Chiang Mai Nightlife

300-some steps to the top

 So I ventured out into Chiang Mai after my little tiger adventure, found myself that coffee shop where I tapped out the last post...then made my way up to Wat Suthep, the temple on top of a hill overlooking all of Chiang Mai. The most striking bit about this temple would be the golden chedi, so geometric in design, and the 300-some stairs it takes to get up to the temple. There's an elevator, too, but I've been missing out on way too much cardio so I opted for the stairs...while checking out the inside of the "Buddha Room," I found myself amongst a group just then being blessed by a monk. Splashes of water hit my head and face from the wooden sticks he was using--at the end, he gave me a little bracelet for good luck. Apparently I'm supposed to wear for at least 3, if not 6, days. Neat little memory, so I may just keep it on. Can never have too much luck, right?

pretty cool guitar

Reminded me of Janelle

Met with a guy from Shan Health Committee, an active NGO working along this border here. Stimulating conversation, once again. I really need to go over my notes--they're getting a little out of control. After my meeting, I decided to check out the Saturday Night Market, on Saturday Walking Street (there's a Sunday one, too). Left my Lonely Planet in the hotel, but didn't feel like grabbing it so I decided to wing it. Walked out of my hotel, swung a left, and found myself in the red light district. Tiny bars lined up next to each other with neon signs displaying such classy names as "Juicy," "Cherry Pop," and "Why Not," facing other bars, some with pool tables, disco lights, and scantily clad girls sitting around like "Sassy," "Voom Lounge," and "Pleasure Place," (no--I am not making these up). Pretty funny. (On the way back, these little bars were much rowdier, and I had to mean mug it and speed walk down that stretch because someone said, "Pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking around alone. Do you need boyfriend tonight?" Ew. Gross. Found myself at a Muay Thai Boxing Ring in the middle of this mini city of sin...I couldn't watch for very long because the bloody faces were making me uncomfortable.) Anyway, there are these red pickup trucks all over town...I never really know where they're going or if they even have a route, but people seemed to be getting on and off as they pleased. So, after walking several blocks in the general direction of Saturday Walking Street, I crossed into one of the lanes where I saw a red pickup with open seats and hopped in, just as the driver hit the accelerator. Wasn't really sure if I was going the right way, but I figured, worst case, I'll get off and grab a tuk tuk. After a few minutes, we hit an intersection teeming with motorcycles, tuk tuks, and people. This had to be it...and if not, well it was another market that had lots of crafty things and street vendors--all I needed for dinner and "window" shopping. It was pretty cool, but packed. I managed to try enough things from different vendors to make up a decent dinner, and picked up some amusing souvenirs for the homies back home. Next time, I'll have to remember to pack less--I always end up with too much crap.

Sitting at the Bangkok Airways airport lounge right now-- swanky. The food's not great, but it's for times like these that I have balance bars. The free wifi is appreciated, too. Thailand's been pretty easy in terms of wifi, with plenty of coffee shops and such. I'd love to come back to see more of the country, especially the deep south--the beaches look incredible. Getting on this flight puts me one flight closer to the one eventually landing in SFO. Can't wait.

Gettin Adventurous in Chiang Mai

the peds inpatient ward

vaccine clinic

Chiang Mai is awesome. At first, I was a little intimidated by the big city feel. As soon as I got off the bus (which was thankfully, at the right stop) I had a variety of tuk tuk, motorcycle, and pickup drivers surround me. Still knowing only three words in Thai, and none of them related to transit, I'm surprised I made it to my hotel (which is way less classy and a good deal dingier in person than it was on the website). But it's all good--hot showers and softer beds. Mm, miss me my cushy bed and squishy pillows.

The past couple of days have been relatively productive. I met with a couple people at Thammasat University in Bangkok, which led to several conversations with the international Masters and PhD students, some from Zimbabwe and Burma. They had valuable input regarding the situation in Burma. What's interesting is that the info I got from talking to UNICEF is significantly more optimistic than the info I'm getting from almost everyone working on the Thai border, particularly the NGOs.

made from fish

Basically, everyone living on the borders of Burma (ie ethnic minorities) get most, if not all, of their care from sources other than the government. On the Thai border, that involves crossing into Thailand or getting care from mobile clinics--mobile in the sense that they are built to disassemble within minutes when word of military action comes through. These communities will literally run into the forests to hide to avoid becoming victims of gross human rights violations or killed. The Mae Tao clinic is a pretty big hub for Burmese refugees, migrants, and those just crossing in for the day, as well as your average (very dedicated) NGO lot. I got a chance to tour the facility as well as talk to an American PA working there and some of the patients in the peds/newborn depts. It's been incredibly interesting to hear from these different perspectives, but just as frustrating--the ever-present dilemma of seeing unending need meet limited resources--an every day story at MTC. Saw quite a few kids with malaria. Drug resistance to the last remaining antimalarial medication that had not before seen resistance has been seen on the Thai-Cambodia border, and they're beginning to see some on the Burmese border. This makes the situation particularly urgent because if this resistance were to spread, we'd be SOL all over the world and we'd see a surge in malaria deaths. Within the last few days, the WHO has acknowledged this little predicament and convened what they call GPARC (Global Plan for Artesunate Resistant something or other). HIV drugs also pose a big problem. I won't go into details but basically the most effective and cheapest drugs don't get to these patients efficiently because the Thai government has really high import tariffs on drugs and will only buy from China. USAID money only allows for drugs manufactured in the US, and malaria drugs aren't a big priority for US pharmaceutical companies (I know I switched back to malaria, but it's all infectious disease related.) NGOs can get HIV drugs for, on average $2/pill (vs. $14/pill in Thailand) if they go over to Cambodia, but the import restrictions imposed by the Thai government make that difficult. Up on the northern border, Shan refugees aren't recognized by the Thai government and are pushed back into conflict zones in Burma (acting against human rights agreements, but Thailand technically hasn't signed'em). Without legal status in Thailand, and targeted by the Burmese military government, these communities are SOL for life. Frustrating. And that's just scratching the surface.

In lighter news, I ate real gold while in Mae Sot. Emmie (the Thai Masters student I had with me there) had me try these little yellow sweet things. Yes, that's real gold in the pic. Pretty crazy.

real gold!

Here in Chiang Mai, I've been keeping pretty busy. Talked to a big NGO here, SWAN, for a couple hours, before checking out the city and finally the Night Bazaar. So overwhelming how many vendors there are...and I'm terrible at bargaining because I always feel too bad. ha. The jewelry and crafty things are neat, and the artwork was absolutely amazing. I suppose the subject matter is pretty typical, but the talent is evident.

I wish I had infinite space in my pack...and cash money...cuz the market's a fun place to bargain hunt.

amazing talent

Karen hill tribes

Even better than the market here though, are the tigerssss. I have always wanted to play with tigers and today, I got to get up right next to them. So muscular under all the fuzziness. The big ones liked having their tummy rubbed. The smaller ones (2-4 months) were really playful (except for the sleepyheads). The guy who was driving me around also took me up to see this Karen hill tribe. I almost asked him not to because I had heard about the "Long neck" tourist attraction and it kind of bothers me that people come through like they're zoo animals...then again, I ended up conceding and played the tourist role myself, so I can't start to criticize. It was interesting to see the women with rings around their neck in person, though. They start ringing it up at around age four. Pretty intense stuff.

Other than that, haven't done too much. Tried a couple different restaurants. Mango and sweet sticky rice seems to be a popular dessert and the curries are awesome. Nothing unexpected, of course. Gonna check out more of the city, do some work maybe. Hope you like the pics!

I've .always. wanted to play with tigers

they like belly rubs

a two-month old

fell asleep on my lap

mango and sweet sticky rice

Last Burma Pics

January 12, 2011--Baan Tung guesthouse, Mae Sot

Plating the Buddha with gold

Bagan

Taking this opportunity to upload a few more pics from Burma, and a few from today in Mae Sot, a border town not necessarily known for being the safest place, but I managed to get a super quick run in without getting shot. I know I had a bunch of things I wanted to say about Burma but I can't remember what they are now. Overall, my impressions are that Yangon is your average big city in a developing country, Mandalay is exactly what you think an old capital might be with a moat surrounding the old palace, Bagan is really cool simply because of how old the temples are (anything that old is exciting to me because I just think about all the history that has passed through there, all the people there before me), Nay Pyi Taw is a ghost town of a new capital (these wide open streets and fancy hotels with no one in sight), and everything in between is rice paddies and families with limited access to health care. People in Burma are very nice and accommodating and their everyday lives don't seem much disturbed by the government, sanctions, or anything like that. But I think the big issue that's not talked about much is the lack of social support that I find so important in the states. If that was missing here, I'd definitely notice, but since it just hasn't been a given in Burma for so many years, it's become normal for most people not to trust the government enough to take extra precautions when they issue an infectious disease outbreak. No one takes them seriously yet they remain in control of everything, even the publications UNICEF makes. My conversations with them were very interesting, but it's probably best not to post it up.

From far away, Buddha smiles...

I'm not sure what I think about Burma. It's a complex country--both beautiful and painful to see. People like to say that the government is everywhere, you just don't see them, because informants are planted everywhere. We only had one minor run-in with the popo, on our overnight bus ride back to Yangon from Bagan. The police asked why our last name was "Kyaw" if we had American passports. I referred them to my dead grandparents. Dunno how much they appreciated that. Ha.

but up close, he ain't so happy

Anyway, I could go on about the dynamic between different ethnic groups in Burma and all the things that fascinate me about the health situation in places like this, but I don't want to bore you. Maybe as I explore the topic further here in Thailand, I'll have more to say...but we'll see. If I make it to a beach, I might just end up talking about that. Save the academic stuff for my boss...unless of course, I have nothing else exciting to write about, or you're actually interested. For now, I'll stick to my clumsy adventures and traveling mishaps. This guesthouse hasn't been too bad a pick so far...although the shower is the entire bathroom and the water is icy cold...Once I get to Chiang Mai, things could get worse...but we'll see. One of the faculty at AIT/Thammasat University in Bangkok has promised to take me to a dude who gives an excellent Thai massage when I get back to the city...I can do a few more cold showers, looking forward to that. I miss all my besties. Looking forward to seeing your faces soon.

Again, but with a difft statue, smiling from afar...

so serious up close

Forgot what this paya was called, but it was on a cliff of sorts

Asian Humpty Dumpty

I call this Big Man Buddha. This is his fingernail. The story behind this pagoda is that one of the kings of one of the many Burmese ethnic groups was captured by someone (I'm terrible at remembering details). To symbolize his feeling of imprisonment, he built this paya, making the buddha extra huge and the pagoda just big enough to enclose the statue. You can only walk single file, and just barely, between the statue and the walls of the paya.

more Bagan, from the top of one of the temples I climbed

At the top of a temple. Note Dad's death grip because he has this paranoia about me falling off tall buildings

top of the temple

gave this kid 2000kyats because his drawings of Bagan were so cute. I didn't actually take them though, because I didn't know what I'd do with them. ha

Shwedagon from Traders Hotel (thank god we finally checked in there. When we had gotten ourselves settled Dad said, "We should've stayed here from the beginning, huh?" Umm. Yes. That's why I made the reservations you so quickly canceled. Ha.

One of Buddha's hairs is somewhere up in there

Turtles!

Giving one of the trapped birds its freedom

in the maternity ward of the hospital where my Dad practiced, and where my cousin (now a big timing OBGYN doc who has a TV show) was born

I'm a sucker for little babies. Just look at this poor baby

A typical meal spread

Met my maternal great aunt for the first time. She was the cutest, sweetest old lady I have ever talked to.

Feeding the huge catfish at the island pagoda

This little girl in Mae Sot waved and blew me a kiss before throwing a pebble at a passing dog. Adorbs.

A fam I interviewed at the Mae Tao clinic. They do really good work there and are looking for volunteers, both medically and non-medically trained.

At the Burmese-Thai border. I've been told to be careful when crossing the border because Burmese child soldiers will often shoot at unfamiliar individuals. The "Friendship Bridge" that connects the two sides was closed today though.

The Thai student I kidnapped to help me translate in Mae Sot caught me awkwardly climbing down the steps with all my crap. Turns out almost everyone in the clinic spoke Burmese, with the few that also spoke English. So I ended up understanding more than she did, but having company is (almost) always appreciated.

Twins! at MTC. Just born yesterday to the migrant Burmese mother

This dude, poor guy, had his arm blasted off by a nearby landmine on the Burmese border. MTC has a prosthetics workshop where they make on average, 25 limbs a month for victims of either landmine injuries or congenital defects.