Happy New Year!

Before I get into the last week of holiday cheer in Hat Yai, I need to mention a most fantastic hike I was part of a couple weeks ago. Bodhi has raved on and on about "the lake" in Khao Sok National Park and has always wanted to hike into it from Kuraburi. He had finally put the trip together and of course I was in. Here are some photos of the adventure.

We were stoked to be supporting a graduate of our ACE Expert program by hiring Reese to put together the jungle walk. Reese is hoping to be a local guide in the Kuraburi area and completed our six month program of English, computer skills, and small business skills with 21 other ACE Experts. While he realizes the need to learn more English to communicate with future foreign visitors, he is well-versed in the language of the jungle.

We began the hike with a 4-wheel drive ride deep into the woods. From there, we spent a couple hours of walking through thick vegetation until we came to a beautiful spot at the confluence of two waterfalls. The main stream dove down slippery rock into a large swimming pool where we spent most of our afternoon. Reese brought along a small spear that was used to catch fish by propelling it forward with the large rubber band tied to it. While us farang (foreigners) struggled to just hold our breath long enough to get down to the fish, sure enough, the local guides made it look easy. Besides the fish they caught, that night our guides prepared us a camp meal we will never forget while maximizing the use of bamboo - serving dishes, hot water pots, ladles, cups, etc.

Camp is a little simpler in the jungle. Gordy and I lugged a tent in only to realize there was practically no flat, clear space big enough to set up a tent. We made do but watched as the locals prepared a more fitting sleeping arrangemet...hanging a hammock (with mosquito net) between two trees.

The next day we walked in and along the stream for a few hours before hitting the lake where a long tail boat awaited us. Chieow Laan Lake was created by a dam and provides floating access to extensive jungle habitat. We went for an afternoon canoe trip where we heard tons of birds, monkeys, and even saw a great winged hornbill fly right in front of us. We all enjoyed a good night sleep in our floating bungalows before reversing our trip back out.

While we were all proficient at pulling leeches off our lower legs every few minutes, we were grateful to have local guides keep us safe from the bigger dangers of the jungle.

Holidays in Hat Yat
Up in Kuraburi, it was easy not to miss the holidays as there were no signs of it anywhere. Arriving in Hat Yai was a different story. Hat Yai is by no means a big city, but it is one of the larger ones in Thailand and therefore boasts a good size industry of consumerism. Just in my tuk tuk ride from the bus station to Em's apartment, I observed streets lined with Christmas lights and "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" signs on restaurants and retail stores. "Hmm," I thought, "I guess it is Christmas time."

Arriving in the apartment built on the theme and in addition to the lovely girl I was excited to see, there was a small Christmas tree (with presents under it!) and Christmas carols streaming on the laptop. The Holidays were on!

For Christmas Eve we headed to P Noot's place with American Christmas food in hand. Doing our best to get some meat & potatoes like we would have at home was not so easy. We bought a few cooked chickens (close enough to turkey) and then had to resort to KFC (yes, finger lickin' good KFC) for mashed potatoes. Christmas day was the work part of the holiday where I helped "Teacher Em" introduce some Christmas vocabulary and sing lots of "Jingle Bells." We helped her students make ornaments and taped them on a paper Christmas tree in each classroom. It was great to see the admiration she gets from her well behaved students. Christmas night we went a little out of tradition and enjoyed a sushi dinner for two. You can see more photos of our Christmas activities here.

While Thais think Christmas is fun, and a good excuse for shopping, New Year's Eve is one of their major holidays. Last Thursday was an all-day party at Em's school, with the parents coming to watch the students performing on stage all day, and the school putting on a dinner party for the teachers that night. Gordy, a colleague from NATR, was passing through town so joined Em and I for this night of uncertainty. Em's bilingual teaching assistant, Louise, chose not to attend so we were on our own to understand what was happening or expected from us. Gordy and I had it easy as we were just guests. Being the foreign superstar, Em had larger responsibilities such as selecting various costume contest winners, along with giving her mandatory karaoke performance. The night turned out to be quite fun with lots of dancing.

Em will write more later about the New Year's Eve party and other fun outings.

Labels: sustainable tourism, Thailand