Last few days in Thailand and an unexpected find

Although our enthusiasm for traveling had reached new highs after our trip into the hills yesterday, the same ride left us with legs less enthusiastic about continuing along the border. The owner of our hotel, a Thai man going by the name of John and famous among off the beaten path motorcyclists, told us the road heading north to Mae Sai would be open to foreigners. Running along the border, we had been eyeing this road for sometime, but the sawtooth profile, lackluster review of Mae Sai from fellow travelers, and more than anything the cliff like descent at the end of the day led us to head back into the valley towards Chiang Rai. A quick visit to the Shan temple overlooking the city delayed our departure, but definitely was worth the look. We definitely are not temple experts, but this one was unique from other temples in Thailand, with different nagas guarding the gate, softer colored interior paintings with some similarities to Hindi shrines we saw in Fiji, as well as Burmese lettering. Of course there were no guides and we couldn't understand anything, so back down hill we went.

Therd Thai market

My mind turned again to the Akha headdress we had seen yesterday, clearly I was still conflicted about whether to buy it. On the one hand, much of the hilltribe clothing is great art, and after seeing the new year festival its clear that it still is an integral part of hilltribe culture. It certainly didn't seem like any middle man would be skimming profits off the top of whatever we bought. On the other hand, we don't have a particularly strong attachment to Akha culture, and while we were more familiar with it today compared to yesterday, our knowledge of the Akha didn't seem proportionate to bringing home something that has much more meaning here than in the USA. Coincidentally, I had also been reading The Girl from Hummingbird Lane on my mom's recommendation, and the main character mocks "sophisticated" tourists that try to buy her wedding headdress off her head after she is reduced to poverty. At the same time, hilltribes including the Akha sell cultural objects as art or souvenirs which provides additional support to maintain their way of life as economic and social pressures press them to homogenize. Philosophizing aside, as we passed through the market, the store selling the headdress had opened, which seemed an auspicious sign, so I bought it. I'm sure the internal debate will continue as we ride through north Laos which is filled with ethnic minorities.

Akha teenager holding a tourists purse dog

The rest of our trip to Chiang Rai drifted by uneventfully, with the exception of a truly massive Chinese Buddha perched atop a temple in the middle of nowhere. We paid for our extra time in the mountains by getting roasted in the tropical sun, and barely mustered the energy to restock deodorant before heading back to the hotel. Our goals of seeing the over the top white temple and eating at a restaurant recommended by the blog eatingthaifood.com were sacrificed to the days earlier heat exposure.

Enormous Buddha overlooking a ride field

Thankfully, the forecasted clouds finally arrived, so despite sleeping in we were able to enjoy a flat ride through pineapple plantations and rubber farms on the way to Chiang Saen.

Chiang Saen

Chiang Saen completely made up for the relative disappointment of Chiang Rai. Located on the Mekong near the Thai/Lao/Burmese triple border, Chiang Saen has changed hands repeatedly over the last nine centuries, and once had it's population deliberately moved so it wouldn't have to be defended. Over a hundred temples were built in and around the ancient city walls, some by the original Thai people as they moved south. These temples, some well over five hundred years old, are maintained only in the sense that weeds are prevented from totally overgrowing them. The environment seemed similar to Kuelap, the Chachapoyan ruins that Fory Brooke and I recently visited, with undergrowth emerging from the walls of decaying temples shaded by hundred foot canopies. After a self guided walking tour (including a lesson in navigating the Thai postal system) I caught up with Brooke who suggested we get food from the street vendors for dinner. Thai street food is fantastic, but often consists of a few bites of food served in an overabundance of plastic bags. Grilled pork or chicken, sticky rice, papaya salad, steamed pork buns and tropical fruit would be representative of this tasty fare, which we've found it's a relatively inefficient way to satiate a hungry pair of bikers. Brooke's plan completely won me over when she brought me to a group of rice mats that had appeared on the Mekong boardwalk since lunchtime. Surrounded but mobile kitchens pulled by motor scooters, locals and tourists alike would order as if in a restaurant and dine with a spectacular view of Laotian hills across the river. We had a stew of a meaty dark river fish with Thai herbs, som tam (papaya salad), an even better long bean salad with ample garlic lemongrass and pepper, and finally chicken steamed in bamboo stalks which have it a unique, tasty savory flavor that I still can't pin down. Delicious sticky rice accompanied the meal, with Chang beer and ice water to wash it all down.

One of many stupas

While it wasn't technically or last meal in Thailand, it convinced us to take our time leaving the next morning. Instead we hung out in a coffee shop drinking Thai tea and eating surprisingly good coconut cake while catching up on neglected emails (and the blog). Leaving after peak sun, we arrived in Chiang Khong after sunset, ready to cross into Laos Thanksgiving morning.

View down the Mekong