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"Win 1,219 curves!"
Um pang, Thailand
May 15, 2006
The Road to Um Pang and Thee Lor Sur
 The writing on the back of the cap had me intrigued. A simple black, baseball cap with "Thee Lor Sur" embossed across the front and on the back "Win 1,219 curves". Thee (pronounced "Tea") Lor Sur is Thailand's highest waterfall. To get there, you travel by bus to Mae Sot on the Thai/Myanmar border. In Mae Sot there are taxi/trucks that travel to Um pang, a small mountain village near the Falls. From Um pang it's a 3 hour raft trip down the Mae Kong river to the falls. The distance from Mae Sot to Um pang is only 159 km. But a normally 2 hour trip winds up being closer to 5 hours. And "wind up" it does, all 1,219 curves on the way to Um pang.
"Where ever you go, there you are."
 The journey begins in the back of a small, pick-up truck fitted with benches and a canvas roof. Several people scramble in with bundles under their arms, picking comfortable spots in the front, out of the sun and wind. At a gas station, a young couple climb into the back of the truck. Their clothes appear new. They look like high school students going home for the holiday. Less than an hour later, we are at an immigration check point. There are many of these check points in this area. A soldier approaches and scans the passengers. He immediately goes to the young couple. The soldier asks the boy for identification but the boy doesn't answer or produce papers. The soldier gets rough and slaps the back of the boy's head. The girl sits quietly. Again, more aggressively, the soldier asks questions in Thai and the boy, barely audible, answers with a single phrase. Then the soldier roughly pushes the boy towards the back of the truck and motions for the girl to exit also.
 We leave the main four lane highway and begin to ascend the 1,219 curves. The scenery is breath taking but the journey is somber as we pass yet another refugee camp; small ramshackle houses on the side of a hill enclosed by a barb wire fence.
 I assume these are Burmese refugees or indigenous people, who are permitted to stay. The yellow dirt soccer field is the only contrast in this sea of grey-brown shacks crammed so closely together. The road continues to climb through the low cropped mountains, through the chilled air beneath a cloud speckled sky.
The King's Birthday
 In Um Pang the celebration begins on Sunday night. The King's birthday is tomorrow. First the local open-air disco at the bottom of the hill starts pumping out Thai Pop tunes. Further away on the main stage, a live band at the fair grounds begins playing and doesn't take a break. Then a drunken voice further up the hill starts making up words and melodies to the songs on main stage. It's like having two marching bands passing each other with Caruso in the middle. Amidst my laughter and this cacophony I fall asleep in my tent and wake up later to the silent night. The festivities have settled and I think, "Finally the peace of a mountain village".
Then, the roosters, dogs and wild creatures in the bush begin their nightly concert as they do in all rural areas around the world (see Lago Atilan journal). And again I have to laugh.
Take Me To The River
 A few hours later I am eating breakfast and preparing to depart for the falls. My guide is See, a young Thai who speaks English and Burmese. He knows the area well and is very eager to share the information. See's assistant is Boonta a Burmese who paints his face with pink fluorescent paste. I thought it was a cultural or religious practice but it turns out , most Burmese do this merely to block the sun. Each time we stop, for some reason, Boonta crosses the river and disappears . "Boonta is shy." See tells me. The two seem to be good friends.
 In the early morning freshness, the river meanders undisturbed for several kilometres past thick, jungle slopes and steep rising limestone cliffs. We stop at a natural hot spring near the shore where some locals are enjoying an early morning dip.
"Oh, welcome!" they shout excitedly "Come and join us!", they persist. "The water is great!" They are laughing and splashing in the rising steam.
"Not today," I humbly thank them and bow out.
"The wise traveller is not intent on arrival."
 The river current increases as the banks narrow and soon we are passing through some small rapids. Spraying water glints and casts rainbows into the sky beneath the limestone overhangs. We arrive at a campground just outside the park boundaries. From here we have to trek for half an hour to the falls and it's worth it . The roar and rush of water can be heard from far away. The path emerges from the jungle opening into a panoramic view of the falls. The falls are actually several cascades on a very high plateau, dropping off over the lush vegetation below.
 After some time enjoying the sights and a swim, we leave the falls and travel to a small "Karon" village/farm where an elephant will take me back to Umpang via a "short cut". The village is more like a communal farm with several families living close together.
The lifestyle is simple, meeting their basic needs.
 Sextan the handler uses the animal mostly for clearing the land that is farmed. It is the end of the day and they are heading back to their home near Um Pang. Elephants are not my preferred mode of transportation but I can see how they are convenient animals. They pretty much go over and through anything. For locals, elephants are a great source of natural power. For a curious tourist, elephants are just a bizarre joy ride. I think I'll stick with mountain bikes.
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