Chang Rai

After our little loop tour through Pai and such, and a nights rest in Chang Mai, we took off for Chang Rai. This is in Northern Thailand as well (about as far north as you can go), as it is right near the Laos and Myanmar borders. As seems to be the norm these days, we typically seem to spend more time outside the city we are visiting than in it. This was the case in Chang Rai. We rented a bike and headed north. Our first stop was group of tribal villages which was open to tourists to visit and view their culture. Below were our tour guides beleive it or not! A typical house these people live in. Made of bambo and a thatch roof.From the Long Neck Karen tribe. Apparently they originate from Burma, and their brass neck rings were used because they thought it would protect them from 'tiger bites'? Now they wear them cause their neck is seen as a sign of beauty and gives them a sense of identity within the tribe.

From another tribe, we believe this lady was Akha... maybe!
We made a long journey on our little 100cc bike to a town called Mae Salong. Was a great little town way up on a mountain/hill top. This was a view enroute. A pretty hill side terrace of rice patties, but unfortunately as they do, the tribal people were burning back some bush so they could gain more farm land. We have seen tons of this.
And another afternoon spent outside Chang Rai. A few of the sites we stumbled accross.

We don't have many pictures of Chang Rai itself, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a cool place. We both really liked it there. Here is one picture though, we loved these little trucks that you pile into the back of that act as taxis. Jillene sized trucks...