There's a stretch of new paved road that runs along the border north of Mae Sot to Mae Sariang, 228km away. We'd initially hoped to do that over 3 days, with a side trip to Mae Sam Leap (a former black market zone on the river separating Burma from Thailand), but I decided that duty called and I could take no more than 2 days away from work. So we opted to take my Honda Dream (100cc engine) and a hired Dream (for R.) half-way, to Mae Salid or thereabouts, over 2 days. I've been as far as Mae La Refugee Camp before (60km), but not beyond and not on a motorbike.
I confess to having been inspired by Christian Gooden's recent update of Three Pagodas: A Journey Down the Thai-Burmese Border.
My motorbike had been in the shop. Went to pick it up the night before, wasn't even touched. Hrmph. 'TIT" This is Thailand. No problem, it'll be fine they tell me, just carry some oil. Ok. Next morning. It doesn't start. Now, I've always had a problem with the kick start - it's just lame-o me right? Well, wasn't starting... ok. Push it to the shop. On the positive side of TIT: we walked up with the bike, the guys swarmed on it. Service is good here, usually. The old guy muttered something along the lines of "stupid farang" and checked the petrol first (ha! It was full! Pbtthhh!) Ok, so next up. Well, in a matter of minutes, they'd changed the spark plug, charged me 50 baht (US$1.20) and I was good to go. I wondered briefly if "not starting = omen"? Nah. Stupid superstition. Gotta run to work for a little bit, R. goes to pick up his hire bike. Meet at the office. All set. I start. Ah lovely, it wasn't just me! New spark plug = starts beautifully! He starts. Nope. Try again. Nope. Again. Nope. Uh-oh. Maybe this really IS an omen? Not superstitious but...... It starts. Woohoo! We're off.
Whoa! Amazing trip. The views are spectacular: Karstic mountains with varying formations, running along the border: the Moei River ever so majestic, and the villages along the way (mostly Karen) friendly and interesting. I took some pictures, but many of the things we saw could just not be conveyed adequately with pictures: the group of 15 Karen just beyond the camp, from small children to old folks, walking along the road, each carrying a 15ft bamboo log, probably for building their house; the eerie feeling of standing next to the guard "tower" (made of bamboo - in the US one might call the same structure a tree house) on the Thai/KNLA controlled side of the river, looking across to DKBA/SLORC territory in the forbidden mountainous jungle; the mystery of the dense virgin forest.....
The road is mostly paved, apart from a stretch about 5km (seemed like more than 10) somewhere south of Mae Salid, where they are re-doing the road. I don't like riding on the dirt, even though it’s packed. I was very nervous, but managed. Slowly. R. close behind, following my lead. This trip was meant to be another caving trip - to Mae U-Su cave, about 100km north of Mae Sot. We saw the cave turn off, but we were hungry, decided to move on to Mae Salid and we'd hit the cave on the way back.
We got to Mae Salid. Not much there. We're feeling good, my gas gauge says >1/4. Hmmm. I was told about a resort north of Mae Salid about 20km called something like "Pa...". Ok, let's aim for that. Ride a long way....my petrol gauge now looks dangerously close to E. R.'s says >1/4 though, and it's the same bike, so should have the same size gas tank? Memories of Phang-Nga. (I realise NOW, I could have just stopped and looked inside the tank, and if I could SEE petrol, know I was fine. Live and Learn). 20 km. A little worried. See something that says, in English "welcome". Check that out. It's some sort of military station but only two guys are there. The guy there told me the word but I didn't understand it. He says "Pa Pa Valley is 8km. Yes, they have petrol." My broken Thai and his broken English proving useful. And we can use their toilets. OK! Yes! This is what we're looking for!
A few km, see a police hut and some big sign, all in Thai. Nah, that's not it. Ride on.
I'm in the lead, we're going reasonably slow (avg 60kph, depending on how flat, curves, etc). Suddenly, the paved road turns to a small dirt patch. Clearly the road had been washed away in the last rainy season. Slow down quickly. Hit a hole. I am airborne. "Control Cherise. Focus." Yes! I land, balanced. Amazing myself. But the force of the landing makes my water bottle pop out of the basket in the front, I start to pull off to the side and turn around. Somehow I saw split seconds of R. airborne and heard "SKID! CRUNCH!" For the second split second wonder if my pulling off quickly caused it. No, though it happened so fast, the water bottle flying thru the air made him look at just the wrong time: when he was airborne on the same patch, causing an ever so slight turn of the front wheel, an off balance landing, and CRASH. He had the presence of mind to pull his body out, so the bike didn't land on top of him, though it caught his foot. Managed to get the bike upright and him and it out of the way. Check: Broken bones? No. Phew! Feeling ok? OK. Lots of ugly scrapes on the arms and knees, and hands. Ouch. Deep breath. Ok, let's see the bike. The pedal is knocked back so that it's blocking the kick starter. Like an angel from heaven, or....just the sangthaew from Mae Sot to Mae Sariang, a pickup appears. They stop, ask if we're ok, offer ointment for R.'s clearly torn up arm (and legs - the bloody trousers were a giveaway). Then the driver and a passenger get out to check out the bike, use a bamboo pole to hammer the pedal back, and start the bike - yeah! Make sure we're ok. Other passengers say Pa Pa Valley, just 2km.
Fall off a horse, get back on. Fall off a motorbike in the middle of nowhere? Not much choice. Ride on. See the sign for Pa Pa Valley, down a little hill. Deep Breath. Ok. I'm more nervous than R. now, and it wasn't me who crashed! We make it into the gate. Looks deserted. Hrmmm. We ARE in the middle of nowhere. Go in. 2 guys are sitting at a platform up front. We say "Tii nii? Pa Pa Valley ReSORT?" (here? Pa Pa Valley?) "Mai Mii" (no have- huh???) Somehow the information is conveyed, sure, this is the place, and the buildings are still here, but there's no resort anymore. It's closed for good. Ok. Ummm. Okkkkk. "Petrol? Gasoline?" "Mai mii." Ask again, maybe they didn't understand. "Mai mii." Ok, first things first. They get fresh water to clean R.'s wounds. And we'll have to head back. They tell us there's petrol 6km back (we didn't see, but we'll figure it out). R. manages to get back on the bike, yet again.
This whole area, whilst on the Thai side of the border, is mainly peopled by the Karen: Some Thai Karen, many Burmese Karen who've fled across the border. One thing about all this, we learned of the incredible generosity and kindness of the Karen people. Not that I'm surprised, it merely validated what I already knew and had heard about, but it was still a comforting reminder of the goodness of people. Everyone offered help (Though many found the humour in these two crazy farangs).
Rode back 6km to where we saw the police hut. Someone comes out, looks at R., "Moto CY?" heh, yeah. "Gasoline?" I say. He points us in the direction of the village - an odd setting, as 1) it was thru a very well marked entrance zone (not normal) and 2) the existence of a Police Hut essentially manning the entrance/exit, which is why we weren't sure it was even a village the first pass thru. The village is Ban Ta Song Yang. Turns out, this village is down 1km off the road, on the Moei river, and in recent years was a major Black Market port for the Karen State (Kawthoolei) and later a site of major battles between the KNLA and DKBA/SLORC.
We head down. Beautiful place. Interesting mix of traditional houses (stilts, bamboo) and more 'modern' Thai style - concrete + teak, normally associated with wealthy towns. (Wealth in such an isolated area has questionable sources.) Petrol can be had in the usual place - a little open air minimart, with a couple of plastic containers and a drum full of fuel. We refill our tanks. The Karen ladies see R.'s torn up arms and take pity. "Wait a moment" they say (at least I think that's what they said). Thru a series of hand gestures, Thai words and some Karen words, it's clear they're doing something to help. They hand us stools to sit on. Meanwhile people come by to admire the wounds. I figure out one of the ladies has gone to get something. I tell them not to worry, we'll ride back, don't trouble. But they insist. Someone runs to a phone booth across the way, within minutes a lady motors up with some iodine in hand. They give us fresh water, gauze and iodine to clean the wounds. One of the ladies is trying to show me how to apply it, where to put it properly. Despite his wounds, R. is liking the fuss of the ladies. I offer to pay them something for the iodine and gauze. "No" they insist. Yes I insist. No they insist. Ok. I pay for the water bottle, casually leave the 15 baht change (~ US$0.30) on the stool, hoping they are not offended.
So now we're the talk of Mae Sariang (where the people in the sangthaew were heading) and Ban Ta Song Yang. Stupid Farangs. We ride off the 15 km back to Mae Salid.
Find the Mae Salid Guesthouse. It's right next to a school and the school is just letting out, which means lines of kids walking past (they are so orderly!). So we wait. Now, not only are we two farangs in a place few farangs visit these days, but we're on motorbikes, and one is clearly full of banged up knees and arms. And the other is a GIRL! We provide yet another spectacle....and a source of humour.
Saw Pi from the Guesthouse must have been told by one of the students that we were there, because he comes down and asks if we need a place to stay. Yes, we say. This is easy. He shows us up. Mae Salid Guesthouse ranks among the lowest of the places I've ever stayed, and I've stayed in some lousy places. It clearly has seen better days. Saw Pi makes up for it. And hey, it has a "shower." The slats for beds and communal bathroom are fine, as, no one else is there (and only about 5 visitors have stayed in 2003). Still, for 160Baht for two of us (~$3.50) it's overpriced. But Saw Pi - I'd easily pay him 200 baht for the entertainment and stories. Luckily, the water comes ON at 4pm and it's 4pm now. So R., very painfully, is able to wash out his wounds more thoroughly in the 'shower' (which is actually a hose). Saw Pi, seeing his wounds, has already seen the motorbike and figured it all out, along with everyone else in Mae Salid. He kindly offers us his alcohol (of the rubbing sort, not to drink) and gauze, and shows us where to get more and some bandages. In our confusion, it takes a little while to find the shop, but no worries, that only means that yet more people in the village have seen us and offer help..... someone walks us over to the shop (about to close, looks more like a garage anyway). The lady loads us up with more gauze, alcohol, mercurotome, and bandages. I try to pay with a 500 baht note (~US$12), she laughs and says "30 baht" (~ 75 cents). I'm still amazed at how cheap things are here!
Back to the guesthouse. Saw Pi serves us dinner, hang out on the veranda, tells us stories of Burma (where he's from), the Karen, Mannerplaw (where the old KNU HQ used to be before it fell in 95), what Mae Salid was like, and oddly enough, about my "old friend" Sombat. That's Police Capt Sombat, of Umphang Hill Resort (aka Mud Trek "no rain!" ie JERK!) Turns out Sombat is quite the man in these parts. Controls much of Tak and Mae Hong Son Provinces. Saw Pi brings out a scrap book of pictures. Whoa! I immediately recognise Sombat with KNLA Head Bo Mya (whose birthday celebration I attended) and other senior KNU men. Worlds collide! This is waaaaay too weird! He's apparently also a big man in Mae Sot. Not just from what he owns, but he's Thai military (police; same thing) and has significant influence along the border. This explains everything! Eventually Saw Pi drags out his guitar, and he and R. start singing Dire Straits songs.
The First Day. Always an adventure with Cherise!
Who wants to come to visit next? ;)
Follow up: yeah, we made it back safely, Skipped Mae U-su cave, too wiped out to stop. R. + Cherise + motorbikes does NOT = caving. In our intent to see many caves on these motorbike journeys, we saw one, and not much more than the entrance at that. By this point, just wanted to get home. And somehow we made it back in one piece, leaving behind only bits of R.'s arms and knees and palms. After the isolation of the roads, Mae Sot might as well have been Bangkok for its traffic.
And hey, there's always a story to tell!
Glossary:
KNU = Karen National Union
KNLA = Karen National Liberation Army
DKBA = Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (splinter from KNLA, joined with SLORC, but rumour has it....well, it's complicated)
SLORC = State Law and Order Restoration Committee (offshoot of "SPDC" = State Peace and Development Council) aka Burmese military junta forces
Farang = white, foreigner (or literally 'gauva')
2 comments:
It's nice trip.
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