FEATURE
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
April 12,1989
Page 6
Burbridge recounts Thailand adventure
came out of nowhere.”
They then “backpacked to a
primitive village,” where they
enjoyed “ceremonial dances.” They
spent the night in the village sleep
ing “on the floor on mats.”
The next day Cook became
ill. They were to spend the day
rafting on bamboo rafts. Since there
was no medical help available in
the village they decided to stick
with that plan.
They hiked down to the water
where the guide informed them
that there was no raft, but that he
was going to make one instead.
He rounded up some kids and
went off to go cut bamboo. Luck
ily, some tourists came by on rafts
so Burbridge and Cook went with
them. Unfortunately, they had to
go on separate rafts.
Burbridge had brought along
a life jacket, but she soon dis
carded it. “When I pulled out my
life jacket, the women on the raft
looked at me really funny. Then I
looked down and discovered, that
the water was up to my hips» safety
is not a main concern there.”
The rafting trip went smoothly.
“There were no big waves,” stated
Burbridge. When the raft landed
Cook had recovered, but they
decided to end their trek. They
hiked to a truck and left
“I was freaking out! But it
taught us that we have a lot of
survival skills, and that some things
that are important to us are not
important to them (the Thai
people) and that ours was not the
usual experience.”
While in Thailand, Burbridge
and Cook also “rode a night train
and rode on took-tooks, which
are motorized bicycles.”
In spite of the difficulties she
encountered, Burbridge said that
she enjoyed her trip. “The people
are wonderful; They’re very po
lite. It’s very safe and very clean.
You can eat food anywhere.”
On the way home, Burbridge
and Cook went to Hong Kong and
Korea. In Hong Kong they stayed
with different families, did “a lot
by Caret Hussey
Burbridge and Cook also went
into the mountains and visited the
Feature/Managing Editor
Have you ever wanted to go hill tribes.-‘You can actually live
on an unusual vacation? That’s with primitive people and go out
what counselor Ellen Burbridge on organized treks for four to nine
days.” Burbridge and Cook chose
did.
Twice a year Burbridge goes to go on one of these treks, and
on vacation. The first vacation she that’s when the adventure began.
takes with a woman friend. “My
“The trek was a disaster,”
family takes separate vacations to expressed Burbridge emphatically.
renew our sense of freedom,” she “Usually eight people go out on
explained. Burbridge chooses a treks and you can meet people
“more primitive culture” for her from all over the world.” Not so
first vacation site. She stated that this time.
she goes to “check it out for my
The first part of the journey
family.” If the place meets with was taken in the back of a truck
her approval, she goes back at over bumpy roads. Burbridge took
another time with her husband this in stride and merely com
and two children.
mented that the scenery, “was
This year she chose to go to beautiful.”
When they arrived at the site
Thailand during the last three
weeks of March She and her friend, where their trek was to begin, they
Margaret Cook, started out the discovered that it was just the two
vacation normally enough. They of them and . the guide (he’d ne
took a not so short flight. “It took glected to pick up other people
32 hours to get there,” she re for the trip.)
called. They spent their first day
in Bangkok “visiting temples and
getting oriented,” and spent the "The people are won
first night in a hotel. But for the derful. They're very po
rest of the trip they took “the
lite. It's very safe and
adventure route, not the tourist
very clean. You can eat
route.”
They spent some time on the food anywhere."
beaches, which Burbridge de
scribed as having “powder white
Ai this point Burbridge be
sand and warm aqua blue water.”
gan to worry. “I was scared. I had
When visiting the beach, you can
no idea where we were.” Thè
do several things, according to
guide gave them a choice of hik
Burbridge.
ing or riding on elephants. They
“You can lay out in the sun or
chose elephants.
get a massage for $2-$4. You can
Two hours later the elephants
arrived, guided by “guys with long
'Trave/ is a lot of work." sticks with a nail on the end.” The
elephants were equipped with
have people. cook food for chairs on their backs, and to get to
you...things like chicken or coco these chairs Burbridge and Cook
nut soup, oryou can get your nails had to climb ladders.
When they started into the
done or go swimming.”
Hie Thai method of cooking jungle, they discovered that their
guide
had disappeared. But Burbr
on the beach isn’t like the hot dog
stands here in the U.S. They carry idge, Cook, the elephants and their
pots around on their shoulders, owners continued on.
“We rode the elephants for
suspended by a long stick, and
cook the food right there on the three hours. The elephants stopped
for a fallen tree and the guide
beach.
photo by Tara Powers
Ellen Burbridge displays some of the unusual Items she bought
during her trip to Thailand. Burbridge also visited Hong Kong
and Korea.
of shopping and hiking. They have
delicious food and it’s a beautiful
country.”
From there they travelled to
Korea where they “rested a few
days.” But the atmosphere in Korea
was different form the two previ
ous countries. “It’s not a friendly
place, not a very warm place,” stated
Burbridge. There were “lots of
American soldiers... and it’s more
expensive.”
"I like to experience
different cultures."
Burbridge has also travelled
to Guatemala and plans to spend
her next vacation, river rafting in
Costa Rica with her family.
....
How does she decide where
to go? “We ask people who have
been there. We do a lot of reading
before we go,” explained Burbr
idge.
Planning a trip like this is not
like going with a tourist group,
“Travel ist a lot of work,” stated
Burbridge. When visiting another
country, they arrive during the day
and spend the first night in a ho
tel. The remainder of the trip is
“free time.”
Why does Burbridge go to such
out of the way places? “I like to
experience different cultures,” she
explained.
Next week: read about Corky
Kirkpatrick’s trip toThailand and
her very different experiences.
■
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