Harmony

(Monday) I can't quite find the words to explain how I feel. Right now I don't have a single worry. This is unfamiliar to me. I worry about everything, but I'm in such harmony. We just visited an UNESCO site. The Sukhothai Historic Park houses many ruins. They're breathtaking. We rode our bikes through the many ruins; in the backdrop were mountains dense with greens. The ponds carry lily pads, and the bridges lead towards remarkable Buddha statues. We rode our bikes for several hours enjoying each piece and the serenity of the area.

Chains used to date

After a long van ride, we have arrived at a cute guest house in Mae Sot. I have a single room this time. I don't like it. The room is nice, but it's a bit lonely. The group dynamic is already having an influence on me. We went to a "museum" for AAPP just a short walk from our guest house. It's more of an exhibit, and it was extremely moving. I will write a whole blog about AAPP because it deserves a lot of recognition. The exhibit is for political prisoners in Burma. The military has captured more than 2,000 prisoners throughout the years for unjust reasons. Now ex prisoners share their stories as they fight to release the rest of the prisoners including monks, students, women and politicians. They are detained in harsh prison conditions and suffer from disease, abuse and malnutrition. The strength they acquire is unbelievable. I fought back tears as I listen to their stories and see the photos in the exhibit. It's horrific and almost medieval in approach. After being released, they are living in exile. They have fled Burma to avoid being imprisoned again; this leaves them without communication to their families because doing so would put their families at risk of being arrested. One man told us he was captured while studying at the university. When he was released after six years he was denied an education, his documents and his family.

sample prison cell

These stories have left a different tone on the evening. As I sit in my room, I can't help but pray for them. They have endured great losses, but their strength and courage enlightens me.
When I asked what we can do to help they simply told us to help raise awareness. There was no donation box, and their website does not have a "Donate Now" option. They do not want to ask for money and act like beggars. They want their stories told and their voices heard to help free these prisoners. Get inspired at http://www.aappb.org/

(Tuesday) I didn't sleep at all last night. Perhaps it was because I was in a room by myself. My mind would not leave itself alone. Overdrive!!!! Thankfully today is a slower paced day. Isabel and I ate dinner alone last night. It was really nice but happened by accident. We thought we were supposed to meet the group downstairs at 6:30, but we missed the second announcement that said 6:20 or 6:30 at the restaurant. Of course neither of us heard the name of the restaurant either. We wandered for some time and settled on a recommended Burmese restaurant called Aiya. It was delicious and happened to be across the street from where our group ate. OOPS! We both tried the Thai Iced Tea and was it delicious!!! It was orange with black seeds and a bit thicker than normal ice tea. The two of us had a nice, long dinner partially because the food took forever, and the conversation was good :)
Today we were supposed to cross the border and go into Burma. However, the border is closed, and if you tried to cross at another point you risk the chance of being shot. Plan B turned out to be an enjoyable experience. In the very early morning we walked through my favorite market. It's so colorful and vibrant. There were freshly butchered meats and swimming fish. Everything you could imagine was being sold at one tent or another. We were greeted with wandering eyes and curious smiles. The little kids grinned from ear to ear when they saw all of us. It's funny, the streets are covered with motorbikes in which 4 people will ride. Only the driver wears a helmet but not the kids or other passengers. I think I saw a 12 year old driving one with his little brothers. After walking the market, we arrived at Peace Cafe. We sat down and had breakfast with the monk who owns it. He is also fighting for human rights in Burma. He has dedicated his life to helping the Burmese. His story was also very interesting. His views on politics and human rights are inspiring. Isabel has a video of the breakfast that hopefully I can borrow and upload. He is truly a man of character and at such a young age has endured a lot of difficulties. He cannot see his family in Burma either. A short while ago a woman helped arrange a secret flight for his mother to visit him only to be later arrested for assisting this process. He fights for the Burmese through peace walks and advocacy. He was so kind to allow us into his cafe and share stories with us.

 Later in the afternoon we went to a school for orphans. We traveled the Thai way. We were mostly piled in the back of a truck :) The schoolmates were enthusiastic and welcoming. Many of them speak three to four languages including English so we were able to interact with them. The little ones were so fascinated by our digital cameras, and they posed hoping we would keep taking pictures of them. They all love to do the Peace sign. Of course we snapped away trying to capture every moment. We even let them be the photographers and take a few photos.
It was such a wonderful interaction. There was one girl in particular who was absolutely adorable and had the tiniest puppy with her. She loved the camera and posed whenever she saw one pointed at her. They made a good pair.
The orphanage has Burmese children who have either lost their parents or have been sent there because living conditions were so oppressed. I loved the organic garden that was there; the children are the ones who help garden and grow food! We donated the money that we would have spent crossing the border to the school. It was a lovely afternoon. We were all smiling from ear to ear.
In the afternoon we packed in the back of three trucks and rode through the mountains for nearly five hours before reaching Umphang. The drive was breathtaking. Everyone knows my obsession with the mountains so I sat back, breathed the fresh air and enjoyed the winding ride.

Our ride to Umphang

Drive through mountains

Mountains :)

We also stopped at a Gibbon Sanctuary on our way to Umphang. The gibbons were all rescued or given to the sanctuary so they can have a better life. Some of them have very troubled pasts. At the sanctuary they are given three meals a day including the best fruits and vegetables. They look cute and welcoming, but gibbons are aggressive animals. They will often grab hold of people and tear articles of clothing off them.  They will put their hand out for you to shake like reaching out and trying to give a kid candy. Natural reaction would allow you to extend your arm and shake the gibbon's hand or take the piece of candy. Bad idea. When we walked around some of the gibbons were showing off and were very interested in us. Some were a little less welcoming. They would bang on their cages and make loud noises as if 20 different sirens were going off simultaneously.