Village Description

Today represents my official first whole week at my new house and village and it is quite, well pretty much like most other days. This blog is going to be a small dictation of my life in my village now that I have actually experienced it. It is hard to determine where to start because there are so many varied subjects that at least merit a small description. I suppose the subject of weather would be appropriate given that it is almost universally the default subject in an ephemeral conversation.

The weather here can really only be described as absolutely perfect. My house is only a little over 1,000 m in elevation but it is absolutely amazing how much this can affect the weather when you are located in the tropics. Everyday is it 75-80 F and given that it is the rainy season, it rains most days, although almost never all day. It is really astounding how much a 60 km drive and a mere drop in elevation of a few hundred meters to the town of Pai can change the weather. After spending time in my village, Pai seems to be a sweltering chaotic tourist town. Ironically, quite contrary to my perception, it is known throughout Thailand as being the most laid back, cool, mountain tourist destination that Thailand has to offer.

The weather creates an environment that is characterized by lush vegetation displaying myriad hues of green with mist and cloud enshrouded mountains providing the backdrop. Depending on the elevation, you move from lush jungle like forests with innumerable varieties of deciduous trees to pine forest with towering trees and lush undergrowth that captures the rays of light that filter through the canopy. When the sun shines it illuminates the brilliant greens, bounces off the mountains, and makes the low hanging clouds move from dark grey to brilliant gold. I have always believed that the late afternoon is the best part of the day. The low light casts shadows on every object it encounters, the wind dies down, the birds are out in force, and people are energetically enjoying the freedom to take advantage of the last of the sun’s rays after a long day of work or school. Each day during this period, with the cool air, the sense of excitement and hope, and the thought that I get to live here for another 20 months I just can’t believe the luck that life has bestowed on me.

Crisscrossing all of this amazing natural beauty are the dirt roads that battle the mountains and the rain for supremacy, and it truly is an epic battle. The soil in this area has a high concentration of clay that is able to shrug off copious amounts of water yet retains enough to make traveling quite a task, which is exacerbated by the mountainous terrain. Not only does the soil on the roads become extraordinarily slippery it also becomes a sticky red mess. Given that I have to ride my trusty bicycle to every destination I have given up on wearing long pants and long ago stopped worrying about having even a semblance of cleanliness until I can return home and shower. Off of every road there are hundreds of trails that run off into the forest which eventually lead to one of the characteristic raised wooden houses of the Karen people. These trails have proved perfect for my daily runs.

In my short week of being at site my diligent IRBing and help from Ajan Tete has uncovered

several promising projects. A group hailing from the three northern tambons in Amphoe Mae Chaem has recently received funding to start planting coffee in their mountain environment. When I first arrived in this area I wondered why more coffee wasn’t planted because it seemed like the perfect environment. This area really reminds me of the highlands of Guatemala where the dominant agricultural product is coffee. The other day I ran across the group filling plastic