Travelogue 2 Jan. 27 - Uniquely Thai

There's nothing quite like experiencing life in the true rural Thailand to make me remember why I love travelling. This week I visited a CUSO placement in a small Karen village. CUSO, which used to stand for Canadian University Service Overseas, is now an all-ages, non-governmental organization that works on development projects all over the world. The Karen are an indigenous group of Thai whose lifestyle and livelihood are very similar to native North Americans.

Like First Nations, Karen have lost many traditional ways of life as modern inventions make their way into their lives (requiring money to upkeep them) and as they are restricted from clearing forest areas for their farms. They've also been caught in farming catch-22s from starting to use pesticides, and other farming chemicals, which also require money and which have been resulting in illnesses because they have not been told to protect themselves while using them.

CUSO volunteers are working with local farmers to help them create farming methods that will allow them to actually eat the food they grow, as well as sell some for income. The goal is to get the farmers away from chemicals through organic farming. A long process but one that seems to be working. I had a day-long tour where I spoke to several farmers about their progress and it was really illuminating.

As well, I met with members of a women's group that has been trying to reintegrate traditional cotton weaving into their lifestyle; mostly to maintain cultural traditions but also for some income.

The village where I stayed, Huay Hindum, is a typical Karen village with basic huts built above the ground. For me, the contrast to Bangkok made it paradise. The Karen don't use furniture but I was supplied with a tent to sleep in one of the huts (to keep mosquitoes at bay) and woke to ciccadas chirping and a few geckos squawking (OK and many dogs barking), rather than motorcyles, tuk-tuks and other loud traffic noises.

Food was real Thai - hot soups, garden greens, some strange meats and lots and lots of rice. The countryside was beautiful with animals roaming about everywhere amid fields of corn and rice.

Now back in Bangkok soon to embark on the next leg of my journey -- Myanmar.