(At the border between Thailand and Burma, there is a huge sign that announces one’s entry into the Union of Myanmar) 

After posing for a number of pictures, we left Sop Ruak behind us and proceeded north to Mae Sai, the northern-most town on the border of Thailand. Though this is rather a one-horse town, it is distinctive for the numbers of Burmese traders who cross the border daily to hawk their wares in Thai markets. Of course, we could not resist the thought of crossing the border physically into the Union of Myanmar, a very easy walk across a narrow bridge where Immigration formalities are carried out.

 The picture above shows the murky waters of the river across which is constructed the access bridge that gets visitors over from Thailand into Burma. No fanfare, no fuss. Once immigration formalities are carried out (something of a challenge if you don’t speak Burmese!), you walk right across into Burma. Don’t allow yourself to feel intimidated by the army presence in the hordes of soldiers milling around and the imposing portraits of army generals on the walls of the Immigration Office. For the most part, service is courteous and prompt even if communication of any kind is non-existent.

Obtaining a Burmese visa at the border crossing, we proceeded on foot into the Burmese town of Thakilek and found it to be not much different from Mae Sai. In the middle of a bustling roundabout was a huge billboard announcing international flights by Air Bangan, Burma’s flag carrier. Traffic seemed orderly enough and, at first sight, there seemed little difference between any small Thai town and this Burmese border settlement.

Thakilek advertises itself as the City of the Golden Triangle as most visitors heading towards the farthest reaches of Thailand pass through this town. Though it hasn’t much to say for itself, it does present the tourist the interesting opportunity to cross borders and enter into a world that has remained sheathed for almost a quarter of a century. Because it is rather difficult for Western tourists to obtain visas to Myanmar from their coutnry of origin, the foot route into Burma from Thailand offers a unique opportunity to glimpse one of the least-known parts of Asia. For a mere five dollars, one gets the exotic stamp of an infrequently explored country on one’s passport–another small bit of excitement to warm the cockles of any avid traveler’s heart!

If ambience and a distinctively old Burmese “Road to Mandalay” kind of atmosphere is what your toursist heart craves,  there is a striking blue pagoda of a Buddhist monastery in Thakilek and on exploring the town further, I found it to be rather well laid out. The “City of the Golden Triangle” finds  its greatest revenue comes from tourist buses that cross over from the Thai side to buy cheap souvenirs to remember their visit.

 Bon Voyage!

(Traditional Thai farmers seen hard at work in the rice paddies iof Northern Thailand)

Then we flew north to the Lanna town of Chiang-Mai, referred to as the “Rose of the North”. A much quieter town that Bangkok, Chiang-Mai is full of local color and character, most of which comes from the number of hill tribes for whom the northern mountain chains have been home for centuries. These colorful people, members of the Akha, Lau, Lisu, Padong, Karen and other tribes, still wearing their traditional costumes, crowd the markets, hawking their wares in the form of wooden and lacquer handicrafts, toys, cotton bags and silverware.

Our base in Chiang-Mai, the beautiful Hotel Empress (left) on Changklan Road, was a dream and as we entered its marvelously elegant lobby, we felt a sense of luxury settle about our shoulders. It was in Chiang-Mai, a much more relaxed leg of our journey, that I found the time to take soothing dips in the hotel pool and relax by the poolside.

Everyone had told us about Chiang-Mai’s colorful Night Market and we explored it on our first day in town, buying a lovely array of silk and cotton garments, local Thai wooden toys, beautifully luxurious Thai silk scarves and lacquer bangles from the local folks. The markets also held a variety of footwear, silverware, wall hangings and other decorative items. Bargaining was a required skill in negotiating the best prices and, before long, we became rather adept at it ourselves.
For both nights that we spent in Chiang-Mai, we ate dinner at the Night Market, feasting on cheaply priced Vietnamese Pho (a noodle soup that is a one-dish meal), Chicken and Pork Satays served with spicy peanut sauce and large Prawns Grilled with Garlic and Pepper to create tongue-tingling flavors that we washed down with the very good Thai Singha beer. There were also a number of fresh fruit juices easily available including the exotic passion fruit juice and refreshingly cold coconut water that was obtained by sipping from “young coconuts” through a straw.

Chiang-Mai’s biggest tourist attraction is Doi Suthep (left), a Buddhist wat situated high up on a mountain that is approached by a narrow winding road. Our guide Nong with whom we drove up to the heights of the mountains showed us the solid gold chedi or pagoda, the gold-filigreed chatris or umbrellas that flank the four corners of the chedi, the ornate wihan, fragrant with the burning of joss sticks and many replicas of Buddhas in various graceful poses. The decoration of this wat was so spectacular that one didn’t quite know what to notice.

Most striking of all the images that one encoutners in Doi Sutep is the Emerald Buddha (left), a replica of the one found in the Wat attached to the Royal Palace in Bangkok. Flanked on both sides by more ornate statuary, this Buddha is one of the most sacred of the guises in which the Buddha is found in Thailand. The air was fragrant with joss sticks as we walked around to see the Buddha from every angle.

There is an interesting legend that surrounds the construction of this temple. King Ku Naa of the 13th century placed a relic from the collarbone of the Buddha upon a white elephant’s back and set it free to select the spot upon which a stupa would be constructed to house the sacred item. The elephant left Chiang-Mai and started its journey, climbing the highest reaches of the Doi Suthep mountain. After three days and nights, he signaled the spot by trumpeting and turning thrice and then fell down and died. King Ku Naa not only built the stupendous gold chedi to house the relic, but he also created a replica of the white elephant to be honored by generations of devotees. Today, thousands of pilgrims climb Doi Suthep by using the magnificent Naga or Snake Staircase that has 360 steps to the top. For the benefit of those not wanting to make the climb, there is a funicular railway which, for just 20 baht, will whisk you up to the top in minutes.

I used the funicular to get to the peak, but took the staircase on the way down, astonished by the thousands of colorful ceramic pieces that gave the staircase its color and durability. Temple bells were seen in abundance around the wat’s precincts and prayer wheels were turned by the faithful each time they uttered a prayer. Everywhere in the north, the heart of Lanna territory, beautiful doors carved in expensive teak wood feature Lanna dancers with elaborate head-dresses and fine costumes. We enjoyed the views of Chiang-Mai from the top of the mountain and the mist-shrouded hills on the way up and down made the entire trip highly evocative of Thailand’s past. At the foot of the mountain, we took a side trip to the Orchid Jade Factory where we watched a film on the selection and cutting of jade for the creation of decorative figurines and jewelry and saw skilled artisans at work.

Deciding to see the rest of Chiang-Mai on our own, using local transport, I summoned a tuktuk driver to pick us up at our hotel to take us on a city sight seeing tour. He arrived on schedule and despite the fact that communication was problematic everywhere, he performed very competently indeed showing us the ornate Wat Phan Do, the ancient ruins of Wat Phra Sing, a monk’s initiation ceremony at Wat Chedi Luang and the beautiful Wat Chiang Man whose chedi is surrounded by stone elephant heads. Interestingly, the wihan houses two tiny but very significant statues—the Crystal Buddha dating from 2,500 years and a Marble Buddha dating from 1,800 years. Stopping only for lunch in a tiny restaurant where we sampled Northern Thai cuisine, influenced greatly by Burmese cooking styles, we ate Green Papaya Salad seasoned with Thai Nam Pla or Fish Sauce and Glass Noodle Salad with Chicken Sausages.

Then, Nim, our tuktuk driver took us to see the amazing number of handmade crafts for which the area is known. We started off by exploring the Thai Silk Village where we saw the incredible creation of pure silk from the very first stage to the last. We witnessed tiny silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves, spinning cocoons in which the eggs are laid but not allowed to hatch. As live silk moths fluttered around us, we saw how the cocoons are harvested. After the silk fibers have been spun around the cocoons by the worms, human beings spin them into spools of pure silk thread that are finally woven on hand looms into lengths of pure Thai silk. The entire process was so fascinatingly described and demonstrated that by the end of it we fully understood the time, effort and backache that goes into the making of a single silk scarf or shawl. Needless to say, silk products were on sale at hefty prices, most of which we passed up completely.
Our next foray was into a gems cutting factory where we saw the manufacture of expensive jewelry and wall pictures. Finally, Nim took us to a handicrafts outfit where we watched the making of Thailand’s traditional umbrellas from rice paper that is painted and then lacquered and used for interior decoration as wall pieces. Everywhere we went, we were treated with the utmost courtesy and made to feel like valued guests in the finest traditions of Eastern hospitality. Indeed, our four hour tuktuk ride that cost us a mere 300 baht provided far more atmosphere that would an air-conditioned vehicle and we were glad we opted for this method to see Chiang-Rai, its noisy Warorot Market and its canal that runs the length of the city and was built by King Meghrai to keep out Burmese invaders.

Chiang-Rai—Last Leg of our Travels:

Our next long excursion was to Chiang-Rai which we reached an hour later. Upon reaching the city, we were delighted to find that our accommodation was the exclusive Legend Boutique Resort and Spa on the very banks of the Mee Kok River in an absolutely idyllic setting. Our “room” was an individual villa with its own patio that came complete with swing and garden furniture. Sinking into the air-conditioned luxury of our room, we treated ourselves to the tea and coffee thoughtfully provided and later went out in search of dinner to the lovely wihan-style dining hall where we partook of delicious dishes that were very comfortably priced as a Country and Western singer strummed his guitar and sang some old favorites for our listening pleasure. We were sure we would have a totally luxurious time in this spa hotel and we planned to treat ourselves to the relaxing pleasures of traditional Thai massage offered by the well-trained masseuses in the spa. We made appointments for the next day and went to bed under the romantic drapes of mosquito nets that hung from four poster beds.

Our excursion, the next day, by local bus transport for just 22 baht each, took us to Doi Tung, a mountain resort that was chosen by the Queen Mother as the spot upon which to build a Swiss-chalet style house and English-style country gardens reminiscent of the home in Switzerland in which she had lived for many decades and raised her children. At the foot of the mountain, we transferred into a mini-bus that for just 75 baht each took us up to the mountain and back. We were joined by two English sisters, Donna and Tanya, who shared our vehicle and talked to us about their wide travels in South East Asia. Once up on the mountain, my Mum Edith and myself, both passionate gardeners, lost ourselves in the wonders of the Mae Fah Luang Gardens (ab0ve left) which were in full bloom and created such a spectacular set of sensuous delights. We took countless pictures among the coleus, dahlias, roses, hollyhocks, orchids and petunias that were planted in tiers on the mountainside in an absolutely ingenious landscaping design. Sculptures, waterfalls, rock gardens, etc. added to the atmosphere of this wondrous place and made for some very soothing hours indeed. The gardens employ an army of staff to keep them sprucely tended and we saw so many gardeners working like busy bees to make sure that not a petal was out of place in those vast environs. We did not visit the Swiss chalet-like villa of the Queen Mother as we had dallied for long in the gardens.
Then, we were driving down the winding mountain road once again and arriving at the base of the range from where we took another local bus and returned to the city center. A tuktuk ride dropped us back at our hotel just in time for a relaxing swim in the kidney shaped pool and our massages that were administered by very ably trained masseuses under mosquito nets on the river banks. In the expert hands of these women, we relaxed our cares away, closed our eyes and gave ourselves up to a pampering that included acupressure techniques and yogic poses in the ancient traditional science that has been practiced and popularized in Thailand for generations. Later that evening, as we sipped soothing ginger and lemongrass tea, we felt so light—as if the weight of the ages had been lifted from our shoulders.
That evening, our last in South East Asia, we enjoyed more live music in the restaurant as we ate Red Snapper Fillets in Black Bean Sauce over Noodles. Our breakfasts had been so gargantuan in the mornings that we had eaten only very light lunches, leaving ourselves ample opportunity to try out local cuisine at sit-down diners which were always superbly cooked and presented.

Conclusion:
Our visit to South East Asia was a wonderful introduction to a culture that was completely alien to us. We learned a great deal about the rituals associated with Buddhism and about the attitude of the local people towards religion, modernity, family values, etc. Thai Airways, that we used for our entire trip, were just amazing in the quality of the service offered, the graciousness and kindness of the cabin and ground crew, and the ease with which we transitted through countries and cultures. Because Thailand has never been colonized, the native culture has remained unadulterated by exposure to the West. Thus, English is spoken almost nowhere in Thailand except by hotel receptionists. This, of course, is not the case in Singapore, where English is widely-spoken, though heavily accented. Food, in this part of the world, if you are inclined towards the ferocity of spice and the soothing coolness of coconut milk, is a marvelous conglomeration of flavors achieved through the use of exotic condiments, herbs and spices such as tamarind and lemongrass, galangal and garlic, kaffir leaves and coriander root, not to mention the ubiquitous chillis that come in bright red and green.
As always, it was the desire to please among the local people that impressed us the most. They are proud of their heritage and eager to share it with the rest of the world. Despite what has been written about the tendency to cheat among people in Bangkok, we found everyone honest and straight-forward. There is little visible poverty in this part of the world though there are few signs of affluence. People seem to have the basics—clean air, clean streets and enough food to go around. Water cannot be drunk straight from the taps in Thailand but must be purchased.
In the final analysis, South East Asia provided a feast for the senses. We responded to all the stimulation offered us and hope to return to partake once more of all the promises of this unusual and very fascinating civilization.
Bon Voyage!

On the drive into the city along the East Coast Parkway, I felt as if I was traveling in one huge garden for the amount of greenery has to be seen to be believed! Highways in superb condition are lined with towering trees. Traffic jams are non-existent on this paradisiac island as the number of cars on the road is strictly regulated by exorbitant automobile taxes and the unrealistic cost of even the most modest vehicle. Only one in ten Singaporeans owns a car and most are required by law to keep them for no longer than five years so that the question of vehicular emission from old and crumbling vehicles does not contribute to air pollution. I realized in only a couple of days that if society seems so extraordinarily disciplined in Singapore, it is because throughout their lives, its citizens are governed by rules which include such things as instant death for drug pushers and users and heavy fines imposed for the possession of chewing gum or for littering. This explains the antiseptically clean streets from which truly one could quite easily eat a meal!

Walking across the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai-ai in Thailand

A two-hour drive at the crack of dawn from Bangkok took us to Kanchanaburi, a small sleepy town on the border between Burma and Thailand that attained notoriety during World War II as the base for the construction of the Death Railway, the name given to the Burma-Siam Railway. It was in 1939, upon realizing that the sea route to Burma was blockaded by Allied ships in the Straits of Malacca that the Japanese army set upon the project of finding a land route into Burma. This would open up for them the possibilities of invading India and thus taking over the railway system constructed by the British that would give them access to the furthest reaches of modern-day Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Thus, Japanese engineers masterminded a plan that involved the construction of a railway line that would snake 450 miles from the town of Thanbyuzayat in Burma, crossing, at several junctures, the three small rivers that flow through this tropical jungle area and ending in the creation of a wooden trestle bridge over the Kwai Aie River just outside the town of Kanchanaburi in Thailand (the new name for Siam).

In an insane desire to achieve this goal within a single year, the Japanese recruited Asian laborers from countries like China, Malaysia and India and utilized their Prisoners of War (POWs) from Allied countries such as England, Australia and Holland to construct the railway. I will not go into the horrendous details that characterized the inhuman treatment that was meted out to these individuals in the Samurai ideology that Japan had adopted, i.e. that it is undignified to surrender. David Lean’s 1957 film entitled Bridge on the River Kwai has immortalized the suffering of these prisoners that included physical brutality, near-starvation, the menace of mosquitoes that brought with them the dangers of malaria, frequent outbursts of cholera and typhoid and tropical ulcers that ravaged human flesh. 200,000 Asian slave laborers and 13,000 Allied POWs gave their lives in the building of this notorious railroad as the Japanese considered these human beings completely dispensable and showed no respect whatsoever for their lives (above left).

Today, the bodies of these soldiers, pried from makeshift graves along the railroad track after the war ended, lie buried in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery which is impeccably maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Japanese reparations after its surrender in 1945 caused a modern iron-clad bridge to be built over the River Kwai upon which, we, contemporary visitors, walked solemnly, recalling the horror of that era. Meanwhile, the JEATH War Museum (an acronym for Japan, England, Australia and America, Thailand and Holland), next-door to the Chung Kai Cemetery (above left), documents coldly the statistics and eye-witness accounts, carries a few heartbreaking sculptures and a number of exhibits that take one through the awful conditions under which wars are fought and thousands of men perish.

Our excursion into Kanchanaburi (which the POWs referred to as “Kanburi”) began with a ride on what our guide called a “James Bond” boat (left)  on the River Kwai. A very peculiar vessel, this brightly colored craft had a long, narrow, pointed snout and was maneuvered by a Thai boatman who took us into wild Thai jungles that were ringed by tall, verdant mountains. A while later, the boat deposited us at the modern bridge over the river which we crossed on foot as we posed for photographs. I was humbled and silenced into thinking of the numbers of young and ambitious men who gave their lives that the project might be completed.

After we walked across the bridge (left) , we got back on our bus to ride one hour north towards the Burmese border. Upon reaching our destination, a traditional Thai lunch was served to us, family-style, in a thatched resort restaurant before we boarded the bus again to the railroad station to climb aboard the Death Train that took us for an hour long ride through the varied landscape over which the original railroad passed.

From time to time (left) , we received glimpses of the jade-green Kwai Aie River, the thick plantations of banana, papaya, coconut and pineapple trees, a number of domestic animals like cows and several stray dogs, and the hazy emerald outlines of the surrounding mountains.

While the journey (left) was fascinating, it was not a joy-ride by any means, for the memories of what the prisoners suffered in the process of building the railway upon which our single gauge locomotive train rode, kept us silent, clicking pictures to capture on celluloid our memories of a visit to a venue that has become a modern place of pilgrimage.

Our next stop was Bangkok, capital of Thailand, a country that we found in a state of jubilation over the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the coronation of their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Indeed the entire nation sported the national color—yellow–on T-shirts that had been specially designed for the occasion with the royal emblem—the Chakri—emblazoned on the pocket. Monarchs from every part of the planet had descended upon Bangkok to participate in the royal pageantry that included a candle-lighting ceremony by the future heir to the throne, a procession of royal barges on the Chao Praya River that meanders through the city and a succession of formal dinners and tours for the visiting dignitaries. The downside of all this pomp and splendor was that many of our tours around the city were cancelled as roads were closed for security reasons. However, we did get to see Bangkok in a wildly festive mood with illuminations decorating every monument and massive cutout figures of the King punctuating every street corner resplendent with yellow banners and flowers. We were also very fortunate to catch a glimpse of the rehearsal ceremony on the river with the royal barges skimming over it as we crossed the very modern Rama IX Bridge that spans the two halves of the city. 

But royal festivity aside, Bangkok offers a great deal to the visitor eager to become acquainted with its centuries-old history and culture. We saw innumerable Wats or Buddhist temple complexes that house a chedi or stupa—a conical structure that is solid or hollow if it contains a sacred relic of the Buddha—a wihan or assembly hall for the faithful to join in community prayer, a bot or audience hall where the most revered statues are kept, and a series of cloisters or border walls that keep the sacred space removed from the secular world outside.

Two of Bangkok’s most famous wats are Wat Traimit where we saw the world’s most massive Buddha cast in pure solid gold (left) in the thirteenth century, then disguised under a thick camouflage of plaster to protect it from the Burmese invasion and discovered for its true value only in 1957 when chunks of plaster began to wear away and fall off to reveal the extraordinary statue concealed within.

At Wat Pho, we saw a colossal Reclining Buddha, so immense that it actually took my breath away even though I was prepared for its stupendous dimensions.

Every Wat is an amazing achievement of architectural and artistic beauty with glass, ceramic, gilded and sculpted decoration that is truly breathtaking. What is most heartening, however, is the fact that these fantastic structures are not just historical wonders but vibrant places of contemporary worship in which devout Buddhists daily express their faith in God through the application of real gold leaf to the idols and deities within, in order to “gain merit”. We saw countless Thais make offerings to the monks who received them with gratitude and humility, buy lotus buds and flowers as presents to the wat as they moved in slow procession around its precincts and bend low in the presence of their priests who patted them on their heads while offering their blessings. In every wat, we watched in silence as the faithful prostrated themselves before the statues of the Buddha. Clearly, the clergy and the elderly are held in very special esteem in this society and it was quite moving to see the manner in which these people have continued to adhere to an ancient religion while making every attempt to move with the times.

Indeed, visits to gem factories where Thailand’s famous sapphires and rubies are cut and set into jewelry, gave us a glimpse into the commercial side of Bangkok, a side that also manifests itself in the sleazy activities of hookers, the proliferation of “massage parlors” outside which girls hung out while luring customers in and in the mad shopping frenzy in places like Mahboonkrong (MBK) Mall and Indra Market where the bargains abounded. It was quite astonishing to see the age-old tuktuk or auto rickshaw coexist in crazy harmony with the very modern SkyTrain (in both of which we “commuted”) that skims the city on tracks built high above Bangkok’s proverbially chaotic traffic. Though the streets are spotlessly clean and traffic moves in a disciplined manner sans blaring horns (unlike India), there were many stray dogs lurking around.

As if to offer some respite from its seedy side, one of Bangkok’s most fascinating attractions in Jim Thompson’s House (left). This serene complex of six traditional Thai teak houses positioned around a gravel courtyard and lovingly maintained tropical gardens should be a must on every tourist itinerary. I was glad to visit in the late evening while the sun was setting gently and casting lengthening shadows upon the nooks and crannies of this delightful abode built on the riverbanks. The house was once the residence of American-born James Thompson, a Princeton-educated architect, who was stationed in Thailand during World War II. He fell in love with the country and its people and decided to make Thailand his home. On seeing the ills that had afflicted Thailand’s silk weaving industry, Thompson decided to revive it and, within a few years, had created a gigantic business enterprise that made him his fortune while reviving one of the country’s most ancient crafts. Thompson spent his money on the acquisition of Asian antiquities in the form of precious old Buddhas, blue and white porcelain, hand carved teak furniture, jataka paintings that depict the story of the Buddha’s life, etc. As we moved from room to room decorated tastefully in a style that combined Eastern elements (such as low floor seating covered by silk cushions) with Western ones (such as the use of crystal chandeliers and table lamps for ambient lighting), I was struck by his exquisite taste and style and felt saddened to learn that he disappeared one day at the age of 61 while taking a hike in the Cameroon Highlands of Malaysia while on vacation. Wonderful silk gift and souvenir items are available in the store that is part of the complex. Though terribly overpriced (in my opinion), they were quite unique and very tastefully designed.

Our hotel, Ambassador Towers, was located in the bustling heart of Sukhumvit, an area that has mushroomed in recent years and that caters exclusively to the Western tourist. A plethora of restaurants exists in this well laid out grid of narrow streets, tourist bric-a-brac is cheaply available and services catering to the needs of foreign travelers, such as photography outfits and Internet cafes, abound. The negative side of such convenience is open flesh trading and as someone involved in Women’s Studies, I was disheartened to see scores of painfully young Thai women on the arms of old, often disabled, white men, only in Bangkok to partake of its easily available sexual pleasures. On talking to a few educated Thai female tourist guides about this social evil, I discovered that most of Bangkok’s prostitutes are the daughters of prostitutes themselves. Indeed, most are single mothers with little children who will also find their way, ultimately, as sex workers in the world’s most notorious brothel.

Though it was discomforting to find ourselves surrounded by  Bangkok’s infamous carnal trade, I was grateful for the fact that the innumerable local restaurants allowed us to sample the best of Thailand’s famed cuisine in very modest eateries that offered home-cooked meals for almost no money at all. We feasted on Tom Yum Goong (Hot and Sour Prawn Soup), Tom Kai Gha (Chicken Coconut Milk Soup), Pad Thai (Thai-Style Noodles), and a variety of curries all served on steamed rice. Dessert is always fresh fruit and we spent a delightful morning at a roadside fruit stall tasting a number of rather unusual fruits such as rambutans, lichis, mangosteens, longons, durians, dragon fruit and guavas which abounded in market stalls and on our hotel buffet menus together with the more familiar papayas, pineapples and watermelons.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations prevented us from visiting the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Keo which houses the most revered statue in all of Thailand, the Emerald Buddha. We could not visit the National Museum, the Old Farang Quarter where Bangkok’s famous Oriental Hotel is located or Dusit Park which contains Vimanmek Palace. All of these restrictions lead me to believe that though I did not care much for the city, on the whole, perhaps I am destined at some future time in my life, to visit this city again! For the most part, however, I was happy to leave Bangkok behind and take the day-long excursion to Kanchanaburi, a small town on the Thailand-Burma border.

Bon Voyage!