A Day Trip From Chiang Rai or Stay for a While

Mae Salong
The village of Mae Salong or Santikin ( hill of peace) as it is sometimes called, is a small town perched high on the northern mountains some 1800m above sea level and approx 80kms from the city of Chiang Rai.Commanding breathtaking panoramic views of one of Thailand most beautiful unspoiled regions. To see this place in the winter time when the mist descends and change the views dramatically.Catch this at sunrise and be sure to have fully charged your camera.An added benefit is that the air feels crisp,cool and refreshing

.Mae Salong has  a colourful history too being the place where a number of Chinese Kuomintang soldiers fled from the communist regime in 1949.The Thai government decided that they need a border force in the area to stop the smuggling of opium over the Burmese border, so gave them the job..Today there is still a large number of Yunnan Chinese in the area and there influence can be seen in the number of Chinese temples scattered throughout the district, along with the cuisine , architecture of the houses and of course the language.

The most important crop of the area is Tea.The sharp difference in the day and night temperatures allow the tea to grow more slowly and develop more aroma and sweetness.There are many guest houses and hotels in the region to suit every budget.

Why is it the year 2554 in Thailand

There is a 543 years difference between the Buddhist calendar and the Gregorian calendar. Year 2011 in Europe is year 2554 in Thailand.The Thai new year used to occur in the fifth lunar month. The Thai lunar month was also divided into four weeks like the western model, but the progression of the weeks was determined by the rules determining the life of Buddhist monks.In 1940, Thailand moved its New Year's Day from April 13th to January 1st. The old New Year is still a holiday called Songkran. Years are counted as the Buddhist era (B.E.) which started 543 years earlier than the Christian era.Of all the feasts and festivals in Thailand, which are many, the Songkran Festival is the most striking, for it is widely observed not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao State.

Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. Its full name is Maha Songkran or Major Songkran to distinguish it from the other ones. But the people call it simply the Songkran .Families and friends gather to celebrate by visiting temples, sprinkling water on Buddha images in reverence, and sprinkling water on each other's hands as an act of wishing good luck.

In recent years, the tradition of sprinkling water has been interpreted by youngsters as a great excuse for a water fight, and it is not uncommon to have buckets and containers of water thrown at you by teams of merry makers in the backs of trucks as you make your way down the street

Temples to Visit

Chiang Mai..Wat Lok Molee

Wat Lok Molee is believed to have been a royal temple and stands in an area just north of the citys moat. Originating from around 1527, the impressive chedi ( of the temple dates bach to the Ayudhaya period and houses the ashes of the royal members of the Mengrai Dynasty.It was also the residence of Sangharaja ( Supreme Patrriarch ) of the Lanna Kingdom. 

A brief history of the Lanna Kingdom..........

  Lanna Thai Kingdom or Kingdom of million rice fields was a state in what is now northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. The cultural development of the people of Lanna, the Tai Yuan people, had begun long before as successive Tai Yuan kingdoms preceded Lanna. As a continuation of the Ngoenyang kingdom, Lanna emerged strong enough in the 15th century to rival the Ayutthaya kingdom, with whom great wars were fought. However, Lanna was weakened and then fell under Burmese tributary. From the 16th century, Lanna was ruled by successive puppet kings appointed by the Burmese kings, though some enjoyed autonomy. The Burmese rule gradually withdrew but then resumed as the new Konbaung dynasty expanded Burmese influences.Taksin of Thonburi finally took Lanna in 1774 and broke it down into a number of tributary kingdom

Mangrai, the 25th king of Ngoen Yang of Lavachakkaraj , centralized the city-states of Ngoen Yang into a unified kingdom and allied with the neighboring Kingdom of Payao.In 1262, Mangrai moved the capital from Ngoenyang (modern Chiang saen) to the newly-founded Chiangrai-naming the city after himself. Mangrai then expanded to the south and subjugated the Mon Hariphunchai kingdom centered on modern Lamphun in 1292. Mangrai swore allegiance with two other kings – Ngam Muang of Payao and Ramkamhaeng of Sukhothai. Mangrai moved the capital several times. He founded Chiangmai in 1296 and eventually settled there. Claimed territories of Mangrai’s Lanna include modern northern Thailand provinces (with exception of Prae- which was under Sukhothai – and Payao and Nan – the Kingdom of Payao), Kengtung, Mong Nai, and Chiang Hung (modern Jinghong in Yunnan).

The Temple was a place where notable monks would reside because it was close to the palace. Over the years the temple was often abandoned.  

This temple is well worth a visit as you wander around the city.

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Regioal food- Southern

Southern Thailand consists of a slender peninsula stretching down to Malaysia, and is dramatically different from the rest of the country in both scenery and culture. Lush jungle, craggy limestone mountains and long stretches of beach are the most familiar features of the landscape, rendered fertile by eight months of rain a year and a near-equatorial sun. Cultivated areas tend to be huge rubber and coconut plantations rather than the rice fields and orchards of other parts of Thailand.
The mosque adds its distinctive dome to the landscape, for the South is home to most of Thailand's Muslims, its largest religious minority. They are mostly concentrated in the provinces adjacent to Malaysia, where Malay is spoken as commonly as Thai. In other southern provinces such as Songkhla and Phuket, Chinese predominate.
Southern food reflects all this diversity, together with other aspects of the past when traders form India and Java sailed into the numerous ports of the peninsula. The coconut, so much part of the scenery, is used to the full, its milk thickening soups and curries, its oil for frying, its grated fresh as a condiment. Cashew nuts and pineapple also grow in volume, and form a familiar part of the cuisine.
The warm seas produce an abundance of fish, big lobsters, crabs, mussels squid, prawns and scallops, prepared simply by steaming or frying, or more elaborately by cooking in a clay pot with noodles. Southerners like their food chilli-hot, and are also fond of the bitter taste imparted by a flat, native bean called sataw.

A dish very typical of the South is Kaeng tai pla, a very hot curry made with fish stomach, green beans, pickled bamboo shoots and potato. Fresh turmeric turns this and many other southern curries a distinctive yellow. There is even a dish that is called simply "yellow curry (kaeng leuang), made from fish, green squash, pineapple, green beans and green papaya. With its many Malay, Javanese and Indian influences, together with its own creativity and abundance, the South Produces an extraordinary range of curries, made from just about anything.
The Chinese dish of thin rice noodles known as Khanom chin appears here in a spicy Malay style fish curry sauce, served with dishes of cucumber, pineapple, pickled cabbage and other fruits and vegetables. There is a chicken specialty known as kai betong (named after the town of Betong on the Thai-Malaysian border) that consists of steamed chicken seasoned with soy sauce and then stir-fried with green vegetables. Roti, a round flat wheat bread descended from the Indian breads, is a real southern favourite, totally assimilated into the local culture. There is a large range, including some satisfying breakfast rotis.
Coffee, grown in the South, is a popular beverage and coffee shops can be found throughout the region. In some parts, the coffee will be roasted on the premises with a charcoal-fired boiler, and served with a range of snacks that can include steamed buns filled with pork or bean paste, dumplings filled with shrimp or pork, the thick rice soup, and a form of doughnut called pa thong ko.

Regional Food - Central

Central region of Thailand is a delta-like landscape, many rain-fed rivers flowing southwards over the flat terrain to create a fertile soil in which almost any crop can flourish. In appearance, the land is a vast checkerboard of paddy fields, orchards and vegetable gardens, fed by the rivers, by streams, and by a network of canals that supplies farm irrigation and freshwater fisheries, and acts as a means of transport.

Although the presence of Bangkok in f the heart of the Central Region has acted like a magnet to draw in regional influences, there are still many local specialties that mark out the food styles here as distinctively Central. The best rice is grown in this region, notably the hom mali, or jasmine rice, that is so highly rated as a Thai export. There are three curries typical of the region; namely, the familiar green curry (Kaeng khieo wan) to which is usually added poultry or fish; a hot curry known as kaeng phet, and a milder version called kaeng phanaeng. All are based on coconut milk.
Tom yam, the famous hot and sour soup, originates from the Central Region. There is also a creamy coconut milk soup made with chicken called tom kha kai. Yam, the tangy salads, are a Central invention. Haw mok, little banana leaf cups of a soufflé-like mix made from red curry paste, egg and coconut milk, with seafood added, are a popular snack item. Phat phet is a stir-fry with basil and curry paste. Most meals in the Central Region will include an omelets of some kind, either a plain one served with a thick sweet chili sauce, or with oysters added. There is a more substantial omelets filled with ground pork, tomato and onion, called khai yat sai.
The Chinese influence is especially strong in the Central Region. You will find it in the plain soups that usually include tofu, ground pork and green squash, in the clay pot dishes, and of course in the noodle dishes such as kuay tiaw.
Travel a little within the Central Region and you will find some real local specialties. At Nakhon Pathom, to the west of Bangkok, you will find sticky rice and coconut steamed in a length of bamboo. This is known as khao lam. You will also find it at Nong Mon Market in Chon Buri Province, near Pattaya, a roadside market about kilometer in length that is also famed for its dried fish. Chanthaburi, close to the Cambodian border, has its own noodles fried with crab meat. A distinctively flavored leaf, chamuang, grows in the forests here, and is used in curries. There is a chili paste dip from the coastal areas of the eastern Central Region, made from crab, egg, and yellow chili.
Travel southwest of Bangkok to the town of Phetchaburi and you will find khanom maw kaeng, a baked custard. There are many varieties but they are all based on mung bean, egg and coconut milk. Slightly further south, along the coast, Cha-am and Hua Hin are renowned for their seafood. Cha-am has a picturesque harbor where oysters are brought in fresh by the tremendous variety of curries created by the Mon ethnic grouping.

South

Regioal food-Northeatern

Northeast

Like the North, the Northeast was also long regarded as remote form Bangkok and its direct influence. The Lao kingdoms on the other side of the Mekong River held greater sway over the region until the French drew up their Indochinese boundaries in the late 19th century, forcing the vast plateau that Thais call Isan more firmly into the embrace of Bangkok.

Even so, the Lao influence remains powerful in that the majority of people in the region are of Lao ethnic grouping, and that the local dialect is Lao. A further strong influence is that the Khmer, from Cambodia, whose kingdom earlier extended into this region; there are many Angkor Wat period moments throughout Isan, and Khmer is the dominant dialect in parts of the lower Northeast.
The rivers that flow through the plateau do not empty into the Gulf of Thailand but veer eastwards into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and on to the South China Sea, thus depriving this region of a rich delta country.
The rivers that flow through the plateau do not empty into the Gulf of Thailand but veer eastwards into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and on to the South China Sea, thus depriving this region of a rich delta country.

Glutinous rice is preferred to the white variety. Roasting and grilling gives a strong savory flavour to much of the food, as douse the inclusion of herbs and pickled ingredients. Chilies also tend to be used with greater gusto here, to liven up a meal that might otherwise be somewhat impoverished in terms of content.
Somtam is an art here. The green papaya is pounded in a mortar with time juice, garlic, fish sauce and a number of other ingredients. A popular style has dried shrimp, cherry tomatoes and roasted peanuts. Another has pickled field crab and very pungent fish sauce named pla ra. Eating somtam can be and eye-watering experience, and the absorbent properties of sticky rice are greatly appreciated.
Kai yang or grilled chicken, is another Isan special, the art lying in the preparation of garlic, coriander root, black pepper and fish sauce that is rubbed over the chicken before it is cooked slowly over hot charcoal. A variety of dips are served with the chicken, and sometimes a heap of garlic shavings. Lap is a kind of salad made by tossing minced meat, poultry or freshwater fish with fresh mint leaves, spring onion, lime juice, grounded dried chili, and uncooked rice that has been dry-roasted to a brown colour. Neua nam tok is another salad, using lap-like ingredients, with beef that has been charcoal-grilled so that the fat runs out: the Thai name translates as waterfall beef
An Isan meal will include a spicy soup made from lemongrass, galangal, spring onions, kefir lime leaves and chili. There are many variations, with beef tripe and liver, or chicken and tamarind leaves heading up the list of favorites. A hotpot known as chaew hawn is made in individual heated pots, the raw ingredients placed in the boiling broth by the diners.
Peculiar to the region is the giant Mekong catfish named pla beuk that can be caught only a certain time of the year, usually in May, when it is stored frozen for the restaurants that specialize in this delicacy.

Regional Food-Norhtern

North

Thailand as a kingdom first began to take shape in the mountainous North, with a number of city states that eventually became a loose federation known as lanna, centred around Chiang Mai. Later, the Thais migrated southwards and Sukhothai became the first true capital of Siam. After, Sukhothai came Ayutthaya, even further to the south; and then, of course, Bangkok. The remoteness of the North meant that it functioned more as a vassal state than as and integral part of the country, and consequently kept its own traditions, language, dress, architecture and food.

Because of the cooler mountain climate, there is a lager variety of vegetables than in other regional Thai cuisines, and roots and herbs have a strong presence. There are many sour and bitter flavoures, especially apparent in the soups, such as Kaeng ho, a soup made with pickled bamboo shoot.
The influence of neighboring Myanmar and Laos is a strong one in the cuisine. People of the North prefer glutinous rice to white rice, rolling it into balls with their hands, and dipping into dishes and sauces. Somtam, the spicy green papaya salad highly popular in the Northeast, is also a familiar dish in the North.
Form Myanmar come Khao soi, a curry broth with egg noodles and chicken pork or beef; and kaeng hang lay, a pork curry seasoned with ginger, tamarind and turmeric. curries are thinner in this region with the two most popular curry dishes being Kaeng yuak, made with banana palm hearts; and kaeng Khanoon, made form the aromatic jackfruit.
Sausages are a specialty. The best known is sai ua, which blends aground pork with dried chilies, garlic, shallots and lemon-grass to produce a spicy red sausage. There is also a sausage called naem maw, prepared in a clay pot with ground pork, pork rind and sticky rice, plus garlic and chili. This is eaten uncooked, the mixture having fermented to create a strong sour taste.
The North is noodle heaven, the ethnic mix of Yunnanese, Shan and Burmese having produced a seemingly endless range of kuay tiaw and khanom chin dishes. In Chiang Mai, the khao soy egg noodles eaten with chicken or beef curry and number of spicy and sour side dishes were brought in by the caravans of Yunnan Moslems. Wunsen noodles are another Chinese import; made form mung bean starch, they are a part of curries, soups and stir-fires. Khanom chin nam ngiew is soft thin rice noodles with pork rib, tomatoes and back bean sauce.
No visit to the North is complete without sampling a Khan toke dinner. The name derives form a khan, or bowl, and a toke, a low round table made of woven bamboo, plain of lacquered. Guests sit on the floor, usually watching a cultural performance, and serve themselves form the assorted dishes of northern specialties placed on the table.