We are in the far north of Thailand. Three hours north of Chiang Mai, and a bit further past Chiang Rai to boot. This is the land of the hill tribes of Thailand – the Karen, the Hmong, the Lahu, among others.
This is Phu Karieng View, and this is that view.
Trekking and hill tribes are synonymous with Thailand; it’s the touristy thing to do. But even thirteen years ago, we debated the ethics of visiting hill tribe villages. On the one hand, it’s kind of exploitative and (in our minds, at least) a bit… tacky, touristy even. On the other, the villages benefit from the tourist trade in very significant ways (or so we’re told).
There’s a village below, and tomorrow we’ll visit. And play with elephants.