Dale and I parted ways today. She went back to Chaing Mai and I went on to Chaing Rai with Tooy, my guide. The Golden Triangle is where 3 countries come together: Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar).
Tooy is not a professional guide she is a friend of Carl and Keiko Samuals who are TEC friends who now live in CM. I just met them last week and learned that they moved here from Seal Beach. We have so many friends in common (from TEC) and Tooy (pronounced "Toy") has been kind enough to take a few days away from her life to show us and now me around. We drove the 180 KM to Chaing Rai today and I am staying at Le Meridian right on the Meakong river that I can see from my balcony. I can watch boats of all kinds running trips up and down the river. I am very close to the Hill Tribe people and I will take a "long boat" up the river to meet them in a couple of days. In the meantime Tooy has a big schedule for me with Wats (Temples) to visit, the Opium Museum, new markets to see and I can't remember what all. I already bought old opium weights that are made of brass, shaped like different animals and so beautiful. I am sure after I go to the museum I will feel bad about buying them. Heifer is working hard to provide new work for opium farmers up here and it is a difficult battle because the money is so good and they are expert growers. Their are so many clever ways to conceal the drugs like putting packages of opium into baby heads of cabbage as they grow and letting the leaves grow around it until you have big heads of cabbage hiding the drugs inside. We have been stopped often on the roads by the police to check us to see if we might be carrying drugs. They put up road blocks all along the road and you have to stop to give them a look. I have posted some new photos of random stuff for you to see.....Love, Lori
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