There wasn’t much sign of Christmas in Mae Hong Son and where we were headed there certainly wasn’t any talk of Santa Clause. While staying in Mae Hong Son we found a trekking guide named Preecha who was Karen, an ethic minority, many of whom live in the mountains in the area. He has a little stand next to the lake in the middle of town where the night market is held. It didn’t take long to arrange a trek for the following morning with a third person who also wanted to join. Peter, a french man who was travelling a similar route to us, had already been talking to Preecha and was happy to join us. The trek would take two nights and three days. On the first day we would hike to a Karen village where we would stay the night. For our last night we would hike to Preecha’s Uncle’s house higher in the mountains.
The Karen People
The Karen reside primarily in southern and southeastern Myanmar. The Karen make up approximately 7% of the total Burmese population with approximately five million people. Many Karen have migrated to Thailand, having settled mostly on the Thailand–Myanmar border. A few Karen have settled in Andaman and Nicobar islands, India and other South-East Asian and East Asian countries.
Preecha explained to us that there are no more Thai tribes and that they are mostly Karen or other ethnicities. Later, while travelling in Myanmar, we could see that most people in the state of Kayin were Karen, which was close to where we were trekking.
Day 1
Hiking to Ban Hua Nam
After a short trip in a jeep we arrived at the start of the trail, a school run by monks. The trail ran through their farm where Preecha pointed out various local flora. The scent of fresh lemongrass and the taste of raw peppercorns gave us a good kick to start the trek. From there the trail passed back and forth over a stream. Continually crossing the river meant it was a waste of time trying to remove our boots. For Preecha, who was wearing flip flops, this was no problem but our heavy boots were drenched.
After a few hours of hiking we stopped by the river for lunch, Preecha unwrapped the fried rice with chicken he had purchased at the morning market and we dug in. The sound of the waterfall and the spectacular surroundings provided a wonderful backdrop to our delicious meal. I could eat fried rice a thousand times and still love it.
Our hike continued out of the valley and away from the stream, we were glad that we didn’t have to cross the steam anymore, although it would take until the end of the trip before they fully dried. Before we arrived at Ban Hua Nam we passed through some rice fields belonging to the village. The lack of tree cover meant it was quite hot but Preecha was quick to craft a solution for Mirjam…
Ban Hua Nam
Soon after we arrived at the village where we would eat dinner and spend the night. We entered the wooden house and sat across from the fire where we waited while they prepared our meal. Rice with various vegetables cooked with spices and herbs prepared by Preecha. The curried aubergine was delicious. Plenty of food was provided to ensure we were well fed and the rice wine meant we all slept well that night, even though the hard floor made it a little uncomfortable.
Day 2
The following morning we awoke to a similar feast before we started our trek higher into the mountains, where Preecha’s Uncle lives. On the way we stopped again for lunch, but this time it was a much more interesting experience. Preecha prepared us some instant noodles with vegetables and tea. It was the way he prepared it that made it so interesting. He used bamboo to cook the tea and vegetables and to create plates and cups for the meal. I tried to capture it as best as I could in the following video.
Preecha’s Uncle’s House
We had a few hours of tough uphill trekking to get to our final destination. The house that we stayed in is quite isolated. Preecha’s Uncle lives with his wife in the mountains, there are no other houses nearby. During the day his buffalo take shelter from the sun underneath the house. At night they roam the hills to graze. When we arrived we relaxed and drank tea with lemon while Preecha prepared our dinner. Once again the food was delicious; rice and various vegetables in a form of curry. Preecha, like myself and Mirjam, likes his food spicy and was happy to share his chilli paste with us.
That night we relaxed by the fire outside. With so little light pollution to block our view the night sky was wonderful. Preecha didn’t join us as he went hunting with his Uncle that night. He arrived back late that night but unfortunately empty handed. The next day Preecha’s thirst for the hunt would be quenched.
Day 3
After breakfast the following morning we trekked up to a viewpoint higher up where there was a wonderful panorama of the mountains. Preecha had brought a single shot rifle with. “Just in case”, he said with a smile. Apparently there were packs of wild dogs that were actually quite dangerous. However, Preecha found another use for his rifle. At one point during our trek back he stopped and signaled to us to wait. It was clear he had seen something and ran off into the woods. We stood in anticipation of a gun shot and sure enough, a few moments later, we heard it. Preecha came running back to us with a big smile on his face and this bird in his hand. It was a woodpecker.
The rest of the trek was not quite as eventful as Preecha’s hunt, but it was spectacular all the same. We walked along the ridges of the hills and eventually cut down into the valleys again. The last section of our hike was back in the sticky humid sub tropical jungle.
We were delighted to finally arrive to the road where our jeep picked us up. We sat in the back of the jeep. The breeze was an enormous relief from the sweaty heat of the jungle.
That night we enjoyed what the night market had to offer one last time. We found Peter and enjoyed a Christmas eve bottle of Chang together.