A year in two weeks??

Back to Aus

What a great few weeks back in Australia. Caught up Linda (missed her bad), friends, Clay and Jacinta. Hopefully, I set up work for when I return, lets hope the bid was successful..

There has been heaps of snow so I drove down to Jindabine to do some skiing. Just like the old days I thought, sleep in the back of the Nissan Patrol and drive up the mountain each morning... Somehow I have grown bigger and my back is not as bendy as it use to be, needless to say I only lasted a couple of days, but the snow was great. The time went so fast I am back off to Thailand on the 17 Sep.

A Year of Experiences in Two Weeks

An exaggeration? I'm not certain.
- Bangkok, and Chutachak markets.
- Chang Rai in northern Thailand.
- Staying at the Mirror Foundation village.
- Teaching English to Thai kids.
- Filling sandbags to repair a road slip.
- Visiting Chang Mai.
- Having elephants cuddle me.
- Watching elephants play soccer and produce beautiful paintings.
- Cuddling tigers who have big teeth & claws.
- Staying in a remote village where no white people have stayed before, sleeping on the floor with the kids and adults watching you sleep. Living in huts with pigs and roosters living under the floor.
- Teaching english to preschoolers who do not even speak Thai, all day without their teacher being there to help or interprate.
- Helping to build an outdoor building.
- Riding on an elephant.
- Cuddling a huge Boa Constricter.

We arrived in Bangkok for two decadent days, massages and shopping. We stayed at Rambutin Plaza Inn right in the centre of the city. On Saturday we went to Chutachak Markets north of the city. I introduced Linda to Co San Road and fish massage while she introduced me to Thai massages and the most huge markets I have seen ( well partially seen). I think it will needs another trip to see it all.

We then traveled to Chang Rai in northern Thailand, the stepping off point for the Mirrior foundation, this NGO foundation is involved in many projects which help the hilltribe people in Thailand who are split into several tribes with different dialects many of who do not have Thai citicinship and do not speek Thai. The volunteers here focus on teaching english (helps the kids with future employment), and helping in construction work. Linda and I will be on the teaching team BUT all are expected to help outside in the manual labour as well.

Chang Rai is a great city much smaller than Bangkok but not many Europeans, although they have lots of problems in the city and surrounds with the highest level of HIV AIDS in Thailand and drugs. We have found a nice guest house with aircon and TV, 350 Batt per night thats about $12 Aust for a double.

Monday 20 Sep we saw the Mirror Foundation village (250 Batt in a tuk tuk), did a tour of the grounds and facilities then returned for a lazy afternoon in Chiang Rai and a good nights sleep. Tuesday, a full day back at Mirror for orientation classes and teacher training before joining the outdoor crew moving buckets and buckets of sand from the pond to make sand bags to mend the collapsed road outside Mirror where a big section of dirt road has collapsed into the creek following monsoonal rain. The temperature is in the low 30’s but the humidity level is extremely high. We have decided to change plans and live out at Mirror with the rest of the staff and volunteers, although we will be seperated (no boys and girls together, we can't hold hands (they think its slutty)), it will be uncomfortable but it will get us more involved and there is lots of preparation work to do for the classes.

On Wednesday we teach at Jalea childcare in a village around three quarters of an hour away from Mirror. Little kids aged 3 and 4. We’ve been practising how to say sit down (nung long), form a circle ( tom pen wan galomb) stand up (yern kun) and form groups of three(sum taew) in Thai.

HOW GOOD WAS THAT! I loved teaching and playing with the little kids. They love my overacting. At the start no one wanted to sit near me. Scary bloke in glasses. Until a little guy jabbed me with a balloon sword. I acted like I was stabbed then they all attacked me, it was great. The kids are great, touching me pulling at the hairs on my arms. But the morning was realy strenuous and I was pooped.

Back at Mirror after a lunch of rice and pork, no rest for the wicked - back into the creek to dig sand for the sandbags. Since the roads collapsed, every one has to help dredge sand from the creek/pond and bag it and haul it onto the van to go down the road to fix the collapsed culvert. Hundreds and hundreds of them. So there we were for ages, passing buckets, filling and tying bags and dodging leeches. I got into the water for ages and helped. Arghh.

A refreshing shower.... cold but refreshing ( no hot water here) and similar plumbing to Greece, where the paper has to go in a bin; all good but... I'm lucky I have a shower where I am, some of the folks use the bucket method (scooping water over one self with a scoop from a large container of water) which is still ok.


Saturday, 25th September

Well it's a bit of a blur of activity but heaps of fun. The guys here (mostly girls) are all great both the indoor and outdoor folks they are so keen and willing, this is certainly not a holiday camp; its lots of work and good companionship.

Linda and have taken over teaching munchikin class (local village kids) in the afternoon. They are great I have them convinced that I am scared of spiders and they keep trying to frighten me, and its working. Linda made a toy spider from black pipe cleaners and attached it to a piece of cotton and when I returned from the toilet they were hiding outside the door with the spider hanging down. I reacted and ran away and they loved it. Now anytime they see me they say 'spider spider!' and point behind me. One day they took my hand and dragged me off, I was a little suspicious but they said 'caterpillar, caterpillar!' until we got there, then they screaked with laughter, there was a huge spider!

Saturday is children's day at Mirror and hoards of kids come here for 'Guides', games, a one hour English lesson, a one hour Japanese lesson (kids soak up language and the more they learn, the better), then lunch (rice and veg and a meat) that Mirror provides and then games afternoon. Stacey is a gorgeous young girl, Japanese heritage. She's done the preparation and all three classes are following the same theme...Global Warming, what causes it and how it affects our world. Linda spends hours drawing up images for me and Stephen's class to colour in.

A two day break at Chiang Mai

After a volunteer roundup of the weeks experiences we are off on a 3 hour trip to Chiang Mai on a very cold (air con turned down extremely low) trip on the VIP bus. Finally we arrive. After spending ages trying to find our hostel (tuk tuk driver has no idea where is was), we shower and hit the markets with Jayden and Lydia who are staying there too. We have a great meal then a terrific time checking out all the stalls.

Sunday morning and Jayden and Lydia join us to see the amazing show and touch the gorgeous elephants at Masei Elephant Camp. The show is brilliant and we cheer on the soccer players and laugh our heads off as the elephant who successfully blocks a goal swings his trunk around and around in celebration and the other elephant dashes in to plonk a goal in the net behind him. Yes, well rehearsed but bloody funny anyway.

When we feed the elephants not one but three touch or drape their trunks over my shoulders, its so funny. We all end up with elephant 'snot' and dirt on us but love it. When Lydia poses with one it snakes its trunk over her torso and gropes her breast! The baby elephant is cute at the 'nursery' too. It steps on Jaydens foot which is also funny.

Because the windows have heavy shutters, this makes the room a total blackout and we sleep till 10am. After a mad scramble we get a red van to Tiger Kingdom and have a coffee and rice breakfast on the verandah in the gorgeous surroundings of lush trees and tropical plants. The verandah over looks the large tiger pens and we can see five tigers dozing and lounging within metres of us. It's captivating, they are so large and beautiful. Two of them are affectionately lolling on each other and cleaning each other's faces and ears.

We decide to visit two cages - the smallest tigers and largest with a photographer - the lot comes to $80 for us both. Expensive for here, but worth every cent. The small tigers are just stunning with amazing markings, soft fur and huge topaz eyes. I loved to cuddle and smell them We get some great shots especially the one where the tiger looks like it is going to lick Linda. They love to have their bellies rubbed. We have read the rules and understand not to touch their heads at all, just stroke their backs or rub their stomach's. If you touch their heads they think you want to play and will curl their paws or playfully bite just like kittens.

Helping out at the remote Lahu Tribe village

After a 3 hour ride in the back of a truck (a little fast for comfort) we arrive at the turnoff. All ok untill we get to the dirt road and the mud and water start. We roar up a steep muddy hill, our truck makes it but the other two have problems. the rain started pouring and the mud was slippery, as the truck got traction great globs of mud were spat out the back covering all - yuck but fun.

It was a muddy sweaty lot who arrived at the Lahu village (the first europeans who had stayed there.) It all seemed a little awkward when we first got there. Some young guys were playing soccer so to break the ice I joined in. It was fun, I heard them saying something about 'Galah'. Unfortunately that's Lahu for foreigner and it suited my playing ability! At one stage they were passing it to the galah (even the opposition). Anyway it broke the ice. The plan was for the teaching team to teach a little english and the outside guys to help build an extension to the preschool.
We had a welcome dinner and the team were split up and farmed out to stay with villagers. Linda and I got to sleep in the village elders house ( on the hard cement floor) others stayed on high set bamboo floors with pigs and roosters underneath.
The next morning we found out that we would be only teaching preschool, and that it would be from 9am to 3pm without the teachers assistance- eek! Somehow we would wing it. Sooo hard, we had not prepped enough because it was a little unknown. But the kids loved it so we were happy.

The second day was similar but we finished early and had a nap. The folks came into the hut to watch us sleep, kind of weird. The other volunteers had similar experiences.

The evening of the third day was a celebration dinner where lots of the villagers came the kids gathered flowers for Lindas hair (basically raided the head mans garden.. mmm.) Linda, was sketching and again the kids were enthralled with it. The other thing they love is if you take a picture of them and show them the results, they are all hams. The villagers then did traditional dancing and some of the volunteers joined in. These guys have so little but seen so happy.
Anyway our time at Mirror finished (so fast) and we are off to Laos...