Wanderlust Wins Again

This past week has been full of travels! Be prepared for lots of pictures in this post.

On a boat in front of Maya Bay

L to R: P. Maliwan and Hom (translating)

I started off my week with a field trip with the students and school staff. We spent Monday and Tuesday in two different villages, Mae Moh and Ban Haeng. We started off by leaving bright and early on Monday morning to embark on a two-hour drive to Mae Moh.  This community is comprised of people who have been struggling due to the formation of a coal mine and power plant run by the company EGAT. Here, we learned about the effects of living next to a coal mine from the village’s superwoman, P. Maliwan. She’s the one who has managed to keep the spirit alive in this town, despite the illnesses and fleeting young people as a result of the coal mine being developed. We were lucky to hear her speak on the issue, followed up by a Q and A session. She told us about how EGAT created the coal mine, which has in turn created issues for the local people. Coal dust and foul smells are ever-present in the air, which has led to many respiratory issues, including lung cancer. It has gotten so bad that some individuals have even passed away from the effects of the mining. In order to get any sort of compensation, families must see a doctor who will write out a health certificate that says that the coal mine is giving families health problems. However, there is only one doctor who will actually give out these certificates (because the other doctors are scared too), and she was forced to resign her job and move farther away. So, it is hard for most people to obtain this health certificate, and even when they get compensation, it is not that much. These are some of the effects of the coal mine, and this is all after P. Maliwan has won court cases for her people.

EGAT coal mine in Mae Moh

After taking in all of this information, we drove for another hour to the town of Ban Haeng, where we would spend the night at a homestay and then hear from those village people the following day. Some of the village members had volunteered their homes for us to stay in, and it was a really neat experience. Two of the students and I were placed in a traditional Thai house. We slept on mats on the floor under a mosquito net, for which I was very grateful. The house had garlic hanging from the ceiling, probably to prevent from any Thai vampires from coming inside at night (or because one of the village’s commodities was garlic, either or). In this house was a bathroom that was really short, just about 5 feet tall, and it only had a shower, a squatter toilet, a mirror, and a bucket of water – this meant that I was forced to learn how to use a squatter toilet and had to crouch for the entirety of my shower – but really is wasn’t that bad! It was fun to stay in a homestay with two of my friends.

The following day, we gathered at the community center to learn about the people of this village. I learned that this was a village where a company was trying to settle down, force the locals to move elsewhere, and set up a coal mine. But the villagers were not about to let that happen. For the last 10 years, a group of incredibly strong women worked to prevent this project from starting by getting the townspeople’s support and educating the children. They saw the effects of Mae Moh and wouldn’t let it happen to them. By following the law and demonstrating their disagreement with the project, this town has managed to win 6 of their 9 cases, and the only reason they haven’t won the other three was because they’re still in the process. While it’s hard to watch these people must fight for their right to keep their homes, it’s really inspiring to see them continuing to push and not go down easy.

Traditional Thai style house

Outside of our homestay with Kham and Khoa

Garlic house

In the community center with the village leaders

After returning from this field trip, we got to spend some class time listening to Katie Redford, one of the founders, talk about a wide variety of things: the process of manufacturing, sustainable development, the World Bank, etc. Essentially, she taught us that our world is not capable of withstanding the development of every country, which is the route that we are currently heading towards. Business and corporations are pushing for industrialization without focusing on the impacts on the environment, it is something that we simply cannot allow. We can’t be complacent. From this talk, I thought about things I had never taken a second to ponder, considered realities that are problematic. And I think that I learned quite a lot that I would not have thought about otherwise.

In class on Thursday, Annika and I gave a presentation on good presentation skills and public speaking. Because English isn’t their first language (for most of them, its their third or fourth), they sometimes get nervous when presenting, so we just gave them a few tips and tricks to a good presentation! Then, we had the students practice these skills by giving a short presentation on whether or not they believe in aliens, and then had the class give each other feedback. It had some pretty hilarious results, I’ll definitely want to do this in the future.

Khoa believes in aliens

Yargar also believes in aliens

Thursday night I spent my evening listening to local music at a jazz bar called the North Gate! I went with some co-workers and we spent the night listening to singers, drummers, saxophones, and more. It was a lovely time, and I got to just hang out, relax, and listen to some good music! They even had a dragon come out and perform, too.

Crowd outside of the North Gate jazz bar

Jazz performance

Later, on Friday afternoon, Annika, Hom and I went to a weekend getaway to the beach! We spent two nights in Ao Nang, a town in the southern province of Krabi that is home to beautiful beaches and clear waters. After a two-hour flight across the country, we got to our AirBnB and had local food for dinner and made a 7/11 snack run. The next day, we went on a speedboat tour of the PhiPhi Islands, which is one of those places that hasn’t become completely over run with tourists – yet. We stopped at 7 different locations around PhiPhi Don and PhiPhi Le, taking lots of pictures, swimming in lagoons, and snorkeling (I was able to remember some fish species that I learned about in the Galapagos: Pacific Sergeant Major, Moorish Idol, and Yellow Damselfish. Alex would be proud). The water looked like crystal, the clear water sparkling with greens and blues that blended together beautifully. Surrounding us were steep rock walls that were covered in the greenest of trees, adding to the serenity of the place. It has hard to believe that I was there, it was so unreal. Felt like I was in a Bob Ross painting, but better.

Crystal clear water

Swimming in the lagoon with Annika

Being goofy in the lagoon

After the boat tour, we went to a small local night market, and I ate some spicy Pad Thai. We walked around the main strip and looked at local vendors and fancy hotel lobbies, listening to live music being played. It was a good night, followed by lots of sleeping in the following morning. On Sunday, we had a later start and then went to the beach to spend our final hours in Ao Nang before heading to the airport to come back home to Chiang Mai. It was a delightful trip, and I’m really glad we went! I don’t know the next time I’ll have the opportunity to see such beautiful scenery, but I really hope it’s soon.

Ao Nang night market

Spicy chicken Pad Thai

Sitting in front of Maya Bay