From Taiwan — to Thailand — and the Burmese Jungle Border

Spending Time with Burmese Refugees

A Pussy Cat Tale

Lady Donga Diaries

Words & Pictures — Lady Donga

Meow 144

My human Seaspray D sat contented in the healing waters of Guanziling hot spring — a popular wet patch for tourists and locals alike in Baihe District, Tainan - Taiwan.

It was his last day in Taiwan — so he wanted to wash away all the bad and soak in the good.

Guanziling has several vegetarian restaurants where Seaspray D enjoyed a bowl of Shiitake mushroom and Tofu (no not stinky) before getting on the bus for Kaohsiung airport.

On the bus sitting beside him was his trusted friend Mei Ling — a Burmese refugee of Chinese KMT ethnic origin — who fled the Shan State Burmese city of Kengtung some years ago.

The KMT (Kuomintang — Nationalist Party of China) originated on the Chinese mainland — but have been based in Taiwan since 1949.

The offspring of the original KMT members also live in the Golden triangle border areas of Northern Thailand, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar).

Mei Ling and her mother ran a Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup restaurant, and Seaspray D met Mei Ling by chance at the local Hsinying post office bank, Taiwan.

Seaspray D was in the process of opening a bank account — and Mei Ling assisted translating the procedure in perfect English for him.

They became good mates after that — walks in the park — trips to the hot spring — and many meals together at her beef noodle soup café.

In fact for a while there Mei Ling’s mother was concerned the pair were getting too close.

And now they were close — sitting beside each other on the bus as it pulled into Kaohsiung International airport.

There were farewell cheek kisses, hugs, and tears in the departure lounge — and then Seaspray D was alone in the air — riding high through polluted brown tinged clouds on a Hong Kong Express Boeing 737 where he would soon change planes at Chep Lap Kok airport and fly onto Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

Once Seaspray D cleared Thai customs he made his way to the Chiang Mai Bus station and was lucky to get the last seat on the bus for Mae Sot on the Thai Burmese border.

Seaspray D slept for the almost 7-hour journey and was unable to sleep once he arrived at the guest house.

Well, that could have been because the guest house was situated right next door to a pig abattoir — where pigs squealed their last squeal — all night long.

The next day for compassionate reasons he passed on the bacon and had tomatoes with his eggs instead.

While he enjoyed his favorite pineapple/banana smoothie — a young lady with an American accent walked up to his table and said –“hello, you must be Seaspray D, I’m Amy from The BVP ( Burma Volunteer Program).”

“Our organization supports over 100 Burmese community groups in multiple locations along the Thai- Burma Border — working in key sectors: education, health, media, human rights, and democratization — we are so glad to have you on board Seaspray D — we will appreciate your English teaching expertise and experience on speaking, writing, editing and general knowledge on human rights — which is very important for our refugee cohort to learn,” Amy said.

And as soon as he drained his coffee cup — Seaspray D piled into the back of a jeep eventually heading for the mountainous Burmese border area.

However, before arriving at the refugee camp — Seaspray D would take a week stop over at Mae Sariang.

There he would meet and teach with many Karen refugee teachers who had special permits to be absent from the border refugee camp for educative teacher training program purposes.

Refugees, primarily from the Karen ethnic group ran the Mae Sariang facility that was lucky to have a very generous Norwegian donor.

Norwegian gap year students would also do a six month or so stint at the facility and the refugee camps — and then offer a presentation of their experience to the Norwegian public on their return.

The next day Seaspray D met the students and ran an English class for them.

He was especially impressed with their discipline — no interruptions — no misbehavior — in fact it seemed the whole show was run on respectful military precision.

The Karen teachers would take notes on Seaspray D’s teaching style — and then emulate it under his guidance.

In between lessons — Seaspray D would join the Norwegian students downtown.

Those vikings sure knew how to drink — perhaps to alleviate the boredom of this quiet backwater town.

Seaspray D had given his liver ‘time out’ long before that — so he stuck to the pineapple/banana smoothies.

A week passed fairly quickly — and soon Seaspray D and the Norwegian students would ride that bumpy road to Sob Moei district in Mae Hong Son Province and the Mae La Oon Refugee Camp on the Thai Burma border.

But that is another tale — for sometime soon.

MeooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooW for now dear readers

Until next time

With Love — Lady Donga Diaries — © Meow 144–2023