Blue Diamond's hill tribe coffee is beyond strong. Grown at nearby ethnic tribe plantations, it's so strong my blood is racing like cars on the Autobahn. It perfectly washes down a spicy Thai basil and raw garlic omelet plus multigrain croissant with banana jam.
It's a beautiful day and I feel like making new friends so I charter a tuk-tuk twenty minutes outside town to spend an afternoon with five three month-old tiger cubs and three 200 pound adults. It's well over 90-degrees, quite hot for me and my new feline friends. Thus, we spend most of the afternoon lounging, climbing on top of one another. Jennifer, one of the adults with an odd American name, cools off in the water, exercising by ripping a fresh coconut to shreds. Note to self: if we ever date, break up with her gently as that coconut could be my head. She tears through it like cotton candy.
I make one last friend with a python, who embraces my neck like a dickey, before heading solo to a nearby hill tribe. The area belongs to the Longneck Tribe, a community where all the women where long gold neck extensions beginning at age six. The matriarchs have necks that near ten inches, while the children are just starting to wear the rings. The village is mostly small straw or bamboo huts, clothes hanging on trees outside. Chickens and dogs run around nearby. The Longneck Tribe women play guitar, knit scarves on long wooden looms, and push handmade textiles. Even children around five years old sell scarves. In addition to the gold neck extensions, the tribeswomen wear brightly colored scarves, printed dresses, vivid ankle covers, silver bracelets, and white linen tops. There are no men in the town, presumably out on the hunt or building more shelters. I'm the only one visiting the tribe, so I spend an hour meeting all the locals and admiring their artwork.
Final dinner is Chiang Mai is at a small stand on the streets. Fragrant green curry and rice. On my way home, I pass by a latenight bun shop and pick up one of each variety -- barbequed pork, roasted pork, and sweet Thai custard.
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