January 20th 2025, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Today is Monday January 20th here in Chiang Rai, Thailand. I woke up at 6:15 AM to take a 7 hour bus to the northeaster city of Chiang Rai. I will be here a couple days before preparing to take a three day journey to Laos via the slow boat on the Mekong River. Yesterday, my last day in Pai, was nice and relaxing. I took a motorbike to the bamboo bridge with my friend Ben and we found a cool Chai Tea house on the way. The owners were lovely and warm. The lady running the tea house just finished making a bracelet and I bought it from her. It feels good and I enjoy supporting local businesses and crafts. Having drove my a bunch of rice farms in Pai I became curious about the mechanics of rice farming. At this time and season the majority of the rice farms are flooded. Flooding rice farms is a traditional agriculture practice to suppress weeds and manage pests. Also, rice plants are semi-aquatic and thrive in water-saturated soil. Flooding ensures the soil remains soft and nutrient-rich. This facilitates root development and nutrient absorption. I hope to volunteer on a rice farm in either Laos or Vietnam. I am really excited for Laos. I was doing some research on the country today which I will briefly share now, and will share more in depth later. Laos is pronounced "Lao" rhymes with "cow" without the "s" sounds. The "s" in English spelling comes from the French colonial influence. Another interesting fact is that more than two million tons of cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam war, making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history per capita. During the Vietnam war, North Vietnam used parts of Lao to create the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a critical supply route for moving troops and supplies to South Vietnam. The US heavily bombed Lao to disrupt these supply lines. As of 2023, the US has contributed over $355 million since 1995 to help support clearance of unexploded bombs in Lao. Even today there are so many bombs in Lao which are dormant and have not exploded, making it very dangerous to the people and visitors. I will explore the government of Lao as I get closer to going to the country and its history as well. Oh also today on the drive in I visited the famous White Temple here in Chiang Rai. I was actually really excited to see it because I have seen beautiful pictures on the internet of this famous temple for many years. It was a quick stop but it was beautiful. Enjoy the pictures!