It's no Harley, but it's still a whole lot of fun.
My motorcycle wails as I near the top of the rise, the low gear being the only that can handle the pitches of the windy mountain traverse a few kilometers south of Chiang Dao. But the noise is matched by an astounding silence as I hold the shifter of my Honda between gears, giving me a false neutral. The tiny, 100cc engine can’t even be heard then as it effortlessly glides down the backside of the mountain, silently like a hang-glider blowing in the breeze. I look down at my wheels to be sure they’re still rotating, and when I see that they are, raise my eyes to the speckled tea fields scattered on the steep mountainsides all around me.
I left Chiang Mai a couple of days ago with young women from Global Refuge who are here to coordinate the organization’s efforts before they begin bringing over teams of doctors and nurses. We found a house to rent in Thoed Thai, a small mountain town about as far north in Thailand as you can get without crossing the Mekong. Over the next few days they’re hoping to make the rounds of as many of the northern villages (or “Ban” in Thai) as they can to assess the medical needs. I’ll be tagging along on these trips, making photos and trying to gather enough film to help tell their story.
With my time in Chiang Mai at an end, I’m excited to get back up here and start on some new projects. I came here to tell the story of a people, and there is really no better way to prepare myself to do that than to live with them. And that’s what I’m hoping to do up here; immerse myself in the culture as best I can with the time I have.
The photo is our trip over the last couple of days. (You can click it for a larger version). The first was from Chiang Mai to Tha Ton (near Mae Ai) and was about four hours. Today we drove from Tha Ton to the city of my last entry, Chiang Rai, where we are checking out the medical facilities as it is likely to be the nearest city with a hospital. Sorry about the lack of photos for today. I’ll try to do better next time. Have a great day!
I left Chiang Mai a couple of days ago with young women from Global Refuge who are here to coordinate the organization’s efforts before they begin bringing over teams of doctors and nurses. We found a house to rent in Thoed Thai, a small mountain town about as far north in Thailand as you can get without crossing the Mekong. Over the next few days they’re hoping to make the rounds of as many of the northern villages (or “Ban” in Thai) as they can to assess the medical needs. I’ll be tagging along on these trips, making photos and trying to gather enough film to help tell their story.
With my time in Chiang Mai at an end, I’m excited to get back up here and start on some new projects. I came here to tell the story of a people, and there is really no better way to prepare myself to do that than to live with them. And that’s what I’m hoping to do up here; immerse myself in the culture as best I can with the time I have.
The photo is our trip over the last couple of days. (You can click it for a larger version). The first was from Chiang Mai to Tha Ton (near Mae Ai) and was about four hours. Today we drove from Tha Ton to the city of my last entry, Chiang Rai, where we are checking out the medical facilities as it is likely to be the nearest city with a hospital. Sorry about the lack of photos for today. I’ll try to do better next time. Have a great day!
posted by Andrew at 6:50 PM
1 Comments:
Have you been on the Mekong yet? I'd imagine that its quite the wild ride, especially since now you must be coming well into the rainy season.
I've only got a week left in Bloomington, then I'll be starting my own adventures. It's been great to hear your perspective on Thailand buddy, and believe me I can relate.
Stay strong, and enjoy the time over there, even if that motor-sai (how they said motorcycle in my area) could use an extra 800cc 's or so.
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