March 4th

Today I went through a lot of training to learn about the Akha tribe and culture. One funny tribe I learned about builds houses with banana with leaf roofs. When the leaves turn yellow, the whole tribe relocates (weird, but what ever floats their boat). After practicing some basic language, it was time for food. For lunch, we had sou with pig, baby bees (yes, bees), fish heads, and amazing spinach with peanut sauce. I think the best part of all the food is organic. If the food can't be found where I am staying, people go the the nearby jungle to get it. Around 4:00 two people came back from one of the villages, Kent and Lay Jay. Kent is a volunteer from Minnesota and Lay Jay is in the Akha tribe working for AFECT as a translator.

That night we all went to the night market in Chiang Rai. This market is the tourist spot for the city and has many little shops and two big courtyards with stages and performers. We all drank a lot of beer (1. to get drunk and 2. Forty oz. of good beer is $1.25, how can I say no?) After many beers, and too much whiskey (the Akha drink of choice) we met the weirdest guy, John. John has an unknown age (my guess is about 45), he has no hair, tattoos fro head to toe, bloodshot eyes (guaranteed he was on crack), missing teeth, originally French but does not affiliate himself with them anymore, has lived in seven different countries (ten years in Thailand0, claims that money is everywhere so he does not need a job, and is about the most squirrely individual I have ever seen. Everything about him was weird.

Anyway, after even more beers our table was saying "chitu" (cheers in Akha) to everything we were talking about. We were going to every table around and saying cheers with them as well. Our table was by far the rowdiest and most entertaining, everyone was watching us. Lee Jay, being the oddball he is, went around calling everyone "my honey" and got girls to come to our table. Soon our one table of four grew to three tables of six. I was having the time of my life

Around 12:00 a.m. the four of us went to some random night club that John knew about. It was hilarious watching the live band singing American songs with Asian Accents! I couldn't help but laugh. John was hitting on women and men (he got the number of our male server) which did not surprise me. After about an hour, two Thai women (I thought) had bought me some drinks. Twenty minutes later, Lee Jay pulled me aside and informed me they were, in fact, lady boys. I hate this town. Around 2:00 a.m. I was ready to go home so we got a Tuk Tuk and I passed out the second we got back to Akha headquarters.