Elephant Trekking in the Northern Thailand Thailand Hilltribes
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With the first leg of our 5-week journey under our belt, we were set to begin the second stretch, a 7-day jaunt through Central and Northern Thailand. We were sad to leave China but excited to be heading to warmer weather! We had not heard much about Northern Thailand prior to our trip and were not totally sure what to expect. We found the area to be unbelievably beautiful, as well as rich in both culture and history.
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Our Northern and Central Thailand Itinerary (the red line)
Kanchanaburi Province:
The first stop on our tour was Kanchanaburi Province, about a 2.5 hour drive by public bus northwest of Bangkok. We were based in the “city” of Kanchanaburi, the provincial capital which was more like a small town. The town was set along a river and was a nice, relaxing place to be. There were also quite a few sights to see within an hours drive of the town:
Tiger Temple:
The first stop on our tour was Kanchanaburi Province, about a 2.5 hour drive by public bus northwest of Bangkok. We were based in the “city” of Kanchanaburi, the provincial capital which was more like a small town. The town was set along a river and was a nice, relaxing place to be. There were also quite a few sights to see within an hours drive of the town:
Tiger Temple:
Our first day in Kanchanaburi, we went to Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno, the Buddhist temple more popularly known as “Tiger Temple.” The brief history of this temple is as follows: Shortly after the temple’s opening in 1994, some local villagers brought some injured local jungle birds to the temple for the monks to rehabilitate. Over time, the temple earned a reputation of being somewhat of a wildlife sanctuary as the temple continued taking in more injured or unwanted animals brought in by locals (and some who stumbled into the temple on their own). In 1999, an injured tiger cub was brought to the temple. Apparently, her mother had been killed by poachers in the nearby jungle and she’d been sold to a wealthy Bangkok resident to be stuffed. The taxidermist hired to stuff the cub did not do a very thorough job and the cub survived the procedure (which involved injecting a preservative formula into her neck). Weakened by this experience, the cub was taken to the temple, where the monks rehabilitated her. Soon after, word of this experience spread and more injured or orphaned tiger cubs arrived at the temple, brought in by people who’d found them injured or intercepted from poachers. Somehow, the monks at the temple were successful in raising the tigers despite having no previous experience raising large carnivores. Eventually the tigers grew up and began to reproduce. While the temple serves as a sanctuary for a wide variety of animals (deer, buffalo, goats, wild boar, birds, etc.), the Tigers are the main attraction. In addition to giving the animals a home, one of the temple’s goals is to raise awareness of and prevent the frequent poaching of tigers in the area (We’re told that for killing a tiger, a Thai poacher is paid nearly $6,000, or 3 times the average yearly salary of a farmer in the area).
At the temple, you are allowed to get much closer to the tigers than you probably should be. Basically, during the day, the tigers are brought to “Tiger Canyon,” a large, open area for the tigers to exercise or lounge. From 1-4pm, tourists are allowed into the area to see, touch, and have pictures taken with the tigers. There is not a cage, and the jovial volunteers who held the humans' hands (as if we were the ones who might do something) would definitely not prevent a tiger from attacking a person if it wanted. It made me feel only slightly better that some of the larger cats had a leash and chain on (Were those the ones who were more likely to jump or bite?). We were assured by the temple volunteers that all the necessary precautions had been taken. These tigers had all been raised at the temple since they were cubs and as such were very used to people and were desensitized to human touch. The staff at the temple feed and exercise the tigers early in the day so they are full and tired by the time tourists are allowed to come around in the afternoon. Besides, tigers – as do most cat species – sleep through the heat of the day and are not nearly as active as they are in the cooler evenings. It was true that all of the tigers I saw in the area appeared to be completely passed out (though we were assured they weren’t, they looked tranquilized), it was still quite a nervous feeling I had as I walked hand-in-hand with one of the temple volunteers into the “Tiger Canyon” to pet the tigers. In the end, I made it out okay, and it was an awesome feeling to be that close to such a powerful animal. Still, I couldn’t help but think that the experience was not 100% safe and probably would not have been allowed in the US.
At the temple, you are allowed to get much closer to the tigers than you probably should be. Basically, during the day, the tigers are brought to “Tiger Canyon,” a large, open area for the tigers to exercise or lounge. From 1-4pm, tourists are allowed into the area to see, touch, and have pictures taken with the tigers. There is not a cage, and the jovial volunteers who held the humans' hands (as if we were the ones who might do something) would definitely not prevent a tiger from attacking a person if it wanted. It made me feel only slightly better that some of the larger cats had a leash and chain on (Were those the ones who were more likely to jump or bite?). We were assured by the temple volunteers that all the necessary precautions had been taken. These tigers had all been raised at the temple since they were cubs and as such were very used to people and were desensitized to human touch. The staff at the temple feed and exercise the tigers early in the day so they are full and tired by the time tourists are allowed to come around in the afternoon. Besides, tigers – as do most cat species – sleep through the heat of the day and are not nearly as active as they are in the cooler evenings. It was true that all of the tigers I saw in the area appeared to be completely passed out (though we were assured they weren’t, they looked tranquilized), it was still quite a nervous feeling I had as I walked hand-in-hand with one of the temple volunteers into the “Tiger Canyon” to pet the tigers. In the end, I made it out okay, and it was an awesome feeling to be that close to such a powerful animal. Still, I couldn’t help but think that the experience was not 100% safe and probably would not have been allowed in the US.
Cute . . . or Scary?
Songthaews:
Speaking of “not safe,” that is exactly how I would generally classify one of the most frequently used methods of transportation in Thailand, the Songthaew. What is a Songthaew, you ask? Effectively, this is a pickup truck whose owner has installed bench seats down the sides of the truck bed and put a cover on top in order to taxi passengers around town. There are no doors or glass windows in the bed, so you’re basically just sitting on a bench in the back of a pickup truck. All over Thailand, the locals use Songthaews to run errands, commute to work, etc. (in some smaller cities, the “Public Bus” is actually just a Songthaew.) Anyway, maybe this mode of transportation is okay for quick trips around town. However, barreling down the highway at 70-80 miles per hour in the back of one of those things is just scary. I definitely said a few prayers while sitting in the back of a Songthaew, watching the pavement race by just under my feet, as our crazy driver passed 2-3 cars at a time on the 2-lane highway. We had the pleasure of taking more than our share of 2-hour highway Songthaew rides on our trip. We were with a tour in Kanchanaburi (which was operated by an Australian company, so we’d assumed it was safe), and had the tour company not chosen it as a primary method of transportation I don’t think we would have taken any such long Songthaew trips. Realistically, it probably wasn’t that much more dangerous than the seatbelt-less, maniac-driven taxis we use regularly in China. Still, we were relieved when the tour concluded and we didn’t have to take any more long Songthaew trips!
Songthaew: The driver goes in the front and all passengers in the bed of the truck. This was actually one of the safer ones we rode since it had some metal bars installed on part of the backside of the bed.
Death Railway, River Kwai Bridge, Hellfire Pass:
A primary reason that many foreigners travel to Kanchanaburi is to visit the various memorials to the infamous Thailand-Burma “Death Railway” built here by Allied POWS during WWII. The railway was built at the demand of the Japanese army, with whom Thailand sided in the war. (The locals we talked to told us that Thailand was pretty much forced into supporting the Japanese army, as the alternative was to be invaded and taken over by Japan.) The two most famous of these monuments are the Bridge Over the River Kwai (the story of which was documented in the movie which bears its name) and Hellfire Pass (one of the most difficult stretches of the railway to build, where POWs worked 16-18 hour shifts for 12 weeks cutting through about 1,000 meters of solid rock with only minimal equipment. Due to the heavy workload and poor conditions, approximately 70% of the crew who started working on Hellfire pass had died by the time it was completed). While it was a bit sobering to visit these monuments, it was interesting to learn more about the role the area had played in WWII, as we’d not learned much about it in school. Also, the lush, jungle area surrounding the River Kwai was really beautiful – even more than we’d expected.
Above: Sunset over the River Kwai
Thailand-Burma "Death Railway" along the River Kwai
Erawan Falls:
By far the highlight of our time in Kanchanaburi was an afternoon at Erawan National Park. The park boasts a series of 7 waterfalls, without a doubt the most stunning waterfalls we’ve ever seen, each with clear-blue water cascading over the rocks into the pools of fish below. Equally breath-taking was the hiking trail through the jungle leading to the series of waterfalls, where we saw a family of monkeys climbing in the trees. The monkeys were pretty cute, but (at this park at least), you had to be a bit cautious not to get too close. These monkeys were pretty used to humans walking along the trail, which means that they were not afraid to come right up to you and steal food or a camera from your bag. We witnessed some European tourists getting a bit too close while trying to take a picture with a monkey. The monkey, who obviously did not want to be the subject of any pictures that day, walked right up to the tourists and slapped one of them on the ankle. It served them right, I guess. They were technically in the monkey’s territory and the one who got slapped was taunting a bit. Anyway, that incident made us realize that the various “Beware of Fierce Monkeys” signs posted all around the park were serious!
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Above: Waterfalls and "Fierce" Monkeys
Ayutthaya:
Our second stop in Central Thailand was Ayutthaya, which was an early capital of Siam (Thailand’s former name) from 1350 to 1767. In its heyday of the 17th Century, the city had a population of around 1 million people and was a major center for international trade. We’re told that nearly all foreign visitors to the city during that time thought it was the most spectacular city they’d ever seen. Thais we met liked to point out that London was merely half the size of Ayutthaya in the late 1600’s. The city’s impressiveness was due in large part to the fact that the kings who reigned over Ayutthaya built some impressive temples in and around the city as symbols of their greatness. The temples became ruins when the Burmese destroyed the city in 1767 (The Thai’s still hold a great deal of animosity towards the Burmese for this), and today the ruins of these temples are the main attraction to Ayutthaya. We rented bikes and braved the local street traffic to spend an afternoon here exploring the ruins. Even if ruins do not seem like the most “exciting” thing in the world, the structures were quite impressive and we were still a bit awe-struck thinking of what the place must have looked like during its prime.
Above: Ayutthaya Temple Ruins
The Thai Night Train to Chiang Mai:
After exploring the ruins in Ayutthaya, we headed to the train station to catch our 14 hour night train to Chiang Mai. Before the trip, we were a bit scared of what the night train experience might be like in Thailand because we’d had such a horrible time with the trains in China. However, we soon realized that we were silly to worry, as the Thai train system is SO much more user-friendly than its Chinese counterpart. Here is a quick comparison:
Reservations:
In China, there is no online booking system. Generally, the way you buy your ticket is to go to the train station, fight your way to the front of the “line” and hope that there is an available seat to your desired destination sometime near when you want to leave. You can only buy train tickets 3 days in advance (Maybe 4 or 5 days during peak travel periods, but the actual number of days that advance booking is allowed is a late-breaking decision that can be changed at any time) and as a result, you must often leave on your journey without a return ticket. (I still can’t get over the concept of buying a ticket to somewhere without knowing if you can get back when you need to, but everyone we meet explains to us that this is the “Chinese Way.”) If you find that there are no return seats/beds once you’ve arrived at your destination, then you either (a) Just stay in your destination longer until you get a seat or (b) take a standing room tickets, as we did on our return home to Zhuzhou from Hong Kong for our Chinese National Day holiday. From our experience, we can tell you that option “B” can be a painful one!
In contrast, the Thai train system not only allows, but encourages online, advance booking for its train system. You simply email their reservations department, and if space is available they confirm your ticket for you (in English, no less!). To be fair to China, they’ve got a lot more people to transport across a far bigger area. Still, advance booking would make their system so much more user-friendly!
Sleeper Cars:
Sleeper cars on the Chinese train are comfortable enough. The “hard sleepers” have 3 beds from floor to ceiling, and while you have to be fairly nimble to climb your way into the top bunk, they’ve got decent mattresses and – at some point during the night – the train staff turns out the lights so you can sleep. The bottom bunk is even quite spacious, but its one downside (at least from the westerner’s point of view) is that the beds do not fold into chairs and during the non-sleeping hours everyone with a top and middle bunk comes to sit with you on your bed. Many Chinese people don’t seem to have such a need for privacy and as such don’t seem to mind this too much. In fact, they seem to really enjoy chatting it up with their bunkmates even if they are complete strangers!
The Thai sleeper cars are configured quite differently than in China. There are only 2 beds from floor to ceiling and the beds fold into large, soft chairs during the non-sleeping hours so the person on the bottom bunk does not have to deal with a stranger sitting on their bed for the majority of the day. While the lights stay on all night on the Thai train (to help people walking down the aisles to go to the bathroom at night), each bed has a curtain that can be drawn to keep light from coming in. While quite a bit of light still streams in through the curtain (especially on the top bunk), it at least gives a bit more of a sense of privacy, which is kind of nice.
Train Stations:
Train stations in China – even for small-to-mid-sized cities – are generally large, secure, and well-organized buildings that appear prepared to handle significant numbers of travelers. You must show your ticket to numerous officials to get into the station and on the train. You’ve even got to show your ticket to a train station official at your destination in order to leave the station (There are funny stories about foreigners losing/throwing away their ticket after getting on their train and being detained by station officials at the exit of their destination station because they could not provide a ticket). In comparison, the train stations in Thailand – even in the larger cities – are simple, open-air structures with no security officers or “ticket-checkers” to be found. Honestly, while standing and waiting for trains at the stations in Thailand, I felt like I was waiting for the train at the Houston Zoo.
Etc.:
Also noticeably absent from the Thai trains were the train attendants trying to sell random odds and ends (earwax pickers, rubber gloves, mini-flash lights, etc.) and mopping dirty water across the floor. Alas, it just didn’t seem like a real train ride without these characters! Furthermore, the Thai trains offered a meal service, had soap and running water in the bathrooms, and had a train attendant who made your bed/chair/dinning table whenever you wanted!
In the end, I’d give a slight advantage to the Thai train system in terms of comfort and a definite advantage in terms of ease of use. However, the experience was not nearly as “memorable” as our travels on the Chinese train have been thus far. :)
Monks Waiting for the Train
Chiang Mai and the Northern Thailand Hilltribes:
The ultimate destination of our train ride was Chiang Mai. While it is one of Thailand’s largest cities, it only has a population of around 300,000 people. While there were not many “must-sees” in Chiang Mai (the primary activity here was visiting the city’s Temples, several of which are among the most important in the country), the city was a great place to spend a few days. There was a lot of culture, good food, a nice climate, and cheap prices for virtually everything. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a "monk chat" at one of the Buddhist universities, which also housed a popular Temple we had come to visit. The young monks asked us to come in and "chat" for a bit. We of course eagerly agreed and soon found out that this was a way to a) educate foreigners on their religion and way of life and b) provide the student monks with spoken English practice. This was nothing like walking into a church. Primarily this was a university. All of the students had chosen to be monks to attend this university (at a fabulously low price - we decided it's like joining the military so they will pay for your school!) They were not interested in selling Buddhism at all, they were just young boys who wanted to talk to some foreigners. They wanted to talk about many of the same things our students want to talk about. But, they were well mannered and extremely willing to answer any of our questions. What did we learn? Well, a monk can disrobe at any time. Actually, you can robe at anytime too, without having to go through any training. It is a vow to lead a life without materials. If you "need" something, say a car to get you to your job, you can collect money for the car. Upon disrobing you leave the car with the temple. Nothing is "your own." It's really a refreshing idea - our gifts lie in God, not stuff. Most of the boys expressed the hardest part about being a monk was the "no touching women rule" because this applies to their mother and grandmother as well. While these monks said their mothers sometimes wanted them to disrobe (so they could hug their little boy), their families were very proud of their decision. It is an honorable one, and in the traditional mindset, it is expected for a man to practice as a monk for at least part of his life (even if it is only 1 week). As a result, you can see monks everywhere, especially in Northern Thailand, doing normal daily things. I always felt a bit nervous standing next to one on the ferry or passing in a narrow alley; careful not to touch them! Meeting these monks made me realize that they are more than an orange robe, that in fact they are unique human beings celebrating and struggling with daily life the same as anyone else. And most likely, these boys will disrobe after college and start a family and lead a very "normal" life. The monks we met with were actually from Cambodia, and becoming a monk was a way out, although they didn't say this in so many words. They each came from large families of 8 or more children. Their fathers were farmers and coconut-pickers (I hear a very dangerous job). They have no money for such things as school. So they became a monk and had the opportunity to attend a Buddhist University in Thailand (where recent civil wars didn't destroy nearly all of the countries' buildings and books). The university in Thailand offers a wide variety of degrees (just like a university at home). There are two programs, one in Thai, the other in English. The Cambodian and other non-Thai monks take all their classes in English, which is great practice for them! And of course, the monk chat which is held every Friday gives them the opportunity to practice speaking. All in all, it was a fabulous 2 hours we spent with these warm-hearted young men. I'm happy for them that they were able to obtain a good education and leave their war-torn country. I'm sure glad our paths crossed. They taught us about their life and we taught them about ours. They were very interested and open to hearing about our religion as well.
The ultimate destination of our train ride was Chiang Mai. While it is one of Thailand’s largest cities, it only has a population of around 300,000 people. While there were not many “must-sees” in Chiang Mai (the primary activity here was visiting the city’s Temples, several of which are among the most important in the country), the city was a great place to spend a few days. There was a lot of culture, good food, a nice climate, and cheap prices for virtually everything. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a "monk chat" at one of the Buddhist universities, which also housed a popular Temple we had come to visit. The young monks asked us to come in and "chat" for a bit. We of course eagerly agreed and soon found out that this was a way to a) educate foreigners on their religion and way of life and b) provide the student monks with spoken English practice. This was nothing like walking into a church. Primarily this was a university. All of the students had chosen to be monks to attend this university (at a fabulously low price - we decided it's like joining the military so they will pay for your school!) They were not interested in selling Buddhism at all, they were just young boys who wanted to talk to some foreigners. They wanted to talk about many of the same things our students want to talk about. But, they were well mannered and extremely willing to answer any of our questions. What did we learn? Well, a monk can disrobe at any time. Actually, you can robe at anytime too, without having to go through any training. It is a vow to lead a life without materials. If you "need" something, say a car to get you to your job, you can collect money for the car. Upon disrobing you leave the car with the temple. Nothing is "your own." It's really a refreshing idea - our gifts lie in God, not stuff. Most of the boys expressed the hardest part about being a monk was the "no touching women rule" because this applies to their mother and grandmother as well. While these monks said their mothers sometimes wanted them to disrobe (so they could hug their little boy), their families were very proud of their decision. It is an honorable one, and in the traditional mindset, it is expected for a man to practice as a monk for at least part of his life (even if it is only 1 week). As a result, you can see monks everywhere, especially in Northern Thailand, doing normal daily things. I always felt a bit nervous standing next to one on the ferry or passing in a narrow alley; careful not to touch them! Meeting these monks made me realize that they are more than an orange robe, that in fact they are unique human beings celebrating and struggling with daily life the same as anyone else. And most likely, these boys will disrobe after college and start a family and lead a very "normal" life. The monks we met with were actually from Cambodia, and becoming a monk was a way out, although they didn't say this in so many words. They each came from large families of 8 or more children. Their fathers were farmers and coconut-pickers (I hear a very dangerous job). They have no money for such things as school. So they became a monk and had the opportunity to attend a Buddhist University in Thailand (where recent civil wars didn't destroy nearly all of the countries' buildings and books). The university in Thailand offers a wide variety of degrees (just like a university at home). There are two programs, one in Thai, the other in English. The Cambodian and other non-Thai monks take all their classes in English, which is great practice for them! And of course, the monk chat which is held every Friday gives them the opportunity to practice speaking. All in all, it was a fabulous 2 hours we spent with these warm-hearted young men. I'm happy for them that they were able to obtain a good education and leave their war-torn country. I'm sure glad our paths crossed. They taught us about their life and we taught them about ours. They were very interested and open to hearing about our religion as well.
The other highlight of our time in Chiang Mai was a cooking class we took one evening while staying there. The cooking school was run by a family from Bangkok who’d owned a restaurant there for many years before retiring from the “hustle-and-bustle” of that big city to the relative peace and quiet of Chiang Mai. We were the only two students in attendance the night of our class and so we had a private lesson and were able to choose the dinner menu ourselves. We made Green Curry Chicken, Pad Thai, and a tasty noodle and curry dish called “Chiang Mai Soup.” Dessert was Steamed Banana Cake. Yum!
Above: Wat Suan Dork, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Above: Inside Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand 
Above: Thai Cooking Class!
Northern Hilltribes and Elephant Trekking:
We did take one overnight side-trip about 2 hours northeast of Chiang Mai: A trek through the Northern Thailand jungle to visit one of the area’s minorities, the Karen Hilltribe. The Karen are one of about 10 different tribes that now reside in Northern Thailand, most of whom migrated there from China and other parts of Southeast Asia in the 20th century to escape persecution. Though these people reside in Thailand, they are not legal Thai citizens and as such are not entitled to much in the way of government benefits or support. As a result, the hilltribes are generally among the poorest people in the world. The tribes prefer to live an isolated and simple life, and the only way to reach most of their villages is by walking for miles through the hilly, dense jungle. However, many of the tribes have a fascinating and unique culture that is of great interest to the outside world. As such, the tribes seem to have discovered that tourism is a good alternative source of income and many have started to allow guided tours to visit (and even stay overnight) in their villages for a small cost (And when I say small I really mean it – Our group of 8 stayed in the hilltribe for one night for about 200 Thai baht total – about $6). As with anything, there are positives and negatives to this influx of tourism. The Karen village we visited seemed to have preserved its way of life fairly well without detriment to any members of its tribe. However, we didn’t feel like this was the case in all of the villages. For example, a different sect of the Karen Hilltribe, the Paduang, is well-known to the world because of the brass fittings its women wear around their necks to give them “long necks.” You've probably seen the "long neck" tribe pictured in a National Geographic. These days, the Paduang “Long-neck women” are a huge tourist attraction in Northen Thailand. We were initially interested in visiting this tribe until we started to research the history of this tradition. The brass fittings actually push down the shoulders to give the appearance of an elongated neck. Obviously, this is not good for your health. Women who start wearing the fittings must keep them on at all times because, without them, they are unable to support the weight of their heads and they will suffocate. Another consequence of wearing the neck fittings is a raspy, quiet voice. Apparently, few women in the tribe ever wore the fittings until they became a tourist attraction. Now, nearly all of the tribe’s girls begin wearing the neck fittings at the age of 6 to be shown to tourists. We thought that was pretty sad and decided against supporting it.
Anyway, the people in the tribe we visited were really nice. They were kind to let us explore their small village, and we tried not to bother them as they went about their daily chores. The village was really pretty self-sufficient – their houses were made from materials they’d gathered from the jungle and they grew all their own food. Some people had a few modern amenities (a radio, for example), but for the most part these people were living in an isolated world far removed from the fast-paced, high tech one that we are used to. At night, they helped cook us a fantastic dinner and afterwards they built a campfire which we sang songs around. I struck up a conversation with one of the villagers who spoke a little English. Apparently, he had been one of the few people to leave the village for the big city. A few years back, he’d gone to work in Bangkok (a modern city of 13 million people). He said he lasted all of 2 weeks there before coming back home to his village. I can only imagine what a scary place Bangkok must have been for him coming from such a small, isolated place. I was amazed that he even tried to leave at all! He told us that his ancestors were from Tibet. This minority spoke a unique language that we noticed shared some characteristics with Mandarin. It's always interesting to see how different parts of the world were connected at one time. We slept in a wooden hut elevated about 3 feet off the ground by pillars (the same accommodations as the rest of the villagers). Considering I was on a fairly uncomfortable, lumpy, cotton-filled, one-inch thick matress surrounded by mosquito netting, I actually slept really well (Maybe I was just exhausted from the uphill trek through the jungle we’d done earlier in the day to get to the village). The next morning after breakfast of chicken and rice soup, we packed up our backpack and hopped aboard some of the village elephants (yes, elephants), which transported us out of town and back to civilization. The village raises elephants in the jungle to aid with farming. However, they’re also trained to transport people (mainly tourists who stay at the village). Riding the elephant was pretty cool, but not as smooth as you’d think. The elephant’s huge shoulder blades move up and down with every step, bouncing you up and down with them. At first, we sat in a wooden plank on the elephant’s back. The bouncing was pretty bad there. However, things got bumpier when the guide who was with us asked if Tiffany wanted to ride on the elephant’s neck. Despite the bumpiness, that was a really cool experience for her. There were a couple of scary moments when the elephant decided it was hungry and bent down to grab some corn or other jungle plant life (luckily, she didn’t slide off!). Also, these were real “Jungle-elephants” and hadn’t had a bath in quite some time, so needless to say Tiffany’s pants were a little stinky by the time she got off! After about an hour of riding, we exited the jungle and the elephant dropped us off back at a "main" road. From here we got on a bamboo raft and traveled down a misty, quiet river for another hour. Finally, tired and dirty, we were only an hour songtheow ride away from civilization. We enjoyed the culture of Chiang Mai that day and the following afternoon boarded a night train back to Bangkok. And with that, our journey through Northern Thailand was complete!
Above: Elephant Trekking
Anyway, the people in the tribe we visited were really nice. They were kind to let us explore their small village, and we tried not to bother them as they went about their daily chores. The village was really pretty self-sufficient – their houses were made from materials they’d gathered from the jungle and they grew all their own food. Some people had a few modern amenities (a radio, for example), but for the most part these people were living in an isolated world far removed from the fast-paced, high tech one that we are used to. At night, they helped cook us a fantastic dinner and afterwards they built a campfire which we sang songs around. I struck up a conversation with one of the villagers who spoke a little English. Apparently, he had been one of the few people to leave the village for the big city. A few years back, he’d gone to work in Bangkok (a modern city of 13 million people). He said he lasted all of 2 weeks there before coming back home to his village. I can only imagine what a scary place Bangkok must have been for him coming from such a small, isolated place. I was amazed that he even tried to leave at all! He told us that his ancestors were from Tibet. This minority spoke a unique language that we noticed shared some characteristics with Mandarin. It's always interesting to see how different parts of the world were connected at one time. We slept in a wooden hut elevated about 3 feet off the ground by pillars (the same accommodations as the rest of the villagers). Considering I was on a fairly uncomfortable, lumpy, cotton-filled, one-inch thick matress surrounded by mosquito netting, I actually slept really well (Maybe I was just exhausted from the uphill trek through the jungle we’d done earlier in the day to get to the village). The next morning after breakfast of chicken and rice soup, we packed up our backpack and hopped aboard some of the village elephants (yes, elephants), which transported us out of town and back to civilization. The village raises elephants in the jungle to aid with farming. However, they’re also trained to transport people (mainly tourists who stay at the village). Riding the elephant was pretty cool, but not as smooth as you’d think. The elephant’s huge shoulder blades move up and down with every step, bouncing you up and down with them. At first, we sat in a wooden plank on the elephant’s back. The bouncing was pretty bad there. However, things got bumpier when the guide who was with us asked if Tiffany wanted to ride on the elephant’s neck. Despite the bumpiness, that was a really cool experience for her. There were a couple of scary moments when the elephant decided it was hungry and bent down to grab some corn or other jungle plant life (luckily, she didn’t slide off!). Also, these were real “Jungle-elephants” and hadn’t had a bath in quite some time, so needless to say Tiffany’s pants were a little stinky by the time she got off! After about an hour of riding, we exited the jungle and the elephant dropped us off back at a "main" road. From here we got on a bamboo raft and traveled down a misty, quiet river for another hour. Finally, tired and dirty, we were only an hour songtheow ride away from civilization. We enjoyed the culture of Chiang Mai that day and the following afternoon boarded a night train back to Bangkok. And with that, our journey through Northern Thailand was complete!
Above: Karen Hilltribe village and the village children
Above: Elephant Trekking
Below: On our way out of the Jungle
1 comment:
Very descriptive! I loved it.
Colleen
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