A Trip within a Trip (part 3)

The return to Chiang Khon was relatively uneventful, with the exception of incredibly beautiful countryside we drove through. Veerat and I arrived in Chiang Khong before the ferry carrying my dad and Lung Sombat (2^nd host dad) returned from China so we killed time at a Tesoro Lotus. Tesoro Lotus is the most evil entity I’ve encountered. I should explain myself. Tesoro Lotus is a chain of department stores and supermarkets around Thailand. They bring the western values of crowded parking lots, undercutting local merchants, and consumerism to Thailand. It was alarming to see Thailand, a country that I think is incredibly beautiful, being influenced by the shittiest parts of America. This is possessive and imperialist in it’s own way, but I would love to see Thailand encapsulated in its current form. Obviously I want modern medicine and quality education and other such advances come to Thailand, but I also love the rough edges of this country. Watching it get corrupted by Tesoro Lotus is like seeing someone spray a bunch of ketchup onto a plate of Pad Thai. After escaping the commercialist hellhole of Tesoro Lotus, Veerat and I rejoined with my dad and Lung Sombat. They had a couple of women with them (who ran some business in Laos, I think), and with little explanation Lung Sombat and I hopped into the bed of the pickup truck to make room for them in the car. Did I mention Lung Sombat is like 75? Seriously, the guy has boundless energy. Where else would the solution to overcrowding in a car be for the septuagenarian climb into the back of a pickup truck? A truly remarkable man. We took the women to a hotel down the street where the conference between Thai and Laos business people was continuing (see previous blog posts for explanation). They were having a lunch, which we decided to crash. I think my dad made enough friends between his time in China and the day we spent in Chiang Khon to earn his place there, but Lung Sombat and I didn’t really have any connection to the event at all. We snagged a couple of seats and I made polite conversation with some businesspeople that all seemed pretty confused as to whom I was and why I was there. The food was delicious and my compliments go to the chef. I also thank the governments of Thailand and Laos for the free meal and wish you both the best of luck in creating trade between your glorious nations. The conference concluded and we drove back to Nan. It truly was a wonderful weekend. 

A Trip within a Trip (part 2)

The Golden Triangle is the border between Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand. A location of incredible beauty, it is also has a long history as one the premiere heroin growing and smuggling regions in the world. The Thai government has taken a number of measures to combat drug crimes including heavy punishment and ethically questionable ferocity towards anyone connected to the drug trade. But perhaps one of the most successful efforts in cleaning up the Golden Triangle has been by, for lack of a better term, gentrifying the area. They’ve constructed the Opium Hall, a museum that documents the history of opium. It’s got animatronics, hokey voice-overs, and a great deal of propaganda against heroin. As museums go, it’s… so-so. As a way to drawn in foreigners and encourage the private sector to make the triple frontier safe, the Opium Hall is brilliant. The actual site of the Golden Triangle has also become infested with Farangs (foreigners, usually Caucasian). You can buy tee-shirts, souvenirs, and there’s a fake Buddhist temple you can take photos and pose with (behavior that would be entirely unacceptable in a legitimate temple).

Even the infestation of whities cannot detract from the immense natural beauty of the region. Veerat (who works for my host father and was my sole companion while my host father and Lung Sombat where in China) and I stopped at the Golden Triangle for lunch. We were on our way to Mei Sai, which is where my grandparents on my host mother’s side live. There are also a number of mountains around Mei Sai, I really can’t do them justice in this blog. I would recommend taking a look at my flickr where I hope to have photos from this past weekend up within the next couple od days. One of the places we stopped was a Bhuddist temple located on the mountain. It was finishing up construction, but it was still a testament to human achievement that we have the capacity to climb the mountains and build on them, but can create a space that encourages further appreciation of nature. That last sentence might have been a bit abstract, but it sums up my feelings at the time.

Our last stop before meeting my grandparents was the Mei Sai market. It was the stereotypically seedy image of Asia, where you can buy exotic fruits and imitation designer handbags, and the whole place stinks of gasoline from the motorcycles that run up and down the alleyways. Seeing this intensely urban image so close to the mountains of Burma was jarring, but is a perfect example of the depth that I’ve seen in Thailand so far.

My grandparents run a garden store not far from the market, which is where Veerat and I met them. We had a gaping language barrier, as they spoke no English, and Veerat knows only a little more. Despite this, they were extremely kind to me and the dinner we had later that night was quite fun, even though I understood perhaps 4% of the conversation. Rotary talks about adapting to social customs, and how exchange students begin their year by unconsciously violating all kinds of social norms. Some of these violations I’ve been able to notice (Thai’s don’t shake hands, if you try to, they will hesitate before offering you their arm, which is doing its best imitation of a dead fish), but I think the dinner was filled with plenty of violations I didn’t notice. Veerat, despite his limited English, was really skilled at letting me know what to do, when I had enough situational awareness to notice his gestures. Example; if an elderly person opened a door to greet you, as was the case next morning when Veerat and I headed to my grandparents shop in the morning you would rise to greet them if you were in America. In Thailand, because age is so respected and height is a status symbol I don’t fully understand, you would stay sitting so that the older person would be taller than you. Despite what I’m sure was dozens of such missteps; my grandparents were extremely kind with me. The next morning Veerat and I were given a tour of his cement factory. They make these pods that look kind of like traffic cones, but are given a metal lining on each side and become kettles that villagers use.

After goodbyes had been said to my grandparents, Veerat and I began the trek back to Chaing Khong, where dark forces sought to bring our trip to an early end...

A Trip within a Trip

Would you believe me if I said was having too extraordinary of a time to keep up this blog? My first week in Thailand has been nothing short of incredible. My families are all wonderful, and the country never ceases to amaze, amuse, and astound me.
I am going to ignore the initial few days of my adventure because too much exciting things have happened in between now and then, and I would frankly prefer to write about my more recent adventures. There is interesting material in the first couple days though, and I promise that I will draw from it when I am writing other posts later on.

Today I would like to tell you about a trip I took this weekend. My host father is a concrete maker and supplier. Our entire backyard (really it’s more like a back-sprawl) is a cement factory, employing maybe thirty people. It’s a bit hard to get a good guess because I don’t know what the shifts and a lot of people drive up to the factory, but aren’t necessarily employees. Clients, I assume. His business is thriving, I think, his concrete has been used in a number of buildings through Nan, and he also supplies parts of Laos and southern China.

He was headed to China this time, and asked if I wanted to come along over breakfast on Friday. We would leave before lunchtime and return on Sunday. In the spirit of adventure, I accepted and in a few hours we were off. My companions were my dad, Lung Sombat (“uncle Sombat”, my 2^nd host dad and best friend to my current dad), and Veerat, who does office work for my dad. We traveled to Chaing Khong, which is a town alongside the Mae Khong River. The place actually has quite a bit of Farang (foreigner, usually Caucasian) flavor to it. Because it is surrounded by natural beauty and is right next to Laos, tourists will stay there and foray into Laos. We were there in the off-season, so luckily I didn’t have to put up with too many whities. I would highly recommend traveling there if you get the opportunity. The forested mountains that surround the region are truly breathtaking. We spent a night there, where we walked along the river and watched the ferry’s load semi’s to bring down the river. There was also a conference at our hotel between Thai and Laos businesspeople. Laos being a communist nation, I assume that to be a businessperson, one has to work for the government, but I could be mistaken. I mention this conference because it plays a role in the story later on, and also because the Karaoke wafting from their party at the hotel bar was traumatic and interfered with my slumber.

The next morning we went to the bridge across the Mae Khon River, a donation from the Chinese government. My host father informs me that Chinese builds the bridge because it is easier for China to distribute goods by car than using the Thai and Lao barges and ferries of the Mae Khong. No such thing as a free lunch, as Mr. Stevens would say.

My host father and Lung Sombat headed to China, via the Mae Khong. Lung Sombat’s role in my father’s dealings is unclear to me. Near as I can tell, he’s a retired schoolteacher who tags along with my dad. This is not a problem at all, since he makes an excellent travel companion and has the most energy I’ve ever seen in a septuagenarian. While they were floating up the Mae Khon, Veerat and I headed to the Golden Triangle, unaware of the dangers awaiting us there. 
To be continued….

An Introduction

Hi, I'm Frank. I'll be heading to Thailand soon and have decided to keep a blog of my adventures. I'm 18 years old, graduated high school this year, and will be spending a year in Thailand with the Rotary Youth Exchange program.
Some quick facts on Thailand: 
Thailand is officially called the Kingdom of Thailand, but it's friends usually just call it Thailand. The official language is Thai. While it does have an alphabet, like English, it remains plenty difficult to learn, I assure you. Thailand is known for its rich culture, Buddhist heritage (a religion practiced by roughly 90% of the population), and delicious food. Thailand is currently ruled by a Unitary Parliament and Constitutional Monarchy. The King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is known as King Rama IX. Having ruled since 1946, he is currently the longest-serving head of state currently in power. He is known for his prowess on the clarinet and saxophone and is the only Thai head of state to hold a patent for something called the "Super-sandwich". It is tragically, a water pump system and not a food item. The town I will be living in is called Nan, located in the province called...Nan. Nan, Nan, Thailand. If the Wikipedia page can be believed, Nan is a town of roughly 25,000 people. Northfield, where I'm from, has a population of 20,000, so I'm hugely curious to see how a town of this size in America compares to one in Thailand. Beyond that, I'm not entirely sure of my living situation and will write more about when I'm actually there.

Until then, I've got the next couple hours left at home. The next time I write will be from Thailand. Good luck to everyone, whether your year is abroad or not, I hope I have exciting things for you to look at on this blog.

Thanks (Khap Khun)