Well a lot has happened since we last spoke to you.
Day 5
We departed Chiang Mai for a drive to a small town called Chiang Doi. Here we lunched on more superb Thai food and got ready for our drive to the Palong Village where we would spend the next three days building a new house for one of the Palong families. Off the bitumen we ventured into dirt tracks, rolling hills and dense forest. After 20 minutes we came to a stop in the middle of nowhere to find four huge elephants waiting to take us to our homestay. A truck took our luggage on for us. So with Palong and St Leonard Mahouts, we climbed hills and crossed streams to end up in valley settlement of the Palong people.
Jumbo takes us to our new home - The Palong Village
They had a long house ready for us for sleeping, a kitchen area and the toilets and showers……a little primitive with one bamboo outside shower and one inside shower and western toilet. Not much in the way of plumbing but a hose, a large water trough and a hole out the back wall! Needless to say the outdoor ablutions became popular!
Home Sweet Home!
At 3pm we walked up to our work site. A basic frame and simple footings were ready for us to brick up the walls and concrete the floor. Well our bricking and concreting skills soon were under great pressure. We now know how the leaning Tower of Pisa looks! After much trial and error we got it under control and worked until 6pm getting the walls half way up! Our guide Chai was amazed at our successes.
The Building Begins - a New Career for Some!
That night we dined on the best Thai food ever. Cooked over an open wood fire in a bamboo hut with no electricity, running water or refrigeration, it was amazing to see the bowls of food appear from the dark; four delicious main course and fruit for desert. Then to bed with a thin stuffed mattress, two blankets and a mosquito net. We were so tired we fell asleep pretty quickly.
Day 6
Today saw us up at 7:00am for a 7:30 breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and Milo, energy for the day ahead. A long, hot day of more brick walls and the start of the concrete floor. At the end of the day, every one crawled back to the village for a well earned shower and dinner. More yummy food and much chatter about the day. Later we were entertained by the young girls of the village with traditional Burmese folk songs….wonderful voices drifting over an open campfire under a starlight sky. It was really a wonderful experience. We tried a few songs for the villages but Hokey-Pokey didn’t hold up against their talents.
Palong Entertainment Evening
To bed for another night’s rest.
Day 7
Another early start for brekkie of scrambled egg, toast and jam, fruit and of course Milo! We only had 4 hours to finish the job but everyone pitched in and we almost got it all done. A lovely handover ceremony took place where we gave them a Memory Book signed by us all and pictures of us, many gifts of toys, toothbrushes, soap, exercise books, pencils and balls. They were to be shared with the whole village.
The Handing Over Photo....a Great Job well done!
The Happy Palong Family were thrilled with our efforts.
At 12pm the boys walked to the bus pick-up and the girls took the little open bus with our luggage. It was great to see the big bus again and resume our travels, but sad to leave behind so many memories and new friends. A boxed lunch of Western Food seemed rather bland after our great meals in the village.
So off we went heading for Chiang Rai up near the border with Cambodia. Well, we almost made it! A front wheel blowout caused us to limp up the mountains until we could get to some mechanic for help. That was the idea until the shredded tire cut the hydraulic line for the suspension and we settled to a low stop. Chai went off for help and we waited for phone calls to decide our fate. After much wondering and standing around, the second group’s bus arrived to save us and take us on to our hotel.
Mrs Wilson working out what went wrong!
Nothing was ever more welcome than a 4 Star luxurious hotel with real floors, a restaurant, a real shower and real beds.
