Yao or Karen village & sleep in hooch for several days & the guided hiking treks offer a unique insight into traditional SE Asia tribal life. Mai Hong Song, daily flights from Bangkok or a full day drive from Chiang Mai is famous for the Karen tribe long neck women. December, 2006: Sixteen districts in Chiang Rai and some districts in Chiang Mai have been declared disaster areas after a third day of temperatures below 15 degrees centigrade / 60 Fahrenheit,  :-o!   Direct links to over 125 Thai hotels & apartments .. Chiang Mai Hotels with free WiFi Internet.

The drive from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son is spectacular.  Mae Hong Song's Karen Tribal persons are famous for their 'long necked women'.

Mae Hong Son has a commercial airport, but a 2 day car excursion from Chiang Mai is something that you will not forget. 

Hire a modern car with a bilingual driver for 2000 Tbt per day. (US$50., EU45, AUS$65.)  Mr. Kon <66> 2 2294681 (2) can make all the arrangements.

Mountain treks through the rugged mountains are available from numerous commercial locations in all the Golden Triangle cities.

Check out trekthailand.com/    

This is a area of Burmese guerilla / native tribes people / Thai Police... ummm, on going heated discussion... and is on a major Golden Triangle drug smuggling route.

Golden Triangle:  Where Thailand, Laos & Myanmar meet.  A tourist community has sprung up at that point.

As is the case throughout Thailand, 5000 Tbt 'western chain hotels' are located adjacent to 800 Tbt hotels.

• Often the best locations are held by Thai hotels not the 'Johnny come lately western globalized corporate' hotels.

• Several extremely nice 800 BT( less than $20. per night ) hotels are located adjacent to the the original 14th century wall.

  • Both the Lai Thai & Mongri are highly recommended.

• The Mongri has the best coffee & bakery in town!  Charlie's Coffee shop / restaurant is in the lobby!

  • The Mongri is concrete commercial unaesthetic sterile construction. 

  • The front rooms look down over the Tao Pao Gate & the walled city court yard.

  • Very nice walks through the old city & residential neighborhoods are directly behind the Mongri.

• The Lai Thai Hotel's outdoor / cabana dining area, by the nice swimming pool,  looks over the 600 year old wall / moat.

  • The use of teak wood at the Lai Thai is wonderful.

  • With my 'coffee kit', :-) , I much prefer the Lai Thai.

• or take nice 2 block stroll past the old city's wall / moat to Charlie's Coffee.

Thailand Resources

       

Google " Thailand Hill Tribes " or " Thailand Golden Triangle " 

• There are luxury River boats with on-board casinos for longer trips on the Mekong. 
  • & Yes, this is the Mekong River that goes through Cambodia & Vietnam.  A huge river that has a length of over 3,000 miles.  It begins in the glaciers of Tibet.

Much of Chiang Mai's original 'wall & moat' remain.  In fact, it's hard to go anywhere in Chiang Mai without passing the old city.

Luxury hotels are located both in Chiang Mai's  center & on the Mai Ping River.

• Nice restaurant bars with 'lite' entertainment line the Mai Ping River. 

• Check out the "Riverside Restaurant" across the Mai Ping River from town center, near the 'flower market foot bridge".

  • Located across the Mai Ping River from city center.... cross the 'flower market foot bridge", exit right.

  • 2 short blocks to the right.

  • & there are several more very nice river view restaurants & 'patio bars' with entertainment within 2 blocks... all the way to the 'auto traffic bridge'.

• The Porn Ping Hotel Disco is a late night trip.  Thais & Farangs boogieing 'til dawn.  Empty 'til 1 AM.
• The "international backpacker types" pack the porn ping late.
  • Chiang Mai 'back packer types' are very different for Khao Son Road 'back packer types' .. some of these kids ( & kids at heart ) have actually slept out doors.  :-)
• Mountain treks through the rugged mountains are available from numerous commercial locations in all the Golden Triangle cities.
• Sleep out door tours, multi day treks though mountain passes & teak forests .. down rivers & via elephant ..
• Some overnights in Karen / Yao villages .. or camping w/ luxury amenities packed in.
• Remote Thailand is .. memorable to say the least.

Thailand Newspapers  A Thai cartoon theme Hotel.. Chiang Rai :-)

• The Golden triangle region is an area particularly rich with antiques. I am continuously overwhelmed by the quality and quantity available in this region.
• The small town of Mai Sai on the Burmese border is an antique shoppers dream. If I was going to pick an area for ultimate Asian antiquity acquisition it would have to be the Golden Triangle. This is partially due to the abundance of antiquities being smuggled out of Burma since the communist gained control of that country several years ago.

Mai Sai is one of the few official crossings points into Burma.

Mai Sai with the hills of Burma in background.

• Prior to October, 2006 A convenient way to extend a stay past the "30 day entry permit visa" was to cross at a 'official border point' to get your passport stamped in Burma then immediately return to Thailand for another 30 day tourist visa.

  • Previously it was common for long term visitors to cross over into Burma from Mai Sai, get their passport stamped & immediately return back into Thailand for another 30 day Thai tourist visa.

  • So there were lots of long term 'Thai visitors' (known as visa runners .. this loophole was closed in October, 2006) around the hotels of Mai Sai / Chiang Rai.

• Mai Sai, on the Burmese border, is a shopping bonanza.  Shops stuffed with antiquities smuggled out of communist Burma.

• There is a jade factory in Mai Sai that has boulders of Burmese Jade on display!

  • It's about 50 meters from the Burmese border on a side Soi off to the right (facing Burma crossing) 1/2 block.

  • Mainly a 'sweat shop', 50 Burmese women working at wet stones polishing jade.

  • Using hand polishers driven by long belts.

• The are shops in Mai Sai that have embellishments actually cut from ancient temples. 
  • Smugglers (grave robbers?) actually cut sculpture from from the temple walls.

  • There is a shop on the right, immediately before the immigration stations.

    • If you got time... days.. days worth of stuff.. ancient stuff smuggled out of Burma.. ancient carvings covered in dust stored next to her new Mercedes.

    • Has the feel of a US resale shop, except the piles are of stone antiquities, antiques & tribal handicrafts.

    • More architectural stuff than any of Hong Kong Central's famous Hollywood Road shops.

    • Sweet talk her  & she'll take you to the basement collection, actually piles of dusty ancient stuff .. next to her polished new Mercedes sedan!

• 2006: A new multi-lane bridge has replaced the old rickety bridge.

Night & day difference between the Thai & Lao sides!

• Lao hill tribe families coming down to the river to do wash, fish,  ..... along the Laotian side river bank are 'legit tribal persons' doing their thing. 

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