Francesca and Henk-Jan's Backpacking Trip!

And so Henk got sick… Yeah, I did not feel good at all. The 4th was by far the worst, as I spent the whole day in bed waiting to get really sick. It did not come, but I kept heating up and going to the bathroom. Late at night I went again and stumbled to the bathroom once again, Francesca in my wake. I did my thing and tried to make it back to the room, but slowly everything went dark in the room… a little while later I woke up again, laying on the floor with a sore hip. I had fainted for the first time in my life! Luckily Francesca had managed to catch me and helped me to the floor; that could have ended in a disaster otherwise!

My nurse went out on a daily basis the following days, getting me light food and I gradually improved. We had to move to another guest house on Sunday the 7th of February, and I was doing okay enough to carry the bags across the street to the Yez Hostel. In the meantime Francesca had caught what I had, and fell sick in my stead. The roles were reversed and I got to tend to her for a while. The big advantage of our stay at the Yez Hostel was the availability of room service. I use this term liberally, because there wasn’t supposed to be any room service. However, the owners took pity on us and brought us tasty sandwiches and baguettes up to our room.

This suited Francesca very well, since they had grilled cheese sandwiches on their menu! Of course, not the best food for a sick girl, but it was the only thing that she wanted to have! I brought her some soup as well, but she ended up eating very little of it. For a while we feared we might be suffering from malaria and did some research to find out if it could be that. We found out there was a center we could go to to be tested for free. However, the symptoms we had did not match and left us with one other option: Traveler’s Diarrhea. If you haven’t eaten yet, feel free to wiki that. We can both tell you: it’s not pleasant! I got Francesca medicine from a nearby pharmacy, and eventually she got better.

And so it happened that we stayed indoors mostly until the 12th of February. Spending that much time looking at 4 white walls had left us aching for some new adventures. We chartered a tuk-tuk for the day. The driver first took us to Wat Yedyod, some distance outside of the city walls. It was built in the 9th Century A.D. The king at the time modeled Yedyod after the Chedi at Maha Bothi Vihara in India.



Francesca and I first looked at some Buddha statues standing around in the grass. A little further we found ourselves under the Bodhi Tree and felt positively Buddha. The old Wat itself was next. It looked quite disheveled, even for its respectable age. Most of the carvings looked like jigsaw puzzles with a few too many pieces missing. Some tiny statues on a random ledge stood out more than the temple itself. However, I must admit the old beast still had some charm to it. We rounded the temple and found ourselves looking at the worship hall. A collection of Buddha images lined the décor. Francesca thought the bright blue carpet on the floor was much more interesting.





We returned to our tuk-tuk and sped off over the Superhighway (yes, in a tuk-tuk) to the National Museum. This museum is considered the center of education and preservation of art and culture of Chiang Mai and upper northern Thailand, the old Lan Na Kingdom. Indeed, the collection was rather diverse, with Bronze Buddha heads from the 14th Century, as well as modern banners from the 21st Century and anything in between. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures. I found some online, so it’ll have to make do! It took us less than an hour to walk through the whole building, leaving us with some time to visit one more museum. Francesca had read the Tribal Museum would be interesting and so we asked our tuk-tuk man to take us there as well. He protested a little, but a few Baht later he was convinced and tuk-tuk’ed us there. The Tribal Museum exhibits the life styles of 12 of the groups of Hill Tribes in Thailand. The first floor displayed the cultural features and backgrounds of these Tribes. We entered through a traditional gate, covered in ‘ta-laews;’ a taboo sign made of woven bamboo strips. They’re used to stop bad spirits and protect areas for special ceremonies.



Here are some quick facts about some of the different Tribes:

The Lawa or Lua as the northern Thai call them, are found only in Thailand. The history of the Lawa people is long and poorly understood. It is certain that they have inhabited Thailand 800 years ago and they were certainly in Thailand already when the Thais arrived. They believe that they migrated from Cambodia, but some archaeologists think their origins lie in Micronesia, perhaps 2,000 years ago. With such a long cohabitation with the Thais, most Lawa villages are indistinguishable from Thai settlements and most Lawa speak Thai as their first language, but the Lawa language, related to that of the Wa Tribe of Burma, is still spoken in many villages. Their economy is based on subsistence agriculture, with rice grown on terraces according to a sophisticated rotation system. The Lawa practice shifting cultivation of the rotational type and are skillful in making wet rice terraces. They are recognized as being the most conservation-minded land users in the highlands.

The Aka are called "Ei-Ko" [calling themselves Aka] by the Thai; they are the poorest ethnic group in Thailand and are well known to tourists for their extraordinary costumes and exotic appearance. The Aka originate from Tibet and Yunnan in China. It is generally believed that the Aka originated in the Tibetan Highlands. Over the years they left their homeland and migrated south to Yunnan, North Burma and Laos, and have only recently entered North Thailand, [in the last 150 years]. Newcomers from Burma are constantly arriving. The Aka generally prefer to live along mountain ridges at high altitudes of approximately 1,000 m. The Aka are less open to change than many other hill tribes, proudly retaining their old customs. The Aka are animists and ancestors worshipers. Many Aka villages still grow opium, generally not of high quality. Opium addiction, especially amongst the older men, is a serious problem. The King's Royal Project has contributed greatly to the alleviation of this problem.

The Karen, or Yang, (called Kaliang or Yang in Thai) are found along most of the length of the Thai Burmese border. Over the past 200 years they have tended to move eastward away from Burma into Thailand because of political conflicts with the Burmese. The main groups are the Sgaw Karen (White Karen who call themselves Pga-gan-Yaw and are the most numerous) and the Pwo Karen who are also known as White Karen; the Pa-0 who are also known as Black Karen; the famous Padung, or "long neck" Karen; and lastly the Kayah (or Red Karen). The Karen costume for women is very attractive and distinctive. Unmarried girls wear loose white V-necked shifts, decorated with Job's Tear seeds at the seams. Married women wear blouses and skirts in bold colors, predominantly red or blue. The Karen are gentle, peaceful, and cooperative people. The Karen have strict laws against immorality. The village chief has great power over his community, and is regarded as the spiritual as well as the administrative leader. Karen are originally animist, but about 25% of Karen living in Thailand have been converted to Christianity by Western missionaries.

Other tribes we learned about were the Mon, Lahu, Lawa, Yao, Mlabri, Hmongmeo, Khmer, Lisu, Palong, Htin, and Taiyai. Some we will tell you more about in later posts, others we haven’t and will not come across and are thus less relevant.

After a closer look at all the extravagant costumes from the different tribes Francesca and I also looked at some of the musical instruments. For the hill tribe people music is a vital component for rituals and ceremonies. Some of the groups even developed a musical language in which they can communicate with other people or the world of the spirits.

The second floor of the museum was less interesting, so we continued to the final and third floor. This floor was dedicated to their majesties the King and Queen of Thailand. Both the King and the Queen have played a vital role in highland development. The King eradicated opium growth and trade, and helped the tribes grow new crops. He also helped them become more aware of their natural resources, training them in preservation and conservation methods. The Queen started art projects to show the talent of the hill tribes’ people.







The trip with the tuk-tuk ended when the good man dropped us off at the Tamarind Village, an expensive hotel in town. We were not going to stay there, but we did hear good stories about a photo exhibition by an American photographer. “Patterns, Passages & Prayers” was set up by Victoria Vorreiter, who spent 5 years with hill tribe people (130 different tribes in the area) and shot videos, took pictures, recorded rituals, and collected instruments and costumes. The photo exhibition was extremely impressive, with many different and unique ceremonies captured on camera. The stories she told with her photos added to the quality of it all, and left us thoroughly impressed.








A little section upstairs gave us a preview of another exhibition by the same artist, held in the Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Center called “Songs of Memory, Traditional Music of the Golden Triangle.” We found out it would be open to public the following day and decided we wanted to see and hear more. We had dinner at a nice Italian place I had found earlier that week, headed back to the Yez Hostel and went for some sleep after a long day of cultural immersion.

The next day Francesca and I started with a tuna baguette and a grilled cheese sandwich respectively. Once those had been devoured we went to the Cultural Center for the exhibition. We feared we might have to pay an entrance fee again, but once we explained we had only come to see “Songs of Memory” one of the employees took us straight there without charging us.

The exhibition had been divided per tribe, showcasing their traditional clothing, some musical instruments and a video about daily life in a village of said tribe. Francesca and I sat down for several of the videos and listened to the songs being sung, the chickens being sacrificed, the children playing and the ceremonies being held. It again gave us a greater understanding of the lives of these people, adding to the insight we had gathered in the previous days. We felt and feel this is the real Thailand, and we wanted to see it for ourselves.

















I wanted to take Francesca for a walk through the city to see the waterfront, which we hadn’t been to yet. We started our long walk in the early afternoon, passing some youngsters celebrating Chinese New Year. We had heard before that there’d be big celebrations in all of Chiang Mai, but so far we had only heard the occasional firecracker. It was good to see them walking around with the big dragon masks! On the way to the river we also spotted some more temples, this time ignoring them… I think we had had a bit of a Wat-overdose.

We crossed the bridge, walking past all the expensive hotels here, instead entering a fancy-looking chocolate shop. Francesca resisted the urge to buy chocolate cake, but we did sit down to drink a cold bottle of water before returning to the heat outside. We crossed a smaller bridge back across the river, ending up at the Warorot Market. Warorot Market is a famous all-day market in what looks to be an old warehouse. There’s still escalators, but those look like they’ve been out of commission since the eighties. The wares inside varied from fresh vegetables to less fresh meat (including free flies), clothes, household articles and the omni-present Chinese souvenirs. We had had higher expectations, so we left Warorot a little disappointed.





I then took Francesca to the ‘White Chedi.’ Not knowing what it was exactly, but thinking the name sounded cool I followed the map. When we saw it appearing in the distance the Chedi also ended up as a bit of a slap in the face. To me it looked like a giant white traffic cone, stuck in the middle of a roundabout. Tim had told us about a fruit market a little further past the glorified traffic cone and that proved to be a little better. There was a wide selection of fruits and veggies, as well as fish and meat for sale. Not yet hungry Francesca and I walked back to the Old City to look for some more information about tours, and finally returned to the hostel around 4:30 PM.



We didn’t stay in for long because we knew the Saturday Market on Wualai Street would start around 6:00 PM. We also hadn’t seen this market yet, so we thought a thorough stroll might help us cross another must-do off our list. We recognized some of the salespeople from the Sunday Market, so it was not surprising the majority of the wares were not unfamiliar to us. We did walk through pretty much the whole street, a little highlight being a man making hats out of bamboo. I also bought Francesca some tiny heart-shaped cakes, as well as a heart-shaped red balloon.



All of that happened of course because the 14th of February was Valentine’s Day. Tired from the previous day I was sleeping carelessly, whilst my sneaky girlfriend prepared a Valentine’s Day surprise for me. I awoke around 09:00 AM to Francesca leaning over me, pressing an envelope in my drowsy hands. She told me not to open it until she was gone. Still too sleepy to understand what was going on I turned around one more time and opened the card. The card told me I was going on a scavenger hunt through Chiang Mai to find my ‘prize.’ The first clue, written as a little rhyming poem, told me to exit the room, where I found a second clue.

This second clue led me to the Cultural Center, where the staff was a little bewildered and amused by my asking for an envelope for Henk. They did have one though, and as I walked out I read the third clue. This third little riddle led me to the Yez Hostel, where the owner gave me my 4th card and a little snack for the walking ahead! The 4th clue brought me to an Italian restaurant run entirely by handicapped people. I had picked up a pizza for Francesca here a while ago, and she had found the place. However, when I got there the gate was closed and I could not find the card. I started doubting whether I had gone to the right place, but the clue had been pretty much definitive.

Luckily Francesca had left me a lifeline… I could go back to the hostel and call her. I walked back and forth between the pizzeria and the hostel a few more times, turning back to see if I really couldn’t spot it. When I finally got back I made a call and was told to go to one of the travel agencies we had gone to before. The smiling owner told me I was a ‘lucky boy’ and gave me my 6th clue. The 6th and final clue was to reunite me with my lost lover. She was supposed to be hiding in the chocolate café I had taken her during our temple-walk. When I got there I didn’t see her though! Again, alarms went off… But then I spotted her walking off in the distance, guessing she went to pick up the card I had missed. I followed her and gave her a big Valentine’s Day hug. We went back to the café, where I received another awesome card and a big red rose. When we got back to the Yez Hostel Francesca fell asleep, tired from all the work she had put in. This gave me the opportunity to set something up for her!

I took a sangthaew to the biggest mall I knew about, and walked around for a while, looking at my options. I found a great chocolate Valentine’s Day cake. I also bought a little stuffed red heart, and two very appropriate cards that I would use. And so I returned to the Old City, only to sit down at a table of a smoothie bar to start writing. I grabbed a pear smoothie and spent an hour writing what needed to be written. I then returned to Francesca and gave her her first gifts. This cheered her up and we ended up relaxing for the rest of the afternoon.



In the evening we got dressed for a lovely dinner we had planned. It had been hard finding a proper place to have a Valentine’s Dinner, and the people we called seemed to have a hard time both understanding and explaining what they were doing for VD. However, in the end we settled for the set menu at the Prince Khum Phaya Resort. We both got dressed in our finest outfits, and looked regal. Just before 6:00 PM we exited and found ourselves in the middle of the bustling Sunday Market. I had wanted to capture a bizarre ritual on camera: at 6:00 PM sharp the national anthem is broadcasted over the speakers, and everyone has to stand still to listen to it. Very, very strange to see a constantly moving stream of people stop all of a sudden. It looked like a giant flashmob.



Francesca and I continued to the end of the market and found ourselves a tuk-tuk to take us to the resort. It proved quite difficult for our driver to find the resort, but since I had written down the phone number he managed to find it after a quick call. He dropped us off and we walked towards the majestic entrance. We were led to our outdoor table, near the fountains and decorative waterfall. Our personal waiter first offered us a free bottle of Monsoon Valley red wine. We proceeded with the first course: a tasty seafood salad with strawberry dressing. Francesca admitted she actually liked this salad! It helped we also got some, albeit dry, buns and butter along with it.









The second course was a carrot and strawberry soup. The soup had been decorated with a little heart floating on top. It was around this time that we guessed every dish was going to have a strawberry element in it. We sipped our wine, talking about our trip and enjoying the great food. The quietude of the resort gave us the feeling we were there all alone. The only person getting to us was the waiter. When we were done with the soup I tricked Francesca into turning around and put a surprise on her plate. When she turned around it took her a good 20 seconds to realize there even was a gift for her there!



The soup was followed by the main course: a salmon steak in a strawberry sauce, accompanied by mashed potatoes, asparagus and grapes. Oh, the fish was so good! And the plate looked so perfect. Francesca and I felt like we were in heaven. Dessert came in two parts: a strawberry shortcake and a bowl of ice cream and fruits. Once those were done the waiter came to us once more, offering us a complementary bouquet of flowers! Francesca and I finished our bottle of wine, took some pictures of the resort and had reception call us a cab. We returned to the start of the market and walked back to the Yez Hostel leisurely, taking in deep breaths of Valentine’s Day. What a wonderful day.