Dear Glen Thanks to your WWW site and letter we have had a marvellous time in Thailand - No. 4 Guesthouse was so relaxing and welcoming. Extracts from our new year letter to friends: Three weeks after our return to work, we had another ten days holiday for Chinese New Year. This year we travelled with two others to Thailand, and spent some time in Chang Mai, then flew down to Mae Sot for 7 days, returning to Shanghai after a night in Bangkok. Thailand is truly amazing, and we had a great adventure. Most of our fond memories are from the Mae Sot sojourn. We arrived in trepidation, as we had just received news that there had been some tanks in the town because of some fighting at the Burmese border. However, we pressed ahead. We stayed at No. 4 Guest house, all four of us sleeping in one room on a large mattress, and covered by a mosquito net. We managed to fit an electric fan inside the netting which kept us cool. We were taken on a trek by the owner of the guest house, and were joined by one bemused traveller from Sweden who soon became an honorary member of our family. (We called ourselves the Fluggers). Our first day was a long journey in the back of an open truck, high into the hills of central Thailand. It was hot and dusty, and we had only one stop at a corrugated iron shed which served us lunch. We visited a Mong village, which was part of the King's Project - changing from growing opium to growing roses. They also specialised in silver jewellery, of which we purchased a fair amount. We then stopped for an evening stroll (up a mountain) before we were taken to guest house within a National Park. So our first evening ended in this village. We arrived in the middle of a Buddhist service, and for four hours the temple sounded out through loud speakers a series of chants. It was quite fascinating. The second day was spent mostly on the river, rafting down on bamboo poles roped together, and through some rapids and overhanging limestone cliffs. After four hours of this, the guide told Bev to travel in the truck, while the other five took a five hour walk through the jungle to the next camping spot. This delighted Bev, who is not known for her eagerness to climb mountains at at any time ... . She sat and waited until the exhausted walkers arrived hours later, and flopped wearily down. We slept that night in tents, lying on ground that had not been cleared from sticks. Ross's back protested very much. The third day, before setting off on a three hour walk to another village, we walked to a waterfall that was the setting for the film Greystoke. We swam in the lake at the bottom of this magnificent waterfall, then set off for a walk through the jungle to a Karen village, where we spent the night. It was like a journey back in time to see the villagers living out their lives exactly as they had done for hundreds of years - no electricity, starting at four in the morning husking rice. Our sleeping quarters were off the ground, and shared by a particularly raucous rooster, which also had a mission in the morning to service every hen that looked alive. The ground under us was shared by pigs, dogs and other wandering things. The next day was a treat. We saw a two year old have a tantrum that beats anything we have every seen. It screamed and yelled, ran up and down the village, broke down fences, went into yards and dragged out baskets and promptly stamped on them. Not satisfied with stamping on them, he then rolled on top of them, still screaming and ranting. Everybody ran for cover, as no-one was keen to take him on (did I mention that it was a baby elephant?) This naughty elephant was apparently annoyed because his friend had to work and he wanted to play. Anyhow, we were all helped into our two-man howdahs and set off for our four-hour ride back to the main road, marvelling at the surefootedness of our elephants. The naughty one decided to follow, screaming and raging all the way, getting in front and standing still, then banging into things. Each time it started, our guides hid behind trees. It was spectacular!! We finally made it back to Mae Sot, and spent a few days there. The main focus of our visit there was to peruse the markets. There is a huge one on the border riverside that is served by Burmese, who seem to walk across the river and sell things in the market and then go home. Megan and Bev found a great deal of silver to purchase, and Ross and Darren went for carvings. We found a restaurant that had live music, and Ross spent a couple of nights introducing the performer to 'jamming blues'. We visited several temples and shrines and took lots of photos. Mae Sot is on the border of Thailand and Burma, and it was there that we had our eyes opened to the plight of the Burmese refugees. Our other companion had contacts with the refugee camp, and we were lucky enough to be permitted to visit it. Unfortunately for us, it was the day that the Thai authorities had decided to relocate some refugees and so we were smuggled into the camp early in the morning through the back way and asked to keep out of sight. We hid our cameras, especially on our return going through armed check-points. This camp houses 25,000 refugees. We met the Principal of one of the schools and remember particularly his poignant remark I was offered some tiles for my roof, but I said no because it would indicate that I thought I would be permanent here. He had been in the camp for 8 years, and everyday thought about going home to Burma. We asked how we could send aid, and it appears that one of the best ways is to sponsor further education for teachers. They can complete their training in India. The camp has five primary and two secondary schools and are looking to start technical training. He asked us for 'how to' books on sewing and knitting. Apparently worse conditions exist in the refugee camps in Burma. They are cold and hungry, and many of them are forced to work for nothing for the Government. What it has done for us is given us a life-long commitment to helping them in whatever way we can. We did not like Bangkok that much as it was too full of westerners, all looking for the bargains or the sleaze. The city is crowded, but does not seem to have the character that defines Shanghai. We will return though. Thailand is a beautiful place. .... Please feel free to make use of any of this in your web-site if you wish. Thanks again Arohanui, Bev & Ross Polson email: polsonrb@guomai.sh.cn Room 401, Building 33, Hai Lian Gardens, 135 Song Yan Lu Shanghai 200335 P.R. China ph : (86) (21) 6401 1355