From an email I sent out to some friends today:
Hey folks I had an amazing day thought I would share a bit...
I went to the dump site (Mae Sot Thailand) where the Burmese families scavenge for recyclables (plastics and metal) today for the 4th consecutive day. I arrive early at 7am or so and and stay till 11-12pm...by 11 I am pretty much spent, the heat here is something else, I have never been so hot for so long before, I put on sunscreen 3 times a day and still get burnt, drink 2 more bottles of water in those 4 hours but still end up dehydrated. The temp daily with high humidity has been from 36-39C
The people at the dump are amazing, I am trying to learn to talk to them and am picking up Burmese words daily, I also speak a tiny bit of English there and lots of Thai, there are certain people at the dump who can speak Thai. The first day there I was a bit overwhelmed by it all the smell is quite bad but its the flies that get me, they crawl all over you every time you stop walking and sometimes when you walk there were times during that first day I must have had over 40 disgusting flies walking all over me, in the video you can see them buzzing the camera (this is when your on the garbage when your in the homes there are less flies but still plenty).
I have come to know several families quite well, after the 2nd day I was greeted with smiles and waves, now its more common, today I must have smiled and waved and said hello (minga la ba) to 10 or so folks. From day one I was taking a bag of rice to a different hut (like a jungle shack made of scrap and bamboo) everyday, today I expanded that program took 3 bags along with some canned fish and other things. These people are unbelievably poor but they have a friendliness and a kindness that makes you feel one with them, like your not a stranger from a strange country. Their huts are built right next to the dump, maybe 20 feet from the wreaking garbage.
Today something rather extraordinary happened. I gave a bag of rice/fish to one family who helped me yesterday (they let me change my 4x5 film in their shack) and the mother and father said something to me in Burmese which I did not understand, they offered me food then put the first 2 fingers from 2 hands together and said something in Burmese. I smiled not understanding and said Tabong (photo) and pointed in the other direction then went on my way. About 1/2 an hour later I looked back down the path to their home and there was a big table in front of the shack. I was curious so walked back and what did I find? A WEDDING! bride 15 and groom 18 sitting in their best clothes (the bride looked beautiful in gold and pink, the dress was probably borrowed)...I started doing photos and the next thing you know I was part of the wedding meeting/dinner. I had some rice to eat and some coffee, took a bunch of pics with both film and digi cameras, later on I lent them my digi camera and they all photographed each other. When I get back to Canada I will make up some prints for them and return with them next trip to hand out. It was a beautiful and surreal thing, garbage all around us, but they were dressed to the nines and very happy (bride quite shy)...a beautiful thing in a terrible place...instead of a white backdrop for the portraits many were taken against a 8 foot wall of garbage. Quite a day, got offered all kind of food, a bit of booze etc...gave 100B to the new couple as a wedding present.
Will post the pics later on my blog if your interested.
Hey folks I had an amazing day thought I would share a bit...
I went to the dump site (Mae Sot Thailand) where the Burmese families scavenge for recyclables (plastics and metal) today for the 4th consecutive day. I arrive early at 7am or so and and stay till 11-12pm...by 11 I am pretty much spent, the heat here is something else, I have never been so hot for so long before, I put on sunscreen 3 times a day and still get burnt, drink 2 more bottles of water in those 4 hours but still end up dehydrated. The temp daily with high humidity has been from 36-39C
The people at the dump are amazing, I am trying to learn to talk to them and am picking up Burmese words daily, I also speak a tiny bit of English there and lots of Thai, there are certain people at the dump who can speak Thai. The first day there I was a bit overwhelmed by it all the smell is quite bad but its the flies that get me, they crawl all over you every time you stop walking and sometimes when you walk there were times during that first day I must have had over 40 disgusting flies walking all over me, in the video you can see them buzzing the camera (this is when your on the garbage when your in the homes there are less flies but still plenty).
I have come to know several families quite well, after the 2nd day I was greeted with smiles and waves, now its more common, today I must have smiled and waved and said hello (minga la ba) to 10 or so folks. From day one I was taking a bag of rice to a different hut (like a jungle shack made of scrap and bamboo) everyday, today I expanded that program took 3 bags along with some canned fish and other things. These people are unbelievably poor but they have a friendliness and a kindness that makes you feel one with them, like your not a stranger from a strange country. Their huts are built right next to the dump, maybe 20 feet from the wreaking garbage.
Today something rather extraordinary happened. I gave a bag of rice/fish to one family who helped me yesterday (they let me change my 4x5 film in their shack) and the mother and father said something to me in Burmese which I did not understand, they offered me food then put the first 2 fingers from 2 hands together and said something in Burmese. I smiled not understanding and said Tabong (photo) and pointed in the other direction then went on my way. About 1/2 an hour later I looked back down the path to their home and there was a big table in front of the shack. I was curious so walked back and what did I find? A WEDDING! bride 15 and groom 18 sitting in their best clothes (the bride looked beautiful in gold and pink, the dress was probably borrowed)...I started doing photos and the next thing you know I was part of the wedding meeting/dinner. I had some rice to eat and some coffee, took a bunch of pics with both film and digi cameras, later on I lent them my digi camera and they all photographed each other. When I get back to Canada I will make up some prints for them and return with them next trip to hand out. It was a beautiful and surreal thing, garbage all around us, but they were dressed to the nines and very happy (bride quite shy)...a beautiful thing in a terrible place...instead of a white backdrop for the portraits many were taken against a 8 foot wall of garbage. Quite a day, got offered all kind of food, a bit of booze etc...gave 100B to the new couple as a wedding present.
Will post the pics later on my blog if your interested.
