Joel Barlow

sorry, I don't see how! OK, done. Thanks.

The divided highway from the airport north to the road to ThaKhaoPluak is almost finished. I just rode my motorcycle up it to Golden Pine Resort, MaeKhaoTom and Ban PangLao. I was amazed to find stores, ATMs, a fresh-food market and a school with large playground. Along the new highway people were bicycling, jogging, playing badminton and generally enjoying themselves. It’ll soon be easy to get to Chiang Rung and Doi Luang (um, you know, the one over that way). This should take a lot of the heavy pressure off of Superhighway 1, which I have become wary of crossing! It means ChiangRai will continue to grow, for sure, but maybe we won’t get ChiangMai traffic just yet (let’s hope).

A friend of mine is a licensed tour guide, low on work lately. Speaks Thai, English, Chinese and various hill-tribe languages. Send me a personal message and I'll supply a phone number. His accent is a little bit thick at first, but easy to get used to, quickly enough. I had a driver once in Burma, took me a couple days to find out that we could actually communicate quite well!

Oh, I've hired this friend as a guide for visiting dignitaries before, and all worked out quite well, but for reasons I don't recall, he wanted someone else as a driver. Will ask him about that. But for sure, he'll know someone.

Actually, I think you could find someone easily on your own... if you're not in town, search the net using google. If you are in town, ask at the place opposite Wiang Inn. But if you can't find anything, I'm sure my friend can help out.

Never heard of an Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Hmong or Yao Muslim. Hadn't heard of Karen ones until a border refugee village was burned down, Jan 2011 maybe it was... news reports mentioned mosques there. But many Haw Chinese have been Islamic for maybe 1000 years, some of them trading here as long ago as when the first T'ai arrived about 750 years ago.

In Tak one encounters Sikhs and other South Asians, and I believe there are some in other western parts of the north, too.

There are lots of mosques here in Chiang Rai, but I encounter very little discussion of who attends them, and suspect government (and CIA) population figures re: their numbers here to be way low. Hilltribe population figures certainly are, which is justified through pointing out that many are "illegals"... perhaps many Muslims are too, but I've certainly no evidence of that.

Sorry, don't even know Chiang Kham.

Seems to be that Islam is like Catholicism used to be: done in a language many of its adherents don't know.

Some are Chinese, some "South Asian" and maybe some Malay. I'm curious about corresponding differences,

but apparently am likely to stay that way.

As for "Nan" - do you mean a dialect of Nan Province? That's also something I don't know about!

But it used to be its own kingdom, so it's easy to assume there is one.

That's interesting. I used to eat at the little Islamic food there on Soi Issaraphap (Soi Freedom).

Some 'research' through google indicates that the muezzin issuing calls to prayer must use Arabic,

"the language of Islam". Up in the hills, many Jeen Haw (aka Chin Ho) are Islamic and speak a form of Mandarin.

I doubt 100 people here speak Arabic!

Yawi is more a language than a dialect, although related to Malay (but not Arabic). Many Muslims here are "Jeen Haw" and speak the Yunnan dialect of Mandarin.

Lao, Tai Lue, Tai Yai/Shan, Kham Muang and Central Thai are all related, with somke mutual intelligibility, but different enough to be considered different languages. Kham Muang, our local language, has different dialects (here it's somewhat different than in ChiangMai or Nan). Lao has it's own alphabet; Kham Muang certainly did, but it's mostly out of use. What alphabet the Shan of Myanmer prefer I'd like to have a better idea of - as with using Thai money, many find Thai language useful (for radio, TV, print media, even the the internet).

In that area east of the "Superhighway, south of the Kok, where you often see goats running about, the language of at least some of the Imans, which I've heard over loudspeakers, is not Chinese. I doubt it's Arabic, but don't know.

Calling all Koalas, Pandas and Grizzlies

Three places: one already mentioned above. One right by Gate #1 entrance to Rajapat. One on the east side of the "superhighway" not far north of the bridge from the Ha-yeak (big gardening supply area, lots of shops, as it were) which may get sod from the place further north (past MaeFahLuang U? I don't recall, although I have bought it there).

Usually it is cut too thin, so get it in before it gets dry!

Gold imports? was that to replace all the gold given to the latest notorious monk?

Um... well, I failed to get to the article itself (is that possible), but the abstract suggests (in weird, bloated English) that people in different areas speak a bit differently. Wow! Who knew? What is the world coming to? Next thing you know, it'll be reported that culture here isn't the same as in Bangkok. I, for one, certainly hope it doesn't come to THAT!

Months now, on the "superhighway" in front of Rajapat. For what, I don't know.

Wow - I simply don't know of this. The Muang Ngeun/Huay Kon border crossing? Could you supply some info as to where that is?

And suddenly money is pouring out of the country. Weird to me, mostly as all this has been clear since the beginning of the year, at least. But maybe it reflects on the 2.2 trillion trillion loan to be repaid with 5 quadrillion of whatever currency might apply in 50 years...

A couple weeks ago the "government" (bureaucracy of cronies) was bemoaning a strong baht, now it bemoans a weak one. So nice that it says it has enough reserves to deal with the problem, but how is anyone to believe that anyone knows, anymore?

If you have a retirement visa, you can do your 90 day thing by mail. If you need to go in person for renewal, you must go to your regional office (I recently tried BKK - a sign says, in effect, if you don't live here, go to the office where you live). Nothing to do but bite that bullet (except to get it done in another country)

Sananbin Road? Makes me thing of Hom Doi. And days long gone by... Lots of new entertainment places on Kasalong Road and in Ban Du. I haven't been to them, and think they're for a bit different sort of entertainment. Haven't been to the disco road either, recently - not since you could still smoke in the Sperm Club.

There's something called Face Bar at the SanPhu Hotel, but it's patronized almost entirely by local citizenry. Next to it is a downstairs place with go-go girls (who knew!?!) in small swimsuits, but again... it's not something arranged for Farang tastes (and you must buy a big bottle, expensive, and are expected to leave what you don't drink until next time)

From the little I've heard, it's to be another Rajapat. (good for the local economy, I guess)

My wife is just back from a visit to her grandmother half-way between Tachilek and Keng Tung. The situation there is
horrible, with extreme poverty and malnutrition, rampant drug use, mixing poisons (including rat and insect poison) with the speed and heroin being manufactured (she has somewhat distant relatives who have been working doing the mixing) and animal disease (buffaloes, cows and pigs frothing at the mouth).

The international media neglect to report on this, perhaps to help preserve some (unwarranted) optimism for international investment in Myanmar, but Shan Herald Agency for News reports that drugs seized recently were burned by The Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) seized drugs on Sunday, 7 April, on the Sino-Burmese border township of Namkham (according to the SSA South, as the RCSS/SSA is commonly known), including 55,171 methamphetamine tablets, 6 ½ viss (10.4 kg) of opium and one penicillin bottle of heroin. With drugs seized earlier, including more than 130,000 methamphetamine pills, they were turned over to Chinese authorities, said an SSA South officer. A burning ceremony took place at the Nawng Ma Tai base, witnessed by 486 invited people. Most of the yaba (methamphetamine) pills were red WY (10-15 pills per ¥ 100) and reddish brown 88/1 (6-8 pills per ¥ 100), explained Lt-Col Zawm Mong, commander of the Nawng Ma Tai-based 701st Task Force. Namkham township is one of the most notorious
drug producers and users in Shan State.

“Drugs are more dangerous to the people than all war weapons,” Sao Mao Hsai, deputy to Lt-Col Zawm Mong, told the audience.

SHAN also reported that due to recent clashes between Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the Burma army in the Loi Zay region, Tangyan Township in northern Shan State, thousands of local people in the region are fleeing to the township seat.

At the end of March during the fight between SSPP/SSA and Burma army’s Infantry Battalions (IB) 33 and 291 and Light

Infantry Battalion (LIB) 322 intensified. The Burma army units were attacking SSA bases along Loi Zay range; they shelled the SSPP/SSA bases, also firing “knowingly”, according to sources, into farmlands and villages. It is reported that the shells landed in villages resulting in many losses. Following the shelling, Burma army soldiers also confiscated and looted villagers, a Lahu militiaman told SHAN.

My wife says lots of kids have weapons, with which to hunt for food in the forests. Young girls, however, often do not have underwear.

My wife is just back from a visit to her grandmother half-way between Tachilek and Keng Tung. The situation there is horrible, with extreme poverty and malnutrition, rampant drug use, mixing poisons (including rat and insect poison) with the speed and heroin being manufactured (she has somewhat distant relatives who have been working doing the mixing) and animal disease (frothing at the mouth).

Meanwhile, on to the important stuff: the restaurant Ken maidu mentioned is called EU. The good Ban Du mu-ka-tah is Saen Fang. Chiangrai Cafe, just north of the road to Rajapat Gets #1 (west side of Hwy 1 near the walkover) is much the same as EU (fast due to microwave) but with good brownies too.

Yesterday I tried the restaurant Maidu Ken recommended. It's just east of the NamTong road where on Sunday and Tuesday evenings there's a "Walking Street" (Tuesday much, much bigger). The salmon steak was great.

The other steak restaurants in Ban Du are not (the Mu KaTah just south of the open area on the east side of Hwy1 is pretty good, 'though more costly than FahSai).

I didn't catch the name, but hope it'll get sufficient patronization to survive (the Mexican place just past Hang Dong is more likely to do so - deservedly). The menu is only in Thai, but there are pictures.

Can anyone help me with more complete data for an updating of chiangraiprovince.com/guide ? This information really should be more readily available...

Chiang Rai has nursery schools, elementary schools, high schools and colleges, both public and private. There's a teacher's college, a business school, an industrial college, an agricultural tech college and a university.

Amphoe Muang has lots of schools, too many to report on. My young son’s pre-school and “annuban”

(kindergarten) have been great: just local places with very nice teachers. I taught briefly at Samakkhi Wittayakhom (on Banpaprakan, west of the new clock-tower and Old Airport Road) in 1999, and helped to start its English Language Academic Program. It’s reputed to be the best school in Thailand’s north, and found many good things there, but am not much impressed that that’s the best we have. Since then two International schools have opened. ChiangRai International, CRIS (over B200,000 a year, cost rising with grade), is on Kasalongm just east of Thanon Klang Wiang (the road with the new bridge which goes to Ban Mai). The second, ChiangRai Christian International School (B120,000 a year ) is further north from Ban Mai, down a soi opposite Makro. Piti Suksa, one of our two Montessori schools (we once had three rival ones), is near the Rimkok Resort, on Nam Lat (or MaeFahLuang) Soi 1, and, name not-with-standing, teaches in English (about B70,000 a year for kindergarten and 80,000 after that); the other one goes half and half. It is also north of the river. The private schools also have entry charges (25-50,000 baht).

Chiangrai Wittayakhom is our oldest school (before it opened, teaching was done mostly in temples), and enjoys a good reputation too. Tetsabaan 6 school is supposed to be pretty good (I was recently told that Tetsabaan 7 had half Thai Half English instruction, but think Tetsabaan 6 was meant). It’s at the intersection of the FangMin Road which goes out to the Labor Ministry and Motor Vehicles
department, and Rt. 5023 which runs in front of the airport, by the “Discovery Center”). There’s a pretty fancy looking school by the Provincial sports arena (Ban SanKhong School, ChiangraiJalernRat), and a couple Catholic schools (Santi on the Superhighway and St. Mary’s across from Ban Mai market). Sahasat Suksa in Nam Lat, mostly for Hill-tribe kids, is Christian. My family is not, but from our direct experience, I can definitely say it is a fine school.

KTech way out past Den Ha, Chiangrai Beach and Rai Mae Fah Luang (ChiangRai Kachanaphisek
Technical School, past another Samakkhi Wittayakhom on Rt1211 old hwy to CM) is our best vocational school, although VBAC (almost to Wat Rong Khun “White Temple” just west of Hwy 1), which instructs students of the last couple years of “high school” along with students in the first couple years of upper
education, may be seen to successfully rival it in some ways (I’ve heard they have an interesting bio-diesel program). Mae Fa Luang University (km. 846 on Hwy 1) is reputed to be our best. Chiangrai Rajapat University (just north of Ban Du) seems to be the party campus, with entertainment venues all around (often with suggestive ads for Regency and VO); when I assisted them some 15 years ago, students mostly lived 7 to a room but now there is a plethora of small free-standing houses for them. Another Rajapat is soon to open in ChiangKhong.

Under the current Thai constitution, children have a right to 12 years of schooling; the school-year starts in May and ends in early March, with a vacation in October.

Thai language lessons are available at the YMCA on Goi Loi near the library (by the month, tel 053-713-009) or from Wanpen Nanta out in Ban Huay Sak (towards Thoeng, B150/hr, tel. 01-366-6987).