Mae Chan (1/17 - 1/23)

As I stated in our last post, we went to Mae Chan to volunteer for the week. Mae Chan was approximately 1.5 hours away from Mirror in the Chiang Rai Province.
The reason we went to Mae Chan was to help P’ Van improve the childcare’s playground. P’ Van is an amazing man that has put forth his good fortunes to help his community. He seems to have a hand in everything or know everyone. P’Van welcomed all of the Mirror volunteers with open arms and provided us housing, food, and entertainment. In addition to his beautiful home he also has guesthouse/volunteer living quarters. (The photo marked P’Van’s house was separate from the guesthouse. I only took an outside photo. I did photograph our living arrangements…so that is what you are seeing the majority of.)

We started out our week improving the playground by mixing, pouring, and smoothing cement for the equipment bases. Although I have not mixed concrete before, this was an interesting process because everything was done by hand. The Thai interns seemed to know what they were doing, so we followed their lead. The aspect James and I found most interesting was the support systems used. Instead of using a re-bar structure, thin strips of bamboo were placed in a lattice formation.

The playground project did not take as long as projected because there are currently a lot of volunteers, which resulted in a lot of down time. Downtime in Thailand is sometimes a bit boring because we do not have the copious amounts of stimuli as if we were at home. Because of this I feel as if I am going to come home a lot more relaxed person. The trip is kind of like internet/Google detox. : ) Fortunately we are a fun group and made the best of the situation. In addition to our books, endless backgammon and chess games, and late night movies, P’Van and the Thai interns had a few other activities planned for us. We had the opportunity to experience the art of basket weaving, trek around and throughout the village, and visit a local zoo/bird-breeding farm.

I enjoyed the trekking the most because the village of Mae Chan is simply beautiful. James and I took a few hikes around the hills and farmland. On one of our hikes we came across bamboo hut grain/corn bins. From this location there was an amazing view of a valley that went on forever. Other hikes we made throughout the village included going to the Mae Chan Winery and bird-breading farm. Both of these hikes included very steep hills with very rewarding destinations. I didn’t enjoy the wine very much because it was Shiraz, but the winery was beautiful. As many of you know, I am not a fan of zoos, so the bird farm wasn’t my cup of tea, although, many of these birds were beautiful. The most stunning peacock resided at this farm; I am not a fan of the color blue, but the combinations on peacocks were mesmerizing.
The citizens of Mae Chan, like every other Thai I’ve met, were very welcoming. I was astonished by P’Van’s hospitability not only towards us, but also the community. It may just be my speculation, but it seems as if the whole community works together. In the morning we would often see the villagers heading out to the farms to harvest the corn, bamboo, and grass for the brooms. The materials collected are then given to someone else to make a product. We would see these men and women go out in the morning and then come back later in the evening with big baskets filled and carried on their back.

Another great aspect of Mae Chan was the food made by P’Van and the interns. While the food is amazing at Mirror, it was fun to taste some different types of cuisine. The curries, soups, and fried rice were so tasty! I was able to hop into the kitchen a few times. One intern, Emwee, taught me how to make a very spicy sauce. I will attempt it in the states, but I know it won’t be as good. In addition to Asian food, some Western dishes were also made. It was nice to have pasta and mashed potatoes…for breakfast! I believe James told you about the dinner for breakfast….he hopes to bring this aspect back to the States.

Popular transportation methods in Thailand include Tuk-tuks, songthaews, and motorbikes. When we travel as a group, Mirror gets us a songthaew and we travel onto our destination. On the way there we had a songthaew and a pick-up truck so we had enough room for everyone. On the way back we had one songthaew for 17 people. I find it interesting the difference in transportation methods from the US and SE Asia. Whether it’s six people in a tuk-tuk, 17 people in a songthaew, or four people on a motorbike, it all seems relatively safe. We really haven’t seen many vehicles with fender benders. Does the US’s strict laws cause us to have more wrecks?
I mentioned the living situation above and how P’Van has an amazing home. I was talking to my mom earlier and she said the photos didn’t seem that nice. The truth is that we did sleep on concrete or wood floors and it was freezing outside, but it was relatively nice. The showers were luxuriously hot! Compared to the guesthouse, P’Van’s home was beautiful with windows, a fireplace, and furniture.

I really enjoyed going to Mae Chan this week, it was absolutely beautiful and we were able to participate in some community development. I look forward to continuing our work within the community.


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Cheers!
Sam