Message in a Bottle

The Lotus flowers outside the
famous Pai Temple

As I sit here in the southern rim of Thailand watching the waves gently brush against the rocks, on one of those rare but clear and sunny days, I can't help but muse on everything that this beautiful country has taught me so far. My sign language skills accompanied by my Thai smile have rapidly improved and I have learnt to say "Hello" in many Thai dialects within the last 2 weeks - seems like a tremendously slow start for someone that speaks 6 languages. Ah well, I guess i'll choose the Turtle over the Hare any day.
As I reached Chiang Mai from Tha Ton, I read an interesting perspective to the meaning of Sawadee - or the first formal greeting in Thai derived from the word - Lotus flower. The Lotus is of great significance in the history of thailand and in Buddhism in general: http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/lotus_the_flower_the_symbol/

Pai Scapes

The hands joint together to perform this welcoming act indicate the need to reach out to the sun and stay beautiful amidst all the mud and swamp and this is how my initiation happened at Pai - a really spectacular village in Northern Thailand that seems to have a great vibe to it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pai,_Thailand

As I boarded the air conditioned mini van bound towards Pai from Chiang Mai, I realized that my best waterbottle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmwZP6H8U7w&feature=related was missing and perhaps I had left it behind at the hostel that I was staying out of in the city. So a few phone calls were made and the customer service levels were put to test. The plan was for me to continue my journey to Pai (without the bottle of course) and the bottle would take the next mini van departing Chiang Mai at 2:30 p.m. and make it into Pai at the Agency office for 6:30 p.m where I was supposed to pick it up from. I chuckled at the fact that my bottle was being treated as lost baggage - not bad at all.

Lush green

The journey to Pai itself was quite uneventful. However, while I was busy making travel arrangements for my water bottle, all the passengers had already occupied the mini van and the driver had piled up about 10 large backpacks on the last seat and so, when I was ready to board the van, guess what seat I ended up in? Yes, right next to the backpacks - not good.

A view from my Motorbike

The views on the other hand were breathtaking and were some of the most lush landscapes I have ever seen in a countryside setting. The green shades were quite refreshing and unique.  I rented a motorcycle for a 100 Baht the next day and rode as far as I could possibly ride. There are 720 curves between Chiang Mai and Pai and it feels like navigating through a video game except in REAL 3D. I finally pulled up for a cup of tea in one of the villages and felt extremely satisfied that I was able to savour some of this natural beauty without being packed into a air-conditioned bus equipped with brochures and maps and a tour guide.  So 107 km later, my bike almost made it to Mae Hong Song while having multiple stop overs on the way some of which included an exotic naturally formed Lod caves in Phang Ma Pha
http://www.silkth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149:a&catid=46:mae-hong-son&Itemid=112. I wanted to repeat the same ride the next day and go even further but my plans were completely hijacked by a 90 year old woman from Pai that has recently undergone treatment for Cancer.

Tham Nam Lod Caves of Phang Ma Pha

"We are off to the village to visit Aung", said my hostess at the guest house called Darlingview point - highly recommend staying here just to experience the amazing energy of the owners Annie and Peter. The guest house itself was originally by the river and got completely destroyed in the floods of 2005 when the Pai river consumed a major portion of the village. Annie - who almost lost her life then, decided to rebuild the entire lodge and found help flowing to her from various directions. Ever since then, they have been able to build 5 bungalows in the mountains with a gorgeous view of the Pai Village and have been really big in giving back to the hill tribe community as well as to the people of Pai.

"We will be taking supplies such as vegetables, oil, milk and other essentials, would you like to come with us?" piped Annie with a broad smile that was characteristic of her XXXL sized heart.

How could I refuse?

Aung at 90

So we met Aung who was this really cute and sweet 90 yr old lady that lived in a simple hut and loved to have company. The moment I saw her, I knew I was going to fall in love with her spirit. She had a few teeth missing and had recently undergone a surgical procedure to remove a malignant Tumor on her neck. She couldn't hear in one ear, so Annie had to keep talking loudly into her right ear so she could understand what we were trying to communicate with her. She was grateful for our kindness and wanted to say a small prayer on our behalf. So we all held hands while she chanted a Buddhist hymn that was supposed to confer peace, love and prosperity on all of us. I ended up spending a good portion of my day talking to her, laughing with her and feeling like the good old times I used to have with my grandma back in India. We even got her to do the 'Yo, I am cool' sign with her hands - I think she found this amusing. I noticed she had to get up each time she needed water, so my superstar Vapur bottle would be a great gift to Aung, this was the moment when I realized that world's most favourite water bottle had been shipped into Pai for a very specific reason.

"Make sure you sterilize the bottle in hot water for a few hours before she starts using it", I instructed Annie who readily nodded and was super happy at the prospect of Aung being able to get a little comfort in her life.

Peter and Annie:
My hosts in Pai

My Thai Grandma

As I started to leave Aung's hut, she held my hand to her cheek and smiled at me revealing toothless smile. I felt a slight pang of separation which was quite rapidly overcome with a feeling of gratefulness for having met this incredibly strong woman who lives simply.

High Tea (Pun Intended)

The Tea/Gas Station at Mae Salong

Doi Mae Salong is probably the only place in the world where they have a tea shop by the gas station. Seemed totally like my kind of town. 'Hey honey, we've run out of tea, let's go to the gas station and refuel!'

Wont Smile till you pay me..

Doi means mountain in Thai, however the language itself is quite amusing, the Thai use extremely colourful phrases to describe something really simple. For starters, "Going Overboard" is often expressed as "Kee Chang jap dak ga daan" which means "riding an Elephant to catch a Grasshopper", yeah makes visitors go "HUH?"
So the Songtheaw to Mae Salong from Tha-ton took us about 2 hours of driving through steep and winding roads and riding with the local Akha tribes who come by the dozen - If the question is how many people can you fit into a small mini van? The answer is 17. The Thais have mastered the science of compression technology when it comes to public transport.  An elderly Akha woman demanded 20 Baht for taking her picture, she did try hard to smile though - must give that to her.

Off to School

So the town itself is chinese               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Chinese  and has had generations of chinese settlers living here, it almost feels as if you are in Yunan or one of the chinese provinces. Education is extremely important to the Mae Salongers and so they end up sending their kids to two schools (for the price of one?), one is a Thai school where the entire curriculum is in Thai and from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. they study Mandarin in a Chinese school. So their day starts quite early and you will see truckloads of kids being transported off to their schools.  Yin and Yang is totally at play here as you tread from the bustling local market which sells red hot chilli peppers ( I just wanted to say that) to a 700 mt climb up the mountains to a Chedi that provides some of the best views in this little town. 

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

The view from the top of the Chedi was simply stunning and helped me understand the grandeur while throwing a completely new perspective to the term "Climbing great heights". I wondered if this was a reflection on how tiny the world seemed from a great height and yet living in it seems big and overwhelming. It also helped me understand that work on the self also refers to the climb and the reward is well worth it.

View at the Chedi

It took me half an hour to get back to the town and there were lots of Akha people on the way who were quite friendly despite several warnings by fellow travellers. Some of the sights of the tea plantations made me thirsty and all activity in the town went dead by 9:00 p.m - Mountain life! The Party animals of Toronto would either hang themselves here or may just start another Boston Tea Party.

I decided to check out the Tea plantations the next day after a brief and disappointing visit to Market and finding chillies again instead of pineapple.  So here's the cool story behind the teas of Doi Mae Salong that makes you go high just by reading it...
http://www.doi-mae-salong.com/information/history

What was originally a land filled with opium has now been magically transformed into a tea plantation with every single trace of opium being removed and the chinese being given Thai nationality with the understanding that they would maintain the tea gardens and pass on to future generations. A find and replace act - how cool is that? Sounds like Terminator 2 doesn't it? Perhaps not...

The historic tea plantations of Mae Salong

"It can never be a 100% organic tea", said one of the experts in the region, "Soil factors, Seepage and other variables creep in. It also takes about 4 years to go from being an non organic plantation to an organic one", beamed a proud tea plantation owner who had completely managed to convert his crop away from the dark side. I spoke to 6 different Tea Plantations, tasted 25 cups of Oolong and Formosa and have now settled on the perfect cup with the perfect story and the perfect name for the Thai tea that would go into the Tea Garage portfolio. The challenge now would be to find a way to transport these to Canada and other places - hmm, this too shall unfold.

My Songtheaw back to Tha-Ton was at 11:00 am and I had a far ride ahead of me to Chiang Mai the city of 300 or more temples. Amidst all this excitement, I could hear a subtle knock on my soul and this time there wasn't anything zen about it. My thoughts were surprisingly calm and serene as I left one of the most beautiful tea hills in the world. It was as if deep down I knew my reason for coming here in the first place despite the stark question - " Do they even have tea in Thailand?"

No more tea for me today - 25 cups are good enough ( I think).

The Children of Pakui

"Its not easy to build a school in a country where your visa needs to be renewed every year even though you are married to a Thai woman", says Paulo, the owner of the resort - Old Tree's house in Thaton, Thailand.

" I am a Builder" - Paulo, Tha Ton

 A 61 year old french settler whose eyes always lit up when he spoke about the kids was helping me peel the layers of Thailand's external skin as he explained, "Its a good economy with education and health care being provided in abundance for every Thai person, well, almost every Thai, with the exception of this hill tribe called Lahu"

The Lahu's are on their own when it comes to education with minimal support from the government. This was enough to get Paulo thinking. 

The Old Tree house is a guest house located in the city of Tha Ton http://www.oldtreeshouse.net/en/en_gallerie.html and has been beautifully built and designed by Paulo himself. He believes in eco-tourism. What he didn't realize was that social tourism was a natural fall-out of his original business plan which to this day he claims he didn't actually exist. 

The Pakui School of Hope

Having been a builder his entire life, he felt it was time to give back and settled in Thailand where he met his wife and has been living in Tha Ton for the last 13 years.  Paulo also provides shelter for the Chan refugees from Myanmar. 

The Pakui School of hope houses 49 children all of whom belong to the Pakui Village. There are about 250 people belonging to the Lahu tribe and are led by their Chief.  When a tribe member gets married and has kids, they have to move out of the village in order to maintain the balance. The village cannot afford to house more than the magic 250.  

The Children of Pakui

The Painted Classroom

The kids had a mesmerizingly delightful free spirit to them and Paulo explained to me about the educational system and how they decided to adopt local teachers primarily to keep costs low. Slowly, one room expanded into three and a local group approached Paulo to help hand paint the walls in the class rooms. 

Yo Wassup

The kids were initially shy but super cute and extremely sincere and slowly started opening up to me. I noticed how at times the kids took turns and sought to be excused from the classroom to get some fresh air and tap some ping pong which is a famous sport in Thailand.  I guess it's a universal curiosity with kids and cameras and my mind raced to the memories of a 6 year old kid from Madras, India that held his first Kodak Entralite 10 camera and went trigger happy. I guess camera's and me have had a long standing and a very evolved partnership since then. As I held my camera, focussing away, a bunch of kids came up to me and pretended to be models. 

"We are always looking for ideas and people to exchange ideas with and are open to support from any part of the world", mused Paulo. I could sense that this man had done a lot all by himself and took one day off in a week to completely shut down and relax - this was his vacation.  To him it didn't matter how little or how much was achieved during that 13 year window as long as he stayed true to what he knew - 'building'. 

To me on the other hand, Paulo is a classic example of someone who started off with a skillset that changed his mindset and his approach to life for ever, he went from building structures to building lives...

Ping me!

I walked away from Pakui totally inspired, but also intrigued. There were a million ideas floating in my head, but first, I would need to connect Paulo to the Children's Project and also my next idea was to promote a tea within The Tea Garage portfolio named after Paulo and his community.  I shared this idea with Paulo who smiled and exclaimed - "you have plenty of good ideas - I wish you well"

It's time to start drinking more tea and this time it will be an Oolong from Doi Mae Salong which I decided would be the next logical stop. 

"There's a Songthaew http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songthaew to Mae Salong in 30 minutes, I'll drop you at the pick up point"

So while its back on the road for me again, The magic of Tha Ton will keep steeping in my cup for a long time. 

Lost in Chiang Rai - Season 0, Episode 0

A boat docking Station by
the Chiang Rai beach

 The best way to discover a new city is to get lost in it and this is exactly what happened to me on the 13th Sep. My second day at Chiang Rai wasn't quite what I had intended or expected. After my encounter with Mr Maroot, I decided to find out what the city had to offer and so a bicycle rental that cost 80 Baht per day was the most economic and easy solution.

Except - it was pouring like crazy.  The woman at the rental provided me with a city map and suggested I go to the Buddha Caves first and make my way down to the Beach and the whole route was about 7 - 10 km. 

One thing about Chiang Rai - the paper maps and roads are alternate realities and can often coexist. After what seemed to be a whole 4 hours of biking in circles within the city and passing by numerous temples and schools, I found myself in a coffee shop with the owner trying his earnestly to help me. I was pleasantly amused when he said I was very close to the beach which was the exact opposite of the plan that the bike rental woman and I had shook hands to. In the process however, my geography of the city vastly improved and I had a new sense of appreciation for the daily uncertainties of life which when patiently explored has a reward at the end.  There have been many times where being lost was associated with fear. A fear that completely takes away the feeling of being present and enjoying the moment. 

My waiter Alok

View from my Cabana

So my reward - I ended up on what they call the Chiang Rai Beach. The name sounds fancy, but it is in essence a beautiful and extremely simple and cheap riverside dining/ viewing area where Spicy fried morning glory and rice is served along with chilli sauce. My waiter Alok, a very shy young Thai who loves to read magazines in his spare time, took my order and rode off on his bike to fetch the food while I relaxed and took a breathe of my landscape. Every one gets their own Cabana where one watches boats on their way to Tha Ton pass by and just be. 

Catch for the Day

On my way back from the beach, I found a fisherwoman who stopped me to show me her catch for the day. Her satisfactory smile seemed to be linked to the fact that her dinner was now a clear certainty. Many Thai fishermen and fisherwomen really look forward to the monsoon as it brings up the river levels and makes their fishing extremely easy and voluminous.

Simplicity was my word of the day!

I was completely drenched and soaked (with a new understanding of the city and myself) when I got back to the hotel just in time for dinner and further conversation about the local life of Chiang Rai

Along the Thai Riviera

 Sounds posh doesnt it?

Ruea - Long tailed boat to Tha Ton

Well, posh doesnt capture the beauty of the landscapes of Northern Thailand. It's like the perfectly cooked recipe combined with the perfect presentation on a carefully selected plate that makes the journey from Chiang Rai to Tha Ton. The experience is definitely wholesome and comes complete with excitement that tickles your soul.

Here's why...

I woke up late this morning and it felt like my regular work day in Toronto which has no shortage of adrenaline, this however, got quickly dismissed when I reached the reception to check out of the North Hotel in Chiang Rai. The Interac Machine ran out of paper and the dude at the desk seemed lost and normally this would have frustrated me, but it was so comical that I decided to have him hand print the amount on a existing bill after whitening out the previous amount. I think I might have just increased the % usage of my brain by a whole point while trying to think on my feet. This also helped me remember that I had rented a bicycle the previous day that needed to be returned ( this is another interesting story which will be exposed later - a note for readers to watch out for another article in this blog titled "Lost in Chiang Rai - Season 0, Episode 0")

Pedalling as hard as I could, I returned the bike, flagged a Tuk Tuk http://www.into-asia.com/bangkok/tuktuk/ and rushed to the bridge where Rue-a - The long tailed boats departed everyday at 10:30 am. You might wonder why the mad rush, well, you might remember Mr. Maroot from my previous arcticle, the man swore that I had to be there at 10:30 am sharp at the Riverside or else I would miss the boat. After hearing him say this a few times, fear was sown deep into my heart and my mind wanted to NOT miss the boat at any cost, it was MI-2, the Thai version.

A statue by the river

"There are no passengers today to Tha Ton sir, so the boat scheduled for 10:30 has been un-scheduled"( This is a self invented word that captures the pace of the North in Thailand perfectly), said the man at the Ticket counter, "However, if you wish to charter your boat, I can arrange this for 1000 Baht. It is normally more expensive and works cheaper when there are more people to share the ride."

At this moment, I opened the glass cover, pressed the red button and shouted "DEAL".

The fix it yourself
process

It was a spectacular, breath taking, meditative, rain filled, mesmerising, super cool and definitely the most memorable 5 hour long ride along the Mae-Kok river http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kok_River in a long tailed boat that had only one technical problem along the way which was quickly solved by the boat driver who parked the boat towards the basin and started hitting the rudder with a hammer producing a clinking metallic sound. 5 minutes later, we were back on the river and the boat seemed to go faster. The river levels were quite high as the north has been receiving more rains than usual this year and so there were some really rough rapids which suprisingly didnt even flinch the boat. One of the most sturdiest boat rides I have ever been on and I have been on a lot.

Captive Elephants
of Ruammit

I stopped the Ruammit elephant camp and had a spicy local lunch and felt for the Elephant whose chains were short and as a result couldnt move much. I heard from a local guide that Elephants in business all over Thailand were quite stressed and not so happy. So much so that people have started Elephant Rescue camps in Chiang Mai.

Hmm...

The Mae Kok river originates in Burma and flows for about 200 km through the Chaing Mai Province into Chiang Rai and has a flourishing history which keeps the eco system out here in check. Throught out my ride, I couldnt help but notice fishermen, Paddy Farmers, Corn Farmers working away. To these guys, rain was important and they loved days like today which made their crops happy and their bellies filled with fish that were plentiful due to the rise in water levels.

A Farmer working away
along Mae-Kok banks

I finally reached Tha Ton at 3:30 p.m. So why Tha-Ton and why spend a night at a really tiny town that sleeps at 6:00 p.m. and wakes up really early?

Well, today, I am hoping to visit a local school that is built by a French settler who came to Thailand 13 years ago. Paulo, a builder by profession decided to set up a beautiful guest house called 'The Old Tree house' in Tha-Ton and he's a big believer in sustainable and eco-friendly development and has promised to show me glimpses of how it has been established. Quite a remarkable man!

I've been awake since 4 am this morning and it's time for Breakfast.

Mr Maroot

 "The difference between involvement and commitment is like having ham and eggs for breakfast, the pig was committed while the chicken was involved."
                                                                                           - Anonymous Saying

The hotel served me Ham and eggs for breakfast - Yes Ham!!!

My futile attempts at telling the waiter that I was a vegetarian vent in vain. I truly hope that the Ham that went un-eaten didn't get recycled to another guest.

This inspires me to master my Thai Phrase book even harder.

Mr. Maroot looking at the rain
 from Hotel North

I met Mr Maroot shortly afterwards, a retired government official who now walks into lodges and guest houses and offers free tourist advise to while away his time.  Mr Maroot or Nui as he calls himself came very close to re-defining the city map I was carrying, in such a way that the main attraction was his home and everything else revolved around it. "There's nothing like local knowledge", claimed Mr. Maroot. He rendered an artists version in a handwriting which looked more like a doctor's prescription note. "Over there is where you can find Motorbike rentals", he said. I am yet to find out where 'Over there' is located.  We spoke at length about the local knowledge and the Chinese moon festival  in September in Chiang Rai where free food is served to every visitor who is welcomed with great hospitality.  I wasnt sure if this man was looking for business. Suspicion was quickly replaced by amusement as he started singing a happy birthday song in Mandarin in his deep base voice. Quite the performer. I might hang out at his place this evening for a cup of tea and get a giraffe view ( as he calls it) of the city.  Mr Maroot reads national geographic during his free time which is very limited ever since he became a 'pensioner'. "My time is best spent with Foreign visitors while educating them on local culture within Chiang Rai". I promised him that I would email his photo that was shot at the guest house I stayed at - the least I could do to make this old man happy.

Maroot means 'The Wind God' in both Thai and Sanskri- this man definitely came like the wind from nowhere and made my day more memorable.

Now it's time to rent a bicycle.

2 days| 3 Flights | 20 hours - Sah- Wat- Dee Thailand

Most people commented on the date that I chose to travel, 11th Sep 2011. The date didnt seem to bother me as much as the length of the journey itself.

Rainfall in Chiang Rai

A friend asked me what do I intend to get out of this journey and I couldnt help but think, this journey wasnt about getting back anything at all.

And thus it started....

So here I am in Thailand up north where flies and worms are publicly sold in a night market targeted towards fine dining and perhaps thrill seeking foodies. My first word in Thai that I learnt was 'Kinjay' which means I am a vegetarian and worms are not on my menu. The people on the other hand are extremely friendly and down to earth. My first evening was spent in Chiang Rai amidst the down pour of torrential rains and the sound of Tuk Tuks and loud music playing openly on the streets - mostly Thai Pop and some really cheesy love songs.

As the night flowed, I ended up eating an incredibly tasty and spicy Northern Thai curry dish - pronounced "Cow Soy" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khao_soi and met fellow wanderers from Australia, Germany and Netherlands and ended up playing the bongos to Reggae music in a local hang out place here within the city called the Peace house. The main vocalist was amazing and did some Marley numbers accompanied by Thai musicians and one Canadian guy (guess who).  Would highly recommend this first day schedule for any jet lagged traveller. The energy levels here are super high making me wonder if Red Bull's Thai Origins have anything to do with people's spirit.

"Human Traffickers are rampant in the border areas between Myanmar and Thailand",  my new friend at a local cafe explained, "and so a lot of volunteers from other countries end up working in refugee camps while travelling."

Not quite the refreshing end to a great first day, but definitely makes you think about the purpose of one's journey.

More rain today and I am going to focus on my Thai Omelet that's waiting for me.