I hit Chiang Mai after giving up waiting to hear back from the gibbon sanctuary near Mae Sot. If I didn't already tell you about this place check out the History section of their website www.highland-farm.org. I know they're isolated and don't have the internet up there but I had to get out of BKK. Chiang Mai is a much smaller city but still not small enough for a country bumpkin like me. People have recommended Chiang Rai but there is a potential opportunity for me to go and work for an NGO near Mae Hong Son teaching English to the Burmese refugees. Saying that, it's another email reply I'm waiting on and already a Thai girl from a small town close to Lumphang has asked me to go and teach a hill tribe that are about 15km from her town. Apparently the majority of them have never seen a white person before and will be ecstatic to have me there so I needn't worry about my lack of experience. This appears to be what I've been looking for as most of the hill tribes near major cities see Westerners every day on treks and tours and you come to wonder how much of the money the tourists pay the agencies actually gets to the tribespeople.