Chiang Mai is situated at 300 meters above sea level in a large mountainous area. Located approximately 700 km from Bangkok. In the north of Thailand the culture is Lanna in origin and the people are very proud of their northern roots. The region is home to distinctly different food, music, arts, way of life and even language. Chiang Mai is also a melting pot of hill tribes and their own unique cultures. Maintaining their traditional lifestyles, the six major hill tribes--Akha, Hmong/Miao, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Mien/Yao--live in relative isolation independent of Thai society. All of them, in their villages anyway, still wear their unique dress, speak their own dialects, and eat their own food.
©Kieron Nelson "Vanishing Cultures Photography" All rights reserved
