Thailand > Arrived by train in Chiang Mai

Thailand - The Kanthoke dinner with folk dances of various northern Thai hill tribes

I am awakened by the waiter asking if I want orange juice. How nice, I think—just waking up, this must be part of the experience. The waiter pierces the foil with a straw, and it’s purchased. I notice it’s only seven o’clock. Then I realize I don’t have any money left for the juice. Too late. Geert feels the same way about his orange juice. We borrow some money from our fellow travelers. As the train approaches Chiang Mai, the beds are converted back into seats. From the station, we are taken to the hotel in two minibuses. The breakfast buffet is ready at the hotel, and I enjoy it thoroughly. Fortunately, our room is immediately available. I lie down until noon and then take a refreshing shower. In the afternoon, a tour of the Handy Crafts is on the program. We visit several small factories making wooden umbrellas, gold, silver, silk, and a teak factory. It is interesting to see how the production is carried out, but the emphasis is mostly on sales in the shops.

Thailand - The Kanthoke dinner with folk dances of various northern Thai hill tribes

Outside, this becomes even more apparent, as each taxi driver receives money for every tourist he brings to the factories. I quickly lose interest in the Handy Craft shops. At the teak factory, I look at a figurine as a souvenir but find them too expensive and decide against buying one. In the evening, at half past six, we take an open taxi to the Kanthoke dinner—a large dance and music show performed by the various hill tribes from northern Thailand. The show is an optional program. We sit at a kind of low table. According to Toy, Europeans are not used to sitting on the floor for a long time (and she is probably right). Although we sit at floor level, there is a recess under the table for our legs. Toy explains the different dishes and advises us on how to eat them—mostly with our hands. During the final performance, Geert and I are invited to dance along, which we don’t pass up. After the show, there is fireworks outside, and we release a paper sky lantern. According to Toy, you can make a wish when letting it go. She assures us the wish will come true. We return to the hotel in the open taxi and have a beer together in the lobby.