This morning I could hear wild elephants outside while brushing my teeth! I'm a little sore today and have a few awkward sunburn spots on my ankle and tricep areas. Woops.
Today we depart to the nearby Chiang Dao valley, to start our bike ride (pearl: Chiang = valley). It's mostly uphill, winding through more small villages and "wealthy" areas. There are lots of farms, small markets, and people hanging around on the streets. It still amazes me when we ride by a shack without running water, but they have a satellite dish for tv. Apparently the government subsidizes the cost of solar panels here, so many rural villages have solar power now.
We continue our bike to the Chiang Dao caves wherein lies a fabulous cave system of five interconnected caverns extending some seven miles into the mountains. This complex was inhabited by Burmese monks for thousands of years. Over 300 yrs about the monks would come live here during June, July and August before returning back to their home villages. Apparently, this is when the mosquitoes are the worst and the people didn't want the monks to get bit or attract any diseases. The villagers would bring the monks food and gifts for those 3 months.
The caves were incredible! Stalagtites and stalagmites everywhere and lots of tunnels where I had to actually get down on all fours and crawl through to the other side. At one point in time, the villagers would scour these caves to collect the bat poop to use for fertilizer and fuel. There are fewer bats in theses caves now that there is tourist traffic. But at one point, I thought I could hear a noise other than our lantern. I looked up (yes, I had a headlamp on-- nerd) and I saw a ton of small bats hanging from the ceiling! Ewww! They looked so peaceful so we just kept moving. The back of the cave has a Burmese Buddha lying where the former Burmese monks used to live. The Burmese Buddhas are in a reclined position, facing up to the sky whereas the Thai Buddhas are typically on their side or seated.
Just outside the caves, there is a small market selling remedies for various diseases or ailments. There was everything from "period pains" to "sexual remedies". Even a vegetable that was indicated for "luck". When I walked by I was coughing, so a woman came up to me with a brown powder and shoved it towards my face to smell. She looked at me and mimicked a cough and then we played a game of charades. I think the answer was: Take this brown powder and boil it in hot water and sniff it. Hmmm. I'm sure it works but no thanks.
After our visit to the caves, we're back on our bicycles for more scenic cycling traversing orchards, paddies, plantations and visiting hill tribes via dirt roads and some single-track trails. We stopped in a small Karon tribe village where we met a family of 'long-ears'. The women of this tribe wear large gauge earrings to continually expand their earlobe. This way, as they age, they are becoming more and more like Buddha. (Side note- There are over 350K Karon people in Thailand and many different types of tribes from the long-ears to the long necks. We didn't meet any of the 'long-necks' but this group of Karon tribe women wear 25 rings around their neck to elongate their necks. They add one ring on each year starting at age 5 until they get to 35 rings. The rings can weigh up to 5kg! That's a lot of weight on your neck.) Anyways, when we happened upon the long-ears they were sitting outside basking in the sun to stay warm. One woman was weaving baskets and another was nursing her 2 mo old baby. I asked about the labor & delivery process for these villagers (since I just got off my L&D rotation), and she told me that no one delivers at home any more. When they are about 2 mo from their due date, they head down the mountain to the city where they stay at a special long-stay type of hospital for pregnant women and then are delivered by a midwife or physician. If you happen to deliver in the car or bus on the way to the hospital it is considered extremely good luck for the driver! Call me crazy, but having to clean all the bloody mess left in your car sounds like bad luck to me!
We journey past this village further uphill to the hot springs where the sulfur scent lures us to our destination. At the springs we see several of the Karon tribesmen bathing. The springs are set up so that there are several tanks linked together with the top one from the source serving as the hot water. The water temperature gradually declines by the time you get to the last one in the chain and next to the flowing river. I also noticed large orange sashes tied around some of the trees in the area. My guide told me that it signifies trees that should not be cut down unless you want to risk bad karma.
Our bike continues off the main road to a single track mountain trail. It was AWESOME! I've never been on a trail like this before. Up and downhills, packed dirt, loose sand, through tree limbs scratching you in the face and brush nearly taking you out, dodging crevaces and rocks all over... SWEET! Simultaneously terrified of going heels over my handlebars and having an exhilarating adrenaline rush, I was gripping my handle bars so tight and smiling the whole way. I think I need to buy a mountain bike now.
We end our day at a small "eco-lodge" which is located adjacent to a Palong hill tribe village, where we can relax and make a campfire. Though this lodge is rustic, it was very nice. It was a raised house with individual rooms and a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. Kinda reminded me of a dorm floor. There is a large dining table underneath the house where we all congregate, play cards and relax with a few Chang's while our guide makes us dinner.
Have I mentioned that I've been eating soup and either rice or noodles for every meal? And there's no such thing as chocolate here. How do these people live? I would kill for some Chipotle or a pizza right now.
Today we depart to the nearby Chiang Dao valley, to start our bike ride (pearl: Chiang = valley). It's mostly uphill, winding through more small villages and "wealthy" areas. There are lots of farms, small markets, and people hanging around on the streets. It still amazes me when we ride by a shack without running water, but they have a satellite dish for tv. Apparently the government subsidizes the cost of solar panels here, so many rural villages have solar power now.
 |
| Bike ride up to Chiang Dao caves. |
The caves were incredible! Stalagtites and stalagmites everywhere and lots of tunnels where I had to actually get down on all fours and crawl through to the other side. At one point in time, the villagers would scour these caves to collect the bat poop to use for fertilizer and fuel. There are fewer bats in theses caves now that there is tourist traffic. But at one point, I thought I could hear a noise other than our lantern. I looked up (yes, I had a headlamp on-- nerd) and I saw a ton of small bats hanging from the ceiling! Ewww! They looked so peaceful so we just kept moving. The back of the cave has a Burmese Buddha lying where the former Burmese monks used to live. The Burmese Buddhas are in a reclined position, facing up to the sky whereas the Thai Buddhas are typically on their side or seated.
Just outside the caves, there is a small market selling remedies for various diseases or ailments. There was everything from "period pains" to "sexual remedies". Even a vegetable that was indicated for "luck". When I walked by I was coughing, so a woman came up to me with a brown powder and shoved it towards my face to smell. She looked at me and mimicked a cough and then we played a game of charades. I think the answer was: Take this brown powder and boil it in hot water and sniff it. Hmmm. I'm sure it works but no thanks.
 |
| A Karon woman and her cute little nugget! |
After our visit to the caves, we're back on our bicycles for more scenic cycling traversing orchards, paddies, plantations and visiting hill tribes via dirt roads and some single-track trails. We stopped in a small Karon tribe village where we met a family of 'long-ears'. The women of this tribe wear large gauge earrings to continually expand their earlobe. This way, as they age, they are becoming more and more like Buddha. (Side note- There are over 350K Karon people in Thailand and many different types of tribes from the long-ears to the long necks. We didn't meet any of the 'long-necks' but this group of Karon tribe women wear 25 rings around their neck to elongate their necks. They add one ring on each year starting at age 5 until they get to 35 rings. The rings can weigh up to 5kg! That's a lot of weight on your neck.) Anyways, when we happened upon the long-ears they were sitting outside basking in the sun to stay warm. One woman was weaving baskets and another was nursing her 2 mo old baby. I asked about the labor & delivery process for these villagers (since I just got off my L&D rotation), and she told me that no one delivers at home any more. When they are about 2 mo from their due date, they head down the mountain to the city where they stay at a special long-stay type of hospital for pregnant women and then are delivered by a midwife or physician. If you happen to deliver in the car or bus on the way to the hospital it is considered extremely good luck for the driver! Call me crazy, but having to clean all the bloody mess left in your car sounds like bad luck to me! |
| Sulfur springs bathing area. |
Our bike continues off the main road to a single track mountain trail. It was AWESOME! I've never been on a trail like this before. Up and downhills, packed dirt, loose sand, through tree limbs scratching you in the face and brush nearly taking you out, dodging crevaces and rocks all over... SWEET! Simultaneously terrified of going heels over my handlebars and having an exhilarating adrenaline rush, I was gripping my handle bars so tight and smiling the whole way. I think I need to buy a mountain bike now.
We end our day at a small "eco-lodge" which is located adjacent to a Palong hill tribe village, where we can relax and make a campfire. Though this lodge is rustic, it was very nice. It was a raised house with individual rooms and a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. Kinda reminded me of a dorm floor. There is a large dining table underneath the house where we all congregate, play cards and relax with a few Chang's while our guide makes us dinner.
Have I mentioned that I've been eating soup and either rice or noodles for every meal? And there's no such thing as chocolate here. How do these people live? I would kill for some Chipotle or a pizza right now.
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