Trecking in the Jungle
Trip Start
Oct 17, 2007
1
6
19
Trip End
Ongoing
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Saturday, November 3, 2007
hehe... I'm totally joking.
We saw no such giant cat, because in the jungles where we trekked, there is constant motion and many hill-tribe villages who have hunted these majestic creatures in the past. We were happy to hear that in the beginning of our most recent 3 day guided tour. Although, following the comfort of this knowledge we were told that there are many snakes such as cobra's and green snakes all throughout the mountains. It was only expected traveling through the jungle and all....
The night before we left we had a quick meeting about what to bring, what to expect and simply to meet those who we would be spending the next few days with. We ended up walking away that night very excited and anxious for our trip. We met our tour guide and the sweetest Dutch lady named Priscilla. It turns out that, for the most part, it was just us four on our trek.
I won't bore you with our day to day, hour to hour schedule...and I think it would do us all some good to just cut to the goods. Throughout the 3 days we passed through a number of small villages, each with an understanding with our tour company of our presence. We asked our tour guide what the tribes people thought about having so many fullung (foreigners) constantly passing through their small homes (most averaging around a few hundred people, and maybe 20-70 families). With open eyes, clean cloths, white skin, and money in pocket we wondered how they coped with a constant obtrusion of their privacy.... But we came to understand that it was the money in the pocket part that did it. Somewhere along the line, the government opened these tribes (once completely sustainable from the outside world) to the public by making the decision to introduce tourism into their local economy. Though, it was good to hear that each village will receive some money from the tour company every time they drop in... But something felt very off about the whole thing. Although, every village we went to had a small amount of hand-made crafts for sale. Most of them where highly priced, but it was the first time that we didn't feel the need to haggle... in-fact, we ended up buying stuff we didn't really need just to support them.
Such beautiful people, and amazing culture. The elders were smiling and the children were happy. From our perspective it was really nice to witness this type of life. I mean, outside of the tourism thing... life in these villages was simple. There was a few months of the year where everyone in the village worked .... for the most part it was out in the rice fields and terraces... The women would work side by side the men and the young adults. Truly, a beautiful thing.
The other half of the year was spent with much lesser responsibility and more freedom. Life seemed to be without worry. At least when compared to life in the Western World.
When somebody of the tribe, or a new family wanted to build a home, they would pick a spot anywhere on their vast land and begin building. In the mountains there is an endless supply of resources for these small villages and their needs.... Water, wood, fertile land, and vegetation! There is no need here to over produce or become greedy with riches resource development. They have what they need and the bottom line is that they are content.
Throughout the trip Priscilla, Eileen and I sparked many a good conversation. About life in general really... We spoke of our trip, Priscilla's trip, the power of manifestation, organic living, and the many non-materialistic riches that Eileen and I feel so wealthy in.
We spoke of relationships... of love & of light....
We spoke of empowerment and the need to rise and stand for your rights....
Love for a nation and the power this bares...
Courage and Passion... Fear and Despair,
Trekking through the jungle and the mountains in North-West Thailand was a great experience, but the conversation and company we had was more... it was empowering and divine.
On the last day we woke up under a mosquito net in a 6 x 6 ft raised bamboo hut. We walked out to witness.... (in every sense of the word) an "awesome" water-fall, nestled there in the jungle. We cleansed ourselves in it and got ready to meet the long awaited elephants of Thailand. Through this time I couldn't stop thinking about our tour guide, Sun. The night before he shared a near death experience he had in the army when he was young.... And for some reason "real" experiences always paint an lasting impression in my mind.
Anyways... ELEPHANTS!... BAMBOO RAFTING!... what else can I say. We had an amazing day.. down by the bay. We left with a wai, a thank you for our stay.... the elephants were grey and the rafting was great.
So, thank you Sun and thank you Priscilla for being you. Curious, adventurous and true.
Much love to all who are keeping up with us. Right now we are staying with that mechanic I mentioned the other blog ago.... (hehe) Remember? His name is Neung and he is nice...??...
Well, he's gonna help fix up some things with the bike. A week ago he winked at us in the shop and told us not to fix things there... He rubbed his fingers together, referring to the cost and in a hush, told us to not worry, he will help us on Sunday, his holiday (or day off) at home.
So we await Sunday, and in the meantime we are happily exchanging English lessons for Thai lessons with him and his wife. Oh, and I'll mention that his wife is not well. The doctors have told her that she has high blood pressure and they are feeding her pills which have not cured her after 3 years... (just calmed her ails). Eileen has set out to figure out what is actually wrong with her, and she will try to ween her unto a more holistic treatment that may hopefully become a life altering experience. She is sort of like Eileen's first patient... Well, I won't jump to conclusions, it is just so amazing to see Eileen so passionate about her interests in Natural Health. She will do what she can right now and learn from the experience.
(Eileen wanted me to mention that she won't take her off her medicine, thinking she knows whats best. She will just work with her and educate her about those pills she is taking and with other possible options. She will not suggest abandoning these pills, but merely work with her diet and lifestyle to alleviate her side affects.)
Anywhoo, Until next time... Signing off,
Daniel & Eileen.
