The Pong Yang Elephant Training Camp - where elephants demonstrate their formidable and highly valued forestry skills - is the main destination of a 30 km tour along the Mae Rim-Samoeng route, inside the Mae Sa Valley. Along the road are many tourist attractions like the Mae Sa Waterfalls, the Mae Sa Butterfly Farm and the Chiang Mai Snake Farm.

MAE SA WATERFALLS ORCHID AND BUTTERFLY FARM SNAKE FARM

THE MEO Also known as the Hmong and numbering around 85,000 in Thailand, the Meo are the second largest group of mountain people here (after the Karen) and account for 15% of all tribesmen here. Possibly originating in Mongolia, they are to be found throughout southern China, in Vietnam and Laos. The Meo are sub-divided into 'white', 'blue' and 'armband' groups, based on the style of the women's clothing. Confusingly the 'blue', whose womenfolk wear distinctive indigo-dyed pleated skirts with batik designs, are also known as 'black', 'flowery' and 'striped'! Familty ties are strong in Meo communities, one of the results of the severe persecution they have suffered for generations in China and Laos, forcing them to constantly search for safe locations. Perhaps their extremely strong urge for independence and freedom has stimulated many concerted attempts by authoritarian regimes to drive them out or wipe them out. The Meo came to world attention in the 60's and 70's due to their fierce resistance against the communist Pathet Lao, with background aid from the USA. Meo groups in Thailand comprise many refugees from Laos and indeed many are still housed in refugee camps Primarily farmers, they prefer to site their villages at high altitudes (1,000-1,200m) to grow rice, corn and opium. Needlesss to say, they have been the object of much attention by authorities urging them to cultivate other types of cash crop than the infamous poppy. These moves have also caused the Meo to look for different types of income and over the past 15 years or so they have acquired the reputation of being astute traders, often buying produce from other mountain peoples and selling it for healthy profits in the markets of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Their religious beliefs combine worship of ancestors with the spirits of nature and shamanism. They tend to be cautious with strangers, but become friendly and hospitable if their confidence is gained. Information obtained from: Window of Chiang Mai, published by the Knowledge Center, 79/1 Kotchasarn Rd, Chiangmai 50100

	CM05 - ELEPHANTS AT WORK & MEO HILL TRIBE DAILY 8:30 A.M - 4:30 P.M. THB 800/pax - CHILD 50% Adult(s): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Child(ren): 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Date: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 January February March April May June July August September October November December Time:Full day No pre-payment required with confirmed hotel reservation Pick-up at airport or hotel included in prices