Flexibility in World Traveling

On Tuesday, the LOTUS gang left the quiet and pleasantly surprising serene city of Chiang Rai for an ever more calm destination known as Mae Sai, a border town between Thailand and Myanmar. Before we arrived, we endured a bus ride that reminded me of an entry I once read in the Guinness Book of World Records. In this article, a group of friends banded together to break the existing record for the number of people that had been crammed into a Volkswagen Beetle, or "Bug." Although our bus was a lot larger than a "Bug," this only meant that more people could be squeezed onto it. With each new person that hopped on at the designated roadway stops, I imagined a huge air balloon that was at maximum capacity - just waiting to pop. At one point, a woman was practically sitting in my lap because there was barely any room to stand, let alone sit, on the bus. Just when it seemed we were packed to the brim, a family of three jumped on and nestled their way in between Amber and the window - a space that was already cramped with two huge cardboard boxes that forced one man to choose another seat so he would still have his legs at the end of the journey. I snickered to myself as I witnessed Amber's reaction to this incredibly flexible family, who actually managed to twist their bodies into the small space. I was incredibly lucky to have chosen the seat closest to the back door - 

probably the only seat that received any fresh air whatsoever.

After the bus ride, we dragged our luggage onto a song tao and departed for our meeting with members of an organization entitled Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities - DEPDC for short. As soon as we entered DEPDC's Mae Sai branch, I became captivated by the young children who ran around the center with huge playful smiles on their faces. We were warmly welcomed and received many adorable, "sawadee ka" greetings from cute little girls.

We learned more about DEPDC and its various programs which target children who are at risk of being sex trafficked - offering them a safe shelter, education, healthy meals, vocational/life skills training and more. We enjoyed walking around the center, visiting classrooms and open spaces which were filled with children playing soccer, jumping over ropes, and laughing to each other.

We met volunteers at DEPDC who offered to transport us back into town - a relief since we were worried about finding a song tao in the remote location and envisioned an interesting walk back to town with all of our luggage. Amber and I thought we were so smart to share a suitcase - which is massive and I have to sit on every morning to close- but realized about halfway through the trip that perhaps backpacks would have been the better option. We threw our huge bags into the van, and happily joined the DEPDC volunteers for lunch. Laura, a volunteer from Canada, escorted us to our guest house when we were finished eating, pointing out the best places to eat (and which ones to avoid) as well as the main shopping street.

After checking in, Amber and I headed out for some exploring and shopping, while Sara headed to the internet cafe to write emails and research future traveling plans. We walked up the main street and found countless elephants carvings made from jade (my obsessive compulsive disorder kicked in and I had to compare prices of elephants at every stall - not the fondest memory), stunning jewelry (stay away from the light!), handmade tapestries in every size and color from Myanmar and loads of other goodies which held our attention throughout the afternoon. I purchased a jade earring and necklace set, two jade elephants, and a tapestry which Amber labeled "too glitzy" - but I found just riiiight. The tapestry purchase was a nerve racking ordeal, in which four shop workers surrounded me, throwing different colored hangings in my direction saying, "good deal, good deal." I usually crack under such pressure, but stood my ground and searched through the wide assortment of tapestries until I found one that spoke to me. After what seemed like another hour of bargaining I walked out of the shop, tapestry in hand and vision of it hanging in my future house. Amber forewarned me about buying the tapestry, reminding me of the limited space we had in our suitcase. I only realized later just how obnoxious it is to carry that thing from city to city. Next stop: Luang Prabang, Laos. At least my tapestry is seeing the world..