Walking around the streets here is different than anywhere I’ve ever been. This is by far the most diverse place I’ve ever visited. I can plainly see that there are Thai, Burmese, Muslim, and Buddhist people, along with foreigners from various countries around the world volunteering at one of the many local NGOs. This is only what my untrained eye can see though. According to Aun, a college age immigrant form Myanmar I met yesterday, there are 7 major ethnic groups in Myanmar and 135 smaller groups within these. There are immigrants here from all of those 7 major ethnic groups and many of the subgroups. There are also Chinese and Indian immigrants as well. If there was ever a cultural melting pot Mae Sot is it.
The market is a very interesting area. All of these cultures are mixed and there are many goods that are completely foreign to me. While in Chiang Mai I went to many markets but I’ve never seen some of the stuff that is sold here. Among the standard vegetables and fish there are live frogs in those little orange plastic mesh bags that oranges are sold in, live eels, live turtles, a variety of live fish, and what look like polliwogs. It makes for quite an interesting stroll.
While all of this diversity makes walking down the street a very enjoyable and interesting experiences there is a constant presence to remind a person why such diversity exists in Mae Sot. The beggars here are like none I’ve ever encountered. They range in age from young children to old graying adults. Many of them have missing or maimed limbs. They beg all over the city, on many street corners, and particularly at restaurants that are popular with NGO volunteers. While all of this, in itself, is not particularly uncommon among the begging population anywhere in the world there is a subtle, yet profound, difference in the beggars here. It’s their eyes. Some look frightened; this is especially true of the children. Others stare completely vacant and hopeless. When you look into children’s eyes and they are frightened it is never easy to ignore the feeling that their looks illicit. But at least fear is an emotion; one that we can relate to. When you look into eyes that are hopeless… there’s nothing comparable. The pain of years and years of war and struggle has left these people with no energy to even feel an emotion. Their eyes convey only indifference, not fear, not pain, not sadness, not any emotion that I can identify with. I’ve never felt indifferent towards my life. Seeing people that do I hope I never experience it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I'm compelled to explain
Before I post anything else I must explain a few things. First, my intentions in coming to Mae Sot were twofold. I came to renew my visa by crossing the border and returning to Thailand. I made that quite obvious. But I came specifically to Mae Sot for another reason.
While I was in Chiang Mai I read a book, “Conflict” by Nelson Rand (his commentary is bland and unimaginative but his experiences and knowledge of history are very interesting). The book describes the little-known wars that have been going on in South East Asia for many decades. One such war is happening in Myanmar (or Burma to nearly everyone in the world not currently living in Myanmar). This war is being fought between the Burmese government and the many ethnic groups that are being persecuted and fighting for independence, specifically the Karen. The war has been going on since the current government took power, in 1962. That’s a 47 year old war happening right now! One of the consequences of this war is that it has created hundreds of thousands of refugees. These refugees flee Burma to Thailand. Refugee camps have been set up along the border to “temporarily” hold these people. The oldest and largest refugee camp is Mae La which is about 60kil from Mae Sot. Hence, why I am here. My goal is to visit Mae La.
While I was in Chiang Mai I read a book, “Conflict” by Nelson Rand (his commentary is bland and unimaginative but his experiences and knowledge of history are very interesting). The book describes the little-known wars that have been going on in South East Asia for many decades. One such war is happening in Myanmar (or Burma to nearly everyone in the world not currently living in Myanmar). This war is being fought between the Burmese government and the many ethnic groups that are being persecuted and fighting for independence, specifically the Karen. The war has been going on since the current government took power, in 1962. That’s a 47 year old war happening right now! One of the consequences of this war is that it has created hundreds of thousands of refugees. These refugees flee Burma to Thailand. Refugee camps have been set up along the border to “temporarily” hold these people. The oldest and largest refugee camp is Mae La which is about 60kil from Mae Sot. Hence, why I am here. My goal is to visit Mae La.
Friday, August 21, 2009
First 2 days in Chiang Mai
I forgot that Alana uploaded some her pictures from the first few days. We used her camera the whole time she was here but we only put them on my computer at the beginning. So this is only through day 2, but its a taste.
Our first scooter packed to the brim with street food. That's dinner and desert for 50 baht each, or $1.75, you gotta love street food.
Our first scooter packed to the brim with street food. That's dinner and desert for 50 baht each, or $1.75, you gotta love street food.
Excellent Pad Thai.
Alana loved every scooter we rented, especially numero uno.
So women can't go in all Wats, its a Buddhist thing.
Doi SuthepAlana was here...
A lot has happened in the past two weeks. School ended for starters. We wrapped up classes with a few presentations and our farewell party. Then most people on the program either headed home or headed to the islands in the south to spend their last few days in Thailand on the beach. I, on the other handed, stuck around Chiang Mai.
Alana came on the 10th and she and I have been traveling ever since. We spent the first few days in Chiang Mai. We rented a motor bike and cruised around the city. We drove up to Doi Suthep (much better than walking like I did on the 4th of July). I had never been inside the Wat and it was beautiful. We also went to the cookery school that I had been to with my class. We learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Paneang Curry, Spring rolls, and spicy mango salad. Prepare yourselves for a Thai feast when we return.
After the cooking school we caught the last bus to Pai, a mountain village in the north. We rented a scooter and cruised around in the hills all day. We saw a sign for hot springs and decided to check it out. We forgot that it had rained the night before and the path was a muddy mess. Our motor bike handled it well but it was difficult to maneuver with two people on the bike. We ended up ditching it and walking and some Israeli tourists picked us up in their Jeep, a much better suited vehicle for steep muddy trails.
We left Pai the next day heading south. Our intention was to get to the south as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. We had great luck in getting the right buses and after a 3hour ride to Chiang Mai, 9 hour overnight ride to Bangkok, and an 11 hour ride to the ferry we got to Koh Phangan the evening of the 17th, a night earlier than we had expected. We took the advice of some Germans we met on the ferry and decided to go to a beach that they recommended. We rented the cheapest bungalow we could find and enjoyed 3 glorious days on the beach. I read We the Living by Ayn Rand and laid in he sun and Alana played in the sand and found sea shells (like a cute little tyke... haha). We also rented another motor bike (Alana looooooves motor bikes) and cruised around the island one day checking out the beaches nearby.
On the 20th we packed up and headed to the pier to catch a ferry to Suratthani. A 3 hour ferry ride and a 11hour bus ride to Bangkok ended Alana and I's time together in Thailand. We got to Bangkok around 4:45am and she was on the street that is popular among backpackers so she went to find a place to stay and I headed to the bus station. I needed to get to the Myanmar Thai border by 4pm in order to cross the border and get a tourist visa (if I didn't make I would be an illegal foreigner in Thailand, scary). I caught a bus to Tak at 5:40am and rode til about 1pm and then caught an hour and have minibus ride from Tak to Mae Sot. Once I got to Mae Sot I employed a motorbike taxi to take me to the border. It was 3pm and I didn't want to take any chances by searching for a cheaper Songtheaw. I was able to cross the Myanmar Thai Friendship Bridge, pay 500 baht to Myanmar (to support the repressive military government regime), and head back across the border with a Thai tourist visa allowing me to stay in Thailand for another 15 days. (If you're doing the math and realize that I'll actually be in Thailand for 24 more days you are correct. I will have to go to the border AGAIN and get another 15 day tourist visa before I leave. Annoying, but such is life.)
Alana spent today touring the Grand Palace and walking along the river in Bangkok. Tomorrow she is checking out of her hostel and hopefully getting a more local and authentic tour from our friend AJ Davidson and then she's flying home early in the morning on the 23rd.
That's the past two and a half weeks in a nutshell. Lots of traveling, lots of motor bike fun, a little beach relaxing, and a new visa!
Sawadee Alana, It was great having you here!!!!
Alana came on the 10th and she and I have been traveling ever since. We spent the first few days in Chiang Mai. We rented a motor bike and cruised around the city. We drove up to Doi Suthep (much better than walking like I did on the 4th of July). I had never been inside the Wat and it was beautiful. We also went to the cookery school that I had been to with my class. We learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Paneang Curry, Spring rolls, and spicy mango salad. Prepare yourselves for a Thai feast when we return.
After the cooking school we caught the last bus to Pai, a mountain village in the north. We rented a scooter and cruised around in the hills all day. We saw a sign for hot springs and decided to check it out. We forgot that it had rained the night before and the path was a muddy mess. Our motor bike handled it well but it was difficult to maneuver with two people on the bike. We ended up ditching it and walking and some Israeli tourists picked us up in their Jeep, a much better suited vehicle for steep muddy trails.
We left Pai the next day heading south. Our intention was to get to the south as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. We had great luck in getting the right buses and after a 3hour ride to Chiang Mai, 9 hour overnight ride to Bangkok, and an 11 hour ride to the ferry we got to Koh Phangan the evening of the 17th, a night earlier than we had expected. We took the advice of some Germans we met on the ferry and decided to go to a beach that they recommended. We rented the cheapest bungalow we could find and enjoyed 3 glorious days on the beach. I read We the Living by Ayn Rand and laid in he sun and Alana played in the sand and found sea shells (like a cute little tyke... haha). We also rented another motor bike (Alana looooooves motor bikes) and cruised around the island one day checking out the beaches nearby.
On the 20th we packed up and headed to the pier to catch a ferry to Suratthani. A 3 hour ferry ride and a 11hour bus ride to Bangkok ended Alana and I's time together in Thailand. We got to Bangkok around 4:45am and she was on the street that is popular among backpackers so she went to find a place to stay and I headed to the bus station. I needed to get to the Myanmar Thai border by 4pm in order to cross the border and get a tourist visa (if I didn't make I would be an illegal foreigner in Thailand, scary). I caught a bus to Tak at 5:40am and rode til about 1pm and then caught an hour and have minibus ride from Tak to Mae Sot. Once I got to Mae Sot I employed a motorbike taxi to take me to the border. It was 3pm and I didn't want to take any chances by searching for a cheaper Songtheaw. I was able to cross the Myanmar Thai Friendship Bridge, pay 500 baht to Myanmar (to support the repressive military government regime), and head back across the border with a Thai tourist visa allowing me to stay in Thailand for another 15 days. (If you're doing the math and realize that I'll actually be in Thailand for 24 more days you are correct. I will have to go to the border AGAIN and get another 15 day tourist visa before I leave. Annoying, but such is life.)
Alana spent today touring the Grand Palace and walking along the river in Bangkok. Tomorrow she is checking out of her hostel and hopefully getting a more local and authentic tour from our friend AJ Davidson and then she's flying home early in the morning on the 23rd.
That's the past two and a half weeks in a nutshell. Lots of traveling, lots of motor bike fun, a little beach relaxing, and a new visa!
Sawadee Alana, It was great having you here!!!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Arroy Mak!
As our last adventure in Thai Language and Culture class we went to a cooking school. On the way there we stopped at a market so that we could buy the ingredients. They gave us the Thai names of the foods we needed to get and we had to purchase them, speaking in Thai! At the school we learned how to make Pad Thai, Tom Yum Gou, and Sticky rice with mango. It was all delicious and hopefully I can retain my knowledge during the next month. I want to be able to share my Thai cooking skills with all of you!!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Milk&Toast
The night before we opened we worked all day building the shop and finishing the business plan. That's Boss, Nam (facing), and Nut.
For the past two weeks my time has been consumed by working at the Milk&Toast shop in the business faculty.
The business idea was conceived by the Thai members of our group Boss, Nam, and Nut and is modeled after a popular desert food available at street vendors shops throughout Thailand. We had to write a business plan for our business (its a fun read at 37 pages, the Thai version is 80 pages). We turned the business plan in on Monday July 13th and have been running the shop everyday since. Our last day is this Friday and I will surely be reporting our profits as soon as I find out. I do know that the first day we made roughly 1,600 Baht ($48) and the second day we made about 1,800 Baht ($56).
The food is delicious. We butter one side of a thick piece of white bread and then grill it. Then we cut it into nine pieces and top it off with a flavor of the customers choosing. We have, in order of popularity, sweet milk (which is really sweet and condensed milk), chocolate, Thai green custard, and strawberry. We also sell chocolate milk, pink milk (strawberry), and sweet milk (regular milk with sweetener added). Our shop has been a pretty popular desert/snack stop for Thai students on break between classes. I've learned how to say everything that we sell in Thai so that I can take orders more quickly. It saves a lot of time wasted on pointing and gesturing to place an order. Also, I have been proclaimed (only slightly a self-proclamation) the Grill Master!! The grill is my DOMAIN!!! Which I have announced to nearly the entire business faculty.
Doi Suthep
July 4th was awhile ago but while you were all lighting fireworks, camping, and enjoying neighborhood BBQs American style I was celebrating Thai style. It is tradition at Chiang Mai University for all freshmen to walk from the University front gates to the temple Doi Suthep. The event marks the first day of Buddhist lent that lasts until Wednesday of the next week (consequently we had 3 days off, wahoo!!!). All WSU students are considered freshmen here so we had to participate in the festivities. Dressed in traditional Lanna clothing we embarked up the 16k hike with the rest of the 400 or so freshmen business majors at 8am. The hike starts as a procession marching out of the front gates of the University after doing the chant for your particular faculty. None of us know the chant so we just stood there looking like dumb foreigners. The hike follows the road that goes to Doi Suthep and the walkers take up the left lane of the road while car
s, trucks, motor bikes, and busses pass each other in the right lane. It makes for a tight fit, especially towards the top were traffic is backed up for a few kilometers. Along the way there are rest areas set up to accommodate all of the hikers with food and drink stands all over the place. After 5 hours of hiking we reached the top around 1pm, about an hour and a half ahead of the rest of the business faculty. We waited for them for awhile because the last leg of the journey is a mad dash around the last turn and then up the steepest part of the climb and it’s supposed to be done with your faculty. We got impatient though and decided to walk up the last part. The top was packed with traffic, people, and food stands but after an exhausting hike we didn't really feel like perusing and sightseeing so we found our van and headed home. I took a fantastic 3 hour nap to cap off my July 4th celebrations.
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