7 January 2018
After a morning at the Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary, our driver Boon drove us to a local produce market where Arm our guide brought us round to sample local delicacies and food.
No one took up the challenge to sample some hi-protein grubs, insects and silkworm pupae.
Sampling local food – steamed rice with chicken, local herbs and spices, and hopefully no grubs.
Delicious deep fried potato balls.
After the market tour, we were driven to one of the elephant camps by the Mae Taeng River. We were not riding elephants. Instead, the embarkation point for our bamboo rafting activity is within this camp.
After spending the morning at the Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary where we interacted with rescued elephants and learnt about the cruelty of elephant riding, it is disheartening to see elephant riding is still a popular tourist activity in Chiang Mai.
We boarded the bamboo rafts made of long stalks of dried bamboo fastened together by rope.
This traditional raft is stable and could take all 6 of us. Traditional bamboo rafts were how locals travelled and carried goods for trade in the past. Nowadays, such rafts are mostly used for tourism.
Since this was part of our 2D/1N tour itinerary, we basically go with the flow. Literally.
It was a relaxing 45 minutes, 4.2 km ride down the river. For city dwellers, this was quite a nice experience and hence the popularity of bamboo rafting activity with visitors to Chiang Mai.
Umbrellas were provided, in case of rain, but were actually used by those who feared the hot sun which was peeking out from behind the clouds.
We were given the opportunity to steer the raft with the long poles at one point along the way. Otherwise, it was “sit back and relax” and enjoy a nice, peaceful trip down the river with some unique views.
The long bamboo raft is manned by a boatman at each ends, who uses a long pole to steer and control the raft.
Zip-lining is a popular activity in Chiang Mai.
A riverside cafe hoping to sell fresh coconuts, cold drinks and beer to the bamboo rafters.
Our boatmen on their way after alighting us at the end point.
Arm and Boon were waiting for us at the disembarkation point to take us to the nearby Karen Long Neck hill-tribe village after the rafting.
In the short 20 to 30 minutes visit to the village, we learnt about the origin, lives and customs of these hill-tribes who originated from Burma. They are not allowed to work outside their community since they are not Thai nationals.
A pair of statues placed at the entrance to the hill-tribe village as a protection against evil spirits.
These people are highly superstitious and some of the traditional customs may sound cruel or absurd to the modern society. For example, we learnt that a woman giving birth to twins is considered a very bad omen to these people. The babies would be left to die and the parents would be ostracised from the village. This practice has since stopped but there are still some practices that would remain, including the wearing of brass rings round their necks.
A Karen hill-tribe woman doing weaving work or selling handicraft in front of her hut.
For the long neck Karen, the woman starts wearing the brass rings at a young age. In the past, it was to protect them from tigers that tend to bite the neck. Rings are added over time, resulting in the deformation (pressing down) of the shoulders and appearance of a longish neck.
This practice continued due to superstition and belief that bad things would happen to the village if someone don’t continue the custom. Nowadays, it is not mandatory for them to wear these rings but many still chose to continue with this custom.
The village is a small community with about 27 people living in it. In addition, there are some who lived in other villages and came to this place for work. They practice subsistence living, supplemented by income from tourism. Entrance fees are collected from visitors to the village and they make good handicraft for sale.
Colourful woven handicraft for sale at the hill-tribe village.
Young kids in the village play happily amongst themselves in the village square, while women do weaving work or sell handicraft in front of their huts. Most men from the village are working as mahouts in one of the elephant camps.
A few kids knew our guide Arm and came up to greet him. Arm had brought a few bags of chocolates for the village kids and we distributed them. The kids were really polite. They queued up patiently, offered a friendly wai (the traditional Thai greeting with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion) and thanked us for the treats. One boy even gave an extra packet of chocolates to his mother who smiled at us in appreciation.
The hill tribe village was the second last stop for the day. From there, driver Boon drove us northwards for about an hour to the Tree House Hideaway, a unique accommodation located at the edge of a cliff overlooking the lush jungle of Chiang Dao National Park.
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