Golden Triangle and Hall of Opium

Today’s installment of the NPR series on the Mekong River made mention of the Hall of Opium and the region where Laos andThailand and Myannmar converge, also called the Golden Triangle.

At the Golden Triangle

We spent the morning of Jan. 17 at the Golden Triangle, a region burdened with the history of drug production and years of poverty. Only today is it coming back to life as part of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation.

We stopped at a riverside park and I stood with Myannmar  on my left and Laos on the right, reminiscent of a photograph my grandfather taken during World War II . In his picture, he’s standing on a bridge with one hand in Austria and one in Germany.

One of our stops in Thailand included a trip to the Hall of Opium, which is a museum dedicated to educating visitors about the history of opium trade and production in Thailand.

A short film starts the tour and gives you some history of opium trade in Southeast Asia. Here’s a little of what I learned:

• Only one variety of poppy is grown for opium. Only the sap is collected for the drug; the seeds don’t have any addictive properties.
• Myannmar has the largest production of opium, followed by Laos.
• India is actually the largest producer in the world today.
• At one point in history, China actually had a list of merchants approved for opium trade.
• As early as 1702, Thailand — then called Siam — had laws against opium use. An opium farm tax generated about 25 percent of the country’s revenues in the 1800s.
• Opium became illegal in Thailand in 1959. Addicts had to register with the government.

Map of Golden Triangle region

There was one segment of the museum dedicated to the instruments used for weights and measurements. Different lead weight molds were used by different regions and groups in the Golden Triangle. So, an elephant weight might have been used by the Lana people while the Chinese typically used bird-like creatures. Mystical animals were used by royalty.

Among the displays there were plenty of examples of the drug’s ill effects and stories from people who lost relatives to overdoses from cocaine and heroin, derivatives of opium. There were interactive games asking players to find who’s hiding the drugs and a display of all the object used to smuggle drugs out of Thailand.

As I walked around the Hall of Opium, I was struck by how odd it seemed to be in a museum dedicated to drug trade. I couldn’t image tourists coming to see something similar in the U.S., even with our history of waging a war on drugs. The visit was an enlightening one for me and will certainly stick with me for some time to come.

An education for the Shan people

On my drive home from work Tuesday, I caught the second part of a weeklong NPR series about the Mekong River. I was excited to realize I had been to the region and wanted to hear more about it.

The segment I heard was about the Shan state in Myanmmar. The region overlaps with China and Thailand. It reminded me of my visit to the Thai Freedom House school in Chiang Mai, which serves the Shan refugees.

The sign outside Free Bird Cafe, which houses Thai Freedom House.

The Thai Freedom School meets in a coffee shop in Chiang Mai, around the corner from a public school. Classes are held at night so that the students — refugees from the Shan state and mountains of Thailand — can continue to work.

During a free morning in Chiang Mai, I was able to see the coffee shop and talk to one of the teachers at the school, which was founded by a St. Louis native who is the friend of a friend.

What I learned during my visit is that the children aren’t allowed to attend public schools in Thailand because of their refugee status. The government doesn’t recognize them as being Thai and prohibits them from a public education.

The government of Myannmar doesn’t recognize them either (an aspect that is discussed in the NPR story) so they’re left to fend for themselves, which often means not getting any education or other government services.

Students made signs like this to label objects and areas, which helps them learn Thai and English.

The Freedom House school helps these children, and sometimes their parent, learn to speak and read Thai and the language of the Shan people so that they can cross both cultures.

Lessons are in both Thai and English each Monday through Thursday.  Friday is devoted to art lessons and most of the Shan lessons are held on the weekends. In true Thai fashion, the art lessons incorporate recycled materials so that nothing goes to waste. The students collect the materials, sell what they can for money, and use the rest in art lessons.

But there are other outlets for their creative work. Some students have been given a camera to take pictures of their world. Those images are turned into postcards and sold at the shop. Drawings are turned into cards, also for sell a the store. Sheets of paper, pages of magazines and newspaper are folded and turned into origami shapes, sometimes attached to earrings or jewelry.

Students range in age from 6 to 32. Most don’t stay for long periods because their families work in construction jobs and move often as new work becomes available. This migrant lifestyle also complicates their ability to gain an education or apply for citizenship status in any region.

The NPR story talks a little about the Shan people’s ability and decision not to choose sides in the conflict within Myannmar. Their lives are transitory and seemingly unstable, yet the people seem content with life as it is.

Nang Yomt One in the classroom of Thai Freedom House.

I was greatly impressed with the Thai Freedom House School and its mission to help refugees when no one else will do so. The school relies on donations and contributions to buy its materials for lessons. I left there thinking about the challenges these students must overcome to get the basic education we take for granted in the U.S. and was thankful that Lisa was willing to give so much of her life to these students. It’s an inspiring story.

Lessons from Doi Tung

Despite Missouri’s winter weather, I awoke today with fond memories of a day spent among flowers. I was reminded that spring is coming, but it’s best if we enjoy the season and sights before us.

These are just some of the lessons I remember from an all-to0-short visit to the Doi Tung Botanical Garden and reforestation projects in northwestern Thailand. It was one of the most amazing and inspiring stops on our tour.

At Doi Tung garden

Doi Tung is part of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, a project founded by the king’s mother, also called the Princess Mother, back in the 1980s.

The concept for the project is simple — to restore a sustainable culture by eradicating the root of the region’s problem: poverty. Before the Foundation began its work, this area of Thailand, in the Golden Triangle, was most known for its militia groups, opium addiction, poverty and slash and burn mining.

I was truly impressed with the Doi Tung Foundation and their work in the northern part of Thailand. The goal is to create a 30-year program for sustainability but they try to create benefits for the people within 150 days.

Montanee (front left), Jum, Ting Li, Vasu and Valet

Much of that is done by giving people jobs and letting them reap the rewards of getting paid for their work. So, opium farmers became forestry workers. Eventually, these farmers were able to become entrepreneurs and partners with the Foundation to sell coffee, macadamia nuts and local crafts.

We were able to spend most of the day in this development, touring the sites where the macadamia nuts are roasted, seeing some coffee bushes in the undergrowth of the forest, watching women make mulberry paper in both the Japanese and Thai styles, seeing pottery and watching women weave silk.

The silk creations at Doi Tung were among the most beautiful textiles I’ve ever seen. The fabric color schemes and patterns are created by a fashion designer from Bangkok and complement the local wisdom and patterns of the region.

I purchased several items from Doi Tung (and wish I’d have thought to get coffee) to bring back with me. Even their trinkets and key chains were beautiful and elegant.

So, today, when I drank coffee from my celadon ceramic mug and dressed in my Doi Tung jacket for work, I was reminded of how amazing and innovative the Thai people are. Their work to preserve the northern region was monumental, and changed the culture and lifestyle of the region for the better. An inspiring story to say the least.

Flower beds at Doi Tung

An area that was once forgotten now draws nearly 1 million visitors from around the world. The work has been simple, logical and practical — tapping into the wisdom already available from the hill tribe peoples and giving them ownership of the project. The goal for the foundation is to turn the entire project (and its many spin-offs) back to the people by 2017.

Opium production continues to drop in the region (some of it has moved into neighboring countries), education improves, health issues are being resolved because people have access to and means of paying for care, and new ideas are implemented and adapted to meet specific needs for each project or village.

The goal for Mae Fah Luang is to create a living university in its sustainable living with its projects as the campus. The goal is to help develop people not just ideas. It’s an approach we so seldom take in the Western world but certainly one worth considering.

Mountains in the distance at Doi Tung

Craving curries and other Thai food staples

Since leaving Thailand and the taste of its authentic food,  I have had some cravings, especially for papaya salad.

One of many of the versions of papaya salad you can find across Thailand.

A few days after arriving home, II cooked some vindaloo curry and jasmine rice. Turns out both products were from Thailand. The seasoning packet for the curry said in fine print under the barcode: “Product of Thailand.” It was made by Asianhomegourmet.com and I’m thinking of signing up for their recipe e-newsletter.

Of course, I’ve seen the rice fields of Thailand so the fact that jasmine rice is a product of Thailand wasn’t news to me. But the recipe for sticky rice and mangoes on the side panel was a welcome find. Now I know I can make this at home.

I actually enjoyed the sticky rice we ate in northern Thailand as much as I did the jasmine. Sticky rice is formed into a cylindrical bamboo container and then served as an accompaniment with the meal. Usually, we were served both steamed rice or khao soi and khao new, which is sticky rice. (Khao is the Thai word for rice.)

Meal in Chiang Rai, sticky rice and pickled veggies on tray

My jasmine rice didn’t really turn out to be as good as what I’d remembered from Thailand but that could be the fault of the cook and not the rice I purchased at the international market.

Last week, I tried my hand at a few other Thai dishes — using mixes I found at grocery stores. I was able to pick up a tom kha gai soup starter kit from Williams-Sonoma in Kansas City. The pad Thai sauce and stir-fry noodles from the Thai Kitchen products were quite tasty.

I prepared the soup and pad Thai for a gathering of GLE’ers on Thursday night. It was great fun to get together again, even if not everyone could be in Columbia. And, having these mini reunions makes it great for me to try recipes or recreations of the Thai dishes.

Next on my menu: fish cakes. They were also quite popular in Bangkok.

More to come about my Thailand trip

I’ve got plans to continue writing about the trip even though I’m back in the U.S. now.

There are many things I want to reflect on and share with friends and family who weren’t able to be part of this adventure. If you ever get the chance to visit Thailand, take it — it’s an amazing country filled with wonderful and generous people.

So, I intend to share more photos and stories about our meetings with the Thai programs. It will take some time for me to process everything and to organize my photos and thoughts. Be patient, more details are coming.

I know that I want to share about these topics:

• Our homestay visits at the village in Chiang Mai province.
• Self-sufficiency initiatives in the villages
• Education, in particular with a school in Chiang Mai run by a St. Louis native.
• The King’s intiatives and philosophy
• Agroforestry programs
• OTOP
• Silk weaving
• Benjarong pottery
• Doi Tung Foundation

I  also will write about the group and how we formed friendships and bonds with each other and the Thai participants of GLE. And, I intend to make the blog more accessible for everyone by updating some of the standing pages and information about participants and the projects they’ll be developing.

Thanks to those of you who commented and followed along while we were abroad. I hope it was helpful even if it wasn’t always updated daily.

– Laura

Back home, trying to adjust

I’ve been back in Columbia for about 24 hours now and have both jet lag and some culture shock.

After 30 hours in transit (that international dateline is tricky), my body doesn’t seem to know if it’s morning or afternoon. Although I slept many hours today, I’m essentially wide awake in the middle of the afternoon Bangkok time.

One of the first things I noticed today when I awoke was how bright the world seems. I don’t know exactly why — maybe because cabin lights on an airplane aren’t very bright to begin with — but the sun seemed brighter and the lights in my house are exceedingly bright. Perhaps it’s the difference in voltage from what I’ve grown used to in Thailand these few weeks, but it was really a surprise.

I went with Marc to the grocery story for some supplies and food I was craving — turkey sandwich on croissant — and was struck by how large the cart was, how wide the aisles and the abundance of products. I went to a couple supermarkets in Thailand but they were tiny in comparison to my neighborhood Hy-vee.

I know there will be other things that I find jarring as I make my entry back into mid-Missouri. And there are things I’m quite thankful for now that I’ve traveled overseas — top of my list is clean drinking water that is readily available and sanitation.

Back on Bangkok

Returning to Menam hotel and making dinner plans. Only a few days til we return to the US.
I’ll try to catch up on the blogging in the next few days, but I’m sure to be processing all I have learned for many months to come.