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CAMBODIA

Yaek Loam A Volcanic Crater Lake in Cambodia

by Murli Menon

From Phnom Penh, take the bus to Kratie and then a shared taxi from Kratie to Rattanakiri. Motorbike taxis will take you to the volcanic lake from your hotel at Rattanakiri.

The evening at Phnom Penh was spent browsing through the various tourist guides that are distributed free at all Phnom Penh restaurants. Driving to Kratie for a Mekong cruise to watch the river dolphins is en route to the drive to Yaek Loam volcanic lake in Rattanakiri. The next day, I reached the pier where boats are parked and negotiated with the boatman for a 1hour cruise on the Mekong for a memorable experience.

I have just returned from a fifteen day sojourn visiting the hitherto unknown and unexplored north-eastern borders, where Laos and Vietnam meet Cambodia and China in what is going to be known as the Golden Quadrilateral.

The north-east of Cambodia is similar to the Indian states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. However, the tribes who live in the hills of Cambodia still follow their century old practices, as these regions are not accessible by air and roads are non-existent. However, some of the world’s most beautiful natural attractions, including pristine volcanic crater lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests, are located in this tribal infested belt.

The Mekong River at Kratie is an amazing sight and so are the lush evergreen forests that straddle the borders of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I could get fabulous pictures from all these picturesque destinations, not to forget the colourful and delicious-looking food from the Indian restaurant in Phnom Penh which served me “home food” during my brief stay in Phnom Penh before moving to Kratie.

North-Eastern Cambodia is home to several indigenous tribes who have lived in these forests for centuries. Rattanakiri is famous for its semiprecious stones, including rubies, amethysts and onyx. Most probably, the name Rattanakiri is a mispronunciation of the Sanskrit word Ratnagiri or a mountain of gemstones.

The more adventurous tourists sneak into this part of Cambodia either through Laos or Vietnam, but both these journeys are only jungle safaris through mud roads. In this article, I try to give readers a first-hand experience of travelling through one of the remotest terrains on our planet, armed with a Wi-Fi notebook, new battery and two digital cameras. The easiest way for International travellers to reach the volcanic lake is to fly to Bangkok and take the connecting flight to Phnom Penh.

Getting to Rattanakiri is extremely difficult as there is a single dirt road which winds its way through thick evergreen tropical rainforests. Both to and fro traffic compete for space on this narrow forest road, which is only a slushy swamp during the wet season and can turn into one in November too, as tropical showers and sudden downpours are common here throughout the year.

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Another option to go to Kratie is by bus. Phnom Penh Sorya Transport Company operates a bus from Phnom Penh to Kratie, leaving Phnom Penh at 8 a.m. and arriving at Kratie at 2 p.m. It is advisable to spend the night at one of the several riverside hotels overlooking the Mekong, before continuing to Rattanakiri by taxi, before 11 a.m. to reach Rattanakiri before nightfall. It gets dark in this part of the world at 6 p.m. There are no streetlights once you leave, Kratie!

The bus to Kratie makes a stop for breakfast at Kompong Cham and another for lunch at a roadside restaurant.

As these stops are located in small kompongs (kompong means village in the Khmer language), fresh fruit vendors fill the buses as soon as they stop. One can buy juicy mangoes, peeled jackfruit, grapefruit, pineapples and coconuts at these tiny bus stations.

Also, there are no repair shops or mechanics for most of the journey through the jungle, and it is not uncommon to encounter stranded cars during one’s trip from Kratie to Rattanakiri. Only trucks, pickups, Land Cruisers and Camry are suited to take the rigours of this cross-country motor-cross across rural Cambodia.

During the car drive, there are a few impromptu stops at wayside villages for a quick breakfast and lunch, but these can help one break the monotony of the car ride. The sights of nature during the journey are beauteous but the attractions of Rattanakiri are like the sparkling ruby mounted on a gold ring.

The upside of this bumpy journey is that I could observe several colourful flowers, sight beautiful birds and enjoy the canopy of green throughout my painful sojourn. Getting to Rattanakiri from Phnom Penh is a hard task. Hence, it is advisable to break the journey to Kratie, which is a 6-hour journey from Phnom Penh by bus.

Kachanh waterfall is like a wild tribal beauty, unfettered and violent. It gushes out like a volcano, spewing ash with a loud hissing noise.

Katieng falls is like a sacred deity, which flows down at an even pace with a gentle hum and in several parallel cascades flowing down in a synchronous flow. Falls are like a mother with snow-white water cascading down the rocks in several tiers, giving it an appearance of sublime beauty and it is a touching moment to view this multi-tiered fall.

From Kratie, one has to hire a taxi (only Toyota Camry, Land Cruisers or Mercedes Vans can make this journey over the hilly terrain smoothly) to take one to Rattanakiri. With two brief stops, the taxi journey can easily take about six hours.

Most of this journey is through a mud road through the jungle, over many makeshift wooden bridges.

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Chaong falls, on the other hand, is very businesslike and offers a straight-line flow, like a prim and proper student attired in crisply starched uniforms and dry cleared ties to the school. Even the sound of this waterfall is a faint hum as if a student who is scared to talk to his bench mate at school. However, the views offered by this waterfall are no less beautiful than the others.

The trek to the volcanic lake starts in Banglung. It is pretty flat, but after the first 500 metres, the gradient of the climb increases lightly and difficulty increases at the halfway mark. The final kilometre is the toughest to climb but the last 500 metres are slightly downhill and once one reaches the lake, there are steps which lead to the wooden pier, offering fantastic views of the Yaek Loam volcanic lake.

The most attractive feature of Rattanakiri is this turquoise green lake nestled amid evergreen tropical rainforests. Known as Yaek Loam lake, it is a large water body with natural lukewarm water and sulphuric fumes can be seen emanating from these waters at sunrise. The lake is 4 km. trek from the town centre known as Banglung and is a gentle climb over a forest mud track.

There is a circular trekking route through the rainforests along the banks of the lake and offers trekkers a jungle experience.

But the most fascinating aspect of this lake is the silence, serenity, tranquilness and peace experienced while meditating at its banks. One is touched by the natural beauty that surrounds oneself. This miracle of nature which has lain undisturbed since creation is an ideal place to unwind, forget all worldly worries and relax to the tune of crickets, birds and sounds of the rainforests.

The crystal clear waters invite one to take a dip in them. Swimming in the lake is a divine, soulstirring experience. After reaching Rattanakiri from Kratie, you can watch the sunset over Yaek Loam and go to bed early as it gets dark at 6 p.m. in November.

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As this lake was formed inside a volcanic crater, the shape of the lake is symmetrically spherical. It is a perfect circle and resembles the moon. This moon-shaped lake is probably the only one of its kind on earth!

The walk under the trees and around the lake is pleasurable as the path is flat and snakes its way around the lake.

However, the experience is like a jungle trek through tropical rainforests.

Swimming at this crystal clear lake was energy for my soul... The water of Yaek Loam lake is pure. I could feel highly energised particles, as one quenches one’s thirst by drinking pure mineral water at this source of creation. The indigenous tribes living around Yaek Loam must have venerated it like a goddess, as even today, it exists like a droplet of tranquillity enveloped by a calm, peaceful, and serene environment.

The day break is at 5 a.m. and watching the sun rise over this emerald lake is the first thing one should do the next morning. In the early hours of sunrise, the lake is calm and quiet. The chirping of the birds and the occasional rainforest cricket’s whine are the only sounds that pervade the early morning air. In fact, the experience of hearing the soft musical notes of sparrows and mynahs transports one to another world!

The most surprising thing about visiting the Yaek Loam volcanic lake is the presence of innumerable seashells. The experience of finding seashells on the banks of the lake, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest sea, is something incredible. However, I am convinced that the Yaek Loam lake was created in the past when the oceans disappeared and mountains arose in their place!

The crystal clearness of the lake is seen in the brilliant reflection of the surrounding greenery on its mirrorlike surface. Minutes can turn into hours as one watches the calm and serene lake without a ripple on its surface. A thin layer of sulphuric fumes is seen a few inches above the lake as soon as the first sunrays hit the water. But these fumes soon vanish, once the sunrise is complete.

The trek around the lake is enjoyable as one observes several colourful butterflies that flitter hither and thither; the diversity of the flora seen also is notable. Trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and palms compete with one another for space and the dense foliage prevents sunlight from touching the ground in a few spots!

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MALAYSIA

Jungle trekking at Taman Negara National Park and the Turtle Sanctuary

by Murli Menon

Landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport is an experience. The polished granite floor, the large number of western tourists waiting for transit flights, and the brightly lit shopping malls. The ride to Kuala Lumpur Central Station from the airport by KLIA Express is smooth. You can change into the LRT at Central station and alights at Pasar Seni station which is a few stops away. The KLIA Express takes all of 30 minutes, whereas the LRT takes you to Pasar Seni in about 15 minutes. Hentian Puduraya Bus Station is a five-minute walk from Pasar Seni LRT Station.

Taman Negara

Puduraya is the nerve centre of bus operations in Malaysia and you can find buses for every destination here. Boarded the non-stop express bus to Penang, which departs every hour. The wide-bodied air-conditioned Volvo Bus with airline seats and a transparent body enables one to enjoy the view as one reclines in comfort. I could see millions of palm trees lining both sides of the expressway as they whiz past your windowless viewing glass. The speed is steady, and the ride smoothes till my neighbour nudges me at Penang bridge, which links Penang to the Malaysian mainland. The bus stops at Sungai Nibong bus station at Penang, which is near the airport.

Taman Negara or Penang National Park is 10 km away from the city centre near Batu Ferringhi beach. You enter your name and nationality at the gate of the National Park and enter the lush tropical rainforests for a three-hour trek to Monkey Beach. Monkey Beach is a quaint, secluded beach that is devoid of tourists owing to its inaccessibility.

The forest cover is so thick that it is pitch dark at noon, as one trek under the canopy of million-yearold giant trees that crave to reach the stars! Every step of one’s trek through thick rainforests is filled with adventure.

Trekking inside Taman Negara 25

Monkey Beach Thousands of dried leaves of all shapes and sizes, in various hues of bronze, lie on the forest floor. I stepped barefoot on the leaves, approaching the Monkey Beach. I walked over bridle paths, forest trails, and rocks. The greenery around is a soothing balm for one’s tired eyes.

This dipterocarp rainforest is home to many species of flora, including palms, bamboos, ferns, nutmeg, beetle-nut, durians, and mangosteens. The view from Monkey Beach is a deeply spiritual experience. Miles and miles of foam soaked and sun-drenched, the silvery beach stretching as far as the eye can see. .

Finally, I reached a pocket of serenity and tranquillity away from the humdrum of daily existence where I can spend a few hours in meditation and in silent communion with nature. I meditated in this sheltered bay to the tune of the roaring water, watching the snow-white clouds suspended above the greyish blue waters.

The white sands are spotlessly clean owing to their inaccessibility and the unwillingness of tourists to trek six hours to discover a paradise that nature hid. The trek back takes all four hours. It is advisable to start your trek at dawn, spend a few hours at the beach, and return to the main gate by dusk. At the end of my walk, I reached a rare meromictic lake, walked along the beach for a bit and found the Penang Turtle Sanctuary.

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Olive Ridley Turtles During the months of April and August, Green Sea Turtles come to the beaches here to lay their eggs. Olive Ridley Turtles also visits this site between September and February.

There are seven types of sea turtles in Malaysia. These include the Green Turtle, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, and Olive Ridley. The Olive Ridley turtles indulge in nesting once a year, on a full moon night at Monkey Beach in Penang. Monkey Beach is one of the few beaches in the world, where Olive Ridley nested.

Olive Ridley turtles emerge from the sea and nest on the beach for two to three days. Only the females come ashore. The males remain in the ocean. Nesting takes place in pitch darkness between 12:00 midnight and 4:00 a.m. The female digs out a deep pit, using her hind flippers to dig the soft sandy soil. She digs a two feet deep pit, lays her eggs into this pit, and covers it with sand with her front flippers. Every female lays about 80 to 100 eggs at a time in a time period of 45 minutes.

Mother turtle returns to the sea and after 45 days, the eggs hatch at dawn. The infant turtle breaks the shell and crawls on its own into the ocean to join his parents. Baby turtle breaks out of the egg and burrows through the sand, reaches the surface and opens its eyes to see the reflection of the stars on the ocean, and moves in that direction to enter the ocean. The sex of the hatchling depends on the temperature. More females are born at higher temperatures and more males are born at lower temperatures.

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Meditating on a bed of dried leaves on the forest floor

One has just returned after a close encounter with nature at Penang Turtle Sanctuary at Monkey Beach. The Olive Ridley turtles are endangered.

How to get there Penang is connected by direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Chennai, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta.

The city centre is approximately 20 km from Penang airport.

Penang is also connected by rail from Kuala Lumpur. The overnight train journey makes it convenient for foreign tourists arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Penang Bus Station is a 9 km drive from the airport.

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TIBET

Trek to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet

by Murli Menon

After completing three pre-scheduled treks in the Nepal Himalayas, we decided that we would proceed to Mount Kailash through the Kodari border between Nepal and Tibet. We left Kathmandu early and prepared for our 5-hour road journey to Kodari. The journey was pleasant and took us to the hill station of Dhulikhel (5500 feet), through the historic town of Bhaktapur. We drove 114 km. along the banks of the Kosi River.

In the city of Kodari, we complete the immigration and customs formalities on the Nepalese side, cross the Nepal-Tibetan Friendship Bridge, and then complete the immigration and customs formalities on the Chinese side to continue our journey.

We drove 16 km from Nyalam to see the Bonpa cave dwellings. We could see large terraced barley fields, watered by mountain streams, scattered across the Nyalam Valley. We also saw many “chorten” (buddhist architecture), monasteries, and Buddhist temples along the way. Prayer flags flutter in the violent gusts of wind. Toothless Tibetan men and women can be seen whirling prayer wheels or chanting with a necklace of beads in their hands putside the caves. Local Tibetans are courteous and friendly.

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We leave in the wee hours of the morning to drive the 280 km between Nyalam and Saga (13,500 feet).

This scenic drive is a geologist’s delight. From the greenery of Nyalam to the snow-capped peaks surrounding Paiku Tso Lake and the barren mountains surrounding Saga, the landscape is constantly changing. As one makes the torturously slow ascent towards Saga, the vegetation cover slowly disappears. From trees to bushes to shrubs to cacti, one can see the effects of the diminishing oxygen levels. We cross the windy Lalung La Pass (16700 feet) and drive across the Shishapangma High Altitude National Park.

The most picturesque part of the journey begins as one reaches the fringes of the deep blue Paiku-Tso lake. Paiku-Tso is one of the highest sweet water lakes in the world. We could also see the Sishapangma peak (27000 feet) during this drive.

Approaching Saga, we drove for long hours alongside a mountain stream, which was none other than the mighty Brahmaputra. The Tibetans call this river the Yarlung Tsangpo (means mighty river). Saga is a slightly bigger town than Nyalam and appears to be in the middle of a high-altitude desert.

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The next day we started early in the morning from Saga to complete the 260 km drive to Paryang (14,200 feet). This 9-hour drive is over a mud road.

Giant barren mountains lined both sides of the dusty track. There were few traces of human settlements along the way except a few tents of the Bon Pa, a nomadic tribe that has existed in this hostile environment for centuries.

The desert with its sand dunes stretched for hundreds of kilometres. The weather is extreme. The mornings are frosty. The afternoon is scorching hot and the high-speed winds are icy at night. There are no dwellings for thousands of miles, except for a few widely scattered Bon-Pa settlements. There are grasslands around the lakes along the way.

Tibetans come here to offer their clothes as a symbolic gesture of sacrificing their ego. The monastery in Chiu Gompa is strewn with thousands of pieces of discarded robes. Stones are delicately balanced one above the other in an ancient ritual aimed at propitiating Sun (fire), Lake Mansarovar (water), and Mount Kailash (earth).

We saw some yaks grazing lazily on the grass.

Paryang is a small city that is mainly an overnight stopover for travellers. All the houses in Paryang function as guesthouses for trekkers, pilgrims, and tourists. The next morning we headed to Lake Mansarovar, which is 280 km away from Paryang.

We stayed the night at Chiu Gompa, camping alongside Mansarovar (14950 feet) in a windproof tent. Spending the night alongside this lake is a magical experience. Thousands of stars are reflected in the crystal clearness of the lake. The power that nature expresses through this show is fascinating. The clear skies, the altitude and the pitch darkness combine to create an energy aura that has to be felt to be believed. Every year, only 5000 Indian pilgrims are fortunate to make this holy pilgrimage.

This drive is over rocks, pebbles, gravel, and stones.

There is neither a road nor a mule track. Along the way, we crossed the Mayum La Pass (17000ft) and could only see vast expanses of barren land, snowcapped peaks, and sandy hills. After this eight-hour cross-country drive, we reached Chiu Gompa.

The next day we woke up at 4 a.m. and headed for the hot water springs at Chiu Gompa for a refreshing warm water bath. These sulphur springs are known for their medicinal properties. We spend the day also at Mansarovar, bathing in its freezing waters.

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We also visited Rakshas Tal, the mythical lake where Ravana meditated on Shiva. Rakshas Tal is extremely scenic, especially at sunrise and sunset. The water is famed for its medicinal properties. The ice-cold dip in the waters of the world’s highest sweet water lake is a divine experience. We spent the second night at Mansarovar and the next day we started the Kailash Parikrama from Darchen.

Mansarovar Lake is the source of the Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali, Mekong, and Sutlej. With the biting cold coupled with the freezing waters, we could enjoy the first rays of the rising sun, reflected on the waters of this mini-ocean. Soon we were watching the golden rays of the setting sunlight up the evening sky. The lake reflects molten gold as the horizon turns pink and crimson. The deep reddish hue of the sky is a stark contrast to the deep blue waters of the lake, setting a distinctive mark between the sky and the water. We started our Kailash Parikrama on foot from Darchen (15200 feet).

The first part of the trek entails trekking 12km from Darchen to Diraphuk. We trekked over the narrow mountain trail, which ran parallel to the stream. We travelled alongside the La Chu river through a serene, meadow-lined valley, hopping over small streams, with the west face of Mount Kailash above us. The river enters a narrow canyon with several cliffs and cascading waterfalls.

When we arrived at Diraphuk, we camped in a tent under the north face of Kailash. Unfortunately, the day we arrived in Diraphuk, Mount Kailash was shrouded in unnatural fog, forcing us to confine ourselves to the tent.

In Kerala, where it rains throughout the day for three to four months, my grandmother had a traditional chant for keeping away the rain by scattering the clouds. Before we stepped out of the house in Kerala, my grandmother made us recite the fifteen names of Arjuna (communication with Krishna who is the Divine God) in Bhagavad Gita from the Bhagavad Gita (Partha, Kapidwaja, Sabyasachi are among the 15). These fifteen names, if repeated mentally, had the instant power to scatter the clouds and dissolve them into thin air.

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Continued mental or oral chanting had the power of protecting the chanter from lightning, thunder, hailstorms, avalanches, and snowstorms. After having spent a lot of money to the atheist Chinese Government on Tibet permit for getting a tiny glimpse of Mount Kailash and for nine dips at Holy Mansarovar, and after an ice-cold dip in the freezing waters of the snowy lake, I finished chanting nine “malas” (108 beads) of the Gayatri Mantra (meditation on the primordial sound (volcanoes oceans and earth's sounds) at the base of Mount Kailash (covered in mist and fog) between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.

After completing my Gayatri Japa (repetiting meditaion on the primordial sound 108 times), I started chanting the fifteen names of Arjuna mentally.

Along with my silent chant, I began to visualise the clouds disappearing and the mist fading through a powerful gust of wind blowing the clouds away.

Slowly, I visualised the first rays of the sun strike the peak of Mount Kailash till I could see Mount Kailash reflecting a crimson hue. I had creatively visualised one of the most spectacular sunrises that can be seen. I continued to mentally chant the fifteen names of Arjuna. I went to deep restful sleep after the chant. And when I woke up I could see that my visualisation had actualised and I could see Mount Kailash as clearly in the twilight hours of dawn, as I could see on a clear cloudless sunny afternoon. I took my digital camera, with a very low battery, because since I left Kathmandu I couldn't recharge it, since in most of the towns in Tibet there is no electricity.

I walked around my tent and scanned the eastern horizon for the sun. After about an hour, I was witness to one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen in my life. My digital camera, which is my trusted friend over the last two decades, did not let me down and I was able to take a photo of the sunrise, with the sunlight creating the head of Nandi – the celestial vehicle of our beloved Lord Shiva, on the peak of Mount Kailash.

Posting this photo on my blog, once I returned to Kathmandu, hundreds of travel agents in Kathmandu started printing my photo on their brochures to encourage potential tourists to hike Mount Kailash.

The weather turned cloudy and Mount Kailash was hidden behind the clouds. Diraphuk is a small settlement with a few mud houses and tents.

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We started the 22 km trek from Diraphuk to Zutulphuk the next morning. We leave the Lha Chu Valley and enter the Dolma Chu valley, heading towards the 18,500 foot high Dolma La. This pass is covered with snow throughout the year. We climb almost 3000 feet, during the 6 km hike to the top of this pass. The area was full of glaciers and surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

After the slow descent of Dolma La, we find a wide expanse of snow and ice. The descent was as difficult as the ascent before we reached a small settlement of Tibetan nomads known as Dolma village. From Dolma village, it was a slow and steady 12 km uphill trek. Although the altitude makes the trekking difficult, the masses of pilgrims performing their acts of devotion along the way are continuously.

Those extremely devout pilgrims prostrate themselves to the entire way around Kailash, kneeling down and extending their bodies and hands in front of them in prayer. The trail is lined with sacred sites, coin and flag-covered rocks, rocks with footprints of saints, rocks to climb over, under, or through, and hillsides of discarded clothes as offerings.

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It’s a tough climb to the prayer-flag festooned summit, but it’s all worth if from the top as juniper incense burns and thousands of colourful prayer flags send prayers out into the surrounding valleys. Below us lies the Lake of Compassion, Thukpe Dzingbu or Gauri Kund, one of the highest lakes in the world!

The diversity of the terrain is unbelievable; from snowy peaks to craggy rocks to barren slopes to ice-capped mountains. Another seven hours of bright early morning trekking along a boulderfilled river brings us to Zutulphuk Gompa (17,900 feet), with Milarepa’s meditation cave (The Buddhist monk, Milarepa, meditated in these caves for long years. The water from the Milarepa Lake near these caves is considered sacred by local Tibetans. and imprints of his hand and foot are found in the cave on sheer rock). It’s a tough walk along some impressive gorges and around many Mani stones and Mani walls.

After the footbridge, the trail rises a rocky slope.

We gently but steadily kept climbing over pebbles, rock, grass, mud, and streams. We soon reached a level walk and the peak of Mount Kailash rises to the right and can now be seen linked to a long spur, which joins the eastern ridge. This is the top edge of the glacial valley from which the Lha Chu (Divine River) flows. We spent the night in a wind-proof tent along the banks of the river before completing the final trek of the kora (circumambulation).

We saw innumerable snow-capped peaks around.

The water of Holy Mansarovar Lake is turquoise blue, clean, and fresh. We filled up the jerry can of water to carry back to India for family and friends.

Meditating on the banks of this lake at dawn and dusk was a soothing experience. The return trip from Kailash and Mansarovar takes 4 nights, one night each at Paryang, Saga, Zhangmu, and Kathmandu, and from there we flew back to India with the holy water, Tibetan souvenirs, and “Atma lingas” (rockscand pebbles that fall off Kailash when Gayatri mantra is chanted at the base at dawn or dusk). It was one of the closest experiences a human being can have with fire, water and earth, the primordial elements!

We set off as the sun broke over the ridges above for this 22 km trek of uninhabited valleys to the nearest mud road, where we boarded the land cruiser for a 4-hour drive to Gurla Mandhata. This is the most challenging part of the trek. The kora is finished - we have erased one’s sins, endured frosty nights and mornings, crossed one of the highest passes in the world, met countless fellow pilgrims, and sent prayers of peace out to the world. We spent the night along the eastern shore of Mansarovar with Mount Gurla Mandhata to one’s right and Kailash to one’s left.

Murli Menon ZeNLP ZeNLP- learning through stories

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GREECE

The National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST)

by Antonis Tsapepas

Travel expression of culture and art 13th Issue Free online edition

Waking up in the Maldives...

A visit to the long neck tribe at Huai Suea Thao Thoughts after a visit to AuschwitzBirkenau Cornwall Gastronomy

THAILAND

A visit to the long neck tribe at Huai Suea Thao village

By Murli Menon The mystery of travelling to an unknown destination is like learning a new language. One reads many dictionaries, books and even “Learning Languages for Dummies”. After mastering a few short sentences, you locate a native speaker to practise speaking and start parroting your rehearsed lines.

As your sparring partner stares blankly at your monologue, you do not know how your accents have turned out to be and if what you said was what was understood or whether you made a complete fool of yourself by mispronouncing niceties as insults!

I am writing this from one’s thatched roof-hut on stilts inside Huai Suea Thao village on the outskirts of Mae Hong Song district on the Thai-Burmese border. This village is nestled on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking several mountain streams that rush down to meet the Pai River flowing through Mae Hong Son. I am surrounded by mist-covered evergreen coniferous pine forests at an altitude of 5000 feet above sea level. The natural beauty of the surroundings is breathtaking. Every bit of the landscape is covered with teaks, pines, conifers, oaks and birches stretching their arms as far as eyes can see.

The buzzing sound of the flowing mountain streams and waterfalls is soft music to one’s ears throughout the night. I woke up at dawn, awakened by the natural alarm calls of wild roosters living on the edges of the jungle. Even in the twilight hours in early November, one can see the mist hanging heavily on the mountain tops. One also comes across a few scattered clouds that have descended on your hut made entirely of palm leaves, coir and bamboos. There is no electricity in this tribal village populated by the Kayan tribe who have lived in these forests for centuries.

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The unique aspect of the tribe living in this village is the elongated necks of the females!

After a girl child is born, she is made to wear a brass neck-ring. Every year, two more rings are added to her neck till she is five. As she grows into an adult, her neck gets naturally elongated as the rings are never removed. The long neck decorated with golden coloured brass rings make the Kayan women look incredibly attractive and they strut about like graceful peacocks. They also wear their hair in a topknot with a pointed silver pin in it and a necklace of a chain of silver coins.

The Kayan tribe call themselves "people who live on top of the hill"

Kayan girls start wearing rings at the age of four or five. More spirals are added as the girls grow older. The neck is continually stretched with more coils added each year until the length of sixteen inches (2.5 cm) is reached, though many older women have exceeded that.

At the base of the main neck coil, married women wear a five coil winding. A complete set of neck coils worn by a grown-up woman, including the neck, knees and ankles weighs about 10 kilos! The diameter of the brass coils is winded by local Kayan women with their strong fingers. The decision whether to wear the rings or not is left entirely to the girl after she attains maturity. However, this tradition has survived in this era of globalisation only because Kayan women have the greatest reverence for their mother goddess. The Kayan long-necked women do not travel outside their villages and have spent their entire life in their small communities.

The Kayan shun contact with the outside world and are happy in their isolated existence.

Language is a barrier, as their native dialect differs from Thai or even Burmese. They hand cultivate rice in their tiny fields in their back gardens.

Vegetables like carrots, cabbage and cauliflowers are also grown. One of the unique aspects of Kayan culture is their food habit. Because of their elongated and delicate necks, they have to be very particular about what they eat. Lots of wild tea is drunk, without sugar or milk, to keep the effects of the cold away. Crushed ginger is added to the tea.

The longneck Kayan village of Huai Suea Thao is nestled in the middle of a hill overlooking a multitude of uninhabited hills. Several small mountain streams criss-cross through these hills, providing a constant water supply for their needs.

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The Kayan are extremely hard working and do not rear cows or bullocks. Ploughing the rice fields is done by digging by hand. The mountainous terrain, the fast-flowing mountain streams and ancient Kayan myths have combined to ensure the absence of cattle. This means milk and milk products are cut off from their diet, which is rich in cereals and vegetables.

Kayan women are said to have descended from the "Goddess Mother Dragon" Music and dance are a way of life for Kayan. As there is no electricity, all the Kayan gather under a tree at dusk, followed by lots of singing and dancing. Their food habits are frugal and dinner is only rice soup washed down with a few glasses of homemade rice beer.

The Kayan tribe call themselves “Ka Kaung” which loosely translates to “people who live on top of the hill”. They are sometimes called long neck “karens” or giraffe women because of the custom of encasing their neck in brass coils. When a girl is aged between five and nine, her neck is rubbed with traditional herbs dipped in coconut milk and the first brass ring is fitted.

After two years, the next set of rings is added and every year thereafter she gains a new set till she is married. Below the chin, they wear a square cotton pad decorated with beads. These brass rings are said to be centuries old and handed down over generations, passing from mother to daughter to grand-daughters. Kayan women also have two set of leg rings, one above the knee and one below, but this does not seem to hamper their daily work.

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Kayan women are said to have descended from the ‘Goddess Mother Dragon’ (“Ka Kwe Bu Pe) and women wear these rings to give respect and tribute to the deity and to resemble a veritable dragon.

As Kayan myth goes, when the grand-daughters Mu Don and Mu Dan visited Ka Kwe Bu Pe, they were presented with winding gold coils which they wrapped around their hands, legs and neck!

Kayan people celebrate the “Kan Khwan” ceremony, when all Kayans gather in celebration with lots of folk dances and traditional music and singing. These community gatherings often get Kayan from all far-flung villages to come together in a mood of festivity and happiness.

The other villages on the ThaiBurmese border where one can find long-necked Kayan, include Huay Pu Keng, Kayan Tha Yar Hsu Htaut and Nai Soi. All these villages are located inside thick coniferous forests and are accessible either by boat or after trekking on foot for long hours.

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