Summer in Thailand

The NJDOL Internship: An Interesting Contrast

2006-07-09T11:06:00.000+08:00

Well, I've been home for over a week now, so it would seem the trip is over. Yet I'm still mentally more in Thailand than I am in NJ. I keep coming back to my experiences at the BLC and re-evaluating them.

I've started work at the NJ Division of Law, the Attorney General's Office. I picked an interesting week to start working -- the state legislature didn't pass a budget by the deadline, so the state was officially shut down all week. All non-essential state employees were on furlough, including my father.

But the interns were allowed to report. After all, we're not being paid. So it was us and a few of the most senior attorneys running the entire office. The enormous Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex was a ghost town. As were the parking lots, streets and restaurants of Trenton.

The building is just overwhelming to me. It's huge and new and beautiful. It has 8 floors, multiple wings, hundreds of offices, dozens of photocopiers. It has a huge law library, filled with nice desks and cushy chairs. It even has an awesome view of the Delaware River. It's carpeted. The bathrooms are clean and modern (the toilets have flushers!) It has air conditioning. My supervisors and colleagues wear suits to work. I feel very cool and important just walking in and around the building, in my fancy suits. Like a big girl.

The BLC, in contrast, is a very different office. The building was very modest. All the furniture was plastic. The dress code was casual. Very casual. My supervisor would, not infrequently, take off his shirt and bathe himself in well water less than 20 feet away from me. Stray dogs roamed the property. I sat on a plastic chair in an overcrowed office (below right) that was actually a cage. The walls were fences, the roof was a thin aluminum sheet. The "air conditioner" (in 100 degree heat) was a fan. The floors were concrete. Frogs and all manner of bugs roamed about. Lizards climbed the walls.

After working at the BLC, the splendor of a government office seems almost silly to me. Unnecessary. Almost uncomfortable. It's lovely, to be sure. Does a lot for morale. But I don't feel any more intelligent or professional or motivated because of it.

For now. We'll see how long that lasts. But I hope I'll spend the next 40 years remembering the BLC every time I go to work.

WORLD's Best Hotel

2006-06-30T19:12:00.000+08:00

Of all the places I've stayed on this trip -- nay, on ANY trip -- there is one B&B that stands squarely above the rest. And I had the privilege of staying there on the very last night of my trip. My award -- the Golden All-Terrain Sandal, if you will -- for World's Best Hotel is proudly presented to the Mandelbaum Family B&B of Brooklyn, NY.

It's an exclusive little spot, quite far from the tourist center, but rich with amenities and hospitality. When my plane landed too late to allow me to return to Jersey, they allowed me to stay on a moment's notice. They even offered airport pick-up. Upon arrival, my mother and I were shown to a beautifully decorated room, with soft beds and fluffy pillows. They provided us with toiletries and carefully-chosen sleep clothes. They even gave us fascinating books to read as we fell asleep.

In the morning, they provided us with toothbrushes, hairbrushes and a hairdryer. Work-appropriate clothing in the correct sizes. Hot showers with truly impressive water pressure. And breakfast.

The food is fantastic, the conversation inspired. They're close to New York's most important landmarks -- my grandfather's apartment, my cousins' homes and the place where I grew up. They even have cute children and grandchildren that will come over to play with you. It's a loving home, and my very favorite place to visit.

But the best part of all: My beloved aunt and uncle. Thank you so much for all the nights at the Mandelbaum B&B -- and everything else. I love you.

Save the Thai Elephants

2006-06-29T12:15:00.000+08:00

Elephant Camp Pictures

One of my big tourist goals for the trip was to take an elephant ride. And I took a short one early in the trip, but it made me crave some more substantial interaction with the cuddly-looking beasts.

Elephants have been used for work and ceremonial purposes in Thailand for centuries. One of Chiang Mai's most sacred temples, Wat Doi Suthep, was built because one of the king's revered white elephants selected it as the site for the house of an important Buddha. They are very powerful animals, and can haul heavy loads with relative ease. Today, they're a huge tourist draw, and help contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the Thai economy.

I started looking for elephant camps as early as March, and found a few outside Chiang Mai that advertised elephant circuses, orchestras and even paintings produced by elephants. All over Thailand, you can take an elephant ride through a forest or jungle with less than a day's notice. They even roam the streets in Bangkok, and for a few baht you can pet them and feed them. Rationally, I knew these were not things that elephants do naturally, but I was too preoccupied with thoughts like "Elephants are cool! I want to play with the elephants!" to allow any concerns over animal cruelty to influence my elephant-related decisions.

I eventually chose to visit the Elephant Nature Park because I'd heard it offered bareback elephant riding and the chance to play with the elephants in water. When I arrived, I learned that it was a refuge for elephants who've been abused by their owners. The elephants are purchased by the camp, nursed back to health, and allowed to live out their days enjoying "just being elephants." The tourists get to interact with them in a way that is healthy for everyone, and learn about the abuse that many Thai elephants suffer.

There are no laws to protect elephants from cruel treatment in Thailand, and they are very expensive to purchase and maintain, so there is a great incentive for owners to treat them in a way that they think will maximize productivity and profit. They are "trained" for such work as babies, when they are "broken" during a process called the Phaajaan. The babies are separated from their mothers (often for the first time), locked in a cage with no freedom of movement, then hit and beaten and abused until they learn not to resist their owners. And that's just the start of the cruelty. They're often underfed and overworked ... and that's only in the "average" case.

I heard dozens of stories about how the elephants at the Nature Park were mistreated. One was bought jointly by two owners, each of which wanted a full day of work out of the elephant. So they pumped her full of drugs to force her to perform, and increased the dose as her tolerance grew, until she became cataonic. Another was blinded, one stepped on a landmine. Three elephants had stab wounds in their trunks that were still healing. They had scars from beatings, malformed hips and knees.

This guy at the left is Max, the largest elephant at the camp. He has an abcess under his eye, still healing from the abuse he suffered from his owner. He's been at the camp for 3 years. He was also hit by a car, and is still limping.

At the elephant camps that were literally down the road, elephants are trained and disciplined using hooks. I don't want to imagine how much and in what ways a hook needs to be used in order to train an elephant to perform a circus trick, play an instrument or create a work of "art." It takes a lot of hook usage to get an elephant to hike the same stretch of jungle day after day with a tourist sitting on their backs. Most of the elephants at the Nature Park who did this sort of work were severely underweight and used to being underfed when they arrived.

Almost all the elephants that tourists see have suffered this sort of abuse, and the tourism revenue encourages these practices to continue. If you ask if the elephants are well-treated, or mind giving rides, you'll be assured that they don't mind, that it's work they were meant to do. But that's simply not true.

Please, before you go to Thailand, do some research about how the elephants are treated. Don't give your money to a camp or handler who treats them badly. Go to the Elephant Nature Park or the ONE other similar camp in Thailand that treats elephants with genuine respect and affection. If every tourist does this, those camps will shut down and the practices will change.

People You Meet When You Travel: Aleda

2006-06-27T23:32:00.000+08:00

Travelling alone can be a bit lonely. But the loneliness is a good motivation to work harder to meet new people. Of ALL the (American) people I've met in Thailand, my favorite was Aleda.

I met Aleda at the Susan Williams seminar, and then she took me out in Chiang Mai. By the time I got to the bar, she'd already made friends with half the people there. She told wild tales of prior weekend evenings that ended at 5 am or later. Half the time she walks into a bar in Chiang Mai, random people she doesn't recognize scream her name.

She drank and danced me under the table. I couldn't keep up. At 12:30, I had to call it a night. She stayed out until 4. I ran into her the next evening, when she took me to another bar. And out-partied me again.

Aleda is almost 40. She had 3 children by age 19, and regretted not having a college experience. So, at 35, she enrolled at UVA. She attended every frat party, every football and basketball game. And kept a 4.0 GPA. And now she's entering her second year of law school in New York City.

She is enjoying every moment of Thailand and her life in general, like no one I've ever met. She's living it up in Chiang Mai, getting pedicures and massages, meeting Thai people, travelling in style, partying every night.

I admire her for so many reasons. She's a committed wife, mother, grandmother and sister. She's succeeded in school and in life, despite a ton of obstacles. She takes chances and risks, and makes the most of every opportunity she gets.

Signing Off from Chiang Mai

2006-06-27T14:39:00.001+08:00

This will be my last on-the-road post. I'm taking the night train out of Chiang Mai tonight, and will arrive in Bangkok tomorrow morning. I'll spend the afternoon taking care of some important errands (dental work, seeing the new Superman movie), and then I fly home Thursday morning. I'll be back with my family in NJ on Friday. Sometime this weekend, I'll finish the rest of the posts about the last days of the trip.

Today I'm trying to frantically finish my souvenir shopping and suit-making. My tailor is hard at work on my 3-piece suit and silk blouses, probably cursing the day that I entered the shop. The whole package is costing me a little more than $200, exactly what I'm prepared to pay for the same quality of work in the US. SO MUCH FUN!

Elephant Camp

2006-06-27T14:22:00.000+08:00

Elephant Camp was EVERYTHING I dreamed it would be. And more. I will post in far greater detail in about 48 hours, when I'm home, reunited with my beloved Mac and not paying for a slow Internet connection by the minute.

Elephant Camp Pictures

First, we got to feed the elephants -- bananas, pineapples and cucumbers.

Then we got to bathe the elephants in the river. SO much fun.

And then we spent hours staring at the baby elephants.

When you come to Thailand, you MUST visit the Elephant Nature Park.

Chiang Mai (Day 1)

2006-06-26T12:42:00.000+08:00

Everytime I run into someone who's been to Chiang Mai, Thailand's "second city," they sigh. "Oh, Chiang Mai." They tell me about the markets, amazing restaurants, cool people, beautiful buildings, moderate climate ... and it drove me freakin' bonkers.

I tried to get to Chiang Mai several times, unsuccessfully. And now that I'm done with my internship, with a few days left before my flight, I'm finally here to see whether it's as amazing as everyone said it is.

It is. It's a traveller's paradise. It's got everything that a big city should have, but it's really small and compact. With a very chill vibe. The old city is even surrounded by a cute little moat. There are mountains surrounding the city. And it's even nice and cool (temperature-wise).

I rolled into town on the bus Friday evening, checked into Daret's House, a favorite among back-packers. 100 baht ($2.50) per night for my own room and bathroom. Clean and friendly, centrally located, and a short walk to the famous night market.

The next morning, I joined Eric and Yarrow (Eric's wife) for a workshop given by IU Law's very own Susan Williams. Prof. Williams graduated No. 2 at Harvard Law (her husband was No. 1) -- and is frighteningly smart. A challenging, engaging professor with incredibly high standards.

Several groups have asked that Burma's new constitution include a minimum 30% quota for women (and men) in all branches of the federal government. This group asked Prof. Williams to teach them about different quota systems, so they could develop responses and arguments to challenge the criticism they faced.

Watching her, I was so incredibly proud to go to IU Law. To be in law school. To have met her. To breathe the same air. You get the picture.

Also, I was quite thrilled to enjoy watching her teach without having to read, outline and prepare insightful comments for 60 pages of dense property law cases beforehand. Anyone who's taken one of her classes will understand.

Afterward, I chatted with Yarrow's co-worker, Aleda, who has her own private tuk-tuk driver here in Chiang Mai. And he recommended a great tailor. So I bid farewell to Prof. Williams, made plans to see Eric and Yarrow that evening, and hopped on my motorbike to the tailor's.

I spent the rest of the afternoon tooling around town on the motorbike, feeling quite proud of myself and quite cool. No accidents, no close calls. I even got complimented on my handling of the bike. I am seriously considering buying a motorcycle to replace my car.

At night, I met Eric, Yarrow and Aleda at The Riverside, a bar with a reputation for great music. The band was AWESOME -- lots of fantastic songs, all in English. Natalie Imbruglia, U2, Black Eyed Peas, and loads of other favorites. And there were no westerners except us -- lots of cool Thai people. Aleda and I bonded over beers. And shots of Absolut Rasperry. And sips of Thai whiskey. And dancing.

There are even pictures of me dancing. I can't upload them because I can't find a computer that's fast enough, but this is a first.

Eric and Yarrow came. Eric dazzled the Thai people with his dance moves. People were pointing and staring. He's a rock star, no question.

I finished the evening FAR too drunk to drive home. Luckily, the guest house was a short walk away. I did not know this when I started walking, and it was a VERY pleasant surprise to find it just when I was ready to break down and get a tuk-tuk.

My Four Eyes

2006-06-26T01:19:00.000+08:00

So ... I got glasses today.

I've been noticing that it's getting a little harder to read stuff lately. Words get fuzzy, I've been getting more headaches, etc. So when I passed a sign that advertised eye exams in English, I went for it (Cheaper here than at home). And, lo and behold, I was told I needed reading glasses.

I've anticipated this day for ... well, my entire life. Every single blood relative of mine has glasses. Mom got hers at age 2. Dad got his at age 6. There was never any question that I would someday get them, it was only a question of when. And now that it's finally happened, I'm ridiculously excited.

I LOVE glasses. I love the way they look on everyone, the way they draw attention to people's eyes. The way they make people look smarter. It's the physical trait I'm most attracted to in men. (Yes, I know how wierd I am.) When the bespectacled man I was dating (Glenn) talked about marriage, I insisted that our pre-nup would forbid him to get contacts. The fact that he now wears contacts full-time and is considering Lasik may be the best possible insurance against us getting back together. I love glasses that much.

And I love my glasses. I would post a picture, but the Internet connection is too slow. They're big, black plastic frames that positively scream "Look at me! I have glasses and I'm a big nerd!" Just what I've always wanted.

And I'm off to enjoy my new glasses and the book I'm halfway through.

Tomorrow, I'm spending a full day at Elephant Camp! SO excited.

Frog Legs?

2006-06-23T22:48:00.003+08:00

So after the football match, we hung out at the BLC office. About six staff members live on the premises, so we finished off the beer and cheap ($2) bottle of Thai rum. Well, more accurately, the guys drank and I took pictures of them being goofy.

It was all ordinary good fun until they broke out the fried frogs.

That's right, fried frogs. The whole critter, breaded and boiled in oil. Apparently it's a Burmese delicacy. So we ate frogs. While our bosses, like my supervisor U Myo (in the background) cheered us on.

These frogs tasted like chicken. Truly. And the bones are tiny, so you can just chew and swallow them.

I was all excited to see what would be served next. Rats? Moths? Roaches? Dog? Sadly, it was just more drinking and discussion about globalization and politics. But with drunk people fighting through a language barrier, that's still quite funny. Lots of exaggerated hand gestures. Lots of swearing.

Eric and Geoff tried to teach the Burmese guys American slang phrases like "cheddar," "like a champ, ""schizzle my nizzle" and "shooting the shit." They tried to teach us some phrases, none of which I remember.

U Myo got all emotional, saying I was his daughter, his neice, and he wished all his other law students were as smart as I was. (He teaches Evidence at the law school run by the BLC) Something to the effect of, "of all of them, I honor YOU." Awww. My first A*! I don't believe a word of it, but it was still sweet.

But still, good times. I'm gonna miss these guys terribly.

World Cup Party

2006-06-22T22:22:00.001+08:00

So I've been watching a lot of World Cup games. I'm rooting for any team except Germany to win. I also make a special effort to cheer for teams whose countries gave me especially good vacations, such as Portugal and Poland. But everytime I watch and really cheer for a team, they invariably lose. Big.

Like the night Spain creamed the Ukraine 4-0. Lord, that was embarrassing.

So, tonight, I'm throwing my support to Ghana as they face the U.S. Geoff and Eric think it will help America win.

We're watching at the BLC office. Usually, we watch at a favorite bar on a tiny screen. Last night, I took the guys to a place with a 10' screen, and it's spoiled them for small screens forever. The only reason they agreed to watch with the fellas at the office is because they were planning to set up a projector screen:

God, is there anything cuter or happier than a man watching sports on a gigantic screen? I don't think so. Look at these smiles ...

I love hanging out with men during manly bonding occaisons. Setting up A/V equipment. Watching sports. It's always a good show. We've got beer, and Geoff bought a bottle of disgusting Thai whisky. The guys were teasing him that it was awful and he couldn't handle it. I grabbed the bottle and took a chug. I shrugged like it was no big deal. They were so impressed! They even chanted "USA! USA!" in my honor.

THEY SCORE!

Now I remember why I left teaching ...

2006-06-22T22:11:00.000+08:00

... it was for my mental health. And that of those who love me.

I LOVE teaching. I love it a little too much. And part of loving it is wanting to do it the very best I can. And using every opportunity to be creative.

But then my perfectionism comes in and ruins everything. The result is that it's never creative enough or good enough, and I spend hours and hours working on every lesson. Way longer than I spend teaching the lesson.

After a long day of searching the net (for about 8 hours straight), I'm ready to teach. We'll start with a simulation about inequality in work stereotypes, pay and property rights. Then we'll brainstorm. Then there will be a lecture, punctuated by looking at political cartoons from the suffrage era. Then there will be more questions and discussion, drawing on statistics.

Eric and Geoff, my BLC co-horts, were mightily impressed. And frightened. Mostly frightened.

Back to Teaching

2006-06-22T09:58:00.000+08:00

So tomorrow I'm teaching a class on the history of the American Women's Rights movement to a group of Burmese refugees.

My supervisors say my opus is complete. It's currently over 24 pages, including footnotes. A description of all the mechanisms of the Burmese judicial system, as best as I could understand them from the few Engligh-language sources available and interviews with colleagues who speak extremely broken English. But I'm trying to put it all in a theoretical context and use my miniscule understanding of constitutional law to suggest changes to the system for a new Constitution. And citing practices that other countries use for judicial appointments and removal. I'd like to try to get it published, but I'm also enjoying it purely as a writing and research exercise.

And, while I admire their English-speaking skills of my co-workers and respect their hard work to learn the language, that's not the sort of writing they can give me any feedback on. So if any of my law school classmates (or anyone else reading this) is extremely bored, could you give it a read and tell me what you think?

With the opus complete, I technically have time to prepare a 3-hour class on the history of women's rights. And last night, when Eric was trying to find someone else to take it, I volunteered. Who knows when I'll have another chance to teach?

So today I'm happily searching the Internet for primary source documents and political cartoons. Visiting my old familiar web haunts, remembering the thrill of watching a great lesson come together ... and trying to remember why I left it to go to law school.

Ode to the Green Guest House

2006-06-21T18:35:00.000+08:00

I have really enjoyed my stay at the Green Guest House in Mae Sot. I'm going to gush because I hope it will bring the owners lots of business. They are two teachers, and they couldn't be sweeter.

Contact the owner at kritsanaya@yahoo.com.

For 4,000 baht a month ($100), I have my own room and bathroom. With laundry service. It's centrally located. The fan in my room is strong. The owners give me drinking water, provide bicycles and motorbikes on weekends. There are lilies blooming outside the gate and lush green trees filling the courtyard.

They recommend restaurants and fret that I'm not eating enough. They even stand outside my window swatting mosquitos with an electric swatter that kills them. They noticed that I like to read outside, and moved a deck chair right outside my room and under a light so I coud read at night.

I know I'm paying them for the room, but I feel like a lot of what they do is out of love. Or fondness, at the very least. God knows they're not acting out of selfish ulterior motives -- unlike my parents, who clearly act only out of pure lust for grandchildren and bragging rights (That's right, I'm on to you).

They gave me:

... fresh flowers for my room every week ...

... a cute holder for my toilet paper ...

... and when the owner saw that I bought an iron to press my work clothes, she was horrified. The next load of laundry came back with every garment ironed. She ironed my shorts.

Aung San Suu Kyi Quotes

2006-06-20T21:14:00.000+08:00

This is my last week at the BLC. I'm sad. I'm really enjoying all the people here.

Today, I learned that one of the men in the legal analysis office used to be the sectional leader of the NLD, Burma's main opposition political party. He lived with Aung San Suu Kyi for over two years, was her close friend. Then he brought me a book about political prisoners who've died in jail. And introduced me to his friends that were memorialized inside. All 10 of them.

Only a few bodies were returned to the families. One autopsy showed extensive nerve damage, another burns. One victim's leg was completely shattered.

He told me today that he was also a political prisoner. When he was captured, he was tortured for a full month.

And I'm not sure what to do with that information. But it somehow seemed like an appropriate way to introduce two Aung San Suu Kyi quotes that really struck me:

"Please use your liberty to help promote ours."

"They cannot win because all they have are guns."

Dr. Salai Tun Than Update

2006-06-20T19:16:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Dr. Salai Tun Than tried to board Thai Airways flight 303 to Rangoon. The airline refused to allow him to board. He had a valid, legally-obtained passport. He passed the security check. But the Burma government threatened to discontinue the airline's service in Burma if they let him board.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30006802

Shortly thereafter, he was in contact with people at the BLC. And Eric and I got to help him get in contact with the rest of the world. It was a mad, desperate scramble of strategizing, researching and writing -- on a day the Internet was down. Oh, the adrenaline. We had a few scant hours to craft a letter and legal-ish analysis of his case for other advocacy groups.

It wasn't really lawyer work, more journalism than anything else, but it still was pretty exciting. If and when he gets back to Burma through legal channels, I'll feel a tiny connection to that achievement.

At the same time, it was a little depressing. The objective is to help him get back to Burma ... so he can do a protest against the government ... which will get him arrested or killed. (And after reading about Burma's prisons, I think death is the less horrific outcome.) And I'm not really happy with that.

But I cannot explain how much I respect him for doing this. For every way that he has gone about this campaign.

The element that I find particularly noble is the fact that he insists upon working within the law. Burma is a country that ONLY operates effectively beyond the official procedures. Dr. Salai Tun Than waited two years for a legal passport and longer for a US visa, when he had the money to obtain one illegally far quicker. It doesn't cost much to bribe a border guard to sneak into Burma from Mae Sot (so I hear, Mom, I haven't done it and I'm not going to).

But Dr. Salai Tun Than believes that there is dignity to the legal process, to following legal procedures and acting within the law, even when it's inconvenient or to his disadvantage. Despite the unfairness of the vast majority of Burma's laws, he is still honoring his compact of citizenship and following them. And I completely agree with him. I think it's noble.

I would choose the same route. While I agree with civil disobedience in principle, I feel that my life has been deeply enhanced by America's laws. And I am proud to live within the law as much as it is in my power to do so. I waited until I was 21 to drink alcohol in the United States. I've never tried drugs, etc. And I consider that to the absolute minimum of my civic duty.

And, for the life of me, I can't understand why someone would willingly sacrifice their dignity by doing something they know is illegal. I REALLY don't understand how any law student, a person whom one would expect to have some respect for the law, would do something illegal, like drugs. It feels hypocritical somehow. Though, it's slightly more hypocritical when a drug-doing classmate says they want to be a public prosecutor. And funny. But more sad than anything.

I'm sorry to have made any comparison between Dr. Salai Tun Than and loser classmates. Forgive me.

New Friends in Mae Sot

2006-06-20T18:23:00.001+08:00

My confinement in Mae Sot turned out to be a good thing, for two reasons.

First, I got sick. Nothing too serious, just bad enough that I didn't want to get out of bed Saturday and most of Sunday. Good thing it was "my own" bed and not a strange hotel bed in Chang Mai. Better to be trapped in bed here, where I'm not missing any exciting sightseeing. And it helps to have your own "kitchen" to go to when you're not feeling well.

My family has a joke about "Grandpa's Kitchen." Grandpa's Kitchen is actually the King's Plaza Diner in Brooklyn, NY, located pretty far from his actual kitchen. But since he eats there several times each week and knows all the staff members so well, it's appropriate. For those who don't know Brooklyn, it's a great restaurant to have that relationship with. Everytime we go, there's a line out the door and Grandpa gets right in. Tables and waiters appear out of nowhere. It's like a scene from Goodfellas.

My "kitchen" in Mae Sot is Kruha Canadian, also known as "Canadian Dave's." It's owned by a friendly Canadian guy and his charming Thai wife. He has English-language newspapers and BBC News on TV. The menu is long and in English. It's cozy and comfortable. It's 2 blocks from my hotel and it's open all day. When you're so far from home and your surroundings are so unfamiliar you can't read the street signs, it's reassuring to have somewhere you can depend on. Dave's has been that place for me.

It's one of the main farang hangouts in Mae Sot, and I'm sure many people feel this way about Dave's. And I'm not sure Dave would ever make a table materialize for me if he had a waiting list 20 minutes long, but we know each other by name. They know my favorite dish, and chuckle every time I order it. They bring my favorite drink to the table as soon as I sit down, without being asked. He held onto my abandoned/lost umbrella and gave it to Eric to give to me.

And this weekend, when I couldn't stomach the thought of spicy Thai food, they brought me Diet Coke and plain white rice. With only mild amusement. Which is more than any other restaurant in town would have done. And it was just perfect.

Second, I got to go to a good-bye party for some volunteers I recently met -- at Canadian Dave's. It was a GREAT time. Good music, courtesy of Geoff, our mighty new BLC intern. Great food, courtesy of our hosts, including sliced mango and pineapple. Amazing people, courtesy of Mae Sot's many relief organizations.

Here is Geoff, the BLC intern, talking to Angelie, a med student from UMich who came to work for Dr. Cynthia's Clinic (providing free, quality health care to migrant workers and refugees).

Left to Right: Manju, a Canadian public health grad student, and Jess, an Australian. They're both working with Dr. Cynthia's clinic.

And there's Jess and Sheila, a public health grad student from UMich. Also with Dr. Cynthia's clinic.

These are the people I've been hanging out with most, but there are tons of others. Kayla, a Rhodes Scholar from Trinidad. Meredith, who did the Peace Corps in the Phillipines. Stuart, from Northern Ireland, who is teaching English to children of former Burmese Political Prisoners.

Interviews with Political Prisoners

2006-06-19T18:29:00.000+08:00

The political prisoners I interviewed Saturday asked me to share their stories with everyone I know. Here are my reports from those interviews. I am honored that they told me their stories, and humbled by their bravery and sacrifices.

Most of them were members of the NLD, the main opposition party that is led by Aung San Suu Kyi and stands for democracy through non-violence. They bravely expressed their political beliefs in the face of extreme danger, and remain proud to have done so, despite the awful cost to them and their families.

The next time I have to listen to someone in law school or practice brag about their "accomplishments" I'll be thinking of these people. And, every time, I'll be thankful for this opportunity to orient my perspective to the way it should be.

Interview with Yin Min Oo
Former Myanmar Political Prisoner
June 17, 2006

Pre-Trial

Yin Min Oo was the NLD youth leader for his township. He was arrested May 20, 1993 for violating sections 71 and 1221 of the Penal Code (High Treason).

He was arrested by Military Intelligence officers, then sent to the Kyautada MI station. Then he was sent to MI Interrogation Center #6, a detention and interrogation center infamous for the cruel methods used there. Then he was sent to Insein prison.

Interrogations were conducted over a 2 ½ month period. The MI officers tortured him to get him to confess to the charges and reveal information about other NLD leaders. He was beaten with fists and bats. His hands were bound and his head covered with plastic. He was not allowed to sleep for days on end. Finally, he was kept in complete isolation for months.

He did not ask to see a lawyer or his family. His family lived far away and did not know about his detention.

Trial

At the joint trial for both accused offenses, Yin Min Oo was not represented by a lawyer. The government's position was presented by a lawyer he thinks worked for MI. He was not given the opportunity to present witnesses or evidence.

He was found guilty of both charges. He was given a life sentence for the Section 1221 charge and 3 years for the Section 71 violation. He had no opportunity to appeal.

Post-Trial

In prison, he was isolated for one month. After that, he was put into an 8' x 8' room that he shared with 2 other prisoners. They were only allowed to leave the room for a total of 45 minutes each day. They lived in this room for four years.

He said that he was given adequate amounts of food in prison, but the food was not nutritious food. He was not forced to do hard labor or any jobs in the prison.

Yin Min Oo reported that there was inadequate medical care in prison. When he was sik, there were few medicines, and they were only administered by unskilled workers. The ICRC gave the prison quality medicines to use, but these were sold by the prison authorities. They bought cheaper, less effective Chinese medicines to use instead and pocketed the difference in money.

His family was allowed to visit him once a month for 12 years. A warden supervised each visit and kept a written record of their conversations. They also recorded them with video cameras.

Yin Min Oo said the prisoners' treatment varied depending on the amount of international pressure placed on the junta. The more pressure, the better prisoners were treated. The influence of the ICRC was also important. He said conditions improved after ICRC visits started in 1999. They asked about the conditions, healthcare, food, and treatment in the prison. Before that, the prisoners had no right to read books or play cards. The ICRC does not visit the prison now, and Yin Min Oo knows that some of the guards prevent prisoners from reading books or playing cards.

In 1997, his sentence was reduced to 10 years. He was released in December 2004, after a total of 12 years in prison. He was followed by MI officers every day after his release. He left Burma in August 2005.

Interview with Ish We Sin Nyu
Former Myanmar Political Prisoner
June 17, 2006

Ish We Sin Nyu was an NLD member. She was the Insein Township Youth Leader. She was arrested two times, both for political crimes.

First Arrest

Pre-Trial

Ish We Sin Nyu was arrested as a high school student for participating in a protest in 1989.

She was arrested along with 5 other girls. In detention, each was sexually abused by the MI officers who questioned them. She was also subjected to a full-body cavity search and beaten to unconsciousness. Her prison cell was located next to the room where the prisoners with leprosy were kept.

Trial

She was tried by a military tribunal. She was not allowed to see a lawyer and not allowed to appeal her case. She was detained for a total of six months, then freed.

Second Arrest

Pre-Trial

Ish We Sin Nyu was accused of planning and carrying out a bombing in 1995.

As soon as she was arrested, she was taken to MI Interrogation Center #6. She was kept blindfolded, and was not allowed food or water for 3 days. She did not confess, but another NLD member arrested at the same time did confess under torture.

Trial

She was arrested and tried along with 40 other people. There was no lawyer to represent any of them at the trial. None of them were allowed to speak to defend themselves at the trial.

At the time of the bombing, Ish We Sin Nyu was staying at another NLD member's house in another part of Burma, far from the site of the bombing. She wanted to have this person testify at the trial, to offer evidence of her alibi, but this was not permitted.

Since the government had no evidence that she was involved with the bombing, they then accused her of criminal activity for participating in a student strike. She had made a speech and sang songs of revolution.

Post-Trial

Ish We Sin Nyu was not allowed to appeal her sentence. She was taken to Insein prison, then Chanouri. At Insein, she was allowed to visit with her family for 15 minutes every 2 weeks. The other prison allowed her the same opportunity, but her family lived far away, so they could only visit once every 2 months or so.

She was kept in a cell all alone, and the cell had many snakes. Initially, she was only allowed to read religious books, but after an ICRC visit, her family was allowed to bring her other types of books. She was not beaten in prison, but she reported that her friend was beaten because guards found money in her cell.

She got malaria. Out of modesty, she and several other female prisoners asked to be treated by a female nurse or doctor, but their request was refused. She often suffered from low blood pressure, but refused treatment from the prison doctor because she knew he was not qualified.

She was released in September 2002, after more than 6 years in prison. She was followed by MI officers every day after his release. She left Burma in September 2004.

Interview with Aung Myat Thu
Former Myanmar Political Prisoner
June 17, 2006

Pre-Trial

Aung Myat Thu participated in a student demonstration in Rangoon in 1998. He was arrested during a demonstration where he distributed pamphlets and called for the government to release political prisoners.

He was arrested along with 70 other students. He was not beaten during the interrogation period because he was part of a second group of students arrested. He was not allowed food, water or sleep for two days. He was interrogated continuously through that time.

Trial

All 70 students tried at once. The students were not allowed to hire a lawyer. They also felt that there was no point in doing so, that there was no hope of acquittal. They were given an opportunity to explain their actions and defend themselves, but no one did.

Aung Myat Thu said that the judge was constantly on the phone with SPDC authorities during the trial, waiting to hear what sentences he should give each of the accused. The sentences ranged from 7 to 52 years. Aung Myat Thu was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Post-Trial

Aung Myat Thu did not have the opportunity to appeal his sentence. He was kept in Insein prison for one year, then Moulmein prison for 13 years. He had a cellmate for two months, and was kept alone the rest of the time. He was allowed only 45 minutes outside the cell each day for the first two years, and 4 hours each day thereafter.

His family was allowed to bring him religious books. After an ICRC visit, they were able to bring other types of books as well.

He was released in July 2005, after 7 years, by an SPDC order. Today, only 5 of the original 70 students arrested are sill in prison. He left Burma in September 2005.

------------------

Interview with Thet Niang
Former Myanmar Political Prisoner
June 17, 2006

First Arrest

Pre-Trial

Thet Niang was arrested in 1990 for attempting to form teacher and student unions to protest elections. He organized demonstrations around Burma calling for the release of political leaders from prison, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

During the interrogation period, he was shocked with an electric gun, and slashed across the face with various weapons.

Post-Trial

He was sent to Insein Prison.

Second Arrest

Pre-Trial

Thet Niang was arrested again in December 1997 for staging a demonstration calling for rights for laborers, including increased salaries and the right to form trade union.

Trial

At trial, Thet Niang was not allowed to speak to the judge or be represented by a lawyer. He was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Post-Trial

Thet Niang was not allowed to appeal his case. He was placed in solitary confinement for one month. For six years, he was only allowed out of his cell for 15 minutes each day, for bathing.

He was only allowed to read religious books, but his family smuggled him other types of books. After an ICRC visit, they were allowed other types of books.

He reported that many prisoners got the flu and other serious diseases, but were not given proper medical care.

After his release in November 2005, the MI detained him for questioning 2 or 3 times a week. They also took pictures and videos of his family members, which greatly restricted their ability to travel. Left Burma in December 2005. His niece was recently arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Happy Birthday, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

2006-06-16T14:47:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow, I'll have the privilege of meeting and interviewing two former political prisoners. My supervisor is a member of a group of former political prisoners, who have an organization in Mae Sot. Afterward, I'm invited to their birthday celebration ceremony for Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Ohng Sahn Sue Chee). I'm so excited I'm not even angry that it will keep me from going away for the weekend. Again.

In the short time I've been here, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a heroine of mine. She is Burma's most prominent advocate for democracy. She is also the daughter of Burma's assassinated independence leader General Aung San. She was raised in India and educated at Oxford, where she met her husband, a Tibetan scholar. She worked in Tibet, Japan and India before returning to Burma with her husband and two children. After a massive student uprising in 1988, Suu Kyi called for the restoration of a democratic government in Burma.

When the military claimed control of the government and established its oppresive regime, she founded the National League for Democracy party, calling for the establishment of democracy through non-violence and civil disobedience. She defied government orders by making a speaking tour through the country, to huge audiences. She continued her campaign despite threats on her life, harassment and arrests and shootings of her party members. She is known to have walked bravely toward rifles pointed at her. When the military allowed elections to take place, they announced that she would be disqualified from office.

She was first placed under house arrest in 1989, without charge or trial. She staged a hunger strike to protest the treatment of her arrested student followers. Despite her detention, her party won 82% of all seats in the election. They were never allowed to take office by the military regime. She remained under house arrest and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She was finally released from house arrest in 1995, after 6 years. She continued to campaign for democracy, as she did before her imprisonment.

Her husband died of prostate cancer in 1999. The government encouraged her to leave the country to visit him, but she refused, knowing she would not be allowed back into Burma. She had not seen him for over 3 years.

She was placed back under house arrest from 2000 to 2002. In May 2003, she and her supporters staged a speaking tour of Burma to promote confidence in democracy. Her motorcade was attacked by people sponsored by the military regime. 100 supportes were beaten to death. She was put in prison, then transferred to house arrest, where she has been held ever since. The military regime recently announced the extension of her house arrest for another year. Her phone line is cut and she is allowed no visitors or letters. She can only see her doctor and maid.

Every minute that she remains under house arrest, she draws more attention to the brutal reign of the military regime, particularly its complete disregard for human rights. For many, she personifies hope that Burma will become a democracy.

Amazing Day

2006-06-15T09:49:00.001+08:00

One of the many addictive things about working at the BLC is meeting amazing, profoundly inspiring people every day. I'm not just talking about people who are successful, or who have done something admirable. I mean the people whose lives are an example to others, who change me just by telling me their stories.

Today, I had the opportunity to interview one of Burma's most famous former political prisoners, Prof. Salai Tun Than, Ph.D. He is not a career politician, and had never been associated with any political party in Burma. He is an intellectual, a retired professor of agriculture. He got his masters degree and Ph.D. in the United States and has travelled all over the world.

One day in 2001, after speaking to his pastor, he realized he could not stand the actions of the military junta any more. He needed to say something, and speaking out against the government is a crime in Burma. He went to a public square, stood near about 50 people, and started yelling that the government should hand power back to the people and have a free election to determine who is in power. He tried to distribute a petition. Immediately, 6 police officers arrested him.

He was sentenced to 7 years in prison after an unfair trial. He was not allowed to see an attorney, nor call witnesses on his own behalf. The result was a foregone conclusion.

After a year and a half in prison, he was so angered by the prison's unfair treatment of himself and others that he began a hunger strike. Four days later, he was released, a result he never expected.

For the past 6 months, Dr. Tun Than has travelled through the United States, Japan and Korea, mounting support for a non-violent protest against the military junta. He is calling for the people of Burma to remain in their homes for one month, and refuse to do any work that will support the junta. He believes that would deprive the junta of all power, and would force the creation of a new government, a democracy belonging to the people.

This work is very dangerous in Burma, and Dr. Tun Than could be arrested or summarily executed for starting a non-violent protest. But he doesn't care. He's 78, and said, "I've lived an honorable life, and I want to have an honorable death."

He doesn't even want a role in that government, doesn't want any power or glory of his own. He just wants to see a democracy in Burma. No selfish motive whatsoever.

The Burmese government nullified his passport last week, making it temporarily impossible for him to return legally. When I asked him if he would consider sneaking across the border, he insisted that he would wait for the government to allow him back in, on principle. He said, "it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees."

If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Tun Than's work, please visit the link to his web page at the top of this page, or click here.

Skype

2006-06-14T21:22:00.002+08:00

If you're planning to travel outside the country, or without your cell phone, memorize this word: Skype.

Skype is an amazing program that lets you talk over the Internet. Anywhere in the world, for about 2 cents per minute. The clarity is incredible, it can be used at any computer with an Internet connection, and all you need is a headset and mike.

I've had it for a week, talked for well over an hour. The bill? $1.50.

http://www.skype.com.

World Cup Fever

2006-06-14T10:00:00.001+08:00

I've caught a touch of this bug from Eric. He's a big football fan, wants to watch every game for the fun of it. I'm a big fan of watching people from different countries watch international sporting events together. And watching those games in bars that have libraries of English books.

It doesn't need to be a big group of people, just watching a game with one person from a different country can be really fun. The people don't even need to be from the countries that are competing. It's just so exciting to know that, no matter how different the country, its people get equally excited about certain things. The team loyalties can sometimes get political, and lead to fascinating discussions (I really mean, you get to hear what that person really thinks about people from another country in a more honest way that you would ever hear them in any context). And it's a fun, fascinating way to learn swear words from around the globe.

Mae Sot, with its huge international volunteer community, has a large World Cup watching party every single night from 8 pm to 4 am. Monday, Eric and I watched Australia's "Socceroos" score their first World Cup goals EVER to beat Japan 3-1 -- in a group that included 3 Australians, 1 Englishman, 1 Frenchman, 2 Germans, 2 Austrians, 2 Canadians and 4 Americans. Oh, the shouting and crying and high-fiving. Loyalties for the following US v. Czech Republic game were geographically divided, with all EU natives supporting the Czechs.

I really don't care who wins, I'm just excited to be guaranteed exciting entertainment every evening for the next month.

Um Phang Tragedy: Post Script

2006-06-13T11:19:00.000+08:00

Today is a holiday. Another holiday. The office is officially closed, out of respect for the King.

I tried to go trekking in Um Phang, but I didn't because I wanted to be back in Mae Sot to work Monday morning. No one told me today, Monday, is a holiday.

I could have gone hiking with hot French guys. I could have seen the waterfalls. I could have seen the waterfalls with hot French guys.

I am NOT happy.

Conquering fears, kilometers

2006-06-11T19:49:00.001+08:00

Mom, you asked me not to tell you about anything dangerous until it was over. In accordance with your wishes, I can now report that I spent the last 2 days exploring the countryside around Mae Sot by motorbike, and I had a fantastic time.

I've discussed the first motorbike accident with many different people, and discovered exactly what went wrong. It wasn't that I was simply inexperienced in using one, I truly did not know how to operate one properly. Specifically, I didn't know how to brake properly. Instead of using the foot brake, as I should have, I used the hand brake. The effect is the same as using the wrong hand break on a bicycle -- one wheel keeps spinning really fast while the other stops too suddenly.

My classmate Eric has a lot of experience riding far bigger bikes, and explained to me how to use one of the little ones zooming around Mae Sot properly. Before my landlady let me drive off, she insisted that I take few practice laps around the courtyard in front of the hotel. I took the additional precautions of wearing jeans -- to protect my legs in case of a fall -- and going very slowly. I pulled over every time a car or fast motorbike came up behind me, and let them pass. And of course I was wearing a helmet -- that goes without saying.

And I'm fine. No problems. No falls, no scratches, no bruises, no bumps. Really. The only time I faced a hint of danger was when I thought I saw a roti stand or furniture store. And those are very rare.

I even took proactive steps to prevent problems. When it started raining and I got scared, I pulled over at the nearest building to take refuge. It turned out to be a highway patrol station. After I pantomimed "rain," "biking" and
"afraid," the officers allowed me to stay until the rain let up. They even offered me lunch.

Yesterday, I biked out to some hot springs, about 17 km from Mae Sot. For only 20 baht (50 cents) you could rent your own bathing chamber and soak in the mineral water as long as you wanted. I could even regulate the temperature. It was lovely. Today, I biked out to a waterfall, which was also lovely. I also went to the border market, around the refugee camps and all over town. I found cool new restaurants and stores, and even a shortcut to work. I biked more than 100km, and I'm no longer afraid. Good stuff.

The tragedy that was Um Phang

2006-06-11T10:54:00.000+08:00

One of my big sightseeing goals in Thailand was to see the Thor Lee Su waterfalls. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful sights in Thailand and possibly the world. And they are right outside of Um Phang, a mere four hours from Mae Sot.

I'd asked many tour agencies in Mae Sot about going to see the falls. They immediately tried to sell me a 4-day, 3-night "trek," a mini-trip involving some hiking, rafting, elephant riding, camping and tours of Karen native villages. When I explained that I could only do a one-day or one-and-a-half day tour (I have to be at work Monday morning) they all said I could only book those kinds of tours in Um Phang.

"Is it possible to take only a one day trip?" I asked each.

"Oh yes, Um Phang, is possible," they each replied.

So, when the King's birthday closed the BLC office for the day, I set off. I figured I'd have all day Saturday and Sunday to see the falls and get back. No problem.

To get to Um Phang you have to take a sawngthaew, a pickup truck with two benches along the sides and a covering. No seatbelts, no door or gate of any sort on the back, and no limit on how many people you can squish inside. I keep meaning to look up how many people fall out of them every year, but the Thai people don't seem all that concerned. It's pretty common to hang off the back. While holding a baby.

Just before we pulled out, two incredibly hot male backpackers jumped in. Suddenly, four hours smushed together in the back of a pickup truck didn't seem so bad. Then I heard the most beautiful language in the world - French - spoken with a classic Parisian accent. I was excited indeed.

Before I could show off my dazzling French language skills, the sawngthaew was winding up and down hills and around hairpin turns so tight I felt like I was on the Cyclone. Except without the fun feeling. The road from Mae Sot to Um Phang is called "Death Highway" for all the breaks that give out and stupid motorbikers who arrogantly assume they can handle it. It's STUNNING, though, gorgeous mountain valleys that rival those in Switzerland and Scotland for beauty. But I barely notied.

I was SO sick, and so miserable, just fighting back that, "I'm going to throw up and I really don't want to" feeling the whole time. As I balanced my entire body weight on one buttock as we climed up the hills. I was shaking from nausea. I was so miserable that even close proximity to hot French men was no consolation. That is sick indeed.

When we got to Um Phang, I jumped out at the same hotel as the French guys, and we immediately began negotiating our trekking. The guys were interested in a longer trek, and shrewdly negotiated a two-day hiking-only trek to the falls. (And the way they bargained, they could very well be Jewish). And then they turned to me and asked, "You will come too?" In French.

I quickly considered blowing off work Monday to join them, but I'm working few enough days at teh BLC as it is and I would feel too guilty. Furthermore, their trek sounded kinda crappy, not nearly worth what they were paying for it. (I curse the day my parents gave me Consumer Reports for Kids) With a heavy heart, I offered my regrets, and went off to find another tour leader.

Turns out that it's not physically possible to see the falls in such a short amount of time during the rainy season. You can only get there after hours of hiking and rafting, and days of camping, and I didn't have time for that. With a heavy heart, I bid Um Phang and my dream of seeing the falls farewell, and retured to Mae Sot the next morning.

The sawngthaew back was 80 times worse than the first one. First, it was raining and I was freezing cold. It was more crowded, full of old Thai women wh were chewing on tobacco leaves -- with their mouths open. The driver was far worse. And there were two little kids who kept throwing up. I could hardly blame them, but I was trying really hard to keep my own breakfast down and smelling vomit wasn't all that helpful. One mom held the plastic barf bag in her hand for like an hour -- the other just held her kid's head off the back of the sawngthaew. The kid was no more than 2. That just made me sick with worry for the kid's safety, but his mom and the 8 other women in the sawngthaew thought nothing of it.

I nearly kissed the ground when we returned to Mae Sot.

Long Live the King

2006-06-11T10:39:00.000+08:00

I am extremely fortunate to be in Thailand for the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne. The Thai people adore their king -- there are picutes of him and his wife in almost every shop, and prominently displayed in front of every public building.

The more I learn about the King, the more I am inclined to adore him as well. Thailand has a constitutional monarchy, and the King has very limited powers. He has worked hard to maintain independence from Thailand's heated political battles, and only intervenes in extraordinary circumstances. For example, in April, he prodded the nation's courts to resolve a political deadlock that has left Thailand with no working legislature and only a caretaker government. He spends an enormous amount of time, energy and money on rural development and human rights projects.

But this month, they've gone all out in celebration. Everywhere I go, I see enormous banners and signs offering him congratulations. In Mae Sot, there are three separate arches bulit over the streets. Yellow flags line every street. And everyone, including myself, is decked out in yellow. Yellow is the color associated with Monday, the day the King was born, and is the official color of the celebration.

The big celebrations are happening in Bangkok, where there will be a royal procession on the river, fireworks, parades, rallies, you name it.

Nights in Mae Sot

2006-06-08T21:02:00.001+08:00

Mae Sot is a mecca for people interested in human rights. There are thousands of refugees and hundreds of relief organizations in perpetual need for volunteers. For someone who wants to spend a few months and is willing to get involved, it's an incredible place.

It makes Mae Sot an incredible place for me to live because it's filled with young, idealistic people from all over the world. Many of whom speak English. I'm privileged to work with the incomparable Eric and a French intern, Sarah, at the BLC, and enjoy many fascinating, heated discussions about ... well, everything. And Sarah has introduced us to dozens of other activists working in the area. And they're intelligent, well-informed and fun.

Two days ago, we spent an hour debating legalizing prostitution. Today, I argued passionately that there is a limited, but significant value in constitutional monarchies. Last night, we discussed brothels.

I found myself at our usual bar surrounded by female volunteers and professional human rights activists. After a long discussion of gender issues in Burmese society, I asked about the discos mentioned in my guidebook.

"Oh, yeah, we went to that one once, but we didn't make it in," a British doctor told me.

"Oh, yes," replied the editor of the Human Rights Yearbook. "Right after the brothel."

Beer sprayed out of my mouth and across the table. "Brothels? What do you mean?"

"Oh, Mae Sot is FILLED with brothels!" they cried. As I looked around the table, the others nodded.

"There were 35 when they were last counted -- four years ago," one said.

"As you drive out to the refugee camps, there are many along that road," another said.

"Wait, you can see a brothel from here!" cried the British doctor, pointing down the road. "It's the restaurant that's open all the time! There are police officers outside, and it's open 24 hours a day!"

"Mmm ... good restaurant too," the editor said. "I always eat at the brothel. They have great food, and they're open late."

I was shaking my head, as though the motion would wash my horrible new perception of sweet little Mae Sot from my head. But, alas, it was not so simple.

But even with atrocious human rights violations perpetually happening yards away from me, I'm still happy to be in Mae Sot. I've never been anywhere that simmered with such a sense of possibility and idealism.

Roti Obsession

2006-06-05T19:07:00.002+08:00

Eric has found yet another way to torment me. It's not enough that he has to be so much smarter and cooler than I will ever be.

We were walking home from work together Friday afternoon. We passed a Muslim restaurant with a sign for roti. "Have you ever had roti?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "What is it?"

"It's the bomb, that's what it is," he said, turning to the restaurant.

We watched the cook take a ball of dough, flip it until it stretched wide and rolled it into a ball. Then he fried it in at least 1 full cup of vegetable oil (or something similar). When it was golden brown, he took it from the oil and poured condensed milk and sugar inside. Then he rolled it up and gave it to me.

It was crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. Sugary sweet and greasy and ... oohhhh, soooo good.

All this time, all these years, I thought the one thing missing from my life was a life/travel companion whom I could love. But now I've realized that what was really missing was roti.

Since then, life has become an empty, desperate search for roti. It's not available everywhere, and the people that make it aren't open all the time. There's a street vendor who works in the evening, and will make roti with fillings -- egg, jelly, chocolate, fruit, peanut butter, whatever you want. But until he comes out, I'm forced to roam the streets. Saturday, I stalked the original restaurant relentlessly, peering inside and saying "Roti?" trying to look as cute as possible. I'm almost ashamed to go back. But then I think of roti, which is well worth the embarrassment.

It would have been so much healthier, in so many ways, to fall head over heels for an unsuitable man, or even woman, rather than a pastry.

Burma (Myanmar)

2006-06-04T20:13:00.000+08:00

My 23rd country visited and first military dictatorship. (And hopefully, the last.) What a proud day.

Burma's history is long and complicated, and I'm not yet ready to write anything that will do it justice. The military regime, the SDLC controls the media, courts, legislature, everything. There are no civil liberties whatsoever. Anyone who protests, even peacefully, may be shot. And only the military has money -- even a higher ranking civil servant makes about $25 a month, not enough to live on.

The military junta changed the country's name to Myanmar after coming to power, to underscore the difference between the troubled past and the bright future. But most still refer to it as Burma.

I made a legal border crossing into the town of Myawadi. You go through Thailand customs, then walk across the Friendship Bridge (left), and gaze at the gorgeous Burmese mountains. Then you go through Myanmar customs, pay 500 baht ($12) for a 24-hour visa, and leave your passport as you walk around the town.

The poverty is clear the moment you enter the country. Thailand isn't "rich," but most of its people maintain a decent standard of living. Or give the appearance of doing so. There is no such pretense in Burma. The buildings are more run-down, there are strikingly fewer cars/motorbikes and more bicycles, the number of beggars on the street is higher, and there's a sense of desperation in the air.

I don't think I've ever felt more disoriented while travelling. I had no map, and I couldn't find anywhere to even change money to the Burmese currency, the cyat. Hundreds of bicycle taxi drivers offered to show me around, but I had no money to pay them. So I walked around for about an hour, then practically ran back into Thailand.

But they're a very friendy people. I was the only Westerner I saw, and people kept shouting, "Hey you!" and "Hello!" and smiling and waving at me. I smiled and waved back, and said hello in Burmese.

Thailand allows people from Burma to enter for 24 hours on a temporary visa. If you want to stay longer, you need a permit or lots of money to bribe the border guards. You can just not return after 24 hours, but you run the risk of being arrested, jailed and deported (and all sorts of awful things will happen when you return). There are refugees in Mae Sot living in medical clinics for this reason; the police are waiting outside to arrest them.

One can also find some unguarded spot and sneak across the border, then bribe guards to get back in, as the people are doing in the picture on the right. But this is extremely risky as well.

Mae Sot, where I live, is right on the border and is home to thousands of refugees. They live in awful poverty, completely helpless, often alone because they have left their families in Burma. They have almost no choice but to work as migrant workers for a pittance, but they are thrilled to be here and not in Burma.

Green Guest House

2006-06-02T22:26:00.000+08:00

I moved to a new room at the guesthouse today -- it has a better bed and more windows. And furniture to spread my stuff across. I decided to get some pictures before I unpacked and it got too messy:
The box with the blue sticker is the water heater. Each bathroom is equipped with its own heater, and it heats the water as I run the shower -- as opposed to having a gigantic tank of hot water ready for the whole hotel. Very efficient.

Shallow, Silly Things I Already Love About My Job

2006-06-01T19:34:00.001+08:00

In no particular order:

1) Working barefoot

Throughout Asia, people commonly take their shoes off before entering a house or shop. In this office, it's the custom to take off your shoes before entering the building. That means that not only can I wear my comfy, ugly sandals to work, but I get to work barefoot all day long.

2) Driving to work past a big field filled with animals

Yesterday, it was goats. Today, it was something large with horns (a yak?). Up close, they're pretty cute. I kind of want to hug them and play with them. Except that I really do hope to be allowed back unto the US someday and I don't thin US Customs would appreciate me frolicking with livestock.

3) Catered Burmese lunches

Every day, we feast on rice and a collection of Burmese dishes. Someone brings them into the office, right upstairs to my work area! I had not dreamed this would ever happen to me.

I dare not ask what is in them. I know I ate fish eggs and shrimp on the first day, and I know I was really excited to bite into yesterday's meat dish and taste chicken. (I'm the pickiest eater on the planet, and normally refuse to eat or even try any seafood or pork.) I think this will be a good experience for me.

4) Working with this cute old dude

He was a professor in Burma and does a lot of translating work in the office. He speaks almost perfect English, and has an incredibly feisty sense of humor. He's the cutest older man ever. And terribly nice.

I'm still working on learning and pronoucing names, and his is quite complicated. So for now, Eric and I are calling him the "cute old dude."

5) Working with Eric (sitting next to the cute old dude)

People outside the law school who read this don't know Eric, and I wish you did. He's a brilliant classmate of mine, and brings so much to class discussions and the law school. I've only had one class with him, but he made such a huge contribution that I don't want to imagine the class without him. And all my friends who do have classes with him rave about him. More than one male classmate has confessed -- nay, proudly declared -- that they have man-crushes on him. And with good reason. Eric is a person you come to law school to meet. Or should.

He and his wife came to Mae Sot to volunteer on a previous trip, so he's my guide to the area. He wants to work in human rights law, is extraordinarily idealistic and compassionate and brilliant and well-informed. I learn so much every time I hear him speak. And he's hilarious and fun, too! And quite easy on the eyes.

6) Riding to work every morning on the back of Eric's motorbike

I think that's perhaps the coolest thing I may ever do.

Arrival in Mae Sot

2006-05-29T22:27:00.001+08:00

I arrived safe and sound by bus at 5:20 this morning. Though barely awake, I made it into a motorcycle taxi with the help of Dan, an American-born volunteer who's been coming to Mae Sot several times a year.

Mae Sot, right on the Thailand-Myanmar (Burma) border, is a major home for refugees fleeing Burma. Thus, it is also home to a large number of non-profit organizations, which draw volunteers from all over the world.

"Lots of acronyms," Dan told me. "The organizations change, but the people running them don't." He told me about a lot of volunteer hangouts and a good Italian restaurant. And generally made me feel extremely excited about living here.

"And from your hotel, you'll have a great view of the prison yard," he chuckled, as we turned the corner. And there it was. Completely visible though a fence.

I knew the Green Guest House was near the prison when I made the reservation, and it didn't stop me. It was recommended by my awesome classmates Eric and Yarrow, and that's very high praise in my book. It is clean, well-managed and centrally located. Right behind the police station, so it's safe. Run by a super-sweet teacher couple. Cheap. And it also happens to be across the street from the town prison.

I keep meaning to take a picture, but I don't have the heart. There must be 60 men squeezed into a tiny cage, with only one exterior wall, no fans, etc. I saw/heard at least one beating today. And there was something else happening in a far corner that involved some screaming, but I tried very hard not to look. In short, this Thai prison looks pretty horrific. The prisoners really don't need me and my camera making things worse for them, even if it is for a millisecond.

Cute, oddly-appropriate e-mail from the parents today:

Dear Jen: Thank you for letting us know that you've arrived safely. Please don't do anything that would earn us a phone call from Amnesty International! Love you lots. Mom & Dad

Mom, Dad, though I am known for my wild, reckless law-breaking ways, getting a good look at a Thai prison has convinced me to be careful. I promise not to intentionally or knowingly do anything that would put me there.

Tomorrow, I start volunteer work for the Burma Lawyer's Council. I can't wait!

TV Update needed

2006-05-29T20:57:00.000+08:00

I don't have access to a TV here, and I'm dying of curiosity about my favorite shows. I promise an extremely cool souvenir (requests accepted) for the first person who can give me an update about the final episodes of Desperate Housewives, West Wing and The Apprentice. Thanks!

Revisiting Khao San Road

2006-05-28T20:46:00.000+08:00

On my first trip, I was disgusted by the all-hours carnival and rip-off that is Khao San Road, Bangkok's premier backpacker ghetto. In Krabi, I saw a shirt that perfectly captured why I hated it and everyone I met on it:

Khao San Road Syndrome
-I shall wear as big a backpack as possible to bear proud witness of my creed.
-I shall not leave Khao San Road without a Lonely Planet guide.
-I shall wear the traditional international backpacker´s uniform and don at least one piece of local clothing (e.g. conical hat in vietnam, krama in cambodia etc.) to show my oneness with Asian people.
-I shall eat banana pancake and phat thai on regular basis, for it is quintessential Asian food.
-I shall stay in the cheapest guest house. More money for beer.
-I shall drink the local beer, for I shall always endeavor to be in tune with local culture and because it is cheapest.
-I shall make pilgrimage to a full moon party on hat rin at least once in my life.
-I shall bargain without mercy and hone my skill to a sharp edge, so that I can proudly proclaim our sacred motto "I get it for less than the locals".
-I shall not leave Khao San Road without having my hair colored, dreadlocked, corn-rolled or shaved off.

I wanted to avoid this ridiculous tourist ghetto on my return trip to Bangkok, but I was inexplicably drawn back to it. I now see why so many people decide to stay here -- it's fun! It's an all-night party. It's not trying to be anything else.

I can't completely hate a place where the most happening bar is a gas station. At night, when the cars are gone and the pumps are shut off, they put up tables and set up a makeshift bar. And there's a line to get in.

And the second-most happening? A bar being run out of a Volkswagen van.

If only we could set up one of those on Kirkwood ...

Bangkok Dentists

2006-05-28T20:19:00.000+08:00

I've nearly completed one of my major goals for the trip: get cheap, quality dental work.

An expat advised me to look into Thai dentists, and oh, I am so glad that I did. When my Indy dentist told me I needed several fillings, I nearly cried. Then I saw the estimated bill and wept. Enough to

But here, I've managed to have 5 fillings done in 24 hours. The bill? $242.08, total, including a check-up and X-rays.

The staff at Bangkok Dental Hospital was truly awesome. They had a huge, beautiful office building, modern equipment, and excellent dentists. Everyone spoke wonderful English, were very informative and caring.

Other services include:
Wisdom tooth removal - $150 per tooth
Laser tooth whitening - $50 per visit
Crown - $50 each
Root canal - $150-225 per tooth

Funny Stuff

2006-05-27T23:31:00.000+08:00

From the "Soi Cowboy" sex district, outside a strip club/massage parlor/guest house:

The sex district was in full operation, and really funny on many levels. If you really want to know about it, I'll be happy to show you the rest of the pictures. But my favorite part was ...

... and the back.

The Weekend Market

2006-05-27T23:01:00.001+08:00

Bangkok's mamouth weekend market was definitely an adventure. The market is famous for selling everything from clothes to antiques to books to animals (yes, Mom, even elephants).

There were thousands of stalls, all selling (mostly) different things. And there were thousands of people squeezing through arrow alleys past all the stores. And no air conditioning.

My mission was to find work clothes for my internship, which I'm starting Monday afternoon, and I was not disappointed. However, I was heartbroken by all the pretty, trendy outfits I couldn't buy, that were no more than $10 each. And all the other things I wanted to buy but can't carry -- bowls, antiques, paintings, curtains, etc.

Someday, I'll have the money to buy what I want AND ship it home. Until that day (which will probably never come), I''ll have to constantly remind myself, "there is no room for that in my bag."And walk away.

The market was bigger than and more intense than my other favorite market, Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. But I enjoyed this market a lot more. First of all, the Thai shopkeepers aren't very agressive about luring tourists into their shops. They wait patiently and silently for you to enter and decide what you want. That means it's possible just to walk past a store without someone shouting at you, a luxury you don't have in Turkey. But I missed the charming, handsome carpet salesmen. I tried lingering around the carpet shops, but it wasn't the same.

But I had a great time anyway. I played with the puppies and rabbits that were for sale (couldn't find the kittens, monkeys or elephants). I even saw beagle puppies!

I got treated to a fantastic show by some Thai cowboys who are really into western music, and have a whole shop full of it. I played a fun tourist game -- "Äre those Levis real?"

Bangkok Shopping

2006-05-26T21:43:00.000+08:00

I found a great way to beat the heat in Bangkok -- shopping.

Bangkok is known as one of the world's great shopping cities, and I must agree. I feel like I'm always shopping. There are a million shops and market stalls selling anything and everything on almost every street.

First, I set out in search of a tailor shop. I had a tip about the suit shop where the Bush family gets their suits made when they come to Bangkok. When I couldn't find any info about where Clinton has his suits made, I decided the Bush family tailor would have to do and set off.

Turns out they only make men's suits. But they recommended a tailor specializing in women's clothes. And when she said she was too busy to take on more work, I eventually found someone else.

Tailor shops are everywhere in Bangkok, especially in the tourist areas. Like massage parlors and Pad Thai stands, you don't have to look for them, they find you. Many have signs in the window promising 3 suits, a kimono, 3 shirts and a safari outfit for $200. Or something else too good to be true. All ready in 24 hours or less. But this is for a job interview and work suit, an investment. I'm not trusting this to just anyone.

But this guy didn't have any ludicrous signs in the window. Just lots of beautifully cut women's suits. I looked at some suits he had in progress and was very impressed by the stiching. The price was reasonable, comparable to what I would pay at a store in the US. Even more reassuringly, when I told him I needed the suit in about 48 hours, he looked sick and slightly panicked, which is a sign that he needs time to make a quality product and do enough fittings. And he didn't speak perfect English, which made me trust him even more. He wasn't in business to charm tourists into buying crap, he was in business to make suits.

It was SO much fun being measured for the suit -- I felt so important. They helped me into jackets, brought me sodas ... I'm so easily amused and impressed, I know. Can't wait for the fitting tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the day wandering through Thai shopping malls. There seem to be two main types. First, a collection of tiny shops, selling gorgeous, trendy Thai clothes for about $10 per piece or less. Lots of lace and silk and straps. These are either by local designers or wholesale products.

Then there's the ultra-posh, modern shopping plaza. Today I walked through at least 3 filled with designer stores -- Prada, Coach, AX, Kate Spade, Chanel, etc. It's great fun to just sit in the mall and watch the rich walk by. Fantastic fashion show.

Then I took a boat up the river at sunset, which was lovely. All the temples were lit beautifully. And I had a great chat with a young Thai doctor who was as charming as can be. And when I got off the boat, at the dock, there was a man selling bags of fish food, and when you threw it into the water, all the fish came to the top and started flapping madly, trying to get to the food. Wicked cool.

Tomorrow, I will take on the famous Weekend Market, where they sell everything and anything -- clothes, food, monkeys, etc. And I have a dentist appointment! Hooray!

Change of Plans

2006-05-25T22:08:00.000+08:00

Chang Mai is apparently still flooded. I wasted a whole day waiting for a train, only to be told 10 minutes before departure that it was canceled. Grrr. I am NOT happy. I HATE wasting time travelling.

At least Ayuthaya has cheap Internet cafes. They were all set up for online gaming, and only charged 25-50 cents an hour to those who just wanted a simple Internet connection.

It is now time to officially abandon all hope of going to Chang Mai (Plan A). Instead, Plan B will take me back to Bangkok to take care of some business before I head to Mae Sot. I need to visit tailors, clothing shops (for work clothes) and a dentist.

I'm determined to make this trip to the capitol better than the last. I'm going to stay at a better hotel, in a quieter area closer to the river docks. I'll go visit the alligator farms. I'll party with the "lady boys" all night long. And I'll get to Mae Sot early and get to work. Brilliant.

Eating in Thailand

2006-05-25T19:18:00.000+08:00

I think Thailand may soon become my favorite country for eating. The only reason I'm still partial to Turkey is that Muslim countries don't have pork, so I can eat everything I see. Not the case in Thailand.

The food is delicious, everywhere, and SO cheap -- I have yet to pay more than 50 baht ($1.25) for a meal. Including soda.

Here are the 4 main Thailand dining options:

1) The farang (Westerner) tourist cafe. English menus, nice decor and lots of fans are standard. These are found in most tourist hotels and near tourist attractions.

This one had American movies and music. And a pool table. Great place to meet other travellers.

2) The restaurant. Simple menu, usually posted on the walls. Depending on where the restaurant is, there might be an English menu. Food cooked in front of you, served by the owner or a member of his or her family. Chairs are plastic, tables usually are too.

3) The outdoor cafe. A "restaurant" in perhaps the loosest sense of the word. There are no walls, just portable cooking devices and temporary tables with stools put right on the sidewalk. English is spoken only rarely. These are my favorite places to eat -- can't beat the atmosphere, though it's usually extremely hot. If there's no English menu, I say the Thai words for "rice" and "chicken" and I'm always pleasantly surprised by what they bring.

4) Food Stalls -- aka "grazing." Every street seems to be filled with vendors selling anything and everything -- candy, fruit, fried fish, bread, various meats on sticks, various concoctions in plastic bags. For a max of 25-50 cents each. If you don't see what you're in the mood for, walk another block and you'll probably see it.

More food pictures.

Best Hotel

2006-05-25T18:50:00.000+08:00

... so far, and quite likely for the rest of the trip, is proudly awarded to the Baan Khun Phra hotel/hostel in Ayuthaya.

It's an 80-year-old teak house right on the river. It's BEAUTIFUL -- and when you pay $4-7 per night for a hotel, you don't usually get "beautiful." But this time, I did. I got a dorm bed and the entire dorm wing to myself.

The lantern next to the bed was the clincher for me. And that bed was the softest, comfiest bed I've been in in a long, long time. Most Asian pillows are hard, but this was a down pillow. SO soft.

I really should have taken a pic of the bathroom -- it was glorious. It had hot water, super-fancy shower heads, and it was big enough that I didn't spray the toilet when I turned on the water. (The best bathroom award will go to the room where the shower is portioned off from the rest of the bathroom. But I'm not holding my breath for that one.)

The sitting room was gorgeous, wood-paneled and filled with beautiful paintings and antiques. It opened up to a deck overlooking the river, and had a gorgeous view of a wat (temple).

I spent two hours sitting on the deck last night, talking to another guest, listening to music off the river and watching boats float by. Good times.

Elephants!!!

2006-05-25T15:29:00.000+08:00

This morning, I got what my heart longed for most -- a ticket to Chang Mai. I don't even care that it's on the night train, and that there were no beds left so I'll have to sleep sitting up. But I'll be there tomorrow, and that's all that matters.

But it did present an interesting problem: what to do for the rest of the day? I'm in Ayuthaya, about an hour north of Bangkok. It has lovely ruins from the golden era of Thailand, but I saw them yesterday. Along with everything else that might provide entertainment. Except one thing ...

Ayuthaya Pictures

In a moment, I had my answer: elephants.

Yesterday, I was trudging through the ruins on foot in the oppressive heat and humidity (95 degrees, 88% humidity), cursing myself for not renting a bicycle and muttering at all the tourists who had. Then I saw something I thought might be a hallucination: elephants lumbering through the ruins.

So I stored my bags, rented a bicycle (my knee was ready for it) and set off to find the elephants. It didn't take long. Elephants are pretty hard to hide, after all.

The elephants are from a nearby elephant camp where they promote the best possible conditions for elephants and provide education about how to care for them. Tourists can spend a few days there learning about elephants and how to care for them. But they give rides to tourists to raise money for the camp. As if I needed another reason to ride an elephant!

I was just as excited as a little girl could be. I quickly signed up for a half-hour elephant ride, which was REALLY cool. I got to rest my bare feet on the elephant's back, watched him eat and drink, felt him stop while he did his business ... it was magical. There's even a photo of me sitting on the elephant, but I couldn't get a digital copy so you'll have to wait for that one.

Elephant Pictures

But I also got to:

Feed a baby elephant formula (through a really long straw)

Pose for a picture with the baby elephants

Feed the big elephants (they have the most incredible suction from their trunks!)

And admire the elephant's really cute feet.

Mom, Dad, could I bring home an elephant? We can keep him in the yard. We can call him Bob, as he will have lots of Bob-Knight qualities. He will provide lots of fertilizer for the yard. I'm sure he and the cat will be good friends. Please?

Thailand: Land of Torts Waiting to Happen

2006-05-24T18:56:00.000+08:00

I've often wondered what life would be like if I didn't live in a culture where there were no tort lawsuits or insurance liability. And now I know what that world looks like: Thailand.

The trip has been filled with reminders that Thai people don't react to threats of personal injury the same way that Americans do. They don't block off crumbling sidewalks or parts of streets that objects might fall into -- they just expect people to have the common sense to be careful. And there's a lot of sense in that.

In that spirit, I've giggled at treacherous sidewalks and docks with loose planks. I happily jumped in the back of a sawngthaew ("two rows"), a pick-up truck with two benches in the back and no gate whatsoever to keep people in (sitting as far back as I could, of course Mom). I was a little suspicious when I was able to rent a motorcycle for $5 without signing anything or even handing over my passport, but I thought, surely, they know what they're doing. There's a system, and it works for them.

But last night I pondered tort liability and all that we discussed in Prof. Heidt's class as a I sat on the rail on the back of a pick-up truck as it sped down the highway at 70 km/hr. And I thought, maybe being overly cautious isn't so bad.

I bought a combination bus-train ticket to Bangkok in Krabi because it was easy (every travel agent sold them) and it seemed like a good deal. I've tried to avoid all contact with companies that deal exclusively with tourists, and this was a perfect example of why I was right to do so.

I was taken to a bus depot, then herded onto a bus, then dropped at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere to await transfer to the train station. When it was time to leave, we were told to pack ourselves into a pick-up truck and sawngthaew. As the sawngthaew was full, I opted for the pickup truck. The flatbed was filled with luggage, all the way up to the sides. There was nowhere for my bottom to rest securely but the side. Luckily, it was a good grip too.

The 20-minute trip was both exhilarating and terrifying -- at first. When the driver was going slowly, which the 8 of us half-dangling off the back foolishly thought were for our benefit. But as the truck steadily accelerated, we held on as tight as we could and forced ourselves to laugh through our disbelief. We arrived at the station intact, hair askew and faces chapped.

Looking back, it was fun. But I think I'll stick t regulated government-sponsored transportation from now on.

As for where that transportation will take me, that's up in the air at the moment. I've been trying to get to Chang Mai to visit the dentists and tailors, but the trains aren't running there today because of torrential rain. So I might need to stay in the Ayutthaya area for another day or two.

Railay

2006-05-24T18:09:00.000+08:00

For a week, everyone I've met has gushed about Railay, a small island about 45 mintues from my home base of Krabi. So I went to see it on my last day in the area, before catching the night train to Bangkok.

The trip over was a trip in itself. All over Krabi, signs listed the times for the ferry to Railay. So I arrived at the dock in plenty of time for the first one. Only to be laughed at and told to come back at 9:30.

By 10:00, it was evident that there would be no ferry leaving Krabi that morning. I'm not even sure that such a ferry exists. I'm semi-convinced that the ferry signs are just a ruse to get tourists to the dock, where they can negotiate with owners of long-tail boats for private rides over.

Railay Pictures

At 10:15, I found a partner to split the cost of the trip. By 10:45, the boat was gassed and we were off. It was a GORGEOUS trip, worth the wait -- blue water, limestone cliffs and rock formations. I think boats are now my favorite mode of transportation. Odd.

Railay has 3 beaches, all of them stunning and bordered by expensive resorts. And all of them crawling with people selling drinks, toe rings and massages. All of them impossible places to enjoy a quiet moment with a book.

If not for my leg, I would have spent the whole day swimming. There was this beautiful rock just 100 yards from the beach, just crying out for me to swim there ... but alas, I had no bathing suit and no desire to harm myself anymore than absolutely necessary.

My main interest at Railay was seeing its two famous caves, the Princess Cave and the Diamond Cave (named for the large amounts of quartz inside). I was very sad to discover that the Princess Cave is only accessible by boat and the Diamond Cave was just, well, a cave.

I was hot and exhausted and my day was looking like a bit of a bust. But then, as I waited for a boat back, 3 gorgeous, 20-something men from New Zealand came running up the beach with their backpacks. They needed a boat to Krabi. So we rode together.

They were so charming, so cute, so funny, with such nice accents (and, NO, I DIDN'T ask if they were Jewish) that I briefly considered following them back to Ko Phi Phi. They regaled me with stories of bar fights induced by Thai whiskey buckets and how they mistakenly hit on one of the many many MANY transvestites (called "lady boys") they met in a bar. But I said my good-byes at the dock, and waited for my bus to the train station.

What might have been ...

I said a tearful farewell to the folks at the Internet cafe in Krabi. I had grown very fond of their fast connection and gracious accomodation of my digital camera's USB needs. They had grown very fond of all the money I'd spent. And I think they thought I was cute. But it was time to leave the coast and head north.

Krabi Kayaking

2006-05-22T21:58:00.000+08:00

They say that best time to visit Thailand is from December to March, when the weather is cool and the skies are blue. I'm here during the "low season" which is also the "hot season" and the "rainy season."

Yesterday, I tried to book a boat tour to some local islands. When I asked the travel agent if it was supposed to be sunny the next day, he laughed. Hard. And for a curiously long time.

But today, I really lucked out. The rain held off until the last minute before I finished my sightseeing. Go me!

I spent the morning kayaking. It was a small group with a funny guide and we saw some cool caves and wildlife. And it was the perfect (minimal)activity for my leg.

We arrived in this lagoon 15 minutes before low tide, at which point there wouldn't have been enough water to enter by boat. I couldn't get a picture to capture it -- 70 feet high, 50 feet wide, lush and green with limestone walls. Just glorious.

And filled with mosquitos. My trusty can of bug spray made me VERY popular.

Next, we saw this cool ancient cave where people lived 3,000 years ago. There are cave paintings and everything! And stactites, stalagmites ... and even some stalags that grew together to form flying buttresses holding up the walls of the cave! I was a VERY happy art and architecture geek.

And then we saw some cool wildlife. There was an iguana I couldn't get a picture of, and even a few monkeys I didn't see. But I did get to see fiddler crabs fighting (or guide quipped, "they have same girlfriend!") and even little baby fiddler crabs. And landfishes. And I SWEAR I saw two of them making out. They walked away with their mouths open. Really.

By tomorrow, I hope ot have more pics and info about what Thai life is like -- food, shopping, cities, etc. I was planning to post about that tonight, but the rain kept me from getting the pics I wanted. Darn rain.

Cooking school

2006-05-21T23:11:00.000+08:00

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I need some help moving in August. If anyone will be in Bloomington August 13-14 and can help me move the bigger pieces of furniture, I will thank you with BOTH of the following: 1) Dinner at your choice of Bloomington restaurants; and 2) A homemade five course Thai meal.

For everyone else, I have lots of tasty recipes to share and I'm dying for the chance to practice. Just let me know when you're hungry.

I am now a proud graduate of the Siam Cuisine Thai Cookery School in Krabi. We were taught to make 6 dishes, and then we ate them. If there are lots of outrageous errors in this post, it's because I'm so full from delicious food that I'm falling asleep at the keyboard.

The lessons were held in a beautiful open-air kitchen, with really nice burners and tools. We got to smell and taste all the fresh ingredients -- and then someone else cleaned up. Perfect.

Cooking School Pictures

Course 1: Fried Noodle Thai Style (Pat Thai) -- no photo, I was too excited to start eating to take one.

Course 2: Cucumber Soup

That's chicken, stuffed inside cucumbers. I can't believed I've lived this long without trying this. Crazy.

Course 3: Spicy Glass Noodle Salad
Course 4: Chicken With Red Curry Paste (right)

Course 5: Fried Chicken with Ginger (left)

That curry was made with a mortar and pestle. Old school curry making, people. And, oh, the stress I released! It was brilliant.

Tomorrow, I'm taking a kayak trip to some mangroves. Not quite sure what those are, but it's supposed to be cool and the tour was highly recommended. And then I'm going to see some ancient caves. After that, on to some ancient ruins and Chang Mai.

I won!

2006-05-21T22:44:00.000+08:00

I achieved one of my adult dreams today -- I won a pissing contest about travelling among other travellers.

One of the great joys of travelling is meeting lots of interesting people from all over the world, all of whom have been to very cool places that I haven't. And we can sit around for hours talking about amazing places, and everytime I walk away from one of those conversations, I have 10 new places I want to go or things I want to do.

But the downside about having those conversations is that they can quickly become competitive -- who has been the most places, who has been to the most exotic places, who has done the craziest thing, etc. And while I've been to a decent number of places, I can't hope to compete in almost any category.

Don't get me wrong -- that's a good thing. I like knowing that someone has always been somewhere I haven't. It gives me a sense of humility and gives me new places to dream about going. It would be really boring to have done everything you want to do. Sad.

But still, it would be nice to taste the sweet nectar of "I've done something you haven't." And today I did. And, oh, it was lovely.

The category?

"Most desperate lengths resorted to for the sake of a souvenir"

I was sitting at a table with 3 very experienced travellers, all of whom are taking really long trips and were talking about how convenient it is to ship things home. They mentioned how crazy someone would have to be to buy something large and lug it around with them when they could just ship it home.

That was when I told the story of the passionate love between a woman and her end table.

I was in Marakkech, Morocco, dead in the middle of my 4-month backpacking trip after college graduation. My Ariel and I were walking through the souq (market), collecting marriage proposals for her and souvenirs for me. All of a sudden, I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart pounding and my breath weak. It was an end table. The most beautiful wooden piece I'd ever seen. It was a deep cherry wood, with intricate carvings on the top and sides. It wasn't sturdy or new, but I was in love.

I bought the end table and bought a bed-sized piece of green foam to wrap around it. I used string and tape to hold the foam down. It looked like a big green tooth. I threw my giant pack on my back and my end table under my arm. And I carried it like that for 2 weeks. Through 4 countries. When I squeezed into a train or hostel bunk, my end table snuggled right next to me. As I staggered through bus stations and narrow European doors, I never dreamed of abandoning it. (I was waiting until my sister came to visit me and I could send it home in a box as one of her checked luggage items).

I told the story to my new friends. Their mouths fell open. They looked at me like I was nuts. Which I am. But I'm a nut with a gorgeous end table that I love so deeply that my heart swells when I look at it. It takes me back to a glorious week in a beautiful country with my favorite travel companion. I'm a rich, lucky nut. And I wouldn't change a thing.

Ko Phi Phi

2006-05-21T13:26:00.000+08:00

Turns out that I'm not the only tourist to hurt herself on a motorbike. Everywhere I go, locals point at my leg and ask, "Motorbike?" I nod. They then ask, "Phuket?" I nod again and hobble away as quickly as possible.

I'm feeling much, much better. Most of the stiffness in my knee and foot is gone, so it doesn't hurt so much to walk anymore -- hooray! The scrape is also healing, though it's really not pretty.

I took my battered bod to the gorgeous island of Phi Phi Don to recover. This island is the inhabitable, touristy island next to the uninhabitable island of Phi Phi Leh where "The Beach" was filmed. It's surrounded by limestone cliffs, rock formations and covered in palm trees. When it's sunny, the water is emerald green. And the best part of all: there are no cars, motorbikes or even roads on the island.

I was drawn here by the amazing, gorgeous photos I saw everywhere. But I didn't get to see any of those beautiful views -- I'm not sure you can without a helicopter and a bright blue photos lens. My photos don't do the place justice. So here are some prettier ones.

I rented a cute bungalow right on the beach, parked myself in a deck chair, and read books for 2 days. I "exercised" by walking from my deck chair to the bathroom, and from my room to the restaurant. I took a brief trip to the tourist strip to look into taking a trip to Phi Phi Leh, but decided it would be better for my leg to just go back to my chair. Which I did.

This morning I took the boat to Krabi, where I will take a boat trip to see some cool islands and caves and maybe do some kayaking. Today, I'm taking a Thai cooking class -- anyone who helps me move in August gets a free gourmet Thai dinner.

The worst hotel room ever?

2006-05-19T00:18:00.000+08:00

My Phuket digs, On On Hotel, may possibly be the worst hotel room I've ever stayed in. It's perfectly safe, but aesthetically, it's about as bad as it gets. I guess you get what you pay for, but I'm still very impressed.

The sign at the front desk advertising rooms with fans for $4 begged the question, "What does a $4 hotel room look like?" The answer: scary.

I'm not scared in a freaked-out, I can't-sleep-here-because-I'm-too-prissy way. I've stayed in a some really, really nasty hotel rooms before. There was the place in Nice crawling with roaches that flooded everytime someone in the building turned on the shower ($15 per night). And the place in Morocco that was dirty and smelled like rotten corn ($6 per night). I just wasn't expecting to see anything worse. But travel is full of surprises ....

Two things set this room apart from the others:

1) The prison-like steel grates near the ceiling, opening into the hallway and courtyard.

2) The (mold?) on the sheets. Maybe I haven't always checked my sheets carefully in the past, but this is a first for me ...

Just be grateful that I'm sparing you pictures of the bathroom.

I fell off a motorcycle (and other tales from Phuket)

2006-05-19T00:08:00.001+08:00

Phuket Pictures

I arrived in Southern Thailand at 8:30 this morning via the night bus from Bangkok. A 13-hour overnight bus ride is never a pleasant experience, but it does allow me to travel during hours of the day I wouldn't be active anyway. I did get a fair amount of sleep (for a bus) and arrived in Phuket pretty damn excited to catch the boat to Ko Phi Phi, one of the most beautiful islands off the Thailand coast.

Imagine my disappointment at seeing rain and clouds. And arriving just late enough to miss the boat.

I decided to spend the day in Phuket, sightseeing, resting, and finishing my note. I checked into a hotel and bought a ticket for the early boat tomorrow.

After a shower, I hopped on a bus to Kamala Beach. Once there, I took a short walk to the shore to find that tsunami recovery work is still going on, and the beach is still strewn with debris. But the sun was coming out, there was an empty chair on the sand, and I had a Jane Austen novel burning a hole in my purse. So I faced the nicer part of the beach and read for a while.

So I'm on a beach in Phuket. On the way back to the main road, I saw a terrible, evil sign: Motorbikes for Rent. I inquired, and found they only cost $5 for 24 hours. I pulled on a helmet, jumped on a bike (after a short lesson in broken English) and hit the road.

For the first hour or so, I was feeling very badass. Zipping up and down the hills, around curves, stopping to take pictures at scenic spots. I was having a total BLAST.

Then I hit the non-stop traffic jam that is Patong (tourist central). Where people are crossing everywhere and I had to stop the bike all the time. And someone else's bike came way too close to mine, and I wasn't experienced enough to handle the bike properly. And I fell. While the bike was still moving, albeit slowly.

The good news is that I'm as un-hurt as one can possibly be after falling from a moving motorcycle. No broken bones. No head injuries. (Mom, no head impact whatsoever.) The bad news is that at least half the skin is missing from my right knee, and a few other places, and I'm in a whole lot of pain. Hurts to bend, walk, move, etc. But I'd still ride the bike all over again. Just don't think I'll be doing it again anytime in the near future.

Then I missed the bus back and had to hire a tuk-tuk back to town, which cost almost as much as my 13-hour bus ticket. But I was just happy to be back at my hotel, with my first aid kit.

I took my bloody bod to the local mall to catch "The DaVinci Code," which was so bad that I fell asleep in the middle. And I'm glad. The parts I was awake for were awful enough. Please skip this one. On the way back to the hotel, I tripped and scratched up my other knee.

Sigh. I guess I'll never be a supermodel now.

Tomorrow, Ko Phi Phi. Without accidents.

Bangkok

2006-05-17T14:26:00.000+08:00

Bangkok is a gorgeous, vibrant city, but I'm not in the mindset to appreciate it at the moment. To love Bangkok, you need to look past the heat, noise, disorder, sprawl and traffic -- and I'm not there. It makes me miss New York and other cities I've loved that are so exciting, yet more accessible and somehow lovable.

I arrived very, very late Sunday (or was it Monday? I think I lost a day) in Bangkok sans hotel reservation. (I know I COULD have made a reservation, but I like the thrill of hunting down a bed in the middle of the night, and not knowing if I'll find a place or not.) My guidebook told me that no reservations were necessary, that there is a block full of tourist hotels and restaurants and bars that runs all night long, Th Khao San. So I waited in the 90-degree heat for a taxi, and was delivered right there.

At first, Khao San Road reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans -- not the part near Pat O'Brien's, but the opening off of Canal Street. The part completely devoid of charm. It was dirty, full of neon, loud music was coming from somewhere, and there were loud, drunk people everywhere. But there were a few hundred signs for hotels. After trying 6 places, I found a cheap room with a fan and bathroom down the hall, and crashed.

In daylight, Khao San Road seemed even worse. Every other shop was a crooked travel agency. The remaining shops sold cheap clothes or electronics equipment. Vendor stalls took up almost every inch of sidewalk space, and sold cheap-looking travel clothes and souvenirs. I couldn't get away fast enough.

Pictures from Bangkok

After a long, sweaty walk to the river, I pushed past a horde of junk sellers, taxi drivers and would-be tour guides to enter the Grand Palace. It was just gorgeous, like a fairy tale -- exquisite buildings, covered with intricate decorations in gold and precious materials. I sat under the Emerald Buddha and wished I knew a lot more about Buddhism. After a delicious snack of sliced melon, I toured Wat Pho, home of the ENORMOUS reclining Buddha. I took about 8 wrong river boats to try to get near Chinatown. However, I was more than happy to stay on the river -- it was the only place that was both quiet and cool.

I spent the afternoon wandering through different neighborhoods, then parked at an internet cafe to work on my note and decide where to go next. I finally settled on heading South, to the island of Ko Phi-Phi Don, a gorgeous island with limestone cliffs.

In the evening, I took a magical trip to Patpong, the famous (infamous) sex district. I think its golden age is long past. There were a few interesting-looking clubs with bikini-clad women dancing on stage, and WAY too many signs advertising guest house/massage parlor combos, but most people there were shopping at the market.

The next morning, I jumped out of bed at about 7:30, eager to walk around before the oppressive heat set in. I bought my bus ticket for the trip out tonight, visited another Wat, and randomly stumbled upon a Chabad House a block from my hotel. Odd, yet welcome.

And I'm spending the rest of the day finishing my journal note. But that's okay.

A Mother's Day Story

2006-05-16T17:50:00.000+08:00

This story has nothing to do with Thailand, but I wanted to share it anyway.

About 45-50 years ago, my great-grandma Mary sat in the living room of her youngest daughter and son-in-law's Brooklyn apartment. (She lived with my grandparents.) It was the day before Mother's Day, and her entire family had gathered at the apartment -- her 5 daughters and their families.

As she watched the adults talk and the children play, she realized why everyone had come to see her on Saturday, rather than Sunday. They planned to spend the day at their houses, with their own families, and without her.

She stood up, stretched, and calmly said, "I think I'll go to the hospital tomorrow." In her estimated 100 years, she had only been to a hospital once -- to give birth to my grandmother.

On Mother's Day, Grandma Mary had full attendance.

Positive light

2006-05-13T10:11:00.001+08:00

My drive home to NJ gave the trip a little twist.

While passing through Columbus, OH, I drove over a seemingly-innocuous puddle and completely lost control of the car. I spun at least 2 full circles across a 4-lane highway (without crashing into any other cars) until my car finally came to a stop (crash) against a concrete barrier. Whatever control I was able to exercise over the car, I used to make sure the impact was felt in the back of the car, not the front. I'm completely fine, but my car and bike have had better days:

One of the many many many MANY pieces of good news is that the car is still driveable, and "Big Red" got me home in record time. (She gets that determination from me.) Unfortunately, the trunk is completely wedged shut (and inaccessible from the interior), with all my clothes trapped inside. Including everything I planned to bring on the trip.

With my shredded nerves and battered confidence facing a repair bill that will undoubtedly far exceed Big Red's value, I am forcing myself to think of this in a positive light -- for the rest of the day. One should never be anything other than incredibly cautious while driving, and I won't need another reminder of that for 30 years or so. I'll be so scared to drive that I'll be motivated use my feet, bicycle and public transportation even more than I do now. The repairs will soak up the money I'd planned to use to get a cat, which probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

And for this reason, I am deligted that the accident gives me the PERFECT excuse to buy a whole new travel wardrobe when I get to Thailand! I've heard so much about how cheap and wonderful the clothes are. Plus, I'll have to buy them at markets, where prices are soft and bargaining is a sport. Shopping is one of my very favorite travel activities, second only to superb Turkish baths.

Another positive thing about the car accident is that it gave me an excuse to indulge my passion for cookies from Eat 'n Park. This family restaurant chain has locations throughout Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and my stops at those restaurants are the undisputed highlight of the drives between NJ and IN.

The restaurant is remarkable only for the signature Smiley Cookies. It's just a regular cookie with white frosting and a "smiley face" formed by colored icing drops. But they are incredibly delicious.

I'll admit it, I'm hooked. I crave them. They cry out to me on the road. Indeed, I may have chosen to attend IU Law because I needed an excuse to travel through a part of the country where I could get the cookies. Delicious sugar cookies + an icing happy face x 12 = a very happy Jen.

Okay, I might be exaggerating a little. But they are damn good cookies!

So you can imagine my delight when I found that Eat 'n Park is selling new flower-shaped cookies. Ooooohhhh ... (drooling)

Just when I needed an extra pick-me-up, Eat 'n Park was there for me. Thank you, Eat 'n Park. Thank you.

What's in your suitcase?

2006-05-12T11:14:00.000+08:00

Boy, it's been a busy week. Working on my note, plotting white collar crimes, and packing for the trip has kept me pretty busy.

Trying to finish the note before I fly out Sunday hasn't left a lot of time for preparation, but I've completed the most important task -- buying all the necessary medications. A quick peek into my suitcase:

This is all the stuff -- the ONLY stuff -- I refuse to travel without. I spent 2 weeks last summer in Eastern Europe living out of my standard, school-sized backpack. I speak from experience: clothes are WAY less important than medication and flip-flops.

Some new additions to the travel bag this year include malaria medication and a RIDICULOUS amount of bug spray. This is a trade-off: I decided to forgo the vaccination for Japanese encephalitis and constantly apply bug spray instead.

May I just add that I'm ridiculously excited about taking my first trip that required a battery of vaccinations in advance. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the threat of Japanese encephalitis at least slightly thrilling.

Welcome

2006-05-11T06:03:00.000+08:00

"It is a glorious privilege to travel far and wide in the world." ~ Homer, The Odyssey

This summer, I will be spending almost 7 weeks in Thailand. I'll travel for the first two weeks, then volunteer at the incredible Burma Lawyers' Council in Mae Sot. This blog will be my online journal, so anyone interested can follow my adventures.

There is nothing I love more than travel, and the third-greatest gift of my life (after my amazing family and friends) has been the opportunity to indulge that passion. I've been to 21 different countries*, mostly travelling alone. This year, I realized a long-standing goal when the Red Cross banned me from giving blood based on solely the places I've travelled. I've seen snow in Jerusalem, splashed around in Loch Ness, drank Mexico City tap water, paraglided through the Alps and danced in the street at Carnevale.

If anyone has ever been to Thailand, or knows someone who has, please pass along your comments and recommendations.

*The list:

England
Ireland
Scotland
Holland
Spain
Portugal
Italy
France
Germany
Austria
Czech Republic
Poland
Hungary
Greece
Turkey
Israel
Morocco
Mexico
Canada
Monaco (yes, it counts!)
Vatican City