Shopping in Bangkok

I spent a few days in Bangkok getting a few things I thought would be handy in Cambodia.  There are no Boxing Day specials to be had in Thailand... hahaha!


I also got a Cambodian visa so I wouldn't be hassled or over charged for when I got to the border in a few days.

Christmas in the Ruins

I took an early train to make the most of my day in Ayutthaya.  This is one of the ancient capitals of Thailand.  It is well know for its many temple and palace ruins still in pretty good nick.  I was surprised at seeing the water line from the recent flood.  The ancient capital is situated on a very big river island.  I'm sure the entire island must have been flooded.


I also took in some of the further sights and looked in on the old Japanese Village and the neighbouring Portuguese Village which is where trade between these countries and Thailand was conducted.

Christmas Eve in Monkey Town

I was fortunate to hitch a ride all the way from Umphang to Mae Sot.  From there I got a few rides into Lop Buri aka Monkey Town.


It was dark by the time I got there so I checked into a hotel and ambled around town for a while.  The ancient ruins were interesting as they had been lit up with flood lights.

Umphang Trek Day 3

The last day of the trek was as gentle as the previous two days.  We left the village and followed an elephant trail for a few hours.  At the end of the trek we had to cross a substantial river.  Instead of taking the boat I decided to swim across instead.  Refreshing after the hike.


I stayed another night in the our guest house.  It was good chatting to Bruno.

Umphang Trek Day 2

Not an early start to the day.  We explored the Thi Lo Su waterfall again and took a swim.  There were some great butterfly and general nature photo ops.  (I wish I was a good photographer.)


Once we returned to camp and packed up we took a lovely stroll to a nearby Karen village.  Upon arrival there wasn't much to do so we explored the village and surrounding area.


We were lucky to stay in a traditional Karen home with a local family.  I regret not buying one of the handmade sarongs the wife of the house makes.

Umphang Trek Day 1

We met our guide and soon headed on the trek.  I call it trek but that conjures up the wrong image.  The trip is tailored for all folks so it's not very strenuous.


The first part was a canoe trip down a slow gurgling river.  Pretty.  At the lunch stop we took the canoes out of the river and took an hour ride by 4x4 to our camp for the night.  We had the rest of the afternoon to explore the nearby Thi Lo Su waterfalls.  Very beautiful.

Refugee Camp Visit

I headed out early to beat the heat of the day.  Didn't help.


The day was a jumble of free rides and having to get local transport.  I quickly got a ride which took me to the next town south.  A fair distance.  The couple who picked me up were very cute.  Ofter a few minutes of riding on the back of their pick-up they insisted I join them in the cab compartment.  We enjoyed a light hearted chat about a fairly serious subject: inter marriage - she is Thai and he is a member of a hills tribe.  They are happy together.


I then had to take a songthaew for a few kilometres.  From where it dropped me I started hitching again.  The guy that picked me up was most interesting.  He is the Camp Commander of one of the largest refugee camps in Tak province.  When I got in the 4x4 I saw a loaded revolver stuck between the passenger seat and the handbrake console.  He gave me a look that said "don't touch!"  I didn't.


I learned more about the role of Thailand and assisting the refugees from Myanmar.  When we arrived at the camp he gave me a cup of coffee (it's cold in the mountains where the camp is) and allowed me to wonder into the camp a short way.  I met an interesting dude who could speak perfect English thanks to the schools in the camp.


I think the refugees get a better education in the camps than the average Thai kid gets at a normal national school.


From the camp I "had to" take a songthaew all the way into Umphang.  It's then that I met Bruno, a French Swiss visiting one of his boyhood friends in Thailand.  We got on like a house on fire. It's really weird but I couldn't stop thinking he is what I'd be like at his age (a little over 60).


At the hostel we checked into we met a Belgian couple.  The four of us arranged to go on a three day, two night trek.

Hitchhiker Pro

Back to Mae Sot!  I was running out of time on my visa but still wanted to do a trek in Umphang and do some shopping in Bangkok for supplies I'd need for Cambodia and the rest of my trip.

It wasn't tough getting a ride.  The two men who picked me up were not Thai nationals but I knew they had something to do with the resistance fighting across the border.  I had to buy the both of them lunch in return for the ride.  I'm not complaining but don't they know the primary reason for hitching... free ride!  I guess that day they did get a free lunch.

I thought of hitching to Umphang but changed my mind given the heat of the day.  I stayed in Mae Sot and had a delicious curry dinner.

An Informative Ride

Getting back to Mae Sariang was just as easy as getting to Mae Sot.  The 240km's was done in 3 rides, the last of which took me the majority of the way.


I appreciated getting the lift from Nurn.  He can speak pretty good English so we spoke the whole way back to Mae Sariang.  He gave me a lot of information regarding the Burmese refugees in Thailand and filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge on the history of the situation.


I was particularly struck when we drove past one of the camps close to Mae Sot.  In this one camp alone there are 16 000 people have fled from persecution and the fighting in Myanmar.  At first I assumed it to be a quaint village with its pretty huts tucked up against the hills.  It's not so pretty anymore when it takes a while to drive past and you know why there are so many people here.


Back in Mae Sariang I gave Kitti the disappointing news that I couldn't volunteer in his village.

Myanmar By Day

At the border I got the crushing news:  I could only get a maximum of 15 days when I reenter Thailand from Myanmar.  It was the case two years ago that on reentry tourists could get 30 days. Not since the border reopened (which is only a few days ago).  This means I couldn't volunteer at Kitti's village.  It's not feasible for such a short time.


I went into Myawaddy anyway.  It is an interesting place to see.  Myawaddy is instantly different to the Thai side (reminds me of border crossings from South Africa into other African countries).  Its rundown, dirty and the ethnic majority of the people are different.  The men all wear sarongs (I forget the Burmese word) and I got a lot of scents that remind me of walking through the Oriental Plaza in Johannesburg.


There aren't that many sights to see:  A temple, a pagoda and the market.  It took me about 3 hours to take all these in at a slow pace.  I was informed of this by an old man that runs a coffee shop in town.


Before returning to Thailand I had to have lunch.  I made the mistake of just pointing to a pot and asking for rice.  When the waitress brought my meal I thought she'd dished up cats' guts and dogs' balls.  I'd ordered it so I had to eat it!  I think it was mostly chicken livers and partly developed eggs that hadn't yet been laid.  The soup had onion, beans and okra - besides the other veg I didn't recognised.


The meal was by far the best I'd ever eaten... in Myanmar.  Jokes aside it was tasty.

The longest hitch by distance

I'd given my positive reply to Kitti to volunteer at his village the night before.  All that remained was for me to get my visa extension at Mae Sot - a Mammoth 240km away.  Mammoth when hitching.


Fortunately I got a lift early on that would take me all the way into Mae Sat.  I only had to wait 4 hours before my lift left.  Mary Roach's Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void is an interesting read.

Mae Sariang - Very Quaint

I took the day to explore the area around Mae Sariang.  Mae Sariang lies in a flat valley obviously dominated by agriculture.  There are a lot of beautiful views and equally beautiful people.  I spent about two hours chatting over lunch.  The lady that runs the food stall was very curious and interested in trying to talk with me.  Because of the language barrier what could have taken a brief twenty minutes was drawn out into a Thai language course, all to my benefit.  The patrons that came and went joined in the conversation and added their insights to the topic at hand.


We settled on agreeing that clothes in Thailand are cheaper than in South Africa.  And much cheaper than in Japan.


I told Kitti I'd volunteer at his village that evening.

Cliff Houses

One of the sights to see near Mae Sariang is Mae Sam Laep.  Mae Sam Laep is about an hours drive away bordering on Myanmar.  It's an interesting place to visit with lovely views of the houses build overhanging the cliffs along the roadside.


I spent a few hours here before taking the last songthaew back to Mae Sariang.  I met a swash buckling Muslim guy who wouldn't be amiss in an production of Aladdin.  All he was missing is a scimitar.  He offered to take me upriver a few kilometers (at a price naturally) in his long boat.  There was nothing to see.  Just more river and jungle on either side.


Still pondering over volunteering at Kitti's village.