We spent a day riding bikes around Sukothais Historic Park, location of the first Thai kingdomcirca 700-800 A.D.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sukothais
We spent a day riding bikes around Sukothais Historic Park, location of the first Thai kingdomcirca 700-800 A.D.
In Pai, N. Thailand.
The last day in Chaing Mei we wandered into a Wat, and a monk was giving blessing of good luck to the locals. He waved us in and we also got the treatment. Chanting, water springles and a wrist band for good luck.
Landed in Pai after a 80 mile 4 hour bus ride over the mountains in a 3rd class bus. Wild ride and crammed with people. Wild and scenic jungle clad mountains.
Found the lovely Breeze Guesthouse for 600 baht (18 US), and it is luxury. On the river bank, just a block from the action. Pai (3000 pop) is a sort of Thai/bohemian/tourist hangout in a nice valley surrounded by tribal villages in the hills and mountains. One a weekend day it was crammed with Asian tourist, outnumbering westerners 10 to one. We walked to a village about 4 K out of town, and found that they had built sort of a tourist trap of souvenir shops next the the village, and vans full of Asians kept up a steady stream. But the walk between was full of authentic little shops, farms, and roadside alters to fertility.
The plan is to trek for 3 days, 2 nights in the mountains and visit more villages, but we are waiting for word that they have 2 more people to make it a 4 person expedition.
When we leave here we fly south to the beaches and islands of the Andaman Sea, most famous of which is Phuket.
The last day in Chaing Mei we wandered into a Wat, and a monk was giving blessing of good luck to the locals. He waved us in and we also got the treatment. Chanting, water springles and a wrist band for good luck.
Landed in Pai after a 80 mile 4 hour bus ride over the mountains in a 3rd class bus. Wild ride and crammed with people. Wild and scenic jungle clad mountains.
Found the lovely Breeze Guesthouse for 600 baht (18 US), and it is luxury. On the river bank, just a block from the action. Pai (3000 pop) is a sort of Thai/bohemian/tourist hangout in a nice valley surrounded by tribal villages in the hills and mountains. One a weekend day it was crammed with Asian tourist, outnumbering westerners 10 to one. We walked to a village about 4 K out of town, and found that they had built sort of a tourist trap of souvenir shops next the the village, and vans full of Asians kept up a steady stream. But the walk between was full of authentic little shops, farms, and roadside alters to fertility.
The plan is to trek for 3 days, 2 nights in the mountains and visit more villages, but we are waiting for word that they have 2 more people to make it a 4 person expedition.
When we leave here we fly south to the beaches and islands of the Andaman Sea, most famous of which is Phuket.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Brenda takes on the challenges of the trek.
The trek group in front of our hut.
We have been in the busy historic city of Chang Mei a week. We spent several days exploring the city, finding the extensive markets, and walking to Wats (Wat=temple). At one the sign encouraged us "chat with a monk" so we did. He spoke English, and even had a greeting in Gaelic when Brenda mentioned Ireland. We discussed his life and the practice of meditation. What he said about it is very much what is being taught here in the US, although he lives an cloistered life unlike most meditators. A highlight was a trek in the mountains to visit the Karen hill tribe villages. We walked for a few days and finished with a bamboo raft trip down river. It is hard to believe, but the Karen people live in mountainside villages, farm rice, corn and veggies, hunt and gather, and use bamboo for everything, including the houses. They also practice some slash and burn agriculture. We slept in bamboo huts for 2 nights and the guide and villagers prepared great fresh meals over a fire. The people here know very little of the outside world and very few have left the mountains ever. Motorcycles, solar panels and TV have made some inroads, but not much.
The trails we followed were all local hunting and farming trail, passing thru dense jungle and passing seasonal farming sites, where people spend the rice and corn growing season out in huts away from the village.
The first evening after dinner, we spent some time with an older village couple having tea and talking with Dat, our guide. Dat told us that he had never seen the ocean, and in his one trip to Bangkok he was so perplexed by the traffic that it took him an hour to cross one of the major streets. Dat is a great person, a Karen villager learning English.
The trek group in front of our hut.
We have been in the busy historic city of Chang Mei a week. We spent several days exploring the city, finding the extensive markets, and walking to Wats (Wat=temple). At one the sign encouraged us "chat with a monk" so we did. He spoke English, and even had a greeting in Gaelic when Brenda mentioned Ireland. We discussed his life and the practice of meditation. What he said about it is very much what is being taught here in the US, although he lives an cloistered life unlike most meditators. A highlight was a trek in the mountains to visit the Karen hill tribe villages. We walked for a few days and finished with a bamboo raft trip down river. It is hard to believe, but the Karen people live in mountainside villages, farm rice, corn and veggies, hunt and gather, and use bamboo for everything, including the houses. They also practice some slash and burn agriculture. We slept in bamboo huts for 2 nights and the guide and villagers prepared great fresh meals over a fire. The people here know very little of the outside world and very few have left the mountains ever. Motorcycles, solar panels and TV have made some inroads, but not much.
The trails we followed were all local hunting and farming trail, passing thru dense jungle and passing seasonal farming sites, where people spend the rice and corn growing season out in huts away from the village.
The first evening after dinner, we spent some time with an older village couple having tea and talking with Dat, our guide. Dat told us that he had never seen the ocean, and in his one trip to Bangkok he was so perplexed by the traffic that it took him an hour to cross one of the major streets. Dat is a great person, a Karen villager learning English.
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