Just a few words and pictures about our 3-day visit to the province of Mae Hong Son in the northwest corner of Thailand........

Our first night was spent in Pai , a city with a slightly tarnished reputation which the government is eager to reverse.
We saw nothing except a small town full of young backpackers and 1960's -like hippies selling homemade jewellery in the streets. However,we were speechless the next morning when, right in the middle of breakfast on the terrace of our hotel, we watched a group of elephants saunter by in the river below on their way to work!
The next day,we visited the cavernous Tam Lod caves. There's a river running through them and we were taken into the darkness on bamboo rafts manned (actually womaned) by our pigtailed guide. She's the one holding the lantern in the picture. Standing beside me is Jon, the ex- monk who works at the university and accompanied us on this trip. The limestone formations were astounding, as were the many many bats flying around.
Next we took a riverboat ride up the Pai river to a Long Neck Karen village tribe. The practice of elongating their necks is making a comeback for the purpose of attracting tourists and there is much controversy in this country about the ethics of this: some call it exploitation while others claim it provides the tribe with an easy and welcome source of income. It seemed a little sad to me although the women were gracious and welcoming.
The following day we made our way , with a military escort, high up the mountain (these are the foothills of the Himalayas, folks!) to a remote coffee plantation/village which sells it's product to Starbuck's in the States.They get 100 bahts /kilo-just over 3 dollars cdn. and seemed pretty pleased by that-there were quite a few satellite dishes attached to their leaf- roofed houses.
On the final day we went to the Burmese border and met Kara in one of the little stores there-she showed us how to prepare the bettle nuts many rural Thais chew (seems equivalent to chewing tobacco) and I bet Eva 5 bucks that she wouldn't try it. Never one to back away from a dare, she popped it into her mouth and chewed tentatively. Nothing left to do but pay up, but she thought I had said 5 baht -about 14 cents- and never one to pass up a bargain, I quickly dispatched my debt!
Jean