Thai Mountains of The Golden Triangle

Introduction To The North

The provinces of northern Thailand share a common border with Myanmar, (known as Burma by its English colonizers), and Laos. The three-country border region, known in recent decades as "The Golden Triangle," became well know as the notorious and lawless enclave of opium and heroin traders.

This characterization remains accurate only to some extent these days. Never-the-less, it is prudent to penetrate these mountain retreats only with an experienced, knowledgeable guide. Said guide must not only be an adept and accomplished wilderness expert, but be conversant with and accepted by the local inhabitants of the areas you intend to visit.

Vista from a ridge-top in the mountains of northern Thailand

These rugged mountains are the home of indigenous clans who have continuously occupied their land for centuries. Other more recent occupants, fleeing atrocities of malevolent tyrants in their host countries, have also taken up residency as "refugees". An example of the latter are the "Long-neck" and sub-clans of the Lisu and Hmong people.

A trek into these mountains should be undertaken with utmost caution.

In an effort to displace the illicit trade in smuggled opium, timber, gems and wild-life (tiger, elephant and other exotic endangered species), the Thai government has encouraged development of alternative agricultural crops (most notably exotic coffees) and tourism.

Not all communities have embraced these government initiatives.

Consulting "expert" sources, I decided to seek an appropriate destination to satisfy my curiosity. Memories of stories related to me by a dear friend (who lived among the Hmong clans during the Vietnam War era), had for years, piqued my curiosity about the mountains and inhabitants of SE Asia's tropical highlands within the Golden Triangle.

Journey of Discovery

Atmospheric haze from burning rice stubble.

Seeking the Karen

The North of Thailand is characterized by it’s sweeping mountain landscapes, pristine forests, waterfalls and ancient temples.

Harvested rice terraces - "dry rice" typical of the highlands

The climate is typical of tropical mountains with clearly delineated wet and dry seasons. Winter temperatures can be cool with frosts occurring most years at higher elevations, but no snow even on the highest peaks.

The pace of life is much slower with a casual air of serenity. Another important facet are it’s people.

They are, out of necessity, communal; many "micro-clans" living an aboriginal life-style within this vast geographical region of SE Asia.

Northern Thais possess a characteristically gentle nature; their kindness and hospitality to visitors is, perhaps, a result of their peaceful surroundings in fertile and abundant nature.

 

Unexpected Special Companions

 

About the time I undertook my effort to plan a trek into the outback, I received by E-mail, a request from one of my best friends, Larry, back in the United States.

"Henry," (Larry refers to me by my middle name) "I'm sending Trish to you and I want you to make sure she has a great time in SE Asia......"

Now that, my friends,  is a gesture of supreme confidence and trust in a friendship!

Trisha and "Henry" (Don't worry, Larry - this is no fun.....NOT

Without hesitation I accepted Larry's challenge to construct, with Trish, a month's worth of exotic travel experiences for her and her cousin, Karen, who would accompany Trisha on the journey.

Their trip would coincide with my planned trek into the highlands plus I had rented an apartment in southern Thailand's Krabi Province. My plan was to stay on the island of koh Lanta yai, the center of one of the world's most spectacular tropical sea venues, for at least three months of sea-trekking, scuba diving and exploration.

With all these ingredients already "simmering" and my own planning process in motion, it became a simple task to plug a couple more bodies into the mix and make this a wonderful introduction to SE Asia for Trish and Karen.

On February 7th of 2012, I welcomed Trish and Karen at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok and the adventure began!

A Treasure Un-earthed - Discovering "Yut"

 

This would be "yut" - Intrepid Guide and Friend

I was very fortunate in my planning to have inadvertently discovered the web-site for a Karen lodge, recently completed in the highlands, a day's trip by van from Chiang Mai. After consulting via E-mail with Trisha and Karen, we determined this a suitable option for a low-risk trek into the out-back.

After spending three days in Bangkok, waiting for my troupe of girls to recover from the long plane ride that began in North America, we embarked by train for Chiang Mai. Here we were to meet the guide who would lead us over-land, to the Karen village.

The guide we were fortunate to be assigned was "yut", whom we discovered (as my sub-title suggests), was an absolute gem. We would witness his competence as wilderness guide and teacher over the next few days as he would amaze us with the scope and depth of knowledge gained from years of experience in the northern mountains of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

To market, to market to buy a fat hog.....

Our early morning meet-up with yut in Chiang Mai began with a trip to a local market to purchase food for snacks and (as we were to learn later) the main course for an evening meal at our first night's camp-site.

With shopping accomplished, we began the several hours drive North. We stopped for lunch  about noon at a beautiful lakeside restaurant and enjoyed fantastic Muslim cuisine and yut previewed our afternoon hike.


An hour or so later we arrived at the trail-head from which we departed on our three hour walk through the forest to our first night's lodging.

Alright, you go first and I'll hold the towel!

Yut had meticulously planned our two-day journey overland through the forest. The first afternoon was a brief trek that would take us up and over two low ridges then follow and eventually cross a shallow stream late that first afternoon.

A short distance from the stream crossing, we reached a pleasant encampment where we would enjoy a delicious "hot meal" and spend a comfortable night sleeping under a very welcome quilt in a bed protected by mosquito-nets.

You are wondering about the need for a quilt in a tropical setting?

The night was chilly enough at the altitude we attained, that when we exhaled, our frosty breath left little puffs of condensation in the air as we walked to our tiny, but accommodating  cabins beneath a sky brilliant with stars and the sliver of a new moon.

Five-Star comfort in the northern Thai mountains

Chilly morning at base camp

The next morning we awoke before sunrise and met for a hot and hearty breakfast before departing on a long day's hike over the next two ridges, a distance of about ten kilometers. During the course of the hike, yut would pause to show and allow us to sample medicinal herbs and edible plants.

His tutoring provided some very practical side-benefits, too, as many of the succulent leaves or small fruits we sampled, provided energy or slaked our thirst along the way. (They did nothing, however, for my aching feet)!

Early morning carnage - Remnants of a shameless attack by hungry hikers!

Karen and yut at the Day 2 departure point

The terrain was for me, very reminiscent of the Appalacian Mountains. There are numerous vales between the ridges here, usually harboring a small lake or bog, or, nourished by a lively stream. It is very similar to my recollections of walking streams and brooks in the mountain "hollows" of eastern Kentucky.

Streams and hollows

Ridges and vales

Late in the afternoon we reached the site of an abandoned lumber camp. Yut had thoughtfully arranged a meet-up with an old friend who was a mahout and owned a small family of Asian Elephant.

Anticipating that we would be close to our walking limit, yut had bargained with his friend to let us ride the remaining distance (about three-and-a-half kilometers over the last steep ridge) to a picturesque valley where the Karen clan was waiting to welcome us at their new lodge.

Welcome respite from the rigors of hiking on foot.

We gratefully clamored aboard our friendly, plodding pachyderms, and continued through the bamboo and pine forest.

But, after two hours, we just as gratefully departed the swaying cradle in which we rode!

 It was amusing to observe the "childish" antics of the young elephant, who followed its Grandmother, during our short journey to the lodge.

Valley of the Karen

 

Pastures and paddys - the peace and seclusion of Thailand's Mountain clans

Arrival at the lodge

Our stay with the Karen clan in this picturesque valley was almost like living an adventure novel. Each morning we would start our day, a mug of hot coffee in hand, as the dawn gradually illuminated the sky behind a ridge that lay beyond the rice paddy and a bubbling perimeter stream. The morning sun eventually vaulted the colorful ridge, spilling its morning light into the vale below.

The warm morning air would lift mist from the stream and bath the foliage in droplets of moisture which, in turn, attracted a troupe of resident Gibbon to frolic and feast on the misty fruit in tree tops of the ridge beyond. 

Their calls, "wahhhhh-oop, wahhhhh-oop," echoed across the vale to join the scratchy voices of long-legged cranes feeding on small critters in the harvested rice paddy.

The temporary kitchen

Breakfast would magically appear from the kitchen below to remind us of the busy day yut planned for us.

Each day was a different exposure into the centuries old culture and life-style of these mountain people...a culture that gradually diminishes as it is overtaken by the inexorable advance of  emerging economies in a "modern" SE Asia.

The question suddenly occurred to me, "Is this the last chance to see...to experience the authentic culture of these hospitable and happy people who have sustained a life-style compatible with their surroundings for centuries?"

Dining with a very exotic view!

 

Last Chance To See?

 

The morning after our arrival, yut guided us to a ridge top near the so-called Golden Triangle. Nestled along the flanks of the ridge was a Lisu village that in the not-to-distant past had supported itself by cultivation of the Opium Poppy.

Lisu Village near The Golden Triangle

The Thai Government dispatched a contingent of its Army to the area and the poppy fields were destroyed.

A group of horticulturists followed to instruct Lisu on cultivation of crops replacing the poppy and its nefarious by-product (source of Lisu income). Most notable of the new crops was an exotic species of coffee. The new crops not only required a substantial learning effort on the part of the Lisu, but were also much more demanding and labor intensive.

Coffee trees and vegetable crops displaced the Opium Poppy.

Lisu plantation near The Golden Triangle, former site of Opium Poppy fields.

Labor intensive crops have replaced the Opium Poppy

A sizable contingent of the Thai military still resides in a new detachment compound near the village. The detachment's stated purpose is to patrol the international border which is infamous for its smuggling operations. More informed opinion says that the real purpose of the Army's presence is to insure the Lisu do not back-slide to previous agricultural habits.

The Lisu are not happy!

 We returned to the lodge where a much happier and content family of Karen awaited our appearance for the evening meal. Below are scenes of communal farms through which we passed on our return to the lodge. These seemed more typical of the Karen clans (as opposed to the Lisu) which we visited.

Subsistence farming - "Dry" rice and tropical fruits sustain the relaxed life-style of the mountain-dwelling Thai clans.

Cattle grazing the harvested rice paddy.

Wasted "farang" bodies - trekking and elephant rides finally extracted its toll!

After the meal and a hour or so of relaxation, we joined the families and all the kids for a giant bonfire with dancing, singing and just plain family fun. We laughed, danced and played until the bonfire was reduced to glowing embers. The laughter and giggles of the children slowly ebbed and at this conclusion of a very long day, which had begun with morning calls of the Gibbon troupe, we retired inside the safe confines of our mosquito net protected sleeping platforms.

Two days of long walks up and over forested ridges, clambering over make-shift foot-bridges crossing the occasional stream and then the two-hour ride atop swaying elephants, finally levied its toll on my fatigued, old carcass.

I collapsed and slept without twitching a muscle (I'm sure) the entire night!

Ritual of the Shaman

 

It was as if each day, yut was "self-challenged" to out-do his performance of the day previous. On day three of our stay at the lodge, again, after a beautiful sunrise and huge breakfast, we packed our gear, bade our farewell to the lovely Karen who had hosted us, and began the long trek back to Chiang Mai.

What we did not know, was the surprise yut had plotted to entertain us along the way.

The road to Chiang Mai - challenging terrain in the northern highlands of Thailand, near the infamous "Golden Triangle

Wai - Thailand's ubiquitous beast of burden

After an approximately one-hour bumpy-jerky-lurching ride by 4 X 4 vehicle, we arrived at a junction where the dirt track joined a paved road. Here, high in the hills above a beautiful stream, we disembarked the vehicle in the center of a bustling community comprised of, perhaps, two dozen Karen families.

Lively it was! There were kids and pigs, chickens and buffalo scurrying hither-and-yon, and, amidst all of this were the adults going about their daily ritual(s).

Village Life

All generations share the same roof.

The family livestock also share the same roof...but under the floor of the main living area!

Pounding the chaf from rice

The population of mountain clans rarely (if ever) experience a life-style beyond that which they have maintained for century-upon-century.

I have no knowledge of their "life-expectancy" in terms of longevity or what are their social - material expectations.

The vast majority of individuals with whom we were privileged to interact, appeared healthy and happy.

As a matter of fact, while we were visiting the village, a government medical team was circulating through the village providing inoculations to the children.

I don't recall inquiring of yut the educational opportunity for the children, but I did observe many boarding schools in communities through which we passed along the way. I speculate that the children are transported to the schools, provided board and room and a "basic" education, periodically returning to their home village.

In many ways, it seems incongruous to me, that "western civilization" considers these "primitive" and/or "third-world" cultures and societies.

Why is it, that just because these happy, self-sufficient people choose to march to the beat of a different drum, that we feel compelled...even obligated...to export our religion, our politics and our economy, there-by disrupting their traditions and life-style?

The Welcome

Karen communal structure mimics that which has been traditional for untold generations. One of the principal (if not the principal) elders in the community is the Shaman. Few activities, be they social, religious or just part of daily work and existence, are contemplated without consultation and advice from the Shaman. 

His knowledge, his perceived "extra-sensory powers" and his experience and wisdom are unquestioned.

Therefore, it was essential that yut present us to the Shaman to receive his "blessing" and expression of hospitality before spending time with the families in and about the village. We were ushered by invitation of the Shaman's wife, into the upper room of their house, a teak structure perched on stilts.

The interior of the upper portion of their home contained a cooking area, a sleeping/socializing area and one partitioned corner where their daughter and her infant had a private sleeping area.

The floor was supported by hand-hewn "joists", overlaid with thick planks and covered with woven bamboo mats upon which small carpets of colorful material were laid. A large platter was placed in the middle of this area and we were invited to arrange our bodies in a circle around it.

The Shaman's wife, in a gesture of welcome and hospitality, had prepared a small arrangement of "snacks" which was placed on the platter and we were invited to help ourselves. After a brief interlude of conversation between yut and the Shaman, additional paraphernalia was placed on the table.

This paraphernalia consisted of spun thread, a small bowl of un-cooked rice, wafers and small sausages. A pipe-like smoking instrument was also laid on the hand-painted plate.

The Shaman closed his eyes and for a few moments quietly chanted a welcoming litany. As he concluded the chant, with opened eyes, he gesticulted, pointing the pipe (which he held in his hand) at each one of us in succession. As he uttered the last word of his chant, the pipe stopped, pointing at one individual.

That individual was me!

The thought raced through my mind...what could this possibly mean? Am I banned, am I welcome, will I turn into an inanimate object or be reduced to a wretched, writhing creature!!?? The Shaman's expression was totally...and I mean totally...devoid of expression as he gazed deeply into my eyes. Then...he slowly lifted the cup of liquid which had been sitting on the platter and offered the cup to me.

Yut quietly instructed me to accept the cup with both hands and to immediately consume, in one swig, the contents of the cup!

Now...I have heard all sorts of stories about primitive rituals and the food and/or drink associated with said rituals. The memory of those stories and legends did not provoke any great curiosity or desire on my part, to consume the contents of the cup which I now held in my hands, but I did!

The liquid was warm (not necessarily an encouraging sign); it was a golden/amber color (definitely not an encouraging sign); but...was pleasantly tasty...a nut-like flavor and slightly sweet (a moment of immense relief swept over me)!

My anxiety now diminished, I inquired of yut, what was the cup's content which I had just consumed? 

yut informed me that, first; It would have been an affront to the Shaman and his stature in the community if I had refused to consume the contents of the cup; secondly, the entire party of guests would have been shamed; and lastly, the contents were a "home-made" recipe, (unique to this village), of fermented rice-wine, produced from the very rice grown in the village paddy.

 The recipe is sort of like the great Coca-Cola secret recipe, and is passed on from Shaman to Shaman as part of an historic ritual; the recipe never revealed to a curious "audience."

The Shaman - stoic and tattoed - and his wife

A special bond - two hearts, two hearths, two cultures

Yut assured me, I had done well, we were officially accepted by the Shaman into the clan's presence and now had "license" to visit this village anytime.

To demonstrate our acceptance, the Shaman's wife took the woven thread and made a small bracelet which she placed on one wrist of each person.

Then she placed the grains of un-cooked rice in her hand, tossing some over each one of us. (This has some connection with fertility, a scary thought at my age)!

The grains of rice were retrieved and individually packaged for each one of us.  The Shaman's incantation  over the rice, was to ensure a fruitful, healthy and long life for the person in its possession.

(The rice remains with me even to this day)!

At the conclusion of our visit, the Shaman's wife insisted she be photographed with Trish. This photo is the ultimate expression of two women, understanding a common gift; recognizing their respective femininity and role(s) as maternal keepers of their respective clans. 

Well done Trish!

Faces and Places - Highland Odyssey Photos

 

The trail starts here!

Then it goes up and over this way...

Along the top of this ridge...

and we'll cross that little foot-bridge and spend the night here....whew!

So put on a happy face...it's time to discover what I've cooked for dinner!

I think yut said the trail was over this way..........

Oh......it's up there behind the loafing shed.

Were we here yesterday ??????

                                                 Nope...different fence and we don't have to climb over this one!

                  Come on...it's not that much of a climb!

The heck it isn't.... (pant pant)....any steeper and we'd need rock-climbing gear! 

Edible plants and herbs

occasional dead birds...

Incredible flowering trees

Elephants walking a pace that they please!

Will my feet ever be the same?

Postlude

 

The mountain people apparently do not feel compelled to seek or evolve a life of material enrichment beyond that which their current environment provides. Is it only because they have lacked exposure to the life-style and materialism of their distant, metropolitan cousins?

Why is it that the distant cousins are so "hell-bent" to impose their life-style of materialistic consumerism on these mountain clans?

Perhaps it would be more prudent to promote preservation of the highlands and, therefore, the attendant life-style of these clans, there-by assuring continuation of the indigenous peoples culture and life-style which, at present, still remains in harmonious synchrony with their environment.

Monsoon rain nourishes the thirsty highlands

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I'm indebted to Trisha for access to and use of many photos from her collection for inclusion in this post.