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Too hot to move
Notice her face...painted with powdery cream to protect again the sunI’m sure most blogs coming out of Thailand are filled with talk of civil war and glimpses of Bangkok burning. I want to reassure you that the rest of the country is not under siege. Granted, there have been some isolated incidents, in a few outlying provinces, of demonstrations and fire setting. If my village is any example, without TV most people would not be aware of the turmoil. That is not to say that they are unaware of the troubles festering in the country. On the contrary, there are many poor and disadvantaged people here who have been snubbed for generations by their government. Isan, the region in which I live, is by far the poorest area in Thailand. Many of the UDD (Red Shirts) have come from here. I believe, and this is only my opinion, that things got totally out of hand because the UDD leadership became fractured and those that did not walk away, used the mostly poor and uneducated masses for their own benefit. That’s enough politics for this blog!
My most recent travels through the country brought me to the border town of Mae Sot, which sits on the Moei River between Burma and
Furniture carver in Thailand
Burmese artisan working on table. All hand made in teak from Burma Thailand. I must really have wanted to come here because it’s not an easy trip; 3 buses, 14 hours and several Dramine! The worst was the two lane road that twists and turns through one national park to another from Phitsanulok to Mae Sot. A distance of only inches (3) on my map, it took 4hours plus without a potty break. There is something to be said about trusting your life to a bus driver as you watch his body, sway right, then left and catch his eyes slowly narrowing in the rear view mirror. At what point does an observant passenger spring from her seat to grab the steering wheel and push harshly on the brake?
Visiting Mae Sot, I felt I had crossed into Burma (not allowed for PCV’s). The population is predominantly Burmese, as is the language. Thais run the businesses and the undocumented Burmese (100,000’s) work them and the land. For those unfamiliar with Burma, it is run by a brutal, military dictatorship. For years, dissents have been jailed and murdered for speaking out or demonstrating. The Karen, one of the largest hill tribe groups, have been fighting for their ethnic survival and independence. The
A world apart
Burma on the other side of the Moei River town is full of NGO's (non-government organizations) and foreigners from all over the world trying to do good and I think for the most part, they are.
Some of the pictures I've included here were taken at a nunnery outside of Bangkok. I've heard so much about monks I thought it would be interesting to understand a little about women in Buddhism. I was Thai-napped at 02:30 Sunday morning and traveled all day visiting two nunneries, a chedi and one monastery headed by a woman monk. Women in religion....the same old story dominated by .....men! Oops, better be careful, I think some men might be reading this.
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Linda Berry
non-member comment
thank you
Hi Lynda: Thanks so much for all the wonderful pics (even though some of them were hard to look at). All in all it does look like a beautiful country and as a US citizen I am so proud of what you are doing over there. Guess you heard Penny turned down a recall from furlough....just did not make any sense financially or otherwise. Bless her heart, put her in a frenzy for a few days. Mainly the health insurance part which we have been fighting with for years and years. She has watched us and doesn't want to put herself in that situation. Take care of your self and keep the info coming, Love, Linda