In Chiang Mai, capital of Northern Thailand

THIS is the longest time I've spent in the same place since I started my trip — one whole week! In fact I arrived here on May 4, by bus from Lampang (about 80km south of Chiang Mai) and I'm leaving tonight on the long bus trip (about 12 hours) that will take me to Udon Thani, from where I will catch another bus tomorrow morning for Nong Khai, North-eastern Thailand.

What can one do in Chiang Mai for one whole week? Actually things to do here are not lacking, including doing nothing special, like sipping a coffee in one of the many coffee shops while reading a book, or enjoying a Thai massage in one of the many massage parlours that are found everywhere. Shopping might be taxing during the day because of the heat, but one could spend hours every evening in the night bazaar east of the centre haggling over any of the various local and non local products one can find there. Apart from that, Chiang Mai is rich in historical buildings (particularly Buddhist temples), and has a historical town centre encircled by the former moat which is now a pleasant canal. Chiang Mai in fact used to be a walled city, and some parts of these walls are still visible, with a large portion having been reconstructed on the eastern side, including the gate called Pratu Tha Phae, which is not far from the guesthouse where I've been staying. But what justifies a longer staying is what one can do in the region around Chiang Mai, particularly some treks to go and see one or another of the so-called hill tribes that live in a vast area that includes Northern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, and as far as South-west China. These tribes or ethnic groups have different origins and traditions and speak languages different from Thai or the official languages spoken in the above-mentioned countries.

Half of my time here I've spent hanging around in town, doing one or another of the things just mentioned. Two things I particularly enjoyed in town — a photographic and musical exhibition on the hill tribes by Victoria Vorreiter held at Tamarind Village, and strolling through the huge night market that is set up every Sunday along Ratchdamnoen Street in the old town from Pratu Tha Phae all the way to Wat Phra Sing. The other half of my time I've spent outside Chiang Mai — two whole days trekking in the hills west of Chiang Mai and one day going to... Myanmar! Yes, it is possible to go overland to Myanmar, but only in a limited area on the other side of the border and for a limited amount of time. However, loads of foreigners go there, as I did, simply to get a new fourteen-day visa on re-entering Thailand. So on Thursday the 6th I took a minibus with another eight foreigners to reach Mae Sai, the most northern town in Thailand, over four hours to get there, one hour to enter Myanmar and have a look around, and then another four hours to get back to Chiang Mai. The alternative would have been going to the immigration office in Chiang Mai, but that would have been more expensive and the extension would have been for one week only. And then I thought it would be interesting to enter Myanmar even for such a short time.

Over the weekend, on the other hand, I signed up for a trek to the area of Samueng, west of Chiang Mai. On the first day we (an American couple, a Swedish guy, an American mother and daughter, two French girls of Cambodian-Vietnamese origin and I) were taken by sawngthaew (small pick-ups with two benches at the back facing each other) to a small Hmong village about 40 minutes from Chiang Mai, then, after lunch, we went elephant riding for almost one hour (what amazing animals elephants are, and so intelligent!) before setting out on our two-and-a-half-hour trek (including a "swimming" break at a waterfall on the way) through the forest to reach the Karen village where we would have dinner and spend the night in one of their traditional stilted wooden houses.

The Karen come originally from Myanmar and to a large extent retain their traditional culture and lifestyle, including their language and traditional clothes.

The following morning we set out on another trek to reach yet another waterfall, this time an over-three-hour long, hot and strenuous walk among the dry rice paddies and forest.

As I explained in my last article, this is the hottest period of the year in Thailand and the grass and undergrowth in these forests basically disappear for two months.

After resting at the waterfall we were taken downriver with another pick-up to enjoy a full hour rafting on bamboo rafts drifting among a cheerful crowd of Thai families and friends who came to find respite from the heat along this river. After that the sawngthaew of the day before took us back to Chiang Mai, in time to take a shower and visit the Sunday market!

Next week I will write about Nong Khai and... Laos!

The Brunei Times