Notre vie en Thaïlande

Headed back to the floating restaurants overlooking the Tribal Museum - always a total hit with anyone you take there. Crowded as usual with locals, music playing, great ambience; its a magic spot! We then headed to dinner at the Thai style restos down near Chiang Mai Pratu - things on the menu looked good so we ordered for 5 (we were 3) much to the dismay of the waitress - great food, the place is right next to the markets. Grabbed the bill............125THB (ie just a tick over $4 Oz!).

Headed towards Thaepae Gate & stopped for the fish foot massage. You could hear the screams & laughter from Moana & Emilia as the thousands of fish swarmed over their feet....we all know that Moana is loud but this really took the cake - out of control!

Headed to the Rooftop for a beer - still a very 'cool' spot. Then down Loi Kroh to show Moana where Marc had been beseiged by girls, a quick tour through the Night Bazaar then home.

Tomorrow we're off out through the remote mountains out past Mae Rim, past Samoeng to Pong Khaow, its isolated hot springs, a 2 hour massage & lunch before heading home down past an Hmong hill-tribe area.

What a magnificent outing it is to ride, each on a motorbike, out through Jae Sorn & down through Mae Kampong; indeed it was the 2nd time for me in only a week! 

We headed off at 7am to catch the early rays of sun & to participate in taak-baat. Its a (very) steep climb to Jae Sorn but well worth it for the vista - the wonderful mountain scenery, the chance to pass through relatively isolated true Thai villages, to see the buffalo worked rice fields half gold, half green depending on the stage of the growth of the rice.
There's little traffic - not surprising when one sees at one point a roadway TOTALLY collapsed, washed away by heavy rains, falling away hundreds of metres, both sides, below you. Jae Sorn is 1300m above sea level (Chiang Mai 300m). Despite the best planning, towards the top of the ride, at around 1400m, we rode through thick fog -invigorating but freezing! How good was to arrive at the beautiful National Park of Jae Sorn, to plunge into the warm hot springs before settling down for a wonderful 2 hour massage!

Back on the road, a 'wild ride' from the national park, down steep declinds, across roadside streams, past waterfalls, through huge trees (one tree had actually fallen across the road necessitating we carry the bikes over the fallen tree with the help of some by-chance passers by blocked in their car), down to the wonderful village of Mae Kampong. MK is an eco village built over 3 levels rising up against the mountains. An ancient opium growing area now thriving on its natural beauty. Absolutely brilliant wooden architecture, good restos, blazing fireplaces......just a great overall ambience.

We took 11 hours to complete the trip & loved every moment (as well as the Guiness at the pub upon our return!)

SUKHOTHAI/LOY KRATHONG
Jae Sorn is a 'good workout' but nothing could stop us heading off to Sukhothai the next day for Loy Krathong. Sukhothai (Rising of Happiness) was Siam's (Thailand's) first capital, around 50sq klms of fabulous architecture & religious art, absolutely mind boggling remnants from the 13th century. It was in Sukhothai that Loy Krathong first started.

LK in Sukhothai is so good one can well understand the desire of so many Asian countries to now conduct their own LK ceremonies, especially Yi Peng or the launching of huge lit lanterns! The event runs for 4 days, 5.30am to after mid-night. There's just so much to do. The Thais are there en masse to celebrate their culture.

We came for the finale on day 4, in particular to witness the absolutely brilliant light & sound performance at Wat Mahathat, the floating krathong ceremony & traditional firework display on Tra Pang Tra Khon. This whole experience is beyond words (even for me!). Its said a picture paints a thousand words, so I feel compelled to post some photos to do justice to this most wonderful, most spectacular of events.  Myriama is adament - this is THE best ceremony she has ever witnessed (& that is a HUGE call after the Heiva in Tahiti). This one can blow you away, reduce you to tears, leave you gob-smacked!!!

I have just returned from a couple of days with a Karen hilltribe out past Wat Chan; a trip offering unique insight into the daily life of the Karen, their culture & aspirations.

We drove up with Chi, a Karen driven by his pride to be Karen & his desire to reinstill such pride in his tribe through a 'renewal' of Karen tradition & culture. He is at the forefront of the maintenance of traditional Karen music & instruments. He got his love for such music through his father & it was great to see them singing & playing together with Chi's wife. Chi is also currently negotiating at the villlage, local & national government levels to have certain areas in his village set aside for 'birth' & 'death' forrests. Briefly, when a Karen child is born, the umbilical cord is washed & placed in a bamboo container & then attached to a particular tree in a particular forrest in the belief that the strongest trees give the baby the strongest life. It is also said that a person's spirit always remains in the village despite whatever travels it may undertake. At death the bones of Karens are buried with trees, fruit & flowers being planted over them the ensure they have plenty in the next life.

We moved throughout the village, at one time stopping in the home of a Karen woman to watch her weaving then hand-sowing the textiles for which the Karen are famous, on this occassion decorating with seeds this particular group of the Karen (the Sgaw) use.

We stayed with Chi's parents, the Karen are a very warm & welcoming people. Chi's father taught English in the villge for almost 40 years. He has a degree in English from all that time ago. He rarely has the chance to speak with native english speakers & was very happy to have the chance to brush up on the linguistics.

Home centred around a traditional Karen house - a wood & bamboo structure consisting of a porch with floor level sink, then a single room with a central fire for cooking. It burns all day & (salt-flavoured) tea is always on hand. Chi's mother, a quiet & reserved woman, a wonderful woman, seems to cook all day for all & sundry. Everything is done at floor level; no tables & chairs. All meals take place here with all the family present. Visitors eat first with the father of the house followed by all others present. Meals were typically Karen - rice based dishes accompanied by bamboo shoots, pumpkin leaves or flowers, beans & other vegetables, some pork, chili....& salty tea. At breakfast we had rice with a pumpkin sauce.

This 'hut' is the focal point. A 'standard' home has been constructed alongside. Guests all slept down stairs; the Karen have a particularly strong set of moral values. You sleep on the floor or a bed with a mattress as good as the floor! The place has all the 'practicalities' one would expect - pigs out the back, outside loo, fruit & vegies growing all about the place, chickens all around, cat, dogs, no hot water, COLD 'bath' at night by bucket, tons of cut wood stored for the cold winter nights. It was interesting wandering about the dirt roads of the village to see traditionally clad woman pounding rice in the backyard using ancient foot driven pounders, & to see water buffalo yarded under the teak houses.

The village is situated at almost 1000m above sea level so the nights are 'refreshing'. Its a beautiful setting - rolling hills, big natural pine forrests, scenic rice paddies  & a pleasant outlook. The Karen are known for their care of their green enviroment & this is the first village I've seen decorated with many colourful trees, hedges & flowers; usually hill-tribes are too busy in the fields to have time for such matters. With the road from Pai to Wat Chan just sealed (from the Samoeng side its a muddy slide through the wild) the area is set to boom; it's already booming with land prices recently doubling. The Karen are understandably upset as the amounts now commanded for land are beyond their means & other tribes are moving in via 'farang' with whom they've 'hooked up'. Disturbingly, I actually spoke with one such 'farang', a guy from Hawaii, who told me he 'couldn't give 2 hoots about locals & their traditions'.

An interesting paradox to end. Chi married the daughter of the village (Karen) Baptist minister. The Karen believe they are god's first born & will be returned to their rightful position when they are given back god's book which they 'lost' many centuries before. The book is to be returned by the white man representing the third born of the family!

We headed off from Chiang Mai shortly after sunrise so as to witness the monks floating by in lines determined by superiority for taak-baat (their morning food offerings from believers); a daily ceremony that continues to leave us intrigued & moved.

Northward bound through Chiang Rai, on up to Doi Tung. I'd established a good contact when we visited the Royal Villa & gardens, a 'girl from the mountains' whose family had migrated from Burma several generations ago. Through her I'd been able to determine which Akha villlage was our preferred destination & in turn she'd been liaising with the tribal headman & village priest to ascertain when their Swing Ceremony would take place, to ensure we were welcome to attend.

The area where we were headed is along the actual border between Thailand & Burma. The road one takes is steep, narrow & very windy & incredibly spectacular. Little used, it weaves in & out of the two countries. At times one passes through 'border controls' where armed forces from Thailand look across over armed military from Burma & visa versa. This is the very area/region where the Shan Independance Army is currently fighting the Burmese Army, fighting which has led in recent days only to 30,000 refugees fleeing over the Chinese border. The illegal trafficing of amphetamines is another problem.

We were heading to the Phamee Akha, a village in THE most amazing setting high up in the limestone cliffs looking out over the fertile plains of Chiang Rai province. Arriving to find the older men of the village finalising the installation of the swing, with the ceremonies to start later in the day, we headed to Phahee Village, somewhat higher up the mountain but in an equaly impressive setting......understand, one doesn't even know these places exist until you are  'up there'!

There are 2 dominant landmarks/symbols in an Akha village - the Sacred Gate & the 'Swing'. The Swing Ceremony is unique to the Akha tribe. It falls each year in either August or September varying from village to village depending on when a particular village will harvest its rice. Determined by the village priest such flexibility in dates seems also to ensure that Akha boys, dressed in all their refinery, can move between villages to see the girls from other villages!

The Swing Ceremony is a sacred thanksgiving ritual & form of ancestral worship. Through the ceremony & its associated merry-making, feasting, singing & dancing, the Akha show respect & gratitude to their ancestors, who, in turn, give well-being, welfare & crop abundance to their descendants. The ceremony marks the tribes contact with god, a particular moment in the growing of their rice-fields, a prayer for rain & a subsequent good harvest, & the 'rite of passage' for Akha girls passing into womanhood. Its this later component that makes the ceremony so very spectacular - the girls of the village come dressed in the MOST amazing & colourful of hand-made/hand embroided clothing/costumes. Indigo dyed cotton cloth jackets skirts & 'leg wraps' are embroided in intricate patterns of every possible distictive colour. The most ornate of headware made from silver (they weigh around 5kls each) & colourful beads adorn their heads. Its mind-blowing!  The girls laugh their heads off as they launch each other off on this HUGE swing, individually, in pairs, seated, standing.......The swing is set to encapture the brilliant view & setting amidst the limestone karsts - participants are launched with the swing rising to where they surely feel they are flying miles above the earth.

I'll leave it there & let the photos (to follow) do the talking. This is UNBELIEVABLE!