Tiger Cave Temple, near Krabi

It should be called monkey cave temple.  We were followed up the whole way by too many monkeys to count, luckily a stray dog from the monastery below also accompanied us and would shoo the monkeys away when they got too close.  We tried to make it for sunrise, since that's the coolest time of day and this is a major hike (some steps are almost 2 feet high), so we brought breakfast with us - mangos, watermelon, and yogurt - which i think the monkeys could smell.  They would slight down the railings commando style, and try to grab at our bags!

The views from the top are absolutely breathtaking.  The landscape in this area is like something out of jurassic park, and you get fantastic views from this high up, with tree-covered rock formations that sprout up out of the ground at 90 degree angles.  The Buddhas were shimmering so brightly in the early morning sun, almost glowing.  The scene was so magical and serene since we were the only ones up there, broken only by the monkeys who would occasionally try to steal the offerings of coconut milk that had been left at the feeet of the Buddha.  Since the dog did such a good job of warning of of impending monkey attacks, we rewarded her with an extra mango which she devoured in minutes, leaving the peel for the monkeys to fight over.

As we descended back to reality we saw others trying to reach the top, but by this time the sun was already blazing hot and people looked like they were close to collapsing from exhaustion.    

more random Ko Jum pics

Most of these are self-explanatory, but the first one is of Od using the pool stick to knock some young coconuts out of the tree to make a round of coconut shakes for everyone (just fresh coconut milk, coconut, sugar, and ice)!

good karma...

Our lonely planet guide was from 4 years ago, so we didn't go to Ko Jum expecting electricity (versus the generators they had before) and internet - this is new within the last 6 months.  They actually got electricity by default since the major tourist island of Ko Phi Phi needed it, and to get to Phi Phi they had to run the cables over Ko Jum. 

Marika and I arrived there a few days before Josh, since he was off on a diving trip, and we were thrilled to find our 150Baht/night beach bungalow, only to see it and realize why it was 150B (about $5/night).  It was extremely cramped (fine, we've done cramped on this trip, we're on tight budget), without a fan (we didn't expect A/C but at least a fan!), the toilet was the not uncommon hole in the ground with an adjacent bucket of water which is used to flush, no sink, and dripping in to the bucket was a 2ft long thin rose-hued rubber hose that spent a good deal of time on the ground next to the toilet hole.  We weren't sure if the hose was supposed to double as a shower (since there was no other source of water in the "bathroom", there were some old moldy looking shower heads laying near the door that may have served a purpose, but we were too hungry to figure anything out right away.  We decided to wander up the beach and see what our other options were, and hunt for dinner. 

We passed a nearby place which was double the price, but had a fan and a shower head that wasn't anywhere near the floor by the toilet.  We were sold, and moved first thing in the morning (we were too hot and tired and hungry to move that night).  The only thing was that it was a concrete triangular bungalow, not what either of us really wanted in terms of ambiance.  The next morning we set out to move once again, in search of a better deal.  We tried one more place on the 3rd night.  It was a real bamboo bungalow, lots of island character, but got so hot at night (even with a fan) that Marika went and braved the mosquitos and slept in a hammock down by the beach for a few hours in the middle of the night.

In the meantime, during the day, we'd been lounging around the Ko Jum Villa property since they had the best food.  We met one of the managers, Chris, and his lovely wife Severine (the other manager), and Od (the bartender).  We're all so amazingly charming, and they were always so sad to see us leave each night, back to our dumpy digs, that they offered up some rooms to us in one of the unbelievably gorgeous villas.  We were blown away by Chris and Severine and Od's kindness and are so grateful for their rescue!  After hearing about some of their round-the-world adventure stories, I think they took pity on us and sympathized.  We spent several nights here, spent the days kayaking to nearby islands, reading lazily in hammocks, playing with Od's 2year old son "little-Od," taking long walks on the beach, and snorkling in the sea. 

One of the days we went out kayaking we left early enough in the morning so that the sea was incredibly calm, almost like a big lake.  On the way out and back we saw a plethora of jelly fish.   Some were simple brown mushroom-like ones (although supposedly these ones are the poisonous ones, with their tendrils that can reach 10 meters).  Some were massive, pink, fluffy, cotton-candy-esque ones, undulating so elegantly right under the still sea surface.   We tried to catch one, apparently some Chinese tourists were there and dried them out to eat, but weren't well equipped with just out kayak paddles.  

Ko Jum Island

These are from the boat ride to Ko Jum.  You can either pay 900 Baht and go via speedboat with the other tourists (about $30), or go the back way with the locals (and other more frugal travelers) which involves a 45 minute truck ride for 100Baht ($3.50) and a 1 hr ride on a slower longtail fishing boat for 50Baht (under $2).  The back way takes you through an estuary, so at first we were wondering where the idyllic beaches were, but thoroughly enjoyed the rides past all the tiny fishing villages. 

The last 2 photos are from our favorite restaurant in one of Ko Jum's 3 villages.  It's run by an older couple who are incredibly friendly and funny (the woman sits down at the table with you until you're ready to order), and they live right in the back.  They told us that when we come back to Ko Jum we can stay with them and "sleep fo free" but "pay to eat!"  One night for dinner, Marika ordered something not on the menu (it was offered up by the mama chef), and we all went back a few nights later and the 3 of us ordered the same thing.  It was freshly caught Milk fish, deep fried but softened up after simmering in a tamarind sauce with juices and chunks of pineapple, tomato, onion, cucumber, with salt, sugar, fish sauce, chili sauce, and other secret ingredients.  It was Marika's favorite meal of the entire trip, and unbelievable all around.

appetizers and thai tattoos

When we were in Ko Jum this past week, we were delighted to find out that there was a recent influx of gigantic insects at night time.  These things are almost 3 inches long, they have feet that have tiny barbs that make them stick on you like velcro, and they're attracted to light like most bugs.  The thing with these ones is that they have somehow managed to survive their evolutionary fault - after bumping in to a light (or sometimes not bumping in to anything at all) they tend to go plunging to the ground, Kamikaze style.  Sometimes they live to repeat the same patter a thousand more times, sometimes the impact crushes them.  What makes dinner time on Ko Jum exciting is that they often make these Kamikaze dives into people - like Josh's ear or Marika's dinner plate - so a good deal of dinner is watching these bugs to try to estimate if they're going to crash in to you.  It's a double edged sword though, because if you're looking up at them, they might fly in your face.

These savory treats are fried up in oil and salt by the locals for a late night snack, and we were told by Od (the bartender where we stayed) that we needed to try them before we left.  Sure enough, he showed up the next night with a bowl full of them, ready for consumption.  First, before cooking them, you pull off the legs and the shield-like wings.  Next, you break off the head (or you can eat it - it just makes it a little more appetizing for non-locals to not have the head on there).  Finally, you count to three, ignore the fact that you just saw that the bug has a little tuft of hair, and throw the thing in your mouth and chew like hell.  As Josh so eloquently described, it had the consistenc of soggy bread, and you have to chew for a good 2 minutes to actually break it down.  Even after all that chewing I still swallowed the thing nearly intact.  We didn't even have anything to wash it down with, and we were all on an empty stomach - two things I don't recommend.

One thing we've done a lot of in the last few days is renting motorbikes to get around the towns or islands we've been visiting (bicycles were the main mode of transport in the north, but we haven't seen as many down here).   It's a great way to cover a ton of land and you get a good breeze going to help you forget about the stifling heat for a bit.  I know this is gross, but i'm putting up a picture of the Thai tattoo on my leg that I got from my motorbike's exhaust.  It's kind of funny because there's an unburned part in the center where the exhaust pipe opens. Lesson learned, i'll be more careful.

who woulda thought...

that of all 3 countries we've been to so far for our project, that Thailand would be the most unstable...  Tomorrow night we take an overnight bus to Bangkok and are actually leaving Thailand a week early because of the protests. 

From NPR:
Anti-government protesters dug into their encampments around Bangkok and rejected talk of negotiations Sunday after a monthlong standoff escalated into clashes that killed 20 people in Thailand's worst political violence in nearly two decades.

Bullet casings, rocks, pools of blood and shattered army vehicles littered the streets near a main tourist area where soldiers had tried to clear the protesters, who are demanding that the prime minister dissolve Parliament, call early elections and leave the country.  Foreign governments issued warnings for citizens visiting Thailand, where tourism is a lifeblood industry.
On Sunday, protesters showed off a pile of weapons they had captured from the troops, including rifles and heavy caliber machine-gun rounds. More than half a dozen military vehicles, armored personnel carriers, Humvees and a truck, were crippled by the protesters, who ripped off the treads of the armored cars and stood on them triumphantly.  The demonstrators had captured several Thai soldiers who were later released.

On Sunday, the protesters broke into a satellite communications complex in a northern Bangkok suburb, forcing the operators to restore the Red Shirts' vital People Channel television station, which the government has twice shut down.

Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the Red Shirt movement that contends the current government is illegitimate because it does not reflect results of the last elections, said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's hands were "bloodied" by the clashes Saturday night.  "Red Shirts will never negotiate with murderers," Jatuporn announced from a makeshift stage. "Although the road is rough and full of obstacles, it's our duty to honor the dead by bringing democracy to this country."
But another protest leader, Veera Musikapong, called on followers to refrain from further violence against government forces and cooperate with authorities who might come to investigate Saturday's clashes.  "Please don't tarnish the victory we are very close to winning now," he said ahead of funeral rites for 14 dead demonstrators.  Government forces Saturday night moved into a protester-occupied area around Bangkok's Democracy Monument, near the backpacker mecca of Khao San Road. The push instead set off street fighting.

Each side blamed the other for the violence. Red Shirt leaders accused the military of opening fire into the crowds, while army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd accused protesters of firing live rounds and throwing grenades.  Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said the military only fired live ammunition into the air. He said authorities have found grenades, assault rifles and homemade weapons among the protesters.

Four soldiers and 16 civilians were killed, according to the government's Erawan emergency center. At least 834 people were injured, according to the emergency center. The deaths included Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, who worked for the Thomson Reuters news agency. In a statement, Reuters said he was shot in the chest and the circumstances of his death were under review.

off the grid

i have so much more to write about and more pictures to post, but today Marika and I are headed to Koh Jum.  It's a small island recommended to us, with less tourists, cheap beach bungalows (cheap meaning $4/night), no cars, no internet, and just a chill place in general...

be back soon!

Landmines

A very real problem that still exists around the world is that of landmines.  They're especially still a problem in Burma (among other places, I think Afghanistan is the worst), and at the Mae Tao clinic they have a Prosthetic Department where they create beautiful new limbs for people.  When you walk in to the prosthetic area you see a big chalk board with all the current projects.  What struck me, in addition to the fact that all except one was from a landmine (one was from "trauma"), they were almost all people my age - or 20s-30s. 

One of the interviews we did for our video project was with a woman who was out picking bamboo shoots in her hometown in Burma when she stepped on a mine, and is now a double-amputee.  She is now on her second set of legs that she received from the clinic (the first pair were too big for her, she's tiny) and can get around amazingly well with a set of crutches.  She's been at the clinic for years, and now lives there and helps out with odd jobs that need to be done.

One other person we interviewed was a 20 year old refugee from Burma who had been living in a nearby camp with his family.  He heard about the chance to learn to make prostheses at the Mae Tao Clinic and came here to be trained.  He said he loves the idea of being able to help people from his country who need these limbs. 

through the eyes of the Palestinian and Lebanese children

check out this amazing project:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/31/Beirut.photo.exhibition.refugees/


Reminds me of when I was working at the Global Children's Organization summer camp in Badija, Croatia.  I started bringing extra polaroid film and some disposable cameras that we got developed for my group of 10-year old campers, to see what memories they wanted to capture and take home with them.

"Garbage"

dd

When we were in Mae Sot, we were told that we should see a special place called "garbage."  Our friend who works at the clinic (not as a medic, but does jobs here and there - see his website at burmesepaintings.org) first took us for breakfast at a Burmese cafe near the downtown market where we got to sample some flavorful meaty pastry selections, and wash it down with Burmese coffee (which was basically coffee with condensed milk).  We got a tuk-tuk and all headed about 20 minutes out of town to the local garbage dump.  As we entered the dump we saw lots of children hanging out near an empty building that we were told used to be their school, but that it had closed down because there were too many flies in the building and teaching was too difficult.  

The dump is inhabited by quite a few Burmese people.  They're not technically refugees, they came to Thailand looking for work, not fleeing from persecution, so they haven't tried to apply for refugee status.  The people (men, women, children of all ages) live in shacks they've constructed both on top of the trash and on the roads surrounding the trash.  They dig through the trash that gets dropped off 4 times each day, looking for anything they can use or sell back for money.  

They make 10-20 Baht/day.  Tha's 30-60 cents.

As you pass the mountains of trash, you certainly notice the smell that tickles the inside of your nose, but there's so much more.  There's a lake facing the dump that is so green and peaceful looking.  There's the rainbow of colors that you see everywhere on the ground with all of the rubbish.  There's the blackened feet of the children that run around barefoot, and the inventive games they play to keep themselves occupied.

I asked one man we spoke with (I'm not including his photo here, the police occasionally raid the dump and destroy what little housing they have) if people ever get hurt digging through the trash and he said they do get cut often on glass and other debris, but that they have learned how to be careful.  They do utilize the Mae Tao Clinic for their healthcare, but it's a 50-100Baht tuk-tuk ride to clinic, so you can imagine, on 10-20 Baht/day, they're not racing to clinic for anything non-lifethreatening.

Kind of puts things in perspective, no?