Return to Chiang Mai
Trip Start
Feb 15, 2012
1
19
24
Trip End
Mar 17, 2012
Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
We often see many elaborate Buddhist temples with lots of glittery tiles or covered in gold. Lanes painted on the road are merely a suggestion, and vehicles will pass us on both sides. It is not unusual to see three vehicles going down the highway side-by-side in the same direction. A motorcycle will be in the shoulder lane, a truck in the regular lane, and another truck will be passing in the on-coming lane (usually with a larger truck speeding toward the passing truck)!
There are also quite a variety of vehicles to see, such as: tractors, song-tows (truck-like taxis with bench seats in the back), tuk-tuks (motorcycle taxis with a bench seat), bicycles, lots of four-wheel-drive trucks, and hundreds of motorcycles. The motorcycles are seen carrying three to four people of varying ages (usually a whole family including the dog), and the family will be balancing several bags of groceries. I have also seen two motorcycles running side-by-side while balancing a large object such as a plate-glass window or a mattress! It is all quite interesting.
The crop fields are beautiful in their various shades of green plants of corn, rice, and soy beans. Flowers are blooming everywhere! Orchids can be found in baskets at every gas station, and a variety of trees were in full bloom along the road.
We also saw several fires burning unattended right along the road side. This is the time of year when fields are burned in preparation to plant the next crop, and brush is burned in wooded areas to keep it from growing too thick. Smoke filled the air most of the time, and obstructed our view of the mountains in the distance behind the crop fields.
The drive from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai took us a little over five hours, and we arrived at our destination for the evening of the New Horizon Hotel. Here, we will join with about 130 people of Partners staff and volunteers from around the world to enjoy a four-day convention retreat.
