Tha Ton
A little place at the banks of Kok River, Tha Ton lies in the north of Chiang Mai Province. Apart from Thai People, a lot of Tribal People and some exile Chinese, who left China after Mao Tse Tung gained power in 1950, live here. The small village a bit riverupwards is inhabited by Shan People.
Kok River at Tha Ton. In the background the (only) bridge. Image by Asienreisender, 10/2011
Kok River is over parts a border river to Burma/Myanmar. When crossing the only bridge in town towards north, the next road who splits left leads after three or so kilometers to a border post. It's also possible to have boat or raft tour here. A nice boat tour is the one river downwards to Chiang Rai, which lasts about three hours. There is a stopover in an elephant camp on the way. Behind Chiang Rai, Kok River joins the Mekong River close to the new river port at Chiang Saen.
Tourism plays a role here, but not a too big one. Mostly Thai tourist from Chiang Mai come here for recreation. A few resorts, hotels and guesthouses are run here, and a few Western expats live in Tha Ton.
Much of Tha Ton, including the bridge. The haze in the air comes due to the annual air pollution by arson etc. In these days the smog was so dense that one couldn't see clearly over a distance of two, three meters already. Image by Asienreisender, 3/2007
On the southern bank of the river some mountains raise up. On one of them lies Wat Tha Ton, a Buddhist temple which is to see already from far away when approaching Tha Ton over the road from Mae Chan. Visiting the temple, one has a great view over the plain around Tha Ton.
The local agriculture is coined by large orange plantations. These oranges go partially to the local markets in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, partially they are exported to other countries. Particularly along the road to Mae Chan are many of these plantations at both sides of the street.
A peasant's shack closely around Tha Ton. The haystacks behind lock like shacks as well, but they aren't. They are a local peculiarity. Image by Asienreisender, 3/2007
