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Thailand: ecofriendly floating villages
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As tourists, are we supporting local lifestyles and preserving the country's beauty or motivating an unnatural shift?
A line, fine as a solitary rice noodle, runs between responsible Thai tourism and a third-world, greed-invoking vacation. Community-based, eco-friendly tourism promotes a healthy working atmosphere for locals, where homelands are not converted to resorts and traditional daily routines are not interrupted.
As a backpacker and a sensitive soul, I felt it was my duty to help rescue Thailand from the growing tourist trap. In search for an authentic, sensible trip, I stumbled upon Andaman Discoveries, who specialize in tourism conducive to local preservation. Choosing an expedition to a local floating village in an area called 500 Rai seemed to be an exceptional opportunity. The trip was complete with meals, accommodation and transportation. Since Khao Sok National Park became protected in 1980, the government has promised natives the same environment they have always enjoyed: free range of the rivers, hunting rights and seclusion from the bustling city.
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After a jolting public bus ride, a transfer via open-air pick-up bed, a hike through a damp, lush forest, and a solar-powered bamboo boat ride, the secluded destination was in sight. Thatched huts, draped with freshly laundered red and purple linens, bobbed securely on unclouded water. This serene water of the Ratchaprapa Dam is the life stream of the community. Limestone cliffs tower above the river's aquatic life below while wild boars, water buffalo and gibbons roam the jungle shoreline. A humming eco-system awaited my raft's arrival.
I was directed to my bungalow, a one-room hut, with a thatch door on each side. One entrance showcased the jungle, where monkeys squealed and swung from branches and the other opened to the deck and undisturbed waterway. Every day, I received three meals crafted by the locals, which was sincerely appreciated considering their solar-powered stove and intermittent access to markets on the land. The morning dish was often a rice pudding with sweet spices, which could be served with chunks of meat or fish if preferred. At lunch smiling women presented fried noodle dishes and heart-shaped watermelon slices. Their loyal service returned at sunset with an array of native dishes, such as a whole, grilled fish upon a platter.
The natives here were gracious, always embracing second best. Working from sunset until after guests had retired to bed, I wondered when they rested. However, they were truly content unlike the touts selling chintzy souvenirs on the busier Thai beaches I had visited or the snappy, sassy ladies running restaurants at tourist-only bus stops.
The floating village’s dwellers here are at peace, and responsible tourists enable them to continue living their traditional lifestyle instead of naively encouraging them to find work in the commercial scene. The latter is a type of slavery to which many Thai people have resorted. When a local woman can make more sweeping the marble floor of a posh establishment than working in a trade she has refined her entire life, necessary life skills are lost along with quality of life. When promoting responsible travel, we not only give locals a fair chance, but we too reap the rewards of seeing what a country really offers, rather than exposing ourselves to a touristy, make-believe world.
Visit Andama Discoveries’ website for more responsible and supportive Thai tour options.
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