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Kids in school
This is where Denise visited.We flew from Singapore to Bangkok on the 4th of November and a few hours later we picked up the night train to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. We headed up this way as Chiang Mai is becoming known as the cultural/bohemian centre of Thailand and also because we had booked ourselves onto a conference (The Effects of Globalisation on Minority Peoples in South East Asia).
We thought it was going to be cooler in the North but it was still about 32 degrees (90) most days. We went on a study field trip for 4 days visiting the hill tribes and staying with local people. We split into different groups, Denise went with the group looking at local education and indigenous knowledge and I went with the group looking at arts and crafts and eco-tourism. My group had to fly further north to a lovely little town with a lake and temples, called Mae Hong Son, which is close to the Myanmar (Burma) border. This is in the Golden 'Triangle', where opium is grown at the borders of 3 countries (Laos, Thailand and Myanmar). The villagers who used to grow poppies have had to substitute them for
Denise in village hut
Undergoing a welcoming ritual prior to eating. more legal crops, like rice and coffee. So now they're all high on caffeine. The village I stayed in the first night was a Karen tribe who have converted to Christianity (the whole village converted), they were previously animists (believing in spirits and ancestral worship). They converted about 14 years ago after a missionary visited. Many Karen villages have converted as they had a legend that their language was written down on a parchment that was lost, at the same time a black brother had a silver book and a white brother a golden book (which were not lost) and that one day they would return. When the missionaries (white) turned up with the Holy Bible they believed this was their salvation. The missionaries must have thought their dreams had come true!
The second village I stayed in was a Shan tribe who are Buddhist. They have an amazing knowledge of local herbs, vegetables and crops. Everything grows in the jungle and is there if you know where to look for it. They even had their own brick-built aromatherapy sauna where people can go to recuperate if they are a bit under the weather! They have a bamboo pipe
View from an Elephant!
This photo was taken from the top of an elephant as it tramped its way through the jungle, about an hour's drive from Chiang Mai. which leads to a large pot outside the building under which is a log fire which heats a concoction of local herbs to boiling point, the steam and the aroma feeds into the sauna. Every village should have one!
Denise says:
It was a wonderful cultural experience in Chiang Mai. The people are so wonderful; calm, dignified and respectful of tourists (sounds like I'm making a comparison there!). There are night markets with wonderful artisan wares, numerous Thai massage outlets (all above board!)and exquisite, tasty, healthy food. One day we went on a day trip; we rode on a elephant and a river raft as well as trekked to visit one of the hill tribes. Later we both had a foot massage.
Challenging words for day:
"By all means give those in need your last crust, those very few that do are worthy - but the greater morality is to prevent the need in the first place."
I made most of that up with a little help from Frank Dobson
I'm way down on the morality ladder!
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