Chiang Rai Day 4 : Burma (1) - the Shan Temple

For a small fee, our guide helped us through the Burmese immigration for our entry visa into the Burmese town of Tachilek. We had to walked across the short bridge that seperated Thailand from Burma. It quickly became obvious how poor Burma is. The border town of Thailand looked and felt prosperous but the other side of the border was a picture of cheap and crude transport vehicles and streets full of beggars and touts.

hope for a better future?

Burma is in the process of a political transformation

it is a rich country but with a lot of poor people due to

a corrupt and dictatorial military junta

but the above sign-board looks like a promise of what's to come....

we took one of these diesel powered 'tuk-tuk',

a 3-wheeled tricycle

also (probably cheaper) pedal-powered tricycle..

first stop was to this little Shan Buddhist Temple

pakdokter could not now remember the importance of this temple except that

our tour guide, Peter, wanted to meet his adopted daughter here....

the folks here apply 'camphor powder' on their face

for 'cooling' and sun-block? effect in the hot dry sunny season

the above picture is that of the camphor root?/skin which would

be ground into power

the interior of the temple walls were adorned with pictures/drawings

depicting the life and teachings of Buddha

our tour guide, Peter, and his adopted Burmese daughter

Peter and his wife had two sons and wanted so much to have a daughter

failing to have one, they decided to adopt this girl when she was born

Peter sponsored her education and she is now ready to go to

university in Burma's capital city, Yangon.....

Peter grew up in Chiang Rai and received a Christian Mission's

scholarship for his education

he has a degree in history from Bangkok University

but repaid the mission's educational sponsorship

by working in a 'mission hospital' as a physiotherapist for 2 years

after that he became a tour guide and his wife is a nurse

the video below captures the act of applying the camphor powder on the face

this practice was also common among the Malays in olden days

pakdokter remembers pakdokter's mother used to apply

'bedak sejuk' ( cooling powder) on her face in those old days....