Slow Boat

From Chiang Kong we crossed the Thailand border into the Laos town of Huay Xai. From here we decided to take the slow boat down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang. This is a two day trip with a one night stop over in the small town of Pak Bang. This trip used to be the main mode of transportation for locals but with the recent upgrading of the roads the trip is mainly used for tourists. We booked the trip through our guesthouse as recommended by our travel guide book. He arranged a Tuk-Tuk to pick Marina and I and another couple up at the guesthouse and take us down to a ferry which then takes us over to Laos. Here we wait, along with thirty other confused tourists, to get a visa and then have our passports stamped. Then we meet up with someone who is going to buy our tickets and take us to the boat. We make two stops along the way just to make sure we all have enough food and drink to survive one day on a boat and end up near the harbor. We hand over our passports at our second food and drink destination and the man heads off to buy our slow boat tickets. He arrives a few minutes later with our tickets and we head off for the boat. The four of us all traveling from the same guesthouse are the first four on the boat so we pick our favorite seats at the front of the boat with lots of leg room. Here we wait for a few minutes discussing if we are going to be the only ones on the trip. The rest of our fellow tourists arrived a few minutes later and eighty of the one hundred seat are filled and we are ready to go. We head out the harbor and onto the silty brown colored Mekong River. I am surprised at the relatively fast speed of the slow boat but when we are passed by a fast boat, with everyone wearing helmets, the name then makes good sense. The boat takes us down the river through its rocky and sandy shores, the hills in the distance look like jungle.



On the sides of the river we see locals fishing, panning for gold, and kids playing in the river(some without clothes).




There also appears to be gardens at various locations with locals growing different varieties of plants. The only one I can recognize is corn. It's a very nice trip which lasts about seven hours before we arrive in the town of our overnight stay. When we get off the boat we are inundated with people trying to get us to stay at their guesthouse. We have a couple of names of places that we found online so we head towards them. I can't help but think of how tourism has had major impact on the way this town operates. There are guesthouses and vendors lining the main street into town. All the vendors are selling the same western treats and box lunches for the next day's boat ride. The next day we are told the boat would leave around nine thirty so we head down at twenty to nine and there are two boats that are mostly full. We end up on a less comfortable wooden seat with a cushion which requires getting up every once and a while to ensure you don't get too sore. The second day is similar to the first filled with beautiful scenery and chance to take it in slowly as you head down the river. This is a great way to travel although I do have some concerns about the impact this type of travel has on the local communities.

Cabbages, Condoms, and Meditation Lessons

We recently spent a couple days in Chiang Rai. It is a pretty quiet city that sees a lot less tourism than Chiang Mai. During our stay we went out for dinner at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. Their logo is "Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy". They are part of an organisation that promotes family planning and combats AIDS in Thailand. They want to make condoms are freely available as cabbages. It was a great meal with some entertaining decor.

The next day we walked to a Wat where a monk wanting to practice his English gave us an impromptu meditation lesson. It was a lot of fun. He gave each of us a bracelet and prayed for us to have safe travels. The monk explained that Buddhism and Christianity are same same.

We are now in Chiang Khong. We can see Laos from our guesthouse. The restaurant is right on the Mekong River. Tomorrow morning we will cross the boarder into Laos and board the slow boat to Luang Prabang. The trip takes two days. It should be a nice time to relax, read, and take in the scenery. We started taking our antimalarial medication a couple days ago, and so far we have not noticed any side effects.

Grandpa's Organic Farm

Working as a Wwoofer on an organic farm can sometimes feel like you have been placed in some kind of strange reality TV show with the exception that everybody is fully dressed and there is not goal of trying to create drama. It would definitely be an interesting case study in community living. We are thrown together with a bunch of random people and expected to live, eat , and work together. There is also somewhat of an employee to worker relationship between the owner of the farm and the Wwoofers. We have found this to be both challenging and rewarding at times. In general we have gotten along well with the Woofers and have found common ground around the ideology that surrounds the growing of organic food.

I guess that leads me to our experience at the last farm we stayed at. We were the first Wwoofers to ever volunteer on this farm and so some disorganization and growing period was to be expected from the beginning. The land is owned by a seventy year old Thai man referred to as Grandpa. Grandpa is best known for his organic fertiliser, and is very proud of the fact that the King once stopped by to check out his farm and donated a tree to his farm. Grandpa speaks exclusively in Thai and it didn't matter that we don't understand he continued to speak to us in Thai. At first we used body language to convey that we didn't understand and this resulted in him repeating himself which was not very helpful. Eventually after receiving advice from others we learned to agree to what he was saying and this avoided the repeating of communication that we couldn't understand. During our stay, we grew quite fond Grandpa and his instructions (particularly when they included charades). Grandpa is renting the land out to an American named Steven who is growing organic food for a health therapy that involves eating all organic, mostly raw foods. We were under the impression from the Wwoofer website that Steven and Grandpa were working together, which in all fairness may have been true when the web posting was created, but was certainly not true when we arrived. We heard from Steven that there had been a fallout just a few days before our arrival. Most communication between Grandpa and Steven is handled by a very nice Thai man named Taw who speaks very good English. During the first week and a half of our stay, Steven would talk about tasks that needed to be done but because of health reasons and the therapy he is doing, he was unable to visit the farm very often. We would receive general instructions in the evening of what to work on the next day, but when we arrived at the farm Taw or Grandpa would have other tasks lined up for us to do. Steven is having only vegetables that come from North America seeded on the farm. This seemed a little strange to us because we have eaten lots of good local vegetables, but we thought it would be good experience for when we get back home. I think Steven is doing this in part to fill the requirements of the diet and partly because he prefers things that come from North America. Nobody at the farm really has any experience with growing these varieties of vegetables including Steven. I think this is fine as long as you are prepared to have lots of patience and a willingness to learn. We were told in our garden workshops in Calgary that plants want to grow. There were lots of mistakes made with planting vegetables too close together and we are assuming there is probably some problems with the soil, but overall the plants are surviving and in time look like they will produce a crop. For a first try I would consider this an overall success given the experience they were working with and that they only started working on this project four months ago. One day Steven arrived at the farm and proceeded to flip out, cursing, swearing, and making racist comments towards the Thai workers repeatedly calling them "fucking midgets". According to us, they are doing the best that they know how to grow unfamiliar produce for him. He proceeded to rip out rows of tomato plants that were seeded too close together - some with tomatoes growing on the plants - after we had spent the past week pruning all these plants. We would have been able to deal with the plant destruction; after all they are his own plants and he is free to do what wants with them, but the racist comments towards the Thai people really violates our values. Our desire on this trip is to work alongside the Thai people learning a culture that is different from our own. Steven had given hints of a bias throughout our stay. Saying how much he really dislikes some of the things here in Thailand and having lots of things shipped from North America. The only things he seemed to like about Thailand was the low cost of things and the chance of finding a Thai wife. Given this situation, we made plans on our next day off to move on early. To me this was a shame because there is so much potential for this farm. Steven was a very good host towards us, going out of his way to provide us with bikes so that we could get around better and he had a bottle of wine around for us to drink in the evenings even though he doesn't drink. We also really enjoyed our time with Taw. He took us to a hill tribe village one day during our lunch break when he was looking at some other land for possibly expanding the farm. We had a good time at this farm and it's situated in a very beautiful spot. I hope that this was perhaps just things getting ugly for a few days and Steven is able to make amends with the owner of the land and at the very least if things cannot work out he would treat Thai people with the humanity they deserve. As for us, I think we need to deal better with some of the general issues we picked up on earlier in our stay and hopefully develop a group consensus. This can be difficult in a relationship that is only expected to last a couple of weeks and where the owner has control over your living accommodations it will probably always be easier to let things slide. In order to live successfully in this type of community, or perhaps any, it appears important to not let what is important to you be overshadowed by the comfort of letting things you feel are wrong pass by. In the book I am reading called "A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada" it refers to the strength of First Nations communities being able to promote both the interests of the group and the individual. I can see when I am living in a community setting just how important it is to find ways to respect the needs and wants of each individual with what is best for the community as a whole. I feel like there is lots to learn in this area and hope that situations like I have described can help us discover better ways to live in this delicate balance.

Hello from Chiang Rai

Yesterday we took a three hour bus ride through some very beautiful countryside from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. So far Chiang Rai has lots of similarities to Chiang Mai only it's smaller. The plan is to stay here for two more nights and then head up to Chiang Khong which borders Laos. After that we plan to spend a couple of weeks in Laos before heading south to meet Dave and Debbi in southern Thailand for Chinese New Years.

Our Addiction

Before we headed to Chiang Mai, a friend told us that we should try rotee while we were there. She recommended banana and egg. A few days later, we noticed a rotee stand one evening near our hotel, so we stopped to give it a try. There was a big sign advertising (in English) Chocolate and Banana Rotee. We thought heck with banana and egg, we're having banana and chocolate. It turned out to be a great decision; chocolate and banana rotee might just be the most delicious food in the world. First the vendor takes a egg sized piece of dough, and with a practiced flick of the wrist stretches it out until it is paper thin.


The dough is then placed on a sizzling pan with a little butter then folded around a chopped banana.


The square of dough and banana is fried for a few seconds until it is golden. The vendor removes the rotee from the heat, cuts it in bite-sized squares, then drizzles chocolate sauce and sweetened condensed milk over the whole thing. Mmm. . .

What a ride x2

New Years Day we decided, along with what seemed like the rest of Chiang Mai, to go and visit a popular temple on a nearby mountain named Doi Suthep. After a very delicious lunch at a randomly chosen Taiwanese restaurant we were off to find a song tao (a small truck with a covered roof ,open at the back, and two benches along the sides). We waited around for a few minutes for there to be enough people to fill the song tao and tried to figure out the random system of organizing the song taos. It seemed to me like the drivers were arguing over who got to take the next load of people up to the top. We eventually all ended up in the same song tao and headed towards the Doi Suthep temple. The first part of the ride was mostly traffic jam and reasonably calm. However, at some point traveling up this steep winding mountain road, traffic filling the lane going up the mountain for as far as the eye could see, our song taw driver decided this was too slow. Off we go over the double yellow line as fast as a song taw can go towards oncoming traffic. Once traffic starts coming down the other side of the street we budge back into our own lane. After two or three of these maneuvers we end up stuck in our own lane of traffic. Traffic is not really moving but our driver refuses to remain at a standstill lurching us back and forward on a steep hill using the clutch instead of the brake. Eventually after a little more climbing we start to smell smoke. This became stronger and stronger and all the sudden we stopped. Thinking that this was coming from our vehicle we all jumped out the back of the song taw. After we got out we realized that the car in front of us had just caught on fire. We start to climb back into the song taw and with most passengers still adjusting to get into their seats our driver starts to pull around the on fire car. Marina hit her leg on a post trying to get into here seat and I made the jump for the moving target and was helped on by other passengers as I was still not on the vehicle. Wisely the three other passengers wave us on and walked the rest of the way to the top. A short drive later when we can see the temple is in sight the driver stops for something and everybody jumps out even though it was quite evident he was going to take us further. Once at the top we enjoyed the afternoon walking through the temple.





It was full of interesting activities and performances. We were a little nervous of getting back in another song taw to go back down but the driver we got was much more relaxed and were able to enjoy the ride. He did however completely fill the song taw with two people crammed into the front seat and twelve crammed into the back. My theory was they had different business strategies. The first driver was able to leave with less people but tried to make more runs up and down the mountain while the second filled it to the brim but drove at a reasonable pace. Next time I think we will look for the full song taw at least when they are packed full there is less room for shifting around and you can't really see what's going on.




The next day we decided to go with the local transportation method and we rented a bike (scooter) to see what we could find. We had plans of finding an national park that was not listed on any of our maps. On the way to breakfast I mentioned at the front desk that we wanted to rent a bike for the day, before we had finished breakfast the guy from the rental place was at our hotel with the bike and had us ready to go. All that was required was a copy of passport and a deposit, no drivers license though. After a few minutes of trying to get the bike to start we managed to get it to start and I went around the hotel parking lot a few times to get the hang of it. After that we headed off to the gas station to fill up as the bike was almost empty. After filling up the bike I went through the process of trying to start the bike again. Eventually after a few minutes of having no luck I push the bike out of the way and continue trying to get it started, when I realized the key is to have one hand on the brake while starting the bike and I just managed to get lucky the first time we were having problems. We are now on our way out of town and heading for our first stop of the day the Mae Sa waterfall. Once we get to the falls we need a pass to get in so we decide if we have time we will visit on the way back and instead stop at a coffee shop to get a brake from the bike and have a chance to look at the map. We were just going to sit on the benches out front but we were pursued by the restaurant owners and after being asked felt too bad to not order anything. So I order a coffee and Marina ordered a water. This was perhaps the worst coffee of our trip it was some sort of brewed coffee that I think tried to hide the fact that it was low quality by making it stronger. I add all the sugar and cream provided to this overly strong cup of coffee but eventually gave I up and poured the rest in the bushes. Back on the bike we get and head for the town of Samoeng. Along the way we pass some great views and we also notice that there are some large temperature differences when we get into some shady spots and the cool air feels nice during the hot part of the day.



We stopped for lunch in Samoeng and had some really good green papaya salad and some other treats. After lunch we carry on in the direction of the park we were looking for. The roads are getting skinner and less developed as we continue on. There is one steep section where Marina offered to walk as the bike was having a difficult time climbing, later on she tells me she was only joking. As we continue the road forks and heads in two directions with all signs in Thai. There was a map by the intersection and we tried to make the best guess of which way we should go. We make a somewhat random choice and decide it could only be a few more kilometers so we head off. We head through some very nice small villages similar to what we had seen at the first farm and we stop to take a break and have some fruit we brought in one of the temples. We go on a little further after this and decide that it's probably a good time to turn back if we want to get back before dark. On our way back we fill up with gas and head back for Chiang Mai. We discover on the way home that similar to at home once the sun goes down in the mountains it can get very cold fast especially when traveling on scooter in summer clothes. So we wind our way back through hills taking periodic breaks to try and warm up. Once we end up back on main road the temperature is much warmer and we head back for the hotel. This was a fun day and we enjoyed seeing some of the local countryside. Marina claims her bum got sore, I think mine must still be used to bicycle seat because I didn't notice. A fun mode of transportation for a day but I think I will stick with the pedal bike.

We've moved

Yesterday afternoon we moved to another organic farm near Chiang Dao. We met with a man who works here and he gave us a ride from Chiang Mai to the farm. Things sure are different here sometimes. On the way we stopped at a convenience store where he bought snacks and beer then proceeded to drink a beer while driving down the highway. Don't panic Patricia. It was just one beer.

Today we began our volunteer work on the farm. It seems to be a much more relaxed pace than the last farm that we visited. The farm basically consists of a very large vegetable garden. The owner of the farm is from Michigan, and most of the produce that he chooses to grow is familiar vegetables that are in every North American supermarket. Although we both really enjoy learning about the local crops, perhaps at this farm we will learn more things that will be more useful for us back in Canada than the ability to prune banana trees.

Tom Yum Soup

Since we arrived in Chiang Mai I have twice eaten Tom Yum soup that has left my forehead dripping with sweat, my nose drained, and Marina giggling from across the table. This is a very delicious soup with ginger, lemon grass, and Chillies. The first time I tried this in Thailand it was at a market near our hotel with booths set up. There were mostly locals eating in this area. I made the mistake of not ordering rice and from the first bite I could tell this was a hot dish. About halfway through the dish the owner of the booth graciously offered me some rice and I gladly accepted. After this experience, having really enjoyed the spicy soup, I decided to eat this dish at a restaurant serving western and Thai food and ordered rice to start with. To start off with this seemed to be a much more tolerable heat, but by the end I had a similar result to the first bowl. Perhaps this dish is meant to be eaten as a family style dish or with beer instead of hot green tea. Marina and I also joked that maybe I could order Tom Yum soup again with three or four orders of rice. This is very yummy soup I look forward to making it a home with just a touch less spice.