Word: santikhiri
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...sanctuary in neighboring Thailand. About 4,000 men, under General Tuan Shi-wen, settled in what was then called Mae Salong. After the lost army gave up its involvement in the opium trade, the Thai government, in an effort to symbolize the area's transformation, changed the name to Santikhiri, meaning hill of peace...
...Santikhiri, nestled in the upper slopes of Doi Mae Salong in the northernmost province of Chiang Rai, is the kind of place that time forgot. This quaint hamlet, wreathed in a pink mist of cherry blossoms, is home to the so-called "lost army" of the Kuomintang's 93rd Division, which in 1961 stumbled, exhausted, into this mountain paradise. Although by now their numbers have dwindled, you can still see the old warriors padding about in quilted jackets, sipping tea in the shadows of pagodas and reliving old campaigns...
...steady stream of tour operators now convey travelers up the vertiginous road to Santikhiri?particularly from December until February when the cherry trees dot the slopes with their pink exuberance?but it wasn't always thus. As late as the mid-1970s, Doi Mae Salong was strictly off-limits to outsiders. Tuan and his men had struck an agreement with the Thai government that their presence would be tolerated, provided they helped fight the Thai communist insurgents in the region. The fiercest battle began in 1970 and lasted five years. Almost 1,000 kmt soldiers perished before they finally routed...
...Santikhiri is the place to go for an escape, not for a hill-tribe adventure. "Most of our guests are happy to enjoy the cherry blossoms and the fresh air, walk in the hills and eat some good Chinese food," says Lui Pao-hong, with an American twang. Lui runs the Mae Salong Resort, a smattering of no-frills bungalows tucked between towering pines, and he sports the perpetual smile of those who have found their calling. For reservations call...
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