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From Tiffany Schauer, July 22, 2008

I extended my stay at the Field Village in Chiang Mai to help resort owner, Jong, procure and arrange transport for a second truckload of supplies to the Thailand-based Burmese Orphanage. (Read July 9 blog.) Serendipitously, my delayed schedule coincided with Mia Farrow’s visit to Chiang Mai University. Mia was just named by Time magazine to the 2008 top 100 most influential people in the world. (www.time.com) Mia has partnered with the Nobel Women’s Initiative to discuss the political rights crises faced by women in Thailand and Burma. The Nobel Women’s Initiative was established in 2006 by a group of women Nobel Peace Laureates. Only 12 women have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in its 100+ year history. The goal of the organization is to draw attention to women’s unique equality issues, peace and human security initiatives with the intention to create a world of real peace with justice and equality—where no woman anywhere will have to fight for her intrinsic rights. (See www.nobelwomensinitiative.org)

Ominously, on my way to the seminar, Jong and I stop by her friend’s nail salon to make appointments for Jong’s resort guests. We arrive to be told that, a week ago, Tan, the salon owner and long-time friend of Jong’s was stabbed to death by her husband. They have three small children. They were separated for over a year. She wanted a divorce. Jong kneels down in front of the makeshift memorial at the storefront and weeps.

A half hour later I am dazed and wander into the seminar on women’s rights. Whatever doubts I had about the relevance of women’s rights to a more humane global whole were dismissed by the senseless death that just touched my reality. I am shaken awake—violence is disproportionately borne by women at the family, community, corporate, and global level. Nobel Peace Laureate, Jody Williams, Darfur Activict Mia Farrow, Dr. Sima Samar, Chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and Qing Zhang, Chinese labor activist, discussed this concept suggesting that injustice, inequality, and violence against women, children, or marginalized communities are common conditions world wide. The Nobel women suggest that addressing the issue as a collective problem may reveal methods to reduce this suffering.

Several Burmese women activists spoke of their regime’s incomprehensible crimes against women to repress the people’s will: rape, torture, execution, confiscating their homes, and burning their villages. Scores of courageous women speaking out about these atrocities have been killed, imprisoned, or have gone into hiding separated from their families, homeland, and culture. We watched a video testimony by Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi, (herself a Nobel Peace Laureate whose house arrest has recently been extended for another year). Aung San Suu Kyi’s witness is testimony that the Burmese regime continues to imprison proponents of democracy, block aid to Cyclone victims, violently exterminate Burmese citizens, and render thousands of Burmese people homeless refugees. Heroic efforts to steadfastly inform others of these conditions and work to stem the tide of abuses can be found at www.womenofburma.org and www.shanwomen.org.

Thai women activists spoke of their struggles for a voice and control of their own lives and destinies. Lahkela Jahtaw explained that women living in remote Thai villages have little or no say in the lives. Most cannot read or write, are not recognized as citizens and have no ability to defend themselves if abused or displaced by local or larger government oppression. Another Thai woman, No-aeri Tungmuangtong, explained that women in her village do not have basic human living dignities: documentation identifying their citizenship; healthcare choice (their husband must give permission for a pap smear); freedom to leave their house or village; participation in village affairs or leadership; basic education (they cannot read or write); or protection from violence. Nasae Yapa of a rural Thai village near Chiang Dao spoke of being imprisoned for her efforts to participate in tribal leadership decisions.

Nasae Yapa spoke of the invaluable help she received in her plight by IMPECT Association. 252 Moo 2, T. Sonsainoi, Sonsai District Chiang Mai 50210 Tel. +66-53-492-544; +66-53-398-591 Fax +66-53-398-592; Email: impect@cm.ksc.co.th. The Foundation for Women, Law and Rural Development is also making progress towards opening up Thai culture to gender equality, justice, and nonviolence. www.soc.cmu.ac.th/~wsc/forward.htm.

“The efforts of NWI members and other women involved in the delegation to Thailand are not only to keep alive the issues of peace with justice and equality, which include violence against women and the crises of political rights, but also to highlight the importance of a just and peaceful global community for women.”

You can help. Wake up and become aware. Do something.

“Ordinary people, when they believe in themselves and what they want to do, can achieve extraordinary things. What makes a person extraordinary? It’s what they do, not how they’re born…Worrying about the problems plaguing our planet without taking steps to confront them is absolutely irrelevant. The only thing that changes this world is taking action.”

Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate.

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From Tiffany Schauer, July 9, 2008

Yesterday I spent the day with Jong, owner of the Field Village resort (www.thefieldvillage.com), in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We spent the afternoon at the local wholesale markets haggling for supplies to take to the Ban Mae Maeh Orphanage, a Thailand based, Burmese orphanage. The orphanage is located in the remote hill country of the Chiang Dao district, about a two hours drive from Chiang Mai. Chiang Dao has some of the most striking mountain formations in northern Thailand. Extensive caves lie at the foot of the east side. The uplands north and west of the mountain are popular trekking areas.

Our trip team was comprised of Jong, myself and one of her assistants, Pon. In less the two hours, the highway turned to road, then to concrete path, then to dirt, then to serpentine slides and finally a river crossing—with no bridge. Scaling the mountains with a heavily weighted truck in the jungle during the rainy season is NOT for the faint of heart. Jong drove through the gauntlet of slippery narrow mud paths inches from steep drop offs into the jungle as if it were an interesting walk in the park. It took everything I had to continue breathing. Jong did mention to me later she lived in the Burmese jungle for a couple of years building roads explaining her taste for challenging driving. She also mentioned she had been a real estate broker, fashion designer, and furniture store owner. She’s my hero.

We arrive at the orphanage. The headmaster and teachers are in disbelief. Apparently, no one comes to the orphanage during the five-month rainy season. The difficult driving conditions render the camp with almost no visitors or donations for months at a time.

There are 120 kids in the camp. They age from two years old to maybe sixteen or seventeen. The majority are around eight to ten years old. Their homelessness is a result of the Thai government crack down on the drug trade in Thailand. Their parents were executed, killed in drug wars, imprisoned or impoverished. The children were deposited at this camp with no other options. They are mostly from the Karen tribe in Burma. The teachers estimate maybe forty percent of the children have no parents while the remainder have, perhaps, one parent or a cousin missing, too poor or unable to take care of them.

The camp is maintained by the headmaster, a couple of teachers, and a woman who prepares food. There is orderliness to this place that challenged my paradigm. The entire group, including, three-, four-, and five-year-olds wait in line for food, sit patiently until every child is sitting down, listen to a teacher’s announcements, say a prayer out loud together, and only then eat a meal of cabbage and rice—quietly—body against body at long wooden tables. When they finish eating, I watch as they each wash their plate, stack them and go out to play before bed.

I quickly became aware that the children maintain the camp. There are children cooking, cleaning, and older kids taking care of younger kids. Anything you would imagine an adult doing to maintain a household I see a child doing here.

Their sleeping quarters are similarly ordered. There is one sleeping room for girls and one sleeping room for boys. There are long wood platforms lined with a blanket or sheet for long lines of body lying next to body. Clothes are hung from lines above the sleeping platforms. The smallest girls sleep in crawlspaces under the platforms—a dark box-like space with a mat and a pillow. I have problems absorbing the image of a young child sleeping in a box—it’s dark….and impossible. There are a couple of outhouses down the hill from their sleeping structure.

Somehow, the atmosphere is not austere. Where there are children there is love. There are moments where I see smile after smile. At times, they play, they run, they hug each other and form packs to organize games. It is a delight mixed with a sense of disbelief that these light-filled pixies can jump and sparkle in the shadow of challenged subsistence survival.

Jong, Pon and I cook dinner for the camp. The kitchen/mess hall area is an open-air cement structure blackened by wood smoke with room sections delineated by chain link. I have no frame of reference for what I see. The food preparation area contains two cement cylinders for wood burning cooking. There are no appliances or fixtures that would identify the area as a kitchen as I know it—other than the food we brought, a couple of very large metal pots and a small beleaguered irrelevant refrigerator. I can only see maybe two or three large utentils—a metal ladle and a metal spatula. The kids surround us as we heat up large amounts of vegetables and meatballs over the fire. Through massive heat and smoke, the kids adeptly feed the fire with wood and intervene with calm assistance when the smoke overwhelms us. It is a spectacle for them as well as for us.

The Thai government provides one meal of rice and cabbage a day—starving rations for these children. When meeting with the headmaster, I ask, “What is the one thing you need?” He answered, “Food. We don’t have enough food.” Currently, they have seven days worth of rice left. It costs about 1000 baht ($30) for 45 kg of rice per day to feed 120 kids. Jong and I ask the children what they need. Their requests are hard for me to grasp given the ocean of need I witness. They request: scissors to cut hair; toothbrushes and toothpaste; notebooks and pencils; a guitar and bicycles. The kids are constantly assaulted by gnats and skin rashes. They need calamine lotion; shampoo; and powder. There seems to be no established program to contribute to the orphanage. Right now, you can contact Jong at the Field Village to help. Jong has committed to delivering supplies once a month. www.thefieldvillage.com. We have stopped wondering how this could happen—it doesn’t matter. Helping matters.

That night we sleep close to the orphanage at the Long Stay guest camp. It is run by a well-known naturalist and preservationist in the area. He says his goal is to provide travelers with an authentic nature experience. Our hut is high in the trees overlooking the river. It feels like a treehouse. There are bamboo huts below by the river available when it’s not the rainy season. Our accommodations are primitive, but we yelp with excitement when we see the working toilet and hot water shower! Our night becomes dream-like when the camp women arrive to give us a massage and steamed herbal press treatment. We are exhausted and now limp. We drift off to sleep off while listening to the music of the jungle wildlife and rain hitting our tin roof. When I finish writing this I cry.

From Tiffany Schauer, July 5, 2008

I wanted to list a few of my favorites in Chiang Mai. These are people and places that I believe reflect the heart and love of the northern Thai culture and hospitality. The willingness of the Thai people to embrace travelers is worldly unique. My experience has been one of “coming home.” The loneliness of traveling solo was repeatedly thwarted by one experience after another of being enveloped into this culture’s day-to-day life, undeniable humanity and deep generosity.

Cooking School with GayRay.

GayRay is a true Thai gem to behold in Chiang Mai. She recently opened Asia Scenic Thai Cooking, a cooking school, in the middle of Chiang Mai. (www.asiascienic.com). GayRay is a chef, art historian, and world traveler. When time allows, she travels to Cambodia to work on her art/anthropological studies.

I attended her afternoon class. Her sister, Nongnu, picked me up at the hotel and proceeded to take me on a personalized tour of the local market. The local market is where locals go to buy their ingredients to prepare meals. Our capable charming guide provided an informal comfortable stroll through the market with an easy explanation of the elaborate and artful combination of spices, plants, herbs, and meat comprising the Thai diet.

After the market, we proceeded to the school’s fully equipped outdoor kitchen to learn how to cook an ambitious five item Thai menu. Thai cooking is surprisingly simple and quick. Preparation is so speedy, Gay labels Thai style cooked food as “fast food.” Indeed, in less than four hours we successfully prepared five dishes with time to leisurely dine on our feast. Perhaps more fun than learning, was laughing, teasing, and spending time getting to know Gay, her sister, Nongnu, and her gracious assistants. We also had the pleasure of meeting her sweet little dog—jaosuo (millionaire).

Hidden Seamstress/Textile Shop

My other favorite find was the young seamstress located directly ACROSS from the entrance of the Rachamankha hotel. Her name is Pin and her small stall exhibits textile artifacts rivaling some showrooms I visited in Manhattan. Her space is primitive—but her work is worthy of a close look. She has clothes ethnic designs adorned with old hilltribe fabrics, purses of all sizes and most items can be made to order. I gave her some silk and she whipped up six pairs of pants, two dresses, and eight camisoles. My designs are primitive—definitely not tailored—but darling. Think DOSA style for you mavens.

Off the beaten track—Field Village

I also checked into the field village. This is boutique village resort—but really feels like going to the burbs to visit your friends. Jong, the proprietor, picked me up at the airport and proceeded to pick up her daughter at school before arriving at the village. Her daughter is a doll and studying on weekends to ensure placement in the math/science section for her school admission. Jong has become a friend. I think this is typical for Jong and most of her guests. She is an invaluable resource for getting about the “real” Chiang Mai. She will personally escort you on a shopping excursion to the local markets. She can also hook you up with a good cooking, massage, thai language or yoga school. I was introduced to Jong because she will be personally escorting me to the Ban Mae Maeh Orphanage up in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai for an overnight stay.

The field village is a hidden sanctuary with scads of flowers bordering wooden platform paths leading to each guesthouse in the midst of flowing fields with a view of the far away mountains. It is cozy, comfortable and has most amenities to be comfortable. Jong arranged for a room massage and a tailor to come to my cottage. Later, I am sleeping in the blowing reeds, singing birds, and croaking frogs. Misleadingly remote, this respite is just a few minutes from the airport—only evident by a plane occasionally flying overhead. Field Village was listed as top 10 hidden gems of Asia by tripadvisor.