2/16/09

Subject: Back in Chiang Mai
We just returned from another world. The trek was amazing! We were a group of 6, plus our 2 guides and various other guide/helpers along the way. Our "tripmates" were a couple from Scotland and a couple from France (her) and Belgium (him).The couple from Scotland are on the last month of a 6 month trip that started in South America, took in Australia and New Zealand, and is ending here in Asia. The other couple are on a 3 week holiday. We were the oldest in the group by quite a bit- they were in their 30's and 40's. As the eldest, the trek leader dubbed us Mama and Papa, not as a joke, but as part of the Karen tribe tradition of showing respect . His name (nickname) is Tee, and he is a 36 year old Karen who still lives in his home village- not the one we visited. We selected this particular trek ( Pooh's Eco-Trek) because it seemed much more authentic and ecologically concerned than all the other tours being hawked around here. We had nearly decided to go forgo doing a trek out of Chiang Mai, when we landed on this option. We are SO glad we did. It was not for the faint of heart; sleeping (if you got any at all) was on the floor in a sleeping bag- no cushion; the hikes were moderate to strenuous, and anybody squeamish about modern sanitation could have some misgivings. My most difficult moments were the ride to and fro- long and uncomfortable, and being in smoky rooms with smoke from fire and home rolled cigarettes with minimal ventilation and only the floor to sit on. That said, I have not an ounce of regret about the trip. It was astonishing.

On the first day we piled into a pickup with benches in the back- and a cover. They are all over Chiang Mai, and used as taxis. We stopped at a market in a town called Hot, and Tee bought ingredients for meals- and lots of water. We stopped at a humble roadside restaurant at the end of the paved road and had lunch before exchanging vehicles with another of Pooh's treks that was on its return. Pooh's group is the only one that goes to this particular area. Our new vehicle was worse than the last. About 8 of us and our packs bounced around in the back of an old pickup for about half an hour before arriving at the first village, called Poe. We gathered at the house of one of the headmen. This involves removing one's shoes, climbing a ladder (all the houses are on stilts to allow for firewood and other storage below, as well as shelter for the animals in the rainy season), and convening on the porch, where all the men( except us "clients") proceeded to light up their home rolled cigarettes (tobacco in banana leaf) Tee gave us some insight into the culture and taught us to say "Ta Blu; ni Boniton" which is kind of a greeting and to "to your health", used both coming and going. The village children and some young adults were shyly gathering, staring, and giggling. The children, especially, grew bolder as our visit continued. We were shown to our quarters, which was in the Christian section of the village. Most of the 116 families there are animists, but maybe a quarter of them are Christian. There's no conflict between the two, but for some reason they lived slightly apart. We stayed in the house of another headman; Pooh's treks rotate the stays among different houses, and the host family gets paid for the use of their room. We all slept on the floor in the same room- on tatami mats and under mosquito nets. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before dinner, we went on a "loop hike" where we learned about the crops and the forest. Around the village there are 2 "rings" of land; one for crops and the next is forest, where only selective cutting is allowed- obtaining material to build a house, for example. The agricultural style of this particular village- and others in the area- is slash and burn, which is unfortunate in terms of the air quality. We found the air, especially in the region between the village and Chiang Mai to be much worse than in the city itself. The Karen people in this area grow cabbage and pumpkins for sale, and rice, taro, vegetables and tobacco for their own consumption.

Upon our return to the village, Tee and his helpers started preparing dinner. Here comes the smoky part. I endured this one, but had to leave the room several times to get fresh air. About 14 people were gathered on the floor ( the natives sit squatting on their haunches, seemingly comfortable ) and about 6 people were smoking. Do your lungs hurt and your eyes water just thinking about it? Fortunately, our meal was served in the room in which we would sleep. Again- on the floor. There is not a stick of furniture in any of the houses. Clothing is hung over a line like a clothesline, and a few items are stored on makeshift shelves. A tattered picture of the king and queen of Thailand is tacked on the wall (typical). We had chopsticks to eat with; the guides and family ate with their fingers from communal bowls. After dinner people gathered again in the "fire/smoke" room for socializing. They passed around rice wine (made in the village); this actually happened nearly every time we convened. We generally refused after one small glass, but it would have been possible to get quite drunk, I think. Bedtime was about 11:00 for us; I don't think the "party" broke up until after midnight.

Sleeping was fitful, to say the least. The roosters started crowing at about 3:00am and other noises followed. By 7:00 or so, we heard dogs barking, cowbells, chatter, and the thump thump sound of the wooden contraption they use to separate the hull from the rice in preparation for eating. It was rather delightful, actually, to hear all these morning sounds in lieu of traffic noise. By now, the children had lost much of their shyness and appeared in groups at our door and on the porch. We spent some time with the children and wandering the village, before saying "ta Blu..." to our hosts and moving on. Our trek took us through another village about a mile away. This village houses just 17 families, and the children go to school in the Poe village. The second village I found to bit a bit more picturesque; there were a few attempts to personalize some of the homes, and maybe the smaller size just made it seem more cozy. We spent about an hour here, at the home of the Shaman. Tee clearly has a great relationship with all these people; he speaks the Karen language, as well as Thai, and quite good English.

The next day, we hiked for about 4 hours; this time the forest merged with a "light" jungle. Most of our hike followed a river, and by now there were 8 "guides", as we were joined by some village teenagers who carried some of the communal gear. The young people, and one older villager who was known as the fishing expert, fished all along the way, both "by hand" and by throwing out a net with weights attached. They also gathered bamboo, from which they later fashioned almost all of the cooking vessels, serving utensils and cups. That night's "accommodations" were in a bamboo shelter built specifically for Pooh's treks. It was on a river with waterfalls, and we were able to bathe. Felt great.

After another pretty much sleepless night, and a lingering breakfast, we hiked up the river, mostly in the river, actually, and along the bank. We had to do this in sandals, as we were in the water so much of the time. As we took tentative, and occasional bumbling, steps, the villages kept a quick and graceful pace in their flipflops- and sometimes barefoot. Our hike took us through a "bat cave" where they guided us with bamboo torches they had made. Not a lot of bats at this time of year, but we did see a big green viper, fortunately on the other side of the river.

After a steady and taxing uphill climb, we arrived at another village where our truck was waiting. This time they piled 16 of us into an old half ton pickup! Let's see- conservatively 14 people would weigh almost a ton, right? We bounced down a dirt road for about 40 minutes. By now, our truck with the benches looked pretty good! It was waiting at the same roadside restaurant/store where we had lunched a couple days before. We had a celebratory beer, and offered to buy beer for each of the guides. Instead they elected to spend their "gift" on a treat for their families- packages of crackers, etc. That was a lesson in itself about these people; we mused upon our own selfishness, as each of us had to admit that if we were in their position, it probably would not have occurred to us to think of the family first.

There's so much more I could tell; our heads are spinning with all we saw and heard. I hope I was able to convey what a special experience this was to actually step into the lives of people living lives so VERY foreign to us.

Today is a catchup and relax day. Tomorrow Jed will be attending a Thai cooking class while I put some miles on my shoes checking out temples and just seeing what I can see. Wednesday am we plan to take off for the next leg of our journey- Laos.

To our hiking buddies: Jed and I couldn't outpace the guides, but we kicked butt on our younger companions. A highlight for us was when Ouan, who is a bit out of shape and slower than the other guides, said "Papa, Mama very strong!"

Over and out.....

Layne