bike ride

photo c/o guardian.co.uk

My host sister and I rode bicycles to Maejo University past backyard boarding houses (one-room bungalows with thatched roofs), fields of all kinds of vegetables, grazing water buffalo and bony cows, little shops, homes– a mish-mosh of land uses. The whole way we dodged manholes that lead to a ditch. After a bit of sleuthing I figured out that this ditch is where we toss our dirty water, full of detergent and fabric softener, after washing clothes by hand in these big basins. I assume everyone else in the neighborhood does the same, plus some people probably have their sewage piped there. This ditch follows the road until the road starts to curve, then empties into a big rice paddy. So the water full of chemicals, raw sewage, and oily runoff is being used to grow the rice. If only plants had some sort of biological mechanism for filtering that stuff out before sucking it up via transpiration.

The Situation…

For the next four months, I will be studying sustainable development in Thailand. The ISDSI program involves language study, cultural exchange elements like homestays, and expedition-based courses in which we will immerse ourselves in the culture and ecology of the forested mountains of the Thai-Burmese border, the mangrove swamps and islands of the coastal region, and the Mun and Yom Rivers.

Chiang Mai

It is easy to get around Chiang Mai without a map. The city is bounded to the east by the Mae Ping River and to the west by imposing mountains dotted with ancient wats (Buddhist temples), one of which requires visitors to climb more than 300 steps. Although I’ve gazed at these hillside wats from the roof garden of my hotel, I have not yet gathered the courage to climb to them. Instead, I have spent the past couple of days exlploring the sois (back streets) of the central part of town. Old Town, the historic district of CM, is a perfect square surrounded by a moat and the crumbling remains of the ancient city wall. Beyond Old Town, CM ripples outward in surburban rings towards the mountains. Even the highways that circle the city are named “First Ring Road” and “Second Ring Road.”

On the banks of the Mae Ping River, the flower weavers and arrangers have set up shop. Walking by this part of the river is particularly blissful, as the scent of so many gorgeous flowers permeates the air and drives away the ubiquitous motorcycle fumes. The area between Old Town and the river is also home to the largest markets and bazaars in town– block upon sprawling block of dry goods and food vendors. My school nurse warned against eating uncooked foods, including fruit, but the piles of strange and attractive fruits at the market are too tantalizing to pass up!