gibbon songs from the andaman coast
i'm writing from the middle of nowhere, mostly. it's a small research facility and animal rehabilitation center located in a rural muslim village on the andaman sea on the west coast of thailand. i arrived last night, after a tedious journey from khao lak to burma and back to ranong to renew my visa. i'll be doing 2 weeks of volunteer work wtih war, wild animal rescue, on a sea turtle conservation project. they rehabilitate 80 primates here and i get to wake to the sound of gibbons calling to each other early in the morning. they sing for hours, and it's eerie and beautiful.
my work, with another temporary volunteer - wee - from singapore and two long-term volunteers from abroad (one is from mexico, ivan, so i get to practice my spanish!, while the other is from scotland), consists of observing two beaches.
we are going to be working from 9 in the evening to 4 or so in the morning. one beach is a short walk from the center. the other requires a sqim over a 400 meter channel with strong currents, filled with jellyfish. literally. there's a jellyfish catching and salting operation on the banks of our departure point. i get to swim through the muck every night praying i won't be stung by too many jellyfish. apparently, they're not lethal. at least that's some consolation.
when we arrive, we're supposed to cruise the beaches looking for sea turtle nests before the poachers, accompanied by guns, find them. apparently there's never been any trouble with poachers, but i can't help thinking, if there's no trouble, why do the poachers carry rifles? and i'm on foot with nothing but my water bottle, some crackers, and a flashlight? what am i supposed to do in case of trouble, navigate back over the jellyfish-laden sea? smack someone on the head with my mag-light? or use my delightful thai conversation skills to smooth the waters? (that's a joke. i don't really speak any thai!)
lucky me, though. there's bioluminscence in the water, so apparently it's quite a phenomenal swim, if you don't get carried out to sea.
when i make it home, i get to retire to my bed, hopefully to avoid the rat that roosts in my roof, and the scorpions and giant spiders in my hut. i sleep for about four hours, and then wake to plan the big turtle celebration day we're sponsoring in town in 10 days. then if i'm lucky i get an evening nap and start it all over again.
if i seem a bit cavalier about all this, it's because a) so is everyone else, b) what's my choice except to leave? they didn't include any of this in my orientation materials via email (oh, wait, i forgot - there were no orientation materials!), and c) i like to rough it. i'm getting too soft around the edges. i am chuckling to myself, honestly. and i haven't been out yet - tonight's my first night - so i'm hoping it really sounds worse than it is. i imagine that's the case.
other things: we eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, until we eat it all up. consists of lots of meat (one goat dish, one dish of morning glory - think spinach, and one dish with entire fish fried up). i'm not supposed to put my feet on the floor when i use the computer because it may shock me. the gibbons and macaques have lots of diseases, including hepatitis b, so i have to keep my distance. there's poop (i'm not sure of what kind of animal) all over the floor of the center, but it's inconsiderate to wear shoes indoors in thailand, so you just have to keep your senses alert so you don't step in it.
that said, this place is beautiful. no other foreigners besides us four. gibbons singing in the morning. completely deserted beaches with stunning views. forests and islands nearby with world-class trekking and diving. i've been invited to take tea at the muslim tea shop by the locals. kids smile and wave at us before turning away bashfully. i finally have the time to read, write, write emails, slow down, meditate a bit. i'm really happy to be here. it's just what i was looking for.
my work, with another temporary volunteer - wee - from singapore and two long-term volunteers from abroad (one is from mexico, ivan, so i get to practice my spanish!, while the other is from scotland), consists of observing two beaches.
we are going to be working from 9 in the evening to 4 or so in the morning. one beach is a short walk from the center. the other requires a sqim over a 400 meter channel with strong currents, filled with jellyfish. literally. there's a jellyfish catching and salting operation on the banks of our departure point. i get to swim through the muck every night praying i won't be stung by too many jellyfish. apparently, they're not lethal. at least that's some consolation.
when we arrive, we're supposed to cruise the beaches looking for sea turtle nests before the poachers, accompanied by guns, find them. apparently there's never been any trouble with poachers, but i can't help thinking, if there's no trouble, why do the poachers carry rifles? and i'm on foot with nothing but my water bottle, some crackers, and a flashlight? what am i supposed to do in case of trouble, navigate back over the jellyfish-laden sea? smack someone on the head with my mag-light? or use my delightful thai conversation skills to smooth the waters? (that's a joke. i don't really speak any thai!)
lucky me, though. there's bioluminscence in the water, so apparently it's quite a phenomenal swim, if you don't get carried out to sea.
when i make it home, i get to retire to my bed, hopefully to avoid the rat that roosts in my roof, and the scorpions and giant spiders in my hut. i sleep for about four hours, and then wake to plan the big turtle celebration day we're sponsoring in town in 10 days. then if i'm lucky i get an evening nap and start it all over again.
if i seem a bit cavalier about all this, it's because a) so is everyone else, b) what's my choice except to leave? they didn't include any of this in my orientation materials via email (oh, wait, i forgot - there were no orientation materials!), and c) i like to rough it. i'm getting too soft around the edges. i am chuckling to myself, honestly. and i haven't been out yet - tonight's my first night - so i'm hoping it really sounds worse than it is. i imagine that's the case.
other things: we eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, until we eat it all up. consists of lots of meat (one goat dish, one dish of morning glory - think spinach, and one dish with entire fish fried up). i'm not supposed to put my feet on the floor when i use the computer because it may shock me. the gibbons and macaques have lots of diseases, including hepatitis b, so i have to keep my distance. there's poop (i'm not sure of what kind of animal) all over the floor of the center, but it's inconsiderate to wear shoes indoors in thailand, so you just have to keep your senses alert so you don't step in it.
that said, this place is beautiful. no other foreigners besides us four. gibbons singing in the morning. completely deserted beaches with stunning views. forests and islands nearby with world-class trekking and diving. i've been invited to take tea at the muslim tea shop by the locals. kids smile and wave at us before turning away bashfully. i finally have the time to read, write, write emails, slow down, meditate a bit. i'm really happy to be here. it's just what i was looking for.
posted by Sharon @ 3:15 AM
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