Ayutthaya--- The Ancient Kingdom of Siam's Central Plains (1351 AD- 1767)
In between the last tours, I took a day trip outside of Bangkok and headed North (3 hours by local train) to the UNESCO World Heritage ancient city of Ayutthaya. Ryan (ISV project leader) and I rented bicycles for the day (only 50 Baht!) and cycled our way through the ruins of the old city.
A lot of these structures were built in the early 1400s and were temples and palaces representing the strongest period of history in the fight against the Burmese invasions. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, and burned to the ground. The Burmese supposedly destroyed everything sacred to the Thais, including manuscripts, temples and religious sculptures....this could be bias-soaked information I was given though.
These lions stand guarding the entrance to the temple's sacred stupa/chedi (structure that is believed to hold sacred scripture, Buddha relic and/or Buddha bone)...the architecture looked Khmer (Cambodian) in style, more so than Thai traditional representation of the lions.Ryan striking a pose, near one of the more scenic lakes of the ruins:
Ryan climbing the steps of an ancient chedi...
The famous 3 pagodas: Wat Phra Si Sanphet---the site served as the royal palace from the city's founding until the mid-15th c. when it was converted into a temple. Although the grounds are now well taken care of in comparison to others, they can't hide the effects of war and time.
The surrounding buildings are worn through to their orange bricks, leaning to one side from gravity over time. This complex used to hold a 16m high Buddha standing statue that was covered in gold; it was melted down by the Burmese conquerors.
Big Buddha---Little Buddha:
More of the grounds...
Sometimes it felt like we were walking through a maze, one could easily get lost in the feeling of stepping back in time.
Buddha, being swallowed by a fig tree. This used to be a sitting Buddha, but now all that remains to be seen is only the head.
The ferry to and from the train station to the old city: one bored boat man goes back and forth all day long, the 5 minute ride from one side of the river to the other...
Buddha, being swallowed by a fig tree. This used to be a sitting Buddha, but now all that remains to be seen is only the head.
Defaced Buddhas---unknown if they've been defaced by time, or defaced during the Burmese army's invasions.
The ferry to and from the train station to the old city: one bored boat man goes back and forth all day long, the 5 minute ride from one side of the river to the other...
The Lush Valleys of the North:
These young boys are part of the Lahu tribe, once known to be the most powerful since they were accomplished Tiger hunters. They are now the remotest of villages and the most isolated from Thai society. None of these boys understood a word of Thai I tried to speak to them, so instead they responded to my camera with a peace sign and a holler of 'Abu-in-jow' which is Lahu for thank you. Shortly after the monsoon rains started pouring down and they all immediately stripped down and had public play 'nakey' time!
The Lahu village is also the village where we spend one night overlooking the entire Mae Taeng valley and the province of Chiang Mai. Mid-trek I stopped to take a picture of our trekking goal: the village on top of the mountain far off in the cloudy distance.
Along the way some students making their way through the clouds.
An Akha woman in traditional garb, most easily recognized by their head-dresses laced with Indian rupees for decoration and merit. She was kind enough to offer us tea and bananas during a stop on our trekking venture.
The ancient city of Chiang Mai and the Mae Taeng jungles---- activities: white water rafting class IV+ rapids, trekking to remote Hill-Tribe communities, and up-close encounters with the sweetest Ele's in the world.
Our white water rafting company is spot on when it comes to doing what they do....except for the few times they make some strange decisions. This time, Tim (our Kiwi safety kayaker) decided it would be fun to perch on a rock in the middle of the rapids to watch the boats come out....I'm on the upper left corner, leaning over the boat trying to make sure these guys didn't get knocked out from the slamming of our boat! I do admit, I had a huge smile on my face. I was half expecting to see them go swimming!
These are the Rafting boys, and some of the coolest friends I have here in the North. After rafting these guys always ride into town with us and a big night on the town always follows!
Before we go rafting, we spend 3 days trekking in the jungle visiting remote Hill Tribe villages. These villages are all nomadic peoples traditionally migrating from the South of China and Tibet hundreds of years ago. Until recently they were considered pests to the Thai government, and only now are there projects aimed at introducing these populations into Thai civil society. The biggest effort is providing free schooling for the young children before they reach the age where they need to work the rice fields: 12-13 years old.
Some are animist villages who have maintained societal structures and beliefs taught from their ancestors; still following their ways even now over 1,000 years later. On this trip, our students are exposed to a way of life literally locked in time: they visit with shamans (witch doctors), drink black tea with Tiger hunters, chew beetle nut with the elderly women, pound rice with the workers, and learn new dialects of Chinese origin...All the while trekking through some of the most beautiful virgin tropical evergreen forest remaining in Thailand.
These young boys are part of the Lahu tribe, once known to be the most powerful since they were accomplished Tiger hunters. They are now the remotest of villages and the most isolated from Thai society. None of these boys understood a word of Thai I tried to speak to them, so instead they responded to my camera with a peace sign and a holler of 'Abu-in-jow' which is Lahu for thank you. Shortly after the monsoon rains started pouring down and they all immediately stripped down and had public play 'nakey' time!
The Lahu village is also the village where we spend one night overlooking the entire Mae Taeng valley and the province of Chiang Mai. Mid-trek I stopped to take a picture of our trekking goal: the village on top of the mountain far off in the cloudy distance.
Zac Da, our Akha trekking guide, always smiley and he loves to practice his English with me. A new addition to my niche of friends, but a much loved one :)
Along the way some students making their way through the clouds.
A stop for taking a much needed rest and a dip in the waterfall! This is always a blessing, since at this point I'm starting to smell like jungle rot.Finally, trek over and time to enjoy the fruits of our struggle! The second I've showered and changed, I pose at the top of the mountain, for our overnight stay with the Lahu village.
An Akha woman in traditional garb, most easily recognized by their head-dresses laced with Indian rupees for decoration and merit. She was kind enough to offer us tea and bananas during a stop on our trekking venture.
Village life: includes waking up to rolling mists from the clouds hanging low, and trapping chickens in cages to keep the livestock from being killed and eaten by wild cats or pigs.
And then of course...there's ele heaven, known as Elephant Nature Park. The precious elephant sanctuary I've had the lucky opportunity to work closely with for years. All of these elephants have been rescued from abuse, neglect, injury and a tourism industry that still needs a lot of help to keep their Asian elephants alive and well.
The new addition to the park, the little boy tucked between his aunties' legs, is only a couple months old now. He's recently discovered how to trip his mahout (elephant handler) and how to keep the dogs away...all he has to do is toot from his trunk and his Mother and Aunties come running to his rescue forming a blockade of elephant mass...he tends to abuse this privilege.
Some parting shots of Chiang Mai:
In the middle May is praying to the Lord Buddha: 3 times she bows in respect---1, to pay respect to the Lord Buddha; 2, to pay respect to his teachings; 3, to pay respect to the community of monks who carries out his message.
A shot of the famous walking street market from the roof of my favorite bar. On the right, the lovely Nim...the manager of the hotel we frequent on tour and another best friend here in Chiang Mai: she's my confidente and my relationship counselor!
It's a full on lake tour, of the Khao Sok National Park in the southern peninsula of the country. It's one of the last habitats (protected) in Thailand where wild elephants roam, Malay bears munch, barking and lesser mouse deer run free; and where dusky langurs swing from below the same canopy-top trees the rare white-handed gibbons sing from :)
It's also the best place to see the incredible Great Hornbill flock, sometimes in groups of 20-30 birds at once!
The trip is one of my favorite days on the tour: we start with trekking; bamboo rafting to a remote cave; caving in a monolith over 75 million years old, that was once part of a coral reef system 5x the size of today's Great Barrier Reef; then lunch at a beautiful floating restaurant from which we spend the rest of our afternoon kayaking around the lake (165 square km!).
at the floating restaurant...
Pi Dam, our guide for the lake tours this season, and a great friend!
monoliths, littered along the Khao Sok lake....
glamour shot! on the bamboo raft to the cave...
Queen and May, two Thai tour leaders I work with...oh and Kieran in the background there!
It's a full on lake tour, of the Khao Sok National Park in the southern peninsula of the country. It's one of the last habitats (protected) in Thailand where wild elephants roam, Malay bears munch, barking and lesser mouse deer run free; and where dusky langurs swing from below the same canopy-top trees the rare white-handed gibbons sing from :)
It's also the best place to see the incredible Great Hornbill flock, sometimes in groups of 20-30 birds at once!
The trip is one of my favorite days on the tour: we start with trekking; bamboo rafting to a remote cave; caving in a monolith over 75 million years old, that was once part of a coral reef system 5x the size of today's Great Barrier Reef; then lunch at a beautiful floating restaurant from which we spend the rest of our afternoon kayaking around the lake (165 square km!).
at the floating restaurant...
Pi Dam, our guide for the lake tours this season, and a great friend!
monoliths, littered along the Khao Sok lake....
glamour shot! on the bamboo raft to the cave...Queen and May, two Thai tour leaders I work with...oh and Kieran in the background there!
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