As the days go on we learn more and more about the ways the Mirror Art Group helps the surrounding communities and how our roles as volunteers contribute.
The Mirror Art Group operates several projects; Hilltribe Project, ICT, Citizenship Project, Anti-Human Trafficking, second hand shop, hilltribe craft store, Mirror Art Guesthouse, and Hilltribe school education.
The Hilltribe Project consists of a group of adults whose main objectives are to help the various hilltribes adjust to life in the modern world while still preserving their cultures and beliefs.
The ICT group, similar to IT in the States, is responsible for maintaining the ebannok website. Not only do they provide technical support, they also design both Thai and English websites.
While all of Mirror’s projects are important, the Citizenship Project is probably considered the most influential. When the borders were redrawn between Thailand and Burma (now called Myanmar), the people who suddenly found themselves in a new country did not have any claim to citizenship, and their previous citizenship was void. Unfortunately this meant these people were not eligible for any benefits provided by either government; mainly healthcare and education. These non-citizens can’t even travel to cities such as Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai, because border patrol stops along the way check all Thai passengers for citizenship cards, while Farangs (literal translation means white westerners) are not even looked at. The process for obtaining citizenship is complicated and requires a lot of paperwork – this is where Mirror comes in. Mirror’s goal is to get at least one family member citizenship because the law states that if one member of a family gains citizenship, any blood relatives will be included as well, as long as the family can afford to pay for blood tests to confirm relationship, but sadly most have a hard time affording such services.
Sadly there is a heavy presence of human-trafficking in Thailand. The anti-human trafficking members work to prevent hilltribe women and children from being kidnapped, shipped to other cities or countries, and then forced to work for no pay. The older women are usually forced into the sex industry or sometimes into the restaurant and housekeeping industries. Children are pushed on the streets to beg for money. Mirror stresses to never give money to begging children, no matter how much they look like they need it because it is only supporting this unfortunate industry. They have done observation studies and found that at the end of the day the begging children are forced to relinquish their earnings to the gang or kidnapper. If you are going to give something to a child, the best thing would be food, although even that might get taken or the child may refuse it all together.
The second hand and hilltribe craft store bring not only support the foundation, but also the community. As you probably guessed, the second hand store sells clothes to local hilltribe people. Many of the hilltribes have a traditional dress but many are started to dress in more modern clothes because of social pressures. Often new, modern clothes are too expensive. The second hand shop give the hilltribe members the opportunity to buy the clothes they want at a reduced rate. The ebannok store sells local handicrafts and gives the money back to the designer. Majority of sales come from online sales to other stores for resale. Volunteers are asked to use our contacts to connect the ebannok store to other store owners. The items available in the store are truly beautiful!
Recently Mirror opened a guesthouse in Chiang Rai, uniquely named the Mirror Art Guesthouse. We usually stay at the guesthouse on Friday evenings. We both love the guesthouse because it is always clean, has a hot shower, and most importantly 10% of the fees go back to the Mirror Art Group, or back into the community. How cool is that? We haven't found a better guesthouse in Chiang Rai yet!
Lastly, Mirror has a heavy presence in the Hilltribe education system in Chiang Rai,. The Hilltribe schools are somewhat primitive, but seem better than the ones in Belize. Mirror has found that the best thing we can do for them is teaching them English because it will help them in the future. For the most part the children, ranging from three years old to sixth grade, seem as if they are eager to learn. Even though it may be more interesting to work with some of the other projects, the education program is generally where volunteers contribute the most. Most of the other projects are run by Thai speaking people, with volunteers just helping out where they can. Teaching English is what we are qualified to do, even if we have never taught before. We also take the time to tutor the ICT workers. Most of them speak fairly good English and know a lot of vocabulary, but English grammar and sentence structure are completely different from the Thai language. Most notable are the absence of articles, conjunctions, and other small connector words that English uses but Thai doesn’t. Words like “a”, “an”, “the”, “but”, etc. aren’t used in Thai and have no direct translation. This is why most people that speak relatively good English here still have a problem forming correct sentences. You can converse with these people and generally have not much trouble getting all points across or from them, but the flow isn’t there. Teaching these adults consists of having conversations with them and improving their skills, usually covering whatever topic the students want. Another group tutors the Hilltribe workers. This group has a lower speaking ability, so most of the time is spent learning new words along with basic grammar and sentence structure. One lesson we did was learning how the words get rearranged when asking questions, such as: “Your eyes are brown.” turns into “Are your eyes brown?” The last option for teaching English is tutoring Top Kids which is an after school program for the children living right around Mirror
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As we have said before, Mirror does so many amazing things for the Chiang Rai community. With meeting we learn about many of the success stories caused by the organization we are helping. Another intern was telling us that the Mirror Art Group was actually voted the best place to volunteer in Thailand. We are so lucky to be paired with them randomly. We would recommend this wonderful organization to anyone!
Best to you all,
Samantha and James
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
from elephants to bicycles, oh the transportation methods in Thailand!
Elephant trekking
On Thursday morning we left for our two-night home-stay in the hill tribes, a weekend trip that all volunteers get to do at some point during their stay at Mirror. The 20 of us all piled into a couple of sawngtheaws and headed off. On our way up, we stopped in a town presumably for a snack, but soon found out that we were there for an elephant ride. It was an unbelievable experience to be on top of an elephant, but it was also quite scary. The seat on the elephant was very unstrudy and we couldn’t help thinking what would happen if we fell off! The movement from land to water was probably the worst part. Our elephant was very short and I feared we would fall in the water with all of the elephant poop floating by. FYI, elephant dung is enormous. When it hits the ground it sounds like a brick falling. After the trek we had the opportunity to feed the elephants; I preferred this to the riding.
Banana leaf lunches and waterfalls
After the elephant ride we were dropped off at a nearby waterfall and enjoyed our Thai version of bag lunches; instead of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches there was sticky rice and fried chicken, instead of yogurt there was chili sauce, and instead of a brown paper bag it was all wrapped in banana leaves. From there we began our 3 km hike up the only road to the first village where we were to stay, which doesn't sound long but, because of the heat and the incredible incline, felt like a serious trek that was never-ending. James has never seen a road this steep anywhere, even in the mountains near Yellowstone. Without exaggerating, the hill probably had a 30-degree incline.
Lahu and Akha Homestays
There are about 7 major hill tribes in Northern Thailand and surrounding countries (as they tend to have more of a sense of tribal allegiance than nationalism). Each tribe has its own language, completely different from Thai, and unique dress and culture. Any Thai that we have learned while at Mirror was completely thrownA major goal of Mirror is to preserve these self-sustaining cultures while helping them to survive globalization. One of the ways they do this is with hill tribe home-stays, which gives more income to the hill tribe families (who sell their hand-made goods to their guests) and gives them an incentive to preserve their way of life.
Lahu New Year
Our first night of home-stay was in a Lahu village and happened to coincide with Lahu New Year, a 10 day festival of dancing and sacrifices. The Lahu believe that every new year they must make sure to give the gods many good things in order to secure a good year - in the center of the village there was a sacrifice altar with different meats and a pig's head for the spirits. The festival didn't start until the night so we spent the day hanging out in the village, trying to communicate with our host, and admiring the houses and roaming animals. Completely made of bamboo, the houses we stayed in were elevated on stilts and we could see (and hear all night long!) the animals, which live below the house, through the floor slats. Each house is made up of one big kitchen/living room/dining room (which is just an empty room with a fire pit inside) and another sleeping room, and the entire thing is rebuilt every seven years.
At night, the festival got started and we all danced around the sacrifice altar to the pounding of symbols and drums. We went to bed at 10pm with the hope that the party would die down soon, but the Lahu villagers continued partying, blasting karaoke and shooting off firecrackers until 7am! It seems as if the real party began after the farang went to bed.
Akha Village
The next morning (an hour after finally falling asleep) we woke up, had breakfast with our host and hiked about 5km to an Akha village, which looked similar, but was slightly more developed than the Lahu village (a few houses were made of cement and cinder blocks and some of the younger women wore jeans and t-shirts in place of sarongs or the customary Akha outfit). Before settling down with our host families, we were taken to a field where we helped (really observed) a few men from the village make a meal of rice, soup, chili and tea for all of us using nothing but nature and their machetes; they cooked all our food in large bamboo shoots over a fire, laid out banana leaves for all of us to sit on, and offered us tea in cups they cut from bamboo.
That night, we all got the opportunity to dress up in the traditional Akha uniforms and follow along in their dances around the fire (of which they have many). In return, we taught them the closest thing we have in our culture: the Hokey Pokey. The Akha women and children definitely had a good laugh.
--
Despite falling down the steep hill and not getting any sleep, the homestay was definitely our favorite aspect of the trip thus far. Not only were we accepted into local homes, we were also able to see a different side of Thailand that many “normal” tourists will never experience.
Another fun aspect of the Akha village was that we were able to meet a product of the Mirror Art Group. The male in Sam’s homestay spoke decent English, which we found out he learned by taking classes at Mirror. Although we had never taught him, it was good to know that our organization is truly helping others.
Cycling to the White Temple
We returned back to Mirror on Saturday with the goal of riding bikes to the White Temple. Thellie, one of the coordinators at Mirror, claimed it was a simple 12k bike ride that would take about an hour. Three hours and 25k later, we finally arrived to the White Temple. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere…
Even though it was a long haul, The White Temple was well worth the sweat and sore muscles. Walking up to the temple it first resembled an ice palace, wandering closer it was actually a huge temple made out of plaster and mirrors. Once inside the temple we approached the Buddha and a fake monk. The Buddha mural was absolutely stunning – turning to exit the temple we were faced with another mural representing all of the evils in the world. Although the White Temple was gorgeous, the Mural of Evil was a personal favorite….or the most interesting. The paintings of Bin Laden, bombs, and war were definitely understandable, but the Matrix, school buses, George Bush, and the NASA space-program were heard to grasp. I wonder who or what standards these were chosen. James also found the painting of the F-22, the plane he will work with at Boeing, on the wall. Perhaps the rest of the world doesn’t find the plane as necessary?
On Thursday morning we left for our two-night home-stay in the hill tribes, a weekend trip that all volunteers get to do at some point during their stay at Mirror. The 20 of us all piled into a couple of sawngtheaws and headed off. On our way up, we stopped in a town presumably for a snack, but soon found out that we were there for an elephant ride. It was an unbelievable experience to be on top of an elephant, but it was also quite scary. The seat on the elephant was very unstrudy and we couldn’t help thinking what would happen if we fell off! The movement from land to water was probably the worst part. Our elephant was very short and I feared we would fall in the water with all of the elephant poop floating by. FYI, elephant dung is enormous. When it hits the ground it sounds like a brick falling. After the trek we had the opportunity to feed the elephants; I preferred this to the riding.
Banana leaf lunches and waterfalls
After the elephant ride we were dropped off at a nearby waterfall and enjoyed our Thai version of bag lunches; instead of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches there was sticky rice and fried chicken, instead of yogurt there was chili sauce, and instead of a brown paper bag it was all wrapped in banana leaves. From there we began our 3 km hike up the only road to the first village where we were to stay, which doesn't sound long but, because of the heat and the incredible incline, felt like a serious trek that was never-ending. James has never seen a road this steep anywhere, even in the mountains near Yellowstone. Without exaggerating, the hill probably had a 30-degree incline.
Lahu and Akha Homestays
There are about 7 major hill tribes in Northern Thailand and surrounding countries (as they tend to have more of a sense of tribal allegiance than nationalism). Each tribe has its own language, completely different from Thai, and unique dress and culture. Any Thai that we have learned while at Mirror was completely thrownA major goal of Mirror is to preserve these self-sustaining cultures while helping them to survive globalization. One of the ways they do this is with hill tribe home-stays, which gives more income to the hill tribe families (who sell their hand-made goods to their guests) and gives them an incentive to preserve their way of life.
Lahu New Year
Our first night of home-stay was in a Lahu village and happened to coincide with Lahu New Year, a 10 day festival of dancing and sacrifices. The Lahu believe that every new year they must make sure to give the gods many good things in order to secure a good year - in the center of the village there was a sacrifice altar with different meats and a pig's head for the spirits. The festival didn't start until the night so we spent the day hanging out in the village, trying to communicate with our host, and admiring the houses and roaming animals. Completely made of bamboo, the houses we stayed in were elevated on stilts and we could see (and hear all night long!) the animals, which live below the house, through the floor slats. Each house is made up of one big kitchen/living room/dining room (which is just an empty room with a fire pit inside) and another sleeping room, and the entire thing is rebuilt every seven years.
At night, the festival got started and we all danced around the sacrifice altar to the pounding of symbols and drums. We went to bed at 10pm with the hope that the party would die down soon, but the Lahu villagers continued partying, blasting karaoke and shooting off firecrackers until 7am! It seems as if the real party began after the farang went to bed.
Akha Village
The next morning (an hour after finally falling asleep) we woke up, had breakfast with our host and hiked about 5km to an Akha village, which looked similar, but was slightly more developed than the Lahu village (a few houses were made of cement and cinder blocks and some of the younger women wore jeans and t-shirts in place of sarongs or the customary Akha outfit). Before settling down with our host families, we were taken to a field where we helped (really observed) a few men from the village make a meal of rice, soup, chili and tea for all of us using nothing but nature and their machetes; they cooked all our food in large bamboo shoots over a fire, laid out banana leaves for all of us to sit on, and offered us tea in cups they cut from bamboo.
That night, we all got the opportunity to dress up in the traditional Akha uniforms and follow along in their dances around the fire (of which they have many). In return, we taught them the closest thing we have in our culture: the Hokey Pokey. The Akha women and children definitely had a good laugh.
--
Despite falling down the steep hill and not getting any sleep, the homestay was definitely our favorite aspect of the trip thus far. Not only were we accepted into local homes, we were also able to see a different side of Thailand that many “normal” tourists will never experience.
Another fun aspect of the Akha village was that we were able to meet a product of the Mirror Art Group. The male in Sam’s homestay spoke decent English, which we found out he learned by taking classes at Mirror. Although we had never taught him, it was good to know that our organization is truly helping others.
Cycling to the White Temple
We returned back to Mirror on Saturday with the goal of riding bikes to the White Temple. Thellie, one of the coordinators at Mirror, claimed it was a simple 12k bike ride that would take about an hour. Three hours and 25k later, we finally arrived to the White Temple. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere…
Even though it was a long haul, The White Temple was well worth the sweat and sore muscles. Walking up to the temple it first resembled an ice palace, wandering closer it was actually a huge temple made out of plaster and mirrors. Once inside the temple we approached the Buddha and a fake monk. The Buddha mural was absolutely stunning – turning to exit the temple we were faced with another mural representing all of the evils in the world. Although the White Temple was gorgeous, the Mural of Evil was a personal favorite….or the most interesting. The paintings of Bin Laden, bombs, and war were definitely understandable, but the Matrix, school buses, George Bush, and the NASA space-program were heard to grasp. I wonder who or what standards these were chosen. James also found the painting of the F-22, the plane he will work with at Boeing, on the wall. Perhaps the rest of the world doesn’t find the plane as necessary?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Photos...finally!
Click here to see our recent photos from the homestay, elephant rides, and tribal dances!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
You can help in the kitchen, but bring your own knife!
Today is a big day at the Mirror Art Group, there will be a party at 5pm (or 6 if you are on Thai time) for all of the interns. Friday is the last day for the interns who have been helping for the last two months.
Multiple groups of people were asked to perform at the celebration - my group did a skit mimicking childcare. I will have to find someone with the video so I can upload it. Other groups danced to popular Thai songs, sang karaoke, or serenaded their favorite intern. All in all it was quite a humorous night. Thai karaoke is the best!! The video below is of the other half of volunteers. They were definitely a crowd favorite!
Rewind a few hours and I’ll explain the earlier portions of the day….
My Hilltribe lesson was cancelled (surprise, surprise) so I was on a mission to find something meaningful to do with my time. You may have noticed I completely changed my blog a few days ago, so I was unable to do that. (I also do not consider updating my blog meaningful) Fortunately P’Aye (our lead) asked me to edit a few documents for brochures. I translated their English into “readable” English. I enjoyed doing this for I was able to put forth some of my knowledge. It was quite difficult at times because I did not know what they were talking about or I did not want them to think one thing and then I change it to another because I didn’t understand. All in all I think the Hmong Clothing portion of the flyer will be interesting!
Around 2pm P’Aye told us that we could help in the kitchen because they had a lot of food to prepare. Super excited I walked to the kitchen to help. Unfortunately this was every other person’s idea as well. Unless you had your knife, cutting board, and could understand directions in Thai you were pretty much unable to help. I was able to peel about six carrots though…wooho! I am determined to get in that kitchen!
Wow – did the selected cooks prepared a tasty meal! Dishes ranging from traditional green curry, som tom (yum), glass noodles, chicken and potatoes, and my personal favorite, fried carrots and broccoli satisfied our big appetites. I know you are thinking how boring – carrots and broccoli! But these were absolutely amazing, and I’m not saying that because I helped peel the carrots! I have no clue what they fried them in or the sauce that was drizzled, but it was definitely a crowd favorite! I went back for more and they were all gone. : ( The food keeps getting better and better here – it’s amazing!
The after dinner entertainment was almost as good as the food. The MC, P’Pan was absolutely hilarious singing, dancing, and imitating farong with her wig and westernized clothing. The Thai’s singing karaoke was probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The songs were in Thai and the dancing that accompanied was very random. Later in the evening they invited all of the volunteers to join in – they got a good laugh imitating us!
Around 9pm the karaoke had to settle down because many of the families had to go to sleep. Fortunately the party didn’t end there and another campfire was built by the dorms. Everyone joined around this huge campfire, listened to the guitar, and once again tried to have conversations with people from different cultures. I am truly amazed to realize all of the differences and similarities between the Thai, Japanese, and Western ways of life. Who knew we would all have such an interest in drinking beer and eating food! : ) Thai’s are really the friendliest people, I wish all people could mimic the Thai culture. There is something about sitting in a circle and passing food and drink around like one big family. It really brings a smile to your face.
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We are going on our homestay this weekend, so once again we will not have access to the internet until Saturday. No promises, but I’ll try to post Saturday afternoon – if not, see you on Monday! I’m sure we will have some amazing photos and stories – we are going elephant trekking, to a hilltribe new year, and learning how to dance hilltribe style!
Have a great weekend – enjoy the snow – it’s in the 70s here! : - )
Multiple groups of people were asked to perform at the celebration - my group did a skit mimicking childcare. I will have to find someone with the video so I can upload it. Other groups danced to popular Thai songs, sang karaoke, or serenaded their favorite intern. All in all it was quite a humorous night. Thai karaoke is the best!! The video below is of the other half of volunteers. They were definitely a crowd favorite!
Rewind a few hours and I’ll explain the earlier portions of the day….
My Hilltribe lesson was cancelled (surprise, surprise) so I was on a mission to find something meaningful to do with my time. You may have noticed I completely changed my blog a few days ago, so I was unable to do that. (I also do not consider updating my blog meaningful) Fortunately P’Aye (our lead) asked me to edit a few documents for brochures. I translated their English into “readable” English. I enjoyed doing this for I was able to put forth some of my knowledge. It was quite difficult at times because I did not know what they were talking about or I did not want them to think one thing and then I change it to another because I didn’t understand. All in all I think the Hmong Clothing portion of the flyer will be interesting!
Around 2pm P’Aye told us that we could help in the kitchen because they had a lot of food to prepare. Super excited I walked to the kitchen to help. Unfortunately this was every other person’s idea as well. Unless you had your knife, cutting board, and could understand directions in Thai you were pretty much unable to help. I was able to peel about six carrots though…wooho! I am determined to get in that kitchen!
Wow – did the selected cooks prepared a tasty meal! Dishes ranging from traditional green curry, som tom (yum), glass noodles, chicken and potatoes, and my personal favorite, fried carrots and broccoli satisfied our big appetites. I know you are thinking how boring – carrots and broccoli! But these were absolutely amazing, and I’m not saying that because I helped peel the carrots! I have no clue what they fried them in or the sauce that was drizzled, but it was definitely a crowd favorite! I went back for more and they were all gone. : ( The food keeps getting better and better here – it’s amazing!
The after dinner entertainment was almost as good as the food. The MC, P’Pan was absolutely hilarious singing, dancing, and imitating farong with her wig and westernized clothing. The Thai’s singing karaoke was probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The songs were in Thai and the dancing that accompanied was very random. Later in the evening they invited all of the volunteers to join in – they got a good laugh imitating us!
Around 9pm the karaoke had to settle down because many of the families had to go to sleep. Fortunately the party didn’t end there and another campfire was built by the dorms. Everyone joined around this huge campfire, listened to the guitar, and once again tried to have conversations with people from different cultures. I am truly amazed to realize all of the differences and similarities between the Thai, Japanese, and Western ways of life. Who knew we would all have such an interest in drinking beer and eating food! : ) Thai’s are really the friendliest people, I wish all people could mimic the Thai culture. There is something about sitting in a circle and passing food and drink around like one big family. It really brings a smile to your face.
--
We are going on our homestay this weekend, so once again we will not have access to the internet until Saturday. No promises, but I’ll try to post Saturday afternoon – if not, see you on Monday! I’m sure we will have some amazing photos and stories – we are going elephant trekking, to a hilltribe new year, and learning how to dance hilltribe style!
Have a great weekend – enjoy the snow – it’s in the 70s here! : - )
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Mirror Art Group!
A partial view of the Mirror Art Group Headquarters
This is the main eco-tours office where we can access internet 24/7. It is amazingly helpful when we want to skype with our parents or update the blog. It gets pretty full after dinner - seating is prime!
Here is where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Everyone piles onto these mats (without shoes of course) and enjoys the delicious meal. The cooks are Korean and make amazing food! I hope to start helping them more in the future.
Even though there is a resident washing machine, it is often broke, occupied, or takes forever. I have only attempted to do laundry once and I ended up handwashing everything. This photo is of our drying facilities.
This is the main eco-tours office where we can access internet 24/7. It is amazingly helpful when we want to skype with our parents or update the blog. It gets pretty full after dinner - seating is prime!
Here is where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Everyone piles onto these mats (without shoes of course) and enjoys the delicious meal. The cooks are Korean and make amazing food! I hope to start helping them more in the future.
Even though there is a resident washing machine, it is often broke, occupied, or takes forever. I have only attempted to do laundry once and I ended up handwashing everything. This photo is of our drying facilities.
James's living quarters consist of a concrete block with a thin mattress. There are currently four males occupying this space.
The male bathroom is not as nice as the women's, but it works. Cold bucket showers and non-flushing toilets occupy the same space. No shoes allowed!
As both James and I have mentioned before, the women's living quarters are much nicer than the males mud hut....although their's is cooler during the day. The twin house currently holds 16 female volunteers in a bunk style setting. My bed is in the way back against the window.
As both James and I have mentioned before, the women's living quarters are much nicer than the males mud hut....although their's is cooler during the day. The twin house currently holds 16 female volunteers in a bunk style setting. My bed is in the way back against the window.
Monday, January 26, 2009
January 26 - campfires and culture
I woke up very excited for our first day of teaching English only to find that school was cancelled. Supposedly this happens a lot in Thailand; volunteers or teachers will show up to school and be told that they should go home because they decided to cancel.
The Hilltribe lesson being canceled left me with nothing to do today. It was a great day to catch up on my writing and job application. I really hope most days aren’t like this, but I have a feeling they will be. Even though the day may seem boring, it is interesting to talk with the Thai interns or staff.
After dinner a few interns and volunteers built a campfire and enjoyed each other’s company. This was a great ending to the day…the people of Mirror are so diverse and interesting. I had a amazing time listening to other’s stories, culture, teaching each other English or Thai, and listening to Thai, Australian, Japanese, Canadian, and American styles of music all coming from the same guitar. I truly hope more evenings end this way!
The Hilltribe lesson being canceled left me with nothing to do today. It was a great day to catch up on my writing and job application. I really hope most days aren’t like this, but I have a feeling they will be. Even though the day may seem boring, it is interesting to talk with the Thai interns or staff.
After dinner a few interns and volunteers built a campfire and enjoyed each other’s company. This was a great ending to the day…the people of Mirror are so diverse and interesting. I had a amazing time listening to other’s stories, culture, teaching each other English or Thai, and listening to Thai, Australian, Japanese, Canadian, and American styles of music all coming from the same guitar. I truly hope more evenings end this way!
A weekend in Chaing Saen, Thailand!
On the weekends, volunteers have the opportunity to travel. We are able to stay at Mirror on the weekends, but there are no meals prepared. The community is on the outskirts of town, so it isn’t too exciting.
January 24
A large group of us decided to travel to Chiang Saen, Thailand this weekend. Chiang Saen is home to the Golden Triangle, where Laos, Thailand, and Burma/Myanmar meet. Like advertised in Lonely Planet, it was very sleepy town. Before arriving, I was convinced that we were going to be able to stand in all three countries at the same time…similar to the setup in Tennessee. Unfortunately that was not the case and we could only see the three countries at once. Needless to say, I was disappointed. To make up, the other female volunteers and I decided to have Thai massages along the river. I have never had a massage, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve heard that Thai massages are rough so I prepared myself for the worse. The massage was amazing; this lady knew what she was doing! The combination of concrete “mattresses” and long bus rides have made my body feel so old. The massage was definitely needed. She cracked and stretched me in ways I never though possible. I did surprise her and the other ladies when she stretched my back and I bent in half. I’ve always been flexible, I just didn’t know it was that odd. If you ever come to Thailand, you must get a Thai massage! Not only are they cheap (1 hour for 3 dollars) they are very soothing. I was going to wait until Ko Tao to get my massage, I’m so glad I changed my mind. I would like to get one every week! : ) I just need to talk James into getting one now!
My favorite aspect of Chaing Saen was dinner along the river. In the late afternoon, the food stall owners set up squat tables along the boardwalk and serve dinner. Since we were a big group we decided to order many different dishes and try them all. We sampled Tom Yom, fried rice, bamboo chicken, papaya salad, and many other things. I feel as if I am becoming much more daring with my meal choices, so I actually ate the meat! The bamboo chicken was absolutely amazing! They took a hollow piece of bamboo, placed chicken and a spicy sauce inside and threw it on a fire to cook. It was quite spicy, but super tasty. I think this meal was my favorite throughout the whole trip. We thought our bill was going to be rather high, but once we calculated it, it was only 70 baht per person. That’s two dollars per person! We had so much food! I cannot get over the prices here. Do Thais know the meaning of profit?
After dinner we moved to a local bar called 2 b 1. It was a fun setting for there was a DJ and an extensive drink menu. We had way too much to drink the night before at the birthday party, so we stuck to the large Chang pitcher for all of us. All in all it was a low key night, but a lot of fun.
We stayed at the Chiang Saen Guest House…..super sketchy, but oh well. When in Thailand… I have come to the conclusion that the worse part of a sketchy or buggy bedroom is laying in bed trying to fall asleep. During this time I lay there thinking about the dirty sheets or bugs crawling around me. I know most of it is in my head because once I fall asleep I am fine. My bug tolerance has definitely increased!
January 25
Lonely Planet also recommended walking to the Chiang Saen ruins, so of course we had to do it. It seems as if once an attraction is written about in Lonely Planet, then it becomes a touristy area and souvenirs vendors set up shop. The ruins themselves were quite impressive, but the vendors and tour groups took away from it.
After the ruins we ventured back to Chiang Rai for lunch and food shopping for the rest of the week. Dinner is not served at Mirror on Sunday evenings, so we had to find a meal to bring back. The Australian girls were throwing an Australia Day party, so we had some yummy treats with them. They sure know to made rice pudding and roasted bananas with chocolate. I sure do love trying all the different cuisine types here!
The rest of the night was spent planning for our Hilltribe lesson….yes/no questions! Wooho!
January 24
A large group of us decided to travel to Chiang Saen, Thailand this weekend. Chiang Saen is home to the Golden Triangle, where Laos, Thailand, and Burma/Myanmar meet. Like advertised in Lonely Planet, it was very sleepy town. Before arriving, I was convinced that we were going to be able to stand in all three countries at the same time…similar to the setup in Tennessee. Unfortunately that was not the case and we could only see the three countries at once. Needless to say, I was disappointed. To make up, the other female volunteers and I decided to have Thai massages along the river. I have never had a massage, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve heard that Thai massages are rough so I prepared myself for the worse. The massage was amazing; this lady knew what she was doing! The combination of concrete “mattresses” and long bus rides have made my body feel so old. The massage was definitely needed. She cracked and stretched me in ways I never though possible. I did surprise her and the other ladies when she stretched my back and I bent in half. I’ve always been flexible, I just didn’t know it was that odd. If you ever come to Thailand, you must get a Thai massage! Not only are they cheap (1 hour for 3 dollars) they are very soothing. I was going to wait until Ko Tao to get my massage, I’m so glad I changed my mind. I would like to get one every week! : ) I just need to talk James into getting one now!
My favorite aspect of Chaing Saen was dinner along the river. In the late afternoon, the food stall owners set up squat tables along the boardwalk and serve dinner. Since we were a big group we decided to order many different dishes and try them all. We sampled Tom Yom, fried rice, bamboo chicken, papaya salad, and many other things. I feel as if I am becoming much more daring with my meal choices, so I actually ate the meat! The bamboo chicken was absolutely amazing! They took a hollow piece of bamboo, placed chicken and a spicy sauce inside and threw it on a fire to cook. It was quite spicy, but super tasty. I think this meal was my favorite throughout the whole trip. We thought our bill was going to be rather high, but once we calculated it, it was only 70 baht per person. That’s two dollars per person! We had so much food! I cannot get over the prices here. Do Thais know the meaning of profit?
After dinner we moved to a local bar called 2 b 1. It was a fun setting for there was a DJ and an extensive drink menu. We had way too much to drink the night before at the birthday party, so we stuck to the large Chang pitcher for all of us. All in all it was a low key night, but a lot of fun.
We stayed at the Chiang Saen Guest House…..super sketchy, but oh well. When in Thailand… I have come to the conclusion that the worse part of a sketchy or buggy bedroom is laying in bed trying to fall asleep. During this time I lay there thinking about the dirty sheets or bugs crawling around me. I know most of it is in my head because once I fall asleep I am fine. My bug tolerance has definitely increased!
January 25
Lonely Planet also recommended walking to the Chiang Saen ruins, so of course we had to do it. It seems as if once an attraction is written about in Lonely Planet, then it becomes a touristy area and souvenirs vendors set up shop. The ruins themselves were quite impressive, but the vendors and tour groups took away from it.
After the ruins we ventured back to Chiang Rai for lunch and food shopping for the rest of the week. Dinner is not served at Mirror on Sunday evenings, so we had to find a meal to bring back. The Australian girls were throwing an Australia Day party, so we had some yummy treats with them. They sure know to made rice pudding and roasted bananas with chocolate. I sure do love trying all the different cuisine types here!
The rest of the night was spent planning for our Hilltribe lesson….yes/no questions! Wooho!
January 23 - Night Bazzar, Teepee Bar, and Sketchy Neighborhoods!
As soon as we arrived back to Mirror we had two short hours to repack for our weekend trip to Chiang Saen. On Friday’s, Mirror takes us into town to a restaurant, Big C’s, and then to the Night Bazaar. I find Friday evenings a lot of fun because we are in a different setting as a group. Unlike last week, most of us stayed in town at the Mirror Guesthouse. There was a birthday in the group so we went out to the Teepee Bar after the night bazaar. This was the craziest night I’ve had in awhile. The bar is owned by a crazy local Thai that pretty much caters to anyone who walks in. The décor was probably the most random aspect. There were posters, Barbie doll parts, black lights, anything you can think of hanging around. Wigs were passed out to new comers as the Macarena was playing. This place was great for big groups – we had so much fun dancing the night away. The teepee bar definitely makes a strong drink. James and I evaluated how much we spent and kind of freaked out because it was 1,000 baht. We than started to think how that was only 30 bucks or so. For the amount of drink we bought for ourselves and others, I think it was a pretty good deal. It would have been much more at home!
The funniest aspect of the evening was the ride/walk back to the guesthouse. The Thai interns couldn’t remember the address so they wrote down a different guesthouse that was supposedly near Mirror. Well, the tuk-tuk dropped us off at the Chang house and then told us to walk. The problem was that we walked the opposite direction which resulted in a very scenic tour of a sketchy Thai neighborhood. I’m not sure how we found our way, but we did. It only took us 45 minutes when the walk should have been about 15 minutes total…at least we were a big group!
The funniest aspect of the evening was the ride/walk back to the guesthouse. The Thai interns couldn’t remember the address so they wrote down a different guesthouse that was supposedly near Mirror. Well, the tuk-tuk dropped us off at the Chang house and then told us to walk. The problem was that we walked the opposite direction which resulted in a very scenic tour of a sketchy Thai neighborhood. I’m not sure how we found our way, but we did. It only took us 45 minutes when the walk should have been about 15 minutes total…at least we were a big group!
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.
-
Cheers!
Sam
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.
-
Cheers!
Sam
Mae Chan (1/17 - 1/23)
Hello again. I know it’s been awhile, but there was no way for us to get internet last week. I want to start off by saying that I did not chicken out of eating that damn grasshopper, which I didn’t want to eat anyway. The guy passing them out knew I didn’t want to so of course he handed me the biggest one. I think they must use hormones on their grasshoppers or something. It’s like when you go to KFC and know that no chicken could grow that big naturally. Same thing with grasshoppers here. So I bit off about 2/3 of the thing and chewed a little bit. I didn’t like the texture so I tried to swallow it. Sam said she chewed too long, but I don’t know if I chewed enough. I could feel the hard legs going down my throat. I washed it down and then looked at what was left on my hand, which was basically the squishy end of the insect. After eating the first part I had no need to follow it up with intestines or whatever is in the back end of a grasshopper, so I just gave it to someone else who wanted to try. The taste was nothing to worry about, it was fried so it just tasted crunchy. But the texture was the hard part to get over. Maybe Sam will try again this Friday, but I’m not going to. By the way, I think there are a few pictures of Sam eating it that will hopefully make their way onto the blog.
This week was different than most weeks at Mirror. We went to a small village outside Mae Chan, about an hour and a half away. To get there we loaded up a Song Thaew (truck taxi) and another truck. These people really know how to load a truck, I will give them that. On top of the Song Thaew they loaded as much luggage as would fit. You will see what I mean form the pictures. But miraculously none of it fell off on the bumpy ride, even without strapping anything down. The driver has two people with him in the cab, and then 12 of us cram in back. They put the rest of the bags in the other truck (a regular looking one) along with 5 people in the extended cab and 3 people in back. About 20 minutes from our destination we had to stop so that Me, Sam, and another person could move from the Song Thaew to the back of the other truck. The last part of the journey was up some very steep hills on dirt roads and the Song Thaew wouldn’t be able to make it the way it was loaded. Looking out the back of the truck down the hill, it occurred to me that if they would just import a couple of Chevrolets, we probably wouldn’t need to be rearranging loads and worrying about the terrain. But I guess this is what you get when you rely on Toyotas and Asian-built Fords…. Nonetheless we made it. The village we went to had a daycare that was mostly supported by a wealthy man named Mr. Van. He put us all up at his little “guest village”. The accommodations included one hot shower for us to share, which even worked most of the time. The place was pretty nice except for the fact that there were no mattresses, just concrete or wooden floors. I was wishing for the hard pad that I had back at Mirror, but I got used to it. The first two or three days we worked on a playground, pouring concrete bases for the equipment. The concrete pouring was quite an experience. Mr. Van had someone deliver a truckload of sand, a truckload of gravel, and numerous bags of cement. We mixed ten buckets of sand, eight buckets of gravel, 2/3 bag of cement, and (usually way too much) water together in a big tub. Two people took turns mixing it with crude hoes and shovels while everyone else helped set flimsy bamboo forms. While we were doing this Mr. Van recruited a few old men form the village to cut down bamboo trees. It was amazing to see them climb up the trees to cut off the tops. I also think it must be a requirement for all males in Thailand to become expert machete users. Then they cut the trunks into strips about two inches wide and a quarter to a half inch thick. No one knew what these long strips were for. Mr. Van spoke relatively good English but he was a little lax about sharing his ideas, which meant that the master plan was in his head only, so nobody else had a clue. So we kept mixing concrete and making the forms as he instructed. Before pouring, the bamboo strips were laid inside the formed area, green side up, and nailed together in a grid fashion. At that point I finally figured it out. Where we use re-bar or wire mesh grids for reinforcement, they use bamboo strips. We poured the concrete over this grid just like the wire grids at home, only maybe they were spaced out a little farther. At this point the concrete had to be carried in buckets from the tub to the forms. Only a small amount could be mixed at a time, so this process repeated itself over and over the whole day. I had no way of measuring things, but my guess is that we poured over a yard of concrete the first day, maybe more, and probably equally as much the second. Mr. Van and a couple of the Thai interns apparently do this type of thing often, so they were the ones who leveled and finished off the pads. I should also mention that there was no level involved anywhere in this process; I don’t think there will be water sitting on these pads anytime soon, to say the least. After letting things dry for a day or two we moved the equipment onto the pads, and then the kids could play again.
The rest of the week was occupied with a variety of other things. We learned how to weave large baskets out of bamboo, which we set up in places as garbage receptacles. A different group took turns each day taking care of the kids at daycare. I guess little kids at home are rambunctious and easy to occupy as well, but these seemed especially energetic. At night we usually hung out under the pavilion or watched movies on a laptop in Mr. Van’s house. He is still in the process of building it, so the fireplace didn’t keep us warm until the second or third day, when he got a few windows installed. One of the Thai interns bought some Thai moonshine from a villager. It was made by fermenting Sticky Rice, and you could get a liter bottle for 40 baht; about $1.35. He offered me a little so I tried a sip. It kind of smelled like rubbing alcohol but tasted like really strong vodka or gin or something. I didn’t have much more, but two other guys tried glassfuls of the stuff. I’m glad I stopped with one try, because those two guys felt awful for the next day or so. The one guy must have gotten up in the middle of the night four times to “call Ralph” as he put it. Interestingly I don’t think the alcohol content had anything to do with his visits. What I think happened is that the villager who made it probably used the regular water supply to dilute it for sale. We can’t drink that water, only they can, so that’s probably what happened. I think they learned their lesson though. On the last day we took a long walk uphill to a “zoo”, which was really a small animal breeding facility. Most of the cages had birds in them. There were supposedly larger animals somewhere else, but we didn’t have access to those because the keeper wasn’t in. As far as zoos go I would rate it pretty low, but the scenery on the walk was nice to see, even if walking up the hills was a little strenuous.
That put us back at mirror on Friday night. We went into town for our meal and to the night bazaar (market) like we do every Friday, but instead of going back to Mirror we stayed at a guesthouse in town. One of the Australian girls was having a birthday party, so we went out with them. It was quite an interesting night, but I think Sam covered that part. The next day we headed to Chiang Saen, the heart of the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar) meet. Disappointingly, they meet in the middle of a river so you can’t stand in all three at once, but it was still nice to see. We had a great meal along the river and explored the rest of the town. What’s so nice is that the public bus system up here is incredibly cheap. The hour and a half bus ride to get there cost $1 per person. It makes exploring other area extremely easy, even if the buses aren’t as comfortable as we are used to at home.
We ended our weekend back at Mirror on Sunday night. This was the first access to internet we had in a while, and sadly I once again received bad news from home. We are distraught all over again and wish we could be home with our families. I received the news too late to make it home even if we tried, but we are going to continue on here. I’m sorry we aren’t there and hope you all get through this together. We are hoping for everyone else’s safety and that no other tragic events hit our families. We miss you all and love you very much.
--
James
This week was different than most weeks at Mirror. We went to a small village outside Mae Chan, about an hour and a half away. To get there we loaded up a Song Thaew (truck taxi) and another truck. These people really know how to load a truck, I will give them that. On top of the Song Thaew they loaded as much luggage as would fit. You will see what I mean form the pictures. But miraculously none of it fell off on the bumpy ride, even without strapping anything down. The driver has two people with him in the cab, and then 12 of us cram in back. They put the rest of the bags in the other truck (a regular looking one) along with 5 people in the extended cab and 3 people in back. About 20 minutes from our destination we had to stop so that Me, Sam, and another person could move from the Song Thaew to the back of the other truck. The last part of the journey was up some very steep hills on dirt roads and the Song Thaew wouldn’t be able to make it the way it was loaded. Looking out the back of the truck down the hill, it occurred to me that if they would just import a couple of Chevrolets, we probably wouldn’t need to be rearranging loads and worrying about the terrain. But I guess this is what you get when you rely on Toyotas and Asian-built Fords…. Nonetheless we made it. The village we went to had a daycare that was mostly supported by a wealthy man named Mr. Van. He put us all up at his little “guest village”. The accommodations included one hot shower for us to share, which even worked most of the time. The place was pretty nice except for the fact that there were no mattresses, just concrete or wooden floors. I was wishing for the hard pad that I had back at Mirror, but I got used to it. The first two or three days we worked on a playground, pouring concrete bases for the equipment. The concrete pouring was quite an experience. Mr. Van had someone deliver a truckload of sand, a truckload of gravel, and numerous bags of cement. We mixed ten buckets of sand, eight buckets of gravel, 2/3 bag of cement, and (usually way too much) water together in a big tub. Two people took turns mixing it with crude hoes and shovels while everyone else helped set flimsy bamboo forms. While we were doing this Mr. Van recruited a few old men form the village to cut down bamboo trees. It was amazing to see them climb up the trees to cut off the tops. I also think it must be a requirement for all males in Thailand to become expert machete users. Then they cut the trunks into strips about two inches wide and a quarter to a half inch thick. No one knew what these long strips were for. Mr. Van spoke relatively good English but he was a little lax about sharing his ideas, which meant that the master plan was in his head only, so nobody else had a clue. So we kept mixing concrete and making the forms as he instructed. Before pouring, the bamboo strips were laid inside the formed area, green side up, and nailed together in a grid fashion. At that point I finally figured it out. Where we use re-bar or wire mesh grids for reinforcement, they use bamboo strips. We poured the concrete over this grid just like the wire grids at home, only maybe they were spaced out a little farther. At this point the concrete had to be carried in buckets from the tub to the forms. Only a small amount could be mixed at a time, so this process repeated itself over and over the whole day. I had no way of measuring things, but my guess is that we poured over a yard of concrete the first day, maybe more, and probably equally as much the second. Mr. Van and a couple of the Thai interns apparently do this type of thing often, so they were the ones who leveled and finished off the pads. I should also mention that there was no level involved anywhere in this process; I don’t think there will be water sitting on these pads anytime soon, to say the least. After letting things dry for a day or two we moved the equipment onto the pads, and then the kids could play again.
The rest of the week was occupied with a variety of other things. We learned how to weave large baskets out of bamboo, which we set up in places as garbage receptacles. A different group took turns each day taking care of the kids at daycare. I guess little kids at home are rambunctious and easy to occupy as well, but these seemed especially energetic. At night we usually hung out under the pavilion or watched movies on a laptop in Mr. Van’s house. He is still in the process of building it, so the fireplace didn’t keep us warm until the second or third day, when he got a few windows installed. One of the Thai interns bought some Thai moonshine from a villager. It was made by fermenting Sticky Rice, and you could get a liter bottle for 40 baht; about $1.35. He offered me a little so I tried a sip. It kind of smelled like rubbing alcohol but tasted like really strong vodka or gin or something. I didn’t have much more, but two other guys tried glassfuls of the stuff. I’m glad I stopped with one try, because those two guys felt awful for the next day or so. The one guy must have gotten up in the middle of the night four times to “call Ralph” as he put it. Interestingly I don’t think the alcohol content had anything to do with his visits. What I think happened is that the villager who made it probably used the regular water supply to dilute it for sale. We can’t drink that water, only they can, so that’s probably what happened. I think they learned their lesson though. On the last day we took a long walk uphill to a “zoo”, which was really a small animal breeding facility. Most of the cages had birds in them. There were supposedly larger animals somewhere else, but we didn’t have access to those because the keeper wasn’t in. As far as zoos go I would rate it pretty low, but the scenery on the walk was nice to see, even if walking up the hills was a little strenuous.
That put us back at mirror on Friday night. We went into town for our meal and to the night bazaar (market) like we do every Friday, but instead of going back to Mirror we stayed at a guesthouse in town. One of the Australian girls was having a birthday party, so we went out with them. It was quite an interesting night, but I think Sam covered that part. The next day we headed to Chiang Saen, the heart of the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar) meet. Disappointingly, they meet in the middle of a river so you can’t stand in all three at once, but it was still nice to see. We had a great meal along the river and explored the rest of the town. What’s so nice is that the public bus system up here is incredibly cheap. The hour and a half bus ride to get there cost $1 per person. It makes exploring other area extremely easy, even if the buses aren’t as comfortable as we are used to at home.
We ended our weekend back at Mirror on Sunday night. This was the first access to internet we had in a while, and sadly I once again received bad news from home. We are distraught all over again and wish we could be home with our families. I received the news too late to make it home even if we tried, but we are going to continue on here. I’m sorry we aren’t there and hope you all get through this together. We are hoping for everyone else’s safety and that no other tragic events hit our families. We miss you all and love you very much.
--
James
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Chiang Rai, Chaing Saen, and Mae Chan Photos
Click here to view our photos!
The majority of these photos are from our recent travels in Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, and Chiang Saen. I believe there is one from Bangkok that I forgot to post earlier. My goal for tomorrow is to post about the last week. The post may help explain some of the photos.
The majority of these photos are from our recent travels in Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, and Chiang Saen. I believe there is one from Bangkok that I forgot to post earlier. My goal for tomorrow is to post about the last week. The post may help explain some of the photos.
Friday, January 16, 2009
a long awaited post...
Sawatdee ka! Due to all of the trains, buses, and tuk-tuks we’ve had to take in the past few days, our availability to write kind of disappeared. It has been driving me crazy because I am so far behind. A normal person would probably just start from today and go from there, but a crazy person, like me, would have to go all the way back and fill in all the gaps. It takes a lot of time and effort….but I’ll do it for you guys. : - ) We have done a lot of fun things, so I can’t leave you hanging. It may not be as detailed as before, but I’ll try my best. We have constant internet access at Mirror, so hopefully I’ll be able to post nightly. Hopefully. (Except for this upcoming week, but after that it should get better).
January 12
Tuk-Tuks!
We decided to try another walking tour today but like the last, it didn’t take long until a “local” came and helped us. This time we were directed to the government gem store and the marble wat. The sites were interesting, but the more daring experience was the tuk-tuk. Never have I feared for my life so much. Not while skydiving, scuba diving, or white water rafting, but while riding in a tuk-tuk on the streets of Bangkok. Our driver was insane…we pulled out in front of trucks, motorbikes, cars, people…anything. I closed my eyes most of the time. It was similar to a roller coaster. Although scary, the tuk-tuks are a great way to experience the craziness of Bangkok..just be careful of the ones that want to take care you on a “special tour” of their cousin’s silk shop.
Moon Bar at Vertigo!
If our tuk-tuk ride wasn’t enough, James and I decided to venture downtown and visit the Moon Bar by Vertigo. The bar is located on the 59th floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel and has the best view of the city. The bar reminded me of something I would go to in NYC, but it was still amazing. Please refer to my photos link for pictures. To get an idea of what the restaurant/bar looks like, go to the website, http://www.banyantree.com/bangkok/facilities/dining/vertigo.html. In James’s post he may tell you we were underdressed. The truth is that we were not underdressed, just our feet. If you ever go, and I encourage you to, men must wear closed toe shoes and women cannot wear flip-flops. I read about the Moon Bar in my Lonely Planet book. There wasn’t much written about it, I believe it was underrated. My only “problem” with the bar is that is was highly Westernized. While the bar was fantastic and a must-see, it is not how I want to remember Bangkok or Thailand. I want the culture experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.
Patpong Market!
After the market, James and I went to Patpong Market. Wow - was this interesting! The market was a sea of knockoff silks, watches, purses, movies, pretty much anything you can think of. I thought NYC had a lot of knockoffs, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Bangkok. The funny thing is, you can’t tell the difference between the real and fake. In addition to the knockoffs, they were selling women’s services left and right. I had been warned about such things, but didn’t think it would be to this extent. To be honest, I think I was expecting to be much crazier based off of movies filmed in Bangkok, but what I witnessed was enough. Sometimes it seemed as if they were targeting women more than men, which I find odd. Regardless of the “red-light” section, I would suggest checking out the Patpong Market if you want to do any shopping or have a true Bangkok experience….just make sure you bargain.
January 13
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
If you ever look at a Bangkok travel guide you are more than likely to be subjected to a photo of the famous floating markets. After seeing hundreds of photos during our research, James and I decided we must see one for ourselves. We would have liked to of gone on a full day tour to the market and the tiger temple, but we couldn’t because it was our last day in Bangkok. To compensate, we found a half day tour of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. In addition to the market, we also stopped at a sugar cane mill, wood carving factory, and snake tourist trap. While I enjoyed the market and took a lot of great photos, this particular market seemed to be more touristy than local. As James says, the photos make the place look a lot better than it actually was. I only say it was touristy because of the paddle boat tour they took us on; the company actually took your photo and put it on a plate and the tour consisted of moving from knick-knack boat to knick-knack boat. I would have preferred more of the fruits, vegetables, and local cuisine boats. If I ever went again, I would check out the Amulet Weekend Floating Market instead.
After our two hour ride back into the city, James and I did some last minute DVD shopping and headed to the train station. The DVD quality was much better this time. On the train we watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, which is still in theatres. It was a rather different movie, in a good way, just very long.
Overnight Trains!
The overnight train experience was much better than I expected. I slept well on the train and would suggest it to anyone traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, or vice versa. Not only was is comfortable, but economical….much cheaper than a plane ticket. In addition, you don’t have to pay for a hotel or hostel for a night. I am going to let James explain the rest of it to you…aka..the bathrooms.
January 14
Arriving in Chiang Mai around 10am, we hopped on the 10:30 bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. These past two days were filled with lots of travel time! The bus ride took about three hours and was VERY luxurious. The bus offered better accommodations than JetStar! I personally enjoyed the entertainment.
The Mirror Foundation!
We finally arrived to the Mirror Foundation after 17 hours of travel. It was great to finally be able to settle down after lugging our backpacks around the Australia and Bangkok. I am excited to be in one place for a month. I am initially very intimated by the Mirror Foundation…it is going to be A LOT of work, but I’m looking forward to it! I really want to make a difference and I think this will be the best place to do it.
The accommodations are quite interesting here. I don’t really know what I expected, but I think it is better than I expected. I am living in bunk-style bedroom with about 12 other girls. I think the hardest thing to get used to will be the cold showers.
James is staying in a clay hut with three other guys. His showers are much different than the girls. The girls have actual showerheads where the guys have bucket showers.
The first day may have been intimating, but it will get better. This is going to be a great experience.
January 15
Today was our first full day at the Mirror Foundation. I had a mix of emotions because I did not know what to expect. We were told to be ready for breakfast at 8am. I was so cold last night, so it was hard to get out of bed. Nonetheless, it was freezing this morning too. Unfortunately I did not take a shower yesterday during the day, so I had to take one in the morning. I could not bring myself to take a full body shower, so I just washed my hair.
Breakfast was quite interesting this morning. I’m not quite used to the eating a full meal for breakfast. Thais find it completely acceptable to eat items we would eat for lunch or dinner for breakfast. James loves the concept. I’m still catching on…
After breakfast James and I were asked to go to childcare with two other volunteers. The child daycare consisted 20 children ages 3-6. We practiced the ABC’s, numbers, read books, and completed an art project. It was a fun way to spend the morning. I am not sure if I’ll want to do childcare the entire time, but I may consider it. I think I want to work with some of the older kids because they may get more out of it. The littler children are just having fun. It was a good laugh though. James was so funny/cute with the kids - I think they enjoyed his height.
After childcare we came back for lunch and had orientation. Orientation with Thellie, our leader, was informative but long. It lasted about three hours. The three hours were essential though..there is so much for us to know. I did a bit of Mirror Foundation research before I arrived and was amazed by the amount of things they were involved in. After our orientation I was astonished by the presence they have within the community. I am so glad I joined this group; I know my work will be helpful. I cannot wait to become more involved.
January 16
Woohoo! I am finally caught up - I am not letting myself fall this far behind again!
Today we had a free day because all of the schools were closed for a teacher’s institution day. We had a meeting earlier in the day and afternoon, so I spent a lot of time writing this blog post. We are leaving tomorrow for Mae Chan, Thailand to do some volunteer work. It should be an interesting time since we are staying in local homes. I believe each person is teaching English one of the days and then community development during the rest of the week. I overheard we are putting a in a water pipe and building a playground.
A Night in the City
After a lot of typing and downtime, the foundation took us into town for our Friday outing. I had such a great time! We had dinner at a local restaurant, went to a superstore (basically Thai Wal-Mart), and the night bazaar. We are going to do this every Friday, it will be super fun and useful.
BC’s, the superstore, was very interesting. It was weird how it resembled Wal-Mart. The products, layout, everything was just like in the States, expect instead of English it was Thai. I needed to buy shampoo; it was interesting trying to figure out what it said. I based my decision on the bottle’s photos. Finger’s crossed! I was disappointed in BC’s because they didn’t have any warm clothing. I needed to buy some warm clothes. If it truly were a Wal-Mart, they would have had warmer clothes.
After BC’s we went to the Chiang Rai Night Bazaar. I was super excited because I wanted to buy fisherman’s pants. Everyone wears them here and they look so comfy. They are one size fits all with a tie to make them smaller. I am wearing them now, they are fabulous! I’ll have to post a picture for a better explanation.
After finding my pants and a sweater (wooho for second-hand 80 baht ($2 USD) sweatshirts!) we sat down at the stage area and had a few drinks and local delicacies with fellow volunteers and Thai interns. The beer pitcher was intriguing; I’ll have to take a photo next week. It was a tall cylinder with a nozzle and an ice cylinder in the middle. It was much more efficient than the pitchers we have at home.
While at the table we started talking about eating insects in Thailand. The next thing I know there was a plate of grasshoppers on the table. I told myself before that I wanted to try them while I was here, but I didn’t think I was ready. Well, tonight I tried one along with the rest of the table. It didn’t taste bad; it was just hard to chew knowing what it was. I had issues because I chewed and chewed and didn’t swallow it. I should have just taking two bites and been done with it. Beer has never tasted so good! I feel obligated to tell you that James chicken out half way and only finished half of the grasshopper. Maybe we will have to try again next week. : )
Tonight was such a great time because of the people. I love meeting new people, especially the locals. Everyone is so inviting and I cannot wait to get to know them more. Without them I probably would not have tried the grasshopper. It is something I will never forget.
The combinations of the work, culture, and people will result in a beautiful experience. I am so excited.
James’s Wisdom
Hello everyone. It’s been quite a change of scenery since we last posted. The floating market, while slightly touristy, was nice to see. Sam was able to get some really good pictures, which will hopefully be up by the time I post this.
Also the Moon bar had spectacular views, but may have been a little out of our league. I kept telling her I thought we would be underdressed, and she kept saying we were fine. When we got there we found out that only closed toed shoes were allowed, which I didn’t have since this is a backpacking trip. Not to worry. Similar to how some nice restaurants have house dinner jackets for its “uncivilized” guests, this one had house shoes. I put on the shoes they gave me (although my feet stuck out the back slightly), and started to pick up my sandals to put them in the closet. The lady sort of shouted “No, no” at me and reached for my sandals with a pair of tongs. I forgot that feet are considered lowly here. But after all that we made it up to the bar and the view was amazing. After the drinks, we decided that since we were in such a swanky hotel, we should make use of the facilities before leaving. The bathrooms were immaculate, complete with flushing toilet, TP, and nice smelling soap. I will even forgive them for not having any means to dry your hands in the men’s room.
Sam had commented to me on the rooftop that she didn’t feel like we had experienced enough of the crazy part of Bangkok that gets shown in the movies most of the time. To make her happy I agreed to go to Patpong Market, which is basically a bunch of shops set in Bangkok’s red-light district (as if other parts of the city aren’t red-light enough). As soon as we stepped out of the cab we were bombarded with people wanting us to go upstairs to see one of the many “shows” they had to offer. I’d like to keep this blog at least R rated or lower, so I won’t even go into a description of what they wanted us to see. Anyone interested or curious can probably find out on the internet, or if you want you can ask me privately when we get home. It will probably blow your mind. Aside from that and the strip clubs (with open doors trying to lure you in) there is so much for sale that we might make a trip back on our last day to buy souvenirs. I guess it was a good way to spend our last night in Bangkok.
The following evening we got on the night train for the 14 hour trip to Chiang Mai. Overall the train was pretty nice, especially for the $25 each it cost us. It got a little cold sleeping but I was still impressed, which is a good thing since we will probably be on this type of train 3 more times while we are here. As I promised I will comment on the bathrooms in the train. I don’t even know if anyone cares besides me, but this is my portion of the blog so I call the shots, and you all just have to either listen to me or skip ahead. It was slightly larger than the size of an airplane bathroom, but only because they needed to allow plenty of room for you to squat over the hole (I did not find out until later from Sam that a stall on the opposite side of the train had a seat). But there was no need to worry about flushing or sluicing, since anything that went into the hole (or the bowl) went straight down to the tracks. You could actually see the tracks and feel air coming through the hole as the train moved. Thailand train tracks must smell awful. I should also mention that the bathrooms were 6 feet 2 inches tall. I happen to be 6 feet 3 inches tall; I’ll let you guys work out the math on that one.
After getting off the train we caught the first available bus for the 3.5 hour ride to Chiang Rai, where the volunteer site is. The bus service was quite first class, with more snacks and drinks than some of our flights in Australia. They even had a few Thai shows on TV screens, which Sam constantly laughed along with even though we couldn’t understand anything. Then we caught a ride on a Satong, the Thai version of a rural taxi, which is a truck with a roof over the bed and a metal cage around it, with benches to sit on. We will try to get some photos to help convey the picture.
Arriving at the foundation was a bit of a shock; I don’t think either of us was sure what to expect. The living arrangements are comfortable enough but slightly more basic than I had originally thought. The pad I sleep on doesn’t do a lot to soften my concrete mattress, but hopefully I’ll get used to that. It is much colder here than we had planned for. It’s winter so it gets to around 50 at night and 70s in the day. That doesn’t do much to warm the water in the trough that we use for our bucket showers. I took my first one this morning and it was a little rough. Other people suggested waiting until the afternoon, and then taking a long jog before you take your shower. Once again the women’s bathroom is far superior. They have an actual shower head and one flushing toilet; the men’s is the sluice method.
But all in all it’s going fairly well. We went to a daycare this morning and played and did crafts with 3-6 year olds. They can sing the ABCs and practice letters, but I don’t know how much they comprehend other than associating letter names. It was fun being there. The daycare was for a small village, with 15-20 kids. They have limited supplies but make good use of what is available. We are still getting settled so I will have more to tell later about what kind of work the foundation does. Usually during the afternoons we will go to schools and teach older children, but tomorrow is a school holiday so I’m not sure what we will be doing.
The breakfast concept Sam mentioned is something I really like. How amazing to be able to eat whatever you want for any meal of the day. Could you imagine eating a cheeseburger for breakfast, then maybe a steak for lunch, and finishing off the day with bacon and eggs??? I think this is a great idea. I’m going to try to implement it when I get back, but I don’t think it will really catch on.
One thing I’ve noticed at Mirror Foundation is that we seem to get tired early here, so I might head off to bed soon. We are doing great and both of us look forward to our time here. I hope my family members know it was difficult for me to decide to stay here instead of coming home. Sam and I are both very saddened by Nita’s death and wish we could be there with everyone, but I feel Nita would have wanted us to stay. We are grieving in our own way and want Peter and Rachel to know how sorry we are. We miss you all and will see you when we get back; 6 weeks will go by quickly.
I know I said I wouldn’t let myself go this long ever again, but as I stated earlier we are leaving this week to volunteer in another village. I will not be bringing the computer, so I’ll have to update you all when we get back. If all goes as planned, look for our next post on Saturday.
Have a fabulous weekend and a joyous week! Like we are here, push yourself to try something new, it is so rewarding!
Best always,
Samantha and James
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sting Rays, Massages, and Silk oh my!
January 11
Reading about the great markets in Thailand, James and I set out to witness the biggest of them all today. The Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is home to over 10,000 stalls and offers anything from live chipmunks to knockoff clothing to gorgeous Thai silk. While the whole place was insane (over 200,000 people visit daily) I am mainly going to discuss the “pet” section for I was blown away. If the chipmunks, dogs, various fish (many of which we saw while diving in Australia), or tropical birds were not to our fancy, we had the option to purchase sting rays in a bag, snakes, turtles, and monkeys. We did not see any monkeys or snakes for they were hidden because some of them are endangered. I do believe I saw one snake that was bundled in a sack. I cannot be sure because the sales lady did not speak English when James asked her. All I know it was moving around and was very eerie….I did not stick around too long.
The weekend market was an interesting place; you could buy just about anything. I wish I made more room in my backpack because I would have bought so much more. I fell in love with so many home furnishings. I still cannot get over how cheap everything is. We shared a taxi with a couple that moved from Oregon to Zambia, Africa, for work. They were explaining to us how expensive everything was in Zambia. (i.e. cheese for 10 dollars a block or gas for 12 dollars a gallon) They are in Thailand for an HIV convention and were going to the market to buy things for home. They were going to buy all of their clothes, dried foods, and home furnishings. I asked how they would get it all home and they said they only brought 10 kilos of items with them for this reason. I wish I could bring stuff home with me….
After the market, James and I decided to take the skytrain to the river and then hop on a longtail boat. The couple we shared the taxi with told us to take a private longtail versus the commercial because they were cheaper and would take us on a “back roads” tour. During our tour we saw many local homes, wats (temples), and floating markets. I could not believe some of the “homes”; think of the worst looking home you know and triple it. Not only were these shacks falling apart, they also were along the river and probably smelled horrible. The longboat tour definitely gave us a preview of another side of Bangkok. I thought Bangkok was a pretty rough place with the tailless cats, children begging for money, general appearance, and bathrooms…this was even worse.
For our evening activities, we decided to check out KhoaSan Road since we didn’t make it there last night. It was early, so we grabbed a drink at a restaurant and played cards with some other travelers. I say a drink as if we could order whatever we wanted, but it is not true. It is Election Day in Thailand so there is no selling of alcohol. Many of the restaurants/bars are breaking the rules by not selling beer or drinks that look like they could have alcohol. It is funny because James couldn’t order a whiskey and club, but he could have a whiskey and coke. Our hotel restaurant got around this by putting beer in cups instead of clear glasses. The other travelers we met were very interesting. They were both from Canada and had met earlier in the day. One of them is actually an ex-pat is living in Thailand for three years and works for Haliburton (sp). My cousin Brad works for the company in Oklahoma. It is funny how it is a small world. Blair was telling us how he has also lived in Africa and the States with his position. What an exciting life he lives!
After a few hours of playing cards, James and I moved up the road in search for dinner. We stopped by one of the street food stands and shared Phad Thai. I have had this many times in the states, but it was never as good as this. James and I were both blown away. My stomach was feeling better, so it tasted even better. I am still on the search for banana pancakes. When I’m not in the mood I see them everywhere, but when I want them they all disappear.
After our outstanding dinner, we walked into a long market. I found so much, but didn’t get anything…we have so much more time in Thailand. James, however, found a really nice pair of Billabong swimming trunks. The tags and everything were still on them. They are listed at $49.95 USD and bought them for 400 baht (13.50 USD). He wanted to try them on, so we asked and she said of course. We looked around for a dressing room, but she said you do it right here, it’s ok. Next thing I know, James is trying on the swimming trunks in the middle of the market. Only in Thailand….
After the market we ventured to a movie/DVD stand. I fell for this in New York, so I was skeptical, but James kept on saying ‘it’s Asia, it has to be better!’. James wanted the movies Australia and the new James Bond movie, so we bought those…two movies for 160 baht (5.33 USD). The man said they were in English, but when we sat down to watch, they were in Thai with English subtitles that did not translate well. The video quality was amazing, just like watching it on a real DVD. James thinks he will be able to bring them back tomorrow, I think he is crazy. We shall see…
It was another great day in Bangkok, I look forward to continuing our trip and seeing what tomorrow brings. Who knows, maybe we will see the lady boys…the possibilities are truly endless. : - )
Now a few words from James...
Well Sam has given you the run down on what we have been up to. Bangkok is fun even if it is a little hectic. The weekend market was crazy, but Sam forgot to tell you about the “rooster” section. We passed hundreds of cock fighting roosters in wicker cages. The cage looks like a smaller version of an upside down papa-san chair, except smaller in diameter and maybe a little taller, with more wicker going around to keep it from getting out. We even passed the pit where they fight, and it look like last night’s losers weren’t doing so well. We should have taken some pictures but I think we were both trying to walk through without getting pecked from either side. Some of you may know my feelings about PETA, but this place was 10 times worse than anything you would ever imagine in the states. Walking through the pet section first shocked us a little bit, but the rest of the market was better. It would be nice to buy a lot of stuff here and take it home, but it’s just not possible. Maybe towards the end of the trip we can throw out some clothes or something that we don’t want to take home. In regard to the movies, the quality really is amazing, I’m just mad because he assured me they were in English. I’m going to go back there and ask him why he lied, and just see what he says. I don’t really think I will get anywhere, but maybe some potential customers will hear me asking and not buy.
That covers everything we wanted to tell you about except for one major thing: the toilets. I think Sam is more fortunate than I am because the women’s are sometimes a little better than the men’s. In our hotel it’s not too bad. It looks like a regular toilet, you just can’t throw any paper products in it, there’s a little trash can for that. But speaking of paper I should say that Southeast Asians do not use toilet paper, they use bidets or possibly the bucket (I will tell you about that in a minute). We knew this ahead of time and brought some TP with us. When you flush it the water rushes in and it fills up to the top. Then gravity takes the water level slowly back down to where it started. This isn’t very efficient since you will need to go through this process a few times. But really that’s not too bad. Public toilets, or toilets that are anywhere besides the “nice” hotels, are where it really gets interesting. The first one I tried to use had a small bowl with a low water level in it, about a third of the height of a regular toilet, but no seat. There were two foot pads that you are supposed to stand on to hover over the bowl (I saw a similar setup once in Europe). When you are finished you can’t flush, you have to sluice it yourself. If you aren’t sure what that means I’ll try to explain it, or maybe if you are feeling energetic you can Google this process yourself. There is a faucet to the side with a large bucket underneath it. In the bucket is another smaller bucket and water that has dripped from the faucet. You take the smaller bucket, turn on the faucet, and fill it up. Then you dump this in the toilet, the water level comes up, and then gravity causes it to very slowly settle back down to the original level. This is even slower and less efficient than the toilet in our hotel room. It's almost like watching water leave through a partially clogged shower drain, although I don't think DRANO would help at all... I don’t know where everything goes after it leaves the bowl, but that really isn’t my problem so I’m not going to worry about it. Sam said that the one she used actually had a seat, but I guess men aren't afforded such luxuries. She did say that the next time she used one it was similar to mine, so I guess it depends on where you go. I should also mention that if you want to wash your hands you better bring your own soap and towel; we carry hand sanitizer with us everywhere. So basically I use the hotel bathroom and try to avoid anywhere else. But that's what it's like, so maybe we will get used to it. I don't know what the bathrooms will be like when we are volunteering, but maybe they will at least be a little cleaner. Two people have told us to prepare ourselves for toilets on the train when we travel up north. They must be even worse than what we have already seen. Don't worry, I'll report back after we get there :).
That's it for now. Keep the comments coming, although it would be nice to see that someone other than our immediate families are still reading (even though we appreciate their support!).
Reading about the great markets in Thailand, James and I set out to witness the biggest of them all today. The Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is home to over 10,000 stalls and offers anything from live chipmunks to knockoff clothing to gorgeous Thai silk. While the whole place was insane (over 200,000 people visit daily) I am mainly going to discuss the “pet” section for I was blown away. If the chipmunks, dogs, various fish (many of which we saw while diving in Australia), or tropical birds were not to our fancy, we had the option to purchase sting rays in a bag, snakes, turtles, and monkeys. We did not see any monkeys or snakes for they were hidden because some of them are endangered. I do believe I saw one snake that was bundled in a sack. I cannot be sure because the sales lady did not speak English when James asked her. All I know it was moving around and was very eerie….I did not stick around too long.
The weekend market was an interesting place; you could buy just about anything. I wish I made more room in my backpack because I would have bought so much more. I fell in love with so many home furnishings. I still cannot get over how cheap everything is. We shared a taxi with a couple that moved from Oregon to Zambia, Africa, for work. They were explaining to us how expensive everything was in Zambia. (i.e. cheese for 10 dollars a block or gas for 12 dollars a gallon) They are in Thailand for an HIV convention and were going to the market to buy things for home. They were going to buy all of their clothes, dried foods, and home furnishings. I asked how they would get it all home and they said they only brought 10 kilos of items with them for this reason. I wish I could bring stuff home with me….
After the market, James and I decided to take the skytrain to the river and then hop on a longtail boat. The couple we shared the taxi with told us to take a private longtail versus the commercial because they were cheaper and would take us on a “back roads” tour. During our tour we saw many local homes, wats (temples), and floating markets. I could not believe some of the “homes”; think of the worst looking home you know and triple it. Not only were these shacks falling apart, they also were along the river and probably smelled horrible. The longboat tour definitely gave us a preview of another side of Bangkok. I thought Bangkok was a pretty rough place with the tailless cats, children begging for money, general appearance, and bathrooms…this was even worse.
For our evening activities, we decided to check out KhoaSan Road since we didn’t make it there last night. It was early, so we grabbed a drink at a restaurant and played cards with some other travelers. I say a drink as if we could order whatever we wanted, but it is not true. It is Election Day in Thailand so there is no selling of alcohol. Many of the restaurants/bars are breaking the rules by not selling beer or drinks that look like they could have alcohol. It is funny because James couldn’t order a whiskey and club, but he could have a whiskey and coke. Our hotel restaurant got around this by putting beer in cups instead of clear glasses. The other travelers we met were very interesting. They were both from Canada and had met earlier in the day. One of them is actually an ex-pat is living in Thailand for three years and works for Haliburton (sp). My cousin Brad works for the company in Oklahoma. It is funny how it is a small world. Blair was telling us how he has also lived in Africa and the States with his position. What an exciting life he lives!
After a few hours of playing cards, James and I moved up the road in search for dinner. We stopped by one of the street food stands and shared Phad Thai. I have had this many times in the states, but it was never as good as this. James and I were both blown away. My stomach was feeling better, so it tasted even better. I am still on the search for banana pancakes. When I’m not in the mood I see them everywhere, but when I want them they all disappear.
After our outstanding dinner, we walked into a long market. I found so much, but didn’t get anything…we have so much more time in Thailand. James, however, found a really nice pair of Billabong swimming trunks. The tags and everything were still on them. They are listed at $49.95 USD and bought them for 400 baht (13.50 USD). He wanted to try them on, so we asked and she said of course. We looked around for a dressing room, but she said you do it right here, it’s ok. Next thing I know, James is trying on the swimming trunks in the middle of the market. Only in Thailand….
After the market we ventured to a movie/DVD stand. I fell for this in New York, so I was skeptical, but James kept on saying ‘it’s Asia, it has to be better!’. James wanted the movies Australia and the new James Bond movie, so we bought those…two movies for 160 baht (5.33 USD). The man said they were in English, but when we sat down to watch, they were in Thai with English subtitles that did not translate well. The video quality was amazing, just like watching it on a real DVD. James thinks he will be able to bring them back tomorrow, I think he is crazy. We shall see…
It was another great day in Bangkok, I look forward to continuing our trip and seeing what tomorrow brings. Who knows, maybe we will see the lady boys…the possibilities are truly endless. : - )
Now a few words from James...
Well Sam has given you the run down on what we have been up to. Bangkok is fun even if it is a little hectic. The weekend market was crazy, but Sam forgot to tell you about the “rooster” section. We passed hundreds of cock fighting roosters in wicker cages. The cage looks like a smaller version of an upside down papa-san chair, except smaller in diameter and maybe a little taller, with more wicker going around to keep it from getting out. We even passed the pit where they fight, and it look like last night’s losers weren’t doing so well. We should have taken some pictures but I think we were both trying to walk through without getting pecked from either side. Some of you may know my feelings about PETA, but this place was 10 times worse than anything you would ever imagine in the states. Walking through the pet section first shocked us a little bit, but the rest of the market was better. It would be nice to buy a lot of stuff here and take it home, but it’s just not possible. Maybe towards the end of the trip we can throw out some clothes or something that we don’t want to take home. In regard to the movies, the quality really is amazing, I’m just mad because he assured me they were in English. I’m going to go back there and ask him why he lied, and just see what he says. I don’t really think I will get anywhere, but maybe some potential customers will hear me asking and not buy.
That covers everything we wanted to tell you about except for one major thing: the toilets. I think Sam is more fortunate than I am because the women’s are sometimes a little better than the men’s. In our hotel it’s not too bad. It looks like a regular toilet, you just can’t throw any paper products in it, there’s a little trash can for that. But speaking of paper I should say that Southeast Asians do not use toilet paper, they use bidets or possibly the bucket (I will tell you about that in a minute). We knew this ahead of time and brought some TP with us. When you flush it the water rushes in and it fills up to the top. Then gravity takes the water level slowly back down to where it started. This isn’t very efficient since you will need to go through this process a few times. But really that’s not too bad. Public toilets, or toilets that are anywhere besides the “nice” hotels, are where it really gets interesting. The first one I tried to use had a small bowl with a low water level in it, about a third of the height of a regular toilet, but no seat. There were two foot pads that you are supposed to stand on to hover over the bowl (I saw a similar setup once in Europe). When you are finished you can’t flush, you have to sluice it yourself. If you aren’t sure what that means I’ll try to explain it, or maybe if you are feeling energetic you can Google this process yourself. There is a faucet to the side with a large bucket underneath it. In the bucket is another smaller bucket and water that has dripped from the faucet. You take the smaller bucket, turn on the faucet, and fill it up. Then you dump this in the toilet, the water level comes up, and then gravity causes it to very slowly settle back down to the original level. This is even slower and less efficient than the toilet in our hotel room. It's almost like watching water leave through a partially clogged shower drain, although I don't think DRANO would help at all... I don’t know where everything goes after it leaves the bowl, but that really isn’t my problem so I’m not going to worry about it. Sam said that the one she used actually had a seat, but I guess men aren't afforded such luxuries. She did say that the next time she used one it was similar to mine, so I guess it depends on where you go. I should also mention that if you want to wash your hands you better bring your own soap and towel; we carry hand sanitizer with us everywhere. So basically I use the hotel bathroom and try to avoid anywhere else. But that's what it's like, so maybe we will get used to it. I don't know what the bathrooms will be like when we are volunteering, but maybe they will at least be a little cleaner. Two people have told us to prepare ourselves for toilets on the train when we travel up north. They must be even worse than what we have already seen. Don't worry, I'll report back after we get there :).
That's it for now. Keep the comments coming, although it would be nice to see that someone other than our immediate families are still reading (even though we appreciate their support!).
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