Maehongson - April 1 2009

There were no scheduled public Poi Sang Long events on April 01 that we were aware of. Despite assurances that there was nothing going on, I got Duang up and headed out to the Wats at 6:00 A. M. There was no acrimonious music to be heard - confirming that nothing was going on. Duang took it well but I did hear about a couple times during the day about how I had not listened to her. I told her it was an April Fool's joke to go to the Wat early in the morning and we both ended up laughing.

Duang wanted to see the Monk who lives in a cave so we headed north out of town and back up the long and winding road that goes to Pai (Highway 1095). We had stopped by the cave on our way into Maehongson the previous day but he was not there.

We stopped at the cave and the Monk was there. A young boy from the nearby village was preparing the Monk's food on a burner set directly above a LPG bottle. The food smelled good. We talked to the Monk for a while and received his blessing. I first visited him in October of 2006 and make a point to stop in and see him whenever I am in Maehongson. Today he had another Monk visiting him. While we were there a married couple from the local village arrived and made offering of food to the Monk. After they received their blessing, Duang talked to them and learned that the woman had a small restaurant at the entrance to Fish Cave National Park. From the woman we learned that the Monk's name was "Thom Padang".

When we had stopped at the Monk's cave the day before, I took photographs of the various statues of Buddha outside of the cave. Of the four trips to the cave, this was the only time that the statues were dressed in vestments. Each statue was covered with an orange cape that had fancy bead work on it. I told Duang that I thought that the cape had something to do with the Poi Sang Long Festival. Duang asked the Monk and found out that the sautes were wearing capes because the weather had been cool. After Songkran, 15 April, the Monk was going to remove the capes. Although we had visited the sight two years ago during Songkran, we did not see the statues clothed. Duang told me that she believes that before not too many people visited the Monk so he did not have the money to buy the clothing. Now he is apparently getting more visitors and has the material means to buy clothing for the statues. This would also help to explain why he now has a chain link fence and metal framed chain link door across the entrance to his cave as well other developments such as new tarps lining the inside of the cave. Dressing the statues is not limited to this location. In Bangkok, the King but most recently the Crown Prince change the clothing on the Emerald Buddha at the changing of each season in a very special ceremony. We bid farewell to the Monk and promised to return later in the year. Interestingly yesterday Duang informed me that the Monk had a special request for us. She had told him about why we in Maehongson and that we knew people in the Huay Suay Tao refugee camp. Apparently the Monk also knows Khun Ma Plae and requested a photo of her. Monks are celebrate and are not allowed to be touched by women. Thom Padang's request is interesting and I will be happy to comply. Duang believes that he will send us amulets that will protect us - he is supposedly Number 1 Monk for car accident prevention. With an amulet from him, we will not have an auto accident but if we were to have one - we would not be killed. OK. With the way I have seen so many people drive around here, I am not about to turn my back on any possible assistance to stay safe.

After visiting the Monk, we stopped at Fish Cave to grab a bite to eat at the woman's food stall. There were hardly any people at the park. There is typically 5 to 10 vans of tourists in the parking lot. There was only one other pickup truck besides ours. We ended up spending about 30 minutes sitting and relaxing with the woman and her young son.

We then drove to the Buddhist Meditation Center a little further up the road. We had discovered the retreat on our last trip to Maehongson. It is a very peaceful and relaxing setting with impeccably maintained grounds nestled along a fast flowing stream between a series of craggy hills. People from around the world go to the center to learn or to improve their meditation techniques.

As we pulled off of Highway 1095 to drive along the narrow road to the Center, we came upon four young boys absolutely enjoying themselves at the local swimming hole. A small dam across the stream running parallel to Highway 1095 has developed a small area of deeper water suitable for swimming. After overcoming their initial shock of me stopping the truck in the middle of the road, getting out, and starting to photograph them, the boys put on a show for us. They took turns running across the road and doing somersaults into the water. As I showed them their photographs, their enthusiasm increased proportionally. After demonstrations of their acrobatic prowess, there were a couple of races between the boys. It was entertaining for us to watch the boys enjoying themselves in such a simple and innocent past time.

We eventually arrived at the Mediation Center - we met the Abbott and he invited us to join the students for lunch. We had eaten at Fish Cave so we declined. As Duang paid her respects and made her offering to the Buddha shrine, the Abbott and I started talking. Duang joined us and we ended up talking for an hour prior to his next scheduled class. He was well educated and well travelled. He had travelled several times to the USA to teach meditation.

The Monk gave us his blessing, and gave us some unsolicited marriage counselling - I was to be sure to take good care of Duang as well as listen to her (how did he know about this morning?) and she was to take good care of me as well as to listen to me. As part of our discussions we talked about life in Thailand and in the USA. The subject of recent violence in America came up. I remarked that in general Americans had placed their faith in material things and material institutions. Now that there is a crisis and these items are wiped out or greatly reduced, these people have nothing left to believe in. Their faith and confidence have been greatly affected. For many this has deprived them of a moral or ethical compass to proceed with their life. The results are increased violence and depression - mental as well as monetary.

From the mediation Center we continued on to the end of Highway 1285. End of Highway 1285? On the map it showed that there was a market town of Ban Huai Phueng on the border with Myanmar (Burma). We had never been there before. We had time. We had a truck, so we headed north west. We passed another Army checkpoint without any incident. The Thai Army has many checkpoints in the area in efforts to prevent smuggling of refugees as well as amphetamines into Thailand from Myanmar.

After awhile the excellent two lane paved road narrowed down to a narrow road winding through small settlements. At one point where the road had narrowed to a single lane we came upon two large stacks of dried garlic bundles along side of the road. Two men were walking up a steep hillside to road level with huge piles of garlic suspended on both ends of a long bamboo rod carried over their shoulder. We stopped to photograph the men at their work. They were Shan farm workers paid to harvest the dried garlic from the fields in the land below the road elevation, transport it up the hill and stack it along the side of the road awaiting transport by truck to a large drying barn like we had visited the day before. The men work from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 A. M. and earn 100 Baht ($3.50 USD) a day. This is back breaking manual work performed in a smoke filled atmosphere for $0.43 an hour. Of course there are no social security benefits, retirement plans, unemployment benefits, life insurance coverage or medical insurance available for these workers.

We spoke with the two workers and learned that they were happy because there was plenty of work available these days. I could not help but think that at $3.50 a day no doubt that there would be plenty of work available!

The men told us about the area up ahead on the road to the border. We set out for the market town but never got there. We got close but not there. When we were about 5 miles from the border we came to a roadblock. The military man was undoubtedly surprised to see a falang driving a truck out in the middle of no where headed for the Burma border. Through Duang I found out that the area was closed beyond the road barrier and that photography was not allowed. He was friendly and pleasant so I informed him through Duang that if photography was not allowed, I didn't want to go there. We all had a laugh. We turned around and returned to the garlic worker's work location.

I parked the truck off of the road and we walked over to better view the work. We climbed down the hill about 200 feet to a narrow bamboo bridge spanning a clear stream. I set up and photographed the men crossing the four bamboo stalk wide bridge with their loads of garlic on their journey to and from the garlic fields to the staging point high above along side the paved road. The land from the road to the stream was filled with long yai fruit trees. The long yai fruit is very tasty and refreshing. The long yai trees are also the favorite habitat of the red ants that the people of Isaan are fond of eating. It turns out that the Shan people also eat the ants and ant eggs.

The workers invited and eventually convinced us to cross the bamboo bridge. We followed the men across the bouncy bridge and joined them on the other side. The other side was a series of dry and harvested rice paddies. On a previous trip in December 2006 to the region, I had photographed local people planting garlic. Crops are rotated in rice paddies to optimize available growing seasons and to assist in improving the poor soil. After harvesting the rice crop in November, the Shan people had planted garlic as a supplemental crop. That crop has completed growing, drying in the field, and is now ready to be harvested in April. After navigating a maze of dikes surrounding the paddies and crossing some paddies we arrived at the work sight. Several men and women were on their knees busy pulling garlic bulbs out of the ground. They were surprised to see us, mostly likely me in particular. I surmise that not to many foreigners make it out to this garlic field.

In no time at all, Duang had charmed them and I had sufficiently amused them so everyone was comfortable as well as relaxed. My previous photographs at the bridge were facing the sun. Now that we were on the other side of the bridge, it was possible to have the sun at my back. I made my way back to the bridge over the flowing waters. Carefully selecting where to place my feet, I was able to make it to a large rock in the middle of the stream - safe, sound, and dry. I did have to share my perch in the stream with many small butterflies as well as many flying insects. The flying insects were annoying but apparently not health endangering.

I spent a good amount of time in the stream taking photographs of the men transporting the garlic across the bridge. I went back to the harvesting site to see that Duang had joined the team in harvesting the garlic. Since I was wearing my pakama on my head like Lao Loum men in Isaan, the Shan people decided that I needed to try my hand at harvesting garlic. After an initial failure in harvesting grass rather than garlic which created a great deal of laughing, I was able to make some progress harvesting the garlic. It was back breaking work. I joked that with the way I worked, I would make about 5 baht a day. The Shan people were not done with me yet. I had harvested a good handful of dry garlic on their stalks but not enough to create one of the many bundles required to be placed on the bamboo poles to be hauled up the hill. My picking partner gave me her garlic. A man came along and tied the stalks together with one of the many strips of bamboo that he had on his back. One of the porters that we had spoken to earlier came up to me with his loaded bamboo rod. My new bundle was added to the load and the bamboo pole with garlic bundles was placed over my shoulder. The bamboo rod is about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and about 6 feet long. Each end of the rod is loaded with approximately 25 pounds of garlic. It was definitely a load. I may have been able to make it to the bridge but there was no way I could have climbed the four bamboo rungs to get up on to the bridge. On a very very good day, if some how I had managed to get across the bridge with the garlic, I possibly and just maybe may I would be able to get the garlic up the 200 foot high 35 degree slope to the paved road. To do this for eight hours a day - no way! To do it for $3.50 a day and not complain - as they said in the 1939 classic film -"Gunga Din" based on the Rudyard Kipling poem - " You are a better man than I am, Gunga Din" The Shan farm workers have my admiration and respect. Once again the reality of the world collides with our past experiences and perceptions - another reason why I enjoy living in S.E. Asia learning and experiencing life from a different perspective.

We returned to the hotel around 5:00 P. M. exhausted, satisfied, and content with the day's activities as well the insights into other people's lives that we had witnessed.

Poi Sang Long Ritual - Day 2

Tuesday, 31 March, according to the Abbott of Wat Kum Klang, the "official" printed festival brochure, as well as several local people, was the morning when the young boys would be dressed up in their finery and made up to be paraded through Maehongson. After yesterday's serendipitous discovery of the head shaving ceremony, we were determined to check, double check as well as to verify exactly what event was scheduled as well as its starting time.

We got up at 4:00 A. M. so that we would be at the Wat for 5:00 A. M. As we approached the Wat on foot from our parking space across the lake, we heard the continued acrimonious clanging, banging and beat of the previous day's music. We learned that as long as this music was going on, something was happening.


We arrived just about the right time at the Wat. The bot was filled with family members attending to their young boy. This morning the "Sang Long" (jewelled sons) were being dressed up in fine silks, brocades, jewelery, and complicated millinery. Their mothers, sisters, and aunts applied makeup to the boy's face that would be the envy of any Bangkok or Pattaya Kathoey (Lady Boy). In fact I suspect that many American women would love to be made up and look as elegant as these young boys do. Each family set up their spot on the floor in the bot. A few foreigners freely mingled amongst the Shan people photographing and filming the Shan tradition. Outsiders were very welcomed by the families and the atmosphere was free and relaxed.

The boys were being made up to resemble Princes. When the dressing and makeup had been completed the boys looked like they were little Maharajahs out of some Rudyard Kipling story. This was not a Halloween masquerade type skit but a financially taxing attempt to emulate royalty. Some of the clothing cost upwards to 10,000 baht ($286 USD). We were told by one family that they had gotten the cloth for their son's outfit from Cambodia. The clothing was colorful, intricate, and very fancy. Dressing up your son for his ordination is very analogous to the tradition and social pressures in the USA for having your daughter get married. To suitably impress the relatives, neighbors, and friends, families take on a large financial burden. Almost $300 for a child's outfit even in the Western World is not a trifle amount. Here in Thailand the average farm worker makes 100 baht ($3.50) a day. A can of Coke or Pepsi costs 15 baht so although I often write about how cheap things are here in Thailand, I am using an American perspective. At 100 baht a day, the average Thai farm worker is not going to be buying too many cans of soda or saving very much money in a month. To stage this family celebration many families pool resources and many end up borrowing money to finance the spectacle. We met and spoke with some young boys who had not been through the Poi Sang Long ceremony because their family could not afford the expense. Peer pressure is very strong for every family to somehow and someway to come up with the money to participate in the tradition.

The fathers focused their efforts on dressing their son in all the various articles of clothing. The proud fathers also gave their sons words of comfort and guidance. Other male members of the family sat next to the young boy. In many places, hired men also sat next to the jewelled princes. Once the boy has had his head shaved, his feet no longer touch the ground. The jewelled prince is carried upon the shoulders of his father, grandfather, uncles, and older brothers. To supplement the contingent of male relatives, some families hire men to carry their son on top of their shoulders during the rituals and parades. In many cases the porters for a particular boy are smartly dressed in pastel tailored traditional Shan outfits. Several men are required to carry the boy along the parade route. As a man becomes tired, the boy is transferred to a fresh man for his turn to carry the jewelled prince. Some of the porters with a great deal of energy from the clanging and banging music or perhaps the whiskey that you could smell on their breadth, danced enthusiastically with the boy on their shoulders. A couple of the porters appeared to have a de facto contest as to which one of them could get their prince lowest and most parallel to the ground without dropping him. I suspect that these were professional porters and not some one's crazy uncle or older brother. The fact that no princes were dropped also leads me to believe that professionals were at work. The mothers completed the outfitting of their princes by placing their gold chains around their necks and placing gold rings on their fingers. It was interesting to watch combinations of tape and yarn being utilized to ensure that the family jewels stayed on the boys small fingers.

After all 40 boys had been prepared, they ate a small breakfast of fried rice and plain water. They were carried outside to be organized into parade formation. Outside family members congregated awaiting the start of the early dawn parade. A small Asian breed of horse was waiting outside to lead the parade. The horse was immaculately groomed - to the extent that its mane had been cropped where a large garland of flowers had been carefully placed around its neck. Two men wearing traditional Shan clothing tended and led the horse. Another man who appeared to be some type of shaman led the parade along side of the horse. He was dressed in white pants and tunic with his head covered in a white turban. He carried a ceremonial offering bowl.

The boys were carried on the shoulder of a man and was surrounded by men in waiting - waiting to have their turn at carrying the boy on their shoulders. Each boy is also shielded by a large ornate golden umbrella attached at the end of a long wood pole carried by a man walking to the side of the elevated boy. The umbrellas were very ornate and decorated with flowers, garlands, and intricate decorations. The umbrellas are also heavy and unwieldy
, so just as in the case of the boy, men take their turn in carrying the umbrella and ensuring that it shelters the specific boy.

Some families also hire "professional" musicians to bang gongs, clang cymbals, and play the unusual drum in the same style as we had been hearing since arriving in Maehongson. Some of the "bands" had long mechanical racks that played several cymbals at the same time. Two men carried the rack and a third man "played" the cymbals by moving a lever back and forth. The din of the amateur musicians along with the professionals created quite an atmosphere.

The parade left the Wat complex at sunrise and headed through downtown Maehongson. The entourage stopped at a local temple in the center of town. The purpose of the stop was for the boys to let the spirits know that they were becoming Monks and to ensure that the boys had been forgiven. The parade then moved through the airport on the edge of town to visit a Buddhist temple. At this location the boys requested forgiveness from the Abbott. It was at this point that we decided to move on to our hotel to shower and have our breakfast. It had already been a long and tiring morning even though it was 8:00 A.M.

Poi Sang Long Ritual - Day One

We arrived in Maehongson around 1:00 P.M on Monday 30 March. Upon checking in at the hotel we obtained a printed brochure regarding the schedule of activities for the four day festival. According to the hotel clerk and the recently printed brochure, there were no activities until the next morning. After the boys were to have their heads shaved at their homes they were scheduled to get dressed up in their finery at the Wat followed by a parade through the town.

Since we had not had lunch, we drove into town to eat and check on another source of information for the festival. We went to a restaurant noted for its tour services as well as its food across the lake from the Wats. This being Thailand, things are not always as they are initially described or scheduled. This is why I now make it a habit to double and triple check things - just to be sure or often - to get it right. So it was regarding the festival - the boys were scheduled to have their hair cut followed by having their head being shaved at the Wat at 2:00 P.M.!

We lingered over our lunch and soft drinks before walking over to the Wats on the other side of the lake. Lake is a rather generous term for the body of water in the middle of town. It is about 200 meters in diameter. The air around the Wats was filled with the sound of clanging cymbals and drum beats. It was obvious that something was going on or would be going on - eventually. The cymbals were banged in a staccato three beat grouping. The drumming was not in any noticeable rhythm that I could detect.

A stage had been built in front of the Wat on the temple grounds. Some people were occupied placing colored bunting on the stage. A canopy had been set up underneath one of the large trees on the temple grounds. Underneath the canopy, several young Monks, around 16 years old, were busy banging gongs and clanging cymbals. These young Monks would later take part in the hair cutting and head shaving ritual of the young Shan boys who would be ordained as Monks this year. They are following Buddha's son, Prince Rahula's path in becoming Monks at an early age. Removal of their hair symbolizes renouncing worldly possessions and goods - in old days long hair was symbolic of royalty.

An older man was busy walking around and dancing as he exuberantly played a drum. Some of his enthusiasm apparently came from alcohol as well as religious zeal. The drum was very unique instrument. It was about 6 feet long with an approximately 30 inches diameter drum head. There was a resonating chamber at the other end of the drum tube. The drum was suspended from the player's shoulder by a long saffron strap. The sound produced from tapping on the drum head with fingers was very similar to a bongo drum but a little more bass.

Other men as well as an elderly Monk were busy producing bamboo strips and weaving them into lattice works. The lattice works were later used to decorate some floats for the parade. The men and Monk took split pieces of bamboo and used a long knife to split narrow strips off of the bamboo. The tile floor of the canopy was covered with shavings and strips. The people used their bare feet to hold the lattice in place as they used their hands to weave additional strips into place. As they worked the clash, clang, and pounding of the music continued unabatted only being interrupted in sporadic interludes of increased frenzy. There were times that I got the impression that it was a sort of jam session but with only cymbals, gongs, and a single drum the range for creativity was quite restrictive.

Around 2:00 P. M. nothing different happened. We asked around and were told that it would be at 2:30 P. M. As 2:30 P. M. approached the music continued. The men continued their activities. Nothing else was started. We were told that the ceremony would actually start at 4:00 P. M. A little before 4:00, some of the younger Monks arranged forty plastic chairs into a large u shape in front of the Wat. This was a hopeful sign but also a sign that nothing was going to happen at 4:00 P.M. Around 4:15 P.M., the Head Monk, the Abbot, came out and seemed to take charge of the preparations. This was a very very good sign. At the same time, pickup trucks started to arrive with young boys, family members, and more cymbal, gong, and drum players. The volume and intensity of the music increased greatly. There was definitely an air of excitement and anticipation throughout the area.

At 4:30 the ceremony actually got started. A young boy was seated in each of the plastic chairs - 40 boys in all. Each boy was surrounded by his family. After a little speech from the Abbott and a blessing, the ceremony started. The first part of the ceremony was cutting the boy's hair.

The boys wearing their colorful super hero or cartoon tee shirts and short pants sat rigidly in their chair. These boys were about to take a very important step in their religious and temporal life. They were now the center of attention and the representatives of their family. Although these boys were seven to fourteen years old, it was obvious that they were trying their best to bring honor to their family. It was also entertaining to see some moments when the boys were busy being boys such as sharing their hair clippings with their friend, or grimacing at the irritation from their shorn locks.

The boys sat with a large lotus leaf in their lap. Using regular scissors, relatives take turns snipping off locks of hair and placing them into the lotus leave. It is considered an honor to cut the hair and the relative order in which a person cuts the hair is indicative of the respect as well as esteem that is held by the family for the participant.

The Abbot patiently made his rounds ensuring that he cut some hair from each of the young boys. Many people were mingled amongst the family members photographing or filming the ritual. I was a little surprised how few foreigners there were at the event. I estimate that there were no more than 25 foreigners. The impact of the world economy on Thailand's tourism industry was very apparent on this trip. The local Shan people were very accepting and gracious at the outsiders photographing and filming their special event. As is the case at all of these religious events, people's manners are very good.

After family and friends had their opportunity to cut some hair, it was time to shave the boy's head. Prior to shaving the boy's head, family members usually a mother of grandmother poured water on to the boy's head. Some waters were scented with flowers or perfume. There was no shaving creme, gel, or foam in sight. A couple boys had some soap rubbed into their hair. It was during the head shaving portion of the ritual that the demeanor of the boys changed. It could almost see in their face a look of seriousness and in some cases trepidation. These feelings were visibly mitigated by the close and tender attention given to the boys by their family and the Monks. It was a special ceremony that reinforced family, religious, and community ties.

The shaving of the heads was a time consuming effort shared by men, women, and Monks. Just as in the case of the hair cutting, the Abbot made his way along the lined up chairs to shave a little of each of the forty young heads. The other Monks of the Wats joined in to help shave the heads. It appeared that the Monks shaved about one-half of each head with the remainder done by family members.

After their head had been completely shaved, inspected and accepted the boys were washed off with buckets and bowls of scented and unscented water. Many boys had a pomade of powder and water applied to their newly bald heads. The boys retired to the inner areas of the temple complex to spend the night and await the next step in their ordination the following morning. Snippets of hair and shavings were gathered up and removed by some younger Monks.

The forty boys, soon to be Monks, had completed the first step in demonstrating their renunciation of their worldly possessions by having their heads shaved. They had started their individual journey in following Prince Rahula's footsteps.

The Long and Winding Road ...

We arrived home in Udonthani last night at 11:30 PM after sixteen and one-half hours of driving all the way back from Maehongson. Rather than taking two days to get home we made a push to be home in one day. Whereas on the way to Maehongson, we stayed in Pai after 12 hours of driving, there is no comparable city or facilities 12 hours from Maehongson back towards Udonthani.


The trip was more than we expected and could have hoped for. It could have been even more but we decided to keep with our original plan of 5 nights in Maehongson. The Paduang people of the Karen Hill Tribe were having a festival on Saturday 04 April and invited us to attend. They even offered for us to stay in the refugee camp for the night since we were checking out Saturday morning. It was tempting but we were tired from all our adventures in the Maehongson area. Duang was missing her two month old grandson and I have over 2,200 digital photos to review and edit.

The shortest distance from Chiang Mai to Maehongson is by Highway 1095 - 122 kilometers (about 65 miles) AND 1,884 CURVES. The road is brutal. Many of the curves can only be navigated in first or second gear. On three of the curves I misjudged the truck speed and the steepness of the curve consequently the truck lost energy and ended up stalling on the rising curve. I had to restart the engine, use the emergency brake to prevent sliding backwards prior to engaging the clutch to slowly advance in first gear. There were very few times that the truck was higher than third gear. On several occasions the back tires squealed as we navigated a tight rising curve. I was not the first to do this for there were several blackened areas of burnt rubber on those curves. Many times the back end fish tailed a little bit - hard to believe but it happened in first or second gear and not due to conventional high speed.

Steep hillsides and cliffs embrace both sides of the road. This road is shared by regularly scheduled buses (32 passenger rather than full sized buses), construction equipment, motorcycles, motorbikes, cows, water buffalo, tourist vans, cars, pickup trucks, fuel delivery trucks, and cargo trucks. One great consolation is that there is not that much traffic on the road. This is the low season for tourism in the area - the world economic situation not with standing.

In Thailand the cargo trucks are a big problem. I am convinced that there is not a single 6, 10, 12, or 18 wheeler that can go the posted speed limit anywhere in Thailand. Many of the drivers are on amphetamines so it is not a matter of them not wanting to speed - it is physically impossible for the trucks to maintain reasonable speeds with any sort of load. Highway 1095 is no exception. While you might be zipping along at 60 kph (35 mph), the road in front of you may be blocked by a lorry travelling at 10 or 15 mph - in some cases - stalled on the road (I am not the only one with that problem on the road).

I have driven on many long and winding roads in my life and this one is right up there in terms of the length and severity of the curves. There are several locations where you are entering into a fairly tight left turning downward curve so it is necessary to slow down (bleed off energy) to stay on the road. However immediately coming out of that curve is a very steep 25 to 30 degree ( I just confirmed this on my protractor) rising hairpin curve going to the right where you need to increase energy to make the maneuver. This is where I failed a couple times and entered into the hairpin in too high a gear (2nd) and too low a speed to make it through the curve. I feel like that I am writing an episode of "Dogfight" where reenactments are made of Aeriel combat. If I had a little wooden model of the truck on a stick I know I could show accurately the steering and downshifting required to navigate Highway 1095.

At this time of the year, the end of the dry season, the skies of Northern Thailand are very hazy. The air is filled with smoke and soot from the slash and burn agricultural practises of the region. The Hill Tribe peoples prepare their fields and new lands for planting by burning off the weeds and debris. In addition there is a custom of burning off the forests. I suspect that this is to improve or maintain the productivity and health of the forests. People work the forests. They gather plants, nuts, firewood, mushrooms from the forest. In many places we drove through the sound of crickets or locusts was overwhelming - even over the sound of our Isaan music CDs playing. At times I thought we might be in some bad science fiction movie where the insects take over the planet. I am sure that burning off the forest debris helps hold these insects in check. If the people are like the Lao Loum in Isaan, the burnt or rather BBQ'd bugs would supplement the people's protein intake. Like the Lao Loum, from conversations with some of the local people I know that they eat red ants and red ant eggs.

The forests in the area are very dense. Now at the end of the dry season the trees are denuded of their leaves. Most of the trees have many very large leaves as part of their growing cycle - teak is an example. The forests now look similar to the forests of southern New England in early November but without any threat of snow. The floor of the forest quickly builds a carpet of dead and dry leafy debris. This is routinely burned off. We drove by areas where there has no and will not be any agricultural cultivation done yet the area had been burned. As we drove along Highway 1095, there were many fires still burning along side of the road without a sign of a person in sight. During our boat ride out to one of the refugee camps, we saw fires burning down the hillsides towards the river.

These "fires" while creating a great deal of smoke and thus are unhealthy for people are nothing like the raging mega fires that we are accustomed to seeing on television related to calamities in Australia, Greece, or the United Sates. These forest fires are more like the forest fires that the American naturalist, John Muir, wrote about regarding his travels in the Sierra mountains. He had encountered fires that he had to step over. Due to the natural cycles of growth, death, decay, and fire, the fires in the Sierra mountains of the early days were not very large or hot due to the absence of fuel. I was tempted to replicate Jon Muir's experience by stepping over one of these 4 inch high fires but out of concerns that I might return to the hotel embarrassed with burnt pants or something worse, I refrained.

Yes Highway 1095 is the long and winding road that goes to Maehongson. Like I have found in so many places that I have been to, it is the journey along the long, winding, and difficult roads that have brought me to unique and beautiful locations as well as experiences. The roads in the Sierra Mountains of California to Lake Tahoe, Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, the switchback road up to Machu Pichuu, and Estarda Serra da Graciosas from Curitiba to Morretes in the state of Parana, Brasil are just a few examples of long and arduous paths to exemplary locations as well as experiences.

Upon leaving the hotel in Maehongson we learned that because we had driven or perhaps survived driving Highway 1095 we would be awarded a certificate from the local authorities. The clerk offered to pick it up and mail it to our home - it should arrive in three days. So although we didn't buy the tee shirts (many styles, designs, colors and sizes available at the night market by the lake), we will be accepting the commemorative certificate.

During our stay in Maehongson, we realized that many things had changed from our last visit exactly two years ago. I don't know why we were shocked, surprised, and somewhat disappointed to find the changes. Changes occur everyday - everywhere in the world. However, it almost seems a part of the human condition to resist change and strive to maintain the status quo. Talk of change while at first blush may be inspiring, soon when it comes to its actual implementation becomes very frightening and is often abandoned.

Here are some of the changes that we discovered on this trip:

Mr Ping's souvenir shop in the hotel is closed.

Mr Ping's Travel Desk, the source of car, driver and guide on my past three trips, is still there but no one manned it during our entire stay.

My guide for the past 3 trips, the Shan village headman, is now living in Switzerland.

The Lakeside Restaurant on the shores of Jong Kum Lake in Maehongson is gone - gone along with his "all you can eat Thai BBQ for 99 Baht"

The large portrait and shrine to King Rama IX in the middle of Jong Kum Lake was removed two weeks ago.

There are far fewer tourists in Maehongson this time than two years ago - no doubt reflections of the world's economic states as well as the political situation here. A few months ago the airports were closed by political dissidents resulting in thousands of stranded foreign tourists as well as non-reimbursed additional expenses for the stranded people.

The Monk who lives in a cave near Fish Cave now has a chain link enclosure with a metal framed chain link door with lock across the front of his cave. I don't know if this is a sign of progress or a reflection upon a decline in the neighborhood (rocks, highway, rain forest, rice paddies, and two very small villages)

The Paduang people camp of Baan Noi Soi is 50% abandoned. Familiar faces such as "Freida", her mother, her sister, the sad old widow woman, and the capricious school girl no longer live there. They have moved to other camps.

The camp at Baan Nam Piang Din was to be the only location for the Paduang (long neck women) people appears to be the same but with more two years of weathering. Any improvements in either infrastructure or housing to accommodate the additional Paduang was not apparent during our visit.



















Khun Mudan (The Madonna of the Refugee Camp) whom I photographed breastfeeding her infant son three years ago now has a five month old daughter named "Peelada".

"Freida" is no longer readily available to common tourists. She is now living in the regular refugee camp on the Myanmar and Thai border. She is seeking to be relocated to an outside country therefore she has to stay in the closed camp. The ready availability of her beauty as well as her insights into the plight of the Karen, Kariang, or Kayan people is a loss.

Like we all do, Freida has apparently made a choice in seeking her happiness and exploring the opportunities that can be available to her. There is no issue or problem with that. Like all quests and goals, there are prices to pay. Freida and her people are paying some of the price. Hopefully her choice is fully informed and she is prepared to accept the consequences of her choices.

We chose to drive across Thailand to visit Maehongson. Round trip airfare from Udonthani was approximately 31, 185 baht ($890 USD). The total cost of our trip including fuel, hotels, food, camp admissions, and boat rental along with two new tires for the truck was 28,670 baht ($819 USD) for the 7 day and 6 night trip. WE decided and chose to do this trip on our own. We took responsibility for taking care of the arrangements independently. We were able to visit all the places on this trip that we had on the previous when in addition to airfare, hotels, and food, we paid 10,000 baht for three days of a car, driver, and guide.

Just as the long and winding road lead us to Maehongson for the beauty and experiences of this trip, it seems to me that the life better lived is often that which is along a long, winding, as well as challenging path. It is after the struggles to arrive at a certain place, state, or situation that the beauty and richness can be appreciated.

Not all the changes that we experienced on this trip were bad. Some were very good - little Peelada, Mudan's infant daughter, were a very pleasant surprise and a cause for wonder of the moment as well as hope for the future. The upcoming festival in Baan Huay Sua Tao reflected the spirit and vitality of its inhabitants.

Some of the changes had no impact. In exerting our independence and taking direct responsibility for this trip, the current status of the hotel travel agency was merely an interesting observation. The same with the closing of the Lakeside Bar - we found other food at other places.

Life moves on. People move on. Change can not be prevented.

However once change has occurred the secret to happiness is to be able to accept and take advantage of the opportunities that all changes present.

Going to Maehongson - 12 Hours To Go

We are just about ready to leave in 12 hours to Maehongson - one of my very favorite places in all of Thailand. This will be my fourth trip to the area.

We will leave tomorrow morning around 5:00 A. M. and drive to Chiang Mai, spend the night there, and get to Maehongson the following afternoon. The trip could be done in a single long day of driving but the last four hours is on a winding and twisted road with many sights to stop at so we will make it a two day trip out to Maehongson.

We are looking forward to the Shan festival of Poi Sang Long. The cameras have been cleaned. The digital media has been formatted. The batteries are all charged. We have packed some foul weather gear and will take whatever is presented to us.


Since this trip we will be driving, I am bringing a tripod and some other equipment that was not possible before when flying into Maehongson. I will experiment with taking some night shots of the two Wats along the pond in the middle of the town. Although we have not planned on it specifically, we are hoping to get out to some of the Hill Tribe villages to visit some of the people that we have met on previous trips.

Upon our return in a week there will most likely be over 2,000 photos to edit along with plenty of experiences and observations for future blogs.

Isaan Fishing Derby - Additional Photos

After working on yesterday's photographs of the Isaan farmers fishing in the Sa Doong Village Wat's pond, I have set up a new gallery located at http://hale-worldphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/7713973_ekr8E/1/498437605_hPbuA

It was quite a morning that we spent photographing the people fishing. Once again I was left to try to undestand who had more fun - me photographing the people or the people watching me. Everyone is always friendly and curious towards a falang that they encounter in these out of the way locales.

Isaan Fishing Derby

Just about every time that we go off in the pickup truck, other than shopping trips, I haul my backpack of camera gear along with us. I have found the highways and byways of Isaan to be extremely interesting and fascinating. Bringing the camera gear affords me the opportunity to document and share the various aspects of life here in Isaan. Today we were going out to Duang's daughter's place to take her, her husband, and their 6 week old son out to Duang's mother's place in Tahsang village. Later in the day Duang and I were going to the next village to watch Duang's brother perform. We had been invited the previous night by the village headman. Just as is advisable in any country to ensure good relations with those in power, we agreed to attend despite Duang's concerns for possible violence. Mahlam Lao shows have a reputation for bringing out the worst in people. Actually is not the shows themselves but the heavy amount of drinking associated with the shows by the spectators.

We got a late start because we had to purchase some items for Duang's mother. It was late morning as we approached Duang's daughter's village. Just outside her village alongside the road is a Wat with a fairly large pond or maybe a very big mud hole. The water is about 15 feet to 20 feet below the elevation of Wat and is about 300 yards in diameter. Ponds similar to this dot the Isaan countryside. They are used to impound runoff water during the rainy season. During the remainder of the year many of them are used to raise fish, prawns, or ducks as well as providing water for crops.

Today was a special day and a great day to have a camera with you. The pond and the rim around the pond was filled with people. The people were fishing. Duang asked if I wanted to take some photographs and said we could turn around if I did. There was need to ask again as I made the u-turn to return to the Wat.

The Wat was raising money to help support the Monks as well as maintain the buildings. To raise the money, the people were being charged 100 baht each to fish in the pond. When a person paid their 100 baht to a layperson they received a paper crown with a ink stamp on the raised portion of the crown. Duang inquired and determined that 100,000 baht had been raised (1,00 people). We arrived around 11:00 A.M and the oppressive heat and sun was already taking it toll on the fishermen. Many were packing up and leaving in their farm trucks.

During the year the pond is home to many fish perhaps even a breeding population. Fishing is not allowed and feeding the fish is a favorite pastime of the local people. In Bangkok, along the Chao Phraya River the waterfront Wats are sanctuaries for the local fish population. Fishing is not allowed along the river in front of the Wats. People along the bank as well as people in long tail tourist boats feed bread to the fish - thousands and thousands of fish. It is amazing how many fish and how large they are. It is always a good laugh to see some tourists get wet from the fish floundering around in a feeding frenzy.

Today there was no feeding frenzy by the fish in the pond but there was definitely a fishing frenzy by the people. People were fishing along the banks of the pond. People were fishing from narrow steel dugout style boats. People were fishing from rafts made out of rubber inner tubes and pieces of bamboo. Some people were standing in the shallow water fishing. Some people even appeared to be standing on the water fishing!

Standing on the water? No, this turned out to not be some kind of miracle or super religious experience. The people had modified motorcycle wheels to create platforms to stand on while fishing. Short pieces of metal pipe with steel plates on one end had been welded to the wheel. Pieces of bamboo about 4 feet were inserted into the steel cups and the assembly was then inverted, with the bamboo thrust into the muddy bottom to create a place for the fisherman to stand in the shallow water.

There was not a single fishing pole in sight or a hand line. The people fished by either of two methods. The first method, I had photographed several times before in Isaan. This method is what I call the "dip net" method. According to Duang it is called "Sa Doong" - ironic in that the name of the village is "Sa Doong" - but things are often ironic and unexplainable here. It is part of the charm and allure of Isaan. The Sa Doong is a 20 foot by 20 foot fine monofilament net suspended from a long bamboo pole. Bamboo poles are also used to hold the net in a square shape. The fisherman stands in the water and dips the net into the muddy water. After a short period of time, the fisherman rears back from the waist, and using their back muscles lifts the large net out of the water.

The other method of fishing is using a hand thrown monofilament net. This is called "hair". This is the same type of net that I saw being crocheted in Tahsang Village late last month. Hand nets were being thrown all over the pond. They were thrown from boats and rafts as well as by some people standing in the water. Throwing the net is more effective most of the time from the platforms in the water. The additional elevation acquired by standing on the platform helps spread the net out over the water. For some people though, the process of standing on a small diameter platform on flimsy bamboo legs in the water while heaving a large diameter net with all their might ended up spreading their body over the water as well as their net. Whenever someone catapulted themselves over the water ending up with a big splash there would be an outburst of hoots and hollers from the other fishermen and their families on the elevated banks of the pond. There was plenty of hoots and hollers during the hour that we were there.

It appeared to be a fairly successful day for the fishermen. They were happy to show off their catch. Some fish were pretty large - 10 to 15 pounds.

Exhausted and thirsty we left to continue on our original agenda.

After visiting Duang's mother for awhile, we went to the next village. Duang advised me not to bring my camera which was very good advice. We were there for about an hour and there were four fist fights to go along with scores of falling down drunk people. We gladly left - safe and sound.