~Jasmin
During our three-day excursion we visited three waterfalls and the highest point in Thailand. Our first stop was the Sirithan waterfall, on our way there we saw what we thought was a cat in the middle of the road. Once the “cat” moves we realized it was a monkey! We quickly tried to snap as many pictures as possible. Unfortunately it was too quick for my lens, but one of the other students captured its pink rear end. We thrived on the monkey adrenalin when we hiked up to the waterfall. The waterfall was majestic yet dainty. It was very tall and surrounded by a wide diversity of flowers and fungus. We took as many pictures then headed to our next stop, which was the highest point in Thailand. In order to get to the highest point in Thailand one had to walk along a wooden path. I forgot to mention that it was raining; this made the walk a little more difficult since we tried our best to stay dry. Once we got there we were not able to see anything because of the mist, fog, and rain but at least we had the chance to be there. On a happier note I managed to take wonderful pictures of our path, it looked enchanted. Next on our list was the Wachirathan waterfall; this was the slipperiest waterfall I have ever visited. All of the giant boulders we had to go through in order to get to the waterfall were covered in slime, this made our journey dangerous. Wachirathan waterfall was bigger than the first waterfall we visited, some of the people in our group decided to go for a swim, they said the water temperature was perfect. Our Final stop in our journey was the Maeya waterfall which was the biggest waterfall of all. The waterfall definitely demanded respect, its roaring sound of the water flow could be heard from the parking lot. Doi Inthanon is one of the most beautiful places that I have been fortunate to visit. ~Jasmin
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สวัสดี ครับ (Sawatdee krap) Hello all! Admittedly, some of us were slightly upset during our first few days in Chiang Mai when we couldn't find places besides 7 11 that were open at night. I can't believe how wrong we were. This city's night life is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I am happy to say that we made some of these places our home. I want to talk specifically about four different locations. Magenta, The Monkey Club, Warm up Café, and Shazz Addicted Bar. Our first legitimate outing was to Magenta and The Monkey Club a few weeks into our trip with Kyley's and Miranda's lab mate: Phaitong. Magenta was a beautiful club fairly close to the main street. Live music, pool table, good drinks, and fantastic people. Every now and then a random vendor would pop in and ask us to purchase some of their goods which would range from things like pastries to garlands and flowers. Monkey Club is again just a few minutes from Magenta and it's a bit more active. There are two sections: one is more relaxed where you can have a seat, grab a few drinks, chit chat with friends, and enjoy the performance of a large but surprisingly entertaining and exceptional dancer and singer; and the other has a live band performance and a huge crowd of people dancing. I would just like to say how it's set up differently than a typical club in the States. How it works is that you go in with a group of people, order whatever snacks and beverages you want, find a spot somewhere on the floor, and then the servers will bring you a cart with water, ice, and your snacks and drinks. Then the entire night you pretty much dance and hang out with your friends. Totally different than just walking to a huge area where everyone is dancing, which is typically what we would find in the States. Next is the Warm up Café. This place is ALWAYS hectic and has a similar set up to the Monkey Club with a relaxed area on one side and dancing on the other. No matter what day, Warmup Café is packed and the people are always having a great time. Finally, Shazz Addicted Bar. The absolute, no-doubt-in-my-mind best club in Chiang Mai. This is a tiny little place, about the size of our room, underneath a rooftop bar and in between two equally small shops. There's always great soul, jazz, and house music playing that, no matter what, will have you dancing at least once during the night. The owner is fun-loving, generous, and simply a fantastic host that will make sure her guests are always having a great time. This Soulhouse/Jazzbar stays open into the wee hours of the night and is always there when you need an escape from the everyday stresses. One of my greatest memories of this trip will be when a few of us went to the Shazz Addicted Bar for the second time. The bartender and owner recognized us and greeted us with a familiar "Heeeeeeeyyy!!!" Then we set up shop in the middle of the bar, busted out our jenga, and played and talked and had an absolutely unforgettable night. (Props to the Theary,our own personal great idea factory.) There are many more places that we've been to enjoy the night life (such as Dude Café, Night Bazaar, Drunken Flower, and more) but the aforementioned places have been the most memorable for innumerable reasons. We've made new friends, created stronger bonds, learned and shared equally fantastic stories, and have always had an incredible times in the middle of the night because of these fantastic places. These are some experiences that I will always treasure. Sincerely, Apu One of my goals upon coming to Thailand was to find a "breakdancing" or breaking community to practice and to know the Thai breaking culture. Being a bboy for about 6 years now, I've seen breakers from different states and countries, but entering a dance scene in another country was something completely new to me. It's amazing to see how far hip hop has reached out affecting places as far away as the city of Chiang Mai. Actually finding the niche where the dancers practiced came by accident. I've found online that they ran a bboy competition at the DanceZone studio at Kad Suan Keaw mall but I had no idea when or the location. After a night of karaoke with my labmates at the mall I saw some dancers practicing "bboy" moves through the mall's windows. As soon as I saw that I knew I found their "session" spot. The location of the session spot is not your typical dance area. In California breakers are used to dancing in gymnasiums, dance studios, gyms, and schools. The location of the dance area is actually right in front of the DanceZone studio. The majority of the 3rd floor is full of closed down shops so at night the place is taken over by dancers to practice their choreography using the mall's windows as mirrors. The breakers have their own little spot on the left side of the studio behind a giant DanceZone sign. What I respect about Thai bboys is how much heart they have in the dance. You can see by the difficulty of their moves how much they want to improve. The Kad Suan Keaw dance area is made up of tile and not the usual bouncy dance floors back in California. These bboy's sacrifice their bodies through headspins, halos, and airflaires on the non-forgiving tile. Competitions in Thailand are usually closer to the capital in Bangkok and the dancers in the north have to travel very far to enter. In California everything is so close and their are usually multiple competitions a month less than an hour drive. Competitions here aren't as common so dancers have to take up much more travel time to compete. To be a breaker here requires much more physically on your body and can be extremely time consuming. One of the things I love about the breaking community is how universal it is. The dance brings together people of many different cultures and backgrounds together to share what they love. The breakers here have welcomed me to their session spot and have even invited me on several occasions to hangout beyond dancing. I've had dinner with them and have even watched the World Cup at 2 AM at one of their apartments. The dancers particularly in Chiang Mai are still fairly young about 20-22 years old. I feel the breaking scene here is just starting to grow and I'm excited to see what the dancers here will have in the future.
Only 2 weeks left! -Theary Monh Oh, Uniserv. My home away from home.
When I first discovered that we were staying in a hostel, I was concerned. I had this image in my head of a very minimalistic place: bunk-beds, a shared dorm-like bathroom and no service. I was prepared for anything. I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the website for Uniserv after orientation. At our “ice-breaker” dinner, I was asked how it was to live here at the Uniserv. I said it had all of the necessities we needed and I really meant it: a roof over my head, a twin-sized bed to sleep on at night, and a bathroom fully equipped with a sink, toilet and a shower. It even comes with internet access and a weekly room-service. The room is cleaned and restocked with bottles of water, little packets of shampoo and soap, and toilet paper every Thursday. Each room is designed for double-occupancy with 2 twin-size beds. They provide a night stand, some shelf space, a desk with a mirror, an adequate number of wall plugs, a small refrigerator and a box TV with very basic connection. Each person is given their own wifi code and a room key is shared between the roommates. To avoid one person being locked out, they ask for the room key to the dropped off at the front desk upon departure. Living at Uniserv made me realize the funniest things. You never know what you will miss until you have so little of it! I’m talking about toilet paper. Oh the toilet paper. In Thailand, most bathrooms don’t have toilet paper readily available for you. It’s quite common to bring individual packs of toilet paper with you for the trips to the bathroom. Here at the Uniserv, we are allotted one roll a week and it does not last! We have to go out and buy rolls ourselves to compensate. One of the things I am really thankful for is the distance between food and Uniserv! The Uniserv hostel has their own in-house restaurant called the “Lemontree”. It’s on the first floor of the hostel and I’m always just a flight of stairs away from it. It has been my go-to place for breakfast and the occasional late-night dinner. Though the staff doesn’t speak much English, they really try to get your order and provide you with everything you need. My regular dish at the Lemontree is “khao pad kai” or chicken fried rice. It’s quickly made and it comes with a slice of lime for flavor and a couple of slices of cucumber and tomato for freshness. There is also a place called “Milk” right outside of Uniserv. This place has fresh milk delivered every morning and I’ve caught myself craving for a cup of soft serve or a milkshake more than I really should. This place is definitely going to be missed when I get back to the states. The caramel milkshake is definitely something to try. It’s quite addicting. Over all, Uniserv has been a great place to stay. The location is prime. It’s close enough to Chiang Mai University to take a walk in the morning. It’s also located between two very popular streets, Sutep and Nimman. These two streets have stores upon stores to explore. Everything you would need from pharmaceuticals to food to a nice massage, you are sure to find it within walking distance. These are also great streets to hitch a ride of a song taew to your next adventure. Song taews are constantly patrolling the streets for wandering tourists. One of things I enjoy the most is the huge park located directly across the street from Uniserv. This recreational park serves as a great place to relax and just take a stroll. During the evening, the park is teeming with people exercising. You can find them jogging, running, playing badminton, lifting weights and even scaling the balancing poles scattered around the park. Uniserv has been my “home away from home” from the last month or so and I couldn’t be more thankful. Though it will only be my “home” for another week and a half, I will always remember how Uniserv treated us: always with care and consideration. Sincerely, Judy Nguyen Last year I visited Costa Rica with the International Volunteer Headquarters team. My volunteer peers did not speak Spanish, and I have to confess that I was quick to judge. Traveling to a country where you only know how to ask for the basics sounds crazy. English is not my first language; I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. We lived two hours away from the border and it was necessary for us to learn English in order to get a good job, have more opportunities, and be competitive academically; you have to be able to communicate with the rest of the world. You have to be able to communicate with foreigners that visit your country. English language is the real deal and native English speakers are the lucky ones.
I am not trying to discourage anyone from trying to learn a second or third language but learning another way to communicate is a rewarding challenge. I will try to explain the process I had to go through the first year I lived in the United States. I do not think that everyone's experience is the same, but I am sure that there are some similarities when I think about what our Thai lab mates have experienced and are currently overcoming. First you are self-conscious about every sentence you formulate; naturally you start thinking in your native language and try to translate. By the time you realize you are doing this, the person you are talking to already finished their statement. Now you have to translate what they have said, process it, formulate a response in your native tongue, translate it to English, and hope it makes perfect sense. As if it does not sound complicated enough, there is a possibility that you start speaking in your primary language. When we arrived to Chiang Mai University I was nervous about the language barrier, but the feeling of awkwardness and shyness went away by the third day. My lab mates realized that as the guest in their lab, I would try my hardest to explain myself and to learn as much Thai as I possibly can. Since we were accepted in the SMRT program we were given the chance to work in a laboratory thousands of kilometers away from home, and to take advantage of the opportunity to learn a new language. I could not be more grateful for all the effort and dedication my lab mates have shown towards this farang (Thai word for a foreigner or tourist). . I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what our Thai host are going through. I encourage everyone that is reading this post to learn another language because it opens many doors for you. Carolina Mendoza Living in another country - located in a completely different geographic region - can be both rewarding and daunting in so many ways. Your mind and body become so acclimated and comfortable to new ways of life, culinary choices, and methods of communication that come hand in hand with international travel. One new experience that I don't think any of us will get over, however, is the weather in Thailand. The temperature in Chiang Mai is about 30-32 degrees Celsius - a nice, normal 90° day in sunny California. So what makes the weather so different? The almost constant 90% humidity. I think the entire SMRT group has come to the consensus that we have sweat more on this trip than we have in our entire lives. At first it was uncomfortable. We would all be constantly fanning ourselves with our hands, hoping that by some magic a bit of hand waving would create a sudden arctic dry spell. When it didn't, we opted for excessive showering and wardrobe-changing instead. As time has passed though, our bodies and minds have grown much more acclimated to the previously "ridiculous" weather patterns. I have officially accepted sweat as a permanent member of my existence, and even have come to find charm in the constant gleam that makes me look like a plastic mannequin shimmering in the sunlight. I no longer worry about wiping away sweat, taking excessive showers or changing my clothes at the slightest discomfort. I feel stronger and more tolerant to slight discomforts, which I believe will benefit me greatly in life. In fact, I believe that every SMRT has accepted themselves for the beautiful, rustic human being that they are, and I know we will take this back with a smile when we return to the states.
-Miranda Every day is a new adventure here in Thailand, and believe it or not, most of those adventures involve food. Growing up in Southern California provided many opportunities for tasting some of the more notable dishes from most countries, but it definitely did not prepare me for some of the things I have ended up trying. The local markets offer some of the best chances to try out new things as food carts line the streets selling anything from rotee (a delicious pastry type dessert usually glazed with condensed milk) to dried squid. Usually priced at less than an American dollar, there is no reason not to give in to your curiosities. In the markets alone, I have tried crickets, dried squid, and have even found my favorite dish in all of Thailand...Khao Soi! Khao Soi (in my opinion) is quite possibly the best thing you can eat here, and although served at many restaurants, the best can only be found at the Sunday market. An older woman scoops this Northern Thailand specialty consisting of noodles, meat curry (chicken, pork, or beef), and crispy noodles to a diverse group of customers feeding into an addiction that starts from the second you take that last bite, until the next week, when you can once again taste her amazing concoction. Fortunately, there are plenty of other delicious restaurants that help hold me over during the week. Another hidden gem that we have discovered is the "veggie place." For forty baht (less than two American dollars), you can get an entire meal consisting of brown rice and stir-fried organic vegetables and meats. For dessert, you needn't look far, and on the top of the list is The Volcano. Soft, thick Japanese brick toast is served smothered in caramel, condensed milk, and fresh cut bananas. With the first bite you are overwhelmed with flavor, and the focus goes from your previous conversation, to a determination to finish every last piece, which actually proves to be a pretty daunting task. Almost every other building is another restaurant, and although we have found our favorites, we try our hardest to branch out and try new things. When I came here, I thought I would crave American food every day, but my experience has been quite the opposite (even though my first stop from the airport will be an In-n-Out drive-thru). With less than two weeks remaining, there are plenty of new restaurants and food carts to experience and I can't wait to find my next favorite. -Kyley Olson One of the best parts about the SMRT program is the feeling of total cultural immersion—I feel beautifully enveloped in Thai culture, language, and religion. Most of Thailand’s people are Buddhist, and we need not travel far in order to stumble upon a Buddhist temple. These wats, as they are anglicized, are the physical manifestation of hundreds of years of love and respect for Thai religious ideals. Typically, the wats have one main temple with many Buddha images and often murals on the walls depicting Buddha’s life. Many of the temples here are very old, dating back to the founding of Chiang Mai over seven hundred years ago. During the past weeks we have spent in Thailand, we have visited several different wats. In Bangkok, we visited the Grand Palace, which included one of the most famous temples in the whole country. Here in Chiang Mai province, we have visited Wat Phra Singh, Wat Lok Molee, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, and many others. A “master monk” presides over each wat. The “master monk” is responsible for the well-being of hundreds of village children, giving small Buddhist-style sermons, and making sure the temple’s activities run smoothly. My favorite wat so far has been Wat Tham Pha Plong in Chiang Dao. Buddhist proverbs and sayings lined the way to provide enlightenment and encouragement during the steep climb up over five hundred steps. The physically demanding walk became easier as glimpses of the temple could be seen through the trees—it was truly an amazing sight. The lower half of the temple was partly inside of a cave. It was lined with Buddha images, dragons, and photographs of different monks. As we ascended to the upper half, the only sounds were those of nature—birds and many bugs—and occasionally the soft steps of our shoeless feet. At the very top, we enjoyed a rewarding view of the entire forest that brought peace and an inner sense of calm. Wat Tham Pha Plong not only continues to be a religious retreat for those in need of meditation, but also one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in all of Thailand. Chiang Mai, in my opinion, is one of the most diverse shopping cities in Thailand. You have a variety of street markets including the weekend market and the night bazaar. The weekend market is on Thapae road; the road is closed off and full of diverse vendors. You can find anything from custom-made key chains, potato balls, and native crafts. While you shop, you are serenated by many native groups playing traditional Thai music. The night bazaar is always the place to be when you can’t figure out what to do. You can fill your itinerary with cabaret shows, muay Thai fighting, dead skin cell eating fish pedicures, and karaoke. All these events are in the center of lots of street vendors and shops. If you are in the mood to shop in a cooler climate you can head down to Maya or Kad Suan Kaew, which are the local malls. Maya is one of the higher-end malls that I have seen; prices range from anywhere between 180 to 680 baht for clothing. It is really beautiful outside and fully equipped with a state of the art theatre inside. If you get hungry while shopping, Maya and Kad Suan Kaew have food markets and restaurant on their basement floor and I must say everything I have eaten at both places have been delicious. Fresh food is easy to find if you head over to Muang Mai market, you can find interesting things like fresh fish, fried insects, tropical fruit, and Thai medicinal plants. Muang Mai market is the ideal place to shop if you are planning to cook or pick up medicinal plants for experiments, since you know that the ingredients will be fresh. If you are not dizzy yet with all the shopping, there are other places to shop here in Chiang Mai like the umbrella factory, Jade shop, silk factory, and the silver factory. The options here are endless and your empty wallet sets the limit. ~Jasmin สวัสดี ครับ (Sawatdee krap)
Hello all! Our main objective for our Field to Fork project is to identify practical solutions to improve nutrition and food security amongst the communities in the rural upland areas of Thailand via nutrition-sensitive agriculture solutions as well as educational media tools. We are not simply trying to improve the productivity of the household; we are trying to integrate nutritional and agricultural solutions to improve the nutritional status, i.e. reduce malnourishment amongst children, improve development, etc. Malnutrition and food security are both serious problems in the rural communities in Northern Thailand, especially among the ethnic minorities in the upland areas. Teaching them different agricultural techniques and providing different sources of nutrition dense foods has the potential to sustainably improve these problems. Like any project however, there are gaps in knowledge and some problems. That's why Field to Fork spent one out of the three years conducting research to close those gaps and gain a better sense of the situation. We believe that the best way to improve these villagers quality of life is to help them help themselves. Sincerely, Apu |