With less than 2 weeks left to my stint in Mae Sot, it has become "crunch time" for my report. That being said, this much overdue post will be brief (and mostly pictures).
First of all, Paul's visit (which was already documented, but has disappeared from this blog was great! We were lucky enough to spend a few days in Bangkok, where we both wandered around, slightly alarmed by tall buildings and vast amounts of electricity. Whoever thought it was a good idea to let 2 poor non-profit workers loose on the "executive lounge" of a 5 star hotel didn't realize how much free food and drinks it was possible for 2 people to consume! He also got to see my current home town of Mae Sot, and have a glimpse of the work I am doing here. In Chiang Mai we caught up with some old friends and co-workers. See pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ejgold/NewAlbum63009309PM#
I've been back for over 2 weeks now, and its been quite busy! I realized my tourist visa was about to expire, and was forced to do the Thai ex-pat tradition of the Burma visa run. Fortunately, I live less than 5 minutes from the Burma border, so this whole process took minimal time. It is something to cross a short bridge and suddenly be in a whole different world. The Burmese government only lets visitors walk two kilometers into the town, so there is not much to see. It is a shock to compare the differences between Mae Sot, and Myrawadee, the parrallel Burmese town. While Mae Sot has a good deal of poverty, there were countless more people begging for food and money, including children and the elderly. The clean paved roads I usually take for granted in Mae Sot were suddenly missing, and I found my feet and the back of my legs covered with mud. Crossing the bridge one can clearly see people floating back and forth on tires, risking their safety for a chance to get into Thailand, even just for a short period of time.
A few days later I visited Mae La refugee Camp. Only an hour and a half away, it was another world. Technically we weren't supposed to be there, so we only had an hour in the camp before being asked to leave. As soon as we walked in we were surrounded by small children, in various stages of dress, running to greet us. After being given some candy and food (we were happy to honor this "farang requirement") they joined us in exploring the camp. Oddest for me was seeing the cultural orientation center, with many of the forms and data I used to process at my old job at HIAS! Interesting to see the other side, and once again put names and faces with the numbers I used to see.
Its odd, the camp has been here for over 2 decades, and in many ways it seemed more like a large (over 50,000 people) village. Surrounded by beautiful green mountains and cliffs, it was an odd contrast when considering what people had to go through to get there, and what the actual standards of living were like.
Much in need of a break, myself and 2 friends spent last Saturday in Sukathai, the old capital of SIAM. For the first time since I've been in Thailand I've had a full day of sun! I forgot how hot in can get in this country! It was great, renting bikes and exploring the large old ruins. Breathing in fresh air and sunshine! While we had to suffer "a ride of death" to get back to Mae Sot we managed to make it back in one day and one piece!!
I know I owe many of you emails and fb messages, I WILL get back to you ASAP, things have just been a bit insane!
Pictures from Pauls visit are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ejgold/NewAlbum63009309PM#
All the rest of this trip can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ejgold/BorderCrossingMaeLaRefugeeCampSukathaiAndBuddhistLentParade?pli=1&gsessionid=QK4qjKd6yGo0PiX8_hsthw#
Enjoy and longer post soon!
