Heaven on Earth!

The mountainous northern region of Thailand has been known to draw visitors to its charming genuine cultural character, unspoiled wilderness and breathtaking scenery.  Some of Thailand’s oldest cities and ruins are found here. Geographically it has the highest mountains, many of the largest beautiful waterfalls, and high plateau. With a distinctive Lanna culture that predates the great Kingdom’s of Sukhothai and Adyuthaya, visitors experience the real Thailand here.

Our 2 weeks journey through Thailand begin from Chiang Mai before our trip into the highlands; trekking to remote mountain villages, riding elephants, relaxing in plush, isolated private homestead and seeking out the wonderful waterfalls and breathtaking views of the surroundings. We experience the authentic and distinctive character of Northern Thailand within the villages of the colorful and unique ethnic minority hill tribes.  We observe and participate in their time-honored traditions of textiles and basket weaving and appreciate their simple, subsistence way of life that no longer exists in the modern world. 

Chiang Mai itself is a historic 700-year-old walled-city surrounded by a pretty moat, well preserved gates and ramparts. The city is dotted with beautiful ancient temples and chedis (pagodas). The atmosphere is decidedly laidback. Spending the first few days of our Northern Enlightenment experience in Chiang Mai, we will adjust to Thailand’s slower pace, shop at the famous Night Bazaar where local colors are energized late into the night, dine at the authentic Lanna restaurants, take refuge in the ancient temples, gain knowledge in the history of this region, and rejuvenate with first class spa treatment. Chiang Mai’s graceful hospitality makes this city one of Asia’s most appealing destinations. 

Our exploration continues on from Chiang Mai to the isolated frontier province of Mae Hong Son - nestled among Western mountains on the Myanmar border. The seven-hour ride follows a spectacular rollercoaster ride over rugged mountains, passing along the way some small villages and countryside; getting to see the simpler side of Thailand.

Mae Hong Son is a truly isolated frontier province. It is a classic Northern Thailand mountain experience. The city center lies in a pretty valley bordered by Myanmar to the north and west, and consequently has a strong Burmese influence. Though the town itself is not as spectacular or cosmopolitan as that of Chiang Mai, it is a beauty frozen in time.  Mae Hong Son has a number of enticing temples and fabulously scenic surroundings - with a pretty lake at its centre and an altogether sleepy character.  We don’t sto[ in the city of Mae Hong Son as our trip continues on to Mae Samlap, on the Thai-Burmese border where our trekking expedition begins with a spectacular jungle, mountain, and river sceneries on a 2.5 hours boat ride on the Salween, Moei and Youm rivers. Once we reach our destination at remote Sop Moei village we spend 3 days and 2 nights in and around the community of the Pwo Karen hill tribes.

Pwo Karen or Black Karen is a sub-group of the largest hill tribes group known as the Karen.  But Pwo Karen is the smallest and most cohesive ethnic group out of all the 7 major hill tribes of Northern Thailand.  Here we become a part of the solution by participating in the Sop Moei Arts program which helps preserve the traditional textiles and basket weaving heritage that is dying out in most of the tribes. 

The Sop Moei Arts was born from the 1977 Swedish government funded grant by lead by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) to facilitate Maternal and Child Health Project for the Pwo Karen.  We visit the same villages and met the people that the Queen of Sweden, Her Majesty Queen Silvia frequently visits.  The tour is led by the program director and our SE Asia expert guide.

Her Royal Highness the Queen of Sweden described her impression in a letter during her visit to Sop Moei and the surrounding area of the Pwo Karen people in 2003:

I came to Sop Moei with my husband, the King and two of our children around New Year 2003.  We were met by the beauty and excitement of the jungle, the mountains and the rivers.  Since we, like most Swedes, are nature lovers we found this a remarkable experience.  But we also walked to the villages and talked to the native people.  It is hard to say if the curiosity was greater on our side or on the side of the villagers.  One of my most pleasant memories is Crown Princess Victoria’s “conversation” with a very happy little lady in a remote mountain settlement.  They had no language in common, only their laughter and mutual curiosity.

One fact that we learnt from our visit to Sop Moei is the difference that a small scale development project can make, not only for the standard of living, but also for the self esteem and personal security of the individual.

From 1980 – 1994 Sweden supported a village development project at Sop Moei, first working in agriculture and primary health, later in cottage industries.  Today the latter survives as a textile and basket-weaving project, both to preserve and enhance these indigenous skills as well as to provide employment to a growing number of men and women in ten villages.

This book is a tribute to the life and people of Sop Moei, to their labour and pleasures, to their toil and sense of beauty.

Silvia

Her Royal Highness the Queen of Sweden

This program is self-sustain program and supports the philosophy of these proud people who now have a real choice to choose not to leave their villages and families in the highlands. They do not have to trade their “living as one with the nature” ways of life for the outside modern world in the major cities of the lowlands.

From Mae Hong Son we return and stay overnight in Chiang Mai before we head south for Krabi.

With gorgeous beaches, stunning karst backdrop to Railei Beach and unusual limestone pillars of Phang Nga Bay, Krabi is a quieter and more charming cousin of Phuket, and our favorite province in Southern Thailand. Krabi offers a more down-to-earth and relaxing life style than nearby Phuket. This leg of our trip gets us away from crowded hotel resorts and into our own private beach front home on Railei Beach. Our private home sets right on the beach on the Western side of the Reilei peninsula, amidst a picturesque natural environment with daily unobstructed view of Krabi’s stunning sunset.

The attractions in Krabi are 100% natural, formed millions of years ago with limestone karst and bizarre coastal scenes that are unique to the province.  Railei is a small peninsula just south of the popular tourist hub known as Ao Nang, yet it feels like a world away.  Reilei Beach sits right among soaring cliffs, and these towering karstic walls only get more dramatic here as you get closer upon your arrival on the private long tail boat. Although it is part of the mainland, Reilei Beach is accessible only by the traditional fisherman long tail boats road due to the impressive towering cliffs that cut it off from the highway. This inaccessibility gives Railei Beach a special 'island feel', which, with the spectacular scenery, makes getting to and from Reilei Beach an exciting treat every time. There are three sides to the Railei Beach peninsula, two of which boast spectacular beaches: the west-facing Sunset Beach and Phra Nang Bay with their wide expanses of powdery white sand sloping down to emerald green warm water.  Both could be ranked among the best beaches in Thailand and reputedly in the world. With limited number of rooms on Sunset Beach and Phra Nang Bay, accommodation on Reilei Beach is naturally more high-end and exclusive. At night, Railei is fairly quiet, with only a few small beach restaurants and bars.  The girlie-bar scene is completely absent as the majority of visitors that come stay here are the hip environmentally and culturally conscious globe trekkers seeking natural beauty and solitude.

There are no cars or roads in Railei, which adds to its laid back appeal, yet there are countless options of things to do. We balanced our time between lazy days on the beach with a good book and memorable conversations. We tried rock-climbing, for which Railei is rightly famous. The real adventure-minded climb a rugged path up the side of this impressive karst cliff to discover a hidden lake in its center. There are also many climbing schools that run courses for complete beginners as well as those who want to improve their skills. At the far end of Phra Nang beach there is a small cave with a shrine notable for its phallic statues. In fact it is dedicated to a deity known locally as Sri Kunlathewi who, according to legend, was apparently an Indian princess wrecked on this coast in the 3rd Century BC and has been called upon by fishermen ever since to provide them with a good catch.  Our beach front villa has kayaks for rent so we paddled out to the nearby Poda Island, a well-rewarded experience. We hired a long tail boat taxi and visited the famous Phi Phi Archipelago where the creative hand of nature gets even more stunning but not more amazing than the Hong Island where we enter a hidden lagoon in the middle of the Andaman Sea through a cave tunnel.  Even inland at Than Bokkarani Park, the Tiger Temple and Emerald pool, more enchantment awaits. We end even spoil ourselves with a luxury massage at a world class 5-star Rayavadee Resort and Spa, just a stroll down the beach from your private beach house. In three simple words, our Passage to Culture trip to Thailand is “heaven on earth”!

NS