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Thailand

Thailand
Travels in 2543

No, this is not a vision of the future; 2543 is the year 2000 – according to the Buddhist calendar. But otherwise the clocks in Thailand are a little different.

Sylvia Lischer

12/27/2000

Rush hour in Chiang Mai. In the saddle of a Honda XL 200 I hurry after the tour guides Linn, Nui and Buliem, who guide our tour group through the second largest city in Thailand with the precision of a satellite navigation system. Past over 30 magnificent temples, modern shopping centers, hotels and office palaces. Without them we would be hopelessly lost in this chaos, especially since we cannot decipher the ornate Thai characters on the many traffic signs. On the way to the temple of Wat Doi Suteph, our strained facial features gradually relax. On a two-lane serpentine route, it goes at a fast rhythm up to a thousand meters in altitude – left bend, right bend, overtaking. In between, a first glimpse of the northern Thai mountains flies: gently rolling mountain chains, between one thousand and two thousand meters high, jungle green and peppered with adventurous trails. Perfect for enduro bikes, it gets chilly at an altitude of 1180 meters. Accordingly, the grim-looking temple guards present themselves at Wat Doi Suthep, which towers 290 steps above the road. The stone demons wear winter clothes: scarves and sweaters, provided by merciful believers. Once you have dared to walk past the wild fellows, an oasis of calm and reflection opens up. The modern world, the roaring traffic in the city center, it all seems light years away. Monks clad in orange robes murmur prayers, leaves flutter softly in the wind, the sound of the prayer bells echoes muffled over the mountains. With an invigorated spirit, we leave the last few meters of asphalt behind us. I carefully risk the first drifts and braking attempts on the exotic surface. The covering is easy to grip. Simply perfect – at least now in the dry season. It goes steeply downhill under a dense jungle roof in exuberant swings past a coffee plantation, a tiny village and meadows of saffron yellow flowers. As soon as the engines stop, the sounds of the jungle break in on me, dull and unknown, as if from a magical forest removed from time. The preservation of unspoilt nature enjoys an unusually high priority in Thailand. Over twelve percent of the country’s area is under nature protection, as here in Doi Suthep-Doi Pui National Park, but the green is also rampant outside the national parks. Even on the paths where the space for the studded tires is reduced to a minimum. In combination with knee-deep ruts, sometimes quite exhausting to drive. Bushes and giants of the jungle crowd to the left and right of the path. Gnarled branches keep pounding against the helmets and it goes up, down and up again? but how. The sweat flows, the dust sticks, the inner voice roars: “Just don’t stop, just don’t lose the tire contact with the lane.” I have long since lost sight of the group and imagine myself to be a pioneer in a world that still does no vehicles are there. Think. A Yamaha scooter rushes towards me screeching. A shotgun protrudes from the basket in the back seat and the dinner that has just been shot. The driver and passenger, who wear the usual light cotton clothing and rubber sandals, fix my enduro boots and the almost completely armored cross gear with unmoved eyes. Linn, Nui and Buliem await me at the Mokfa waterfall, which is not inconvenient after the dusty off-road passage . You can only see the different plants in the jungle when you look at it in peace. Tiny violet flowers form the dense jungle carpet with bamboo, banana trees and tropical trees. In between the cascades rustle. The association is obvious: Paradise before the fall of man. But the comparison lags. The north of Thailand belongs to the Golden Triangle, and the opium business is flourishing in the surrounding, inaccessible forest areas of the tourist-overcrowded region in the limestone mountains on the border with Laos and Myanmar. The latter is marked on the map as “sensitive border area” ?? as a sensitive border region. We reach Thaton at dusk. The small town is just a stone’s throw from Myanmar on the banks of the Mae Kok River. Sensitive border region or not, it couldn’t be more idyllic. The monumental white Buddha of Wat Thaton Monastery sits high above the river on a hilltop, the green of the jungle shines on the slopes. Linn and Nui, both mechanics with a passion, inspect the bikes in the lamplight – giggling and joking until late at night. No wonder that both are still in their springs when the fog rises early in the morning, glides mystically over the Mae Kok and pulls up to the highest mountain peaks. I’m going to Wat Thaton with Buliem. The best vantage point in the monastery complex has been reserved for the white Buddha above the monks’ quarters. His gaze wanders over the emerald green mountains between which the Mae Kok meanders. Countless water veins criss-cross the north of Thailand. They measure thousands of kilometers and lead to the most remote corners of the country. The extensive network of waterways has been used as a transport route since ancient times. The traditional longboats are moored at Thaton’s boathouse. As the sun dispels the last wisps of fog, our boat tour on the Mae Kok starts with an exciting battle for pole position. “More than 50 hp,” beamed the bosun, looking at the Toyota outboard motor on his seven-meter-long nutshell, and took the lead. Linn and I crouch between two enduros and watch our pursuers, who run aground several times and only after hectic pinning with meter-long bamboo poles can you connect. The Buddha at Wat Thaton seems to calmly follow the scene. The Buddha’s teaching is called yana, says Linn, which also means vehicle, ferry or boat. To get on the boat and cross the river would be to go from the shore of ignorance to the shore of enlightenment. I wonder if the mental trip into nirvana is happening at the same speed as ours. Like patrol boats, we chase through the narrow bends in the river, past rocks and sandbanks, and later on small islands. Stake villages and rice fields pass by, followed by dense jungle. With a series of rapid rapids we circle a bend in the river and drift directly towards a herd of elephants. Little boys sit behind the necks of the pachyderms and seem to direct the colossi effortlessly from one bank to the other. You have reached the Ruam Mitr elephant camp, a Karen village whose home is actually neighboring Myanmar. To avoid the reprisals of the military government, which has ruled there for half a century, many Karen moved to the north of Thailand. Instead of having to live in a state similar to civil war, they sport a friendly smile here. And the unloading of the enduros from the long boats turns into a much-noticed event. The initially quite good slope on which we continue, ends up in nowhere. It starts off-road terrain. And it’s going uphill. Without further ado, it is almost the most direct route to the summit. Over tree trunks that form temporary bridges and along moats where you could easily park a car. Finally the ridge of the mountain is reached and I am rewarded with a magnificent panorama. Riding enduro is one thing. Discovering areas with the Enduro where neither roads nor pistes lead is another. It feels like Columbus must have had on his voyages of discovery. At dusk we reach Mae Salong, a village on the steep mountain slopes that exudes the flair of an old smuggler’s nest. And not by chance. Mae Salong was founded by soldiers who fled southern China after Mao’s victory in 1949 and found a new field of activity here in addition to a new home: They promoted and controlled the opium business in the Golden Triangle. The Chinese Phi Djin, who serves us hot tea on the main street, has nothing to do with the machinations of the founding fathers. Your sales stand is overflowing with medicinal herbs, wonder drugs and rice schnapps bottles containing pickled peptiles and the like. “The queue is out,” she says regretfully. Instead, there are pickled centipedes, and Nui, who suddenly suffers from mysterious symptoms of the disease, immediately takes a strong drink. An old smugglers’ path leads us to Thoed Thai early in the morning. The place was formerly called Ban Hin Taek and made headlines in the world press in 1982 when the troops of Opium King Khun Sa were driven from their headquarters in a three-day battle. Instead of dim opium dens, clean, white plastered houses that are reminiscent of a new housing estate await us. Traveling traders in rickety pick-ups speed up and down the main street, loaded with mousetraps, toilet brushes and dishes. Thai music thunders from huge boxes on the loading area. We sit down in the next street cafe, eat noodle soup with chopsticks and discover the only opium smoker far and wide. It is emblazoned as a painting on a wall fan above the counter. A trip to Myanmar is imminent. While I screw my motorcycle through the jungle on a serpentine stretch that is barely a towel-wide, I almost overlook the mystical animal figures that are set up in the forest: white elephants, geckos, pigs, nicely arranged between the giants of the jungle. When the engine stops, it creaks and creaks eerily. There is no doubt: This is where ghosts live and they have to be appeased by the locals with small offerings. Ghosts like incense sticks and candles, prefer to eat rice and fruit, and occasionally like to smoke a cigarette. Belief in spirits dates back to pre-Buddhist times; the Buddha, who is surrounded by the figures, obviously does not mind. After all, his teaching, which is now practically the state religion, is based on tolerance. Although 90 percent of the population in Myanmar professes Buddhism, tolerance seems to be a foreign word for representatives of the military dictatorship. In Mae Sai we cross the border river to Tachilek, which attracts attention from afar with the advertising poster: “City of the Golden Triangle”. We pay $ 5 for a day visa even though we are only allowed to stay for an hour. But much more time for this place would also be a waste. You can marvel at a random row of stalls with cheap cigarettes, perfumes, clothes and all sorts of plastic junk. A military armed to the teeth acts as special guests. After the performance, I think of the government’s brutal crackdown on the democratic opposition, and I get the oppressive feeling that instead of the cinema, the military box office has just rang. On Highway 1, which is partly expanded to four lanes, we rush south in the direction of Phayao on the modern high-rise backdrop of Chiang Rai. Brake hard once, turn right, and you are in the middle of Doi Luang National Park. In a few minutes we climb over 800 meters in altitude and leave highway and modernity behind us. A network of extremely narrow trails runs through the forest, one of which leads to the jungle village of Ban Pa Miang. Hibiscus bushes, poinsettias, even roses grow here. But sleeping beauty is out of the question, the preparations for the New Year celebrations are in full swing: Tomorrow the year of the dragon begins for Lisu, who originally came from southern China. “The clocks run a little differently here,” whispers Nui. After all, in Thailand the year 2543 is written after Buddha.

Info

The north of Thailand is an ideal enduro winter area: pleasant temperatures and dry, grippy trails. Off-road adventures and a good tourist infrastructure are not too far apart.

Many European and Asian airlines offer flights to Thailand. China Airlines, for example, flies six times a week from Amsterdam to Bangkok, LTU once a week from Frankfurt. Depending on the season, a ticket costs between 1,000 and 1,500 marks. China Airlines is offering a feeder flight to Amsterdam for 150 marks; the journey by train is included in the price. With some airlines you can get hold of last-minute offers, the price is around 750 marks. Thai Airways flies several times a day for around 100 marks from Bangkok in the north of the country to Chiang Mai. For a stay of up to 30 days, no visa is required for citizens of the Federal Republic, Switzerland and Austria. A passport that is valid for at least 60 days is sufficient. For more information, please contact the Thai Tourist Office, Bethmannstrasse 58, 60311 Frankfurt, phone 069/1381390, fax 069/281468. Internet information about traveling in Thailand can be found at: www.tourismthailand.org. Health There is no compulsory vaccination to enter Thailand. The family doctor or tropical institute, for example the Institute for Tropical Medicine Berlin, phone 030/301166, can provide information about recommended vaccinations and other preventive health measures. Malaria prophylaxis is advisable when visiting the jungle areas near the border with Myanmar and Laos. TRAVEL TIME In Thailand there are three seasons, the cool from November to February, the hot from March to May and the rainy season from June to October. The ideal travel time for off-road tours is December to March. Then the terrain is dry and the temperatures are barely above 28 degrees during the day. ORGANIZED TOURS Competently guided enduro tours are offered by the motorcycle tour operator Off-Road Tours. You will drive on Kawasaki KLX 250, Honda XR 250 and Suzuki DR 350. For a seven-day tour you have to pay half board from 1590 Marks (without flight). Protectors, boots and helmets can be provided on request. Further information from Off-Road Tours, Rosenhagen 19, 33104 Paderborn, phone and fax 05254/7860, Internet: www.off-roadtours.de. LITERATURE Anyone who travels to Thailand without any background knowledge easily steps from one fat bowl to the next. The number of Thailand travel guides is almost unmanageable. The “Thailand – Handbuch” from the series Reise Know-How for 44.80 marks turned out to be very good. It offers a lot of information about the country and its people as well as lots of practical travel tips. No less detailed: “Thailand” from Stefan Loose Verlag for 39.80 marks. A special issue of “Adventure and Travel” is currently still available on Thailand for 15.80 Marks at the kiosks, which provides those interested with great stories and a very good information section. Interesting facts about the country can also be found at www.ablebnisreisen.de. A very useful card index “Thailand” from Nelles-Verlag on a scale of 1: 1,500,000 for 14.80 marks. Time required: one week, route length: 900 kilometers

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