Reflections on
Thailand has been truly enjoyable for us. From north to south, Thailand is diverse in its culture and landscape and certainly the most developed country we have visited on this journey. It is a place we could stay for much longer than three weeks and enjoy the beauty of the country and the people. Thailand is a country that seems to successfully create a balance between preserving the environment and the wildlife while still achieving economic progress (Bangkok could arguably be the exception to that rule as it is known for being polluted though we felt that description to be highly exaggerated). For example, in 1992 the government suspended logging in its national forests, a move that preserved the environment and put most of the elephants and their handlers out of work temporarily... at least until they reinvented themselves into elephant camps and and conservatories under the banner of tourism.
It is also a resilient country and one with proud traditions. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was not marred by colonization and this pride is apparent in its culture. The people here are highly respectful of their history, their monarchy, and their vision of a modern Thailand. Each day at 6pm, the national anthem is played on loudspeaker and if you are walking through a local market area, you will see everyone stop where they are standing and remain motionless until the anthem is over. Time stands still for a few minutes. We also witnessed this display of national pride at the local movie theater where everyone stands for the anthem before the start of the film.
Thailand is called the "Land of Smiles" because the people are calm, warm and friendly. We also found that to be true and we know that we will be back. We completely understand why so many expatriates make Thailand their home.
Celebrating the New Year
What a way to celebrate the new year. In the early evening, we boarded our boat cruise with our cousins and newlyweds, Frankie and Adarsh – the couple whose wedding we attended in
Phuket
We were anxious to touch ground in Phuket and dip our toes in the hot, sandy beaches and cool, cyan waters. We weren't quite sure what to expect in Phuket one year after the tsunami but were pleased that the multitude of sandy beaches of Phuket are as resilient as the Thai people. We were told that everyone in Phuket lost someone in the tsunami; nearly 8,000 people from the Andaman cost are either dead or still missing as a result of the disaster and half of those were Thais. Nonetheless, Phuket's beaches are as beautiful as ever even if the famous smiles on the faces of the Thai people now hide an undercurrent of anguish.
Michael decided to get his open-water scuba diving PADI certification in Phuket so his first three days were spent training: one day in the classroom (but with a nice view of the tropical trees covering the surrounding hills), one morning in the pool and the afternoon at the Kata Beach Reef for the first two dives, and one day on the boat off of Racha Yai Island for two more open-water dives. This third day Rebecca managed some snorkling in the choppy water, while underneath the waves Michael explored a gentle sloping forest of hard coral, observed eels and several tropical fish (found Nemo!), swam with a school of silver fish, and only ran out of air once. Richard Motein was his master instructor... a Canadian born gentleman who has lived in Phuket for ten years and can't stop talking about how much he loves the island. He has a positive and enriching attitude toward life and an original sense of humor - one that would appreciate the joke about running out of air (incidently, for those readers who have been subjected to Michael's shark story, be prepared: he now has even more embellishments). Richard not only helped Michael get PADI certified, he spent several evenings taking us around to the local restaurants and bars to show us the "real" Phuket. He is a genuine article who is full of colorful stories about his interesting past and his great life in Phuket. He also agreed to an interview in which he discussed the "economic tsunami" caused by the media that followed the initial disaster and devastated many of the businesses in Phuket, including about half of the dive operations. It was sad to learn that the pain caused to the living was magnified by the eradication of their means of making a living. Many of the best staff in the service industry left the area for good, while those who stayed are struggling valiantly with their learning curves as the area gradually returns to normal.
Despite a few hiccups in Phuket, we have been spoiled by the great services throughout southern Thailand, particularly the spa services. We paid as little as $4 for an hour massage, and had one provided under a canopy on the beach. It makes it difficult to imagine that we will ever be able to pay U.S. prices again. Here, massage is accessible to just about everyone and people seem to take the opportunity to work a foot or Thai massage into their daily routine.
Phuket was a much-needed break from the pace of this adventure. It was also a bookend since our initial plans to visit Phuket last year fell through (and a good thing they did, given the timing). Our quiet little villa nestled in the tree tops above Nai Harn beach was just what we needed to rejuvenate our spirits for Part II of our trip around the world at low orbit.
In addition to catching up on administrivia, we visited the Grand Palace and its Temple of the Emerald Buddha, shining stupas and sparkling structures of color and grandeur. Again, here we found lengthy murals of the Ramayana - more reminders of the prevalence of this mythical tale that we will need to read in its entirety when we return. The nearby Wat Pho houses the famously large gold reclining Buddha. While impossible to get a good straight-on photo of this 46 meter wedged-in wonder, the impression of sheer physical presence is intensified by its claustrophobic sanctuary. Finally, we wandered along Khao San road, an artificial farang (foreigner) duggout of the city notable as an international backpacker mecca where the street vendors serve pad thai and spring rolls to every tank-top, pony-tail, and in-your-face tatoo that hasn't already started drinking and roaring at the pubs. We sort of liked it.
Chiang Mai - Northern Thailand
We arrived in Chiang Mai by overnight train from Bangkok and spent the first day wandering through the Sunday market and night bazaar. We love this town because there is so much to do and it is so cheap. For less than $2, you can eat Pad Thai from any street vendor...it is cheap, delicious and totally safe. We have heard reports that Chiang Mai is too modern for some. We are not sure where this perception comes from - Thailand is a modern country. To find its second largest city to be otherwise would be like looking for George Washington rowing across the Potomac. However, Chiange Mai has a wealth of opportunities for day trips and is quickly becoming a haven for those seeking a balance between the progressiveness of Bangkok and access to relatively unspoiled environments, complete with bamboo river rafting, hill tribe treking, and elephant rides.
Playing with the Elephants
While we found many one and two-day trips to visit elephant camps, we opted to visit the Thai Elephant Concervation Center, which is located in Lampang, Thailand. This elephant camp is dedicated to preservation and treatment of sick elephants. The center has received a lot of press because of the care it provides to the elephants: regardless of how small the injury, any elephant can be brought here for treatement and recovery. We visited the elephant hospital and watched the elephants in the training camp. Here, you can watch the elephants paint abstract pictures that are sold to support the center. We watched the elephants receive their morning bath in the lake and then hopped on the back of a large male bull and set off for a ride through the forest and a quick jaunt across the river.
Elephants love sugar cane and bananas and can eat as much as 300 kg. of food a day. Therefore, elephants produce an enourmous amount of waste. The center takes the elephant dung and produces methane-based fuel, paper, and fertilizer. It is really amazing shit! (sorry - couldn't help it)
Monk Chat
A few kilometers northwest of Chiang Mai is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most sacred temples in
Of the questions we wanted answered was why someone would want to become a monk. Fortunately, the Doi Suthep temple complex also houses the
We have found that some of the best interviews are either with people who have been doing what they are doing for decades, or with people who have recently found their way into a new identity. Our monk Skipper told us that he had not found happiness from his life, for many of the same reasons most of us are in search of happiness at some point in our lives, and was intrigued from a previous visit to
Mae Hong Son and the Long-Necks
We decided to escape from Chiang Mai and the (possibly overexploited) hill tribe daytreks to visit one of the villages of the Karen people. We flew into the small town of Mae Hong Son and chartered a guide to take us to one of the nearby refugee villages where the "long-necked" women reside. We learned that conflicts in the Shan state of Myanmar forced the ethnic minorities to migrate to Thailand, but that revenue from tourism has made them self-sustaining villages where the inhabitants seem quite content not to have to return to a harder life in Myanmar.
Mae Hong Son is a relaxed town that only recently built an airport, and is quietly becoming a destination for travellers looking for what many Thai envision as a place to get away from it all. The town boasts a tranquil central pond and night market where we enjoyed a Thai barbecue and Rebecca found a couple new shirts to replace the ones in all of the previous photos. Earlier in the afternoon toward sunset we marched up the hill to the west to Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, a Shan-built shrine that entombs the town's founder and the ashes of influential monks. Rebecca realized a long dream she had had of visiting this place. That night, we retired at our guesthouse to the ambient chanting of local monks and the squaking roosters.
The next morning we boarded a long-tailed boat to the long-necked village. Along the way we passed elephants and rare birds, and were reassured that no crocodiles remained in the river (as if we had somehow forgotten to ask). The ride was swift and effortlessly navigated by our boatman, even over shallow areas where small rapids formed. After about a half-hour we docked at the Karen village and were introduced to several of the long-necked women and other villagers. We were two of about six travellers in the village that day, and had several opportunities to ask questions of the villagers and record them on video. Michael was offered betel-nut and tobacco wrapped in a leaf - a mild intoxicant that turns the teeth bright red - and rice-whiskey from a local farmer. The long-necked women get their names from the metal coils they wear around their necks from the time they turn five years old. These coils do not actually lengthen the neck as they depress the collarbone creating the illusion of an unnaturally long neck. The origins of the custom are unclear, but we were told by the villagers that it is more a cultural fashion today than anything else, though we heard tales that they were originally to protect the neck from tiger attacks to the throat. Whatever the case, one little girl we talked to seemed quite happy with her coils, as if to say she hoped it would make her as beautiful as her mother. The villagers seemed used to visitors and earn a livelihood by selling village artifacts, which we were happy to support. Michael picked up a "salong" or traditional stringed instrument made from coconut and had a spontaneous jam session with one of the shopkeepers, which was unmercifully captured on video. Toward the end of our visit we spoke on video with three of the grade-school teachers who told us more about life in the village.
We could not have asked for a more rewarding trip and highly recommend the additional trip to Mae Hong Son and the Karen villages to see the women with soaring necklines, though we realize that such recommendations only popularize an already endangered experience.