Haze, smog, smoke, dust: at this time of year — every year — the local and international media becomes full of concerned articles on northern Thailand’s air quality, and the government pretends to be concerned and claims to be doing something about it. We’re not certain — and indeed doubt — if this year’s statistics … read the full post

I won’t add this post to the “see and do” category, but being a generally positive sort of person I won’t add a new “don’t see and do” post category either for what is one of North Thailand’s more contentious “tourist attractions”. We’ll try and highlight a few of the pros and cons of visiting … read the full post

An Akha village just off the road between Tha Ton and Mae Chan, close to the turn off for Mae Salong in northwest Chiang Rai province, Ban Lorcha is also the site of a community-based tourism scheme run by the Population & Community Development Association (PDA). This pilot project aims to create a sustainable tourism … read the full post

The Palaung are not to be confused with the similar sounding Padaung, or the famous “long-neck” Karen whose status in Thailand is that of refugees from Burma. Many of the Paduang have been settled in rather dubious “tourist villages” in certain parts of Northern Thailand where “partnerships” between Thai businesspeople and villagers mean fees are … read the full post

A few people had recommended the Doi Kham shop to me and it sounded interesting, but could I find it? Could I (deleted)! In my defense when I did eventually stumble upon it, it looked like this: That is, it looked just like a small, unassuming government office not unlike several dozen other small, unassuming … read the full post

One of Northern Thailand’s most distinctive and colourful ‘hill-tribes’ and one of the ethnic groups you’re most likely to come across in that part of the kingdom are the Lisu, or Lisaw in Thai. They inhabit a wide swathe of the mountainous northwest and are most populous in Mae Hong Song province, but also well … read the full post

I recently re-visited the Doi Pui Hmong Village with some trepidation; on my first visit nearly 10 years ago I’d found it tacky and touristy, and had turned my nose up at a hill-tribe village with Visa stickers and a coach park. As it turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. No room to … read the full post