A selection of some of the fantastic pictures taken on the trek:

The Trek Bar...

Four Yorkshire Ladies

A Water Powered Rice Grinder

Karen Children

Celebrating with Lanterns

Thai Dancers

I am now in Bangkok on the last leg of my visit to Thailand. I arrived 3 weeks ago in Chiang Mai to meet up with 11 people who had flown in from Bangkok, UK and 2 English people working in Mongolia. Having raised a lot of money from KHT, they had come to trek for 8 days through the forested mountains to see the Karen people and how KHT s pends the money. We left the next day in 3 minibuses to drive 300 kms west to the small town of Khun Yuam. Then we set off with tents and walking shoes to the forest jungle. The next 8 nights were spent sleeping in the rice fields close to the Karen villages. With a wonderful team of Karen people to carry the luggage every day and Nootsabar in charge of the catering, the transporting of a total of 20 people every day, setting up camp and erecting tents, building latrines, creating facilities for washing in the river, it worked wonderfully well.

Apart from 2 nights in the village of Ban Pa Tho close to the Burma border, high in the mountains, every night was a in a different rice field with a different stream to wash in. ‘Pat’s Jungle Bar’ was set up to provide welcome gin and tonics plus whisky or wine every evening!. The group walked between 6 and 12kms each day, sometimes climbing steep tracks looking down ravines filled with high bamboo or teak trees. The honeycombs hung high, very high in the trees. Takoo, the Karen guide showed every one the flowers, birds, animals and butterflies as well as amusing people with stories of Karen life. The temperatures reached 30 degrees in the day but was cold at night with a heavy dew falling on the tents. Drying boots and equipment was made easy with the big fires that were built every night. Sadly I was not able to manage the daily walks (just twice) but I travelled with the Karen team to prepared the next site after driving through the river beds and over very rough ground to find the next remote site. I was there when the walkers arrived. We laughed and shared the exhaustion. We ate and drank well.

The final night in the light of the full moon, we sat round the log fire in the village of Khun Mae Su singing songs and making the people laugh in this very poor village. We got them on their feet to sing the ‘Hokey Pokey’ and Auld Lang Syne. Then with everything packed up, they walked to Huay Kong Paw to see the plaque where the water system is dedicated to the ‘Richard Worsley Memorial Project’. Then a short drive to Huay Kai Pa dormitory that we built and maintain, where 76 children in their Karen costumes sang songs and danced a little. There was one more night in a hotel in Mae SAriang to shower and recover a little, then the journey back to Chiang Mai. Here with the wonderful hospitality in the beautiful Bodhi Serene hotel we shared a final meal. The tables were covered in bright cotton covers made by the Karen. The staff were dressed in Karen costumes. The food was delicious. Chi, the Karen musician who plays the beautiful harp, sang wonderful songs accompanied by his wife on the bamboo flute. Opas and his friends performed 3 contemporary Thai dances.

It has been a wonderful trek. So much laughter and fun and friendship. The memories of the Karen people but also the group. It was very emotional for me to share all this with these new friends. Above all the Karen staff who had played such an important part in making this all work so well, had enjoyed it so much they have asked to do it again next year! I will post some photos soon....

This is the first time we have had a blog attached to our website. Whole new world to me! I hope you are going to help me by making observations and commenting from time to time. Please look at our ‘Pipeline’ newsletter. In spite of a recession we are holding our heads high. Our budgets are tight though and we need lots of help. Speak to you again soon…

Penelope