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The Lisu migrants in Thailand have come a long way from their traditional home on the border between Yunnan and the Kachin state in northern Myanmar.
This particular Lisu village was relatively extensive and the people living there appeared to have adapted well to their new environment.
It is amazing how our perception can be warped by stereotype. Most Westerners seeing traditionally costumed tribal people living in these primitive conditions would probably think, "how quaint, how wonderfully natural" but if they were seen wearing worn out modern clothes they would certainly say, "how miserable they look".
Test your own perceptions to see if you react the same way looking at the two men above as you do seeing the women below (Irrespectively of their gender of course!).
It is difficult to deny the natural beauty of these bamboo and thatch houses but there is no running water and the latrine is out in the woods.
The village children are filthy but they are beautiful as they unabashedly show their wonderment, curiosity or apprehension before the white bearded stranger.
The Lisu appear to be very sociable as there was a group of them chatting on this platform in the shade each of the two times I went through their village.
This Palaung village was geared to tourism and doing a good job of it. We stopped here for lunch and met an arriving bus load of Italians as we were leaving.
The Palaung are called Bulang in China. They are closely related to the Wa people that live on the border between Myanmar and southern Yunnan.
The open porch where we were having lunch was soon surrounded by these girls offering very well crafted souvenirs.
Lunch and trinkets for tourists were only marginal sources of revenue. This prosperous village had their own pickup truck on which they can be seen loading a squealing pig going to market.
The kids as usual were darlings. These Palaung are also recent refugees from Myanmar, notice how some of them are still wearing longyis.
We finally had time to visit a small Lahu settlement but the place was almost empty. The Lahu also originate on the Myanmar Yunnan border.
This gentleman did not object to my taking his picture but he was too busy to talk to us.
Fortunately we met the nice chap on the left below who showed us the inside of his house. Finally, here is a shot of Chaiwichaphol Laslaksanmee, my Hmong guide who made this page possible.
Then, I flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok where I had a couple of suits and some shirts made to order before flying to Yangon. Many people don't like Bangkok because of the crowding, the noise and pollution but I never get tired of it for there is so much to see there. Here is the National Museum.
