It’s the Climb!

Thai Flags on Procession

Every year, on the eve of Vesak Bucha Day*, thousands of Thais make a 13km trek to the top of Doi Suthep (Suthep Mountain), the tallest mountain in the general vicinity of Chiang Mai, arriving at Wat Prathat Doi Suthep to pay respects to the relic of the Buddha housed there, and to circumabulate the chedi three times and make merit for their families and friends. Established over 700 years ago, the temple is one of the holiest and revered Buddhist temples in all of Thailand. Also tied up in this tradition is a procession honoring the great Kruba Sriwichai, a monk who, over 70 years ago, traveled on foot all over Northern Thailand refurbishing temples and breathing new life to Buddhism in Lanna.

The last couple of months have been strange in Thailand, due to peaceful protests turned violent in Bangkok, the imminent dispersal of the protesters by the Thai army, and the resulting backlash in northern provinces, as unsettled UDD supporters set fire to tires and government buildings and closed off public areas. These retaliatory protests lasted no longer than one day, and soon a curfew was instituted to prevent large gatherings of people in public. As I write, we are still under a limited curfew, 12am-4am, but it should soon be lifted.

Last week, Brooke and I were told by friends that the annual pilgrimage up Doi Suthep was planned for Thursday evening, May 27th, and would last all through the night. After a period of uncertainty due to the curfew, we learned that the government removed the curfew for that night to allow the tradition to proceed. So Brooke and I invited several people to join us, but for various reasons (work, other obligations, dislike of walking) it turned out to be just the two of us as we set our sights on reaching the top.

Pants Rolled Up with No Shame

9pm. After over an hour sitting in traffic and trying to find parking, we started our walk from the Dunkin’ Donuts on Canal Road, about 3km from the official starting point just next to the Chiang Mai Zoo. We set off wearing our white pilgrim’s clothes and sandals, Brooke having convinced me that the Thai people would not be donning their cross-trainers and dri-fit t-shirts. She was absolutely right. The crowd was an eclectic mix of young and old, some small children with their families, women who appeared to be in their 70s and 80s, young women wearing heels and skirts, monks, and the largest group: university freshmen, for whom this journey is a rite of passage, complete with hazing. Most people wore only flip-flops or sandals, while others sported Converse, Vans, or other non-support fashion shoes. It was rare indeed to see a proper pair of walking or hiking shoes.

What began years ago, I assume, as a quiet affair on the trails of the mountain, has turned into a veritable circus extending the distance of the main paved road, winding it’s way to the near-summit of Doi Suthep. The sides of the road, for many kilometers, are lined with food and drink stalls, selling pad thai, meats, sweets, and lots and lots of cold water. Being a Buddhist holiday, beer and whiskey drinking is not promoted, but we were told that if you asked the drink vendors for beer, you’d receive it. While some college kids were drinking, and some were even drunk, most people stuck to water, because after all, it’s a steep, long hike in the dark, and the temperature at the base of the mountain was over 90 degrees with a lovely stickiness in the air. We began our journey with some egg and rice, pad thai, and plenty of water, eating and drinking as we walked. Our intention was to make the summit, but at the onset we were both tired already.

Pilgrims and a Songthaew

We walked. And walked. And walked. Some people passed us, but mostly we did the passing. We slowed when we tired, and sped up to get away from the groups of freshman boys chanting high-octane military-style songs at top volume. Throughout the trip there were times when we had to weave in and out of stopped traffic, as red songthaews took groups of people to the top or others back down, people on motorbikes sped through pedestrians, and the procession honoring Kruba Sriwichai, complete with several people carrying candles, musicians, flag bearers, trucks with speakers, and the statue of Kruba himself slowly snaked up the hill. There were also periodic stopping points, at roadside temples and scenic viewpoints, where monks were giving dhamma talks, and later in the night people were sleeping on mats there, tucked in for the night. We didn’t stop at any of these places.

Kruba Sriwichai Procession

It was amazing to see how quickly we seemed to rise above the city, as just after 90 minutes or so it seemed that we were incredibly high up, and we could clearly make out the entire outline of the old city moat and the ring roads surrounding the city. About 2 hours in we passed a sign that read “Wat Prathat Doi Suthep: 9km.” Not bad, I thought. Less than 6 miles to go. We walked awhile longer, and at one point we saw what looked like the temple, although it seemed impossible to reach. Soon after this, a fellow walker said we had 2km to go. Our hopes were lifted for a short time, but after 40 more minutes, we approached a sign that said 3km. I guess his estimate was off. Regardless, we trudged on, and the road became steeper. We approached a false ending, an area dedicated to Kruba, where many pilgrims were posing for pictures. No stopping! Brooke was thinking her legs might break in half if she were to stop walking.

12:45am. After 3 hours and 45 minutes, we made it to the base of the infamous 300 steps to the top of Wat Prathat Doi Suthep and the famous golden chedi.

The crowd at the top.

We began the last ascent, shoulder to shoulder and one slow step at a time. As we peered into the rising crowd, the bobbing of heads from left to right and up and down was a bit too much for us to handle, so we opted to turn back, heading instead directly to the nearest foot massage chair, as there were hundreds. I’ve never had a better foot massage than this 1am, one hour long affair that allowed me to drift in and out of sleep as I watched thousands of people pass by in both directions. I briefly thought I might attempt to make the summit once again, but instead I remembered how we had walked those 300 steps at least once per day for 10 days during our summer 2009 meditation retreat. I wasn’t missing anything except a large crowd and possibly some claustrophobia.

The much-needed foot massage!

2am. The next portion of our trip, the descent, began as an uncertain walk, not knowing whether we’d be able to find a ride. I was determined to get into a song thaew, but if that didn’t happen I was ready to ask any passing pickup truck if they had room for two more. After about 30 minutes, we were able to step onto the back of a packed song thaew; I stood on the back, holding on to the rail, while a nice college boy gave up his seat on the bench for Brooke. There were 12 people inside, 2 of us on the back, and 2 more sitting on the luggage rack up top. This turned out to be a slow, car exhaust filled affair, but it was better than walking. After passing the last trickles of groups still climbing, resting groups smoking on the guardrails, and monks and laypeople alike sleeping under the stars, we were dropped in front of the Kruba temple. We walked another 15 minutes to the car, arriving home at 4am, finishing our 8 hour religious work day. Two days later, we think our legs have recovered, but we are both glad to have had the experience.

It turns out a couple of our friends made the climb too, but we never saw them. My deepest congratulations go out to all who made the journey, especially those who went on foot, including several hundred monks. I also send out my best wishes for those on the cleanup crew, as I’ve never seen so many discarded plastic bottles in my life.

*Vesak Bucha Day (Visakha Bucha in Thai) is the date of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, said to have happened all on the same date. It is celebrated on the full moon night in May.

April Vacation Part Four: Songkran in Chiang Mai, April 15, 2010

Songkran Crowd in Chiang Mai

As I drove down the hill on Thursday, the last day of the holiday celebrating the Thai Lunar New Year and the beginning of the planting season, I got a small taste of what was to come. Every so often, a family would be standing on the side of the road with buckets of water, hoses, water guns, or all of the above, ready to douse motorbike riders and cars alike. I had my windshield washed a few times, which I much prefer to getting soaked with icy water while driving a bike.

I parked in the Nimmanhaemin area of the city, met up with some friends, and walked over toward the older mall in Chiang Mai, Central Kad Suan Kaew. Adam gave me a water gun that didn’t have much power, so my first battle, with a 7-year old girl, was a losing one, as I asked to fill my gun with water from her pool, she said “No!” and then soaked me, unarmed and defenseless. As we walked on, more people lined the roads, engaged in water combat with pedestrians and pickup trucks filled with people, armed to the teeth. Then the main event came into view. Imagine the largest music festival you’ve ever been to with stage after stage of live music, dancing, DJs lining both sides of the street all the way down to the old city moat, and further. Standing on elevated platforms with high-powered super soakers, young Thais drench the crowds, and they love it. Now imagine everyone, young and old, has a water supply of some sort – guns, buckets, hoses, ice – and motorbikes, cars and pickup trucks are allowed to slowly move through the crowds of people, picking and choosing their battles as they please, or getting soaked when they least expect it. Add to this cheap beer, stall after stall of street food, and hot, hot sun. This is Songkran in Chiang Mai.  This goes on for 4 days.

Dave, Adam, Yuki and me - purchasing my water gun

I did my part, and I did my best. I picked up a water gun and a plastic pouch to protect my phone and wallet, joined my friends, and went to work. After about 3 hours of soaking, music, dancing, and eating, I’d had enough; however, the folks I came with were just getting started, so I left alone. As I walked back, I was soaked a few more times, but at a slower pace, and I was also simply sprinkled with water by some older Thais, who were taking a more traditional approach to the holiday. I was just getting dry as I was heading to the car, when one final reveler tried to soak me from the 7^th floor of an apartment building. It was kind of weird, because I was clearly trying to get dry, and she was by herself, so I wasn’t sure what she’d get out of dropping water on me when I was well away from the action. She missed me, but I heard water hit the roof as I pulled away. The mountain road back to school was busier on the way back, so I got a few more car washes, and got stuck momentarily behind a slowly-moving procession of people dancing along as they brought their donations to the local temple.

Me, Yuki, Jess, Dave

In the evening, up at school, my friend Paddy came over and said the best part of Songkran, in his opinion, was walking into the local village to chat with the Thais and enjoy the festive atmosphere after the sun goes down. So he, his brother and me took a walk, got wet again (this time from hoses), shared drinks with the locals, danced to Thai music, and followed everyone into the temple for one final merit-making ceremony. It was amazing to see all of these wet people, some who’d had too much to drink, wander into the temple, remove their shoes, make offerings to the monks and listen to a short talk, then head back out to party. Soon after the temple visit, most folks piled into their pickup trucks and returned home, having celebrated harder than they had since this time last year, but I could still hear the music pumping for another couple of hours. Some parties die hard.

A Thai friend of mine summed up Songkran in this way: “I love it. Thai people just let loose, and they don’t care about anything, and everyone is happy, for four straight days. It just feels really good.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran

April Vacation Part Three: Taiwan, April 6-13, 2010

Lion's Head Mountain

Flying with Air Asia is cheap, but its not without fault, namely , they will not check bags to a final destination. Passengers traveling internationally through a major hub like Bangkok need to collect their checked baggage, pass though immigration, recheck the baggage, and pass through immigration again.  We had less than two hours between landing from Vietnam and having to depart for Taiwan, so we were obviously rushed. We did make it to our gate with about 15 minutes to spare, so all was well, but I wouldn’t recommend that kind of connection.

But enough about flying. We arrived in Taipei at about 6:30pm, and were greeted by Brooke’s fellow PhD colleague from ASU, Seth, and his two-year old boy Ashmore. Seth lives in Taichung, Taiwan’s fourth largest city, with his Taiwanese wife Jennifer. We took the High Speed Rail from Taipei to Taichung, a trip that only takes 38 minutes. This same trip by car takes between 1 ½ and 2 hours! This was our first indication of what to expect in this modern Asian country claimed by China as the Republic of China and known in the international sporting world as Chinese Taipei. Interestingly, we learned that although China claims that Taiwan is not a sovereign country, Chinese citizens need a visa to travel to Taiwan, and Taiwanese need a visa to travel to China! But lucky for us, Americans do not need a visa to spend 30 days in Taiwan.

2nd Tallest Building in the World - Taipei 101

We spent the next week exploring the modern wonders of Taiwan while also getting a chance to take in some Buddhist and Daoist culture, and enjoy a lot of local food. On the modern side, we shopped at the futuristic malls of Taichung, ate at Gordon Biersch Brewery (also found in Tempe, Arizona!) and Chili’s, and explored the new and old of Taipei. The train system in Taipei is outstanding, with ultra clean stations and trains, well-marked signs in Chinese and even colloquial English (“Put your ticket into the machine, walk through, take it out the other side and off you go!”) We toured the world’s second tallest building, Tapei 101, for a terrific view of the city and the mountains beyond, and saw an amazing example of modern architecture and engineering. Taipei is also ahead of the game on the public transportation front. In addition to the excellent train systems, they have a public bicycle rental program where a rider can collect a bicycle from a kiosk in any major business area and drop it off at any other station. All you need is a member card that you add value to at one of their many machines, then you swipe it like a credit card, and “off you go!”

Rental Bikes

Aside from the modern, we certainly experienced a lot of local culture. We spent two nights In Beitou, an old Japanese area of Taipei, populated with hotels featuring hot water baths supplied by natural hot water springs. These springs are a result of the fact that Taiwan is located on the edge of the Ring of Fire, and that decades ago when the Japanese occupied Taiwan, they brought with them their skill with utilizing hot spring water to feed baths, both public and private. In Japanese this type of spring-fed bath is called an onsen, and Brooke and I were happy to be back in the onsens after having experienced them in Japan back in 2002-2003. Hot springs weren’t the only bit of culture. We also toured several Daoist and Buddhist temples, from Taipei and Taichung in the north and central to Kaoshiung in the south. Temple highlights included Foguangshan in Kaoshiung, a sprawling complex built on the side of a hill, a Mazu temple in Lakung where we happened upon a very special, raucous ceremony, which Seth joked he had prearranged for our visit, and the Dharma Drum Mountain temple where we were able to join a weekly meditation sitting, thanks to Seth’s fluency in Mandarin Chinese. In fact, we have Seth and Jennifer to thank for much of what we were able to do, because aside from the major chain restaurants and top tourist attractions, not much English was spoken throughout the country.

Daoist Festivity

Chinese and Taiwanese food and drink were a highlight as well, as Brooke enjoyed the local delicacy “Stinky Tofu”, sesame noodles, and an abundance of tea options, both iced and hot. I also liked the teas and noodles, but could do without the stinky tofu. The most memorable lunch was had in a town called Tainan on the way to the south. We dubbed it “cockroach lunch” because as we sat down to eat our noodles, the ladies in the shop began to scream. Apparently the nearby business had sprayed for cockroaches so the arthropods were running and flying for their lives, causing the ladies to stomp, shoe, and sweep the bugs into the gutter near our table. Seth helped a bit too, but Brooke and I stayed out of it for the most part, until they tried to climb our legs. This went on for at least 15 minutes and I’m sure continued after we left. Anyway, the food was good and the unexpected entertainment was priceless.

The best part of this trip was the generosity of our hosts, who welcomed us into their guest room, fed us, gave us coffee, and went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed the best Taiwan had to offer, traditional and modern, day and night.

April Vacation Part Two: Vietnam, March 30-April 6, 2010

After leaving Udon Thani, we flew to Saigon, Vietnam, now referred to officially as Ho Chi Minh City. We spent one night in this overpopulated city of intensity, and then flew to Phu Quoc Island. My good friend Erik, who I went to photography school with in Boston, with his girlfriend Hannah, has opened a café on the main road of Duong Dong town, near Long Beach. They were the main reason we traveled to Phu Quoc, and we are so glad we did. We didn’t actually do a whole lot on the island, but we really enjoyed spending several days with our good friends and being able to share with them the early successes of their very young café. Mondo Restaurant & Lounge is a hip joint with outdoor seating overlooking the dusty main road, covered seating on handmade picnic tables decorated with modern lighting and Erik’s photographs, and a lounge with low tables, air conditioning, and a projector to show movies in surround sound, a treat on this island.  Brooke and I enjoyed several meals with Erik and Hannah, courtesy of Hannah’s delicious tapas, quiche, and bread recipes, which she has taught to their Vietnamese chef.

Erik and Hannah close Mondo each Thursday, so we decided it was time I learnedhow to drive a motorbike (scooter.) Erik helped teach me, giving tips and riding on the back for practice driving with a passenger. Once I felt comfortable, Brooke hopped on and off we went. We drove for many kilometers over the mostly unpaved roads of Phu Quoc, until we arrived at a new bungalow resort on the beach in the northwest. We spent a few hours swimming from their private beach and enjoying a late lunch, and after our sore bums were sufficiently rested, we headed back to town. On Friday, Brooke and I took another excursion, this time to the south, to spend time on another beach. This one had calmer waters and whiter sand, but we actually preferred the choppier waters to the north. Unless you are snorkeling, the calm, shallow waters aren’t all that fun for swimming.

For the rest of the time, we followed a pretty standard schedule: wake around 8, run on the beach, swim, or do yoga, head to Mondo for breakfast, wander into town or read and work on writings, get a massage, head back to our beachside bungalow for a rest and watch the sun drop into the Gulf of Thailand, then back to Mondo for dinner and hanging out with the Swedes. On a couple of occasions, the café was super busy so Brooke and I helped with the waiting duties and cleaning up, which was fun, but mostly we became regular customers, as did several other groups while we were there. One woman came every day for breakfast and most days for dinner, because the food is so good, the atmosphere so chill, and Erik and Hannah so friendly!

On Monday we said goodbye, returned to Saigon, braved a local bus from the airport to a nice hotel in District One, and wandered around the local parks and markets before having some Vietnamese cuisine at 333 Café, recommended by Erik.  On Tuesday morning we caught a cab, during rush hour, back to the airport. We had been warned of the insane motorbike traffic, but until you experience it, you really have no clue. There are so many bikes on the roads of Saigon that many resort to driving on the sidewalks just to make forward progress. The bikes swarmed around the cars as they came to a stop at the lights, and if you had claustrophobia it would probably act up at this point. But, we made it safely to the airport, and were on our way to Taiwan. Another great trip, made all the better in the company of good friends.

April Vacation Part One: Udon Thani, Thailand, March 27-30, 2010

The northeastern region of Thailand, known as Isaan, is a mostly rural, agricultural area. Within this area are two main cities, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani. Brooke and I spent two nights in Udon Thani at the beginning of my spring vacation. Our plan was to spend one night at Wat Pa Baan That, a forest temple where Brooke had visited before, and one night in the city itself.  We took the overnight bus from Chiang Mai, a trip lasting roughly 11 hours. Overnight busses are quite comfortable, if you can handle the sub-zero temperature of the AC and the karaoke videos. We made it to the bus station around 7am and took a taxi out to the forest temple just in time for breakfast, which is a large affair with a long line of people donating food to the temple. Donations are then combined with the food that is cooked at the temple, and people sit in groups of 5 or 6 on the floor of the sala and share. I sat with an American guy named Taylor, a couple of other Westerners, and a few Thai meditators. Men and women cannot eat together, so Brooke joined a group of women nearby. After breakfast, the only meal of the day in the forest tradition, Taylor showed me to my kuti to settle in and possibly do some meditation.

At 1pm, we sat for a dhamma talk with the German monk, Than Martin, who tailored his talk toward Brooke’s research. At 3pm, all meditators and monks helped to sweep the grounds. After that, people were free to rest or meditate as they wish. I chose the reading and resting option, but did do some meditation as the sun was setting. I decided to walk on the walking path outside the kuti, lighting some candles along the path. As the sounds of the daytime forest faded – hundreds of chickens and roosters (which, by the way, do not only crow at dawn), peacocks with dinosaur-like calls, and other birds and insects – the nighttime forest sprang to life. This was a chorus of cicadas, crickets, frogs and more, as well as quiet mammals such as rabbits and these little deer-like guys only about the size of cats. They came very close to my path as I walked, seemingly not bothered by people. Having no electricity in the kutis or bathrooms, the nearly full moon was a nice bonus. Other nights must be incredibly dark. The temple is only a few kilometers away from town but it certainly feels isolated, and somewhat spooky at night with all of the unfamiliar sounds.

The next morning we woke between 5 and 6 in time to speak with Luangta Mahabua, the abbot of the temple. Brooke asked him a couple of questions, through a translator, and the discussion was recorded. After the talk, it was time for another breakfast and then departing for the city, which was an event in itself. We hitched a ride from a local woman who comes to the temple everyday. She was very confused about where we wanted to go, so we had an interesting journey. She asked several people where our guest house was located, but nobody knew. Brooke and I knew we were close and were happy to get out to walk, but she would not allow it! Finally, I got the lady from the guest house on the phone and they directed our driver there. That day we explored the city, which is quite nice, especially the park with the 2-mile running track around a huge lake, as well as several exercise and picnic areas. It’s a really great feature of the town, one that is lacking in Chiang Mai. There’s also a modern shopping mall and a pretty good night market if you want something to eat or drink or a handmade t-shirt. The following morning, I went to the park again for a refreshing 5:30am run while Brooke did some yoga in the room, and then we found the songthaew (bus/taxi) to the airport. It was a nice weekend and a fun start to our vacation. Next stop – Vietnam!

Something Smells Fishy

 

Note: As of January 17th, 2011, at lease two of the Fish Actually spas in Chiang Mai are now closed!

One January weekend, Brooke and I were exploring the area around Chiang Mai University, eating at one of many delicious restaurants and browsing the collegetown market areas near the front of CMU and down Huay Kaew road. But, we’ve eaten a lot of food and seen a lot of markets, so I thought we should try to do something different, and possibly exciting. I suggested that we go get a fish massage. A what massage, you say?

Fish, Actually!

That’s the name of the supposedly “first” fish spa in Chiang Mai, although so many have cropped up in just a few months it’s hard to know who was actually first. The Fish, Actually! chain has six branches throughout Chiang Mai, including one on Huay Kaew road that Brooke and I stumbled upon after leaving the market and walking back toward Nimmanhaemin Road where there is a branch in the Tall Teak Plaza. Dr. Fish has aquariums all over the moat area and Night Bazaar, mostly placed inside pre-existing traditional massage parlors. Fish, Actually seems to have the nicest ambience and seems well-planned, not placed haphazardly in an existing building, but this is how Thailand works. There are some streets lined with so many massage parlors, how one chooses is beyond me. Competition is fierce.

one of many banner for Fish, Actually around town

Since we were already there, we opted for the Huay Kaew branch where we were greeted kindly. We showed off with a little Thai, were told the price (200 baht for one hour, as opposed to the published price of 300 baht for 30 minutes), and then had our feet washed. We had our choice of aquaria in which to plunge our feet, on this quiet Friday night, as there are several large tanks built into the raised floor, with pillows for lounging. Before we released our limbs to the mercy of fish who wanted to eat our skin, I was apprehensive. Would it hurt? Would it tickle? Would we even notice anything? What was the point? These thoughts had been wandering through my head ever since I first saw this phenomenon in Siem Reap, Cambodia, last October. Shortly thereafter is when the spas began multiplying, like my top math students, all over Chiang Mai.

some other person's foot

We hesitantly dipped our toes in, and the little nibblers swarmed our toes as if they hadn’t eaten in months. Brooke tensed up, we held each other close, and she said “Are we really supposed to keep our feet in here? This is crazy!” The sensation I experienced was one of intense tickling coupled with a feeling of disbelief that these fish, some as large as algae-eaters from my uncle’s saltwater fish tank, were actually sucking on the dry skin of my feet, toes, calves and shins. It took some time for the intensity to subside, and for Brooke I’m sure it never did. So, we only lasted about 40 minutes before it was time to bail. Brooke commented that she didn’t want to do it ever again, and I said I’d come back with friends who’d want to try it out. We were given complimentary tea or juice, the attendants were nice, and the atmosphere was pleasant. They offered a variety of traditional massages, done by people, in addition to the main draw. However, we both agreed that our legs and feet did feel softer, but we’d hoped that the fish would’ve done a better job of removing callused skin. But hey, what more can you ask of a couple hundred, unpaid, finny masseuses who risk death each time new legs enter their habitats?

Fish Spa - Malaysia

*We didn’t take any photos there, so I’ve googled these ones. Thanks, Google.

Classroom Without Walls

Rainforest Stream

Ok, so it wasn’t the beach, we didn’t see any ruins, and Brooke was not with us, but last week’s trip to Pang Soong Lodge and Doi Saket with my fourth graders was all any teacher could ask for in an educational overnight trip. On Monday, January 25^th, we were driven in two vans into the midst of a tropical rainforest nestled in the mountains, about one hour’s drive from Chiang Mai city, not to return until Thursday afternoon. My 14 students, Ms. Bee and I then spent the next 3 ½ days learning things no traditional classroom setting could offer. This is Classroom Without Walls – a week when grades 2-12 at APIS leave books, desks and uniforms behind to gain some real-life experience with the people and places of Thailand.

Our trip leaders, Kun Shane (or Luang Boo as he affectionately called himself), along with his sidekick Kun Otto, a Thai man with excellent English and terrific skills with children, tirelessly led our class through one activity after another. Shane is the co-owner of this ecotourism outfit called Track of the Tiger, T.R.D., responsible for two lodges in northern Thailand that offer international school students, corporations and other groups the chance to experience nature at its finest while learning valuable team-building skills. What did we do while we were at the lodge?

Day One

We were brought to Pang Soong Lodge at around 10:30am, where we settled into the “classroom” area under one of the accommodation buildings. This was an open-air room with a long table and about 20 chairs. Shane gave our first instructions in his Irish-born, South African-raised accent, and we were off on our first adventure – a hike through the forest, past deep ravines with towering banana trees reaching for the sunlight, over rushing, clear streams via bamboo and rope bridges, carefully treading past coffee plants and tea bushes, and finally arriving at a 30-meter tall waterfall, rushing impressively despite the fact that it is the dry season. For the entire walk, every student was engaged with the beautiful surroundings, taking in all of the awesome trees and plants, many much bigger and taller than what we see in the immediate Chiang Mai area. The bamboo groves looked like they extended forever, and we noted all different sizes, some as wide as North American maple trees. The birds and frogs could be heard all around us, and there wasn’t a sign of motorized vehicles anywhere. On the way down, Shane asked the students to draw a rudimentary map of the trail, noting significant landmarks along the way, such as the creeper fig slowly devouring another tree as it reached for the sky, and the coffee plants or giant rocks moved by tectonic-plate shift.

At the bottom of the trail, we had a delicious Thai-style buffet lunch, and I sipped freshly ground, locally grown Arabica coffee, one of many cups to come. After we’d been nourished and refreshed, we were driven to the Mae On Dam to partake in our first team-building activity. Two teams of students, with gentle encouragement from the staff and a helpful knot-tying lesson, were given materials to make a raft that would float 7 students and 2 adults. They had several bamboo poles, six rubber inner tubes, and a bag full of rope. Students struggled and fought, but ultimately they prevailed as both teams built rafts that were sailed beautifully around a buoy and back to shore. As a reward, we let the kids swim around in the reservoir with their life jackets on and they floated in the tubes. For many of them, this was their favorite part of the trip. One boy asked me, more than once, “Are we going to make a boat again?”

That night was possibly the biggest adventure of all. We transferred to a campsite where waiting for us were several large tents complete with sleeping bags, mats, pillows, towels and soap, and a shallow stream for play. So the kids played in the stream, I pitched a tennis ball to some as they tried to hit it with a giant stick of bamboo, and then we enjoyed a BBQ dinner of chicken and corn on the cob. After some fun evening games led by Kun Otto, we retired to our tents. The weather had been gorgeous all day, but soon we heard thunder in the distance, and then – BOOM! The first crack. And in an instant, the rain came pouring down relentlessly. Kids were screaming, boys were yelling to me “Can I sleep in your tent?!”, tents were blowing and leaking, and before I knew it, one of the Thai staff had begun rustling everyone up, bags and all, through the rain and into this scary old wooden house. This would be better than the tents? As it turned out, all of the girls slept comfortably on one floor of the house with Ms. Bee, while the boys and I slept in the attic. The kids were so excited that they swore they wouldn’t be able to sleep, but once we turned out the lights the gentle snoring began and then everyone was asleep. The rain had already stopped, but it was too late to go back to the tents – the rain had been coming down too hard, so the tents were all soaked. So much for camping in tents for one night!

Day Two

We woke late since the storm had kept us up, and the ground was still wet. We had a nice morning breakfast of cereal and fire-grilled toast, and headed off to the lodge. After choosing our rooms, we set off with Kun Shane to explore and map the Pang Mano village. This is a small village consisting of only about 40 homes and fewer than 100 people, who have long made their living harvesting tea leaves that are meant for chewing, like gum. They put these particular tea leaves in an oven, boil them, and then wrap them with bamboo, selling one huge roll for 7 baht. I tried the tea, which is usually only chewed by the elder generation, and found it bitter and sour at the same time, and not much like tea at all. I was glad that they’ve also started harvesting coffee. Delicious, nice-smelling, easy on the palette, coffee. Chewing tea is not my cup of tea.

This local man has chewed a lot of tea.

Kun Shane is a fluent Thai speaker, and many of the proceeds from his endeavors go directly into sustaining this village, so we easily spoke with the villagers about daily life and growing tea, as well as roasting coffee and running a small shop. Possibly the most interesting thing I saw on this day was a pickup truck filled with all the things a farmer could need, and a little extra. It was a mobile farm-supply store, complete with machetes, rope, batteries and clothing. The distance between the village, the steep mountain roads, and the fact that most families have motorbikes and not cars makes travel into town for supplies difficult, so the supplies come to them in the form of this small truck loaded to the top of the cab.  Best of all, the driver was wearing a New York Yankees hat, so we must’ve had some karmic connection, as I had my New York hat on too.

Checking out the mobile farm-shop.

Later that day we played some team-building games up in the field, the most fun being the “Human Minesweeper” game, and the most challenging being the “Move These Tires from One Pole to Another But They Have to Stay in Order from 1-5 and You Can’t Put a Lower Number on a Higher Number” game. Before dinner some kids played in the brook, then after dinner we had some more games, a movie, and much needed sleep. It was fairly easy that night to get most kids to sleep, since the storm had riled us up and kept us up late the night before.

Day Three

We spent the morning learning to be scientists, which basically meant playing in the stream with nets and bowls. In the span of about 40 minutes, it was amazing how many insects and other creatures the students managed to capture just by moving a few rocks and sticking a net under them, and they were limited to a 10-yard square in which they could search. They caught water beetles, tadpoles from small to strangely large, shrimp, spiders, centipedes who feasted on the other insects, and even fly larvae which looked like they would make some massive flies when they matured. We took these critters up to the lodge with us and learned how to use a flow chart to identify insects based on their characteristics. That evening, many students enjoyed looking at the insects under the microscope and honing their identification skills even further. The insects and tadpoles were happy to be released into the stream the next morning, if they had not already been eaten by the centipedes. Three students who generally struggle in the classroom were true superstars during this portion of the trip, so it was a pleasure to see them gain respect as leaders from their classmates.

In the afternoon the students were told that they had crashed on an island and that they must make a shelter, a fire, cook some food, and go hunting. They made a bamboo shelter, started a fire with twigs (and a lighter), and then boiled water to make mama (ramen) noodles inside a bamboo shoot. Then they ate the noodles out of another bamboo shoot that just so happened to be carved into the shape of a long bowl. Finally, they used slingshots to try to hit targets resembling wild boars and other animals in the trees. They didn’t do so well, so I think we may have starved if it weren’t for the noodles. At the end of all this, we headed down the stream for a whole-class activity where everyone tries to plug up the holes in a “leaky pipe” as one person tries to fill the pipe to the top using a bucket filled by the stream. Along with the bamboo raft, this was the other most-popular activity of the week. One student who had complained about activities before stood his ground wholeheartedly as he kept his fingers over the holes no matter how much freezing water came pouring over his head from above. We never did fill the pipe; there were not enough of us and the students’ hands were too small. But after finally giving up we had a water fight to end all water fights. Nobody left that stream with a dry patch of clothing! Fortunately we had hot water showers.

Grade 11s try the Leaky Pipe Challenge

That evening, after dinner and games, one of the Thai staff thought it would be a good idea to share ghost stories to the students, so the non-Thai kids slept just fine while the Thai students needed some extra assurance before bed that there were in fact no ghosts in their rooms. I tried to dissuade their fears by playing the part of the clumsy, coughing, can’t quite find his scary voice ghost as I moved from room to room to say goodnight. I think it worked, because I slept well, which means I wasn’t worried about the kids still being awake.

Day Four

This was a shorter day, but still exciting. We decided to do the same hike that we had done on Monday, to relive the beauty of that first day. This time we went without any maps or pencils and just took in the sites and sounds of the forest. Many students played in the waterfall at the top, and then we made our way back to the lodge, packed up, and headed out. On the way home, we had one more stop – at one of His Majesty the King’s Royal Projects. This project is called the “Teen Tok Royal Project” and its main focus is the growing of vanilla. So the students were able to see vanilla in various stages of growth, and we learned that it sells at 30,000 baht per kilogram, or about $900. Now that’s a cash crop! They also grow dragonfruit here, but it was not in season, so we only saw the vines.

After all this, the kids and teachers were ready for some rest and a long weekend. We arrived at school by 2pm, were dismissed, and had the day off on Friday. So it was tiring, and sleep was difficult at times, and a few kids acquired minor injuries, but overall the trip was a great success. The students learned a lot about themselves, the rainforest ecosystem, getting along with others for an extended period of time, how villages operate on a daily basis, and more. No parents showed up to cart their kids away and nobody demanded to go home. I am very proud of this class and all they accomplished on our Classroom Without Walls trip, 2010. Thanks to Shane, Otto, Stuart, and everyone at Track of the Tiger. I highly recommend their services, and you can support them by eating at their restaurant, Just Khao Soy, in Chiang Mai just west of the Mae Ping River and south of the Night Bazaar.

As usual, you can see more photos here.

Note: There was a professional photographer along with us for the entire trip, so tune in for his photos when I receive them. Mr. Chawp Jai lost his camera on the Ruins and Beaches trip in early January.