Chiang Kaaahhhhhn

I had about one free week between finishing up my grades and starting a special course for MBA students. So Otto and I decided to take a trip to Loei province which is located between the north and northeast of Thailand. I visited the province last year with some friends and thought it was a place Otto would enjoy. Chiang Khan is a tiny little town on the Mekhong river and there is absolutely nothing to do there. I think it's important for people to learn to let go and just relax. Chiang Khan is a lesson in just that. Most of our days were spent reading books, wandering around the little town, hanging out at coffee shops and going for joy rides out in the country. The highlight of each day was definitely sunset along the river. They have a gorgeous walkway that stretches all the way down the river. Most houses on the river have back doors that open onto the sidewalk and there are tons of plants and nice sitting areas. We would scope out a nice place to sit at sunset, grab some beers and Otto would play his guitar while I sang. Most nights after dinner we played cards in the guesthouse or went to bed early as it appeared that most people in Chiang Khan slept at about 8 and woke up at 4 or 5 am. We had a glorious time and it was wonderful for us to spend some quality time together before Otto had to move to Chiang Mai. Here are some photo highlights:

We stopped at a little town called Dan Sai which is famous for this ghost festival they host once a year. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see the real festival, but there was a great museum in a temple there. During the festival, people make these masks and dress up as "Phi Ta Khon" which roughly translates to "ghost people." The masks are made from sticky rice baskets on the top and coconut leaves for the face. They are painted meticulously and costumes are made out of colorful fabric. During the festival they dance around in a crazy fashion and also brandish a wooden weapon shaped like a phallus. It symbolizes fertility and brings a blessing for the coming rice season. At the end of the festival, the costumes are thrown in the river as an offering to the nature gods.


The first guesthouse we stayed at in Chiang Khan was called Loogmai Guesthouse and was named after the owner's daughter. The owner is a Thai artist famous for his minimalist work. It's a beautiful guesthouse done in a very old french colonial building. The only problem was that there were five rooms in the guesthouse and only one bathroom. We loved the views of the river and the ambiance, but hated to bathroom situation.

Our cute little room. At night, we played cards at this table.

Me in the central area of the guesthouse. It really is a gorgeous place.

Ahhh sunset. We drove up to this huge Buddha statue and watched the sunset from the top of a hill. It was glorious.

Otto jamming by the river


We went down to the rapids and watched the fishermen casting out their nets. We didn't stay long...it was blazing hot. However, there is definitely an art to this job. They looked so graceful.


The second guesthouse we stayed at was out in the middle of nowhere. We liked the privacy and having our own bathroom, but it was a little creepy at night. Absolutely noone around...not even the owners who apparently went to Laos. But this was our cute outdoor bathroom. I loved it! It reminds me of a hobbit hut.

Surprising to find great cafes in a tiny Thai town since Thais aren't really known for having a coffee culture. This shop was funny and full of little knick-knacks and trinkets. They also served a mean french toast (again unusual for Thailand).


But this cafe definitely had the best coffee in town, great views of the river and nice wooden chairs and tables:

Most houses in Chiang Khan are build from wooden planks, giving the streets a look similar to the old west.
One day we drove out to a Thai Dahm hilltribe village. It looked like most Thai villages except for this traditional structure which housed a lot of weaving looms and a metallurgy. The workers there were very friendly and eager to show us their alphabet (which is different from Thai) and their famous textiles.

Something Silly

I was just thinking about our transportation system during the school year. Sometimes I would come home on break for lunch and Otto and I would go out to get coffee. I would have to take the motorcycle back to work afterwards and he didn't want to take his car. So often, he would ride his bicycle. Since we were going to the same place, we liked to "ride tandem" if you will. I would drive slightly ahead of him and he would hold onto the motorcycle on the back of the seat bar. So I would just pull him along. Sometimes I wondered if it was illegal and then I would remember that almost nothing is illegal in Thailand. Police officers would just wave to us. Lots of people stared at us and I'm sure we looked pretty ridiculous, but it always made me laugh. I wish I had a picture.

Weekend Market

Every weekend in Lampang there is a popular market along the river called Kad Kong Ta. It's probably the oldest market in the city since trade used to occur mainly by river. Lampang has been a trade center for over 1,000 years and this market was known to bring traders from China, Myanmar and Laos. The market has a huge assortment of items and a lot of unique things not found in other markets. So Otto has been designing postcards, bookmarks and prints of his artwork from sketches. He signed up for a booth at the market (it's free!) and so on Saturday we went to set up at the market around 5:30. We brought mats to sit on the ground, a small table and some plastic shelves. We also brought some drinks and invited friends to come visit us. The first day Otto successfully sold one print as well as many postcards and a few bookmarks. We had fun calling out to people passing by. Otto would say, "Postcards made by a Thai person and sold by a foreigner!" Many friends stopped by and chatted and we had a really great time. Sunday we set up again and this time Otto brought his guitar. Our friend David came down with his harmonica and some of his artwork to sell. Overall we had a great time and hope to keep selling there. On another note, Otto got a job offer in Chiang Mai and will be moving there but plans on coming to Lampang on the weekends. I know it is a blessing for him because it will help us to save up money for our trip to America and will also help him get a visa. I will miss living with him, but I know that it's only a temporary situation and I hope this new job will be fulfilling for him. If you would like to see some samples of Otto's work, check out his blog at: http://gthstudio.blogspot.com

I work for beers. Haha!
View of the market
The happy salesman :)