2nd Asia update from college group

30 January 2010, Mae Sot, Thailand

Chiang Mai, well we were there twice. Let me pick up where Colin left off.

Chiang Mai: little alleys with gates and gardens and guest houses of all levels of comfort. There are many varieties of dogs as pets, lots of them, which is a growing phenomenon. Perhaps pets are a measure of affluence which should be considered by social scientists. Street dogs are expected in much of Asia, but the collared and groomed lot was not. Starbucks and street food vendors with a ten fold difference in the price of a satisfying meal. A German beer hall with Thai servers in Bavarian garb. Huge outdoor food courts equally visited by Thai and foreign tourists. Funky, dark, overgrown cafes spilling out onto the sidewalk. Bookstores and more around the corner making up a book district of books new and used to serve the sparked interests in the region, religion, arts, etc. It took some time getting used to the strong foreigner presence and then realizing we were a part of it. As we were getting more comfortable we departed for Chiang Dao to the north by bus.


Chiang Dao is a literal breath of fresh air, smaller and surrounded by agriculture. We were quickly transported to the west to Malee's Nature Lovers Bungalows. For those returning it was a shock to see how much work and improvement Malee and Kurt have done. By any measure it is a comfortable place.

Malee's sits below the steep Doi Chiang Dao. It is one impressive chunk of limestone which some of us took on. From Malee's one can see two set of flags above a cliff. Consulting with Kurt we learn the route of a trail that circles around the east side of the mountain.
As one of the intrepid students said, "Thais are not into switchbacks, are they?" Those of you who hike will know that what this means. It was a steep trail. The forest was marvelous with the creaking of huge columns of bamboo in the breeze, a breeze that was most welcome in the humid heat and hard climbing. The last of our persevering party made it to the flags in 2 1/2 hours. I was glad to bring along a altimeter watch which although not calibrated showed a elevation gain of 3000 feet! The exposed limestone by the flags was eroded into near lifelike forms and covered with what appeared to be orchids, although not in bloom. The view down was breathtaking and so was the view up as we were not quite half way up the mountain.

Nestled below us farther up the valley from Malee's sits the more popular draw in the area, Wat Tham Pha Phlong, a temple and monastery complex. each morning before dawn some of many of us gathered around the spired chedi. Some, like Peg are practiced in meditation. Others are learning. Some are there for the view. Some are there for the sounds. Some are there for the whole package. The birds of Doi Chiand Dao are world renowned. Hearing them announce the day one species at a time from an intact forest is hard to described. Few of the calls reminded of home, rather one was easily and pleasantly lost into tropical canopy.

In the valley around Chiang Dao we visited Baan Mitrtorn an orphange from children with or affected by HIV and its associated school Princess Ubolratana School. The school includes the children from the orphanage but the majority are girls from regional hill tribe villages. Both institutions were full of smiling faces. The kindergarten kids really enjoyed getting wound up with our students. The 9th grade girls took to them as well practicing their English and giggling. Max and Molly returned the next morning for a more in depth look with our host, Neng.

Jessica, Janine and I visited an organization which Peg had only heard about, Makhampom, which a theater group about social change. When we arrived the volunteers were making large paper mache masks around mud molds. Two volunteer put on a two person costume which with their hand gestures was wondrous and scary.

I've gotta get going and I know this is a lot but a lot has happened. We also stopped at the perma-culture focused Panya Project en route to our second stay in Chiang Mai. Opinions about that among the staff and students were mixed. A lot of good stuff happened during our second stay in Chiang Mai but that will be for another posting.

Ted parted ways with the high school group in Bangkok and was in Mae Sot before us and greeted us with a smile and hugs. It was evident that he is glad to be here.

Now on to the Karen village...

John Calogero