This trip still lives and breathes primarily because of my continued connection with the project.  While working in the office with Monique in Chiang Mai, I pieced together a few basic lessons based on my brief contact with the local guides–their English levels and  communication needs. Once back on Texas soil and back in the world of software, I carved an hour here and there to polish the lessons and to add a few more, all the while concerned that I wouldn’t meet my internal deadline or that I would somehow not deliver a useable product. It’s a crapshoot to develop a curriculum without more contact with the audience, but I hoped that it could be a launching ground for more customized lessons.

There have been challenges; it is still unclear what the best teaching methodology might be for a group of people who feel more comfortable learning by rote and an extremely teacher centric approach that doesn’t really represent ELL best practices. And even if that  conundrum is resolved, will  Monique be able to get a steady stream of volunteers to teach the class?

While those are rather large issues for a short-staffed team to resolve, the main “win” seems to be that the villagers are very interested in learning and see the value in language classes. With determination these classes can happen, whether they opt to use the lessons I developed or not. In the interim, I keep in touch with Monique as she feels her way through this to create the best solution.

And, selfishly, I came away having had a much more personal experience than any I could have had with a tour group or even on a solo trip that didn’t involve the “giving back” part.  

Honestly, giving back is probably not the correct term for this experience, even though it was technically a volunteer assignment. It was really an experience of mutual giving. The kindness, hospitality, trust, environmental,  and cultural lessons that I received far surpassed what I was able to contribute to this admirable project. A project that aims in its own small way to preserve a beautiful forest and its people.

As for me, I haven’t let go of the idea of the value in short-term assignments of such as the one I was lucky enough to acquire. As a result, Lisa Morgan–a friend who did a volunteer stint in a Ugandan orphanage at the same time I was in Thailand– and I shared our volunteer experiences at REI in March. We’re doing an encore performance in May.

More on that in the next post.

After 17 years and many, many miles, I made it back down to Krabi, on the Andaman Coast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_Sea) of far Southern Thailand. Last time I was here, I was in my 20s, lived in Tokyo, had a boyfriend, and wouldn’t have even considered traveling to Thailand on my own. Our friends Larry and Laurie and their friend Cheryl came with Dave and me that year.

Back then, Krabi was a much sleepier place as there was no airport, and an overnight bus or train was the only way to get there.  The main visitors were the  more intrepid travelers.

Of course, this time I found a very different place. Tons of restaurants, hotels of all kinds and a kind of jadedness from the people that comes from having your whole economy based on tourism. I also saw tsunami warning signs all around, reminding me that a major disaster had occurred in the area just a few years ago.

Though most of it was unrecognizable to me, the  main Ao Nang beach, where we had stayed so long ago–its beautiful long-tailed boats waiting to take people to nearby islands–looked exactly as I remembered.  

At first, I thought I might just take it easy and hang around my hotel pool, sipping Gin Fizzes and reading books. Quickly, I had to face the fact that I’m not very good at that kind of thing, so I arranged for 2 excursions.

The first one was an amazing kayaking trip on a rather quiet bay, Ao Thalene, guided by a sea kayak company about an hour from where I was staying.

Here is a  photo of their operation.

The trip took us through limestone caves, mangrove forests and all around large rock formations as pictured in the photos below. As you look at the photos, see if you can find the monkey.  You’ll also see a photo of Gustav and Hanna, the Danish couple that accompanied me on the trip.

(Note: The water in this area is a bit muddy, so not the crystal clear waters that I saw on my trip to Ko Phi Phi.)

Our guide:

Yours truly with hat hair:

It was a lovely, peaceful trip. At times you couldn’t hear anything at all. Apparently, there had been a group of 40 Germans in the morning, so we hit the place at the right time by doing the afternoon trip.  I also met a young girl there, who spoke incredible English and said her teacher, “Miss Susan,” was from Austin, Texas. 

The next day, I took a different kind of trip out to one of the more beautiful islands in the area, Ko Phi Phi.  (One of the beaches, Ma Ya Beach, is the one featured in DiCaprio’s film, “The Beach.”)

Twenty people from Norway, Germany, London, Liverpool (the drinkers in the bunch!), Indonesia and myself  boarded a really fast motorboat that took us to several beaches and open water areas to snorkel. It was idyllic. I didn’t take too many photos as it’s sort of hard to capture the real beauty with a camea, but here are a few.

This is the first beach we pulled into for snorkelling:

We had lunch at this restaurant, which is in the main town of Ko Phi Phi.

Another shot of the beach:

I think the most beautiful place we snorkeled was an area with no beach at all. We jumped from the boat (careful not step on the live coral) and a few in the group actually saw a barracuda. I think it’s hard to do this place justice in photos but here goes:

Even though I was the only solo traveler and the only American, it turned out to be a great day. I chatted with the Germans and Indonesians, had beer with the Brits, got to know the Indian family from London, and simply exchanged smiles with the Norwegians. 

I did spend the next day in Krabi by the pool, reading a book before taking off for the airport.

This area is very different from the north (Chiang Mai) and though I’m glad I came back, I much prefer the north now that I have been to both for many reasons I’ll not go into now.

Still in all, I’m glad I made the  pilgrimage after such a long absence. The humidity;  the scents of spices and frangipani in the air;  the mosques and Buddhist temples peppering the landscape; and the blue, clear water hold an allure that is quintessentially Southeast Asian.

I had been wanting to take advantage of one of the many “wildlife” and nature venues that Chiang Mai offers, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of going to one of those hokey animal shows until I found an elephant camp that is known to be a pretty responsible one in the area. The Mae Sa elephant camp, about an hour from Chiang Mai, is known for having gathered “down and out” elephants  and brought them to an area where their lives are much better.

The founder also apparently launched a breeding program to increase the Asian Elephant’s dwindling numbers. A quirky fact is that on March 13, which is National Thai Elephant day (and my birthday, btw), the camp throws a huge Lanna (traditional food for the area) style banquet and invites all of the elephants to partake in the 70 dishes served. The elephants are trained to entertain visitors and to paint. Their paintings are sold to help support the camp. One of their paintings sold for so much that it made the Guinness book of world records!

Here’s a shot of the area where elephants learn to paint.

Our small group set out from Chiang Mai and got there just in time for the elephants’ morning bath in the river. It was pretty cool watching these elephants splash around, spray each other (and some onlookers) with water, and in some cases fully submerge themselves in the water.

Next was the show, which featured them playing soccer and games with their handlers (mahouts) as well as doing traditional elephant work tasks, such as moving and stacking logs. They ate up the applause by bowing or moving their heads from side to side in this light and playful way. Of course I have no idea if they really ARE  happy. They may be thinking, “You humans can kiss our elephant butts. One day we shall rise up and take this camp over.”  But they sure seemed happy to me.

In this photo, the elephant is passing a tip of 20 Baht to his handler. (Hard to see but the money is in the elephants trunk.)

But just as the elephants, for all the world,  seemed light and joyful, I was feeling really lightheaded and bitchy. In typical Thai tour guide fashion, however,  our van driver didn’t want us to linger there to maybe eat some lunch when there was some other crap he could show us before our 12:40 appt to ride some elephants.

So we got in the van and he ran down the list: “You want see monkey show, snake show or tiger show?”  I opted for none of the above and the rest of the group agreed, so we went to this really pitiful and run down orchid farm, which happened to be included in the price of our trip. It was so boring that the stray cat at the entrance got more attention than anything at the farm, maybe because people thought the cat was a part of the “Tiger show.”

So after spending a useless 20 minutes, back down the road we went to the elephant camp to admire the newest baby elephant and then ride one of the big ‘uns.

Here are a few shots of the baby and its Mom.

Still with no food , I continued to play  the nice tourist, figuring I would eat after the ride. So, against my better judgment, I got on the back of a 21-year-old elephant, Nooning, with his rider, also named Nooning, at the helm. It all started out OK, as the elephant headed down the usual track he probably does everyday. As he got warmed up, however,  it seemed that every time there was a crossroads, the elephant would take the steep, potholed trail rather than main trail that all the other elephants were taking.

Nooning, Nooning and Laurie setting off on the ride.

Nooning, the mahout, kept looking back at me, sensing my nervousness and shouted, “You VIP. You very good luck,” as he laughed a stoner laugh that didn’t instill a whole lot of confidence in me.

I’m not sure about being a VIP, but this elephant had a mind of his own. At one point, we passed through a village where there was a feeding station. All the other elephants took the food that was there for them, and then went along the path. Nooning, however, turned up his nose at the food, went storming into a cluster of houses and got some tree limbs and leaves from one of the yards. At this point the mahout could really tell I was nervous, so he started talking about the newborn elephant. He pointed to a Thai couple, carrying a small, yappy dog, dressed in a visor and a kilt. (Yes, the dog was wearing a kilt.), and said, “Baby Elephant!” And then a “No!” accompanied by a stoner laugh. He then pointed at a stray cat and a small child, repeating the same joke several times.  That didn’t reassure me.

When we finally pulled up to the drop-off point, which was sort of like a drive through banking window, where the rider gets deposited onto a platform, I was at a blood sugar low. Eating was not in the cards for me, however, as the restaurant there somehow “lost” my Pad Thai and “found” it again just when it was time to go back to the van.

I went back to Chiang Mai with good feelings about the elephant camp but a sense of travel weariness and thoughts of a good meal.

One last shot of an elephant posing for a photo.

Anyway, here goes the very old post that I never published. Next up, the elephant ride, my return to Krabi after 17 years, and saying good bye to Thailand…

Here are a few miscellaneous photos and clips from my travels in and around Chiang Mai. All I’ve had the energy to do today is move to a different hotel, watch a couple of stupid movies and listen to the English Aljazeera on cable TV (very interesting stories–pretty anti-American, which never bothers me, but some stories seem very skewed, much like our press must seem to the rest of the world.) I do like their coverage of the bombing of Gaza, which seems far more balanced than our coverage, but that’s for another blog…;-

I wanted to write more about my trip to Doi Suteph temple, which is one of the holiest Buddhist temples in the area. But all I can say now is that in trying to be a “traveler” rather than a tourist, I failed at both. Everyone in Chiang Mai seemed to be there at once performing all the Buddhist rituals that such a place demands, and I found myself walking around in circles unable to comprehend or focus on anything. I was literally overwhelmed . Stubborn me, I decided to go without a guide and to “intuit’” with my spiritual 6th sense what was going on, I suppose.

What does a failed pilgrim do when confused at a Thai temple? Why, of course she heads straight to the nearest temple coffee shop to contemplate suffering and the causes of suffering while having a Thai iced coffee and a waffle with chocolate.

Here are a couple of preview shots from the trip:

On the way back from Doi Suthep, we stopped at Bo Sang, where these colorful, Thai umbrellas are hand made:

When I learn to use iMovie, I’ll piece together some clips of the umbrella-making process along with the Sunday Market. In the meantime, here are a few more photos from around town.

Too bad this place was closed! I was in the mood for sausages and mashed potatoes!

I think I need this van to show up at my house in Austin every morning. I wonder how much it would cost?

After working  my last day in the project office, which is housed, by the way, in Shane’s lovely home on the out skirts of Chiang Mai, I woke up yesterday with every bone in my body aching and other symptoms that I shall not go into. Needless to say, I had to bow out of the New Year’s Eve festivities with Monique, Gary, Courtney and others..

Thankfully, I’m in this very cool and comfortable boutique hotel in a refurbished colonial building. Design wise it epitomizes the tropics in every way (lovely verandas, a small tropical garden)  except I’m sure the people who lived in it back in the day didn’t quite have the same amenities–AC, cable, and the clean lines and minimalist chic that you can see in many boutique hotels around the world. It’s very Thai, but not  like what I experienced traveling 15 years ago. It has 10 rooms, each decorated differently, and I’ve been in 3 of the 10 rooms since I’ve been here due to the holiday rush and not making my reservations in advance. The clientele consists mainly of tourists from Bangkok rather than foreigners as something like 2.5 million foreigners were supposed to have canceled their trips due to the political turmoil. 

Here’s the  Villa Duang Champa hotel building. Note the huge power lines in front of it!

My stay here has fluctuated between very nice and  comfortably rustic. I’ve  had a bit of guilt about the niceties I’m experiencing at the more upscale places,  especially when I think back on the cheap places we stayed in when we traveling as 20 somethings.

These hotels are not expensive by US standards (they range from 45-65 dollars per night), but they are way more expensive than some of the backpacker hotels you can find here.  And by the way, I’ll be staying in one of those my last night in Chiang Mai to balance out the luxury with some back-to-basics.

But I was never so happy to be in a comfortable place like this, when I woke up feeling like crap yesterday. The staff doesn’t speak much English, and there are some quirks to be sure (for some reason you can’t make a call from the room, so I have to use one of their cell phones each time I want to call a friend),  but somehow we get by. They were nice enough to bring me some rice porridge yesterday, even though I was able take only one bite of it.

Tonight, I have to move to an even nicer place since there was nothing available here or any other places I’ve stayed. This place even has a pool  and wouldn’t you know all I want to do is lie down!

And as for the ailment, I’m self medicating for everything you could pick up while traveling, but my guess is it’s the flu. That’s the last flu shot I’ll take for awhile.

Ok, back to bed.

Responsible and “sustainable” tourism are terms that are thrown about a lot these days. These terms conjure up some vague ideas of giving back to the local economy when we travel, but, in many cases, they are used as trendy buzzwords  that most people may not  grasp. Or at least I know that has been true for me.

Learning what all this might really mean is partly what brought me to  volunteer at Pang Soong Lodge in the Mae Lai forest of northern Thailand, about an hour from Chiang Mai. Here a group of  private investors, environmental educators,  scientists, volunteers and local villagers are working together to build a destination that not only brings money into the community but also protects this thriving forest. A major aim is to genuinely educate visitors about the forest and its ecosystem and ultimately to enable the villagers to manage all aspects of the operation.   

Shane Beary, CEO and the creator of the Track of the Tiger project is incredibly passionate about the project. Monique Toubia, project coordinator, is responsible for creating and managing many of the programs at the lodge. She works with volunteers, like myself, who can contribute a day, a week, or month to helping the project move forward.

One of the newer buildings at Pang Soong Lodge:

While the lodge is a privately owned business that develops outdoor programs for a variety of clients, the villagers own the surrounding forest and trails, thus making this a true partnership. But the project isn’t only about tourism. Recent efforts have led the villagers to expand the agricultural crops they produce from the traditional tea plants (mainly used for “chewing”) to higher dollar crops, such as coffee, which is being grown in the area now. And let me  just say here that the coffee around these parts is incredible, 100 percent Arabica–black gold.  It is wonderfully rich, but at the same time, as smooth as silk.

Coffee growing around the hiking trails:

But I digress. 

So what, you might ask, was Laurie’s role in this ambitious “Track of the Tiger” project?

My main task is to develop the beginnings of an English course for the villagers who will be doing guide work or working in the lodge. While their English is currently pretty basic, the goal is to develop language skills that will allow them to share their deep knowledge of the forest with visitors. Monique also wanted me to accompany her to the local school where she teaches English once a week to various grade levels. The idea is that involvement with the project starts from a young age and that learning English and environmental concepts will help foster the connection to the project and the preservation of the forest.

Here is a photo of the 6th grade class writing letters to kids back in Austin. 

Being at the  lodge for 5 days was like a retreat, I suppose, but a retreat like none other I’ve ever experienced. For a short amount of time, I was totally immersed in this world of nature and interactions with the villagers, staff and visitors. The  surrounding sub-tropical, (moist) deciduous  forest is teeming with life and the constant sound of the flowing Mae Lai stream. Though it is hard to articulate, I seemed to go through an energetic change that  I felt in my body as it slowed down and took in the rhythms of the forest.

A handful of people from the village currently work in and around the lodge, so I was able to talk to develop friendships and language exchanges with them. In addition, two nights in a row, several villagers came to check out the English class I was teaching. Ging, a Thai environmental educator and guide, helped me write Thai translations of words and phrases on the board as we went through the basics.  From these classes, I’ll develop the basics of a course that other volunteers will likely teach once a week. 

And as is common when traveling, I came together with other travelers and foreign residents of Chiang Mai. Two visitors to the lodge, Ben and Colleen, connected with Shane through his nephew, who works with them on a yacht in Palma de Mallorca. We spent a few nights around the campfire drinking Thai moonshine that is supposed to be medicinal but that Monique’s Aussie friend,  Gary, kept calling “poison” in Thai, much to the amusement of the villagers. But drinking was far from the main activity as there were trails to be explored, one of which was a steep uphill climb that had me questioning the effectiveness of my current workout plan in Austin!

Below Yueng, Monique, Manit, Ben and Colleen pause after a steep climb:

The last day, the weather turned colder and rainy. In the morning, Gary, Monique, and I hiked the trail that most visitors to the lodge will experience, while Monique stopped to point out the plant life and to explain some of the activities possible on the trail, such as adventure racing and abseiling. To develop a curriculum that helps the guides talk about their natural environment, it was important for me to see the territory through which they would guide visitors. The rain increased the possibility of picking up a leech or two, along the way, but thankfully, none opted to ravage any of us.

While waiting for our ride back to Chiang Mai, Gary, Nong, Foon, and I played hand after hand of cards, while laughing, eating toast and drinking tea. That was only after an attempt to watch “The Last Samurai.” dubbed in Thai I might add, ended with the electricity going out. It was tough to leave because I wasn’t sure I’d be back, this time around anyway. As travelers, we all know we have to move on. I hope, however, my connection with this project continues long after I’ve gone.

In the meantime, I’ll be working at the office in Chiang Mai this week and hopefully gaining more insight into the project and how I can help.

While I was at the lodge, we didn’t really celebrate, but many of the Thai villagers wished me a Merry “Kritima” and so I’ll extend that to all of you. Hope you are having wonderful and–now that the mad rush is over–relaxing holidays.

Staff at my first hotel in Chiang Mai before leaving for the lodge:

Kritima night around the fire at Pang Soong lodge after teaching a class to some of the villagers. 

This “chichen” soup is not only clean and tasty, but it also has chicken in it.

On Saturday, I  arrived in Chiang Mai,  where it is a perfect 75-80 degrees during the day and in the 60s at night. Everyone in Bangkok kept warning me how cold it is here.  I almost believed them, but then I had to think back on my last trip to Vietnam when people were wearing fuzzy warm hats and scarves in 80-degree weather. I’m told that the lodge will be much colder.

Before I head off to the lodge, I’m staying at a hotel called the Maninarikorn (try saying that after a couple of Singha beers).  It’s actually a really nice hotel, considering it’s only 45 dollars a night. It has a pool, nice rooms, an incredible breakfast buffet with Thai and Western food. It also has really cute staff that are all wearing Santa hats. I’d almost forgotten it was Christmas until I walked into the hotel and was greeted by 5 or 6 Thai Santas and the catchy “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime” playing over and over and over again all day long. And it isn’t even the version by Paul McCartney.

 Chiang Mai is a city of 1.5 million, but it is a far more laid back than Bangkok. Wider streets, slower pace, more of a rural feel to it as it is the gateway into forests, mountains, farming communities and hill tribe communities. That very thing attracts tons of foreigners—families on holiday from Australia and Asia;  adventure seekers from the U.S and Europe; and your typical dreadlock wearing backpacker type. So, there is a tour shop on virtually every block of every street selling everything from Panda tours (I think there are a couple of Pandas in the Chiang Mai zoo), to long neck tours (to see the long necked Karen tribe, north of here), to elephant tours and so on.

 There is one tour where you can “talk and touch with the tigers.” On the cover of the brochure is  a photo of a sexily dressed woman rubbing  a huge tiger on the tummy as if it were my cat Morrison. Though some of the trips are hokey, there are a few interesting looking zip lining tours, bamboo rafting tours, and treks. In fact, the place I’ll be working aims to offer activities for the more “serious” outdoor person—rock climbing, trekking, rafting and eco tours that teach people about the forest there, which is apparently really amazing.

 I’m leaving for the lodge this morning, so I’ve decided not to hit Chiang Mai’s many  famous markets to look at textiles and art until I unload some of the items I’ve brought for the lodge—ESL books, tee-shirts for the guides and stuff for the kids at the local school. That way I’ll have plenty of room to stuff my bag again.

 I did, however, walk a few miles from my hotel through the old, walled part of the town to  see 3 (out of 300) of their most famous Wats (temples). The oldest one dates back to 1226 and was established by a revered king who ruled the area (the northern part of Thailand, which was a separate kingdom from south) during that period. The cool thing is that when I was there, locals were there for a Sunday gathering which might have been like a Sunday church potluck, only the food was Thai.  Maybe I just made that up, but seems plausible.

Here is one of the entrance gates to the walled city. Not a great shot, but you get the idea.

This is a street scene while walking to see the temples:

Another gold buddha, but notice the lovely red and gold on walls and columns.  I need to get a closer shot of that:

 So in 2 hours, I’m away to the remote lodge to teach classes for 5 days and  then back to Chiang Mai next Saturday. 

Oh yeah and as for danger or violence due to the political issues, the most danger I’ve experienced is the threat of being trampled by  a Dutch family at the breakfast buffet!

Before leaving for the Bangkok airport to catch my flight to Chiang Mai, at the very last minute, I had to open my overstuffed bag just one more time. I had opened and closed it 4 or 5 times that morning to add or swap things out. Each time I had been able to zip it up successfully, but just barely. Unfortunately, this last taunting of the packing gods f-ed up this delicate balance and unleashed Shiva the destroyer, who I’m sure laughed at me as I scrambled to cram dirty clothes, books and other items into plastic bags, my purse, and my computer bag. What I failed to notice is that many of those items were liquids.

 So when I innocently told the nice Thai security folks I had no liquids in my carry on bag, I had no idea I was lying. And when I was pulled aside for a bag check I wondered what the hell that was all about, irately thinking they would find nothing. When they started to pull from my bag every single liquid, lotion, gel and paste I brought, many of which were well over the allowable size limit, I silently prayed that they would not take my hair conditioner. She took each item out carefully examining its contents. The toothpaste paste, fine. The makeup, great. The shampoo, OK. Then she got to the Bumble and Bumble hair conditioner. She took a full 5 minutes to decide what to do about it. She looked at me and then at it. She asked me how long I would be in Thailand and where I was going during that period. As I watched her toss my conditioner into the bin, I figured she  decided that a volunteer at a rainforest eco-lodge probably didn’t need conditioned hair. I would disagree, but who’s to argue with Thai security.

Actually, I was lucky to come away with any of it.