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When the hikers had returned, we went to the Karen villages - the so-called "weaving" village that Robin had mentioned, and another one, and also visited the new ranger station where Pat is going to live once they get electricity installed. There were a lot of birds in trees and flying over; it was quite idyllic, actually. The first village was rather a disappointment, very poor and we felt like we were intruding, until someone produced something to sell and I started making balloon animals, and more people came with more things to sell, etc. I bought a handsome sort of tunic of navy hemp and embroidery, with seeds. Very interesting!
On to yet another village, where we got a tour of the school. This school is very out in the boonies, down incredibly rutted roads, but they have electricity, and ta,dum: Pentium computers, which the kids are taught on. Some government grant! Walked all over the school, then up to the village. Got an ice, the others wandered while I stayed put, and eventually Anak talked to some man who produced a charming green-lavender bag, which I bought for 100 bhat. A steal. I think the young's in the group are feeling somewhat like voyeurs, and we all are, of course, but I find I can related to people and get them smiling because I'm huffing along and sweating, and I play with the kids. Amazing how much that does!
The next day was our visit to the "musser" or "hunter" village - a Lahu village that's near the northern edge of the park boundary. The Lahu are known as hunters/poachers and are far more Chinese in appearance, dress, etc., than the sweet Karen. We were taken there by Chalal, the driver who rescued me by retrieving the key to Pat's house when she was at a party at the other end of the headquarters the other night - and a hunter (name unknown but it starts with Boon) who is now a guard. He knows everyone around the village and seems to be (or consider himself to be) a big-timer there. This helped, since he spoke their language (Chalal is Thai, but they speak their own language) and could pass out coins and cigarettes to people to show us around.
We saw the Royal Project - a weaving center - a shed under which about a dozen wide sit-at looms are set up. Maybe half a dozen women were working, weaving lavender or green plain fabric about a meter wide. This village has about seven family groups each with their own dancing circle (looked much like a Sturbridge village animal compound); there is one school, one health center, several small stores or noodle shops. Looks pretty poor altogether, but they do have electricity and communal taps.
That night at the musser village we were allowed to come and visit a dancing circle. This involved a centerpiece of some sort, at which a candle was usually lit, and people revolving around it while one man played a "traditional musical instrument" - a very long pipe, maybe 3', perpendicular to another pipe into which he blew. About four notes. And a sort of marching dance around the circle. A few people march following him, sort of a musical chairs; some leave, others join, from time to time someone else plays. I got to playing with a woman and her baby, while the others just watched. Passed out stickers. It was fairly boring and we left before nine. The skies were beautiful and there was a full moon coming up Comfortably cool at night.
I produced balloons and made several animals, thus breaking the ice - the other members of the group just watch or walk on, while I talk to the kids, take good pictures, flatter the mothers about their beautiful babies, etc. After the first group I gave out stickers instead and they also went over well. At one point we saw some boys playing tops with hand-whittled ones; it was charming! and at another we saw the village smithy working on a machete up the hill from people making brooms. The brooms are carefully made from wild grasses, woven together at the top. At this last group there was a granny. Granny is reputed to be 95; I dunno. Like many of the other women, she wears a turban made of a bath towel. This looks particularly stylish with the satin and silk Chinese kimonos that are also worn.
Granny was most receptive to stickers and indeed a balloon animal, though with a hand sign she indicated that what she wanted most was a cigarette, which we didn't have.
More observations ...
More observations ...
In any event, the trips into the villages were a great success! We had lunch at the "musser station" - a nearby ranger station. Lunch in this instance and the day before was individually packed plastic baggies with rice at the bottom (a good serving) and a plastic spoon, then other little baggies with curried meat and chili sauce separate, each secured with tiny rubber bands very tightly. Robin says that in Bangkok many apartments don't have kitchens; people just buy prepared food and bring it home to eat. Which explains the great quantity of outdoor markets, etc. Once you're ready to eat, you just dump everything onto the rice and basically mix it by squeezing together, before eating.
This ranger station was in a beautiful setting on the side of a hill, looking out over the range which is foothills of the Himalayas. It was lovely indeed.
We came back to the house and packed, rested, etc., then after supper went back to the musser village. This is about a half hour away on oiled dirt roads, being worked on to be made wider and safer every day. Though the guys don't seem to work long hours, they certainly DO get a lot done, and we've seen several miles improved in our less-than two weeks. Chalal is a very good driver (he used to be Pat's driver, which explains a lot; Pat drives very fast and somewhat carelessly, maybe in reaction to his care!) He insists that I sit in the front of the pickup truck, and I really like riding in the back because you can see so much better! His daughter came along with us to the village - she's four, and a sweetie. Not cuddly but now smiles at me. She didn't go in the evening of course. Riding with Chalal had one advantage - we picked up a wild dog in the headlights. A real wild dog! Looked very different from the many other dogs around.
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