Phayao province
Lying between Chiang Mai and Nan provinces and due south of Chiang Rai, Phayao province is split between lowland rice growing areas and mountains containing substantial hilltribe populations.
Phayao province was administratively separated from Chiang Rai in 1977 but further back in Thai history, the province was an autonomous city-state, though generally still under the tutelage of one of its more powerful neighbours -- unfortunately, little of the city's rich heritage remains to be seen today.
Rarely visited by foreign travellers, Phayao does attract a steady flow of domestic tourists, and foreign visitors will find that the local infrastructure is tailored more to local tastes than foreign.
The provincial capital, aside from the large lake whose foreshore it sits upon, holds little of interest for the traveller. Nevertheless Phayao does make for a handy base for exploring the surrounds -- there are a number of interesting wats and some stunning mountain scenery that can easily be explored and experienced from here.
