As I mentioned, yesterday was a pretty fantastic day. I had already decided that Muang Ngoi is a place I will always remember, for its peace, its beauty and for its people. I love the Lao people. They are some of the kindest people I’ve met in SE Asia. They don’t yell. They don’t seem vulgar in any way. If you say hello or offer a greeting they will almost always return it. They live simply and peacefully, making babies with due diligence (there are children EVERYWHERE), and the people are beautiful—men and women, adults and children. They are all beautiful, gentle people.
Muang Ngoi is just a small village on the riverside, only reachable by boat, where the generators only come on from about 7pm to 10pm. The food available depends on what they’ve received from the nearest town/market recently, and only what they can keep fresh on blocks of melting ice. Life is simple here. You come to appreciate the stillness, the silence, and the lack of electronic-associated stimuli. Last night however, something else occurred which will leave Muang Ngoi forever imprinted in my memories.
It ended up being a pretty quiet night. I think we were all pretty tired from the physical excursion of floating and tubing down the river. (Obviously, it wasn’t exhausting at all, but somehow none of us were too inclined to do much more than sit around.) Darren and I had a light, late dinner, sat around and talked with our new friend Caitlyn, and then he went to go spend some time with the boys and Caitlyn and I took the opportunity to have a little girl chat.
Once the sleep set in, I left Caitlyn to her hammock and went to begin reading the book I had just picked up (the infamous Eat, Pray, Love) while waiting for Darren to come to bed. Only three or so chapters in and Darren came back. The generators had been turned off and there was no light, anywhere. We were lying in bed in our riverside bungalow when he said, “If I asked you to marry me would you say yes?” This isn’t the first time he’s asked me a question like this and I replied, “Of course” but didn’t think much of it. So, when a moment later he said those simple words, “Will you marry me?” I almost thought he was kidding. I was taken off guard, but managed a “Yes” regardless. He told me that countless opportunities have presented themselves over the past few months (especially on the sunset beaches of Malaysia) but he didn’t ask then because he didn’t have a ring. He told me he was sorry because he still didn’t have a ring, but he couldn’t wait anymore. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t fancy. There were no bells or whistles, no candlelit dinner or moonlit walk on the beach. He didn’t get down on one knee and I don’t have the most romantic, spectacular story to tell all my friends, but it was perfect. It was as I had always imagined it. Just the two of us. Lying in bed. Happy.
So, there it is. After six years, it has finally happened—simple and just as it was always meant to. Once we’re back in the real world with an income, we’ll worry about a ring and all the other formalities. But until then, it’s official. I even double checked this morning. We’re engaged!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Up The River
Okay, so technically we went down the river before going up the river. After the Gibbon Experience Darren, myself, and our adopted Swiss Andy, all jumped into a large long-tail boat to make the infamous journey down river to Luang Prabang. It was a beautiful boat ride taking about two days (6-7 hours the first day and 7-8 hours the second day). The alternative to taking the boat is to go by bus, on roads that are not very reliable, for 16 hours. Travelling by boat on river is wonderful! It may take an extra day but it’s such a relaxing day that you can’t really complain.
After spending one night in Pak Beng, we spent one night in Luang Prabang before leaving the Mekong and taking a bus to Nong Khiaw. Now, after just arguing for the boat over a bus it seems strange that we would then take the bus instead of the boat to Nong Khiaw. We though that since the trip to Nong Khiaw is up river it would be wiser to take the bus. Always go with your first instinct. Take the boat! The bus wasn’t actually a bus, it was a sawngthaew (which literally means two rows), a pick up truck with a canopy and two benches in the back. There were approximately ten of us squished into the back of that sawngthaew. Take the boat!
Once we got to Nong Khiaw, we did eventually take the boat. We went up the Nam Ou river for about an hour to the village of Muang Ngoi. You can only get to the village by boat and it’s absolutely wonderful. All that’s really here are some locals, their guesthouses, and a monastery. It’s such a beautiful, peaceful place on the river that it’s sort of hard to leave. Although it’s been raining a lot, a covered hammock right on your front porch overlooking the river makes up for the lack of sunshine. (At this very moment, I’m laying in said hammock writing this blog and watching a lightening storm brew in the distance).
The river and the village has quite a bit to offer. Today, we took a boat up river to a couple of the minority villages. The first village seemed a little put off by our presence. It was a cheap tour and no one accompanied us into the village and so we arrived to aimlessly wander and observe. I felt a little bit like I had been dropped off at a zoo. Not because the people were like animals, but because I felt like I was imposing on their village to just watch and stare at them. While I was extremely interested in observing their culture, I usually prefer to do so by taking part in it, not just walking around staring. That being said, it was a lot of fun playing with and watching the children. There are so many kids here in Laos, especially in the villages. Kids are everywhere, and they do everything. Most of the time you’ll see six or seven year old girl with a three month old baby on her hip. Today, we also saw a nine year old girl washing laundry, including the clothes on her back. Everyone takes part. Everyone works, no matter how old or young you are. It’s astonishing and fascinating. The second village we went to is known as the “weavers” village. All the women weave their own textiles and scarves to sell to the tourists who come through their villages. Again, even the children take part in the weaving and selling to help support their community. Some of the younger kids just run around butt-naked. When we first passed the area there were a bunch of children seemingly bathing in the river. When we left that same area there were two naked boys paddling around in a canoe. Oh! To be so free! Ha ha ha!
With lots of karst mountains there are apparently a lot of caves in the area as well. After the village we took a short, albeit muddy walk to one of the local caves. The guide didn’t even seem to know how to get there and I don’t think it’s one of the more popular caves but it was pretty cool. It wasn’t a long or deep cave, but crawling down into a dark hole is definitely a little nerve racking, and the stalactites were very interesting.
Most of us made our way back down the river on tubes. It was raining (of course) and a little cold, but very relaxing. Once it stopped raining and warmed up, it was perfect. In fact, after we finished tubing, there was the biggest patch of blue sky any of us have seen in over a week. We all even got a bit of a tan! Drinking coffee and sipping beers at the cozy Riverside restaurant, watching the sun go down was the perfect way to end a pretty great day.
After spending one night in Pak Beng, we spent one night in Luang Prabang before leaving the Mekong and taking a bus to Nong Khiaw. Now, after just arguing for the boat over a bus it seems strange that we would then take the bus instead of the boat to Nong Khiaw. We though that since the trip to Nong Khiaw is up river it would be wiser to take the bus. Always go with your first instinct. Take the boat! The bus wasn’t actually a bus, it was a sawngthaew (which literally means two rows), a pick up truck with a canopy and two benches in the back. There were approximately ten of us squished into the back of that sawngthaew. Take the boat!
Once we got to Nong Khiaw, we did eventually take the boat. We went up the Nam Ou river for about an hour to the village of Muang Ngoi. You can only get to the village by boat and it’s absolutely wonderful. All that’s really here are some locals, their guesthouses, and a monastery. It’s such a beautiful, peaceful place on the river that it’s sort of hard to leave. Although it’s been raining a lot, a covered hammock right on your front porch overlooking the river makes up for the lack of sunshine. (At this very moment, I’m laying in said hammock writing this blog and watching a lightening storm brew in the distance).
The river and the village has quite a bit to offer. Today, we took a boat up river to a couple of the minority villages. The first village seemed a little put off by our presence. It was a cheap tour and no one accompanied us into the village and so we arrived to aimlessly wander and observe. I felt a little bit like I had been dropped off at a zoo. Not because the people were like animals, but because I felt like I was imposing on their village to just watch and stare at them. While I was extremely interested in observing their culture, I usually prefer to do so by taking part in it, not just walking around staring. That being said, it was a lot of fun playing with and watching the children. There are so many kids here in Laos, especially in the villages. Kids are everywhere, and they do everything. Most of the time you’ll see six or seven year old girl with a three month old baby on her hip. Today, we also saw a nine year old girl washing laundry, including the clothes on her back. Everyone takes part. Everyone works, no matter how old or young you are. It’s astonishing and fascinating. The second village we went to is known as the “weavers” village. All the women weave their own textiles and scarves to sell to the tourists who come through their villages. Again, even the children take part in the weaving and selling to help support their community. Some of the younger kids just run around butt-naked. When we first passed the area there were a bunch of children seemingly bathing in the river. When we left that same area there were two naked boys paddling around in a canoe. Oh! To be so free! Ha ha ha!
With lots of karst mountains there are apparently a lot of caves in the area as well. After the village we took a short, albeit muddy walk to one of the local caves. The guide didn’t even seem to know how to get there and I don’t think it’s one of the more popular caves but it was pretty cool. It wasn’t a long or deep cave, but crawling down into a dark hole is definitely a little nerve racking, and the stalactites were very interesting.
Most of us made our way back down the river on tubes. It was raining (of course) and a little cold, but very relaxing. Once it stopped raining and warmed up, it was perfect. In fact, after we finished tubing, there was the biggest patch of blue sky any of us have seen in over a week. We all even got a bit of a tan! Drinking coffee and sipping beers at the cozy Riverside restaurant, watching the sun go down was the perfect way to end a pretty great day.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Experience
Well, it finally happened. The long awaited and much anticipated 3 day trek including zip line and tree houses has finally occurred! Yes, the Gibbon Experience, and what an experience it was.
For those of you who haven’t already heard us talk about it time and time again, the Gibbon Experience is a jungle trek in which you trek through the jungle, on foot as well as with the use of zip lines a couple hundred meters high, and spend your nights in tree houses. We first heard of the experience from one of Darren’s friends, and though expensive, it immediately became one of the top things to do on our trip.
So. Yes. The infamous experience.
We set out around 9 in the morning after a brief safety and instructional video at the Gibbon Experience office. There, we also met up with the rest of the people to be in our group. There were ten of us in total (which is quite a bit for the low season, the max being twelve): 3 Dutch girls, 1 Australian, 1 Kiwi, 1 American, 1 Brit, and 1 Swiss (and the two of us of course). We met Andy, the Swiss, the day before and since he was travelling alone we more or less “adopted” him. All of us piled into two vehicles and made the two hour drive to the river.
There was some concern as to how far we would actually be able to drive the first day. We were told that if it rained too much and the road conditions were too poor that we could have to hike up to 11 hours to the village where we were meant to be starting. After driving on paved roads for the first two hours we didn’t think there would be any problems at all getting into the village. When we were all loaded into the truck we were taken by surprise when the truck did not continue straight on the paved road but instead turned down a very rough looking mud road towards the river. We were taken even more by surprise when the truck began to drive through the river. Ya! We suddenly began to understand why the rain could make such an impact.
Immediately following the river was another hill. We all had to get out so the truck could get up the hill, and then pile back in and continue. There were many hills, some of which looked like they had entire creeks running through them, and there were plenty of times when we didn’t think the truck could make it up. Every time the driver stopped (whether to change gears or tighten the bolts on the tires) we always thought that it meant that we had to start walking. After making it up several nerve racking hills however, we were eventually kicked out of the truck about an hour away from the village. That last hour was almost entirely downhill, but the truck had spun its tires so bad in the mud that it just couldn’t continue.
We made it to the first village relatively easily. We stocked up on a few things (snacks, beer, etc) and started our trek into the jungle and out to the tree houses. We began by crossing yet another river, but this time by foot.
May I take this opportunity to point out that every day that we’ve been in Laos, it has rained, and the Gibbon Experience is no exception. It was muddy! So! So muddy! (For the entire 3 days, all trekking consisted of routine stops to check ourselves for leeches!)
Soaking wet, we made it safely to the “kitchen” (more or less the headquarters of the Experience out in the jungle). There, we were harnessed up and told to take a picture of the map in case we got lost. We were quickly briefed on what the next few days would entailed, introduced to our guides and off again into the rain.
Our first zip!
The first zip we took was amazing. It wasn’t incredibly long but the way it was hung and what with the rain, it was quite fast. We were told to break hard. A few of us had some troubles with the breaking system. Our first zip: Auria vs. The Tree. The Tree won. For the life of me I couldn’t stop. Jaa Lee (our guide) was yelling, “Break! Break!” I gave it everything I had but it was no good. So I stuck up my feet intending to let my legs, rather than my face, absorb the impact but the tree still managed to wound me. Not badly of course. Because of all the mud on my shoes and the speed which I was travelling, as soon as my feet hit the tree the slid right off onto either side and I managed to do a decent number on my shin. Not bad but enough to draw blood. The zip itself was such a blast that my horrible landing did not defer me in the least.
I think we did one more zip after that and then one zip into our tree house. We lucked out with our tree house for sure! Because the group was so large we had to be split up into two groups—one group of four to stay at Tree House 3 (one of the older and smaller tree houses) and one group of six to stay at Tree House 7 (the newer and larger tree house). It may have been my suggestion but it also made sense; because Darren and I had adopted Andy we were a group of three, and it only made sense to put the two groups of three together and thus volunteering Darren and myself along with the other for Tree House 7.
It was beautiful! Words, and maybe even pictures, can not describe how amazing this place was. Let me start from the ground up. This tree is almost 200 meters tall. The tree house itself is probably about 150 m from the jungle floor. You zip-line into the lowest level of the tree house. To your right is a slightly crooked shoe rack. To your left is the staircase to the main level. Across from where you zip in is the washroom. I want one! The first thing you see when you walk into the bathroom is an amazing view! You’re looking out into and over the jungle and the mountains and it’s absolutely breath taking. The toilet is a squat toilet, but who cares when you have such a beautiful view. The shower is amazing and hovers over a slat-wood floor, and there is something amazingly thrilling and peaceful and rejuvenating about showering naked in clean cool water overlooking such a lush forest. (I can easily say that the shower is my favourite part of the tree house). On the main level there is a large, low table where we all eat; a small kitchenette consisting of a few shelves (built into the tree), a sink, and a fridge; two hammocks; and, two sleeping areas. We slept on two to three mats spread out on the ground with a cloth canopy/mosquito net suspended above us. And of course, there is an amazing 360 degree view of the jungle! There is also an upper level in Tree House 7 (the other tree houses only had one floor) with just enough room for a small sleeping area and a hammock. The view from the top floor was amazing but slightly obstructed by branches; that being said, it made the top floor seem a little more private and secluded. Darren and I being the only couple, we were elected to take the top floor and we had no arguments about it!
We were to spend the rest of our day just settling into our tree house and around 5pm dinner was zipped in from the kitchen nearby, along with hot water for tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. The meals were simple, but delicious and were followed by local fresh fruits and snacks.
The nights and the mornings were early. The sun went down just before seven and with no electricity it was hard to stay up very late. The six of us rigged our head lamps around the tree house and played cards until talked and laughed until about ten. Then, we all fell asleep to the sounds of frogs and crickets in the trees. Some people are bothered by the noise and say that it’s too loud, but the six of us found it rather peaceful. The following morning we woke up bright and early to the sounds of Gibbons singing off in the distance. Their calls are both eery and peaceful. They were too far away to see them but we were hopeful knowing they were in the area.
We spent that afternoon trekking and zipping over to tree house 3 (where the other group stayed) and then trekking and zipping over to tree house 5 where we met up with the other group for lunch. We were all a bit miserable and wet. I was bleeding quite a bit from my foot where a leech had clearly had a nice lunch! The rain seemed to have subsided on the way back and we all took liberties with a nice little loop of zip-lines and just kept going over and over and over again! It was so much fun. It had actually stopped raining for most of the time that we were zipping, but even when it did rain lightly, when you’re zipping, it’s all good! It’s the walk back in ankle deep mud that isn’t so great.
We were definitely wet, muddy and exhausted by the time we got back to the tree house and it was all we could do much look forward to a beautiful shower and a nice hot cup of coffee. All cleaned up and refreshed, we were served dinner, and once again spent the night playing cards and listening to the sounds of the jungle at night.
While our array of head lamps did well to light up our tree house, as you all know, lights also attract a series of bugs. The first night a very large beetle (easily the size of Twinkie) flew into my shoulder, and on this second night a very large bee flew into our tree house (probably the size of my thumb). We were all freaking out, until finally it landed on the table and we caught it under a mug… and there we left it. I had actually completely forgotten about it until I heard that in the morning our guide accidentally found it as he was tidying up for breakfast. Oops! Apparently he whacked it with a broom.
On the third day, we again woke up to the sounds of the Gibbons singing in the trees. This time, they weren’t too far away to see. With the naked eye you could only make out the movement in the trees, but thankfully, Tree House 7 came equipped with a telescope. For about a half hour we took turns watching the Gibbons swing from tree to tree and and listening to their strange calls. It was pretty amazing and was definitely the icing on the cake. Later that morning, Tree House 3 came over to Tree House 7 for breakfast. The rest of the afternoon consisted of trekking back to the rest of the world, but not before stopping to do a few rounds on the zip lines. It was so much fun, but again, I didn’t do well with the breaking system. I got into a bit of a tiff with one of the cables when I was going to fast and couldn’t stop. My clamp hit on of the bolts and caused a small cable burn on my arm (no big deal, it’s almost completely gone already).
The rest of the trip was wet of course, and we were muddy, but this made crossing the river that much more of a welcomed necessity! We all took advantage of the opportunity to wash the mud off our shoes and our legs… maybe we jinxed ourselves.
We had to walk a ways to the truck, which was all up hill and we were exhausted. The sun had come out a bit and it wasn’t too muddy… but then… then the rains came. At least half a dozen times we all had to get out of the truck and help push it up the muddied slopes. At one point, we even had to just wait until the rain stopped because there was no way the truck would make it so long as the ruts were running with water. I somehow ended up behind a tire every time I tried to push and I had mud in my hair, and my ears, on my face and all over my clothes. One of the actual creators of the Gibbon Experience (a French guy) was with our group for the trip back to Huay Xai and when we reached the river he put his pants in the boat and walked across, stripping down to his underwear as he went and taking a little bath. Covered in mud, we all thought this looked like a pretty good idea, and while we didn’t strip down, we did opt for walking across rather than taking the boat, and it felt fantastic.
In the end, we were exhausted, wet and dirty, but would do the experience again in a heartbeat. It probably would’ve been better without all the rain but the experience was definitely incomparable. The zip lining was amazing. The tree house was fantastic, and waking up to the sounds of Gibbons in the morning and watching them swing amidst the trees is priceless.
The one and only disappointment of the trip (and it’s kind of a big one) is that the video camera, which we bought expressly for the purpose of this experience, went missing no more than an hour before we left. Darren had put it down to take off his shoes and forgotten it on the lower level of the tree house. One of the girls had seen it when she zipped in the following morning and it was not there when we left an hour later. We searched the ground beneath the tree house and asked everyone in both groups. So far, the camera is still MIA. We exchanged info with the office and are hoping that once we’re back in internet territory we’ll know if they’ve found anything. Besides the fact that video is the only way to really capture the feel of the zip lining, the worst part of having lost the camera is that we had not backed up or downloaded any of our other videos. The pandas, the tigers, the beaches. All of it was still on the video camera. So sorry if words and pictures can’t do justice to the experience of flying through the trees and over the jungle. Hopefully the camera will turn up soon! (Still no word on the camera and it's been about a week!)
For those of you who haven’t already heard us talk about it time and time again, the Gibbon Experience is a jungle trek in which you trek through the jungle, on foot as well as with the use of zip lines a couple hundred meters high, and spend your nights in tree houses. We first heard of the experience from one of Darren’s friends, and though expensive, it immediately became one of the top things to do on our trip.
So. Yes. The infamous experience.
We set out around 9 in the morning after a brief safety and instructional video at the Gibbon Experience office. There, we also met up with the rest of the people to be in our group. There were ten of us in total (which is quite a bit for the low season, the max being twelve): 3 Dutch girls, 1 Australian, 1 Kiwi, 1 American, 1 Brit, and 1 Swiss (and the two of us of course). We met Andy, the Swiss, the day before and since he was travelling alone we more or less “adopted” him. All of us piled into two vehicles and made the two hour drive to the river.
There was some concern as to how far we would actually be able to drive the first day. We were told that if it rained too much and the road conditions were too poor that we could have to hike up to 11 hours to the village where we were meant to be starting. After driving on paved roads for the first two hours we didn’t think there would be any problems at all getting into the village. When we were all loaded into the truck we were taken by surprise when the truck did not continue straight on the paved road but instead turned down a very rough looking mud road towards the river. We were taken even more by surprise when the truck began to drive through the river. Ya! We suddenly began to understand why the rain could make such an impact.
Immediately following the river was another hill. We all had to get out so the truck could get up the hill, and then pile back in and continue. There were many hills, some of which looked like they had entire creeks running through them, and there were plenty of times when we didn’t think the truck could make it up. Every time the driver stopped (whether to change gears or tighten the bolts on the tires) we always thought that it meant that we had to start walking. After making it up several nerve racking hills however, we were eventually kicked out of the truck about an hour away from the village. That last hour was almost entirely downhill, but the truck had spun its tires so bad in the mud that it just couldn’t continue.
We made it to the first village relatively easily. We stocked up on a few things (snacks, beer, etc) and started our trek into the jungle and out to the tree houses. We began by crossing yet another river, but this time by foot.
May I take this opportunity to point out that every day that we’ve been in Laos, it has rained, and the Gibbon Experience is no exception. It was muddy! So! So muddy! (For the entire 3 days, all trekking consisted of routine stops to check ourselves for leeches!)
Soaking wet, we made it safely to the “kitchen” (more or less the headquarters of the Experience out in the jungle). There, we were harnessed up and told to take a picture of the map in case we got lost. We were quickly briefed on what the next few days would entailed, introduced to our guides and off again into the rain.
Our first zip!
The first zip we took was amazing. It wasn’t incredibly long but the way it was hung and what with the rain, it was quite fast. We were told to break hard. A few of us had some troubles with the breaking system. Our first zip: Auria vs. The Tree. The Tree won. For the life of me I couldn’t stop. Jaa Lee (our guide) was yelling, “Break! Break!” I gave it everything I had but it was no good. So I stuck up my feet intending to let my legs, rather than my face, absorb the impact but the tree still managed to wound me. Not badly of course. Because of all the mud on my shoes and the speed which I was travelling, as soon as my feet hit the tree the slid right off onto either side and I managed to do a decent number on my shin. Not bad but enough to draw blood. The zip itself was such a blast that my horrible landing did not defer me in the least.
I think we did one more zip after that and then one zip into our tree house. We lucked out with our tree house for sure! Because the group was so large we had to be split up into two groups—one group of four to stay at Tree House 3 (one of the older and smaller tree houses) and one group of six to stay at Tree House 7 (the newer and larger tree house). It may have been my suggestion but it also made sense; because Darren and I had adopted Andy we were a group of three, and it only made sense to put the two groups of three together and thus volunteering Darren and myself along with the other for Tree House 7.
It was beautiful! Words, and maybe even pictures, can not describe how amazing this place was. Let me start from the ground up. This tree is almost 200 meters tall. The tree house itself is probably about 150 m from the jungle floor. You zip-line into the lowest level of the tree house. To your right is a slightly crooked shoe rack. To your left is the staircase to the main level. Across from where you zip in is the washroom. I want one! The first thing you see when you walk into the bathroom is an amazing view! You’re looking out into and over the jungle and the mountains and it’s absolutely breath taking. The toilet is a squat toilet, but who cares when you have such a beautiful view. The shower is amazing and hovers over a slat-wood floor, and there is something amazingly thrilling and peaceful and rejuvenating about showering naked in clean cool water overlooking such a lush forest. (I can easily say that the shower is my favourite part of the tree house). On the main level there is a large, low table where we all eat; a small kitchenette consisting of a few shelves (built into the tree), a sink, and a fridge; two hammocks; and, two sleeping areas. We slept on two to three mats spread out on the ground with a cloth canopy/mosquito net suspended above us. And of course, there is an amazing 360 degree view of the jungle! There is also an upper level in Tree House 7 (the other tree houses only had one floor) with just enough room for a small sleeping area and a hammock. The view from the top floor was amazing but slightly obstructed by branches; that being said, it made the top floor seem a little more private and secluded. Darren and I being the only couple, we were elected to take the top floor and we had no arguments about it!
We were to spend the rest of our day just settling into our tree house and around 5pm dinner was zipped in from the kitchen nearby, along with hot water for tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. The meals were simple, but delicious and were followed by local fresh fruits and snacks.
The nights and the mornings were early. The sun went down just before seven and with no electricity it was hard to stay up very late. The six of us rigged our head lamps around the tree house and played cards until talked and laughed until about ten. Then, we all fell asleep to the sounds of frogs and crickets in the trees. Some people are bothered by the noise and say that it’s too loud, but the six of us found it rather peaceful. The following morning we woke up bright and early to the sounds of Gibbons singing off in the distance. Their calls are both eery and peaceful. They were too far away to see them but we were hopeful knowing they were in the area.
We spent that afternoon trekking and zipping over to tree house 3 (where the other group stayed) and then trekking and zipping over to tree house 5 where we met up with the other group for lunch. We were all a bit miserable and wet. I was bleeding quite a bit from my foot where a leech had clearly had a nice lunch! The rain seemed to have subsided on the way back and we all took liberties with a nice little loop of zip-lines and just kept going over and over and over again! It was so much fun. It had actually stopped raining for most of the time that we were zipping, but even when it did rain lightly, when you’re zipping, it’s all good! It’s the walk back in ankle deep mud that isn’t so great.
We were definitely wet, muddy and exhausted by the time we got back to the tree house and it was all we could do much look forward to a beautiful shower and a nice hot cup of coffee. All cleaned up and refreshed, we were served dinner, and once again spent the night playing cards and listening to the sounds of the jungle at night.
While our array of head lamps did well to light up our tree house, as you all know, lights also attract a series of bugs. The first night a very large beetle (easily the size of Twinkie) flew into my shoulder, and on this second night a very large bee flew into our tree house (probably the size of my thumb). We were all freaking out, until finally it landed on the table and we caught it under a mug… and there we left it. I had actually completely forgotten about it until I heard that in the morning our guide accidentally found it as he was tidying up for breakfast. Oops! Apparently he whacked it with a broom.
On the third day, we again woke up to the sounds of the Gibbons singing in the trees. This time, they weren’t too far away to see. With the naked eye you could only make out the movement in the trees, but thankfully, Tree House 7 came equipped with a telescope. For about a half hour we took turns watching the Gibbons swing from tree to tree and and listening to their strange calls. It was pretty amazing and was definitely the icing on the cake. Later that morning, Tree House 3 came over to Tree House 7 for breakfast. The rest of the afternoon consisted of trekking back to the rest of the world, but not before stopping to do a few rounds on the zip lines. It was so much fun, but again, I didn’t do well with the breaking system. I got into a bit of a tiff with one of the cables when I was going to fast and couldn’t stop. My clamp hit on of the bolts and caused a small cable burn on my arm (no big deal, it’s almost completely gone already).
The rest of the trip was wet of course, and we were muddy, but this made crossing the river that much more of a welcomed necessity! We all took advantage of the opportunity to wash the mud off our shoes and our legs… maybe we jinxed ourselves.
We had to walk a ways to the truck, which was all up hill and we were exhausted. The sun had come out a bit and it wasn’t too muddy… but then… then the rains came. At least half a dozen times we all had to get out of the truck and help push it up the muddied slopes. At one point, we even had to just wait until the rain stopped because there was no way the truck would make it so long as the ruts were running with water. I somehow ended up behind a tire every time I tried to push and I had mud in my hair, and my ears, on my face and all over my clothes. One of the actual creators of the Gibbon Experience (a French guy) was with our group for the trip back to Huay Xai and when we reached the river he put his pants in the boat and walked across, stripping down to his underwear as he went and taking a little bath. Covered in mud, we all thought this looked like a pretty good idea, and while we didn’t strip down, we did opt for walking across rather than taking the boat, and it felt fantastic.
In the end, we were exhausted, wet and dirty, but would do the experience again in a heartbeat. It probably would’ve been better without all the rain but the experience was definitely incomparable. The zip lining was amazing. The tree house was fantastic, and waking up to the sounds of Gibbons in the morning and watching them swing amidst the trees is priceless.
The one and only disappointment of the trip (and it’s kind of a big one) is that the video camera, which we bought expressly for the purpose of this experience, went missing no more than an hour before we left. Darren had put it down to take off his shoes and forgotten it on the lower level of the tree house. One of the girls had seen it when she zipped in the following morning and it was not there when we left an hour later. We searched the ground beneath the tree house and asked everyone in both groups. So far, the camera is still MIA. We exchanged info with the office and are hoping that once we’re back in internet territory we’ll know if they’ve found anything. Besides the fact that video is the only way to really capture the feel of the zip lining, the worst part of having lost the camera is that we had not backed up or downloaded any of our other videos. The pandas, the tigers, the beaches. All of it was still on the video camera. So sorry if words and pictures can’t do justice to the experience of flying through the trees and over the jungle. Hopefully the camera will turn up soon! (Still no word on the camera and it's been about a week!)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
"Good For Health": The Mr Whisky Real Jungle Trek
Everywhere you go in Chiang Mai there are posters and signs for jungle trekking... EVERYWHERE! Here at our guesthouse, there is an organization called "Mr Whisky Real Jungle Treks". According to the boss man who organizes and pitches the treks to each customer, the average trek consists of signing up twenty or so people, cramming them into a truck, and taking them to a more or less modernized mountain village for a night. He knows these things because he apparently was a guide for one of these establishments for many years. His purpose in creating his own company was to show people the real jungle and the real mountain villages. Because of the exposure of the other villages to tourists and their proximity to the city, they are apparently too modern and most of their traditional ways done away with. With Mr Whisky's trek, you go deep into the jungle, to the real villages, where there are no roads, no electricy, and no ammenities of any kind. It sounded like quite a sales pitch at first, but the testimonies of recent particpants convinced us to join. 3 days, 2 nights.
Our guide was a man named Saikam. Born in a Karin village in the jungle. He really is a man of nature. All of us, there were six in our group, noted that as soon as we got into the mountains he was a changed man. He was like a kid in a candy store, excited and full of energy and stimulation. The great thing about Saikam is that he was raised in the jungle, his family (wife and kids) still live in his village and he goes back as often as he can. He genuinely loves the jungle, knows everything there is to know about it and couldn't have been a better person to help us understand and learn about it as well! He told us lots of great stories and filled us with so much info I'm unable to retain it all, and he really cared about our experience! Great man!
The night before we left for the hike, Saikam met up with all of us to give us a brief outline of how we would spend our days and to gear us up and get to know us. They provided us with packs, sleeping bags, a pack list, and a machete. Yup, a machete! The blade was close to a foot long, seemingly made out of iron, and the handles made out of teek wood. We were advised to leave them in our rooms until the next day and not walk around town with them!
Well our trip started with breakfast at 6am the next morning at the guesthoust, after which we drove to a local market some 40 minutes out of town to gather supplies. From there it was probably another 30-45 minutes to a small village near the base of the mountain where the locals make whisky and snacks. Apparently most of the villagers and mountain tribes used to harvest and sell opium, but since the ban of the drug they now primarily make whisky. They make the whisky by fermenting sticky rice in massive barrels and then boiling and distilling it before bottling it. A 1 litre bottle from this "manufacturer" (by that I mean a man, his wife, and a few other ladies from the village in a small wooden shack) is 60 baht ($2). They also make various sweets, fried bananas, wafers, roasted peanuts, and harvest tobacco. The way they smoke is quite interesting. The tobacco itself looks like any regular loose tobacco you might buy, but they roll it in dried banana leaves, and EVERYBODY smokes this stuff. The guy's wife was sitting on the floor packaging sweets with a huge roll of tobacco in her mouth! Also, while in Canada a lot of people chew tobacco, they chew green tea leaves. Saikam says that a lot of people don't drink coffee, and so to stay awake for long drives and other things they stick a wad of green tea leaves in their cheeks. Coincidentally, this (like everything else) is "good for health". "Good for health" is a recurring theme during the trek.
Another hour or so into the mountains brought us to a Hmong village and a bit of rain. The Hmong people, as you might have guessed, are descendants from Mongolia and resemble a lot of the tribal people we encountered in China. Their chief industry (since opium is out) is selling "pop" (not sure how it's spelled), which is an orange fruit that tastes something like a mix between an apple and a melon. We watched some of the local ladies at work, tasted some of the goods, and then headed off to check out the traditional home of the chief of the village. If you're expecting anything fancy, you'll be disappointed; and yet, because we have no comparison, it may well have been a fancy home. It was fairly simple by our standards however. It basically consisted of two rooms, not unlike our own homes with a sleeping area and a common/kitchen area. It was no more than a wooden shack however, hardly water sealed and the floors were of dirt. The "stove" consisted of a firepit in the ground with a small wok stand over it, and a pan hanging from the sealing for drying corn and fish. There was a smoked mole above the fire as well and corn hung from all the walls. In the corner of the kitchen area was a small bamboo bed/sitting area, and for chairs we all sat on 4-5 inch high wooden stools. In the doorway hung a small piece of hornets nest to ward off evil spirits, and a boar jaw bone hung on another wall. In the hut we all sat around and Saikam introduced us to some medicinal herbs which you smoke out of a large bamboo bong. The lady of the house was using this same medicinal herb to make rope. Everything in the mountains has multiple purposes and is "good for health". This particular herb is supposed to be good for your muscles. He also took out a huge bundle of porcupine leaves which incidentally, they also use for medicine, and something else but I can't remember. Part of the culture of people living in and off the mountains is to eat pretty much everything. Consequently, Saikam informed us that porcupine is "good meat" and if you boil the porcupine first, then getting the quills off is very easy.
From the village we drove deeper into the mountains. Being that it's the rainy season, the roads were pretty washed out and their not exactly paved and level to begin with. I felt like we were driving through creeks. There were huge trenches filled with water and the roads were incredibly bumpy and muddy. Thank goodness for 4wheel drive. Saikam said that before they got the trucks, everyone used to have to get out and push up the hills, and some of them were really steep too. I had to sit in the cab with the guide and our driver because the winding, bumpy roads were not kind to my stomach, and eventually we stopped at our starting point. Along the way, Saikam showed us all sorts of plants. Despite the fact that they all look the same, they all smell completely different. Saikam was constantly stopping, picking a handful of leaves, bruising them with his hands and smelling them before passing them around. They smelled like everything from lemon, to cilantro, to black licorice. Some were for "good health", some were for cooking. Everytime Saikam stopped to smell something though he always seemed to be invigorated by it. He also taught us how to "pop" leaves. We're not very good at it but he can make a distantly loud noise. You make a circle with your hand, place a leaf on top and smack it. If done properly it will blow a hole in the leaf and make a loud "pop". I managed to blow the hole in the leaf but never made more than a smacking noise. Saikam also showed us a vine that we could drink out of. Often, he'd stop to do something without telling us what was going on, and this particular time he just stopped and hacked away a huge piece of vine. Then he lifted it above his head, opened his mouth and we all watched as water trickled out of the vine and away he drank. We all walked by in turn as to have a little taste and the water from that vine was amazing. Maybe we were just tired and thirsty, but it really did taste fresh and clean. We also stopped and looked at all sorts of bugs and spiders. Saikam really has an eye for the jungle. Out of nowhere, he'll stop and point out tiny bugs a good two meters away. He never manages to miss them. He also has an ear for the jungle as well. We too would hear the bird calls or the strange noises, but like the noises in the city you don't really register them. They're just white noise. Saikam hears everything though and he can identify it all as well. Often he'd just stop, and stare and start calling back to whatever it was, sometimes using his hands, sometimes using leaves, and he'd always get a response too! It was pretty incredible!
Eventually, Saikam stopped, grabbed a balm branch, hacked off the leaves and showed us how to shoot with it. You basically just hold up your machete, and then chuck the branch against it over and over again, sending the cut pieces wailing throug the air. Apparently, this is one of the ways that he hunts. I can't imagine being able to kill a squirrel like this but that's how they learn as children. Did I mention that I was the only girl with five guys? Well, needless to say whenever there was a palm close enough to the trail the guys would grab it for some target practice. They eventually began experimenting with any type of twig or long piece of wood.
After about an hour of trekking we came to a clearing where there were two large elephants. Riding the elephants is integrated into the trek. If you didn't already know, two see and possibly ride elephants was right at the top of my list! We had been hiking up hill and when we got to the top and I looked up and saw two huge elephants I just about lost my mind! I was so excited! (Oh, and while we were petting the elephants and waiting the mahouts were also barbecuing up some frog! It's actually quite delicious!)
Now, the whole elephant thing in Thailand has become a subject of much debate and discussion. Elephants have long been like horses to the Thais and were widely used for logging (which is now apparently illegal). Elephants are also very sacred animals to the Thais and with the increase in civilizations and the decrease in forrested areas, the elephants' habitat is becoming scarce and many are being deported to zoos and habitats out of the country. This is a huge issue for the Thais. A lot of smaller villages have their own elephant, which they have raised from a baby, and to remove these animals from their home is heartbreaking to many. There is also the problem with the use of elephants for tourism. The more I read about it the less inclined I was to ride one. Many establishments take babies away from their herds and are cruel to them and abuse them in order to make a profit off of them. There are other establishments, such as nature reserves and sanctuaries, that rescue these abused animals and offer people the opportunity to volunteer with them to help in their daily care and become educated. So, while I was excited about the elephants, I was also skeptical! One of the girls who had gone on the trek before us was a veterinarian and she said that the elephants seemed happy and was not adverse to their use so I was at least hopeful that these animals were not one of the many who were abused and taken advantage of.
The elephants we were to ride apparently used to work in the logging industry along the border. They were both branded. They did not carry chains like some elephants (or like the ones we passed on our way into the mountains) and they were not chained to trees. These elephants wear bells and are apparently free to roam through the jungle when not in use. Nevertheless, I felt bad riding them. The one we were on was 65 years old, her daughter (the other elephant) was 37. The daughter was led by her mahout who tied rope around her ears. The mother was not tied but led with a series of commands. However, though I believe they tried to hide it from us, I did see the mahout shoot stones at our elephant with a sling shot and poke her with sticks when she was being stubborn. I also felt terrible that she was carrying three of us, plus our bags. It is hard to judge however. If you think about it, elephants are more or less used in the same way we use a horse. We reign and saddle a horse and ride it for long periods of time, sometimes with two people, and an elephant is certainly much large and much stronger than a horse. Some people still use whips or spurs and no one calls them cruel. Neither do they frown on the us of a horse to till farms or transport heavy loads, so why do I feel bad about it when they do the same to elephants? While getting to meet them was the most amazing experience, and being able to ride the elephant was also quite an experience, part of me feels guilty. It was quite rainy and quite muddy and the elephants were sliding all over the place. There were a couple of times when we thought we were going to fall off. Saikam says that elephants never fall down, and maybe they don''t, but the mud sure was deep.
In any case, I was sorry I didn't have any fruit or anything to give the elephants. Some sort of offering to show them I appreciated their carrying us. I did stand and pet them for as long as I could and while it rained I tried to scrub her head and rub behind her ears (apparently they like that kind of thing). They are so large, and yet so gentle and they really are a remarkable animal. I just hope I wasn't contributing to the abuse of those amazing creatures. (If you ever come to Thailand, do your research and get informed. Read the reviews and find out what sorts of feelings people come away with before you decide to take part.)
So we rode the elephants for an hour through the pouring rain. Our old lady definitely couldn't see well because she'd come within an inch of a tree before going around it. Thankfully, it had more or less stopped raining by the time we were done and we continued by foot. Quite shortly after, we arrived at the "jungle camp" where we would spend our first night.
The jungle camp is established at the homes of a Karen family living in the jungle. (The Karen are the largest minority group living in the mountains. Many are refugees from Burma, but the ones we stayed with are of the Thai Karen.) The camp is amidst their rice farm and has an amazing view of the valley and in the distance the Thai/Burmese border. We arrived around 5pm, and after removing our sopping wet socks and shoes we all began carving away at pieces of wood Saikam had cut down for us. Our goal, to make slingshots. Some of us fared better than others, some of us had sharper knives than others, and after Saikam put on the finishing touches we were armed and ready. The boys got to target practice right away, shooting at an empty beer can. I proceeded to try and carve the word Thailand into mine!
After target practice we all participated in preparing dinner (the general idea of the trek is to function as/with the community). Darren and Jack peeled and cut carrots, Tom crushed garlic, Kallen cut cucumbers and I chopped long beans. While some of the guys went out for more target practice, I helped Saikam make some curry and as we finished preparing the dishes the guys set the table, or rather the floor. The food was amazing! Before coming to work for the trekking company, Saikam apparently used to work as a cook. With his knowledge of the jungle, I think Saikam could make you a gormet meal even without obtaining vegetables from the market. The herbs, the lemon grass, and the chili sauce he makes! The flavours are amazing, and there was so much food! Even with five growing boys we couldn't finish it all. Mmm! So good! We stuffed our faces and enjoyed some good herbal jungle tea by candlelight. All you could hear up in those mountains were the sounds of the frogs and crickets in the rice paddies, and all you could see were hundreds of stars! It was absolutely beautiful!
That night Saikam and one of his friends took us hunting. Geared us with machetes and slingshots and a couple rat traps we went in search of prey. We walked for quite a while but because of the rain a lot of the animals go into hiding; not to mention the sound of seven guys trudging throught he bush. Saikam's friend also brough along his 60 year old musket. The most we saw was were some bugs and lizards and a flying squirrel, but it got away. Saikam was pretty disappointed that we couldn't catch anything. He really wanted to show us some good hunting. The boys were all a little anxious to shoot their slingshots though and so when we stopped to set the rat traps (which we forgot to go back for the next morning) the boys did their part to disturb the night's silence. Tom was lucky enough to get to shoot the musket. No one was expecting it to be as loud as it was and he said that the ringing in his ears didn't stop for a good ten minutes at least. On our way back through the rice paddies to the camp, Saikam's friend stopped to entice a large tarantula out of its hole. Not only was it at least the size of my hand, big black and hairy, but it was also a "cobra killing" tarantula! One the upside, chances are that if these things are in the area there aren't many cobras. On the downside, if it can kill a cobra you're not going to do too welll if you're bitten either. As Saikam said, "If you get bit by one of those you don't get to call your mom." Eek!
The next morning I was the first one up. The villagers had been up since three but the mountains were still super quiet and peaceful! There was a light mist over the hills and mountains and the view was incredible. I washed up in the makeshift shower hut, splashed my face and arms with the cold mountain water and sat by the fire until the boys woke up. They were cooking rice in a pot with all the trimmings from the vegetables we had eaten the night before and a number of the guys had noted how good it looked and thought we were having that for breakfast. Turns out that was the pigs food!
Just outside of our sleeping quarters was a large wooden table with benches down either side of it. This is where we ate breakfast. Saikam prepared omelets for us and sliced pineapple and watermelon. We had to prepare our own toast. He brought what is basically a cemented pale out with coals and we each toasted four pieces of bread strapped to rods of bamboo. It was more toast and more food than we could eat but we did our best, and with fully happy tummies we were in for a long day.
We got going at about ten or so and hiked through the rice fields. The views were amazing. I got behind quite a few times stopping to take pictures, but we stopped so often to smell leaves, bark and look at the various bugs that it was never difficult to catch up. Wild chestnuts also grew everywhere and they made a nice snack along the way.
At one point, we came to a type of bog. I was the last one (always behind) and watching everyone try to feel their way across was hilarious. Saikam went first and did his best to lead everyone through the least muddy bits, but Tom still managed to get sucked in up to his ankle and I definitely alomst fell in. (All our shoes and socks were so wet and muddy they'll never look or smell the same again!)
We hiked for quite a bit that day and saw lots of cool plants and bugs. We even saw another cobra killing spider and Saikam did his part to harrass that thing quite a bit. The one I took pictures of was only a baby and it was still huge!
Just before stopping for lunch, we stopped to make chopsticks! I made my own chopsticks. Not like it's hard, but it's still pretty coold! When we stopped in a little clearing for lunch, Saikam thought it would be a good time to let the rest of us hav a try with the musket. I declined, but the boys each got a turn shooting at either a can or a bottle. Loaded with buckshot it was hard to miss. We were supposed to be doing some hunting as we went however, but I think the musket probably scared away anything within a 10km radius!
We stopped a lot, and on our next stop Saikam's friend left into the bushes and came back with a huge piece of bamboo. He and Saikam went about making dinner ware for our breakfast in the next village. Out of bamboo Saikam made everyone a cup and butterknife, and even made me a fork! The man's a genius! I am now equipped with full eating artilary, all made of bamboo! You can even cut a foot long piece of bamboo in half to make a plate/bowl to eat out of!
The true hunting enthusiast that Saikam is, we did eventually manage to find something to hunt. Saikam stopped to kick a tree and sure enough, a young flying squirrel was living in it. His friend eventually blasted the top of the tree with the musket but nothing came out. As he was reloading the little thing climbed out of the top, spread it's little wings and flew off. Most of us hoped that that was the end of it, but once he was reloaded, Saikam's friend pursued his prey. We were all just standing around, sure that it was a lost cause, when BANG! That sound really is defeaning. We still couldn't imagine that he could catch it, but he did. He came back holding the tiny thing with its tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger. At first I thought it was dead but it was not. It was shot in the wing and was clearly shocked and frightened. When I saw it begin to breathe, Saikam held its neck in his hand and strangled it before snapping its neck. I couldn't watch! For the people who live in the mountains, this is survival and I respect that. But the thing was so cute and I felt bad for it. He passed the dead squirrel to Darren (who accepted reluctantly) and then strung its neck through the zipper loop on Darren's pocket. He was obligated to carry the squirrel on his hip all the way to the next village. I refused to stand anywhere near that side of him.
We eventually arrived at the next village. The village was another Karen village consisting of 7 families. The way they live is amazing. As Saikam puts it "they live with the jungle. There is no fighting between animals and people, just sometimes between the dogs." It really is a community in every sense of the word. There is one communal kitchen, one communal store house, and two bathrooms/showers. The pigs, cows and chickens live under the houses and roam the area as they will (except for some fat pigs who have to be tied up). The village and the people are beautiful and being able to stay amongst them is amazing.
After everyone took a nice refreshing, cold shower we just sort of lounged around and rested. I watched a lady prepare food for her pigs and my goodness were they hungry. I'm sure they could smell it right away because chaos broke out amongst them. They started trying to climb her laddy and making all sorts of noise. As she was carrying their troft down she had to kick them down to keep them from climbing up her legs. They went absolutely mad! It was hysterical! Her son watched us watching and stared amusedly. We had come prepared with candy, pencils and stickers for the kids and we gave him a few souvenirs. Later, we saw him walking around all night and all day with his pencil! He was cute!
After cooking, mingling with the locals and trying some betel nut, we ate yet another delicious meal by candlelight! We also cooked and prepared our squirrel which yes, I was brave enough to try. I think Tom ate the brain but I only tried a leg and a bit of tail. The meat itself actually wasn't that bad. Saikam says, "Never try, never know. Never drink, never drunk. Never smile, never be happy!" So I had to try! We spent that evening playing Thai and Israeli variations of some game where you can't show your teeth. I was pretty bad at this game and kept laughing. I was penalized by having my face marked with charcoal! I had clearly lost on all accounts! Saikam has another saying to the tune of Bob Marley, "No woman no cry. No whisky I die".
The next morning was an early one. Another big breakfast and thank-you to the people and we were off to the last leg of our journey. The hike wasn't long. We even had time to stop while Saikam made us all pendants out of mahogany. We were picked up by the truck in a more modern village and dropped off at the river. From there we rafted part of the way back. We were each given a bamboo pole with a guide in front. I almost lost my pole a couple of times, and Yonathan got his stuck in a tree and lost it. We got stuck in some shallow water at one point and the guide had to get out and push us, turning us around and putting me in the back. I tried to push us away from some rocks but ended up swinging the back end around and turning us 180 while moving through some rapids. We went right under a low hanging tree and had to lay flat against the raft to avoid collision and more Yonathan was constantly attacked my trees and branches hanging over the river (he was in the back). Once we cleared the trees free of harm in the front, our guide would look back and chuckle as Yonathan tried to dodge the branches. When we nearly got our heads taken off by trees our guide just chuckled, and when we almost missed our docking point our guide just chuckled! He was the cutest old man! We rafted down the river for about an hour and it was a blast. The views were beautiful and the water was nice in the hot sun.
After lunch on the bank of the river we took a very bumpy and windy road to a waterfall. I was nauseous for most of the ride and definitely almost lost my lunch. The 500 meter (realistically 1km) hike to the fall was difficult as the ground was still spinning. It was totally worth it though. The waterfall was beautiful and the water cold but not too cold. The pressure pouring down on you was intense and the boys would stand under in what they called a "waterfall massage". We enjoyed a good swim, washing up and cooling down before heading back into the city.
It was an amazing and packed couple of days! It's been super hot out today and what I wouldn't have given to be swimming in that waterfall or sitting on a porch overlooking lush, green rice paddies. We had a great group of people and though expensive, Darren and I really enjoyed the experience. Being able to get out of the city, mingle with the locals, and learn about the jungle was just about priceless. On the one hand it was disappointing we didn't see more wild life, but maybe that was a good thing. We did come across a cobra briefly, which I missed and am not sorry for it. In a couple more days we'll be in the jungle again and I can't wait! Sorry this post was so long but I must warn you that there are just as many pictures!
Our guide was a man named Saikam. Born in a Karin village in the jungle. He really is a man of nature. All of us, there were six in our group, noted that as soon as we got into the mountains he was a changed man. He was like a kid in a candy store, excited and full of energy and stimulation. The great thing about Saikam is that he was raised in the jungle, his family (wife and kids) still live in his village and he goes back as often as he can. He genuinely loves the jungle, knows everything there is to know about it and couldn't have been a better person to help us understand and learn about it as well! He told us lots of great stories and filled us with so much info I'm unable to retain it all, and he really cared about our experience! Great man!
The night before we left for the hike, Saikam met up with all of us to give us a brief outline of how we would spend our days and to gear us up and get to know us. They provided us with packs, sleeping bags, a pack list, and a machete. Yup, a machete! The blade was close to a foot long, seemingly made out of iron, and the handles made out of teek wood. We were advised to leave them in our rooms until the next day and not walk around town with them!
Well our trip started with breakfast at 6am the next morning at the guesthoust, after which we drove to a local market some 40 minutes out of town to gather supplies. From there it was probably another 30-45 minutes to a small village near the base of the mountain where the locals make whisky and snacks. Apparently most of the villagers and mountain tribes used to harvest and sell opium, but since the ban of the drug they now primarily make whisky. They make the whisky by fermenting sticky rice in massive barrels and then boiling and distilling it before bottling it. A 1 litre bottle from this "manufacturer" (by that I mean a man, his wife, and a few other ladies from the village in a small wooden shack) is 60 baht ($2). They also make various sweets, fried bananas, wafers, roasted peanuts, and harvest tobacco. The way they smoke is quite interesting. The tobacco itself looks like any regular loose tobacco you might buy, but they roll it in dried banana leaves, and EVERYBODY smokes this stuff. The guy's wife was sitting on the floor packaging sweets with a huge roll of tobacco in her mouth! Also, while in Canada a lot of people chew tobacco, they chew green tea leaves. Saikam says that a lot of people don't drink coffee, and so to stay awake for long drives and other things they stick a wad of green tea leaves in their cheeks. Coincidentally, this (like everything else) is "good for health". "Good for health" is a recurring theme during the trek.
Another hour or so into the mountains brought us to a Hmong village and a bit of rain. The Hmong people, as you might have guessed, are descendants from Mongolia and resemble a lot of the tribal people we encountered in China. Their chief industry (since opium is out) is selling "pop" (not sure how it's spelled), which is an orange fruit that tastes something like a mix between an apple and a melon. We watched some of the local ladies at work, tasted some of the goods, and then headed off to check out the traditional home of the chief of the village. If you're expecting anything fancy, you'll be disappointed; and yet, because we have no comparison, it may well have been a fancy home. It was fairly simple by our standards however. It basically consisted of two rooms, not unlike our own homes with a sleeping area and a common/kitchen area. It was no more than a wooden shack however, hardly water sealed and the floors were of dirt. The "stove" consisted of a firepit in the ground with a small wok stand over it, and a pan hanging from the sealing for drying corn and fish. There was a smoked mole above the fire as well and corn hung from all the walls. In the corner of the kitchen area was a small bamboo bed/sitting area, and for chairs we all sat on 4-5 inch high wooden stools. In the doorway hung a small piece of hornets nest to ward off evil spirits, and a boar jaw bone hung on another wall. In the hut we all sat around and Saikam introduced us to some medicinal herbs which you smoke out of a large bamboo bong. The lady of the house was using this same medicinal herb to make rope. Everything in the mountains has multiple purposes and is "good for health". This particular herb is supposed to be good for your muscles. He also took out a huge bundle of porcupine leaves which incidentally, they also use for medicine, and something else but I can't remember. Part of the culture of people living in and off the mountains is to eat pretty much everything. Consequently, Saikam informed us that porcupine is "good meat" and if you boil the porcupine first, then getting the quills off is very easy.
From the village we drove deeper into the mountains. Being that it's the rainy season, the roads were pretty washed out and their not exactly paved and level to begin with. I felt like we were driving through creeks. There were huge trenches filled with water and the roads were incredibly bumpy and muddy. Thank goodness for 4wheel drive. Saikam said that before they got the trucks, everyone used to have to get out and push up the hills, and some of them were really steep too. I had to sit in the cab with the guide and our driver because the winding, bumpy roads were not kind to my stomach, and eventually we stopped at our starting point. Along the way, Saikam showed us all sorts of plants. Despite the fact that they all look the same, they all smell completely different. Saikam was constantly stopping, picking a handful of leaves, bruising them with his hands and smelling them before passing them around. They smelled like everything from lemon, to cilantro, to black licorice. Some were for "good health", some were for cooking. Everytime Saikam stopped to smell something though he always seemed to be invigorated by it. He also taught us how to "pop" leaves. We're not very good at it but he can make a distantly loud noise. You make a circle with your hand, place a leaf on top and smack it. If done properly it will blow a hole in the leaf and make a loud "pop". I managed to blow the hole in the leaf but never made more than a smacking noise. Saikam also showed us a vine that we could drink out of. Often, he'd stop to do something without telling us what was going on, and this particular time he just stopped and hacked away a huge piece of vine. Then he lifted it above his head, opened his mouth and we all watched as water trickled out of the vine and away he drank. We all walked by in turn as to have a little taste and the water from that vine was amazing. Maybe we were just tired and thirsty, but it really did taste fresh and clean. We also stopped and looked at all sorts of bugs and spiders. Saikam really has an eye for the jungle. Out of nowhere, he'll stop and point out tiny bugs a good two meters away. He never manages to miss them. He also has an ear for the jungle as well. We too would hear the bird calls or the strange noises, but like the noises in the city you don't really register them. They're just white noise. Saikam hears everything though and he can identify it all as well. Often he'd just stop, and stare and start calling back to whatever it was, sometimes using his hands, sometimes using leaves, and he'd always get a response too! It was pretty incredible!
Eventually, Saikam stopped, grabbed a balm branch, hacked off the leaves and showed us how to shoot with it. You basically just hold up your machete, and then chuck the branch against it over and over again, sending the cut pieces wailing throug the air. Apparently, this is one of the ways that he hunts. I can't imagine being able to kill a squirrel like this but that's how they learn as children. Did I mention that I was the only girl with five guys? Well, needless to say whenever there was a palm close enough to the trail the guys would grab it for some target practice. They eventually began experimenting with any type of twig or long piece of wood.
After about an hour of trekking we came to a clearing where there were two large elephants. Riding the elephants is integrated into the trek. If you didn't already know, two see and possibly ride elephants was right at the top of my list! We had been hiking up hill and when we got to the top and I looked up and saw two huge elephants I just about lost my mind! I was so excited! (Oh, and while we were petting the elephants and waiting the mahouts were also barbecuing up some frog! It's actually quite delicious!)
Now, the whole elephant thing in Thailand has become a subject of much debate and discussion. Elephants have long been like horses to the Thais and were widely used for logging (which is now apparently illegal). Elephants are also very sacred animals to the Thais and with the increase in civilizations and the decrease in forrested areas, the elephants' habitat is becoming scarce and many are being deported to zoos and habitats out of the country. This is a huge issue for the Thais. A lot of smaller villages have their own elephant, which they have raised from a baby, and to remove these animals from their home is heartbreaking to many. There is also the problem with the use of elephants for tourism. The more I read about it the less inclined I was to ride one. Many establishments take babies away from their herds and are cruel to them and abuse them in order to make a profit off of them. There are other establishments, such as nature reserves and sanctuaries, that rescue these abused animals and offer people the opportunity to volunteer with them to help in their daily care and become educated. So, while I was excited about the elephants, I was also skeptical! One of the girls who had gone on the trek before us was a veterinarian and she said that the elephants seemed happy and was not adverse to their use so I was at least hopeful that these animals were not one of the many who were abused and taken advantage of.
The elephants we were to ride apparently used to work in the logging industry along the border. They were both branded. They did not carry chains like some elephants (or like the ones we passed on our way into the mountains) and they were not chained to trees. These elephants wear bells and are apparently free to roam through the jungle when not in use. Nevertheless, I felt bad riding them. The one we were on was 65 years old, her daughter (the other elephant) was 37. The daughter was led by her mahout who tied rope around her ears. The mother was not tied but led with a series of commands. However, though I believe they tried to hide it from us, I did see the mahout shoot stones at our elephant with a sling shot and poke her with sticks when she was being stubborn. I also felt terrible that she was carrying three of us, plus our bags. It is hard to judge however. If you think about it, elephants are more or less used in the same way we use a horse. We reign and saddle a horse and ride it for long periods of time, sometimes with two people, and an elephant is certainly much large and much stronger than a horse. Some people still use whips or spurs and no one calls them cruel. Neither do they frown on the us of a horse to till farms or transport heavy loads, so why do I feel bad about it when they do the same to elephants? While getting to meet them was the most amazing experience, and being able to ride the elephant was also quite an experience, part of me feels guilty. It was quite rainy and quite muddy and the elephants were sliding all over the place. There were a couple of times when we thought we were going to fall off. Saikam says that elephants never fall down, and maybe they don''t, but the mud sure was deep.
In any case, I was sorry I didn't have any fruit or anything to give the elephants. Some sort of offering to show them I appreciated their carrying us. I did stand and pet them for as long as I could and while it rained I tried to scrub her head and rub behind her ears (apparently they like that kind of thing). They are so large, and yet so gentle and they really are a remarkable animal. I just hope I wasn't contributing to the abuse of those amazing creatures. (If you ever come to Thailand, do your research and get informed. Read the reviews and find out what sorts of feelings people come away with before you decide to take part.)
So we rode the elephants for an hour through the pouring rain. Our old lady definitely couldn't see well because she'd come within an inch of a tree before going around it. Thankfully, it had more or less stopped raining by the time we were done and we continued by foot. Quite shortly after, we arrived at the "jungle camp" where we would spend our first night.
The jungle camp is established at the homes of a Karen family living in the jungle. (The Karen are the largest minority group living in the mountains. Many are refugees from Burma, but the ones we stayed with are of the Thai Karen.) The camp is amidst their rice farm and has an amazing view of the valley and in the distance the Thai/Burmese border. We arrived around 5pm, and after removing our sopping wet socks and shoes we all began carving away at pieces of wood Saikam had cut down for us. Our goal, to make slingshots. Some of us fared better than others, some of us had sharper knives than others, and after Saikam put on the finishing touches we were armed and ready. The boys got to target practice right away, shooting at an empty beer can. I proceeded to try and carve the word Thailand into mine!
After target practice we all participated in preparing dinner (the general idea of the trek is to function as/with the community). Darren and Jack peeled and cut carrots, Tom crushed garlic, Kallen cut cucumbers and I chopped long beans. While some of the guys went out for more target practice, I helped Saikam make some curry and as we finished preparing the dishes the guys set the table, or rather the floor. The food was amazing! Before coming to work for the trekking company, Saikam apparently used to work as a cook. With his knowledge of the jungle, I think Saikam could make you a gormet meal even without obtaining vegetables from the market. The herbs, the lemon grass, and the chili sauce he makes! The flavours are amazing, and there was so much food! Even with five growing boys we couldn't finish it all. Mmm! So good! We stuffed our faces and enjoyed some good herbal jungle tea by candlelight. All you could hear up in those mountains were the sounds of the frogs and crickets in the rice paddies, and all you could see were hundreds of stars! It was absolutely beautiful!
That night Saikam and one of his friends took us hunting. Geared us with machetes and slingshots and a couple rat traps we went in search of prey. We walked for quite a while but because of the rain a lot of the animals go into hiding; not to mention the sound of seven guys trudging throught he bush. Saikam's friend also brough along his 60 year old musket. The most we saw was were some bugs and lizards and a flying squirrel, but it got away. Saikam was pretty disappointed that we couldn't catch anything. He really wanted to show us some good hunting. The boys were all a little anxious to shoot their slingshots though and so when we stopped to set the rat traps (which we forgot to go back for the next morning) the boys did their part to disturb the night's silence. Tom was lucky enough to get to shoot the musket. No one was expecting it to be as loud as it was and he said that the ringing in his ears didn't stop for a good ten minutes at least. On our way back through the rice paddies to the camp, Saikam's friend stopped to entice a large tarantula out of its hole. Not only was it at least the size of my hand, big black and hairy, but it was also a "cobra killing" tarantula! One the upside, chances are that if these things are in the area there aren't many cobras. On the downside, if it can kill a cobra you're not going to do too welll if you're bitten either. As Saikam said, "If you get bit by one of those you don't get to call your mom." Eek!
The next morning I was the first one up. The villagers had been up since three but the mountains were still super quiet and peaceful! There was a light mist over the hills and mountains and the view was incredible. I washed up in the makeshift shower hut, splashed my face and arms with the cold mountain water and sat by the fire until the boys woke up. They were cooking rice in a pot with all the trimmings from the vegetables we had eaten the night before and a number of the guys had noted how good it looked and thought we were having that for breakfast. Turns out that was the pigs food!
Just outside of our sleeping quarters was a large wooden table with benches down either side of it. This is where we ate breakfast. Saikam prepared omelets for us and sliced pineapple and watermelon. We had to prepare our own toast. He brought what is basically a cemented pale out with coals and we each toasted four pieces of bread strapped to rods of bamboo. It was more toast and more food than we could eat but we did our best, and with fully happy tummies we were in for a long day.
We got going at about ten or so and hiked through the rice fields. The views were amazing. I got behind quite a few times stopping to take pictures, but we stopped so often to smell leaves, bark and look at the various bugs that it was never difficult to catch up. Wild chestnuts also grew everywhere and they made a nice snack along the way.
At one point, we came to a type of bog. I was the last one (always behind) and watching everyone try to feel their way across was hilarious. Saikam went first and did his best to lead everyone through the least muddy bits, but Tom still managed to get sucked in up to his ankle and I definitely alomst fell in. (All our shoes and socks were so wet and muddy they'll never look or smell the same again!)
We hiked for quite a bit that day and saw lots of cool plants and bugs. We even saw another cobra killing spider and Saikam did his part to harrass that thing quite a bit. The one I took pictures of was only a baby and it was still huge!
Just before stopping for lunch, we stopped to make chopsticks! I made my own chopsticks. Not like it's hard, but it's still pretty coold! When we stopped in a little clearing for lunch, Saikam thought it would be a good time to let the rest of us hav a try with the musket. I declined, but the boys each got a turn shooting at either a can or a bottle. Loaded with buckshot it was hard to miss. We were supposed to be doing some hunting as we went however, but I think the musket probably scared away anything within a 10km radius!
We stopped a lot, and on our next stop Saikam's friend left into the bushes and came back with a huge piece of bamboo. He and Saikam went about making dinner ware for our breakfast in the next village. Out of bamboo Saikam made everyone a cup and butterknife, and even made me a fork! The man's a genius! I am now equipped with full eating artilary, all made of bamboo! You can even cut a foot long piece of bamboo in half to make a plate/bowl to eat out of!
The true hunting enthusiast that Saikam is, we did eventually manage to find something to hunt. Saikam stopped to kick a tree and sure enough, a young flying squirrel was living in it. His friend eventually blasted the top of the tree with the musket but nothing came out. As he was reloading the little thing climbed out of the top, spread it's little wings and flew off. Most of us hoped that that was the end of it, but once he was reloaded, Saikam's friend pursued his prey. We were all just standing around, sure that it was a lost cause, when BANG! That sound really is defeaning. We still couldn't imagine that he could catch it, but he did. He came back holding the tiny thing with its tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger. At first I thought it was dead but it was not. It was shot in the wing and was clearly shocked and frightened. When I saw it begin to breathe, Saikam held its neck in his hand and strangled it before snapping its neck. I couldn't watch! For the people who live in the mountains, this is survival and I respect that. But the thing was so cute and I felt bad for it. He passed the dead squirrel to Darren (who accepted reluctantly) and then strung its neck through the zipper loop on Darren's pocket. He was obligated to carry the squirrel on his hip all the way to the next village. I refused to stand anywhere near that side of him.
We eventually arrived at the next village. The village was another Karen village consisting of 7 families. The way they live is amazing. As Saikam puts it "they live with the jungle. There is no fighting between animals and people, just sometimes between the dogs." It really is a community in every sense of the word. There is one communal kitchen, one communal store house, and two bathrooms/showers. The pigs, cows and chickens live under the houses and roam the area as they will (except for some fat pigs who have to be tied up). The village and the people are beautiful and being able to stay amongst them is amazing.
After everyone took a nice refreshing, cold shower we just sort of lounged around and rested. I watched a lady prepare food for her pigs and my goodness were they hungry. I'm sure they could smell it right away because chaos broke out amongst them. They started trying to climb her laddy and making all sorts of noise. As she was carrying their troft down she had to kick them down to keep them from climbing up her legs. They went absolutely mad! It was hysterical! Her son watched us watching and stared amusedly. We had come prepared with candy, pencils and stickers for the kids and we gave him a few souvenirs. Later, we saw him walking around all night and all day with his pencil! He was cute!
After cooking, mingling with the locals and trying some betel nut, we ate yet another delicious meal by candlelight! We also cooked and prepared our squirrel which yes, I was brave enough to try. I think Tom ate the brain but I only tried a leg and a bit of tail. The meat itself actually wasn't that bad. Saikam says, "Never try, never know. Never drink, never drunk. Never smile, never be happy!" So I had to try! We spent that evening playing Thai and Israeli variations of some game where you can't show your teeth. I was pretty bad at this game and kept laughing. I was penalized by having my face marked with charcoal! I had clearly lost on all accounts! Saikam has another saying to the tune of Bob Marley, "No woman no cry. No whisky I die".
The next morning was an early one. Another big breakfast and thank-you to the people and we were off to the last leg of our journey. The hike wasn't long. We even had time to stop while Saikam made us all pendants out of mahogany. We were picked up by the truck in a more modern village and dropped off at the river. From there we rafted part of the way back. We were each given a bamboo pole with a guide in front. I almost lost my pole a couple of times, and Yonathan got his stuck in a tree and lost it. We got stuck in some shallow water at one point and the guide had to get out and push us, turning us around and putting me in the back. I tried to push us away from some rocks but ended up swinging the back end around and turning us 180 while moving through some rapids. We went right under a low hanging tree and had to lay flat against the raft to avoid collision and more Yonathan was constantly attacked my trees and branches hanging over the river (he was in the back). Once we cleared the trees free of harm in the front, our guide would look back and chuckle as Yonathan tried to dodge the branches. When we nearly got our heads taken off by trees our guide just chuckled, and when we almost missed our docking point our guide just chuckled! He was the cutest old man! We rafted down the river for about an hour and it was a blast. The views were beautiful and the water was nice in the hot sun.
After lunch on the bank of the river we took a very bumpy and windy road to a waterfall. I was nauseous for most of the ride and definitely almost lost my lunch. The 500 meter (realistically 1km) hike to the fall was difficult as the ground was still spinning. It was totally worth it though. The waterfall was beautiful and the water cold but not too cold. The pressure pouring down on you was intense and the boys would stand under in what they called a "waterfall massage". We enjoyed a good swim, washing up and cooling down before heading back into the city.
It was an amazing and packed couple of days! It's been super hot out today and what I wouldn't have given to be swimming in that waterfall or sitting on a porch overlooking lush, green rice paddies. We had a great group of people and though expensive, Darren and I really enjoyed the experience. Being able to get out of the city, mingle with the locals, and learn about the jungle was just about priceless. On the one hand it was disappointing we didn't see more wild life, but maybe that was a good thing. We did come across a cobra briefly, which I missed and am not sorry for it. In a couple more days we'll be in the jungle again and I can't wait! Sorry this post was so long but I must warn you that there are just as many pictures!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
"Tigers Love Pepper, They Hate Cinnamon"
There was only one thing on the agenda for today... TIGERS! Yup, today we went to the "Tiger Kingdom". There are two "tiger" options as far as I know in Thailand: one is a Tiger Sanctuary just outside of Thailand which is run by a bunch of monks who take in tigers in need; the other, is the "Tiger Kingdom" which is basically a tourist trap where they breed and hand-raise tigers and then send them off to the zoo (they're raised as domesticated as a tiger can be and therefor can't be rehabilitated into the wild). (I have no idea whether the Tiger Kingdom is part of a rescue or conservation project.) There are several concerns facing both of these facilities: one of which is the exploitation and capture of a wild animal for profit, another is whether or not they declaw or sedate the tigers, and of course the conditions of their overall care. I have not been to the sanctuary (because I didn't realize it was near Bangkok until the night before we were leaving and by then it was too late), so I have no frame of reference, only the opinion of the one.
My opinion is that it's pretty cool, and where else are you able to cuddle up with a tiger!? As far as the captivation of a wild animal for profit, I'm not really going to go into that as that debate as been going on forever between zoos and animal activists and everyone else. I will say however, that before deciding which tigers to visit Darren and I took a little peak into their living space to help us decide. What we saw were tourists being qued into an enclosure where they took turns with three different tigers, taking pictures and posing with them. Darren and I both felt a bit sad for them (the tigers). There's something about seeing a wild animal subjected to photo shoot after photo shoot when all he seems to want to do is sleep (I realise I do the same thing to Darren all the time). That brings us to whether or not they are sedated or declawed. I asked, and of course the trainers and the operators of the facility told me that the tigers are not sedated, that they are nocturnal creatures and like to sleep during the day, especially when it's hot. It's believable, but still I take it with a grain of sand. The tigers we saw were fairly sleepy, mostly the oldest and youngest ones, the tigers from 6-10 months seemed rather lively. That's not to say that the eldest tigers slept the entire time. They would awake if roused by the trainers and at one point one of them got up to chase a coconut on a stick. As far as their claws go, they are trimmed but not removed. As far as their environment is concerned, the concrete and chainlink fences are not the most natural and heart warming place, but each area (the tigers are separated by age) does have its own pool and sizeable grass and tree area.
To be sure, when it comes to the tigers or elephants and such, I try to do my part by doing my research and making sure I'm not knowingly supporting (however indirectly) the abuse and mistreatment of animals. From what I've read, the Tiger Kingdom seems more reputable than the Sanctuary (monks unfortunately, have a bit of a bad rep when it comes to tourist schemes) with regards to the care and health of the animals. However, there really is no way to be 100% sure of the conditions of any establishment unless you're part of it. So, despite some reservations, Darren and I decided to go for it, and I'm glad we did.
As part of the money grabbing, before you can actually enter the park you have to choose which cage you would like to go into. The "Big" tigers are 23 months old, the "Medium" tigers are 10+ months old, the "Small" tigers are 6+ months old, and the "Smallest" tigers are newborns to 4-5 months old. Of course, there are stipulations and varying prices that go along with each cage. The smallest ones are the most expensive for 10 minutes with them; the small ones are the same price as the smallest ones but you get 15 minutes with them; and, the medium and big tigers are a little less in cost and you get 15 minutes with them. Originally Darren was going to see a Big tiger and I was (of course) going to see the Smallest tigers, but if I saw one and he saw the other we wouldn't be able to go into the cages together. We would have to stand outside while the other went in, which poses a problem photographically unless we want to pay 300 baht for a photographer (300 baht each). So, we decided to both go see the Big tigers since they were cheaper and that way we could share the experience together and photograph eachother. It was pretty amazing and our guide/trainer ended up taking some photos for us which was nice, and I'm pretty sure we were in there for almost a half hour which was a bonus!
The tigers themselves were pretty sleepy and sometimes almost seemed dead! There were rules of course, you had to approach the tiger from behind and couldn't touch the front half of the body or provoke them to play (play=claws and teeth). So while the trainers were encouraging you to lay on the tigers tummy or spoon them, it was hard to be nervous since they barely moved anyway... until you get slapped in the face by a tail. It sounds like it happens to a lot of people. You're petting the tigers rear and if you don't pet hard enough then it tickles and they react with their tails. Being slapped in the face by a tail does not feel good. Though the tail itself is soft and furry, it is also very strong and quick and it will definitely startle you! The trainers were pretty good at rousing the tigers from their sleepiness (usually using small pieces of meat on sticks or sticks rubbed in meat) and consequently, we even got kicked once or twice but only lightly. At one point, one of the trainers grabbed a long piece of bamboo with a hollowed coconut on the end and started playing with one of the tigers. He reacted exactly as you might expect a cat to, chasing it and swatting at it. Our trainer directed me to a spot near a tree, while the other trainer lured the giant cat towards me with the stick and then into the pool. It was pretty incredible and seeing such a large animal play in the water like a cub was quite sweet.
After you finish in your designated cage(s) you get to wander through the park peering into the other cages and visiting the various age groups (from outside). Right next to the big ones were the 6 month old ones and they were pretty playful with eachother and super cute! From there we went to visit some of the Medium cats who you could tell were a bit younger and less independant than the Big ones. They still played together and cuddled but were still pretty huge! From there we went to see the biggest cat! This particular tiger was the father of the others and was massive! He had a bit of a beard too! After that, we went to see the babies, the 4 monthers. Now, before deciding to go with the Big tigers, I was in serious debate and the decision became both economic and practical. Once I saw these itty bitty things all thought of price went right out the window. I went back to the ticket counter and bought yet another ticket and went a snuggled with a very sleepy 4 month old tiger for my ten minutes (it was probaby closer to 15). Even though he was dead asleep it was fantastic. There was even a volunteer there who took pictures for me while I sat (unfortunately, the camera was on the wrong setting and all the pictures were super dark. I managed to salvage them but they're pretty grainy). The baby tiger I was chilling with was named Ninja, and there was another who really wanted to play. The trainers wouldn't let him though because Ninja was sleeping on my lap and play time can lead to scratching and biting.
Maybe it's cruel to pay money to cuddle with caged tigers, but it was a great experience, an expensive one, but a great one. To be so close to them and really get to see how magnificient these creatures really are is incredible. They are so beautiful and so powerful you can't help but have the utmost respect for them. Darren kept saying, "Can you imagine being hunted by one of those?" to which I replied that the very notion couldn't exist. I'm sure a tiger would see you, decide it was going to kill you, and then you'd be dead! They are such amazing and HUGE animals! I'm glad we got to experience them so close!
Next: Breakfast at 6am. 7am- Depart for Jungle Trek! *Spoiler alert: We've been informed that at some point we will be making rat traps out of bamboo and eating rats for dinner.
My opinion is that it's pretty cool, and where else are you able to cuddle up with a tiger!? As far as the captivation of a wild animal for profit, I'm not really going to go into that as that debate as been going on forever between zoos and animal activists and everyone else. I will say however, that before deciding which tigers to visit Darren and I took a little peak into their living space to help us decide. What we saw were tourists being qued into an enclosure where they took turns with three different tigers, taking pictures and posing with them. Darren and I both felt a bit sad for them (the tigers). There's something about seeing a wild animal subjected to photo shoot after photo shoot when all he seems to want to do is sleep (I realise I do the same thing to Darren all the time). That brings us to whether or not they are sedated or declawed. I asked, and of course the trainers and the operators of the facility told me that the tigers are not sedated, that they are nocturnal creatures and like to sleep during the day, especially when it's hot. It's believable, but still I take it with a grain of sand. The tigers we saw were fairly sleepy, mostly the oldest and youngest ones, the tigers from 6-10 months seemed rather lively. That's not to say that the eldest tigers slept the entire time. They would awake if roused by the trainers and at one point one of them got up to chase a coconut on a stick. As far as their claws go, they are trimmed but not removed. As far as their environment is concerned, the concrete and chainlink fences are not the most natural and heart warming place, but each area (the tigers are separated by age) does have its own pool and sizeable grass and tree area.
To be sure, when it comes to the tigers or elephants and such, I try to do my part by doing my research and making sure I'm not knowingly supporting (however indirectly) the abuse and mistreatment of animals. From what I've read, the Tiger Kingdom seems more reputable than the Sanctuary (monks unfortunately, have a bit of a bad rep when it comes to tourist schemes) with regards to the care and health of the animals. However, there really is no way to be 100% sure of the conditions of any establishment unless you're part of it. So, despite some reservations, Darren and I decided to go for it, and I'm glad we did.
As part of the money grabbing, before you can actually enter the park you have to choose which cage you would like to go into. The "Big" tigers are 23 months old, the "Medium" tigers are 10+ months old, the "Small" tigers are 6+ months old, and the "Smallest" tigers are newborns to 4-5 months old. Of course, there are stipulations and varying prices that go along with each cage. The smallest ones are the most expensive for 10 minutes with them; the small ones are the same price as the smallest ones but you get 15 minutes with them; and, the medium and big tigers are a little less in cost and you get 15 minutes with them. Originally Darren was going to see a Big tiger and I was (of course) going to see the Smallest tigers, but if I saw one and he saw the other we wouldn't be able to go into the cages together. We would have to stand outside while the other went in, which poses a problem photographically unless we want to pay 300 baht for a photographer (300 baht each). So, we decided to both go see the Big tigers since they were cheaper and that way we could share the experience together and photograph eachother. It was pretty amazing and our guide/trainer ended up taking some photos for us which was nice, and I'm pretty sure we were in there for almost a half hour which was a bonus!
The tigers themselves were pretty sleepy and sometimes almost seemed dead! There were rules of course, you had to approach the tiger from behind and couldn't touch the front half of the body or provoke them to play (play=claws and teeth). So while the trainers were encouraging you to lay on the tigers tummy or spoon them, it was hard to be nervous since they barely moved anyway... until you get slapped in the face by a tail. It sounds like it happens to a lot of people. You're petting the tigers rear and if you don't pet hard enough then it tickles and they react with their tails. Being slapped in the face by a tail does not feel good. Though the tail itself is soft and furry, it is also very strong and quick and it will definitely startle you! The trainers were pretty good at rousing the tigers from their sleepiness (usually using small pieces of meat on sticks or sticks rubbed in meat) and consequently, we even got kicked once or twice but only lightly. At one point, one of the trainers grabbed a long piece of bamboo with a hollowed coconut on the end and started playing with one of the tigers. He reacted exactly as you might expect a cat to, chasing it and swatting at it. Our trainer directed me to a spot near a tree, while the other trainer lured the giant cat towards me with the stick and then into the pool. It was pretty incredible and seeing such a large animal play in the water like a cub was quite sweet.
After you finish in your designated cage(s) you get to wander through the park peering into the other cages and visiting the various age groups (from outside). Right next to the big ones were the 6 month old ones and they were pretty playful with eachother and super cute! From there we went to visit some of the Medium cats who you could tell were a bit younger and less independant than the Big ones. They still played together and cuddled but were still pretty huge! From there we went to see the biggest cat! This particular tiger was the father of the others and was massive! He had a bit of a beard too! After that, we went to see the babies, the 4 monthers. Now, before deciding to go with the Big tigers, I was in serious debate and the decision became both economic and practical. Once I saw these itty bitty things all thought of price went right out the window. I went back to the ticket counter and bought yet another ticket and went a snuggled with a very sleepy 4 month old tiger for my ten minutes (it was probaby closer to 15). Even though he was dead asleep it was fantastic. There was even a volunteer there who took pictures for me while I sat (unfortunately, the camera was on the wrong setting and all the pictures were super dark. I managed to salvage them but they're pretty grainy). The baby tiger I was chilling with was named Ninja, and there was another who really wanted to play. The trainers wouldn't let him though because Ninja was sleeping on my lap and play time can lead to scratching and biting.
Maybe it's cruel to pay money to cuddle with caged tigers, but it was a great experience, an expensive one, but a great one. To be so close to them and really get to see how magnificient these creatures really are is incredible. They are so beautiful and so powerful you can't help but have the utmost respect for them. Darren kept saying, "Can you imagine being hunted by one of those?" to which I replied that the very notion couldn't exist. I'm sure a tiger would see you, decide it was going to kill you, and then you'd be dead! They are such amazing and HUGE animals! I'm glad we got to experience them so close!
Next: Breakfast at 6am. 7am- Depart for Jungle Trek! *Spoiler alert: We've been informed that at some point we will be making rat traps out of bamboo and eating rats for dinner.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Chiang Mai and Cultural Thai
After several more hours by bus we are now in Chiang Mai. Varying from our usual routine of checking out every guesthouse in town before deciding where to stay, we picked the first one we came to. It may not be the best one in town or the best one we've ever stayed at but the price is reasonable, it's clean and the bed is comfortable enough. Done and done!
We arrived early yesterday evening and got going almost right away. We walked into the old city (a minute or two away) for lunch/dinner, a game of pool (I think Darren's been suffering withdrawl), and then it was off to the Sunday Night Market (of course). It was actually one of the better markets we've been too in a while, not only because of the variety and reasonable prices, but beause it's a local art and crafts market. Some of the stuff was pretty basic, scarves, t-shirts, and local, traditional clothing; but, they also had some cool stuff like hand made lamp shades, hand painted book marks, hand-made jewellery, paintings, photos, wooden carvings, etc. It was refreshingly different and very colourful. There was food of course! Everything from local snacks and deserts- calamari, sticky rice, pad thai, sticky rice with mangos and sweet milk, fried chicken, etc- to other cuisines such as sushi, cakes and pastries! We were really enjoying ourselves just walking amidst the stalls and snacking on the various foods when it started to rain. That literally put a bit of a damper on our night because it was raining quite profusely. We came back to our guesthouse to dry up and rest a bit and once the rain let up we tried to go back. A lot of people had packed up for the night which was unfortunate (welcome to the rainy season I suppose), but we managed to find some of that good ol' banana roti and Darren found some sumai (dim sum). We finished the night off by sharing a pizza and watching some soccer at one of the local sports/pub joints before calling it a night.
Today was just a planning day. There's quite a bit we want to do here and it was all just a matter of figuring out what day and which organization, at least until we got to talking to some of the other guests. There is an agency/organization stationed here at our guesthouse who runs jungle treks. Let it be known that EVERYONE in town "organizes" jungle treks-every restaurant, book store, mini mart, you name it and they'll organzie a trek for you. However, according to the guide here the other shops don't acutally "organize" they treks themselves, they just sell them to you and you join the other twenty people who have signed up for the same tour. Anyway, the other guests that we got talking to had just gotten back from a jungle trek with this company and had nothing but amazing things to say about it. From what we gather, aside from the difference in price (five times more than the other ones :S), this trek not only takes you hiking through the jungle but the guides teach you about the plants and the animals, everyone in the group participates in cooking the meals, and you stay in hill tribes and participate in their daily lives as well. There's a lot more that goes on as well, but I'll save that for after we actually do it. The people we talked to loved it so much that we pursuaded ourselves to join.
The next week is going to be a busy one. Tomorrow we're going to the Tiger Kingdom, the next day we leave for 3 days and 2 nights into the jungle and minority villages, the night we get back we're going to watch some real Muay Thai, then it's a Thai cooking course for me, and we're down the river to Chiang Rai. The next week should be pretty exciting with plenty to tell you all about if anyone is actually reading this anymore! Hope you're all well!
We arrived early yesterday evening and got going almost right away. We walked into the old city (a minute or two away) for lunch/dinner, a game of pool (I think Darren's been suffering withdrawl), and then it was off to the Sunday Night Market (of course). It was actually one of the better markets we've been too in a while, not only because of the variety and reasonable prices, but beause it's a local art and crafts market. Some of the stuff was pretty basic, scarves, t-shirts, and local, traditional clothing; but, they also had some cool stuff like hand made lamp shades, hand painted book marks, hand-made jewellery, paintings, photos, wooden carvings, etc. It was refreshingly different and very colourful. There was food of course! Everything from local snacks and deserts- calamari, sticky rice, pad thai, sticky rice with mangos and sweet milk, fried chicken, etc- to other cuisines such as sushi, cakes and pastries! We were really enjoying ourselves just walking amidst the stalls and snacking on the various foods when it started to rain. That literally put a bit of a damper on our night because it was raining quite profusely. We came back to our guesthouse to dry up and rest a bit and once the rain let up we tried to go back. A lot of people had packed up for the night which was unfortunate (welcome to the rainy season I suppose), but we managed to find some of that good ol' banana roti and Darren found some sumai (dim sum). We finished the night off by sharing a pizza and watching some soccer at one of the local sports/pub joints before calling it a night.
Today was just a planning day. There's quite a bit we want to do here and it was all just a matter of figuring out what day and which organization, at least until we got to talking to some of the other guests. There is an agency/organization stationed here at our guesthouse who runs jungle treks. Let it be known that EVERYONE in town "organizes" jungle treks-every restaurant, book store, mini mart, you name it and they'll organzie a trek for you. However, according to the guide here the other shops don't acutally "organize" they treks themselves, they just sell them to you and you join the other twenty people who have signed up for the same tour. Anyway, the other guests that we got talking to had just gotten back from a jungle trek with this company and had nothing but amazing things to say about it. From what we gather, aside from the difference in price (five times more than the other ones :S), this trek not only takes you hiking through the jungle but the guides teach you about the plants and the animals, everyone in the group participates in cooking the meals, and you stay in hill tribes and participate in their daily lives as well. There's a lot more that goes on as well, but I'll save that for after we actually do it. The people we talked to loved it so much that we pursuaded ourselves to join.
The next week is going to be a busy one. Tomorrow we're going to the Tiger Kingdom, the next day we leave for 3 days and 2 nights into the jungle and minority villages, the night we get back we're going to watch some real Muay Thai, then it's a Thai cooking course for me, and we're down the river to Chiang Rai. The next week should be pretty exciting with plenty to tell you all about if anyone is actually reading this anymore! Hope you're all well!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Searching the Ancient Cities
Darren and I left Bangkok a few days ago and arrived here, in Sukhothai. There seem to be two tourist options for seeing the ancient ruins of Thailand and we chose Sukhothai for two reasons: it's further from Bangkok and therefor there are supposed to be less tourists; and, because it was a convenient way to break up the otherwise 12-16 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai.
Sukhothai was established in the 13th century and was supposedly the "first independant kingdom of Siam". The acient royal city is some 900 years old and what remains of them are pretty incredible. The old/ancient city is only a short motorcycle ride away from the centre of town, so Darren and I made the trip on motorbike, allowing us to cruise around the park on motorbike as well. It's the first temple we've been to since Indonesia, and those "ruins" were no more than a few stones amid a small creek. Other than that our impressions of temples were established in China; and as we know, the oldest stuff there was "rebuilt in 1980". So, to see 900 year old ruins still ruined was pretty incredible. The Historical Park is a UNESCO sight and there is some reconstruction, but very little from what we could tell (and it's pretty obvious what's new and what's old). You'd think that being that this is all that's left of the ancient city there'd be red ropes and railings blocking everything off, but other than a few signs asking you not to climb on the monuments you're free to walk amidst the ruins as you please. I know for Darren especially being able to just wander in between old decayed walls and up crumbling staircases was really a highlight. It really provokes you to wonder what the city would have looked like in its prime.
At one of the first temple remains we went to, Darren and I both said a little prayer to Mama. Coincidence or not, but the day definitely started out looking like rain, and after a little chat with Mama it was so hot and sunny that we could've gone for a couple sweat towels! It turned out to be a beautiful day and such a refreshing experience--there were hardly any people there and it was wonderful being able to experience such a peaceful place... in peace.
Since we were here, we decided to check out another Historical Park not far off in Si Satchanalai. It's just over 60 km away and Darren and I decided to rent the motorbike and go for a little ride (don't worry parents, the road out is practically empty and we were careful ;)). It was a beautiful day for a ride, and though there were grey clouds ahead, we didn't worry too much about them. It took us about an hour to get to the site, and we stopped at the "Tourist Information Centre" to grab a map and make sure we were on the right track. There were some beautiful pink flowers outside and of course, I went to go take a picture... only to discover that my camera wasn't working... *mental flashback to our hotel room, picturing the camera battery still plugged into the wall above our bed!!! I was pretty upset with myself, but it was an hour away and there was nothing I could do. As we approached the ruins however, that sense of disappointment practically turned into sheer depression. You'd think that one set of ruins were exactly like the next, but these were definitely better than Sukhothai. I'm not sure what it was about them, maybe that the area itself was more secluded and quiet, but they were amazing. Everywhere I looked I saw a photograph and it felt so unfulfilling to see an image and not be able to capture it. We had come so far and didn't have time to turn around and go back to get my camera even if we wanted to... but that didn't stop me from going back the next day though.
Another hour there and another hour back, but I had to! We had searched for a disposeable camera or someone who would rent me theirs but nada! I couldn't leave that place without taking a few pictures. So we made the trip again today and it was excellent. The great thing about being able to see it twice was that the feel of the place today was very different from yesterday (and not just because it was the second time I'd seen them). Yesterday, as I mentioned, it was fairly cloudy and there was even a thunderstorm in the distance. It made for a nice cool day, but the clouds and grey skies really set a great ambience over the ruins. Today, it was HOT and sunny and it totally changed the feel of the place (not for better or worse, just different), and probably made for better lighting in any case. We did run into some rain just as we were taking a last photo at the last of the temples and we had to ride back in the last bits of it, but it was well worth it. Thankfully, the extra trip only cost us extra in transportation. The ladies let us use our passes from yesterday for today! (*Do check out the picture though, they do the place way more justice than my words do.)
We've done little else but visit the ruins. The city doesn't offer a lot and there aren't even really any good restaurants around (we miss Papayas and the cafe in Krabi) despite the giant outdoor food night market. Both times we ate at the night market we were pretty disappointed. I had a green curry that tasted like toothpaste (they used mint leaves instead of basil) and Darren's spareribs were, well, sparing in meat! I had a "tomato salad" another night, and I don't know what I was expecting but tomatoes atop a bed of shredded cabbage with a side of mayo was not it! There is one redeeming factor of the food here however... Banana Roti! This wont be the first time we've raved about Roti, but we've always had it with a spicy curry sauce; but, who knew Roti could also be dessert?! Mmm! So good! This woman just cooks these things non-stop all night long on the side of the road and she's so fast! I like mine with banana and sweet milk (sweetened condensed milk), and Darren likes his with chocolate! We've been here three nights and had 8 Rotis! Ya, they're delicious!
Anyway, it's up to Chiang Mai tomorrow where things should really get cookin'... literally actually. I'm planning on taking a cooking course while we're up there, we're going to visit the Tiger Kingdom, visit some elephants, maybe go pirahna fishing, check out some Muay Thai, some hill tribes, and who knows what else! Should make for some more exciting posts in any case!
Sukhothai was established in the 13th century and was supposedly the "first independant kingdom of Siam". The acient royal city is some 900 years old and what remains of them are pretty incredible. The old/ancient city is only a short motorcycle ride away from the centre of town, so Darren and I made the trip on motorbike, allowing us to cruise around the park on motorbike as well. It's the first temple we've been to since Indonesia, and those "ruins" were no more than a few stones amid a small creek. Other than that our impressions of temples were established in China; and as we know, the oldest stuff there was "rebuilt in 1980". So, to see 900 year old ruins still ruined was pretty incredible. The Historical Park is a UNESCO sight and there is some reconstruction, but very little from what we could tell (and it's pretty obvious what's new and what's old). You'd think that being that this is all that's left of the ancient city there'd be red ropes and railings blocking everything off, but other than a few signs asking you not to climb on the monuments you're free to walk amidst the ruins as you please. I know for Darren especially being able to just wander in between old decayed walls and up crumbling staircases was really a highlight. It really provokes you to wonder what the city would have looked like in its prime.
At one of the first temple remains we went to, Darren and I both said a little prayer to Mama. Coincidence or not, but the day definitely started out looking like rain, and after a little chat with Mama it was so hot and sunny that we could've gone for a couple sweat towels! It turned out to be a beautiful day and such a refreshing experience--there were hardly any people there and it was wonderful being able to experience such a peaceful place... in peace.
Since we were here, we decided to check out another Historical Park not far off in Si Satchanalai. It's just over 60 km away and Darren and I decided to rent the motorbike and go for a little ride (don't worry parents, the road out is practically empty and we were careful ;)). It was a beautiful day for a ride, and though there were grey clouds ahead, we didn't worry too much about them. It took us about an hour to get to the site, and we stopped at the "Tourist Information Centre" to grab a map and make sure we were on the right track. There were some beautiful pink flowers outside and of course, I went to go take a picture... only to discover that my camera wasn't working... *mental flashback to our hotel room, picturing the camera battery still plugged into the wall above our bed!!! I was pretty upset with myself, but it was an hour away and there was nothing I could do. As we approached the ruins however, that sense of disappointment practically turned into sheer depression. You'd think that one set of ruins were exactly like the next, but these were definitely better than Sukhothai. I'm not sure what it was about them, maybe that the area itself was more secluded and quiet, but they were amazing. Everywhere I looked I saw a photograph and it felt so unfulfilling to see an image and not be able to capture it. We had come so far and didn't have time to turn around and go back to get my camera even if we wanted to... but that didn't stop me from going back the next day though.
Another hour there and another hour back, but I had to! We had searched for a disposeable camera or someone who would rent me theirs but nada! I couldn't leave that place without taking a few pictures. So we made the trip again today and it was excellent. The great thing about being able to see it twice was that the feel of the place today was very different from yesterday (and not just because it was the second time I'd seen them). Yesterday, as I mentioned, it was fairly cloudy and there was even a thunderstorm in the distance. It made for a nice cool day, but the clouds and grey skies really set a great ambience over the ruins. Today, it was HOT and sunny and it totally changed the feel of the place (not for better or worse, just different), and probably made for better lighting in any case. We did run into some rain just as we were taking a last photo at the last of the temples and we had to ride back in the last bits of it, but it was well worth it. Thankfully, the extra trip only cost us extra in transportation. The ladies let us use our passes from yesterday for today! (*Do check out the picture though, they do the place way more justice than my words do.)
We've done little else but visit the ruins. The city doesn't offer a lot and there aren't even really any good restaurants around (we miss Papayas and the cafe in Krabi) despite the giant outdoor food night market. Both times we ate at the night market we were pretty disappointed. I had a green curry that tasted like toothpaste (they used mint leaves instead of basil) and Darren's spareribs were, well, sparing in meat! I had a "tomato salad" another night, and I don't know what I was expecting but tomatoes atop a bed of shredded cabbage with a side of mayo was not it! There is one redeeming factor of the food here however... Banana Roti! This wont be the first time we've raved about Roti, but we've always had it with a spicy curry sauce; but, who knew Roti could also be dessert?! Mmm! So good! This woman just cooks these things non-stop all night long on the side of the road and she's so fast! I like mine with banana and sweet milk (sweetened condensed milk), and Darren likes his with chocolate! We've been here three nights and had 8 Rotis! Ya, they're delicious!
Anyway, it's up to Chiang Mai tomorrow where things should really get cookin'... literally actually. I'm planning on taking a cooking course while we're up there, we're going to visit the Tiger Kingdom, visit some elephants, maybe go pirahna fishing, check out some Muay Thai, some hill tribes, and who knows what else! Should make for some more exciting posts in any case!
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