Untamed splendour of northern Thailand

Ethnic diversity and nature’s wild beauty converge in Chiang Rai province, where the borders of Laos and Myanmar blur

The view from Phu Chi Fa peak in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, which overlooks Thailand and Laos. PHOTOS: TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND
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Beneath me, a sheet of mist stretches across two countries. It cloaks a densely forested valley which straddles the Thailand-Laos border. I cannot tell where one nation ends and the other begins when I am high atop Phu Chi Fa peak in Thailand's Chiang Rai province.

The reality is that in this mountainous region of South-east Asia, many things in life flow across national borders, whether culture or cuisine, religion or people.

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