Friday, 21 January 2005
It's a warm afternoon here in Fang, and I have the afternoon free to relax. Today brings to completion the second week of my stay here in Fang and I have plenty of adventures to share.
I've met some great people here - who have been sooo generous in their welcome and hospitality. In fact, this weekend I'm off to Chiang Mai with some of these new-found friends - a bit of shopping, visit the Pandas and enjoy the sights of the city. I start regular village visits next week, definitely something I am looking forward to.
But here is another update.
Fang - where one earth?
A question I have been asked frequently since my arrival is "why did I choose Fang?". It's a fair enough question. Located in the far-north of Thailand, Fang cannot be found on most tourist maps - even Thai people rarely make it a travel destination. The general consensus is that there is simply not much to see. So, why did I choose Fang?
The People. Fang district has a population of around 150,000. Located around 100km north of Chiang Mai, Fang is in close proximity to borders with both Burma (Myanmar) and Laos. The population consists of an eclectic mix of Thai, Burmese (often refugees), Laos, Chinese and a variety of indigenous hill-tribes.
The Location. Northern Thailand boasts beautiful mountains and perfect weather. Just 15km from Fang is the Ang Khang National Park. Amongst the lush green mountains is a vast arboretum - with fruit trees, cacti, exotic plants, bonsai and thousands of flowering plants. Also nearby are the Mineral Hot Springs. Looking like a scene from another planet, with jets of steam spurting from black volcanic rocks, the landscape here is fully surreal. And if you can overcome the stench of sulphur the opportunity for a Mineral Bath is irresistible. Two hours north-east of Fang is Chiang Rai, and a bit further on is the famous Golden Triangle (my adventures here will no doubt find their way into my next letter).
The Hospital. Fang Hospital (where I am based) is the largest hospital in the District. It has 100 inpatient beds, and operating theatre, X-ray and ultrasound, a busy Emergency Department and an Outpatient Department that sees ~200 patients each day. There are 7 doctors here, including one Obstetrician/Gynaecologist. All the others are General Doctors (with varying experience) who attend to all ward, outpatient, emergency and surgical duties. Although this is an underequipped, understaffed, overworked health care centre by Australian standards, it manages all except the most serious emergency and surgical cases. There are also a few Thai medical students who do an amazing amount of procedural work - including C-sections and appendectomies unassisted! So it's the perfect opportunity to learn and practice clinical skills.
The Medical Cases. WARNING: SOME READERS MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING DISTURBING.
Obviously the caseload here is vastly different from Australian hospitals, but there are some similarities. Complications of smoking (e.g. lung cancer, COPD) are a big problem. This is only getting worse as tobacco companies switch their energy from "developed" countries (with growing restrictions) to "developing" countries (with easy, open markets). Trauma cases make up about half of Emergency admissions - most are from road accidents (not surprising). [Thailand has 20,000 road fatalities each year - and tens times more injuries. Road accidents cost Thailand 2% of the country's GDP!] One guy I saw had his entire right thigh shredded - skin, fat, muscle, nerves, the lot! Makes me reconsider getting a motorbike.
Firecrackers also do their damage - I assisted in the amputation of a 12yo boy's finger thanks to this. Animals are a threat - today I saw a boy with a monkey bite (the biggest concern here is the risk of rabies). Infectious diseases are common, especially with migrating populations from endemic areas (e.g. Burma).
One of my most enjoyable experiences so far has been a Polio vaccination drive. In one morning we visited a dozen local schools giving the oral vaccine (no big needles) to 500+ kids. I haven't seen much malaria, but plenty of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Today I saw a skeleton of a women with awful oesophageal thrush due to advanced AIDS. Neglected medical conditions are also commonplace - including fractures, appendicitis, infected wounds, and end-stage organ failure.
So, with interesting people, great local attractions, a friendly hospital and mindblowing caseload - it's no surprise I chose to come to Fang!
Other Highlights
Food - Thai food is great. And thankfully eating is a national hobby. So there has been no shortage of rice, curry, noodles, sweets and other delicacies to experiment with. [Though there is a bit too much pork for my liking].
Karaoke - Perhaps second to Thai's love of food, is their love of Karaoke. It can be heard from houses and shops daily, is a must at any gathering (from birthday parties to professional conferences), and is the perfect conclusion to…well anything really. Fortunately I love music - but the destruction of talented artists good music by PopStar wannabees (myself included) does begin to wear thin after a few hours.
Kathoey - Some boys here in Thailand have feminine mannerisms and behaviour (like anywhere else really). While this would be undoubtably suppressed in mainstream Western culture, in Thailand it is actively encouraged - resulting in Kathoey, Thailands third sex. There are also a large number of gay couples living happy lives with the blessing and acceptance of society. Certainly something Australian mainstream society could benefit from!!
Tsunami - Much attention continues to focus on the relief effort and further preventative strategies. With 226,000 deceased - the concern now is for the 1,000,000 who have lost their livelihood with no prospect of recovery for years. At the Kobe Disaster Summit in Japan, interesting discussions have surfaced. One such topic raised is the issue of climate change (which US representatives immediately attempted to quash). Here are some expert comments:
Climate change is not a movie or science fiction development. It is calculable. It is already happening. (The result is) the short-term increase of extreme weather conditions. It is not only a quantitative increase. It is also a qualitative increase. The amplitude of those extreme weather conditions is higher. So we have more and more intensive storms, hurricanes and cyclones. We have more intensive flooding with very heavy raining. We have more intensive droughts.
Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
It's childish. It's infantile to say if you don't name it doesn't exist. You cannot look at disaster risk reduction in the world today without looking at climate change.
Ben Wisner, hazards expert at London School of Economics
Conclusions
I'll sign off now. Hope you have enjoyed another update. You can view them all online at http://www.hamishthailand.blogspot.com/. Feel free to pass this on to others who are interested.
In love.
Hamish
Email: http://by103fd.bay103.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=7C412622-85E1-4D8E-BDCB-4917820A8B07&start=0&len=10376&src=&type=x&to=hamish_hammer_graham@hotmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=dab7afb5abe55ff3d3545f8437d60485
8.1.05
Thai Opus 2 - Bangkok to Chiangmai
Saturday, 8 January 2005
I’ve finally reached Fang – a small city 4 hours north of Chiangmai, very near the Burmese border. The morning is cool, and a moist mist envelops my cottage. In fact, I have even needed to drag out my jumper!
A great deal has happened in the last few weeks. I’ve travelled from Bangkok through central Thailand, across to the western border and now up to the far north. I’ve had some quality family time as we visited dozens of tourist sites, but finally said goodbye yesterday as the others departed for home. The next five weeks I’ll be spending here at Fang Hospital – hopefully seeing a bit of the surrounding hill-tribe communities as well.
So here goes for another quick update!
Kittapong – my sponsor brother
Child Sponsorship – “an artificial union between two vastly different individuals, families and communities that has the potential to produce lasting change”.
Like many Australians, my family and I are involved in child sponsorship. Aid organisations, such as World Vision, Compassion and CCF, strive to give a human face to their calls for contributions. They certainly seem to draw in the money, but I’ve always wondered about their true value. Are they simply a successful promotional tool or can they be something more?
Kittapong, my father’s 6yo sponsor son, is from a Karen village in the hills of Chiangmai province, Northern Thailand. Having been in contact with Compassion staff while in Australia, our arranged visit was to be one of the highlights of our time here. So, Wednesday morning we were up bright and early for a 7:30am start. [Unfortunately our first driver crashed his car on the way to get us, so we didn’t actually leave until 9am] It took almost 6 hours to reach the Compassion school Kittapong attended – winding up and down steep roads and bumping along pot-holed dirt tracks.
Climbing out of the car we were met by a handful of smiling Compassion staff and an anxious looking Kittapong clinging grimly to his mother’s neck. After a tour of the school and boarding houses we set off again to Kittapong’s village. Here we met his younger sister and a host of extended family members.
Kittapong and his family live in a three-roomed hut, mounted on wooden posts. The floor, roof and walls are made of bamboo and there is no electricity. Cooking is done over a fire pit in the corner of one room, the bathroom was “out bush”. With no furniture the floors were clear for working, playing and sleeping. A few clothes hung from one corner, but other possessions were not visible.
Mum pulled out a few gifts from Australia – pen, paper, toiletries, Tshirt, beanies etc. The children first reacted warily, then began curiously exploring these foreign trinkets. Kittapong’s mother helped pull a T-shirt over his head. As he stood to admire the Tasmanian Devil picture a big grin broke out. The first smile we had seen, sheer joy radiating from his face.
Unfortunately we all too soon had to leave. Having seen how treasured they hold our letters and photos; having heard how his family talk about his education, health and future; and having witnessed the joy our presence and a few small gifts can bring – I realise that child sponsorship is more than just a $400 transaction each year. And I will certainly be putting a little extra effort into my letters to my own sponsor child in the Philippines.
Travelling Highlights
Exchange Family – During 2002/03 my sister, Serena, went to Thailand as an exchange student. A few hours north of Bangkok is Ban Phraek, where she lived with her host parents, and sister, Mae. Having heard stories and seen photos it was a real thrill to actually meet them in the flesh. They toured us around the big attractions. Lop Buri - famous for its huge number of rogue monkeys, which are apparently led by a one-eyed dominant male. Ayuthaya – the ancient city ruins of a very wealthy empire. It also brought back many memories of my own time on exchange in the Slovak Republic (1998/99).
Moo Ban Dek "Children’s Village" – a morning stopover at a village orphanage school turned out to by a truly inspiring time. This is home to around 50 kids from six to sixteen years old. It is arranged in huts – each hut houses 12 –15 kids and two house-parents. During the day, house-parents double as teachers. It is run by children – they make decisions, farm, cook and purchase necessities. Interestingly, they do not have to DO anything – they are promised food, clothing and love regardless. School, work and chores are all a choice. Truly remarkable! Volunteers can come for stints of a year.
Death Railway – crossing Thailand into Burma, this infamous railway was constructed during World War II by Allied POWs and local labourers. The “Bridge over River Kwae”, in the city of Kanchanaburi, has been immortalised by book and film. Museums in Kanchanaburi pay homage to the events of this time and the many who lost their lives here. The Three Pagodas stands as a memorial up on the Thai Burma border, where the railway crossed over.
River Kwae Christian Hospital – also up near the Burmese border is this small but impressive hospital. It is run by Thai, Burmese and other local ethnic groups for the refugees and underpriviliged of the area. A few foreign volunteers are also involved in the work here. Particularly working with the intellectually and physically disabled. It would be a very interesting place for an elective.
Tsunami’s Wake – no doubt you’ve continued to hear updates regarding the Tsunami. It is encouraging to hear of the work of Aid NGOs, and the generosity of governments and individuals around the globe. Hopefully all these pledges will actually reach the local people in a tangible way.
I quote a comment from http://www.alertnet.org/:
“The most important question, however, is what role the region's governments, national and local, and non-governmental organisations and faith networks will be allowed to play. Only if they are at the centre of decision-making and spending will recovery efforts enhance local capacities and be sustainable.”
Here in Thailand, tourist resorts affected are reportedly back to 80% functionality. Of course, unlike the hundreds of local families, businesses and communities, the resorts have insurance!
Conclusions
That’s it from me. I hope you have enjoyed another update. You can view them all online at http://www.hamishthailand.blogspot.com/. Hopefully I’ll be able to put up photos here too.
Feel free to pass this on to others who are interested.
In love.
Hamish
Email: http://by103fd.bay103.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=7C412622-85E1-4D8E-BDCB-4917820A8B07&start=0&len=10376&src=&type=x&to=hamish_hammer_graham@hotmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=dab7afb5abe55ff3d3545f8437d60485
I’ve finally reached Fang – a small city 4 hours north of Chiangmai, very near the Burmese border. The morning is cool, and a moist mist envelops my cottage. In fact, I have even needed to drag out my jumper!
A great deal has happened in the last few weeks. I’ve travelled from Bangkok through central Thailand, across to the western border and now up to the far north. I’ve had some quality family time as we visited dozens of tourist sites, but finally said goodbye yesterday as the others departed for home. The next five weeks I’ll be spending here at Fang Hospital – hopefully seeing a bit of the surrounding hill-tribe communities as well.
So here goes for another quick update!
Kittapong – my sponsor brother
Child Sponsorship – “an artificial union between two vastly different individuals, families and communities that has the potential to produce lasting change”.
Like many Australians, my family and I are involved in child sponsorship. Aid organisations, such as World Vision, Compassion and CCF, strive to give a human face to their calls for contributions. They certainly seem to draw in the money, but I’ve always wondered about their true value. Are they simply a successful promotional tool or can they be something more?
Kittapong, my father’s 6yo sponsor son, is from a Karen village in the hills of Chiangmai province, Northern Thailand. Having been in contact with Compassion staff while in Australia, our arranged visit was to be one of the highlights of our time here. So, Wednesday morning we were up bright and early for a 7:30am start. [Unfortunately our first driver crashed his car on the way to get us, so we didn’t actually leave until 9am] It took almost 6 hours to reach the Compassion school Kittapong attended – winding up and down steep roads and bumping along pot-holed dirt tracks.
Climbing out of the car we were met by a handful of smiling Compassion staff and an anxious looking Kittapong clinging grimly to his mother’s neck. After a tour of the school and boarding houses we set off again to Kittapong’s village. Here we met his younger sister and a host of extended family members.
Kittapong and his family live in a three-roomed hut, mounted on wooden posts. The floor, roof and walls are made of bamboo and there is no electricity. Cooking is done over a fire pit in the corner of one room, the bathroom was “out bush”. With no furniture the floors were clear for working, playing and sleeping. A few clothes hung from one corner, but other possessions were not visible.
Mum pulled out a few gifts from Australia – pen, paper, toiletries, Tshirt, beanies etc. The children first reacted warily, then began curiously exploring these foreign trinkets. Kittapong’s mother helped pull a T-shirt over his head. As he stood to admire the Tasmanian Devil picture a big grin broke out. The first smile we had seen, sheer joy radiating from his face.
Unfortunately we all too soon had to leave. Having seen how treasured they hold our letters and photos; having heard how his family talk about his education, health and future; and having witnessed the joy our presence and a few small gifts can bring – I realise that child sponsorship is more than just a $400 transaction each year. And I will certainly be putting a little extra effort into my letters to my own sponsor child in the Philippines.
Travelling Highlights
Exchange Family – During 2002/03 my sister, Serena, went to Thailand as an exchange student. A few hours north of Bangkok is Ban Phraek, where she lived with her host parents, and sister, Mae. Having heard stories and seen photos it was a real thrill to actually meet them in the flesh. They toured us around the big attractions. Lop Buri - famous for its huge number of rogue monkeys, which are apparently led by a one-eyed dominant male. Ayuthaya – the ancient city ruins of a very wealthy empire. It also brought back many memories of my own time on exchange in the Slovak Republic (1998/99).
Moo Ban Dek "Children’s Village" – a morning stopover at a village orphanage school turned out to by a truly inspiring time. This is home to around 50 kids from six to sixteen years old. It is arranged in huts – each hut houses 12 –15 kids and two house-parents. During the day, house-parents double as teachers. It is run by children – they make decisions, farm, cook and purchase necessities. Interestingly, they do not have to DO anything – they are promised food, clothing and love regardless. School, work and chores are all a choice. Truly remarkable! Volunteers can come for stints of a year.
Death Railway – crossing Thailand into Burma, this infamous railway was constructed during World War II by Allied POWs and local labourers. The “Bridge over River Kwae”, in the city of Kanchanaburi, has been immortalised by book and film. Museums in Kanchanaburi pay homage to the events of this time and the many who lost their lives here. The Three Pagodas stands as a memorial up on the Thai Burma border, where the railway crossed over.
River Kwae Christian Hospital – also up near the Burmese border is this small but impressive hospital. It is run by Thai, Burmese and other local ethnic groups for the refugees and underpriviliged of the area. A few foreign volunteers are also involved in the work here. Particularly working with the intellectually and physically disabled. It would be a very interesting place for an elective.
Tsunami’s Wake – no doubt you’ve continued to hear updates regarding the Tsunami. It is encouraging to hear of the work of Aid NGOs, and the generosity of governments and individuals around the globe. Hopefully all these pledges will actually reach the local people in a tangible way.
I quote a comment from http://www.alertnet.org/:
“The most important question, however, is what role the region's governments, national and local, and non-governmental organisations and faith networks will be allowed to play. Only if they are at the centre of decision-making and spending will recovery efforts enhance local capacities and be sustainable.”
Here in Thailand, tourist resorts affected are reportedly back to 80% functionality. Of course, unlike the hundreds of local families, businesses and communities, the resorts have insurance!
Conclusions
That’s it from me. I hope you have enjoyed another update. You can view them all online at http://www.hamishthailand.blogspot.com/. Hopefully I’ll be able to put up photos here too.
Feel free to pass this on to others who are interested.
In love.
Hamish
Email: http://by103fd.bay103.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=7C412622-85E1-4D8E-BDCB-4917820A8B07&start=0&len=10376&src=&type=x&to=hamish_hammer_graham@hotmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=dab7afb5abe55ff3d3545f8437d60485
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