Advertisement
Published: June 24th 2015
Edit Blog Post
Thai Jungle, Five tourists and an ex Burmese rebel
Having anticipated a relatively easy stroll along a well trodden path I was quite surprised to find myself pushing my way through waist high grass following the porter in front, vigorously cutting down bamboo with a machete. We trekked along slanted narrow paths and up steep verges, having to be careful not to accidentally tread on crumbling rocks. We walked on blissfully unaware that we had trodden over a green vermont snake camouflaged on the pathway. Our guide eagerly called us back to have a look and quickly informed us that its bite is so poisonous it would kill you in a matter of hours if left untreated!
We stopped at a gushing 50 metre high waterfall for lunch consisting of pork mince, sticky rice and fish skewers served on bamboo leaves for plates. We ate with our hands like the locals, occasionally stopping to peel off the leeches that had firmly sucked themselves to our socks and the the insides of our boots.
We passed many fields that previously harvested the poppy seed plant used to produce opium. In order to eliminate opium exportation the Thai government began
a scheme to incentivise the tribes to farm alternative crops such as rice, corn and garlic. Unfortunately, as well as smuggling drugs, many of the farmers became addicted to opium from a young age. Aek, pronounced Ick - our tour guide, explained that as a result of the drugs ban, many have turned to alcohol as a substitute, including our porter, who had one too many drinks at dinner and had to be sent home!
After hiking for a solid 6 hours an opening appeared through the thick jungle terrain overlooking the vast mountains over the Burmese border. In the distance we could see our final destination, a minute village of bamboo huts, inhabited by the five families from the nomadic red Lahu tribe. Like many other hill tribes in northern Thailand, they are refugees who have fled over the border from Burma. They live a nomadic existence, building their houses from bamboo and living off the land with very little support from the Thai government.
After a quick break at a jungle opening, we mustered up the strength for the last leg of the journey, heading towards the orange glow of the mountains illuminated by the sunset
ahead.
We successfully made it to the home stay to be greeted by twenty or so pigs and an equal number of chickens running freely around the yard. Using my walking stick as a defence mechanism I hastily made it to the safety of the bamboo hut. There was some time to relax and take an optional rainwater shower from the communal outside bucket facing the neighbouring house...
There is no electricity supply to the village so we ate dinner by candlelight while Aek told us stories about his past fighting in the Burmese rebel army against the Burmese government. During the conflict, the Chinese educated the Burmese rebels in communism in exchange for weapons so Aek and his comrades trekked for 3 months over the northern mountains into China. Later, during a trip across the Thai border on a drug smuggling mission in exchange for guns, he got caught up in fighting and had to walk with shrapnel embedded in his leg for three weeks until he reached a hospital in Chiang Mai.
Now in Thailand he was arrested but opportunistically used the time to learn Thai and English, resulting in him being granted citizenship by
the Thai government.
At the age of 65 he works as a tour guide to be able to support his two children who are attending university in Thailand.
We were briskly awoken at 5.30am to the piercing morning calls of the cockerels and pigs through the thin floorboards beneath us. The family get up early in order to get their work in the fields finished before the midday heat. Out in the yard one of the women was sifting rice seeds on a round bamboo container to select those to grow for the next crop.
We departed for our second day of trekking, stopping at the rice fields to see the home stay family sewing the rice seeds. The men would dig a small hole using a metal spade attached to a long piece of bamboo to provide a rhythmic leverage, followed by the women dropping a handful of grains into each hole.
The hill tribes rely on the natural resources available to them in the jungle. Aek showed us how to use leaves to make clothing dye and how to cut and twist bark from a tree to make rope. The final product was surprisingly strong
and would commonly be used by the hill tribes to tie up their cattle.
He also explained the different stages of bamboo growth and that the optimal time to cut it down is December when the sugar levels are at their lowest - reducing the threat of insect damage.
The second day of trekking was less strenuous allowing us to spend more time absorbing the fresh smells, vibrant colours and sounds of the jungle.
We reached the road by foot and drove to another Lisu village, now supported by the government. Unlike the village we stayed the previous night in, these Burmese refugees now have Thai citizenship papers and are entitled to free schools and medical care. The government have built them accessible roads and supplied them with electricity to ensure they no longer remain nomadic.
In the Lisu goverment village we visited a house with garlic hanging from the ceiling to dry for sale and, more bizarrely, a pre-made coffin in the corner of the main room for when the elder mother dies!
Returning to the bustling hippie town of Pai was a vast contrast to the absoluteness of the mountains we had left behind
in the morning.
As promised, the tour had been a challenging but authentic experience. Aek had enthusiastically shared many of his stories and knowledge of the jungle's fauna and flora, leaving us feeling intrigued by other cultures we were yet to encounter.
We left Pai and headed back to Chiang Mai on a rented motorbike, to avoid a repeat of the travel sickness I had on the way up!
Next stop Taiwan!
href="https://www.claritycounsellingnorthernbeaches.com/">https://www.claritycounsellingnorthernbeaches.com
Advertisement
Tot: 0.106s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 42; dbt: 0.042s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb