N.     121        Visiting hometown 

It’s been over 9 months that we’ve been in Cheingmai, so during the Christmas holidays we decided to visit our hometown. For our past trips between Myanmar and Cheingmai we come directly to Cheingmai from Yangon and vice versa. Now we hear that we can cross the Thai Myanmar border at Maesai, which is the northernmost point of Thailand into Myanmar because we have long term visa. After crossing the border we will reach Tachileik where we can board a plane to Heho which is only  25 miles from our hometown ,Taunggyi.

        But to get to Maesai we have to go by car which takes 4 hours. We  a family of 5 took our family car, and reached Maesai at noon. I had arranged to meet Sai Aung Kham , a relative to take us places around Cheing Hsen an old town near Maesai. So after leaving our baggages at the hotel we went to have lunch at a Shan restaurant .

         From the restaurant the view is nice. Far away across fields and plains we can see low mountains . One distant mountain we saw is higher than the others and SAK  told me that it is the Nang Norn  mountain which got famous because of the rescue of the boys trapped in the cave for many days . The cave they were trapped in is under the mountain. 

       After lunch I took some photos with the background .When I called Sai Ollie to come and take photo with me he came and lie down on the bench beside me. I posted the photo in FB ‘s my story with the text Nang Norn, Sai Norn , expecting few people to know its meaning. True …..even my daughter Nge  who is a Tai didn’t grasp the meaning. Norn is sleep in Tai and Thai. So as the lady sleeping on top of the mountain ,so is Sai Ollie who is lying down beside me.

        The first place SAK took us is the venue where the 60th birthday commemoration of  Merng Pone Sayadaw Jao Khuva Woon Jum will be held. We entered through the magnificent gilded gate into a vast compound where the road is lined  neatly with lamp post and prayer flags. We stopped at the big Buddha where the scaffoldings are still on and cement flooring was still in progress . I enquired about the height of the statue and was told it is 300 feet. We were also shown the pavilion where sermons by the khuva will be given. There are also other religious buildings which are donated by devotees and come into existence because of his benevolence.

     We departed to visit  the famous Golden Triangle, a place not to be missed for people visiting there.I was eager to see the great Mekong river again . It is a little crowded with people from Myanmar, Thailand and tourists. We even had to wait for our turn to take photos at the gate. I had been here about seven years ago, which is an experience I shall never forget and I also had written about in my blogpost No 56/57 Mekong @ Golden Triangle. 

      

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       The  difference between 7  years ago is distinct on the Laos side. When we last visited  it there were only low buildings and stalls selling souvenirs and fake designer handbags.But now the place is unbelievably full of high rises and concrete buildings and the place is said to be rented to China for 99 years . The buildings are used as casinos  ,restaurants and bars and nightclubs.To extort money from fun loving people.My thoughts went to the kyar hpyant  or money scamming business done in the eastern border of Myanmar. Because nothing is done to eliminate it, and many Chinese people lost their money through it the Chinese government took action by themselves.We still don’t see the end of it but I hope these evil doings will come to an end forever. 

       This place on the Thai side is the same as ever. The big elephant and the big golden Buddha is the same as before . So after some gazing at the great Mekong ,some resting, many photos we departed for another place which SAK said an old Buddha was earthed.Cheing Hsen is an old town which has its own history. It is one of the old Cheing towns along with Cheingmai, Cheingrai, Cheinghung,etc. I would like to explore Cheing Hsen as an old town if there still are some signs of history. But the only thing I saw is  the remnants of the old  wall that can be seen along the road as we drove on.

       

        When we arrived we pay homage at the unearthed Buddha image which the head is missing. When they unearthed it was not only the Buddha statue but also with the brick building which housed the image,because the old brick walls are still with the statue. There also is a Lanna style temple complete with dragon railings and another one which is joined by a bridge. We cannot resist taking photos there ,so after taking some we left there to head back to our hotel and rest……

X7