As part of my tour of Thailand, we spent a day in a Karen village in Thong Pha Phum (close to the Kanchanaburi area). The Karen people are Tibetan in descent and live in both Burma and Thailand. In Thailand, they constitute the largest of the hill tribes. Although I couldn't understand their language, they appeared to be a kind, gracious tribe, eager to give foreigners a taste of their daily life and customs.
I think we could all benefit from practicing how to communicate with children. Even if you and the child speak the same language, the child will still be limited in terms of vocabulary, comprehension, and social cues. Consequently, we have to choose our words and gestures carefully to allow them to understand. We also have to really listen to what they're saying, and also what they're not saying, since their non-verbal signals can often clue us into their thought process. Maybe we adults can learn to be better listeners if we just pay more attention to the other person.
And finally, the women prepared a lovely lunch for us. This was one of my most memorable meals while traveling. It was just a nice reminder that simple homemade food can still be delicious. No fancy kitchen or expensive ingredients, but still an incredible meal with flavors that can only be found in these little villages tucked away in the Thai forests.
As cheesy as it sounds, traveling to these village areas really made me appreciate how "luxurious" my life is in the States. Even with "basic" things that we might not think about - like hot running water, flushing toilets, television, cars, education - these villagers may never have a chance to experience them. But from what I can tell, they are still leading good lives. Maybe we don't really need that much to be happy.
3 comments:
The food looks awesome! But what I loved most about this blog were your final comments at the end. Indeed, we don't need all those extra luxuries in our lives for a "happy" life. After all, material things like big tvs, cars, etc... can only provide temporary joy. There's so much more out there =)
Aww what a great entry. Sounds like you really got a good chance to get to know them and their culture despite the language differences, which in my opinion is the best part of traveling. Oh yes, and the food of course! I love the fact that communication with kids (and through music) is so universal. :)
Just back from a Thailand trip and was doing some surfing for Baan Unrak orphanage and the Karen hilltribes when I found your post.
It brought back some great memories of our trip (think we must have been on the group a couple of weeks after you!).
Our day in the Karen village was just as you describe. I can still taste the fried shredded papaya...
Oh - and I think we stayed in the same room in the teak house! We want one too. :-)
We also discovered a delicious street-stall sweet snack called (I think) Khanom Buang. Probably just as well we can't get them at home or I'd need to buy a new wardrobe.
Keep travelling and tasting!
Post a Comment