Baan Tha Thon, Thailand 2011

4 hours North of Mueang Chiang Mai on the Burmese border lies the sleepy village of Tha Thon, Mae Ai district.  Founded on the Kok River between 3 mountain ranges and surrounded by endless waterfalls, Baan Tha Thon provides some of the best scenery and natural wonders that can be found anywhere in Thailand.  This area has changed hands between Burma and Thailand multiple times in the past and it has a long history of drug smuggling and violence.  Because of this Tha Ton was long closed off to tourists.  More recently however, with Tha Thon now firmly under Thailand's domain, the international drug trade here has all but dissapeared (primarily due to the questionable tactics of Prime Minister Thaskin to erradicate drug activity throughout the country...I'll save that for another blog post).  At any rate, the village is now open again to travellers like myself yet Tha Ton largely remains untouched by tourism.  I'm sure in the coming years as more foreigners discover what the Thai people have long been enjoying here, that will change.

Baan Tha Thon is home to an eclectic mix of people.  As recently as the early 20th century this village was still part of Burma until the border was moved further up the Kok river.  The village is primarily inhabited by the Shan people from Shan State in Burma.  Surrounding the village are dozens of smaller villages where various hill tribes can be found.  The Lisu, Yao, Karen, Akkha, and Lahu people live here as well as Chinese decendants who fled Burma after the latest coup.  As such the food, temples, and local dialects of the area display influence from numerous ethnic groups.

Wat Tha Thon is a massive temple complex covering an entire mountain overlooking the village, topped off with a beautiful multi-story central temple at the very top.  The complex consists of Buddhist statues and monuments, some topping 40 feet tall, placed on various levels of the mountain starting at the base all the way to the peak.  Each level can be visited by following the steep road that winds it's way up, so long as your motorcycle is strong enough to climb the grade (125 cc is sufficient, 100 is not...I found that out the hard way).

I have lots and lots to say about this entire area but I will save some of it for future blogs.  For now I will some it up like this:  The people of Tha Ton are beautiful, generous, and warm, the food is spectacular, and the views and scenery are just absolutely to die for.  If you can make it, RUN.