The bus wasn't really convenient to say the least, though the occasional highland scenery was a great break from the tedious trip. We arrived 7:00 in the morning, about an hour late from our estimated time of our arrival. I went straight to the youth hostel but the check in time was at around 1pm; so whether I like it or not I have to kill around 6 hours. I deposited my backpack and started on my trip around the northern province.
Chiang mai is like the Baguio of northern Thailand. The handicrafts and the indeginious mountain people reminded me even of the igorots of the Benguet province.
I'm planning to check out the Mae Hong Son and the village of Nai Soi to check out the famous Long-Neck Women which were originally from Burma but have fled to neighboring Thailand to escape repression from the military operated country. It says in my book that girls as early as 6 years old start to wear the rings until they reach the age of 16. The pressure of eleven pounds of brass actually squashes the collarbones and ribs. To remove a full stack would cause the collapse of the neck and eventually of suffocation. Yikes. I wanted to say pa naman "Manang pwede po bang pahiram?". Wag na nga lang.
Anyway, it's almost one in my watch. I just finished a great meal in Mac Donalds (sobrang miss ko na, two weeks na kong kumakain ng spicy food noh!). I'll be checking out the entire town soon. This'll be my home base for the next three or four days before I continue my next journey to Chang Kong where the border to Laos is.
More stories soon. Promise.
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