Hill Tribe Trek: A night with the Akha

March 20

The five of us (Josie, Mark, Emily, Dad and I) got up early to meet our tour guide, Poo, and get on the road to begin our 2 day/1 night expedition into the mountains of Chiang Rai complete with a homestay with the Akha Hill Tribe people! I couldn't wait as our songteaw (pick up truck with benches and roof) pulled out and began the winding course up the mountains.

Our first stop was at an Oolong tea plantation on Doi Mae Salong. We were seated at a counter and got to try some of the different teas produced at the plantation and learn about the differences between them. The area we were in was part of the opium trade back in the day and as a way for the refugees who lived on this land to stay in Thailand without being deported they were made to quit farming poppies and were taught the ways of tea cultivation. We learned that some teas are made from baby tea leaves and are harvest every 3 months or so while others are left to grow longer and cultivated less often. It's an amazing setting looking out upon row after row of tea plants stretching to the bases of the surrounding mountains.

We stopped for lunch in Sanctikili, a small town made up entirely of Chinese refugees from the Yunnan provice. We were treated to a traditional Yunanese lunch consisting of various noodle dishes, pickled veggies and soups as well as some dried/candied fruit which we bought by the kilo from a smiling old woman. After lunch we headed to the highligh of the trip: the Akha village where we would spend the rest of the day/night and the next day.

We were greeted by Acha, our dad for the trip along with Milu, our sister, and Chai (Acha's nephew) would would serve as our local guide. The company we went on the tour with works hard to get the locals in these villages involved in the toursim (ie having them assist with the tours) rather than exploiting them like many organizations do. On our first walk through the village we ran into Bupay, our host mom, dressed in traditional Akha garb with a big smile (her teeth covered in a red juice from the Betle nut which is supposed to be good for your teeth--but makes it look like your mouth is bleeding!) The village was small and fairly simple: wooden shacks linked by dirt trails, smiling and curious people going about their daily chores, chickens running amock, etc. Our house was pretty nice with wooden boards on the floor and walls and a few rooms. The kitchen was off to the left and across the hall were the bedrooms/living room. Out back was deck made of thick grass that somehow managed to hold all of our weight even without dropping us to the ground below. There was an interesting parallel between their traditions and the modern world as we took note of the many satellite dishes installed on the straw roofs of the homes. At first you kind of think it takes away from the experience seeing these modern amentities, but after a night with these people you come to the realization that just because they have these things doesn't mean they lose their identities as Akha people (more on that later).

After the tour we spent some time at our new home talking and learning more about their lives. Then we got to spend some time working on traditional handicrafts--Acha showed us how to make wood carvings while Bupay taught the girls how to make bracelets with beads made from seeds they find in the hills/river. Chai invited us to go play Takal with some of the local guys and, having never tried it before, we agreed happily. It turned out to be one of the hardest games I've ever tried. We played 3 vs. 3 and it consists of bascially getting a small woven ball over a badminton size net. It has rules similar to volleyball only you can't use your hands-and what do you naturally want to use when the other team has just roundhouse kicked at a ball at your face? Yes, correct, you want to use your hands! Needless to say we had a great time and I only got kicked in the head once (Chai was yelling 'Boi Boi Boi' as the ball was coming over the net and not knowing that this was the word for 'move' in Akha I thought he was telling me, 'Boy,' to get the ball. Anyway he went up for a full body windmill kick complete with backflip only to be stopped mid rotation by my head and we both ended up laughing, and a bit disoriented, on the ground.)

Dinner proved to be a feast as they pulled out all the stops for us (endless bowls of veggies, chicken and mountain rice--they they grew!). We were all being polite at first and taking little bits of each only to realize we had better get it while it was there because Acha and Bupay were wolfing it down; Emily and I started laughing hysterically as we watched our house mom lean back in her chair without batting an eye and let our a hearty belch. After dinner the whole family and some of the extended family was there and we spent a couple hours just sitting around talking. We learned about their customs and they asked us about America (they were floored by the fact that we have rice that is black and grows in the wild while they work so hard to grow their rice in terraces on the sides of near vertical mountains). We were able to communicate fairly well Chai (who gave us his thoughts on his future and how they perceive love) and Milu (who were both around my age and had learned English in school/from working). To talk to our host parents we had to speak in English to Poo who spoke in Thai to Milu who repeated what was said in Akha.

It was really an amazing experience seeing how much you could understand someone through just body language and facial expressions even before the coversation had been completely translated. I can't imagine a more genuine and sincere group of people who welcomed these strangers into their homes and tried so hard to make our stay comfortable. It was sad to learn that a lot of times they feel like 'animals' (is the word they used) as tour groups come traipsing through the village to see the 'hill tribes' in their costumes and take pictures before leaving after 20 minutes. At the same time it was so cool to see how happy they were that we would take the time to get to know them and learn about them. What an adventure.

We were more than ready to crawl into our mosquito net tent in the living room and under our thick blankets when it was time for bed. It was such a nice change to sleep with windows open and have it be chilly instead of the heat and humidity of southern Thailand and, despite the multiple sets of alarm clocks (aka the roosters below our floorboards outside crowing at 3am, 4am, 5 am and 6 am) we slept really well.

Chiang Rai

March 19

We arrived early to Chiang Rai after surviving the pinball ride that was our overnight bus. It's always an adventure when you are roused from your slumber by sounds of falling luggage and the elbow of the person next to you in your side as you are being slammed into the aisle while flying around a midnight mountain switchback. Nevertheless, we roused our bruised and tired bodies and made our way to Baan Bua which was a quaint little guesthouse in the city and had some breakfast.

Our first stop of the day was to Wat Rohn Kuhn (White Temple) a little outside of Chiang Rai. We were (per usual) the only foreigners on the local bus and had some fun trying to describe where we wanted to be let off--thankfully the bus lady helped us out (once she found out we could speak a little Thai she warmed right up to us and was chattering away as though we were fluent). We were greeted by the beautiful gleaming White Temple which is really unlike the rest of the temples in Thailand. Yes, it is still big and guady and over the top, but there is something about its stark whiteness and glistening mirrored tiles that is sort of magical. However, it is also very strange. It's supposed to represent the equivalent of heaven in it's purity and use of white, but as you walk up to it you cross over a bridge surrounded by sculpted hands (apparently reaching out from the underworld--which represent temptation). The highlight is probably the one hand that has it's middle finger painted red amongst the sea of white. Inside the temple (unfortunately you can't take pictures) is a modern depiction of the transition from the underworld to the enlightened one. I say modern because the muraled walls have images of Spiderman, Neo from the Matrix, cell phones, Star Wars, etc. My only guess is it symbolizes the evils of the world coupled with the 'superheroes' who are trying to defeat them? Strange, but beautiful and interesting. The complex itself is also unbelievable as it won'tbe completed for another 50 or so years; it's crazy to think that the person who started this project won't even be alive to witness its full completion!

Our next stop was to Baan Si Duhm (the Black House) which was created by a friend of the White Temple creator and is a little less unknown. At first I thought it was the weirdest place on Earth, but the more time we spent there the more peaceful and interesting it became. It was sort of like an artist's commune in that there were art installations littered about the grounds inside various black houses, shrines and domes in addition to the many artists who were working on various projects at the time. There was a series of 3 dome structures that had bizarre animal skins/furs/skeletons and furniture made from horns and wood, but were designed with the most incredible acoustics. You could hum a single note and the reverberations echoing from the walls literally enveloped you in a sea of overtones--in laymen's terms: it was awesome!

After our trek around Chiang Rai we made our way to the Night Bazaar for some bartering and some good eats before heading off to bed--how nice it was to have a bed after sleeping on a bus all night!

ANGKOR WAT (Day 2)

March 17 & 18

Today we had a much needed later start to our day as we headed back to some of the less visited ruins. Tanat took us first to Phrea Khan where we explored another perfectly symmetrical temple where part of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was actually filmed! Next was Neak Pean, which was interesting as during the rainy season it becomes an island, but you can walk to it when the weather is dry. Our last two stops were Ta Som and East Bayon (a less impressive version of the Bayon we saw yesterday. At this point we were all pretty much ‘ruined’ out and decided to head back to soak up some sun and chlorine. Looking back it is so fascinating to think of how many different people and different rulers there were over the time of the Khmer era and how they continued to build and change and redevelop the Angkor area. What else, the fact that it sort of sunk into local legend for a few hundred years until someone randomly decided to explore it and start its restoration. How does something that huge just disappear into the vines of the jungle?

After some afternoon R/R we went to dinner and saw some traditional Cambodian Apsara dancing. Dad went back the guesthouse while Josie, Mark and I went to explore the night market a little. After some professional bartering we walked away with some cool souvenirs and decided to cap the night with a $3 foot massage. It turned out to be a hilarious experience as the girls massaging our feet were all 18 and giggled the entire time all the while pointing out how white our skin was.

We got up on the 18th and made our way from Cambodia to Northern Thailand via multiple modes of transport. 1st a taxi back to the border, then a bus to Bangkok and then an overnight bus from BKK to Chiang Rai. I gotta hand it to you Dad, not many parents would be up for an overnight bus, let alone enjoy it!

ANGKOR WAT (Day 1)

March 16
Tanat greeted us right on time with our tuk tuks in the morning (Dad and I in one, Josie and Mark in the other) and we set off to see one of the wonders of the world: Angkor Wat. I’ve actually been counting down the days ‘til I got to see this place and it really didn’t disappoint We started the day with Angkor Wat itself which is indescribable. It is this expansive, beautiful, symmetrical, architectural phenomenon surrounded by kilometers of moat and dense jungle. It’s made stone and the lower level walls are covered in bas relief carvings depicting various Hindu and Buddhist lore (depending on who was ruling the kingdom at the time). Its endless column-lined hallways are designed in such a way that you can look down one and see the light at the end of the tunnel over a km away. You continue across a massive courtyard with a central promenade that leads you to the inner temple. As you approach it looks like 3 peaks all next to each other, but up close you realize that there are actually 5 peaks (4 corners and 1 higher middle peak) that are spaced out in perfect symmetry giving it the illusion of a straight line until you see it’s actual depth. Sorry if you’re completely lost, but it’s a really difficult thing to explain without actually seeing it—pictures don’t really even do it justice as they don’t capture the depth and are fooled into falling for the ‘straight line’ illusion. How a civilization could build something like this by hand without modern technology and in only 47 years will forever boggle my mind.

After a couple hours we sweatily hopped in the tuk tuk to Prah Thom, a temple literally overtaken by the jungle. You had to crawl over tree roots and ruins as you made your way, imagining the whole way what life must have been like when this place was at its peak.
After lunch we made climbed the steep steps of Ta Keo and went to explore Angkor Thom (the center of Khmer civilization before Angkor Wat). At Angkor Thom we climbed on the Terrace of Elephants, hiked up the remains of the old palace of Baphuon and ended up at Bayon. Bayon is one of the more unique buildings in the complex as its beautiful spires are carved with face after face of Buddha. At this point in the day we were all getting a little loopy/delusional having been dehydrated under the beating sun, but we decided to soldier on and make it through the whole day (as it would have been an insane amount of $$ to go back to the hotel and come back). It was seriously so hot that we drank four 1.5liter bottles of water each and never went to the bathroom once AND were still thirsty. Good thing there was no shortage of water though as in front of every temple there were hordes of people screaming at you to buy from them: “Meeestaa, Laddyyy you want some dlink? some wataaa? my wataaa cold! good plice fo you!!”

The last stop was the hill of Phnom Bekang for a view of the sunset over the ruins, which turned out to be kind of a wash. Due to burning season there was a haze over the sky which blocked what would have otherwise been a nice sunset, but it was all worth it to watch the throngs of Asians literally fighting and pushing each other out of the way to get a photo of the lackluster sight. It was hysterical as people were making shape with their hands around the sun, pretending to hold the sun up as though it were Simba in the Lion King and one pair even acted as the Person A was dropping the sun into Person B’s mouth. Yes, definitely worth it. A haggard bunch, we hopped into the pool upon arrival back at the guesthouse, gorged ourselves on some amazing kebabs for dinner and fell asleep before the lights were out.

SCAM-bodia

March 15
530am came all too fast and up we were to check out! We met Josie and her boyfriend Mark down in the lobby (they came to the hotel last night) and headed to the train station (which luckily was right across the street from our hotel). Sleepily we slumped into our seats and headed off into the countryside. The train ride wasn’t half bad—only about 5 hrs— and it’s always nice to see parts of the country you haven’t been to before. The only frustrating thing was that this time of year is burning season in Thailand (aka the farmers burn down their land in order to prep the soil for the coming wet season/planting) which means that as you’re cruising through the fields you are getting enveloped in clouds of ash—it was reminiscent of the burning of HomeTree for those of you Avatar fans out there.

Upon arrival we were hounded by tuk tuk drivers all vying for our fare to the border. We ended up choosing the wrong one and were soon the victims of a frustrating scam! We pull up to this place on the way to the border where we are greeted by ‘officials’ with visa papers, etc. I didn’t feel right about it from the start, but it all seemed kinda legit and we were here, so whatever. They then proceeded to tell us that we couldn’t use USD to pay for the visa which should have been our signal to leave, but how can you really know? Anyway, they want us to pay for the visas in Baht which is normal (as this is what Thai people have to pay in) but you end up paying more because they give you a bad exchange rate. They kept being like ‘No no you can’t use USD at the border anymore, just baht’ and then they wanted us to pay extra for a processing fee. I looked at the guy, already a bit on edge and uncomfortable, and said we would not pay more than the visa fee in baht (which was the standard fee) and that we wanted to be taken to the border now. They got all flustered, esp when I told Mark/Josie to get their money back for the processing fee they were told they had to pay, and finally after some arguing we got our visas and headed to the border. At the border Josie and Dad went inside while Mark and I waited with the tuk tuk driver and came out telling us that USD were in fact accepted and that we had been hosed. After a mixture of yelling in broken Thai and English the tuk tuk driver refused to take us back to the place where we got our visas—so we said we were writing down his info and turning it into the Tourist Police. In reality at this point there was nothing we could do except suck it up and move on and be more wary of things like this. Lesson Learned: Trust Your Gut.

Thankfully the visas we got were in fact legitimate, just more expensive than we would have liked, and we made our way through customs, accompanied by our Customs friend: Mr. Happy. Mr. Happy helped us through the process, got us all of our stamps, put us on the shuttle to the bus station and helped us get into our shared taxi to Siem Reap (our final destination). The 4 of us crammed into the cab which seemed fine until we got on the highway and realized that we were in a British style car (which is normal for us cuz they drive on the left side of the road in Thailand). However, we soon learned that they drive on the right side of the road in Cambodia, so every time our driver went to pass he had to pull all the way over into the other lane to see if he had a clear path. Poor Dad was in the front seat fearing for his life as on more than one occasion swerving or the slamming of the brakes took place. Along the way we made a stop at some little store where the driver was like okay you can get out and get something to eat, etc and we were all like oh no that’s okay we’ll just stay in here. So, he got out and then some men proceeded to spray down the car with a hose with us inside-we’re pretty sure they were trying anything to get us to buy something, but we weren’t having it, so we just waited inside, awkwardly as other tourists were seen milling around the store.

We finally made it to Siem Reap after a 2 hr drive through the dry Cambodian countryside where we were dropped at a tuk tuk stand- again being skeptics we weren’t happy that we were being left here. It turned out to be okay as we found out the taxis/tuk tuks are part of associations (sort of like a mafia) and work together to support each other and give each other business. We got a free ride to our guesthouse and then ended up working out a price with our driver to pick us up in the morning and drive us around Angkor Wat for the day. Tanei Guesthouse was really nice and most importantly had a pool which we was more than necessary in the grueling heat of this country. We headed to Pub Street for some dinner (I had a traditional Khmer dish called Amok—a coconut curry) and some 50 cent beer. Fading quickly as we’d been up since 5am we headed back for a quick swim before heading to dreamland in our a/c rooms!

The Adventure Begins

March 13-14
Alright, so like I mentioned previously I have had an incredible past 2 months filled with amazing sights, beautiful scenery and unforgettable memories. I am not sure whether or not I regret keeping up with my blog along the way, but I think it’ll serve me well as a way to remember everything that’s happened and maybe filter out some of the fluff that would inevitably lead me to writing a novel for every entry (which is still quite possible.) Anyway, I guess I’ll start from the beginning: March 13; school is over, I’ve reached enlightenment at the Buddhist retreat and I can’t wait for some travelling. Enter: Dad.

I had been trying to get my room clean and get all packed and suddenly it was time to get Dad at the airport. Danai, our neighborhood taxi driver, took me to get him and I can’t begin to explain how great it was to see a familiar face when we got there. You don’t really realize how long 5 months is until you see someone from home and then it hits you…man, I’ve been gone for a long time! Anyway I got Dad back to my apartment where we went for a walk and went to bed. It was cool to see someone else’s reaction to my home (I don’t think he ever got used to the plane engine that is my ceiling fan!) and be able to finally show what I’ve been up to.

We slept in a little the next day (after 24+ hrs of travelling that’s pretty necessary). Dad and I went to Pe Pen’s for lunch and got to meet a few of the teachers/try some of the food I eat. We gathered our things and made our way to BKK. I took Dad the way we take to get there (taxi, city bus, sky train) and away we went. The 13th marked the first day of the Red Shirt protests which we weren’t really sure what to make of, but at this point all we knew was not to wear red downtown and just be careful—easy. We dropped our stuff off at a hotel in Chinatown and took the MRT (subway) to Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is sort of an overwhelming place, but it’s definitely cool as it’s one of the world’s largest open air market. After having our fill of wares/people watching we took a brief rest by the pond in the park; it’s like a mini-green oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown BKK and for a second makes you forget about the fast-paced, horn-honking life in the city.

Feeling pretty hungry at this point we headed back to Chinatown to scope out a restaurant. We ended up at the Orchid hotel for an international buffet which was awesome! It had been a long time since I’d had pasta and the like and actually had an entire plate of bread (we don’t really get too much of that here in Thailand) We decided to head back early as we had a 555am train to Cambodia in the morning. Dad was a great sport being willing to just hop on board as far as this travelling goes (esp as he just landed less than 24 hrs ago!)

Summer Holiday Extravaganza

Mar 10-May 10

So here it is folks, what you've all been waiting for...another post from yours truly! It's been a while since I last wrote and I guess I owe that to the mayhem that the past 6 weeks have brought and the next 2-3 will bring. It's currently our summer holiday and I've been taking full advantage with some unbelievable travels/adventures. Thus far I've been to Cambodia, N. Thailand, Nepal, Vietnam and Laos and I'm looking forward to whatever else comes my way as the rest of break and the next semester unfold. Since I'm not even sure what I've been doing/what I've seen the posts might be a little sporadic as I process everything. I'm alive and well and so so so HOT, but what can ya do?