Thailand

Let me take you to gold sheathed temples, skim across ancient waterways to floating markets and floating villages. Ride on the Mekong to sacred caves

Traveling With a Tender Heart

Refugees from northern Thailand have lived for three generations under the highway in Bangkok, squatting on Port Authority land. They have nothing to go back to. IMG_8944The rice fields and their homes are long gone.IMG_8940

There’s a man named Thai who was a champion kick-boxer who runs an open air gym underneath the overhead thumping and growling traffic. He wants to keep kids away from drugs and other bad influences by training them to excel in a lucrative competition that offers a chance for success.

Young men sacrifice gallons of sweat, honing the sport on dreams filled with hope.

I walked with the mayor of this small village, down narrow paths hemmed in by ramschackle dwellings made from items found in garbage bins. Babies played or old men napped in the golden afternoon light.

There’s a small grocery in the front room of one home. The owner wheels a cart, piled high with goods for sale. Her voice echoes up and down the maze of passageways. Chickens are raised in one section, roosters saved for fights and gambling. There’s a meger pharmacy, sans a druggist, doctor or nurse. The community struggles to be self-sufficient.

 

I became a pied-piper, drawing in so many children who wanted stickers I brought to pass out in exchange for a smile. A few crafty ones returned with another shirt, hoping I wouldn’t recognize them, waiting in line for a second helping of goodies.

Why don’t these families move on, absorbing themselves into the open air and sunglight of Bangkok? When faced with the question, the mayor answered, “This is our home.”

 

Visiting the Hmong refugee village near Luang Prabang in Laos felt much the same. These northern people, in danger from unexploded United States cluster bombs, were moved by their government from hollowed craters where poppies grow, ripe with opium.

 

Life moves on in this village, where these strangers aren’t accepted by other Laotians. A woman pumps air into a forge where her husband squats at the flame and crafts knives. A retired man makes bird and fish cages out of reeds. Women thread looms, making scarves  with babies at their sides. Another group of women embroider fabrics to sell at market. Children play games with rocks, climb trees, and go to a one-room school. Everyone smiles and waves.

 

The best way to keep cultural identity and traditions alive is to remain in a group strengthing the community, even if living conditions aren’t ideal.  We were invited into the leader’s home and spent some time talking about the dispersed Hmong people and what a typical day is like.

 

inside the shaman’s home

He later dressed in a traditional outfit and played music for us. Plied with local moonshine, we were embolded to eat appetizers of fried crickets, silk worms, and cacoon of moth before a beautiful feast was prepared in our honor.

 

kitchen stove
food prep area outside
crunchy silk worms
crispy cacoon with a marshmallow like center

We were welcomed with such grace and open arms.  I wondered at the cost and time of hosting such an elaborate meal and felt guilty about using their resources.

‘HOME’ is a complicated word that cannot convey the depth of feeeling within a heart or an ethnic group. If I were a painter, I’d splash and swirl colors of the rainbow to try and give you the meaning. Musicians might compose a sound that would vibrate inside your soul. All of these arts cannot surpase the simple act of a well meant hug.

Floating Market and Mangrove Forests

The famous  Damnoen Saduak floating market,  located sixty-two miles southwest of Bangkok, Thailand remains a blast from a past when river traffic was the only way to trade.

every aspect of life revolves around the river

The main canal was built in 1866 by King Rama 1V to connect two rivers, but many  side canals were dug by hand. Today, these twisty mazes offer vistas of beautiful temples with gold dragons adorning steps down to the water to house boats where people live and work.

There used to be markets like these across Thailand, but as roads were developed, many of them closed. Damnoen Saduak retains its history, chaos and charm.

Very early in the morning, farmers sell vegetables and fruit before a quick turnaround to ply the tourist trade in an irresistible and colorful tourist trap offering t-shirts and low-cost indigenous clothing, Buddha figures, and carved wood items with a few hidden spice dealers or local artists amongst knock-off purses.

Other sellers cook noodle soup or hot bbq inside their boats and I wondered how they kept afloat. A kaleidoscope of vendors voices join the long tail boat’s smoking engines that whine in a strange orchestra of sound as crowds thicken and jostle for space.

I bought saffron. But you need to know what color it should be (bright orange and red, not brown). A large bag would selling for $40 at home, set me back $5 US. Old spices sold cheaper–be wary. Everything is negotiable, and I suggest aiming for 50% off asking price. Cute traditional cotton pants should cost $3-$5. Fix an amount in your head and stick to it. Competition is fierce and a seller won’t let you leave without announcing their bottom line.

Close by, there is a mangrove conservation area in Khlong Khon district of Samutsongkram province. These forests grow in salt water, providing a green wall of defense against coastal erosion. The health of an ecosystem is determined by the vigor ( or lack) of the mangroves that can grow up to forty feet tall.

When fishermen noticed a depletion of harvest, a serious effort began to replant and protect this sensitive ecosystem. There are hundreds of shrimp-eating monkeys who ran after our boats looking for bananas. Some of them are cute, while others reminded me of the Witch of Oz and her army. It was fun to watch them, but be sure to keep them off your lap and watch your fingers!

The sea-side communites farm-raise fish, mussels and oysters. Some residents make shrimp paste (which is really krill) used in Thai cooking.  I asked about sustainability of harvesting krill with the Arctic and Antarctic oceans warming, resulting in the reduction of the mighty protein required by all mammals, including the largest whales.

I got a confused look from the local vendor. Seems like a little education is in order for both of us. I’ve googled that there are eighty-nine known krill species and all of them should have harvesting limits.

Edible cricket farming is on the rise too, and I recently learned about a high protein cricket flour that is being exported around the world. Thai farmers make more money on this high protein commodity than in harvesting rice, sugar cane, palm sugar, or coconut sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phoenix Rising From The Flames

On my SE Asia trip, I confess to being hesitant to visit places like Pol Pot’s killing fieldsIMG_0652 and the CuChi tunnel outside of Ho Chi Minh city. The “American War” (Vietnamese name) brought up memories of friends killed and protests at home. I didn’t want to revisit anger over my government’s lies. My peers, those with a bright and promising future, signed up because they believed in the honor of that war. How do you justify top brass without the cahones to admit they were wrong? Those men who delivered our young to the slaughter house instead of doing the right thing? Frankly, it’s happening again in Afghanistan. History repeats itself, and we’d be wise to revisit these places of horror.

 

 

bracelets left where women were murdered by Pol Pot
skulls exposed at the killing fields, now placed in memorial
Tree where women and children were beaten to death

I felt helpless facing so many ghosts and told our guide, KC, that I didn’t think I could handle the encounter. He encouraged me. “Dawn. You need to come. I’ll make sure you don’t have to see anything that’s too difficult. Please come.”  KC kept an eye on me throughout, and now I must admit that he was right.

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This old school became the high security prison and torture center for the Khmer Rouge from April 17,1975-January 7, 1979

Chum Mey is one of only seven adult and five children survivors of the Tuol Sleng high security Prison and torture center during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Mr. Mey doesn’t know why he lived, other than he knew how to fix machines and his captors needed him. He was arrested on Oct 28,1978 and was tortured in ways that I will not speak out loud for fear of evil revisiting the world again. Mr Mey’s entire family was murdered, even his 2 month-old son.

 

 

torture room
cells in old classroom
tortured prisoners were ordered to dig their own graves at the killing fields before they were bludgeoned to death. Bullets were too expensive.

In January, 1979, Vietnamese liberators followed the stench of decaying flesh to free the Cambodian people after half of the population was forced to dig their own graves and were then bludgeoned to death in 388 killing fields.

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It was an honor to hear Chum Mey speak, not only about survival but also about forgiveness for his jailers who he felt would have also been killed if they didn’t follow orders. His testimony at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal resulted in the lifetime imprisonment of Duch, the man most responsible for genocide at Tuol Sleng.

CuChi Tunnels

 

 

 

air vents into the tunnels looked like termite hills
Even a 5′ tall person needed to crab walk through the maze of tunnels.
This room is where the Tet offensive was planned. in 1968, the Viet Cong forces attacked 13 cities in South Central Vietnam as the lunar new year began and catching Americans by surprise

It was a privilege to visit with Mr. Nam, a Viet Cong soldier who lived and fought every day in the tunnels for over fourteen years. He stood before an illuminated map showing military control zones and I held my breath, not certain of what he might say to the Americans sitting before him.

 

 

Mr. Nam

His first sentence was, “I never wanted to be a soldier. I never wanted to kill anyone.” He proceeded to tell us that his village was destroyed by US bombs and that he had to move underground. He met his wife, a nurse who took care of him when he lost his arm, and his children were born in the tunnels. He feels that he was protecting his family as US forces continued to bomb and tried to destroy where they lived. At the end of his talk, he said, “There are no winners here.” I asked him what made him the happiest and what was the saddest from that time. His answer was, “There wasn’t happiness and it made me so sad to see my friends killed.” The most heartwarming moment was when our veterans joined Mr. Nam in a moment of forgiveness.

How to Survive Peace?

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sculptures made out of unexploded bombs at the Vientiane, Laos Rehabilitation Center of COPE

Since 1996, COPE has worked in Laos with disabilities caused by UXO (unexploded ordnance or cluster bombs) as well as clubfoot deformities. 260 million tons of payload were secretly dropped over Northern Laos during the Vietnam war from 1964-1973. The airplanes couldn’t land with live bombs on board and the government in Laos asked for US help in trying to control pockets of communism along the Ho Chi Minh trail that ran the long border between Laos and Vietnam. The American public never knew.

 

 

graphic image of how cluster bombs fall

Thirty percent of those bombs did not explode and remain today, waiting for one little mistake. There are still 300 accidental detonations resulting in 46 deaths each year. The war ended over 43 years ago. Because cluster bombs destroy a large area, the increase of collateral civillian damage is huge. The live ammunication can be dormant over many generations. There are hundreds of little bomblets in just a single casing.  In 2008, the United States refused to sign a ban  and we continue to use clusters in Afghanastan. (On a side note: In Afghanistan, the bomblets were painted yellow and so were the relief food packages dropped for civilians. Children thought the yellow balls were something to play with.)

Bombs and mines have hurt everyone in Laos. Our guide’s father built a fire near his field to keep warm. The heat was just enough to explode the hidden casing buried below him. There are instances of children finding cluster bombs the size of softballs and in innocence don’t know they are deadly. One toss. A child’s life taken.

 

 

DO NOT buy jewelry made from bomb casings unless they are documented to come from experienced (endorsed) mine sweeping teams! This endangers local people again if they are trying to make money without protective skills and education

These survivors picked up my broken heart and rebuilt it through their stories of heroism, grit, and courage. Their message was clear: Never forgot those who died at the hands of evil. Be vigilant that this never happens again. Forgive those who were manipulated, terrorized or lied to. We are all the same–we want peace and a chance for good health and prosperity for our families.

When do we stand united and simply say “No” to war and conversely, when there is a great evil like Pol Pot and Hitler, when does the globe unite to make sure genocide of an entire race doesn’t happen again? Are we paying attention in Syria and Mynamar?

 

Venice of the East (Ayutthaya, Thailand)

In 1350, a king of Siam relocated to a conflux of three rivers, 53 miles north of Bangkok, and called the royal city Ayutthaya. It’s believed he was escaping a smallpox outbreak in the old capital.

 

Imagine hundreds of temples and stupas sheathed in gold covering 9 square miles. By 1700, over a million people lived in Ayutthaya, making it the largest city in the world at that time. An amazing number (thirty-five) Kings ruled from here. Surrounded by water, the island was called Venice of the East.

 

 

Wat Mahathat means temple of the great relic and is one of the oldest (early 1350’s) constructed from cantilevered brick and once sheathed in smooth materials. It is surrounded by towering cremation and meditation stupas. This wat was also home to the supreme patriarch of the Buddhist monks.

 

 

In 1767 The Burmese army destroyed the royal city, murdering and raping the population and hacking hundreds of heads off the Buddha statues. This decapitation showed their power but also had a reason— gold and jewels were often hidden inside.

 

 

A tree grew around one Buddha head, creating this eerie scene within the ancient complex of Wat Mahathat.IMG_0011The entire ancient site isn’t under UNESCO preservation at this time. Touring the city requires a bike, a hired cab or jambo for the day. If you want to step back in time, you can even ride an elephant, just like royalty of old.

 

 

City of Angels (Bangkok, Thailand)

Bangkok was a sleepy fishing village until the early 15th century when the Ayutthaya rulers left the ransacked remains of the royal capital and resettled at the Chao Phraya River that flows to the Gulf of Thailand.

 

In 1782, the King of Siam began construction on the grand palace. The mighty splendor of ordination halls, temples, stupas, and phras can be seen today.

 

Every surface is covered in gold, glass or ceramic tiles. The 15th century Emerald Buddha (really semi-precious jasper) is the most important piece of art housed in the temple here. This icon represents the heart and soul of Thailand. There are three golden and jeweled outfits for the emerald Buddha, changed in great ceremony by the king with each season.IMG_0122 Outside, the temple is held up by 112 Garudas (King of birds) holding Nagas Serpents.IMG_8902

 

The surrounding gallery has murals, many coated with gold, depicting the Ramakien story about the battle between the demon Tosakanth who kidnaps the beautiful queen married to human King Rama. He unleashes a mighty monkey army in a tale younger than Helen of Troy but older than The Wizard of Oz and saves the goodly queen from rape and mayhem. Mesmerized in the art work, I got lost in the tale.

 

In the late 1700’s, Rama 1V ruled from this palace and became famous in the play The King and I. Governess Anne did come from England to tutor his children and harem, but sadly, everyone agrees that a love story is a gross exaggeration.

 

Several Chinese statues were used as ballast in ships returning to Bangkok
Protective demons facing the temple with the Emerald Buddha

Flash forward to WW11 and Japanese occupation, resulting in Bangkok being bombed by the allies and a post war United States presence. Later, US bases in Thailand bolstered the Vietnam War and became an R+R destination for our fighting men. With that came a flourishing sex trade and many a watering hole, especially in the red light district.

 

Remember the 1984 song: One night in Bangkok? It was banned in Thailand for giving the wrong image of the largely Buddhist nation.

The bars are temples

But the pearls ain’t free

You’ll find a god in every cloister

And if you’re lucky,

Then the gods a she….

Everything is for sale on the streets of Bangkok: from trivial to magnificent. From the profane to the profound.

 

Crossing the road safely with speeding vehicles requires a blindfold or formidable courage. A green light means Indie 500. A red light does not mean stop, but a running roll, dodging pedestrians like a pin ball game. Don’t look for safety on the sidewalks.

 

If all things that glitter are gold, Bangkok at night is priceless. Stop counting the high rise cranes and modern architecture. Concentrate on the lights. The multi-layered roof of the Banyan Tree Hotel offers 360 degree dining or a special seat in the moon bar to see the city shine. Be sure to have a credit card and a reservation! https://www.banyantree.com/en/thailand/bangkok. photo courtesy of Bonnye Frostbonnys photo

Match Game in Southeast Asia

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam have more in common than differences. All were part of the ancient Khmer dynasty, the rulers of Angkor Wat fame through the 1400’s. The rulers intermarried with Chinese. Today, each country is financially bound to modern China with an influx of foreign money for infrastructure and expansion projects in large cities while little changes in the countryside.

view from my hotel room, downtown Bangkok
Hmong village
Bangkok from the river at night
traditional floating village
upward mobile young Vietnamese
life in the country
construction of high speed train paid by foreign powers and there’s controversy about proposed dam projects

 

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam suffered long periods of war (genocide),

US bomb casings
Vietnam jet flown by spy that dropped a bomb into the Royal Palace
Pol Pot killing field
area where Pol Pot killed women and children. Bracelets left in memory

leaving the people beaten down and wanting peace at all costs. Unexploded bombs and mines continue to maim and kill. IMG_0564Each country teeters on a political sword with either military dictatorships or communists who effectively crush any emerging opposition. No one has freedom of speech. Voices suggesting change often disappear.IMG_0729

This isn’t your grandma’s form of communism or socialism. Marx is rolling over in his grave with Vietnam, inparticular. What kind of hybrid animal is this? Although the law decrees compulsory primary education, the lack of funding for books and supplies blocks the poor from attending. There are no services to support the elderly or infirm. With distinct social groups, the growing middle class understands greased palm economics.

All of these developing countries have a high population under the age of thirty. In Cambodia, Pol Pot murdered half of the population (1975-1979) and current demographics show 50 percent under the age of twenty-two. None of these kids have experienced the carnage of the past. The new battle cry is “access to better teachers and a quality education.”

school in Hmong relocation camp
floating school with gym in the middle
school kids playing jax or marble (?) using stones

Ironically, Vietnam provides a cheap labor force to Thailand and there’s no silly talk about erecting a wall. This young man works “per piece” making more money producing these edible shells than working as a skilled mechanic. Get this–he spoke to me in English! IMG_8817

The future of Southeast Asia is not a match game for the faint of heart. The new generation likes technology, gadgets and material status. Capitalism resonates with their beating hearts. What will happen when the aged military dictators, Khmer Rouge generals, and Vietcong fighters pass away? Won’t be long. Stay tuned.