Our hotel is situated outside the main center of town, on the bank of the Ping River, which runs through the middle of the city. Founded early in the 1200s, it sits next to the highest mountain in the country and on the key trade routes. The residents are primarily from the Wa ethnic group and are thought of as mountain people. They built a defensive wall and moat around what is, even today, the center of town. Except for the gate entrances on the four corners, the wall is no longer there. Over the centuries it had been under constant threat and attack by both the Mongols and Burmese. The city was conquered by Burma in the mid 16th century and remained part of the Burmese Empire until the middle of the 18th century, when it became part of Thailand in a negotiated agreement. This historic center is now filled with shops and restaurants, and only one, very small hotel. Since the most noted highlights are outside the city, our hotel is located about two kilometers away, and the traffic is horrendous, we decided against going there as a group. It’s all about getting out-of-town and into the countryside.
Today’s destinations are all in or near the Doi Inthanon National Park. Our first stop was the Karen hill tribe village. This group migrated here from northern Myanmar 70 years ago. The king of Thailand granted them this land to work as farmland. At first they grew the financially lucrative poppy crop. Forty years ago, encouraged by the US and the rest of the world (and undoubtedly with a financial incentive) to reduce heroin production, the king introduced new, alternative crops as well as training on how to grow and harvest. The new crops included rice, strawberries, flowers, and coffee.
Karen Hill Tribe’s school
Class room for elementary grades.
This little guy wants his mommy.
This small community has its own schools, its own language, and very primitive facilities. We visited the school and spoke with the teacher in the pre-school classroom – yes, even people in this very poor third world country receive free pre-school programs. One little guy was very unhappy, crying constantly. It was his first day at school and he just wanted his mommy. All school children are taught three languages: their own ethnic language, Thai, and English.
Grinding the local coffee beans.
A great cup of expresso on its way!
Next was the Coffee by Somsak hut where he was roasting coffee beans. He asked me to grind some coffee, which he then used to make a pot of coffee. The coffee was EXCELLENT! It was sooooo much better that the stuff they served at our hotel.
Walking through the Karen Hill village.
A typical home in the Karen Hill village.
A typical village homer.
As we continued our walk, many of the homes on poles had a pig tied to a post underneath the house. Several puppies came up wanting to play and to taste or to chew our shoe laces. We stopped along the way to watch one of the women weaving scarves. A little further down the hill we walked by a rice field where the local women were cutting the rice stalks and laying them down to dry for a week. In about a week they will come back to gather the stalks and take them to a central area where they thresh the stalks against some large rocks to release the rice.
Harvesting rice.
Talking. Different languages. Universal gestures with a smile – instant communication.
Roselie approached one of the women cutting the stalks and started a conversation with her. Of course both heard each other, and used facial expressions and hand gestures, but neither had any idea what the other was saying, but they had a great time. Afterwards, the woman made her way to lunch and stopped to tell Audi that she had no idea what Roselie was saying, but she liked her.
I noted that many of the shacks had satellite dishes. So as we’re making our way back to the car, I asked Audi what percentage of the young people decided to leave the village as they finished school. Audi said that no one leaves. They love the simple life. Hmmm! Given that the children watch TV, learn several languages, and have one or two computers in their class room, it doesn’t square that they wouldn’t want see and experience a different, not necessarily better, world and life. When I pushed my point, Audi became very adamant that they love this lifestyle and want to keep it.
At the top. Highest point in Thailand.
Stupa in a meadow on the peak.
The drive to the summit of Doi Thanon was steep and windy. We finally reached the top, at about 8,500 feet. It is the highest mountain in Thailand, and a very popular vacation destination for Thai people. It never snows in Thailand. So the top of this mountain sees the lowest temperature in the country. Everyone wants to experience the cold. While all of us wore just a thin jacket, Audi was adding layers of clothing, including some of our jackets. She was freezing. The mountain was covered by clouds and fog which gave it an eerie, London fog-like feeling. The stupa at the summit, wet, draped by fog and moss, looked like a spirit appearing in the fog.
Who will come forth and reveal herself through the fog?
As we started down the mountain, we stopped at the twin pagodas known as the King and Queen Pagoda, built to commemorate the King and Queen’s 60th birthdays in 1989. They face each other on separate hills and are very modern in design. Black and white banners decorated the king’s pagoda in recognition of this passing.
King and Queen pagoda.
King’s pagoda.
View of the King’s pagoda from the garden area of the Queen’s pagoda.
A little further down we stopped at the 250 foot-high, Wachirathan waterfall. Known as the home of nearly 400 bird species, none but one made itself visible while hoping to pick up some food crumbs around the kiosk. The temperature, mist, and fog was certainly the main deterrent.
Royal Projects Inthanon fields.
Beautiful groomed garden.
Our final stop, which included a wonderful lunch, was at the Royal Project in Thanon. This is a huge area, created by the late king, to encourage his people to grow alternative crops. The hillside is lined with a variety of crops including many flower plots. The property also includes a hotel facility with beautiful gardens and water falls.
Royal Project’s landscaping in the garden.
Fortified with food and coffee, we were ready to endure a two-hour drive through heavy traffic to get back to our hotel. While our driver, patiently moved us incrementally towards home, it gave us an opportunity talk with and learn from Audi. She has been a guide for 20 years and leads both English and Spanish-speaking guests. The is a self-declared shop-aholic and wants to visit key shopping destinations in the US. New York is at the top of her list. She wants to visit Las Vegas to see all the lights and shows. She has no interest in scenic, natural wonders. She is not married and has no children, but her mother and sisters live in the area. One of her aunts lives in the US. Audi wants to visit the US and has applied for a visa many times, but was rejected each time. The reason given is that she is single, without a strong anchor in Thailand (such as a husband or children) to ensure her return, and therefore deemed a risk of disappearing in the US, once her visa expires. She and her friends feel that there is a virtual ‘wall’ put up by the US. I guess our trepidation of having foreign visitors goes quite a bit beyond criminals, rapists, and jihadists.
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