Snake Surprise

No trip to Thailand would be complete without at least one jungle trek. I went on a 2 day trek visiting hill tribes and making my way through the jungle not far from a town called Pai. Ariel was not feeling well so I went in the company of 2 other girls in their 20s, our Thai guide, Ting, and his 20 year old porter, Sa, from the Lisu tribe (native to Northern Thailand).

The first day included a difficult climb and steep descent. The girls and I did our fair share of huffing and puffing but our porter simply kept walking at his leisurely pace and smoked whenever we took a break. After a restful night in a Karen village (another tribe) we started walking again and stopped briefly by a stream where our guide showed us a plant used for medicinal purposes. All of a sudden we heard a slight rustle and the next thing I know our porter starts running towards the stream. No sooner had our guide told us that he just saw a snake (not poisonous) when I saw Sa (the porter) holding the snake in one hand and whacking it against the ground to kill it. With its tail still wiggling Sa places it in his basket and we continued as if nothing happened. When we stopped by the waterfall for lunch, Sa built a fire and held the snake inside for a few moments on either end. He then produced a knife and shed away the snake's skin. Next he went to the river to "clean" the snake. Since this was all new to me I sheepishly followed. Half not wanting to look and half mesmerized by everything, I watched as he chopped off the head (nicely portrayed above), slit it down the middle and pulled out everything that was inside. Apparently snake is a delicacy and Sa was not going to let any part go to waste.

Thankfully snake was not on the lunch menu and I was happy to see our porter carry it away when we returned to Pai. Killing the snake was just another day in the neighborhood for this Lisu guy, but it surely left an impression on me.