The transportation required to get up there was an adventure in itself. First we had to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. The train was actually pretty nice and comfortable and made the 13 hour journey tolerable.
We then had to take a six hour van ride from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, on a road infamous for the number of turns and curves it has. Let's just say that a windy road, mixed with a lack of AC, with a big hangover thrown in does not make for a fun ride. After making it to through that leg, we had to take yet another windy, curvy ride the next day. It was literally a single track dirt road at some points, with super steep inclines and no guard rail separating us from falling off the road to our deaths. But we safely made it to Huay Tong Kaw and our "village experience" began.
The village of Huay Tong Kaw has a population of about 200 (though it seemed a lot smaller). It's pretty much self sustained, with little exchange of money. They grow rice, raise animals, weave clothes and have a blacksmith. Some of the people speak Thai, but most speak a different northern dialect, and no one speaks English. Other than a few outdated solar panels, there is no electricity and only one hose with running water. Everything about the village was so authentic that it seemed fake; we kept saying it looked like an exhibit at Disney World. Here is a video: Village. As you can tell Cyrus has obviously been practicing his narration since he's been here.
The five of us stayed with a host family, Patti (the dad) and Mugah (the mom). They also had a few other family members that visited a lot. Patti is the medicine man in the village, and he's pretty much the coolest man alive. He knows how to do anything and everything, and is a master with a machete. Every day we ate on the floor, and they made rice with pumpkin, greens, omelets, cabbage and other things. The food was simple, but really, really good.
We tried to learn a few words in their language, like "sequi" which we thought meant "delicious". During every meal we would say, "sequi, sequi", thinking we were telling them it was really good....that is until Patti told us that it really meant "banana". So while we intended to complement them on the delicious food, in reality we were just saying nonsense. They must have thought we were idiots. Just imagine someone coming to your house for dinner and repeatedly telling you, "banana, banana!". Eventually we figured it out, but Patti didn't let us forget about it.
We slept on the wooden floor in their raised hut houses, and I got to sleep right above where the pigs slept (I could literally look through the slits in the floor and see the pigs). But we became bff's by the end of the trip, so it was OK. Since there is no electricity we went to bed around 8 or 9 every night, only after we either read or played rummy by candle light (like back in the good old days). Then at around 5 am or so, the roosters began to crow and it was time to get up. Here is another video of the home we stayed in: House.
During this time of year, rice growers practice "slash and burn agriculture". Every so often, they burn the rice fields to refresh the soil and as a way to alternate their different fields. It's a little controversial though, seeing as the Thai government hates it because it pollutes the air a lot, but the villages and farmers have been doing it forever, and it's good for the land. The fields were already burned in Huay Tong Kaw when we stayed there, so we helped them gather logs and branches that didn't burn all the way and piled them up to burn some more. It was just a huge field of ash, and it didn't feel the best knowing all of that was going into your lungs, but we definitely did some work and "got our hands dirty".
Another day we went on a hike to a waterfall, but this was no leisurely hike through the woods. At some points the path was straight up or down, in addition to being covered in ash from nearby fields, making the footing a little treacherous. Of course our guide was climbing effortlessly with his plastic loafers and multiple smoking breaks. The hike was a little long, but the waterfall was worth it.
Our days in the village were also spent making bamboo cups, teaching the kids how to play frisbee, seeing a Muay Thai fight, and helping Mugah shuck rice (see the picture below). By the end of the five days, we were ready to be back in civilization and our butts were ready to not sit on the floor anymore, but it was an amazing experience and I would definitely choose to do it again.
And this is what we actually saw:
Even though it wasn't as pretty as it would've been without the smog, it was still kind of cool...like looking into an abyss or something. Or for all you Game of Thrones fans, it was like standing on the Wall (winter must be coming).
After touring the north for awhile, we got back on the sleeper train to Bangkok. Next week we are going back to Chiang Mai for Songkran, the Thai new year, which is essentially just a country wide waterfight. So that should be a good time.
Lots of love to everyone at home!
that must have been an amazing adventure! I can just picture you peeking down at the pigs! Excellent job on the blog...with the pictures and the movies....felt almost like I was there!
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