The title is self-explanatory. Tha Ton is a small provincial town west of Chiang Rai but part of the northern Chiang Mai province, in the heart of northern Thailand. It is nestled in a valley that borders nearby Burma, just 3 km away as the crow flies.
Well, as such there is nothing special about "flirting" with Burma, on the other hand, driving on this beautiful road 1089, which stretches between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and stopping at Tha Ton, yes!
In this case, be careful not to confuse this Tha Ton with the one in Burma (located in Mon state, near Hpa An , we actually passed through it on our way between Kyaiktiyo and Mawlamyine ).
Tha Ton, starting point for exploring a little-known region
It's a mountainous region, so you'll find plenty of waterfalls, traditional villages, and landscapes that are well worth a visit! The area around Thaton is inhabited by various tribes (in varying numbers, including Yao, Lisu, Lahu, Karen, Shan, and Akha). Not far from Thaton is Doi Mae Salong and its Chinese village of Santikhiri.
While I know the Mae Salong area, I would love to explore the area around Tha Ton in more depth, as it is the kind of place that is not spoiled by mass tourism.
Concretely, Tha Ton itself is composed of about 2000 souls. Apart from its temple, there is not much to do in the city itself. The best option remains to rent a motorbike on site in one of the guesthouses for 300/350 baht per day.
Wat Thaton: the crystal pagoda
I, who sometimes like to add a "historical" touch, etc., for once, I don't really have any information concerning the why and how of this temple, what I know and can do is a description of the place!
Its main chedi, called "Chedi Keaw", which can be translated as "crystal pagoda" , is a bit kitschy (Keaw refers both to the green color and to glass, the material, as with the Keaw of Wat Phra Keaw in Bangkok).
And the photos speak for themselves. The colorful chedi dominates the town (well, village, really) and faces the valley, offering a fantastic view. Its construction is fairly recent, having begun barely 10 years ago (information I got from the official website, which no longer exists… but you can see it under construction on this site , in 2008).
Inside, there are of course Buddhas, but not only that. We are welcomed in its center by this majestic coiled dragon, acting as a ramp to the heart of the bell, 2 floors higher.
From there, you can step out onto a terrace which goes all the way around and offers a panoramic view of the whole valley.
Next to the area where we arrive, there are also 2 large dragon statues. Further on, continuing on the road that climbs again, we arrived at another viewpoint, a little blocked by the trees and where there was a statue of a standing Buddha.
Baan Ruam Mit, Karen village, and elephants
It's actually closer to Chiang Rai than That Ton, but since it's possible to get there from That Ton by boat, I'm mentioning it here. Personally, I drove to That Ton (from Chiang Saen), but I tried the section between Chiang Rai and the Karen village of Baan Ruam Mit (also spelled Ruammit) by boat. The trip takes an hour, as the Kok River flows through the area, allowing for boat travel between Chiang Rai and That Ton during the right season (see the section "How to get to That Ton").
Baan Ruam Mit is also an elephant village , although I suspected it wouldn't be a place I would recommend...
However, having strolled along the main street, I still appreciated the atmosphere emanating from the village itself, these smiling inhabitants , weaving clothes on the side of the road, its church (it's a change from Thai temples!), you could feel a certain tranquility in this quiet village.
As I was saying, as far as elephants are concerned, you'll have to look elsewhere . Right from the moment you get off the boat, you're greeted by souvenir shops, and I think the elephants are lost in the tourist trap. Admittedly, there aren't any typical shows here, no paintings, no clowning around elephants, etc.
Of course, not all the mahouts had the famous hook to guide them (and that remains a good sign), of course, it is a place with few elephants, offering 2-hour walks in the forest to see real villages, or along the river but…
But I can't help but see these chains, observe some scars on some elephants, and especially see this brand new concrete center, from where the tourists embark, and which demonstrates to my eyes that the village is getting lost in mass tourism.
During my research, looking at older photos of the village, we see that the elephants roamed more or less freely and welcomed you there at the edge of the river when you arrived from the boat. The structures were made of wood and right on the edge of the river (all the more logical since that's what these elephants were used for in the past, transporting wood from the nearby forests).
Too bad, but you are expected.
How to get to Thaton
The 2 simplest solutions:
– From Chiang Mai , take a bus from the Chang Phuak bus station (north of Chiang Mai), the journey takes between 3 and 4 hours for a cost of 90 baht.
From Chiang Rai , there is a boat that travels between Thaton and Chiang Rai (mentioned above), navigating the Kok River. The journey takes between 3 and 4 hours and costs 350 baht per person (note that there is a minimum of 4 people required; otherwise, you can charter the boat for 2200 baht). The journey from Chiang Rai to Thaton is against the current, so expect a trip of 4 to 5 hours.
To take the boat, you have to go to the bank of the Kok River, just in front of the Dusit Island Resort hotel in Chiang Rai. It's a small boarding pier, not very well indicated (but thanks google maps for allowing me to find the place!)
