Video documentary featuring ride trip to Karen Riishi sect hill-tribe village, community settled deep in forests of south-west Umphang Disctict, Tak Province.

 

The village is remote and hard to reach, it requires special permission from the 347th Border Patrol Police. And then comes almost 20km's of tough steep sandy trail across 2 mountain tops littered by switchbacks, river crossings and narrow passages hanging over deep ravines.

The trail to Loy Tong Ku is not the most suitable one for heavy dual purpose bikes such as BMW GS Series, especially not for inexperienced off-roaders like myself. Don't get me wrong, this road is paradise for smaller displacement dirt bikes, you would love it.

Located couple of kilometers from unguarded Burmese border, it is a home to Telashkon sect of Talakone Karen, the tribe with unique traditions and beliefs. People living here differ from other Karen tribes, they are unique in Thailand, part of the Karen tribe forcibly driven by the Burmese Army. Interesting thing about these Karens is that they are not Christian or Buddhist as most others are, but have a belief system that is some combination of spiritualism and animism.

They do not drink alcohol or eat domesticated animals, preference goes to hunting and wilderness gathering. They eat wild meat only, most notably small deer, wild boar, python, and monkey. They keep no domesticated pigs or chicken.

Tribe men tie their long hair into something similar to a samurai topknot. In most ways they are like all other Karen though: incredibly friendly, hard working, athletic and passionate when comes to manual labor and hunting, fanatical about spicy food and betel nut, and generous with their food and time.

Sect has been established back in 1850's by a prophet called Pu Chaik. Today they have 16,000 followers spread across 31 villages in Myanmar and 3 in Thailand. Only Loy Tong Ku village has a leader who resides there. He is referred to as "isi". He is a priest and considered living divine being... a God.

The most important tradition is to offer a torch of fire as a gesture of paying homage to the revered Hermit master around December every year. They also worship an image of the Lord Buddha crafted out of a sacred 400 years old ivory tusks. This piece of ivory features carved in images of Lord Buddha in state of meditation from the base to the end of the tusk.

The present Isi was born in Burma and was installed by disciples of his predecessor who died back in 1989. He is surrounded by 60 disciples aged 10 to 28 who serve him for minimum of 3 years. They participate in rituals, household chores, tend to vegetable garden belonging to the temple. The youngest five of them are responsible with keeping sacred fire burning indefinitely in lodging of the master and sleep in same room with him.

The rules of community life are quite serious: two meals a day in normal times and one during the lent.
They are strictly prohibited from farming domestic animals for consumption. Isi eats fruit, vegetables, maize and rice only, and it has to be from temple garden, not anywhere else.

Consumption of alcohol is absolutely forbidden; anyone caught would be severely punished most notably by having their long hair cut and paraded in shame through the village. Same goes for other misdeeds such as thievery and adultery. Punishment goes as far as being expelled from the village for a period of up to 3 years. The only way they can redeem themselves and eventually accepted back into community is by profound apology and by bringing purest natural wild bees wax, up to 5kg as I have been told and 3kg of candles direct to Isi.

Current Isi is single but the previous one, the number 8 in the dynasty was allowed to marry and had 2 kids.

The sect has a number of special events: they celebrate Songkhran, end and beginning of raining season, full moon, new moon.

During these times faithful visit the temple loaded with offerings such as sugar cane, pineapple, bettel, coconut, bee wax for candles which is the most valuable. Man are dressed in white tunic which signifies purity. Married women are in red dress while the girls are in white. All females are relegated into the background during ceremonial. The reason for this is the belief that some of them are going through menstrual cycle and their blood could defile the sacred area.

 

 

 

Thanks for charing.

 

I have been to the village myself, but that was more than 12 years ago. It clearly has changed, not to mention the access to the village is much better. Then some of the students at the local high school in Umphang where from the village. They only went home during long holidays; it was two days walking to there. I myself was lucky to get a helicopter ride with the border patrol police, passing over Tee lor su waterfall. Splendid view.

 

It really is one of the treasures of Thailand with it beautiful people and those carved tusks are a gem to see.  After watching the video I sure would like to go back there once more. I love that region with its many different villages and stunning nature and wildlife.

7 hours ago, Preacher said:

Thanks for charing.

 

I have been to the village myself, but that was more than 12 years ago. It clearly has changed, not to mention the access to the village is much better. Then some of the students at the local high school in Umphang where from the village. They only went home during long holidays; it was two days walking to there. I myself was lucky to get a helicopter ride with the border patrol police, passing over Tee lor su waterfall. Splendid view.

 

It really is one of the treasures of Thailand with it beautiful people and those carved tusks are a gem to see.  After watching the video I sure would like to go back there once more. I love that region with its many different villages and stunning nature and wildlife.

 

Feel the same here Preacher. 

My plan is to visit again sometime next winter. I want to bring few bicycles for kids and couple of water pumps. That is what they need.

Did you attempt to access Thi Lo Su Waterfall? I hear it has been closed to private vehicles.

22 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

Did you attempt to access Thi Lo Su Waterfall? I hear it has been closed to private vehicles.

 

Thi Lo Su is more than 120km further up north from this point.

Motorcycles are not allowed of course but I have seen few private SUV's up there and loads of pickups transporting visitors.

 

 

 
Thi Lo Su is more than 120km further up north from this point.
Motorcycles are not allowed of course but I have seen few private SUV's up there and loads of pickups transporting visitors.
 
 

Wonderful place and the best waterfalls I have ever seen. We got a 4x4 trip to take us and (at that time) could see why vehicles were not permitted to attempt the roads.


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Just goes to show one needs to get onto roads less travelled to see some of the more interesting areas of Thailand...  Even though it is not always easy! 

 

Thanks for sharing!

21 hours ago, BMW Overlander said:

 

Thi Lo Su is more than 120km further up north from this point.

Motorcycles are not allowed of course but I have seen few private SUV's up there and loads of pickups transporting visitors.

 

 

When were you last there? I was told in January that Umphang is operating a scam and insisting that all visitors have to use transport supplied by the locals ...

I went camping there in my 4x4 2 years back and this year cancelled a planned convoy of about 20 vehicles  as no-one was interested in abandoning their vehicles.

The local hoteliers were furious as most visitors to the waterfall spend at least one or two nights in Umphang.

I certainly won't be visiting the area again until they allow suitably equipped private vehicles access there.

The region is beautful but it is also a long way to go to be told you gave to leave you vehicle and equipment behind .

Yes I know they are "improving " the road.

February 2017

When I still lived there they started improving the road to the waterfall and the local tour companies where against it as they feared that more people would go to the waterfall on their own.

 

The waterfall is in a national park and can be visited by your own transport. Especially in the rainy season that would indeed not be advisable, unless you have a 4X4 and know how to handle one well. But must say, I haven't traveled that road in more than 10 years so don't really know the state it is know. But suspect the park is under pressure to improve the road not too much.

 

Many tourists go rafting for a half day from Umphang and in the afternoon get picked up and brought by car to the waterfall. It is my favorite way to get there.

Many Western tourist go rafting in the morning, walk to the waterfall in the afternoon and spend the night there and on the second day move on to a hilltribe vilage to spend the night there and from there walk/elephant ride to another village and get picked up there to return to Umphang.

December and January always is the high season at than many Thais travel as they have many days off and have excursions with their companies, etc. June, July and August is the low season with mostly western tourists. October there is almost nobody there, but because of the rain the waterfall is a splendid sight and the river runs fast and high.

 

The area around Umphang is interesting walking and a lot of nature and different hill tribes to visit. Sometimes even a tiger is spotted, but that is very rare.

sadly Ti Lo Su is still restricted to "Union" vehicles only....This completely spoils it for those wishing to camp and visit the spectacular waterfalls.

i also suspect that if they rebuild the road to a detailed standard it will totally spoil the waterfall in the future.

Say good bye to one of the biggest waterfalls in S.E.Asia!

Wonderful place it is too!


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Shame that the greed of a few local officials has spoiled it for so many.

The trail is still closed to private vehicles.

The cost of a Song Teaw is between 2000 and 2500 baht.

 

The official reason given is to make money for local people.

 

As this seems to have resulted in a drop in numbers both camping and staying at Umphang, it sounds like the idea has backfired.

 

On 4/18/2017 at 8:28 PM, Preacher said:

When I still lived there they started improving the road to the waterfall and the local tour companies where against it as they feared that more people would go to the waterfall on their own.

 

The waterfall is in a national park and can be visited by your own transport. Especially in the rainy season that would indeed not be advisable, unless you have a 4X4 and know how to handle one well. But must say, I haven't traveled that road in more than 10 years so don't really know the state it is know. But suspect the park is under pressure to improve the road not too much.

 

Many tourists go rafting for a half day from Umphang and in the afternoon get picked up and brought by car to the waterfall. It is my favorite way to get there.

Many Western tourist go rafting in the morning, walk to the waterfall in the afternoon and spend the night there and on the second day move on to a hilltribe vilage to spend the night there and from there walk/elephant ride to another village and get picked up there to return to Umphang.

December and January always is the high season at than many Thais travel as they have many days off and have excursions with their companies, etc. June, July and August is the low season with mostly western tourists. October there is almost nobody there, but because of the rain the waterfall is a splendid sight and the river runs fast and high.

 

The area around Umphang is interesting walking and a lot of nature and different hill tribes to visit. Sometimes even a tiger is spotted, but that is very rare.

"The waterfall is in a national park and can be visited by your own transport. " sadly not true anymore.