Into the Woods

So, we're back. Again.  I guess if I thought Agro flew, it was NOTHING compared to Forests.  For this sort of course, I have a feeling that the only thing that works to adequately describe is the hundreds of pictures that I'm uploading to Facebook as we speak/type, and possibly (again) the Daily Reflections we wrote which at the very least wrenched some semi-intellectual thoughts from my head every night, which would NOT have happened without the incentive of a grade.  So, I'll just share some of the ramblings I wrote down about each of the villages we stayed with -- 5 in total.  My group (B) drove out into the mountains to the furthest away village and hiked back, and the other group hiked out and rode back, although whether one mode is faster than another is up to some very legitimate debate, given that the roads were hilariously bad.
Took a nutso 9ish hour bus ride (no doors, I physically did not fit in the seat, eventually ended up sitting on a strange leather lump next to the driver's seat, etc.) to Mae Hong Son city, where we spent the night at a guest house and dazedly ate dinner and prepared for the expedition.

FIRST... Huay Tong Kaw
-Got there by amazing ride in the back of a pickup truck. Jon had a guitar and strummed, when we weren't being thrown against the sides of the bed.  Road resembled less a road than a series of parallel, deep gulches.
-Stayed 4 nights with Paw-ti (Uncle) Opo and Mu-ga (Aunt) Na-tsi-tsi.  Opo was GREAT at Thai (by the way, we spent Seminar week of Forests learning a new language called Bakunya, which I've totally retained. Not.), and was the village herbal medicine man.  Very skinny, and VERY badass, and very old.  Walked around with a machete and a pipe, making up songs about whatever Gregory and I said (example: pulomai [which means fruit]). To get to our house, walked through a banana tree forest and passed a series of increasingly aggressive pigs.  Bought two machetes.  At the cultural exchange night, played an outrageous game of limbo with everyone in the village, in which all the ancient Paw-tis obviously trumped all the young, "in-shape" Americans.

Took an amazingly beautiful but primarily 60-degree angle uphill hike to......
Huay Hee!
-Stayed 4 nights.  Was very very mysterious and hilly, with great little paths springing off into the fields every which way, that all mysteriously ended up back at the main road (which is cruelly steep, especially when you approach the village the way we did after the hike we did).  Stayed with Mu-ga (who, being very young, asked us to called her Na-Vo [sister]) Jintana at her husband's sister's house. Or rather, her husband's sister's large, empty tourist house which is easily three times the size of theirs.  Jintana was so so sweet, and had an adorable baby who was pretty much the crown jewel of Huay Hee. During our cultural exchange night with Huay Hee, no one paid attention to any of the performers, because Jintana's baby started laughing and all eyes were on him.  She was very bashful, however, about letting us cook or help at all, and ALSO about her English speaking skills. The fact that she knew any English was pretty amazing, and we tried to stop her from being shy, but no dice.
-Experienced the exploding shower incident. Exactly what it sounds like.
-Rai day - studied how the biodiversity of swidden agriculture fields retain biodiversity after sitting fallow (regrowing for 1 year, 3 years, 5, 8, and later 25).  Very, very fun day and crazy. Battled out way through years of undergrowth (5 and 3 esp. difficult), naming plants hilariously (i.e., "scrawny circles").  Team name: Lethel.  As in Ethel, with an L.  Obviously held ourselves to v. high scientific standards.  Other group arrived!
-Day after rai day, hiked to Doi Pui (highest peak in Mae Hong Son) for joint mid-course seminar.  At lunch at the summit.  Learned all about the magic of orchids and their sexy flower selves.  Hiked back down the mountain with Ted, Alex and Annika at the actual speed of the Karen (the hilltribe) guide. (Example of this: a hike that takes us 7 hours takes the guides 2 hours). How fast? CRAZY FAST. arrived 30 minutes before everyone else.
-At cultural exchange night, sang beautiful song in Bakunya with Hannah, Jen, and Maggie, which Jintana then translated to English and had us sing that version. Ended up being very roughly translated Jesus tune.  Cute and awkward.

Next day, straight up a mountain and straight down the other side through bamboo forests, to
Huay Nam Hoo
-9 houses. Spent only 1 full day there, could easily have spent 5 weeks. Unbelievably beautiful! Best food (i.e., Moosato [i.e., roasted chili sauce]) I've ever had.  Watched our Mu-ga weave.  Spent family day picking peppers, on the side of a hill overlooking a valley full of vegetables. Then walked to a waterfall and cave.  Anna and I went back to the waterfall later to take showers there.
-Had SPECTACULAR grandma (yai).  She couldn't hear anything except for shouting and sneezing. First time we saw her, she puttered into the house with a huge basket of vegetables strapped to her head.  Sat down, and then the next thing we knew she picked up a machete and chucked it across the house at a chicken that had gotten up the stairs.  Donned enormous glasses to do her threadwork. Cutest person I have ever seen, ever.

"Hardest Hike" from Nam Hoo to Hua Nam...actually the most beautiful and interesting. Awesome vines/fig trees.
Hua Nam
-3 nights. Bigger, very beautiful, all-around poorer, and a little dirtier.  Taylor and I stayed with a young family - Muga and Paw-ti in their late 20s - with three kids
-Their house was huge and arbitrary, with an older section juxtaposed uncomfortably next to a huge, brand-new section, which really only achieved the effect of hitting your head on the roof of the old house/seeing how disgusting it is that roofs really get.  Poorer people but bigger, fatter animals.  Also, a LOT more processed food (i.e., canned fish and shaped pork balls)  Gave me a pretty profound loss of appetite.
-On family day, actually got to cut rice!!! (before, just tied it off [in Huay Tong Kaw])  Hard work, lots of fun.

Forest transect hike! (i.e., keeping track of what types of forest/key species we were walking through on the way from Hua Nam to Pakalo [village closest to town, last village]).  Ended up being pretty much one forest type (Bamboo deciduous) the entire way. Dubbed our transect drawing "A Bambiduous Hike"

Pakalo!
Last night in the field.  Tay and I stayed with a very nice and quiet man with two little kids and a woman who may or may not have been his wife, but fluttered around shyly.  Actually, we stayed in his store.  It was quite the experience.  Ate vegetables from the city instead of from the mountains, which was weird, but delicious. (and necessary, since I needed something besides the mechanically separated pig and chili seed that was Hua Nam, unfortunately) Had exhausted but interesting last village meeting.

Next morning, took a casual hour-and-a-half walk back into Mae Hong Son city, which was WEIRD.  Spent the entire night doing my final essay, which was interrupted by several pages of drawings that my little host brother did without my knowledge in Huay Tong Kaw, so my essay looked like it exceeded the 6-8 page length by about 10 pages.  Ate so much food that I had missed.  Stomach was not pleased, immediately did not miss it anymore.

Next day, took vans back to Chiang Mai.  Have been in a slight city shock ever since.

Can't actually believe that I only have 2 and a half months left in Thailand.  Nothing has ever really flown for me like Forests just flew, as I said.  WHAT A COURSE.

Love,
Embles!