I'm Officially Done Climbing Mountains in Thailand Part 6: Ban Jabo --visit with Black Lahu Hilltribe

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Day four of my trip...time to meet the Black Lahu Hilltribe. I like the Black Lahu! What a gregarious,fun bunch! Their origens are Tibet and Western China. There are many sects and the one I visited is named after their distinct black based clothing. They are animists and have village Shamen who practice herbalsim. A 16 year old boy named 'Chiyo' was assigned to to take me on a trek. He was rather quiet and a departure from his gregarious fellow tribesmen --but I imagine this might have had something to do with being sixteen and having to take an "old lady" on a trek ha ha ha.

We started up the mountain and the going was slippery(channel the goat, Gina, channel the goat.) Little did I know this was only going to get worse. We were off to see their farms. The Lahu live at high altitudes and work the mountain sides. We climbed and climbed passing various small farm sites to finally arrive at a stunning large site. Here they were growing "mountian rice" which we know as sticky rice. Interestingly, this rice does not grow in what we know as paddies. It can grow on mountainsides and only needs the rain to survive. We took in the amazing views and listened to the sound of what sounded like primates way off in the distance. As we were getting ready to continue the trek I heard some snuffing and grunting nearby....piglets! There were pigs everywhere and this was best evidenced by how rutted up the paths were. The mud tugged at our shoes and footing was quite difficult. I felt a little better to see my teen guide was faring no better than I in this mountainside mess. As we made our way across one mountain to another, we'd startle pigs and Chiyo would make these little "pig sounds" to calm them down. He talked to many of the animals we encountered that way which was very charming. The animals seemed to respond..upset mama pigs would quiet down and just eyeball us as we passed.

After a hefty hike across mountain farms, we made our way downhill to a rice paddy where a number of villagers were working planting rice. It was time for lunch, and it of course was delish. I really liked the "chili paste" which was eaten with rice. After eating I helped to plant rice. I wanted to be productive, but honestly my main goal was not to bust my ass in the mud trying to make my way to the paddies that needed planting. Once I got my rhythm down, I got quite a bit of rice planted. My co-planters were fun and were cutting up the whole time. I'm sure they were waiting for me to bust my ass in the mud ha ha ha.

Rice planted, it was time to go see the "coffin cave." I asked where the cave was and they pointed up the mountain to a limestone face. I just assumed there was a good way to get up there.....uh huh. All I can say is it is a good thing they didn't tell me ahead of time what I was getting myself into because I would have had to pass on what ended up being a really fun, scary adventure! The way to get to the cave is a rickety stair that criss crosses across the side of the cliff. Since it was rainy season the steps were wet and the rails were rotted and useless. Between the steps were large gaps that led to sure death ha ha ha. I was shitting bricks. At one point the stairs turned into a wood ladder made from branches -- yikes! Then came the hand holds and mere climbing. I kept telling myself..."it will be worth it," and it was. These teak wood coffins are 7 feet long and are said to be 2000 years old. They were place there by one of the nomadic farm tribes, and I've heard various reports as to which one. How the hell did they get them up there is my main question.

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Photos

Black Lahu farm
Mountain rice aka sticky rice

Say Wut
Water buffalo