2011 International Conference - Thailand March 2011 It was a clear and frosty evening at Heathrow’s terminal 3 when 24 AIO delegates boarded a Thai Airlines Jumbo bound for Bangkok and then on to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. We were unaware just then that we would be riding a ‘jumbo’ of a different kind just a few days later as part of a fascinating schedule that lay ahead of us, visiting three very different areas of this part of Asia. AIO Conferences, occurring yearly in UK and bi-annually abroad, always turn out to be very special events but this one, put together by members Sue and Malcolm Broad with the help of top tour operators, Audley travel, was to prove to be exceptional. Eleven hours after leaving London, and somewhat disorientated by time and temperature changes, we were met by Poh who was to be our courteous and friendly guide for the duration of our stay in the north. Poh lived a Buddhist, self-disciplined lifestyle (only 9 principles of the 120 followed by the monks themselves) and by the time he met us each morning at our beautiful Thai-style boutique hotel in central Chiang Mai he had already been up since 4.00am, worked in his family business, jogged 6 miles, fed his local Buddhist monk who walked by every morning, and then his own family.
Earlier that day Poh had led us through the narrow alleyways of a food market and then to a Thai cookery school where we learned to cook our own (remarkably good!) lunch with ingredients from this same market. Fortunately the snake, rat, grubs and ant eggs available there were not included. That evening after a refreshing swim in the hotel pool we dressed in the traditional Lanna Thai clothing provided for us and were taken to a restored farm within the moat-ringed city where we dined cross-legged on the floor under the stars. Music and dance were followed by the release of the sky candles given to each of us. These were paper balloons with a flame suspended under them, which soared high into the night sky. The Chiang Mai area, leading upwards to the border with Burma, is famous for its elephants and the sanctuary we visited, with its elephant nursery and hospital, enabled us to ride them for over an hour through river and forest.
We visited the unforgettable Royal Barges, used only for ceremonial occasions, and travelled up the network of narrow canals leading from the river, past occasional ten foot monitor lizards lying on the bank, to an orchid farm in the city outskirts. We also visited a silk factory, seeing silk-worms making the cocoons from which the silk fibre is unravelled, made into a thread of many fibres for the looms to create the cloth. We explored the exotic Royal Palace, venue for the making of the film ‘The King and I’ as well as many magnificent temples. The Royal Family is very popular in Thailand and there are few places in Bangkok where you could stand and not see a huge poster of the King and Queen. A visit to a school for blind children brought tears to the eyes of many of us. We have arranged a link with our hotel in the south, where we were to stay for our final days of the tour, to sell in the hotel’s gift shops the exquisite handicrafts made by the school’s blind children, and we hope to contribute from AIO funds to the repair of their swimming pool, which is currently out of action.
The sun dropped below the horizon, the sky turned quickly from navy/pink to iridescent blue and the lights of the famous Bangkok nightlife began to spread across the city. Tomorrow we again head south. Two sleek launches collected us from a private jetty for the 40 minute voyage it takes over turquoise sea to reach the Pimalai Beach Hotel (Google it if you want to be tempted) on the island of Koh Lanta close to the border with Malaysia. Several days of tropical island relaxation awaited us here with all sorts of activities available if you wanted. How about squid fishing in the twilight on a sunset cruise? We ended with a spectacular beach buffet (including 3 different types of lobster!) and dancing with sand between our toes before our return the following day to London. The forecast had been dreadful for Koh Lanta but the rain must have gone elsewhere. The hot sun shone all day every day and at night silent lightning lit up the sky over the horizon and far into the Bay of Bengal.
Make sure you’re with us next time!! David Beaumont, Chairman Email: secretary@afio.co.uk |
