L'inde

L’Inde

In New Delhi I arrived a few days ago. Talk about culture shock…I was warned prior to arrival but you never know a place until you get there.  There are about 17 million people that live here. 17 MILLION!!!! In one city!!! It’s very overwhelming.  There are cars, tuk tuks, buses and motorcycles everywhere and at every hour. And the garbage? It’s pretty bad..o.k. very bad…I’ve never seen anything like this.  It’s incredibly hot, about 15 degrees hotter than Thailand and I thought that was hot. I am at risk of passing out in a moment’s notice.   Luckily, I’m mostly in an office working on a potential project for Conserve India www.conserveindia.org  I had to sign a confidentially agreement so I can’t divulge any details but it’s pretty cool stuff that will help alleviate environmental waste.  If you know my uncle John, he makes these as a hobby ;) It’s about picking those up and converting the material into other stuff.  My job is to create the business plan to start the first project of this kind in India.  Quite exhilarating and easily replicable.  I’m staying in the home of the founders, where there is a young male housekeeper who is training for the army and does all the cooking and cleaning.  Things could be worse… I share a room with a French intern, Noeline, who’s from the same town where I studied French! We get along great.  She studied design, so she’s here working on creating new products for the company.  The other day she took me to her friend’s apartment where we had dinner.  This required us to take the subway.  Again, people everywhere…it’s too much. Procreation should be curbed here, really. We had to go through security prior to entering the station and when the guard saw that Noeline and I had two big bottles of beer stashed in her bag he smiled and we laughed, so he let us go.  I’m not sure what the statistics are but it seems there are many more men than there are women.  Fortunately, there’s a separate car for women where men cannot enter.  Trust me, you don’t want them to.  I went to the factory today where I was able to see the products and meet other interns from Singapore.  We all are here with different interests but for the same reason, to learn.  So far so good, I’ll be here in total for about a month. We’ll see where Indian life takes me. 

And then there was one...

So everyone left and I was officially the last one in Thailand.  Was I scared? Mmmm…a bit but that wasn’t going to stop me, so I told Nuch to take me further North.  I went to Chiang Rai,  Mesai  and then The Golden Triangle.  She left me in Mesai, a shopping town and the furthest northern point of Thailand.  I entered what seemed like an alley but turned out to be a labyrinth that almost took me into Myanmar.  I wanted to cross and have lunch there but border patrol required me to leave my passport.  I heard my parents’ voices yelling at me about getting stranded in Myanmar, so I decided to stay in Thailand.  I then took several buses and in due course, ended up at the Golden Triangle.  The journey was pretty hectic but I won’t give details for the sake of my parent’s sanity.  It’s called the Golden Triangle because there’s a river with a delta from which you have Thailand on your left, Myanmar in front of you and Laos on your right.  All of which are surrounded by rolling green mountains and a huge golden buddha.  It’s gorgeous and for me, that’s where I fell in love with Thailand.  That night I headed to a local bar, where I was the only “farang”.  People stared when I first walked in but then they were curious about where I was from and why I was there and of course, why I was alone.  Eventually, after a few beers, one guy saw my UM pen and asked me to trade with his fake Mont Blanc.  I thought it was cute, so I did.  It’s funny to think a UM pen is floating around in a tiny town nestled in Asia. 

Next morning, I headed back down to Chiang Mai.  It’s about a 4 hour bus drive in a very comfortable coach bus with a stewardess. They stop twice and give you water and snacks.  The ride back was much calmer than the one there.  My last night in Chiang Mai was great!  I went to have dinner at a bar where there was a live band playing and met two Thai girls that studied in Europe and struck up a conversation with me.  Again, they wanted to know why I am alone. Thai people are very social and to eat alone is a sad moment for them.  I often get asked where my friends are and when I tell them in Miami, without my asking, they usually join me.  The band finished and the girls invited me to go clubbing with them….of course I agreed…”I’m from Miami”, I said. “Clubbing is in our DNA”.  So I went, pretty cool place both inside and outside with live bands.  We ended up meeting two guys from Barcelona who were traveling all throughout Asia. Together, we bought a bottle and partied all night.  Next morning, hangover and all, I got on a plane and headed back to Bangkok.

I did some research on future potential jobs and spent the day at UNEP….we’ll see what happens.  I also went to see Hangover 2.  Get this! In the movie theatre, right after the announcements for future films and before the movie starts, everyone stands and sings the national anthem.  After the anthem is over they yell, “long live the king” and then everyone sits and the movie begins. Can you imagine my face?  I stayed in Bangkok for a few more days, saw the sights and went to the roof top bar featured in Hangover 2.  It was amazing to see Bangkok from above.  The city is immense and the sight was impressive.  I was lost in the moment and made the mistake of ordering a glass of champagne without looking at the price…boy was I shocked to see it cost about $70! You better believe I savored it to the very last drop! I thoroughly enjoyed my last days in Bangkok and as I left I knew I had lived, loved, learned and laughed.  It was time to bid farewell and head for India.

The North

Chiang Mai was pretty cool.  It’s built in the shape of a square with a wall and a moat around it. I’m sure there’s some profound reasoning behind it that hopefully, one day I’ll know.  We hired a driver, Nuch (female) for 250 baht ($8.19) / hour.  We stayed there a couple of days enjoying the scenery: waterfalls, street market and shows.  We also went to a fish spa. It’s where you put your feet in an aquarium and fish- not sure what kind but they look like baby catfish-prey on your dead skin.  It was quite ticklish at first but then your legs feel as if they’re vibrating.  When it’s all done, about an hour later, it feels like walking on needles for a bit.   They say it stimulates circulation and perhaps that’s what the vibrating feeling was.  We then headed for the mountains where we went to a tiger and monkey zoo (not together).  The hotel we stayed in was beautiful.  The backyard was a lake with pedal boats and huge lotus pads.  There were tables in the garden and it was where we always ate.  There were four women who ran this hotel and it seemed we had them all to ourselves.   They made a fresh carrot with honey juice that was divine.  They knew it was what I wanted when it was time to eat.

On the second day, Adrienne and I went bungee jumping! It was a 50meter (164ft) drop.  Yes, it was crazy and no, I probably wouldn’t do it again.  When you’re at the bottom and upside down, as the blood rushed to your head, it feels like your head is going to blow up and your eyes are about to pop out.  Nevertheless, I’m glad I did it.  That’s how Adrienne closed her Thailand trip, Nuch and I took her to the airport shortly thereafter.

Project’s Over !

O.k. sorry I haven’t written in a while but I’ve been exhaustively busy.  This last week, on Tuesday, we presented our final recommendations to the islands’ authorities; port director, Mayor & his assistants, as well as the dean of Burapha University.  They all said our project was excellent and better than they expected, which is kind of a backhanded comment, I guess…My team worked very well together, we all had different areas of expertise that when combined, produced great work.  Our communication flowed easily and although we haven’t known each other for long, we understood and respected one another.  Truth is , we couldn’t have asked for a better team leader.  Greg is organized, works well under pressure and extremely talented.

On Wednesday, I made a day trip to Bangkok (1hr by van-$3.00) to get a visa for my trip to India.  The dean didn’t want me to go alone because I am “just a woman”, he said.  I told him this woman was pretty tough but he still asked my male teammates to look after me.  It was archaic but with noble intent.  While it takes 4-6 weeks in the U.S. to get an Indian visa, it’s only 4 days in Bangkok.  On Thursday, we spent the day writing the paper (about 20pgs) that went with the presentation.  It was intense work but we got through it.  That evening, all students in Thailand (about 15 split up into 3 groups) had dinner with each other and their Thai team.  Again, dinner was a feast.  We had the usual 8 plates except for the shark fin soup, which was new.  After dinner, we celebrated by heading to a local bar, Hermes.  We ordered a bottle of Vodka, soda water & limes for about $30.00.  Our Thai students thought we were lying when we told them what it would cost in Miami.  In the morning, we went to the university to turn in our final work and were surprised with beautiful gifts from the dean.  He also said some very touching parting words.  He said he would never forget us and that we would always be in his heart.  I told him I was sure I was his favorite since, after all, I was “just a woman” ;) He agreed and then reminded me he was serious and that’s what I merely was. I took no offense, he didn’t say it to insult me.  At noon, we checked out of the hotel and headed for Bangkok where almost all students departed one by one.  Adrienne and I head for Chiang Mai in the morning.  We’re staying at the airport hotel (Novohotel) which is connected to the airport.   Our gate is literally down the hall.  The hotel is gorgeous and the room is comfortable.  Off to Chiang Mai we go!

Waii Mee

Since my bed was so comfortable, I awoke at 5 am and figured it could be a good opportunity to watch the sunrise and do some yoga.  I went to the lobby and found someone who worked there.  With my very limited Thai and a game of charades, I figured out where the best place would be.  He then told me to wait because Waii Mee (pronounced why me) would take me.  He made a motion with his hands that signaled it was probably his wife.  So I waited and sure enough a girl on a scooter showed up.  I got on and she took me to the east side where a gorgeous pier and beach were the perfect setting for some yoga.  Waii mee (Para Ta Saa) and I played some more charades and until I finally understood she would leave me there.  We rode for a while so I knew the walk would be long and as she left I asked myself,” why me?” Oh well, my study abroad to Peru taught me I could walk for 4 continuous days so I knew I’d make it.  Wouldn’t you know it a storm approaches as I start heading back.  Halfway to the hotel, Para Ta Saa rolls up and saves the day! After breakfast (squid the guys caught the night before), and an interview with the Mayor’s son, we transferred to Burapha University where we would spend the rest of our time evaluating the info collected to create our final presentation of possible solutions for the island’s environmental dilemma.  We have our own office and assistants who graciously help with anything we need.

Burapha University

This campus is huge!!!  It’s a city in here! We are staying in the hotel on university grounds.  This morning we had to be in the lobby at 5:45am to head for Bangkok to meet with the Port Authority to learn about their best practices, hoping we could implement the same in Sichang Island.  We are truly treated like royalty here.  We were police escorted from the main building to a tugboat that showed us how they collect garbage.    It was extremely hot and smelly but thankfully, the boat ride didn’t last too long.  We were also able to see how the vessels moored to dauphins and their overall behavior.  We then attended a presentation with port officials who further explained their system.  One official had done the same thing we are doing here in Sweden; Since he was empathetic he was extremely helpful . 

GBP offers an incredible opportunity to meet officials and to acquire first-hand knowledge of what it means to work on an international basis.  My group members and I are learning so much from each other, as well as sharing techniques for different types of presentations.  We are all hard working and  committed to putting forth our best effort to make this project be the best we can.  Our work will be used by Thai officials and students for years to come.  Also, the ports in the U.S. have asked us to share our final project for their further research. Our words will be seen by many who will use them to transform a 200 year- old system.

Moreover, the food doesn’t stop…We attended a party hosted by the University and I counted 9 very big plates on the table.  There was a whole fish, two kinds of soup (one with pig stomach), fried pork balls, vegetables, fried rice with sweet sausage, noodles and prawns (with heads), and more I can’t remember.  The dessert was ginkgo nuts in syrup.  Afterwards, we went to a massage parlor, $6.00/hr.  There was no oil involved, I changed into a very soft blouse and pant that were supple enough to feel the pressure and twist and turns.  I left feeling much better than when I arrived.

 Last night, the students took us out to Karaoke.  There are private rooms with a big TV and a lady who comes in to help you decide your next tune.  The Thai students sang in both English and Thai, we sang some songs in English and Mutsuo, a Japanese team member, sang in Japanese.   Those were the only three languages offered, there weren’t any Spanish songs L.  Again, yet another experience which melded our vast backgrounds.   After Karaoke, the police pulled us over at a checkpoint.  They wanted to see if there were any illegal substances in the vehicle.  We asked our assistant if there was any reason why we wouldn’t pass and she reassured us there was nothing to worry about.  The faces of the police when a bunch of “farangs” (foreigners) exited the car was pretty funny.  They were definitely surprised.  An officer approaches and asked me my name and I told him, Laisa (they use L’s instead of R’s here). He then asked where I was from, I responded Miami.  He requested that I tell people that Thai police are very nice and proceeded to let us go.  So here it is: Miami, Thai police are extremely nice!

May 17th –Surveys day two

After rising from my cement mattress and eating breakfast (rice and pork soup), we waited for our Thai student assistants and headed out to the harbor where a speed boat was waiting.  Working with the port director definitely has its perks.  On this island, he is revered and our needs are his.  We basically get whatever we want and much more we never expected.  Off to harbor we went to visit the barge blocks.  There are barges, vessels which carry rice, cassava or fertilizer and about 10 of them are tied together to form a community “block”, in the middle of the sea.  My assistant, Waaii and I are let off at one end while the others are sprinkled throughout.  These people get no warning we are coming and by the look on their faces, they look terrified.  Especially when they see a farang (tourist, stranger) invading their space.  After Waaii explains we are students working together on an international project, they timidly accept us.  Together, our group conducted about 60 evaluations in all.  It was very humbling and shocking to see how these people live a “sea life”.  They wait around with their product until a tugboat comes (most have no engine) to either unload or refill cargo. Living quarters are about 20x20 max.  They watch TV, listen to music, sing karaoke, smoke cigarettes, paint the boat but mostly, they talk.  Their neighbors are family and together, they live their life out in the sea.   I wondered if I could do the same until my flip flop slipped, I fell on my derriere and I was convinced my sea legs definitely belong on land. 

 After stopping in the center of town for some shopping, we headed back to the hotel where my shower awaited.  We did some more work entering the data we collected to form a conjoint analysis (google it).  And then, we sat for our feast.  Dinner takes close to two hours to complete.  So many plates come and go; mussels, crab, rice, fried whole fish, scallops, clams, soup (3 kinds), salad, curry shrimp, fried and grilled squid, egg omelet..I’m sure I’m forgetting something.  It’s overwhelming and gluttonous and I participate. 

After dinner we headed to the temple for the celebration of Buddha, it only happens once a year and I felt so fortunate to be able to witness this community coming together.  We take lotus flowers we folded ourselves, incense and a candle to wait for the monks to exit the temple and follow them in prayer, 3 times around.  Once completed, you offer your items to Buddha for his blessing.  Children playing instruments unfamiliar to me surrounded the offering site.  Down the colored lantern lit path we went to arrive at a stage where typical dancing was showcased and food carts sold fried quail eggs, chicken or beef satay, sodas or ice cream.  I had a coconut ice cream with what felt like pieces of dough within.  Not really sure what it was but it was refreshing and pretty good, I couldn’t believe I was eating again.  They guys went fishing and my cement mattress and I met again.   

Thailand

Ok so I walked graduation (Yay! J) and ran to the airport to get on a second-rate American Airlines flight to LA where the seats are horrible and the service is worst.  The plane was oversold, the snacks were awfully overpriced but at 9pm, after the day I had, food was priceless.  5 hours later in LA, I transferred over to Cathay Pacific for a 14 hour flight to Hong Kong.  Now this is flying.  Although I had to forego first and business class where the seats are beds, economy is better than first class in the “Atrocious American Airlines”. There’s a thought…I see the commercials now.  My seat neighbor, Becca saved me –and herself- from a huge catastrophe.  When I realized I was given the middle seat and almost had a heart attack from imagining myself sandwiched, being robbed of my ability to freely roam.  Bible towing, missionary volunteer, Becca offered to trade her heavenly aisle seat for my purgatory.  She’s a saint, I was blessed.   What to do for 14 hours?  Well, I could watch 100 movies, over 350 television shows, 888 CDs, 22 radio channels and over 70 video games, including interactive ones with others on the same flight.  I could also choose to brush up on my Thai before landing by using their language CD’s.  The plane rocks, the food is outrageous and the staff is very accommodating.  There’s one stewardess who’s so cute with her flawless Asian skin, her perfectly placed bun and adorable dimples.  I want to take her home and stick in her in my curio cabinet! We just flew over Okinawa but the clouds are so thick we couldn’t see a thing.  Not even from the camera placed under the plane that I can tune into from my TV. Watching takeoff from the camera was pretty cool.  I’ve flown halfway around the world and about to land in Hong Kong, where Becca and I will change planes for Bangkok.  It’s only 1hr 40min away.  Piece of cake!  Almost there…

I’m in Thailand!!!  Went straight from the airport (where I bought a $30 SIM card for my iphone with unlimited internet use and 300 talk time for 1 month) to the resort in Pattaya Beach, Cabbages & Condoms. It is beautiful.  The minute you arrive you are surrounded by nature; exotic birds, trees and plants.  There are paths named communist & capitalist walk.  I never did see what was down the communist path; my instincts took me down the other.   There are bikes that when peddled set off sprinklers and showers.  The hotel also has resident bunnies who allow you to pet them J Apparently, because of the prominent sex industry, the owner is trying to prevent the spread of STD’s so there are condoms everywhere on the property and it’s the after dinner mint you receive on the way out of the restaurant.

At night we went to “Walking Street”.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  Imagine the red light district but full of clubs, bars and hookah lounges.  It was about 10 blocks long; on the menu you could find food, drinks and sex.  You could see pictures of who you could be with, how and what it would cost.  There were themed bars, women dressed as stewardesses, men dressed as military and “ladyboys” (tranny’s or crossdressers, didn’t find out) dressed in negligees.  We never felt scared. The area was very well lit, neon signs and flashing lights everywhere.  There were police at the entrance and exit of the street, as well as constantly walking around.  Many older men being showed around by a younger Thai.  There was one club with a boxing ring and a live fight you could bet on.  Moreover, there are 7-11’s everywhere!!! Just like the ones we have in the states.  You can find one on almost every other block, I had no idea. 

Today, we left the resort and headed for Bangkok.  It’s a major city! It’s huge!  It’s Manhattan multiplied 10 times over.  There are malls with 7 floors which have their own Lamborghini dealers within.  We visited the Emerald palace Filled with golden temples.  I was wearing shorts (because the heat & humidity are off the charts!!!) so I had to rent a skirt to enter the temple.  After lunch and some more sightseeing we went on a dinner boat cruise down the river.  The river is full of luxurious hotels (Mandarin Oriental, Hilton, Shangri-la) and, you guessed it, more temples.  Thai food is very tasty, full of exotic spices and hot peppers. 

Work starts tomorrow…

First day of work! We’ve transferred to Sichang Island, 70 miles south of Bangkok.  Holy hopper it’s hot and humid! It’s definitely worst than Miami.  Worst part is that it’s rude to show your shoulders.  I’m suffocating most of the time. Our project consists of working with Sichang Harbor to help best mitigate environmental impact of their cargo vessels, ferries and tugboats.  These people are dumping all of their trash and human waste overboard and it’s washing up on shore to ruin their touristic beaches.  It’s pretty nasty and the smell takes some getting used to.  The island is very pretty; it’s like a tiny Jamaica with a couple of temples off the cliffside.  Both temples very ornate and one has a prominent golden Buddha, the skinny type with legs crossed and beaded hat, not the chubby one we’ve seen.  We (my group, as well as 4 Thai university students) spent the day traveling by tugboat surveying about 20 light boat vessels which transport cargo from the larger vessels to shore.  It was quite impressive to see how these people and their families live in very small quarters. The tiny quarters are shared with a bed, kitchen and an impressive karaoke system.  They wait around to work for days so entertainment is critical.   The students teased us constantly, apparently, it’s a good thing.  The custom here is that if they tease you, it’s their way of saying they like you.  If not much conversation is going on it means you’ve upset them.  Lucky for us, our group doesn’t shut up! Someone saw me swatting mosquitoes and they said not to worry as they will disappear in an hour.  It’s a natural phenomenon; the insects come and go between 6:30 and 7:30pm.  Never heard of that before but boy am I glad!

Before Departing

So many things to do...Get used to this blogging situation, finish thesis, graduate and pack! We'll see how this goes...