Hi everyone! Ok, Ok, I know it’s really late, but what can I say? I’ve been busy! A couple of trips, a lot of work, a big party…about the work, it’s going really well, I finally feel like I’m making some progress. BUT – there’s still so much to do, I’m actually thinking I may have to stay a little longer than I planned. (Just a little longer – I promise!) So far, I’ve created a documents database, and I’ve gotten all the videos and DVDs catalogued. Next, I start on the huge task of scanning and cataloguing all the slides – some of which date back to the early 80’s – which then also need to be catalogued. After much research, I selected some software that I think will be a great tool for cataloguing and searching for photos. I now know more about Digital Asset Management (DAM!) than I ever wanted to. And if you want to know anything about it, send me an e-mail, cause I’m not taking up any more blog-space talking about it!
Bangkok is trying to get in the Xmas mood by stringing up as many electric lights as possible – we’ve also been blessed by a week of cool weather – as I sit here typing in my pjs, I’ve got the windows open and (gasp!) no A/C on! I love it! Walking to work this morning I found myself swinging my arms – for my usual walk I keep my whole upper body as still as possible, and only lift my feet as high as absolutely neccessary, to avoid undue effort and hence sweating. I’m sure I look like a dork, but hey, there’s nothing like starting your work day with your makeup sliding off your face and your skirt sticking to your legs. So it feels really, really good this week, but still not very Xmas-y.
At the beginning of December, Thailand celebrates the King’s Birthday, a huge holiday. Since I had a long weekend, I headed back up to Mae Hong Son, and Andrea and I took an overnight trip to Pai, a small town way up in the mountains, halfway between Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai. We drove over the highest point between the two towns, and the view was spectacular.
Pai is a funny place, kind of like a beach town, except with no beach. It was absolutely crawling with tourists, both Thai and farang (the Thai word for us whities), but we still had a fine time. We found a fabulous Italian restaurant, run by a real Italian (go figure!) and had a great meal and way too much wine. Then we headed to a nightclub, where we discovered DANNY! – a half-Vietnamese kid with a pink Hello Kitty guitar who would not have been out of place in a lower east side club and rocked the house with Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and um, Michael Jackson. The kid was a star! I was ready to ask him if he needed a manager, but he hopped onto his motorbike and sped off into the night before I had the chance. Thailand, always a surprise waiting around the corner. The friendly bartender also shared his stash with us, so now I can say I’ve had a Puff in Pai (my attempt at a Thai joke: Thai airlines serves on-board pastries which proved so popular they opened a chain of bakeries called…Puff & Pie. Who ever heard of going to a STORE for AIRLINE food? Anyway…). We woke up feeling a little fragile, only to find that the power transformer for the whole valley had blown up the night before, so not only was there no hot water, the water pump wasn’t working. We washed our faces with bottled drinking water, and Andrea (always resourceful!) fixed her hair with the water from the toilet tank (the TANK, not the bowl!) Slightly rough around the edges, we headed for the nearby hot springs, thinking at least we could at least have a soak, only to find them (of course!) mobbed with tourists. The Thais buy little baskets of eggs and boil them in the hot water. Then they eat them. Oh…kay…don’t try this at Yellowstone, folks!
Tuesday was the King’s Birthday so we headed to the refugee camp for a big celebration. Here’s some info about the camp – it’s about an hour outside Mae Hong Son, only 4 km or so from the Burmese border. There’s about 19,000 people living there, mostly Karenni (an ethnic minority from Burma). They’re there because of ethnic cleansing by the Burmese military, and some of them have been there for many years. Entering the camp after a long drive through dense jungle is like going into another world.
The highlight of the day was a cooking contest, sponsered by TBBC and featuring AsiaMix, the fortified flour that Andrea has spent the last few years introducing into the food allotment that gets distributed to the refugees. Her research in the camps showed that while the refugees were getting plenty to eat, they were missing some vitamins and minerals, and that was causing the children not to grow enough. The good news is, recent surveys have shown that the flour is helping the children stay healthier. The bad news is – the refugees don’t cook with flour. So there has been this whole campaign to introduce the flour into their diet (there’s even going to be a cookbook pretty soon), which leads me to…the cooking contest! The theme was food for children, cause that’s who benefits the most, so 20 different sections from around the camp got their best chefs together and had a cook-off. AND I got to be one of the judges! There were some really yummy dishes, and some VERY creative ways of serving them that would appeal to any child (like little ice-cream cones made of fried dough and banana leaves, and an Ovaltine-like drink made from toasted flour and sugar). The winner got some cooking supplies, and a special dress that Kai, (Andrea’s office manager) made from an AsiaMix sack!
After the winners were announced there were various games/sporting events, and Kai boxed with a local girl while sitting on a log! She lost, but only just. Then, the NGO workers got challenged to a tug-of-war with the Karenni Women’s Organization – guess who won? The NGOs got their asses kicked – TWICE! It was a fun day.
Ok, are you still with me? The next weekend, Tim, Art, Andrea and Tim’s friend Jane and I went down to the beach near Bangkok for a typical Thai getaway. We arrived, ate lunch, swam in the pool, went out for seafood dinner, sang karaoke, slept, ate breakfast, swam in the pool, had lunch, and went home. Oh, and we shopped for tacky souveniers and looked at some monkeys. I don’t think my feet ever touched the sand. But fun was had, none the less! You can’t NOT have fun with Tim & Art – they’re swell.
Last Friday was the TBBC Xmas party, the second one I’ve been to. This one was at the British club, which meant the turkey dinner buffet was scrumptious and there were miniature mince pies and plum puddings for dessert. Yummy! We all danced to Madonna and one of the field coordinators got out his guitar and we sang songs. Again, a great night out. And I got to wear my fancy dress! I’m really going to miss this group of people when I leave – they are all so much fun, so nice and also hilarious.
Here’s some pix:
Friday Tim, Art, Andrea and I leave for Melbourne and Tasmania. I have no idea what it will be like or even what to pack because apparently Melbourne at Xmas (their summer) can be blazing hot one day and chilly the next. All I want to do is see a Tasmanian Devil. The rest will have to be a surprise – but with this bunch, I bet it’s going to be great.
I miss everyone, and I’m sorry I won’t be home for Xmas – but here’s wishing everyone a nice, relaxing, time. Here’s to a peaceful 2007!
Lots of love.
vic in thailand 
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