The Days of Yore

People come to Southeast Asia for many reasons. White beaches, tropical weather, wonderful food, friendly people and also a bit of history. We came to Thailand for different reasons but before leaving we both wanted to check out a little place that we had heard good things about for a chance to experience a bit of what the region was like hundreds of years ago. It is easy to get a bit templed out in Thailand since there are so many new and old ones in nearly every city you visit. We had both found the history and ruins of Ayutthaya interesting but were felt that a few months in between this historical park and that of Sukothai would be a good break and allow us to appreciate it even more. So with just a few days in Thailand left we decided to hit up Sukothai on our way out.

Sukhothai is known as the 'first' kingdom in Siam and was first established in the 1238. The kingdom eventually was absorbed by the Ayutthaya kingdom in the 1438 and lost much of its influence in the region. People continued to live here until the 1800's or so but much of the temples and structures were taken over by the forest and it was not until the early 1900's that the Thai government recognized the importance of the history that this region held. Many of the ancient structures were renovated and the area was eventually declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with two other nearby cities.

Today many tourists, both Thai and foreign alike come to view and wander around the pleasant surroundings that these historical parks offer. It is not as well visited as Ayutthaya since it is farther from Bangkok but in many ways the park makes for a more pleasant visit since the sun is not quite as intense, the area is much more shaded and the structures are just as fantastic. Since the area was also not attacked like Ayutthaya was by the Burmese, many of the structures are also more intact and picturesque. That being said both parks were worth a visit if just for a chance to imagine what live must have been like hundreds of years ago in these ancient kingdoms.

We only had two days to spare in our jam packed schedule and arrived early in Old Sukhothai (the nearby New Sukothai is actually a larger city where many guesthouses are located but we elected to stay closer to the sites). We checked into a room, had a quick breakfast and rented cheap bikes for the day. As we started to ride around we noticed many birds flying overhead and we discovered that this temple sightseeing excursion could also be combined with our birding interests. Since we had entered a new region of Thailand many of the birds were new ones for us so this was indeed a great discovery.

Our hours were whiled away taking in the amazing structures that had been built in a time before we could even imagine. The many different styles of the temples spoke to the different influences that had affected the people here (Khmer from Cambodia as well as Sri Lankan and Burmese influenced architecture). We biked around and enjoyed the park-like setting of Sukhothai where green lawns and lily filled ponds were interspersed with ancient laterite structures (the major stone used in building) and staring Buddha images. We seemed to have the place to ourselves (being the non-tourist season) and this made this spot even more enjoyable.

By the end of the day we had seen enough Buddhas to make our heads spin, the most impressive being a huge reconstructed image at Wat Si Chum which sits at about 12 meters high located within its own little cubicle. As to why many of the Buddhas have their own little cubicle I am not exactly sure but perhaps each Buddha image needs a bit of time to itself. We also visited a nicely put together museum with many artifacts and you guessed it: more Buddha images. I would like to hear how many Buddha images there are in Thailand. The task for that would certainly be a life long occupation for many.

By the end of the day we were pretty pooped but had successfully seen most of the 'significant' sights of Sukhothai and had bagged a number of new life birds as well. Not a bad day at all.

The next day we decided to rent a motorbike and head to another UNESCO World Heritage Site about 60 kilometers away. It too was an ancient city from the Sukhothai kingdom but we had heard that this place was a bit different and worth a look as well. After a bit longer ride than expected we arrived at another ruin strewn landscape. It was certainly different and worth the ride. The ruins were more visually striking in some respects and the whole area was interlaced with forest rather than wide grassy meadows.

We constantly asked ourselves how a place could have been a thriving population center and then abandoned for hundreds of years to be taken over by the forest. It is a bit mind boggling. Many of the structures were 'rediscovered' in the early 1900's and since then the Thai government has done their part to restore and preserve this historical area. In my mind this is quite forward thinking that began quite a long time ago.

Again these ancient ruins offered us with some amazing sights and a bit to ponder. This landscape also offered us another birding opportunity as forest near the temples was being used by thousands of waterbirds for a roosting sight. A huge area was being utilized by a number of species of huge majestic birds and this once again offered us another great diversion from temple viewing.

After our short two days of taking in the ruins we were again on our way. Our next stop would be another national park for you guessed it: more birding. We would enter northeast Thailand, the fabled Isaan, where the cooking is supposed to be fantastically spicy and the landscapes breathtaking.

Another River Trip

Our last few days along the border were filled with some good times. We were given a proper farewell and a bit of closure is always nice. We had two amazing meals: a Burmese soup with chicken and and quail eggs and delicious rice snacks at Laura's organization and one of our favorite dishes in Thailand (their version of sukiyaki or a sizzling hotpot with meat and vegetables). We were showered with unexpected presents as a sign of gratitude for sharing our time with the people here. It certainly was a great way to end our time and we were even given handmade traditional clothing which the ethnic group that we were working with wears. This was a truly heartfelt present and the best that we could think of. Perhaps not so practical to be worn in the USA but a gift which will be treasured.

After our final goodbyes we left on a bus on a rainy day heading south. Our destination was the Salawin River. This is one of the most important rivers in Burma and for now is also the longest undammed river in Southeast Asia. It is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the region and provides a livelihood for the many people that live along its shores. It will not stay undamned for long however as agreements have been made to dam the river in numerous places in order to supply power to Thailand and for the new capital of Burma. This has been a highly controversial issue and many Karen and other ethnic people inside Burma where the dams are to be placed have been forcibly relocated. The military has come through destroying many villages, raping and pillaging along the way and offering no reinbursement for the relocation. This has caused many villagers to flee to Thailand or live out a miserable nomadic existence in the jungle. All in all a pretty horrible situation.

The Salawin forms the border with Thailand for only about 100 miles but there is a large national park that has been set up here and we wanted to check out the life on the river as well as do a little birding. We had stopped at the park a few weeks ago but unfortunately did not actually visit the river and only had a chance to walk through some of the nearby forest. We had heard about an interesting village that laid on the banks of the river and also a river trip to a nearby town which sounded fun. A Thai doctor on one of our visits to the hospital had told us that the birding on the river was decent as well so we were excited about the prospects.

We arrived in the town of Mae Sariang a bit too late to catch a truck to the river village and the weather was not too great anyway so we decided to bed town in this cute river town (not the Salawin but a much smaller tributary) for the night. We awoke the next morning to relatively clear skies and jumped on the first truck to Mae Sam Lap, the aforementioned Salawin river town. The scenery along the ride started with pleasant rice fields in the valley but soon changed to thick forest in a hilly landscape and unfortunately the change in scenery was accompanied by a change in weather. The hills produced a rain that did not let up for the rest of the day. So much for that seemingly pleasant weather.

As we got closer to the Salawin, small houses along the roadside started to pop up. It was clear that many of the folks in this area were originally from Burma as Burmese seemed to be the ligua de franca of our fellow passangers and the longyis (the traditional Burmese sarong) was the favored clothing of those on the side of the road. We soon came to the bank of the river and noticed that the houses were packed in precariously along the steep slope. It looked as if any second they would tumble down the hillside but what do I know. Even in the rainy weather, this place was striking and memorable. I could only imagine why many of these people had fled their homes in Burma and decided to take up life on the river banks of the Thai side of the Salawin: for more trading options, to flee persecution, or otherwise.

We eventually arrived at our destination on the banks of the river where many boats plied the river to two nearby towns. We were not quite sure of what we wanted to do but we went to check with the local staff of the national park which had an office just outside of the village. At first we thought of staying in the nice bungalows that were offered here to both bird around the river and get a bit more exposure to the life around town. When we told them our interests in birding though, they told us that it would probably be best to head upriver to stay near the town of Ta Tha Fang. So with a bit of the help we looked for a boat heading upriver and waited a few hours as the rain continued to intermittingly drench the village.

While waiting for the boat, many interesting characters came up for a small chat. I am always amazed by the quality of English spoken especially along the border. One young Karen (a large group of indigenous people which lives both in Burma and Thailand) told us that he had learned English in one of the nearby refugee camps. This is interesting since he is not a refugee and was in fact born in Thailand but it seemed like he was putting the skill to good use. A Karen tour guide who was leading two French tourists around the area asked if we wanted to join his tour. When we said that we did not he was unexpectedly not pushy at all and actually helped us quite a bit in giving pertinent information about our own plans. It is so nice to be in places which are a bit less touristed. It always seems that the people are nicer and more helpful.

After about two hours, a boat was finally heading upriver and we jumped on board. Luckily the rain held out for our half hour boat trip on this majestic, muddy river. The banks were lined with sand banks and beautiful rock formations as well a number of birds. We arrived at the national park field office and quickly jumped off the boat and settled into our nice little room. No one else was staying here and it looked as if it had been awhile since anyone had. The facilities at Thai national parks have absolutely amazed me. They are nothing short of phenomenal, especially compared with say the Philippines (where they are virtually non-existent). Some Thai parks do charge a bit exhorbantly for foreigner admission fees but it certainly seems like these fees are being used appropriately.

After settling in, we decided to head into the small nearby village to see if there was anywhere to eat. We had brought our own supply of instant noodles but wondered if there was a bit more on offer in town. Our walk was accompanied by the rain and it was not a very fruitful effort as no food was found. But the little village was cute and the surroundings were eye-pleasing. After a little wandering we found our way down to the banks of the river and the birding here proved to be decent. It was interrupted a few times by the rain but we hung out here for about an hour or so with delight.

Then the afternoon rain set in and we decided to head home. We made the fateful decision to take a different route than we had come by and head along the river. It seemed logical since our accomodation was on the river that we would quickly make our way back. We figured that it could not be too far away. We were wrong though and found that while the path started off very clear and easy to follow, it soon headed into the forest where we got a bit lost just a few times. It turned out that the trek along the river which we thought would be a short jaunt turned into a bit of an afternoon adventure. We were just about to give up and head back the way we came when the national park lodging finally came into sight. We had started to see visions of hiking in the forest at night or even worse but our intuition that if we followed the river we had to come to our lodging was correct. It just took a bit longer of hiking through pouring rain in a muddy forest than expected. But all in all no harm done and just another afternoon adventure in the books.

Upon returning we changed out of our soaking muddy clothes and cooked up our instant noodles as well as a salad with some green mangoes that we had 'foraged' from a nearby plantation. When dusk started to settle in we were ravaged by misquitos and decided to head inside but this proved to be little better even in the closed and screened off room. After dinner we settled in for a restless night filled with some of the most hardcore misquito biting ever experienced.

Unfortunately the weather did not want to cooperate. We got about an hour of decent birding in before the sky opened up and just would not quit. After an hour or so of trying to wait out the storm we decided to call it a day and hit the road. We packed our things and caught the next boat out. It had been a nice park filled with a bit of adventure and some decent birding which could have been much better if the weather had been nicer. But our schedule was tight and the rain had gotten the better of us so we decided to move on. We headed back to Mae Sariang and then to Chiang Mai and eventually to Sukothai. We were on our way back into the heart of Thailand for some more temple adventure.

On The Road Again

Well the time has come once again to say goodbye and get a move on. We have had an amazing three months here in this little pleasant corner of Thailand and it has afforded us some great opportunities. Who knows if our time here will have had much impact on our students or the others that we have come into contact with but it has impacted us for certain.

As I have said before it always seems that you get a hell of a lot more out of volunteering abroad than you are able to give back. Funny how that works. It makes me often think that I am a bit selfish for living life this way: enjoying this way of seeing the world but often disregarding family and friends and connections back home and realizing that I am not having as much impact as I could say working on issues back in the US. But I realize that this way of life makes me happy and it suits me well. So I will continue. Sure you do not make much money, but who needs money anyway?

It is sometimes hard to leave a place that you have come to know as home, even if only for a month or two. A place that tugs on your heartstrings a bit and fills you with delight. A place such as our little corner of Thailand where we had the opportunity to learn a little bit about what life in Burma is like. A place that offered us some peace and calm and offered a chance for serious contemplation and reflection after months of constant traveling. But perhaps we have gotten too used to our nomadic lifestyle for we are both itching to move onto our next adventure.

Or perhaps it is because of our anticipation of new adventures ahead. A chance to continue our journey and learn more but this time inside Burma. The people that we met along the border helped us gain a little glimpse of what life is like but we thirst to know more. So after a bit of contemplation on whether or not to take the plunge and visit, we decided to go ahead. Some may condemn us for this decision as we are 'supporting' the regime by giving a few of our dollars to them but this is a trip for us about learning a bit more about this land. We will try our best to keep our money out of the hands of the government and do our best to take the time to meet the people of Burma. We will tell others about our experiences and what we see and discover in this forgotten place. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go.

Unfortunately we will be unable to post our experiences in Burma on this blog for fear that things may be linked between our time along the border and our time in Burma. We would not want anyone we meet in Burma to be put at risk. We have tried to be as vague as possible with people, places, etc... along the border in case that any of our students should choose to want to go back to Burma at some point. We are perhaps taking extraordinary precautions and the chances of any link being made are small with the chance that anyone from the regime reading our blog also being small but being safer is for the best in this case we think.

So look for future installments on a different blog which will be revealed to friends and family through email. Sorry about this inconvenience. We will still be traveling a bit in Thailand before heading to Burma so look for future posts on this blog. Also we will resume blogging on this site when we enter Cambodia for another volunteer stint in August. So stay tuned and good night.

Life in the Burmese Boondocks

The other day I gave my students the following assignment: write a paragraph about what you like about Burma. I figured that so often people focus on what is wrong with Burma, that they lose sight of what is good. I could tell they were a bit confused at first, so I mentioned "Everyone says they always want to go back to Burma. Why do they say this?" Most of the responses to the assignment may as well have been taken from a tourism brochure. This was not exactly what I had in mind, but what could I do.

One student's story, however, I would like to share with you. She totally dismissed the assigned topic and instead decided to write about how the State Peace and Restoration Council (SPDC) has affected the little farming community where she grew up. I have only fixed some grammar, otherwise every word is her own.

My Village
My village is a pleasant place, which is surrounded by mountains. In our village, people live simple lives and most people are farmers. People don't have extra crops to sell, they only have enough food for their families. When the SPDC started the railway project in Southern Shan State it made the local people have a difficult life. They confiscated people's farms without offering the farmers compensation. Civilians' livelihoods were stolen and it created more unemployment and made it more difficult to survive. Many people couldn't get enough food and the village had more problems. There were more thieves robbing food for survival because most people depended on their farms. Local people not only lost their lands (farms) and they were forced to build the railway without food or salary. Sometimes they had to provide food for soldiers who supervised the work. If people didn't go to work for one day, they have to pay money for two days work, so people weren't absent. In addition, people had no way of earning an income. Therefore, people have insufficient access to food and famine was a part of people's daily existence.

A Day in the Life of Us

Well since most of our posts are about the interesting exploits of travel and adventure, I decided to put one up about our daily life here along the border. We are officialy teachers and so a decent amount of our time is devoted to you guessed it: teaching. We both teach English for about four hours every weekday. Those actually are not bad hours you may say. And you would be correct. They are not bad.

That leaves us the rest of the day to explore other things. It may seem that we have tons of time to ourselves for relaxation but it is amazing how times flies. I seem to wonder everyday where the day has gone. Casey's organization was nice enough to give him his own computer with internet access for the time being so he has henceforth become addicted to it. He frantically checks emails hoping for some sort of communication, joins new networks and online communities, edits pictures and blogs, checks up on the happenings of the world, finds out new birding hotspot, learns about new travel and educational opportunities and numerous other things. He has vowed that he will pull himself away from it numerous times but he just cannot. Damn technology: it is just too interesting. It will actually be good for him to leave this place and once again no longer have instant access to the computer world. But in many ways it has been very nice for both Laura and he to once again become connected to a larger community and learn about some of those things they have missed in the past few years. But three months is enough. We soon be heading to Burma and will re-enter our own little happy world of ignorance and disconnect.

We also have time to enjoy the beautiful environs of own cute little mountain town. It is just gorgeous here and the weather has for the most part been pretty spectacular (save a few weeks with cough inducing and eye burning smoke). It has been fairly dry and the temperature has been splendid. Now we have entered the rainy season but even the weather now is more agreeable than the rainy season that we experienced in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Just about every afternoon Casey drags Laura along for a bit of running in our community through rolling hills and we are met with many smiles along the way. There is a cute little river which runs past our community and this is used by many locals and we have spent a few lazy afternoons here in little huts set up for relaxation. This may even be where Laura got her Staph infection. It is only about a thirty minute walk into town and sometimes we go in for a bit of exploration or an evening meal by lakeside. It certainly is a cute low-key town.

This area has also proven to be an amazing birding spot. Many mornings, especially on the weekends, are spent just walking around looking for our feathered friends. I cannot imagine what our neighbors think as they see the crazy white people wandering around searching in the air with binoculars. Are they trying to look in our houses? Are they some kind of spies? But it seriously has been a joy living in such a birdy place (certainly better than the Philippines). We have made a few ventures further afield, passing by many cute mountain villages along the way and overall I can say that I really enjoy this little corner of Thailand.

There is certainly much to do, but we have also spent a lot of our time relaxing and talking about nothing in particular. It has been a great respite for us and also a time to plan for the future. We both have so many things on our mind and things that we want to do but for now we have been trying our best to enjoy our little hill village haven.

Putterin' About

On our last Sunday before ending our time teaching, we decided to do a little birding (surprise!).

We arose with the sun and set of to a famous cave which is a nice little haven. We had tried birding here before, but our timing was off and we were smoked out. This time, we hoped not to be rained out as we went ahead with our plans with clouds looming overhead.

Our destination was within the boundaries of one of Thailand's many national parks and is a little retreat with a very small cave (as one tourist asked us..."where's the cave, I didn't see it?"), nicely manicured lawns and a short nature walk. The cave itself and the nearby stream is inhabited by many large fish who are feed by weekend visitors and guarded by an interesting Buddhist statue clothed in a leopard skin robe. Strolling around with our binoculars at first we didn't find anything. Just when we thought the day was for naught, we were overtaken by a large bird wave. In about 5 minutes we had identified about 10 species. Joyously, we decided to continue our journey a few kilometers away at the headquarters for the national park.

We had just discovered this place on a large tourist map at the cave and decided to check it out. It was out of the way and obviously not well visited as when we arrived the office staff's first question was did we mean to go to the cave instead. We meandered along a little trodden footpath through thick forest and bamboo stands. We were amazed at the forest in this area as it seemed to be real jungle, something we had not seen around these parts. Soon, the trail disappeared under the bamboo stands and so we headed back the way we came. We were trying to practice our forest birding skills, which are basically non-existent, but the occasional showers and thick forest wasn't too conducive to bird identification.

The clouds continued to threaten us and Lora was tired so we were planning on heading back to our village, but as we came to the road we decided to turn right instead of left. The road to the right looked inviting. It was a wandering length of highway nestled in a narrow valley that held a churning stream. The mountains above were thick with bamboo and the valley was highly cultivated. It was a charming spot and so we pressed on. We had no idea where we were headed, but we had the whole afternoon ahead of us to explore.

We zipped along the little highway past the lychee laden bamboo baskets ready to transport the fruit into town, through the village and under a sign that read "checkpoint for locals" or something to that affect. It was at this point we realized: we must be on a road to Burma! Since no one bothered the stop us, we decided to head straight through the quaint village and up the thickly forested mountains. Awed by the ever-increasing greenery around us we suddenly realized that we were beginning to hear birds chirping once more. This was a little odd since it was the middle of the day, usually not prime time for birding and the weather was wet, also not the best for birds. Yet, there sounds were unmistakable.

We began halting the motorbike often in search of birds in the nearby trees. We became thrilled as we realized what a wonderful place we had discovered and a bit sad that we had not stumbled across it sooner.

Let's just say that we were in heaven gawking at both birds and nature.

The road kept winding up and we with it. I can't tell you just how amazed at the scenery we were. We didn't know forest such as this existed in Mae Hong Son where everywhere else the hills looked dry and overrun by stands of bamboo. But this looked entirely different. It was green and lush and I was beginning to understand how some people could refer to it as a jungle instead of a forest. I began to imagine elephants and tigers inhabiting the steep slopes.

When we reached the top of the mountain, we realized we were not yet in Burma. Not that we thought it would be that simple to jet across the border. We did notice a large signboard on the opposite side of the hill and thought that it just may be the border crossing. We zoomed down the mountain, stopping only for some birds and came across a large sign telling us we were in the soft-zone of Thailand. We wondered what this could mean, but decided to keep going as all the buildings were deserted. Soon we noticed that the road simply led up another hill and although we are keen on adventure, it was getting late. We were just considering heading back when a truck drove by in the opposite direction and subtly motioned we should follow them and continue no further. Perhaps it was because we were a little to close to Burma for I had a feeling that the soft zone meant disputed territory along the Thai-Burma border. So, then perhaps we could say that we made a third trip to the other side :)

What We Do

As our time here along the border winds down, I thought it would be good to reflect on what we have done here. For the past three months we have settled down from our fast paced traveling lifestyle while in SE Asia and actually got a job. Well I guess it is a bit different than a job. We don't actually get paid and only work about 4 hours a day so I am not exactly sure what you would call this. But we are working nonetheless. It is perhaps different and less exciting than our traveling life, but it has been interesting on many other levels and very worthwhile. Some days are slow but this slowness has been a welcome change to the hectic traveling schedule in the rest of Southeast Asia.

Many may wonder what we do in our volunteer job. Both of us teach two English classes a day. The number of students in our classes have fluctuated with time, as folks float in and out of our organizations or as others are invited unknowingly into our classes. This constant fluctuation does not always provide for the easiest teaching experience but such is life. Neither of us have that many students. Right now we are both down to about 6 students scattered in both classes. This provides for lots of individual attention but does make some activities such as games difficult especially with shy students. Certainly one thing which is nice is the undivided attention that most of the students pay us and the respect that we are shown. We basically have no problem with control in the classroom and do not have to worry about reprimanding, as is the case in most Asian nations, where the teachers are much like a God. I like being like a God. Sure it is good to question authority and maybe a bit more free thinking would be welcome in the classrooms in Asia, but I do not think I could handle teaching an out of control class in the United States.

The teaching takes up our mornings and overall it has been a very positive experience. Our students all seem eager to learn at least on the surface which is nice. They have all made progress in the past three months. Certainly some could have worked a bit harder and showed some more initiative but that is the same with most students around the world. It has been easy and enjoyable, and in fact much more so than I had originally pictured. All in all I do not know how much of an impact we have really made and how much we have accomplished as far as the overall goal of our placements here. The purpose of our teaching was intended to build the capacity of the members of the organizations to more effectively communicate in English. Supposedly with better English skills, these organizations could work to better the situation of people both inside Burma and along the border. Theoretically they should be able to get the message out to the international community more effectively about the situation in Burma as well as work with international organizations who assist them with projects in the area. Sometimes we wonder if we have really helped in that purpose much at all. Granted three months is not really a long enough time to have much of an effect but we also sometimes wonder about the effectiveness of the organizations where we work.

As with all organizations, there are the little things that always make you wonder. Laura's organization is composed of mainly young women with newborn babies and they devote much of their time to this (as is necessary) as opposed to providing services to the community. These are young women too (even younger than us) and while they do have some interesting experiences, we are not always sure if they are entirely dedicated or motivated to do NGO work. The fact that they are migrants here and have to deal with all of the Thai policy bullshit of such a status certainly does not help this situation. Casey's organization on the other hand has an old dog who has been here for a long time and who has many connections with international donors and local Thai authorities. The organization are fairly respected in the area and do some decent work but the capabilities of the staff here is also limited. This is compacted by the fact that the leader does not like to really give any power or responsibilities to his staff. He is the boss for sure and recently he kicked the most skilled person with the best ability to communicate with international donors out of his organization due to a percieved power struggle. Ah yes. Life on the border.

That being said, these people are doing the best they can in a situation that is not an easy one. These people are outsiders without a country or a home and many have decided to try to devote at least part of their lives to helping their people. It may not always be done with the vigor or in the most appropriate way but who am I to judge. One of the most poignant things that sticks out for me is something that many of the people we have met here have said, "I want to go home as I love my country, but I will not do so until it is free." Many of the people have chosen to live here in a precarious position and work towards that freedom and that is good enough for me.

Life is never perfect but we hope that we have had at least a small impact on our organizations and helped them a bit. It is hard to do too much in a short time. Once again it has been a time that we have probably gotten much more out of than we have given back. It is interesting how volunteering works out in that way. We have had a number of interesting cultural experiences, tasted some of the best food in Asia (in our estimation), heard some great stories and met some great people. All in all, a big check in our books.

No Room for Change

I figure I better get these thoughts out now before I enter Burma...so sorry in advance for the cynicism.

I am currently reading an excellent book on the Burmese situation entitled Living Silence it's by Christina Fink, if anyone should want to pick up a copy.

In the book, she discusses why after everything that has happened in Burma, there is no change. Basically, she says it's because the regime has done such a good job at intimidating people that they feel like it's better to go along with it rather than fight it. For instance, if someone is to stand up against the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) they are not the only ones to get in trouble. The SPDC will go after their family, friends and even acquaintances regardless of their political activism. They have their fingers in almost every aspect of the economy so if one is looking for a nice secure job, they are practically forced into agreeing with all of the SPDC's agenda. Needless to say, parents who long to see their children financially successful (or at least secure) encourage them to align with the regime.

With the development of the United Solidarity and Development Agency (USDA) a supposedly social (not political) arm of the SPDC, many people have been forced to become a member in order to retain their jobs. Even students have been enticed to join by their teachers who threaten to lower their grades or even have them expelled for failure to join the USDA.

The education of Burmese history is horrendous in the school system, where rebellions and ideals of former leaders are left out of the curriculum (reminds me of Tienanmen Square and how China denied it). At home, the children are not taught the truth either for fear or simply because their parents think it's futile to talk about the past when nothing will change.

A case in point of all of this is one of my students. She has told me a few times that she never understood the oppression of the Burmese people until she came to Thailand. She was not too fond of the SPDC in Burma, because they were to blame for the high inflation and low standard of living, but she was completely unaware as to what kind of atrocities the government enacts in order to keep their position in power.

Another way at which the SPDC excels is in fracturing their competitors. Instead of having the opposition fight them, they have turned different opposition groups upon each other and in some cases they have caused groups to splinter and fight. Most of the minority groups have always considered the Burmans (the ethnic Burmese) untrustworthy, but now there is a lack of trust and unity among the different ethnic groups.

To emphasize this, let me tell you about a talk I had with my students. They are all a part of the same ethnic group. Most of this group comes from Shan State, which is largely comprised of the Shan ethnic group. My students assignment was to create a political party and so we were discussing their choices. At first both groups insisted that their party be only for their ethnic group. They claimed that if they let in another ethnic group (such as the Shan) then their group would not receive the same rights. They continued by adding that currently in Shan State their ethnic group is treated worse than the Shan and so they need a voice in order to gain equality.

Now, from my perspective it seems like the inequality between Shan and Pa-O could not even compare with the inequality between the Pa-O or Shan and Burmans. And that the Shan and Pa-O have much more in common, while trying to gain equality with the Burmans than they have differences. I asked how could their party possibly get anything done when they only have a few people voting for their cause. To an outsider, it makes more sense for the minorities to band together until their fight against the SPDC is over than to turn toward inter-ethnic issues. But, to them, they must first fight to keep their ethnicity intact, which can involve fighting other ethnic groups.

Almost all ethnic groups, I have been informed, are fighting for self-determination. That is, they all want to separately have control over their own government. While this is not a bad thing, it also increases the tensions between ethnic groups that intermingle because each group wants to run things their own way.

Sadly, the more I read and the more I learn about the situation in Burma, the more I think that there is no hope in store for the country. The culture of submission is exploited by the regime. The citizens are taught that only the regime can help them and that military men are heroes. Also, many people are too concerned with how to make a living and thus have little time or care to devote to making change. From all of my research and talks with Burmese, I haven't found any solutions to the current situation and this is very upsetting.

Another Run for the Border

Well the month just slipped on by us. Last weekend it was time for another run across the border to renew our non-visa entry permit. This time we had some business to take care of in Mae Sot, so we decided to head across to Myawaddy, Burma instead of Tacheleik like we did last time.

On our way down, we thought we try our hand at birdwatching along the famous Salween River. The Salween is currently (but not for long thanks to Japan, Thailand and the SPDC) the longest undamned river in SE Asia. It forms the border between Thailand and Burma for about 100 kilometers (or miles, I can't remember). While Laura was at the hospital, she had a discussion with a doctor and fellow birder about where the best birding spots around were and she recommended the Salween. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs the entire trip down and we had to postpone our outing.

After quite a long and wet trip we finally made it done to Mae Sot and crossed the border to go through the necessary passport stamping. The minute we ran walked across the "friendship bridge" we knew we were in different territory. As opposed to the last Burmese town we visited, this one is far less touristy. Apparently tourists feel it is too far off the beaten path to be worth a look. This meant that there was staring and gawking and not a single peddler hassling us. It was wonderful.

We wandered around the main street until we came to the local market. At first I feared that the town was a bit quiet as at first glance the market looked quite barren. But, as soon as we weaseled into the narrow halls of the market, the hustle and bustle began to reveal itself. We decided to have ourselves a little Burmese breakfast of noodles and fried tofu. The tofu was delicious, the vendor cut it open and then stuffed it with a single fresh chili, fried garlic chips and topped it with numerous unidentifiable sauces.

We wandered around the backstreets some more. One of the first things we realized was that the roads were horrible. It did not help that it had been raining for the past few days, but apart from the main road, the other roads were absolutely awful. There was yellow mud and rocks jetting out everywhere.

It's amazing how different a place can be just because of a border. I would have thought that Myawaddy would have been similar to Mae Sot. Mae Sot, after all, consists of more than 60% Burmese migrants. Essentially it is a Burmese town. When you walk in the market you see men and women wearing longgyis and their face painted with the traditional natural powder tanaka (made from sandalwood I just read). But I felt that Myawaddy had an entirely different feel. For one thing, it is a much more laid back town.

One of the things that caught our eye were the small stalls of betel nut vendors. They were everywhere! It was fun to watch them whitewash a small leaf with lime and then add betel nut and other ingredients before packaging it all up for the customer. We couldn't resist trying one of these creations. It looked pretty good with fennel seeds, tamarind and honey in the mix. We had a jolly time trying out the little Burmese that we know on the vendor and the few passersby who were awed by the foreigners buying betel nut. We realized our Burmese is horrendous, but it was a lot of fun to try.

Before heading back to Thailand we stopped in a teashop. Burma is famous for their teashops. The plain tea is free, but you must buy another drink or munch on some snacks. We had tea with canned milk, a creation very similar to the tea tarik of Malaysia that we enjoyed so much. We took our time sipping the tea and nibbling on the snacks that were splayed across the table. We were treated with some Burmese music videos filled with cheesy scenes of star crossed lovers.

It was a great experience and piqued my excitement about heading to Burma. I am very eager to learn more about the country and it's people and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful adventure.

Feisty Fighter

At the naming party, we met a feisty Karenni woman. She is from the Padaung (aka Kayan) tribe and she moved from Burma to a refugee camp with her family when she was seven. Her tribe is famous for their custom by which certain women decorate their bodies with brass rings and the ring around their neck pushes down their collar bone to give the illusion that their necks are elongated.

Her mother still wears the rings and lives in the tourist village just outside of the refugee camp. Her mother, she informed us, wears the rings our of respect for the tradition and not just because she is paid by the Thai authorities to do so.

This woman wore the rings when she was a child, but told her mother she would no longer wear the rings after arriving in Thailand because she wanted to go to school.

She attended a top secret training that lead her abroad to the UK for three months. Now she works for an international organization that assists refugees. She stated that she liked her work, but she and the other Burmese are not treated as equals to the rest of the staff. This seems ridiculous since without the Burmese workers, the organization would be useless. Sadly, she explained, that much of the discrepancies are because her and the other Burmese do not have the education credentials needed for higher positions. They have a lot of experience, but without a Thai ID card it is difficult to attend college in Thailand and without any documentation it is nearly impossible to travel abroad to get an education. Ironically, her situation is caused by the fact that she fled her homeland and it is precisely people like her that the organization she works for is assisting, yet they won't let her move up in the ranks.

In a statement not too uncommon in these parts, she announced that she does not want any children because there are so many things (such as go to college) that she wants to do. She does have one child, however, but she comically commented that it was her husband who "forced" her to have the child and as a consequence he spends more time raising the child that she does.

I hope to meet her and her husband again before we leave. She is an incredibly strong women who's not afraid to state her opinion and that's not a quality you find often in an Asian woman.

Naming the Baby

May 4, 2007

Last week we had a party to celebrate the one month birthday of the newest edition to the organization. This is the day the baby receives his name and it also marks the beginning of the end of the after birth taboos.



We forwent class in lieu of a day of cooking. We were making the traditional Burmese dish mohinga. mohinga is typically a breakfast dish. It is usually made with banana pith, fish and a lot of other things I'm not savvy of, although I can pretty much bet on MSG being a main ingredient. The soup is eaten with fresh coriander and green beans, which the diner adds to their bowl at their leisure.

To prepare we shelled copious amounts of onions and garlic and we sliced and diced buckets of coriander, banana pith and green beans. A batter of rice flour and yellow lentils was fired to a crisp as the ultimate topping for the soup.

During the actual party it rained. Thus, not many guests showed up to greet the baby boy. However, from what I gathered, the typical gathering consists mostly of the comings and goings of guests - most just stay until their bellies are warmed and full. Before they go they tie a string around the baby's hand for safety and good luck. Presents and money are also welcome contributions. The mother is still in semi-seclusion so she stays with the baby inside the hut and the people come to pay their respects to her while the party continues outside with the father acting as host.

Traditionally, the baby is not named by the parents. The naming is generally performed by a monk who takes into account the day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc) the child was born to determine the appropriate name. The right name is said to help the child through life.

This baby boy has at least two names: the Thai name he was given at birth (by someone at the hospital). In this case, he was named after a movie star. He will also have at least one ethnic name (his parents are both from different ethnic groups) and perhaps a Burmese name as well. The Thai name he will use in school and another will be reserved for the household.

Splish Splash

Ah Water Festival (or Songkran as it is known here in Thailand). A time for heavy drinking, fighting and motorcycle accidents. Oh and that part about the water too. When asking many people about water festival, a smile often comes across their face. It seems like everyone loves it. They say it is so much fun and everyone has a great time. That is of course for all of those people who don't get into fights and accidents. But even they enjoy it until that fateful moment.

As to exactly what Water Festival celebrates I had a difficult time getting a straight answer. Yes it is a Buddhist holiday and yes Buddhists go to the temple and have special food and honor their elders and yes you throw water on people and have a good old jolly time, but exactly why??? What is the history of this tradition? It was like trying to pry teeth to actually get an answer to what I thought was a relatively simple question. So I decided finally that good old Google might be my best bet.

And here is what I found:

Songkran is a Thai word which means "move" or "change place" as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.

The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable custom for the Thai community, society and religions. The value for family is to provide the opportunity for family members to gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to dedicate the result to their ancestors. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.

When I asked some of my students from Burma what the difference between Water Festival in Burma and Water Festival (they are predominantly Buddhist in Burma as well) in Thailand was they seemed to think it was a bit different. They felt that in Burma there was still a lot of religious significance left in the holiday. This is a holiday which lasts for about four days. They said in Burma people would visit a different temple on each of the four mornings while in Thailand, most people only visit the temple on one morning. It also seemed to them that Water Festival in Thailand was even a bigger party than in Burma with people starting to drink and begin merry making in the wee hours of the morning. Well all I can say is from what I saw is the people in the town where we are living know how to have a good time during water festival.

Oh yes, but what about those accidents and fights and such. That is not good is it? No it is not good and we were privilege to that as well. Weren’t we lucky!!! I have heard reports that up to 90% of the annual motorcycle accidents in Thailand happen during these four days. By day two of the festival this year we heard the death count in the country was up to 200. There were two deaths in our town by then. Laura had to visit the hospital herself (not related to the water festival) and saw a foreigner who was quite pissed that he had totaled a rented bike and had gotten injured in the process probably thanks to some kids throwing water at him while he was driving. The wet roads as a result of the water throwing, coupled with the overall state of drunkenness of the country is not exactly a great mixture for safe driving conditions. Oh let’s not forget the fighting. Laura was lucky to witness a fight involving beer bottles and screaming profanities induced by copious amounts of alcohol. And it was between two members of Casey’s organization no less but on the grounds of her organization. Oh joy!!!


Furthermore, there is the wasting of water and in the middle of the dry season. Granted I understand that it is tradition and I am all for keeping cultural traditions alive, but I cannot even imagine how much water is wasted for these four days. And in many places the water throwing starts weeks in advance. Today the tradition of water throwing has been what I would say steroid induced. People stand on the side of the road with hoses and huge 10 gallon buckets and soak all of the passing vehicles and pedestrians. Also granted that it is great fun and I participated in it for one afternoon, but four days of excessive water wasting does seem a bit excessive.

And people love water festival, you say? Yes, they certainly do! There are some not so nice things about it but it is a joyous occasion. People dancing on the street, throngs of happy children splashing each other with water, colorful festivals and parties, traditional food. It is hard to not get enraptured with the ‘merry-making.’

Unfortunately for us, we were confined to a hospital room for a majority of the festival. Luckily it was not an injury from a fight or accident but instead for something called Cellulitis that had attacked Laura’s leg probably because of a Staph infection. Also unfortunately, Laura has recently been a walking medical case and we may be our town’s hospital’s most frequent customers in the past month. However, surprisingly this has proved not be the worst situation as we have been very impressed with this local hospital. It is clean, the doctors seem like they know what they are doing and they explain what is actually happening with your condition. These are all things that often did not happen in the Philippines, even in hospitals in large cities, and this one in Thailand is in a fairly small town. So Thailand health care gets a thumbs up from us.

On the first day of the festival, Laura’s leg had yet to get nasty so we were able to enjoy a bit of the festivities. It ended up being quite a low key and relaxing day since the women at Laura’s office were not too interested in getting soaked, imbibing copious amounts of alcohol, dancing in the street or getting into accidents and fights. Instead they chose to stay at home and make traditional snacks that they make in Burma. We added what little help we could to the cooking experience and we made enough rice snacks to feed an army. We made two kinds: one sweet made of rice powder and sugar (which was alright) and one savory made of rice powder, pork, garlic chives, green onions, and tomatoes (which was delicious). Both of the rice snacks were wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to cook them (this process seems quite ubiquitous in SE Asia and I love it). The rest of the day was spent just chilling and watching the little babies run around the office.

This was a good way to start off the holiday but on the second day Laura’s leg and ankle had swollen to the quite an unbearable size and let’s just say it did not look too pretty (nor did it feel too great). We decided to head back to the hospital (the day before they had just prescribed antibiotics) and the doctor there felt that Laura should be admitted in order to give her antibiotics intravenously. So we gathered our things and headed to the hospital and settled in for a few days. Luckily after two days the swelling in Laura’s foot had gone down considerably and it felt a lot better. She was discharged and we were free to enjoy the last afternoon of Songkran.

We headed back to our places and loaded in the back of a pick-up with other folks from both of our offices. We also brought along two huge buckets of water to throw at others as we drove by. We drove through town and got absolutely soaked from the water throwers on the sides of the street and in other vehicles. It was certainly a good time although a bit chilly. Oddly enough, during the festival this year which is usually the hottest and driest time of the year, it was cloudy and there were even a few sprinkles.


After driving through town we disembarked at the nearby river where probably a hundred small bamboo huts had been set up to sit under and enjoy the river. The place was packed and people were enjoying the holiday with friends and family. The network of bamboo in the water was quite impressive and the number of people was also astounding. In the early evening we left for our next destination which was the lake and plaza in the middle of town. We waited for the procession to pass which included a number of floats with beauties from the local villages. The highlight of the parade for everyone however was the truck with a Buddha statue on it. The people would hand the people in the truck an offering of water which would be poured over the statue. The water would then be retrieved (now in a scented and colored form) from the basin below the Buddha and given back to the people that gave the offering. This water was now blessed and people sprinkled one another to offer good luck and show respect for their elders.

It was unfortunate that we were not able to be involved in more of the festivities but I do feel that we got our fill. In reality how many days of water fights can one truly handle. I enjoyed our first Water Festival even if half of it was spent in a hospital. We came away unscathed and uninjured which is more than I can say for others. After hearing so much about it, it was nice to see what Water Festival really is like and it was a nice chance to relax and join in a bit of the fun.

Baby Blues

Laura's organization is crawling with infants, literally. Only one of the members living at the house is currently sans hubby or child. Right now the totals up to 5 kids.

The latest edition arrived last week. A cute little boy born to parents who, honestly, didn't seem too thrilled about the idea of being parents. As the mother told me "I don't like babies." She also mentioned that her husband would prefer she continue school instead of raising babies (he's a keeper for sure! Especially in these parts of the woods where many men do not hold the same views). It turns out that the baby was an accident and they really weren't planning on being parents just yet.

After hearing their story it made me glad I come from a place where parents have so many options about what to do if they have not planned their pregnancy. In Thailand and in Burma, abortion is illegal, supposedly because of religious reasons. Buddhist religious reasons. If one has the money, time and passport one could travel to Singapore. Adoption in these places isn't really an option either. You can leave your baby at an orphanage, but there is little chance that it will get adopted. This is because if the child cannot be cared for by the parents then extended family are left with the burden (and/or the joy).

Along with the baby came a whole slew of traditions. It seems like the people of Burma are still very much rooted in their traditional culture, including superstitions. Because I find it interesting, I will list some, related to childbirth (and after), below:

After child birth the mother is confined to her room with the baby. She is not supposed to leave this room. She cannot do any work including cleaning, cooking or doing laundry. Someone brings all of her meals to her bedroom. To keep her from going crazy with boredom (my own opinion), people are allowed to visit her. This seclusion lasts for at least 1 month. Maybe more if the birth was a difficult one. I do not mind this practice, but it is a little troublesome knowing one of my best students is unable to attend my class, which is about 50 feet away from her room, because of this tradition.

For a month after the birth, the mother must not eat a multitude of foods from most vegetables to chicken and beef. The chicken and beef are not allowed because they will make her hurt if she eats them. Spicy food is a no go because it could cause diarrhea in the baby. Jack fruit, a type of vegetable, may lead to a lower output of breast milk. Therefore, the mother is left with little choices, which usually range from fried pork to fried fish. All things considered, I don't understand why MSG is OK for the mother, but vegetables are not. I also find it interesting that one of the few things they are allowed to eat is also one of the few things that doctors back home are telling mothers and mothers-to-be not to eat (fish).

Lastly, the mother must not bathe with water. Instead, a medicinal concoction is boiled up for her each day and she uses this to bathe.

At the end of the month, the parents hold a naming ceremony for the baby. There is also a little celebration. They say it is for the baby, but I suspect it is to celebrate the release of the mother from these rules back into the everyday life.

Run for the Border

Our Thai tourist visa was almost up. We had to make a run for the border to get a new 30 day non-visa tourist permit. Even though we are extremely close to Burma, there are no official crossings near our town, so we had to make the long trek up to the highest point in Thailand, where we crossed over into Burma.

The trek took a full day of travel and involved an inordinate amount of transfers. But, it went through some pretty country and it gave a chance to once again be one of the infinite number of tourists who visit the Land of Smiles.

Casey had this brilliant plan to combine business (the visa run) with pleasure (bird watching) and designed a magnificent fun-filled 4 day excursion. Since coming to Thailand Casey's bird nerdom has reached new levels due to the fact that there are so many amazing looking birds here and they are fairly easy to find. Birds are basically everywhere we go and this pleases Casey very much. Compared to the Philippines which also has a great number of bird species but a relative dearth in density, Thailand is a birding wonderland. In the Philippines it seems that most of their habitat has been destroyed or the birds are dinner (even those little tiny sparrows) which luckily is not the same in Thailand. Casey has even managed to drag Laura along in his bird excitement and she now too has her own binoculars which makes the birding a bit more enjoyable (sharing while perhaps a good idea does not work well in practice when it comes to birding as someone always inevitably misses a bird and is miffed as a result). Casey had been anticipating and planning this particular trip for the past two months and was incredibly excited to be on the way. Bird Nerds Away!!!

Our plan was to stop at Doi Chang Dao, a mountain between here and the border crossing, where the birding is known to be superb. This detour was to last 1.5 days. We had planned to hire a motorbike for the ascent up the mountain but the night before leaving Laura has some misgivings about 2 hefty Americans riding a dinky motorbike up a steep slope with their packs. Even though Laura kept saying she was going learn how to ride a manual motorbike, the skill never materialized, thus we were unable to rent two bikes. We weren't completely convinced that this would be an issue, until we tried to rent a motorbike and the owner suggested we find another means of transportation up the perilous mountainside. This sent Laura into a frenzy as visions of people flying over cliffs filled her head. She decided (again) that a motor was a terrible idea and made it quite clear that the plans should be altered. Unfortunately, Laura was not adamant about her views until we were AT our desired location. If she had made her views more clear before, we could have easily changed our plans. But it was already close to 7pm and we were in a small town and didn't know what to do.

Thank goodness the last northbound bus drove by and we were able to catch this to carry us 2 hours further north. We thus decided to head to the border and swing back around to the mountain before heading home. This would mean going about 2 hours out of the way later and would cost us considerably more money since we were to rent a car instead of a motorbike, but it seemed like the best option to make both of us happy.

The next morning we awoke before the crack of dawn to catch the mysterious 5:30 or 6 am bus to the border town. Trusty ole Lonely Planet once again turned its back on us. This wasn't too big of a deal, it just meant that instead of a nice long ride in one bus, we had many short trips on various different modes of transportation to take us to our destination.


The Border and Burma
Once at the border, we were thrilled with how easy everything went. We were a tad bit nervous because of the new Thai immigration laws that no one can seem to keep straight, but everything was a smooth as silk. We were a bit annoyed at the Burmese government for charging foreigners $10 for a day permit. Actually, they said it was ten dollars, but they asked for 500 Baht and it wasn't until we were inside the country did we realize they had jiped us for about $4.50 each. Needless to say, we were not happy about supplying the military junta with any more money that was absolutely necessary to get the job done.

The town on the other side, Tachilek, looked, not surprisingly, much like the Thai town across the river. The main difference being the type of lettering used on the signs - one was Burmese,the other Thai. But, we heard Thai and English spoken way more than Burmese and the border market seemed to be full of Thai paraphernalia. I imagined the vendors smuggling Thai-dubbed English VCD's over from Thailand in order to sell them back to Thai tourists. There were also an inordinate number of walking vendors selling a variety of products (mind you, not too wide though). The hot ticket items were 'Marlboro' cigarettes which were definitely not Marlboros, little electric hand held fans, gag playing cards with pictures of Saddam Hussein or half naked girls on them and viagra. Yes, viagra.


The market had one other notable mention. One of the first stalls we came across was a woman eagerly selling endangered animal parts. Monkey skulls, patches of tiger fur, bear's gall bladders, antelope and rhinoceros horns were all what she had on display. Now, I have a hard time believing that the more exotic items were authentic. Why would she be selling a pair of tiger teeth for only 200 Baht? This seemed a too good to be true. We gawked long and hard before running in the other direction.

After about 2 hours in Burma we decided we had had enough and jetted back across the border and towards the Mekong River. Near a small town along the river is Chiang Saen Lake. We had come to do some birding and to admire the scenery. We were excited because we have not had much opportunity in seeing waterbirds, so this was the time to get some "lifers" and to practice birding over water.


Lakeside Birding
While in Chiang Saen, we stayed at this nice little Western-style guesthouse. By western-style I do not be like people from Western countries. I mean in the style of the old wild west and Rawhide (for those Phoenicians). This seems to be a fairly common theme in Thailand, though we can't figure out why. The woman who runs the place is very informative and nice. We rented a motorbike from her and puttered along to the lake, stopping along the way for bird sightings.

The lake was gorgeous. There was a nice boardwalk above lilies and other wetland vegetation which harbored all sorts of wildlife. We birded until just before dark. All the while we kept hearing this loud unusual sound, which we expected to be a great water bird, but in fact belonged to the resident peacocks. Why there were exotic resident peacocks at a protected wetland, we'll never know. But they did make for a nice photo-op.



The next morning we got up bright and early to do some more birding around the lake. We did a little touring around the pleasant little town of Chiang Saen. Hundreds of years ago this was the center of an important kingdom and as a result the town and the surrounding area are littered with ruins. It reminded us much of Ayutthaya or the many other towns in Thailand where ruins (some just piles of rocks and others extremely impressive) are so commonplace. This town also had the further appeal of being situated on the Mekong River. I do not know why but I have always heard a lot about the Mekong (although I am not really sure in what context). Well part of the reason to come to Chiang Saen was to see this mighty river for ourselves. Upon arriving it looked like a big brown river and we said, "Well, there it is. It's the Mekong." I do not know what I was really expecting but next time I get a chance maybe I will take a ride on the river. But we did not have time on this trip. We could have stayed longer as this town certainly pleased us but we had already racked up about 40 species of birds already and we still had another destination on our minds.


Yet Another Transportation Misadventure

So we reluctantly packed our things and moved on. At noon we left for Chiang Rai and then planned to head to Chiang Mai where we would rent a car for the trek up Doi Chiang Dao. Unfortunately upon arrival at Chiang Rai we discovered that all of the buses to Chiang Mai for the next 3 hours were fully booked. We did not expect this. It is times like these when one begins to appreciate the overcrowded buses that never pass by a potential customer just because they ran out of seats. Everything has a good side. Laura tried asking if we could sit in the aisle, but her pleading was to no avail. So we whiled away the three hours doing absolutely nothing but worrying that we would not make it to Chiang Mai before all car rental agencies closed and then our plans really would be screwed.

Lucky for us, we did make it in time to rent a car. Not from the place we had expected to mind you. They were too expensive, so we went running down the street in search of a company that had yet to padlock their doors. We did find a shop that had closed almost 1.5 hours previously, but had left their door open a crack, which gave me the opportunity to barge in a request a vehicle. The clerk was kind enough to call the owner, who came to the store to supply us with the proper vehicle.

What should we do now? We wondered. It was getting late, but we wanted to be at the mountain in time for the prime birding hours of the early morning. We tried phoning a guesthouse at the base of the mountain, but the owner didn't seem to thrilled with staying up until midnight just for us, so we scrapped that plan. We tried to find a cheap guesthouse in Chiang Mai, but the neighborhood we were looking in shuts down early and so we were left wandering deserted side streets.

Finally we decided to head for the mountain and sleep in the car. We thought for sure that we would be able to find a nice hide-away to spend the remainder of the night. We did find a nice place, until Laura decided she REALLY had to go to the bathroom and proceeded to wander about looking for a place to relieve herself. This did NOT make the resident dogs happy and they began howling like banshees. This did NOT make Casey happy who thought that some angry Thai would come running after us because his dog woke him up. After some debate, we decided to hit the road once more in search of another quiet place to park. At the end of the road, on the grounds of the monastery where we were planning to bird in the morning we found just the right spot. It was quiet and there were no barking dogs to ruin the night calm. We tried to sleep until daybreak, when we got up to begin a day of bird searching.


Mountain View Birding
The day was great. We wandered around the temple and monastery for the morning looking at birds and watching the monks go to and from collecting alms. The monastery is set on the slopes of Doi Chiang Dao, nestled in between some gorgeous scenery. It was quite a hike to get up to the temple, but it was well worth the view. We ate lunch at a spot recommended to us by other birders. The woman spoke beautiful English and we chatted with her for a bit.

After lunch we putzed around looking at her bird books and watching her staff come back from the road with loads of small leafy branches. Apparently, it's cocoon season and this means delicious treat! We watched as her staff carefully picked green cocoons from the leaves, which they will sell in the market for a high price. We were even privileged enough to try a few of the critters that were fried to a crisp. They must be an awfully good source of protein, but frankly I don't understand what all the fuss is about.

In the afternoon we began the ascent up the mountain. It took us awhile to find the turn off, then we realized that the car engine was awfully hot when it shouldn't have been so we turned around in search of anti-freeze. But silly us, we forgot where we were and when we asked the shop they went to the back and brought out a bucket of dirty water and filled up the radiator. Worked well enough for us! So we proceeded up hill.

We had read up a lot about Doi Chiang Dao, so you can imagine our surprise when in the middle of a road we thought was straight there was a fork. No maps we ever read even hinted at a split in the road and we were highly confused. Not understanding Thai, we crossed our fingers and picked the road that had a large sign of a mountain.

About 20km into the journey, Casey begins to get a little worried. As we looked behind us to our right the peak of the mountain came into view. Why would we be heading AWAY from the mountain we were supposedly climbing? We wondered nervously. Just before we were about to cash it all in and return from whence we came the glorious checkpoint appeared before us like a shiny beacon. Aaaahhhh!!!! Apparently, one needs to climb up and away from the mountain before one can actually climb the mountain.

We wandered a bit further then stopped for a little birding action before spending the night at a substation at the foot of the summit trail. The people in charge of the camping area were nice and even offered us a room (which we declined). We spent the night in the car (surprisingly comfortable!).

We got up early to search for the elusive magnificent Mrs. Hume's Pheasant that habituates the area. We weren't lucky, or skilled enough (or both?) to find it, but we did discover a number of other wonderful bird eye candy. We moseyed along to the summit trail, which was a real treat. Up this high, the mountain is covered in pine trees and the air remains cool all day. Even in the heat of the noon day sun there was a gentle, cool breeze. This was probably one of the nicest places that we have been in the whole of Thailand. The cool, clean air and the unparalleled views and scenery plus the birds just made for a magical experience. The hike to the summit reportedly takes 5-7 hours and it looked like it got a bit hairy near the top, so we decided against trekking all the way up. The part of the trail we did hike was on a ridge and therefore we were not forced to huff and puff on a steep incline like I supposed.

In the afternoon we slowly made our way down the hill and back to Chiang Mai where we caught the night bus to Mae Hong Son.

Though we racked up the miles on this trip and it was a condensed version of what we would have liked to do, it was well worth it and a nice break from teaching. We also surpassed both of our expectations and successfully 100 birds during our four day trip. Laura's unparalleled spotting skills and Casey's astute identification abilities combined make for a great birding team. You know what this means. We are moving up to the upper levels of bird nerdom. This trip also gave us a chance to have a little quality time together outside of our houses and to get outdoors, something we always prefer.

Little Princes

Last week we set of to a rural village with some members of Casey's organization. We were there to partake in the ordination ceremony of approximately 40 boys. The though many boys throughout Thailand are ordinated as novices each year, the elaborate celebration that takes place before the ordination is unique to this area. The ceremonies of the town and the surrounding villages are very similar to the elaborate affairs held in Burma. The ceremony we attended lasted for 3 days. We've heard that in Burma they last for a whole week.

For the first two and a half days of the ceremony the boys are treated like kings. Their parents dress them up in magnificent customs of brillant colors. They wear a crown of neon fake flowers and their parents splash on more make-up than most teenage girls wear at home (and these are boys, remember). Many of the boys were painted like a canvas with Burmese powder. The boys were not allowed to walk anywhere but instead they were carried on the shoulders of their family members. They could not even feed themselves and I saw many mothers raising spoons to her child Prince like he was two years old. There were a lot of parades around the village and singing and dancing around the monastery. They must of had the time of their lives!

Casey's organization had paid for the ordination fees of 11 of the boys so they would be taken care of in the monastery. Many of these boys had come across the border to escape the situation in Burma.


Some Background Information
As I have recently found out, Burma has the highest rate of child soldiers of any country in the world. The Burmese government "recruits" soldiers, often by going to a village and demanding the village head to find them so many soldiers for their next tour. The government is still fighting a few minority rebel groups and even the ceasefire groups are known to actively recruit children into their armies. In the rural areas of Northern Burma, there is also a lot of drug abuse. Burma is second only to Afghanistan in the production of illicit opium and it's derivatives.

We interviewed three young boys for "Kids Around the World." This is a school program of the National Peace Corps association. The goal of this program is to help teachers bring international issues into the class room. The idea premise is that elementary school children around the world are interviewed in their native language. The questions are about what they do, what they like and how they live. There are also links on information for each country the children live in.

I am very excited about this project and asked Casey's organization to help. They were able to secure interviews for three of the children they assisted. We sat down with them all garbed up and asked away. Of course they were shy.

We later found out that two of the young boys who have been in Thailand for five years because their parents were afraid they'd become child soldiers. They came to live with their "uncle" but they have grown up in the village monastery instead. In the monastery, the boys are safe from the Thai authorities who randomly raid areas for illegal immigrants. If the children were to live with their uncle, chances are they could be sent back to Burma. But, because of some obscure Thai law, anyone who is ordained and living in a monastery is exempt from being deported. Thus, the ordination ceremony and thus the NGO's involvement to ensure the safety of these children. Sadly this is a common case.

Day 1
Casey attended the first day of the celebration. He said it was a smallist event, though he did manage to rack up a large number of pictures. Mostly it was just the locals parading about the children who will soon become monks.

Day 2
We arrived early in the morning. Casey's organization was kind enough to lend us some traditional clothing. Their Thai driver got a big kick out of the Pa-O from America and kept asking up to speak in Pa-O. Sadly after a month and a half here all I could respond was "Am Den (Let's eat)!" This made him chuckle, of course.


The parade was to honor the boys. Everyone in the parade dressed up to the nines. We were the only Pa-O, there were many in Burmese and Shan style longgyis (skirts) and many people from other tribes were dressed up just to watch the parade.





Everyone in the parade carried offerings for the monastery. I always love looking into the offering baskets, half of it never maeks sense to me: the small can of condensed milk next to the small can of coconut milk which is in front of individual packets of instant hot chocolate. All things to help create healthy young novices! Casey was the photographer while I marched away with the rest of the Pa-O women. The parade was at a hellishly slow pace and lasted at least an hour though we didn't travel for more than a kilometer (perhaps a slight exaggeration on my part, but not much). During this long procession, the boys were all carried on the backs of their loved ones while others kept the sun out of their eyes with gilden umbrellas. Gongs and drums beat out traditional Shan music as the sun rose higher in the sky.

After the procession we all headed inside the monastery to present our offerings. Many of the offerings were provided by the village council, who used the ordination fee to pay for donations and food for the festival. Everyone was invited to lunch and snack while listening to the chanting and dancing that still proceeded outside. The festivities dragged on as the day heated up and soon our companions were eager to rest.



The festivities carried on deep into the night. We were lucky enough to be staying across the street from the monastery and thus were continually awakened by the drumming and chanting over the loudspeaker and irregular intervals throughout the night.


Day 3

In the morning the boys were treated once again as royalty. This was a time of picture taking and merry making. After lunch the festivities dwindled as the ceremony began. This was a solemn time for the young boys and their parents. They boys ritually thanked their parents for all they have done for them. Many of the children and their loved ones were crying. This would ceremony was the last goodbye for many of the children who would not see their parents for weeks, months or even years. This is also a symbolic goodbye because after the children enter the monastery as monks they will be the children of the monastery and no longer the children of their parents. The parents then shaved the eyebrows of their children and then handed them their novice robes. Then monks and older novices helped the children into their robes. There was a lot of chanting and an older monk held a Buddhist service. Finally there was more picture taking and then the parents left the boys to learn about the Buddha.