Mr. Chorn in Thailand

Last week a friend from college came to visit for a few days. We've been calling him 'Chorn' (Mr. Spoon). As requested, I finally posted some of his pics! Mr. Chorn with the Elephants. I keep a healthy distance--they're so big and scary! I rode an elephant once in Loas, and touched a baby one, but that's enough for me.
Here's one painting. It's really amazing how brilliant these creatures are. If anyone wants me to send them a painting by an elephant, let me know. Some are quite good. As for Chorn, he took home paper made from elephant dung ... hummm. A Spirit-House at a rooftop hangout spot.

The Sunday night market. Chorn loved it. I get overwhelmed after the first hour.

He managed to get a pic of ajD shopping around.

These are from a day trip to Chiang Dao, a holy mountain in northern Thailand. Below is the entrance to the Chiang Dao Cave:

Did we really fit through that tiny hole? Chorn! Did you get stuck!?!

Stairway to the Wat on Chiang Doi mountain, and the Wat below.

Khun Sa's House

A few weeks ago one of the world most wanted drug kingpins from the Golden Triangle, Khun Sa, died in Burma. I went up to his old house where he ran his operations a few months ago. There's talk of renovating his old compound now that he's dead--even talk of turning it into a tourist trap of sorts. I wanted to show a few pics of what it looks like before anything dramatic changes.

Khun Sa's camp is in a Shan village up in the mountains, and is extremely difficult to find, first of all. But thanks to J and Pornsak we managed to find it. When we got to the village there was nobody there, but some kids playing football told us to go right in. the place looked like it had hardly been touched since he left. Part of the house was used as a kind of museum commemorating heroes who have fought for an independent Shan state located primarily in Burma. There were old maps, and paintings of leaders in traditional clothing, and a copy of a statement of a Shan independence state signed by the Burmese government prior to the current Junta, who have ignore it. And there were cobwebs. And dust. Everywhere. Obviously, it's not cared after very well. It may also reflect some ambivalence about Khun Sa within his own community.
The Thai authorities tolerated him for a time when he was useful in fending off supposed communist threats. He was also in a poppy territorial war for control of the trade with the Chinese nationals around Mae Salong (I plan to blog about that soon). Anyway, he began to be a liability and embarrassment when he started knocking off CIA agents snooping around him. He was very open about what he did, and says he used the drug revenues to fight for the liberation of the Shan ethnic group. He's a fallen hero to some Shan. After all, he 'turned himself in' to the Burmese Junta. In turn for shutting up about Shan liberation, he got a nice life with a big house and reportedly got to play golf all the time. The place had a strange feel about it; like you just knew many people were killed in this very spot. You get the sense that Khun Sa's cause is also dying, being eaten away by cobwebs. Perhaps there are better ways for the Shan to go forward other than a separatist state.

The Hall of Opium

Close to Chiang Rai is the infamous 'Golden Triangle' area where three countries, Thailand, Burma, and Loas meet around the Mekong river. The name started with the CIA to the illegal opium trade that runs wild in the area, with production peaking in the 70's. The name has stuck ever since. Tucked in a mountain, alone and off the beaten path is the biggest, baddest, most entertaining non-art museum, I've ever been to: The Hall of Opium.

Did I mention it's super fun? You start out going through an underground tunnel that goes from one side of the mountain to the other side where the museum complex is. The tunnel is a hallway of crazy lighting and psychedelic music that's suppose to make you feel like you're on an opium or heroine trip ... it starts out good, but like a 'comedown' later gets nightmarish. It has a number of fun exhibits that show the history of opium, and also how the local Hill Tribes (minorities) have used it for centuries for medicinal purposes (as they are still allowed to do today). I liked the fact that it covered so much ground, from trade politics to opium paraphernalia.

China has heavily funded the Museum, and that can be seen in several ways: 1. The English is actually correct! 2. The heavy focus on Opium's impact on China especially in the later half of the 19th century, the Opium Wars, and the English who forced it on them, and 3. The dozens of times they mention the word SHAME to talk about opium's negative effects on Chinese society. Just to mention a few more things, there was an interesting video section on drugs and war in the recent times, including American support of military forces (such as Afghanistan's Muhajideen) who fund themselves through opium production. I was also impressed that they didn't shy away from giving the right information about the Siamese Monarchy and opium. The Monarchy controlled and taxed trade and opium dens! And at some points, opium accounted for up to 25% of the monarchy's income.

Of course they didn't spend too much time on the lure of the 'high' people get from drugs ... understandable. But there was a whole two halls dedicated to public service announcements: "The Hall of Excuses" (gotta love that name!) shows the negative consequences of drug abuse, and many high profile celebrities who died or suffered from it. And "The Hall of Reflection" has quotes from the Bible, Buddha, Gandhi and others to inspire people to stop drug abuse and the illegal drug trade.

The Golden Triangle is an appropriate location for the museum, given its history past and present. Yet it's also a good place to promote the project initiated by the Princess Mother. She is the current King Bhumibol's mother, and is loved in the north. The project's goals are to rehabilitate the forests, and to stop the hill tribe people's dependence on the opium trade. So it has focused on education (hence the museum), developing substitutionary crops and training for alternative employment. The trip as an inspiration for my own public service announcement for halloween: a "junky" heroine addict with gross bandages, and bloody veins ... beware kids :)