My first climbing expedition! Hiking Doi Luang Chiang Dao

Looking at the hundreds of mountains that surround our valley, the ranges that seem to go on forever.  None of the mountains stand out from each other, except for one -- Doi Luang Chiang Dao, Thailand's third-largest mountain. It is dark and foreboding; begging to be sought after. Several of us interns took note of it, and instantly wanted to figure out how to get to it -- and how to get to the top.

It seemed easy enough after we found out the base was only an hour away by car.  But to add the intrigue, we found out that it closed during the rainy season from March - September and it was illegal to climb during that time... so if were were to climb it, we would have to sneak into a national park, use a machete to retrace the closed trail, and risk getting caught.  We made several recon trips to see if it could be done - and we decided it could.

The trip started wonderfully as we realized our bungalows had amenities we weren't used to: comfortable beds, soft sheets and flush toilets, to name a few.

Katie and my bungalow at "The Nest 2", at the base of a low part of the mountain.

Incredibly comfy beds! And robes!

We prepared the night before by eating a delicious gourmet dinner with wine under the stars, courtesy of our friend "Uncle" Ray.

The morning of the hike, we ate bright and early at 5:00 in order to get into the park area before the rangers arrived at 6 am.  We packed our bags, hid the car and were on the trail by 6:15.

It started easily enough, but we came upon our first trailmarkers - and realized that they were all in Thai.

Which way, Ray?

Our only map was a crude picture of the mountain from Google maps - and in the rainy season downpour, it got soaked.

Next time, bring a real map. And laminate it.

As a result, we got lost several times, but always managed to find the trail.  Finally, at 2:00 pm, eight hours after setting out, we summited Doi Luang Chiang Dao!

Fellow Warm Heart intern, Katie, and myself

We hoped we could see our sleepy town of Phrao in the next valley, but clouds on the leeward side of the mountain completely blocked our view.

Looking along the ridge, you can see clouds forming on only one side of the mountain (in the direction of our valley).

However, the view toward the back of the mountain was just as breathtaking.

View from the summit.

Since it took far too long to climb up, we were at high risk for getting stuck in the jungle after nightfall. We were moving as quickly as possible after we summited, so I have no photos of the descent. It rained the entire way down, which made for slippery, muddy and cold walking for another six hours. We walked back out of the trail head at about 8 pm: 14 hours after we started, and about 30 minutes after sundown.

We were exhausted, and so soaked with mud, clay and water that we had to throw away most of the clothes we were wearing, had scratches and bruises from the overgrown jungle, and one hiker even had to remove a few leeches.

But the view and the experience was completely worth it to make my first summit, and I am looking forward to taking up this hobby when I get back to the States!

You know you're living in Thailand when...

You find yourself in the back of a pick-up on your way to immigration.

Qiao, Michelle and Katie (fellow interns from UCSD IRPS)

Qiao and me

After three hours' travel time in the bed of the truck, I not only got my working papers, but also a slight sunburn which will make for a nice base tan for Phuket this weekend :)

You know you're living in Phrao when...

This sight is outside your office.

The legs sticking out of the snake's mouth are all that's left of the frog he is in the process of swallowing.

You know you're living in Phrao when...

• You are at your landlord's for a few drinks, and the ice runs out. Her son busts out his farming machete to more off of a large block frozen inside of a 7-11 bag.
• You are driving down the road and a man has two other people on his motorbike plus one child and driving 40 pmh... and is talking on his cell phone.
• You are driving down the road and another motorbike goes by, with a man on it who is dragging a large (dead) python by the tail with a huge grin on his face. 
• People on bikes, on foot and motorbikes make you stop driving in the middle of the road, just to say "Hello!" in English because you stand out that much. (It's very sweet and has happened at least 3-4 times).

More coming... this section could also be titled "Interesting things that happened when I didn't have a camera".

How to Plow

As the few westerners in a close-knit valley, we are often invited to participate in ceremonies and events that have nothing to do with our work here.  This week, for example, we attended an event dedicated to encouraging local farmers to use buffalo instead of tractors to till their rice fields (the issue is that, while using a tractor saves a lot of time, the profit from rice isn't enough to cover the expensive costs of rent and gas. Farmers do it all the time even though it makes no economic sense).

So this is how I found myself pushing a plow behind a buffalo, along with my colleagues and a brave state senator, to show how wonderful this method is.  No doubt my technique wowed the locals and will revolutionize Thai agriculture as we know it.  This is going on my resume:

I started plowing in borrowed boots, but they were too big, so if you look closely you can see that I went barefoot, as many farmers do (when in Rome).  The flowered necklace was a gift as part of the ceremony, and it smelled amazing.

Buffalo cooling off in the mud.

"Organic fertilizer" on our feet after plowing.  Conjure this image the next time you eat some tasty rice!

First day in the field

"Field work" has begun.  We have spent a month creating a questionnaire to survey those with disabilities, and we began conducting interviews this past weekend.  I guess that means I should tell you what it is I am doing here... 

As a bit of background, I am in a very rural area (if you couldn't tell by the bug video!), where many families have no income and have never attended school. They feed their families with what they can farm from the land, so having a family member born with a disability that requires attention or removes a member from the workforce, is devastating.  With no other option, some disabled are left to languish at home alone, or are abandoned to older relatives. Those who are more able-bodied try to find work, but either don't receive it for simple discrimination, or must work for less.

Further complicating their situation is the fact that those in Northern Thailand receive less support, representation and general attention from the central government, simply because of their background (lots don't even have Thai citizenship yet). 

So what are we hoping to do? Warm Heart is hoping to build a program through which those who are disabled can be given a chance. They may be taught a craft or skill, and provided with an accommodating workplace and transportation, and help selling their craft. The program would be supported by a portion of their wages. My role is to manage the research collection process: to find out what population we are dealing with, what their capabilities are, what they want and what they can do.  Because the government has no services available for those with disabilities, there is no data on the books.  We are here to collect it.

This process of interviewing the disabled, to say the least, is humbling. We have met farmers who are partially lame, missing limbs or are blind. But they work twice as hard to produce as much as their able-bodied neighbors.  This project is close to my heart not only because it addresses a major public health need, but because both of my grandfathers had disabilities from a young age that are very similar to the most common ailments here. One had no use of his right arm from birth, but became a successful lawyer (and avid chess player and golfer) and the other was blind in one eye, but served in the US military stateside during WWII, and went on to become a business owner and public servant. They inspired, mentored and intimidated us grandkids with their no-excuse attitude, and I see their spirit in these people every day.

I will continue to keep you posted on our progress. Here are a few photos from our first day in the field on Saturday.

Interviewing a 12-year-old with developmental and physical disabilities. His family is showing off his good grades in school.

P.S. it should be noted that the Lanna people (northern Thai) and hill tribes are by nature indescribably hospitable, kind and love to laugh, so it has been incredibly fun to conduct these interviews. And because a few westerners tend to be a spectacle, the entire village gathers 'round to take stare as we collect data... we are at the least a source for entertainment! 

Lisu women in traditional dress.

Interviewing a man whose botched spinal surgery left him unable to walk (and farm).

Warm Heart team takes a lunch break! (I passed on the grilled liver P'John is about to bite into)