Well, my team has been in Mae Sot, Thailand for about three days now for month two! We are only one of two teams in U squad that is spending our month alone without any other teams. So far, Thailand has been basically everything that everyone who has been here said that it was – in a word – awesome.
We left Harbin, China on a 16 hour train ride back to Beijing, where we arrived very early morning on October 1st. There we completed debrief, visiting the Forbidden City, checking out the Birds Nest and Cube from the 2008 olympics, and of course, climbing the Great Wall! On October 4th we flew out of Beijing back to Incheon, where we flew from to Bangkok. We arrived in Bangkok late, where I rode in my first songthaew to where we spent the night. We left Bangkok the next afternoon in a very luxurious (seriously, I'm not being sarcastic) bus for an 8 hour ride to Mae Sot.
We arrived in Mae Sot at about 5am. We met our contact, Ray, who took us to the border of Thailand and Myanmar (Burma), as Mae Sot is right on the border and is a very important vessel for crossing the river that divides the two nations.
We are staying on the second floor or a restaurant called Famous Ray's that is owned by our contact. Here they hire Burmese young adults to supply them a job and work experience in a friendly environment. We do not have air conditioning, but we do just fine with fans, WiFi, a shower/bathroom, and of course, a restaurant right below us!
Our contacts let us sleep until early afternoon. But afterwards we left to go to a small place that houses young Burmese refugees, where we played ninja and coonja (sp?) with them. Later we worshipped with them and Bethany gave a message.
Every morning we have eaten at a Muslim restaurant (there are many people from many backgrounds in Mae Sot as it is a vital border town) called the Lucky Tea where we have chickpeas and nan, which is fantastically good. Nearby where we stay there is a restaurant which serves excellent italian food, so I'm basically in heaven. Also, the green Fanta in Thailand is incredibly good, along with the fact that mentos and Red Bull are extremely cheap here at about ten baht (33 cents).
Yesterday morning we bought 4 bikes to use to travel around the city, and it was our first chance to try them out. We were going to ride them to the Lucky Tea, and with six in the team and only four bikes, two had to sit, side straddle, on the rack on the back. I drove with Allison on the back, and Alysa and Bethany rode together (not sure who was driving) as well. It wasn't the smoothest bike ride we've gone on, but we made it there and back unscathed.
After breakfast we spent the morning with a Burmese man named Myo, who guided us along the borderline and told us about himself and what has recently gone on in the area. There is an area on the banks of the river between the water and the concrete wall on the Thai side where Burmese people stay, as they do not wish to live in Myanmar but are not citizens of Thailand. This place is called no man's land.
In the afternoon we went to a small place that houses Burmese refugee children and gives them basic education. A WR alumni and person who works with our contact, Michael, was teaching english when we were there. Afterwards we played coonja and charades with the children before leaving.
We finished the day with a scavenger hunt, set up by two of our contacts, Jesse and Jen. With a milkshake on the line, we split into two teams, me, Alysa, and Allison against Jacob, Anna, and Bethany. Again, we took our bikes, and again it wasn't the smoothest ride I've gone on before. But as time went on, we adjusted and by the end we could ride two on a bike decently well. One of the things on the list to find said "Find the Borderline", so we biked approximately (I'm guessing) 8 kilometers to the border, took a photo, and biked 8 kilometers back. Later we found out the Borderline was a store located very close to where we are staying. Very funny. But, for the record, our team did win in a close battle.
So far, Thailand has been great! Our location has been phenomenal, our contacts are super awesome (shout out to Ray, Jerry, Jesse, Jen, Michael, Zach, Mark, Calvin and Amy!), and ministry have been a lot of fun. Today we helped dig a pit for a fish pond and level a place for two frog ponds (along with helping make concrete from sand, rock, cement mix, and water for the base). It was hot, humid, and hard work (my hands blistered very quickly), but it was definitely worthwhile and enjoyable. Hopefully more great stories from here in Mae Sot are to come!
Yours always,
Jake
