When we arrived at the airport in Bangkok, we wondered whether or not the flooding in Thailand would inhibit our travels. Unfortunately, now two weeks later, as we leave Thailand the flooding in Bangkok has not subsided but actually has gotten worse. The major reason for this, according to many residences, is not rain but actually the reluctance of policymakers and some rich Bangkok residents to keep the water away from their property. This has created the current situation that is truly dire.
Our Bangkok stay was relaxing. We had a lovely hotel with a pool and an exercise room. Mark was in heaven. Our friends Barbara from the other Washington (I have known Barbara for more than 30 years) and Patty from Mercer Island (yes, though ironically Patty and I know each other through Barbara) arrived safely. They will be traveling with us through most of our SE Asia travels.
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| Carol, Mark, Patty Hopps, Barbara Heffernan |
Our next stop was Chiang Mai and a visit to see my friend, Noi Trevis. Noi lived on Mercer Island until last year when she returned to Chiang Mai, the city of her birth, to open a restaurant, guesthouse and cooking school. Her enterprise is a major success! Noi spoiled us with great food, the likes of which we haven’t been able to duplicate since we left Chiang Mai. Her son Dash has joined her and together they offer their guests a wonderful Thai experience. We all attended Noi’s cooking class that was a full day including our shopping trip to the local market and eating our delicious dishes! We also visited a Tiger Kingdom where you can pet the tigers, and the Elephant Nature Park where we spent the day feeding, bathing and observing rescued elephants. We even went to a fish spa where you put your feet in a aquarium with fish that bite the dead skin off your feet. It tickles! We had a wonderful time in Chiang Mai and wish we had had more time to explore and experience this dynamic area.
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| Cooking at Noi's |
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| At the Chiang Mai market |
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| Noi: Cooking queen |
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| Market peppers |
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| Small tiger |
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| With the Biggest Tiger |
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| At the Elephant Sanctuary |
Our three hour trip to Chiang Rai turned into a day’s journey as we visited Thailand’s tallest geyser, the White Temple, an architect’s rendering of heaven for the Buddhists that is a gift to the city Chiang Rai from a native son, the Monkey Temple and cave where monkeys roam freely, the Golden Triangle (where Myranmar (Burma), Laos and Thailand intersect) made infamous by the opium trade, and a giant Buddha which guards the Golden Triangle.
Our visit to Chiang Rai coincides with the festival of Lao Kka Tong. Marking the end of the rice harvest, this Buddhist festival replete with soaring helium filled lanterns and floating offerings.
Chiang Rai is a smaller version of Chiang Mai. We came here to meet the Christian missionaries from the Mekong Minority Foundation. MMF works with the Hill Tribes to offer technical assistance and support in the areas of animal care, education, and legal assistance. Hill tribe people do not have the same access to social services as their Thai compatriots. MMF focuses on helping these communities to improve their lives. MMF also helps the Burmese migrants whose numbers have soared due to fighting and economic strife. Their ministry is wide-ranging and impressive. The Christian compassion and focus of the MMF allows them to overcome great obstacles as they seek to offer services to their clients.
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| Showing migrant children my photos |
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| Karen Village woman |
Late in the afternoon on our first day with MMF, we visited Chiang Rai University and MMF’s scholarship recipients. These Hill tribe students are an exceeding bright group dedicated to making their world a better place. They were inspiring and a lot of fun! We shared dinner with them and then enjoyed their Monday night fellowship.
The next day we visited MMF’s migrant daycare center and school. The pupils, whose parents are Burmese migrants, range in age from 2 years to 13. Mark was impressed with the math skills the older children possessed. Barbara was charmed by the toddlers and taken by their teacher’s ability to teach them addition. Later that day, we drove up to Massa, a boarder town near Myanmar, where we learned about the plight of Burmese migrants and the work one pastor is dong to help the workers in his community. We were humbled when we saw his meager living situation (one very small room with a tiny bathroom, desk and double bed for him, his wife and 2 children) knowing that he was sharing the rest of his living quarters with other displaced Burmese families. Upon our return to Chiang Rai, we dined at a delicious Thai restaurant with Nono and Don. What a wonderful end to a very special day. Happy Birthday Nono!
Thanks to MMF and Wan, we spent another day and the night in a Karen Hill Tribe village. Located in the mountains about 1½ hours outside of Chiang Rai, this village had no electricity nor plumbing; though they had two solar panels, this power was used to activate an emergency warning system for the rice farmers should flooding create a life-threatening situation. I had always heard that rice farming was a lot of work. After the few minutes we spent in the field attempting to tie bundles of cut rice, I will never look at a bowl of rice in the same way. The work that goes into rice farming is truly backbreaking.
The village is very proud of its new daycare facility. They are also working on building a church. There are a few trucks but most of the people use motorcycles. Driving to the village it is apparent that during the rainy season the village must be totally self-sufficient because the dirt roads become impassable. The primary school aged children must commute to the town school about ½ hour down the road. The older children are sent to a Hill tribe school in the city. They live in a dormitory during the week and return home during the weekends.
We walked around the small Karen village and dined with Pastor Lazarus and his family. Their hospitality was heartfelt and abundant. What the village lacks in material goods they more than made up for in kindness and generosity. You can feel the love and care they have for one another. We felt truly embraced by the community. We joined them for their weekly fellowship. You could feel their closeness to God.
Without electricity, bedtime is early. We slept on thin mattresses placed over tatami rugs covering ourselves with wool blankets and under mosquito netting. We could hear the rain patter as the river gurgled---nature at her best.
We awoke to sunshine. After having two breakfasts, one at Pastor Lazarus’ home and one at the home of a fellow pastor, we walked to the daycare facility the village had recently built. We had a chance to talk with Pastor Lazarus and the daycare teacher. When we asked if there was anything we could give the village, we were humbled when the village wanted an ongoing relationship with us. Here we were expecting to give them a material gift (money, books, things) but instead they wanted to stay in touch with us. Who would have expected that? I truly wonder who is more spiritually developed—these poor people or us?
Friday was a free day. Barbara, Patty, Mark and I spent the morning exploring Chiang Rai. Mark and I got our haircut while Barbara and Patty relaxed by the pool. Mark and I went with Thon to visit the Christian school her children attend. They would love to have Mark teach there. It is an enticing offer; we’ll have to see where life takes us. Barbara and I indulged in foot massages. Ahh, it hurts so good. We dined on Khai Soy (a lovely noodle soup dish with curry and coconut) for lunch and found a nice place to have dinner. We took our last tour of the Night Market before heading back to the Diamond Park Inn and Resort for our last night in Thailand.
Tomorrow we head north to catch the Mekong River boat. It is a two-day journey to our destination: Luang Prabang, Laos. Please keep the people of Bangkok in your prayers as they deal with the floodwaters.
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