Ciao from Chiang Rai 10:44AM

An email to Emma in Switzerland

We're in Chiang Rai now, in the north of Thailand. We had an AWESOME day yesterday!!! We drove out to a small village of about 100 people. They are from the Karen (same name as Mum!) minority group and live in and protect the forest. We walked into the forest to where they were working, clearing leaves to create a fire break. We filmed some awesome stuff there.

Then we went back to the village and had an amazing lunch of very interesting food, bits of flowers, dried mushrooms, forest herbs, all sorts of interesting things. After lunch we went for a walk along the stream by the village with the village leader and his two daughters, aged 16 and 17. We eventually came to a quiet place in the forest where we set up the camera on the tripod and interviewed them. This was incredible.

These people are so in touch with the earth and aware of what's happening in the world with climate change and other issues. They talked about how we all need to be living closer to nature. It is their hope that they can provide a good model and example for city people, people in Thailand and around the world, to learn from. This was very powerful stuff. For me this was a real beginning to this journey. I feel very determined to find a way for as many people as possible to hear the voices of these forest people and of others that we will be meeting.

I may not be able to communicate for a few days now. This afternoon we're going to a Lisu (another minority group) village where they will be celebrating the Chinese New Year tonight. We'll be staying there the night and then going next day to the Hill Area Development Foundation field headquarters, which is by an Akha village. Then we are going on the Mekong River for a bit, to a place on the river where we will stay two nights.

We'll be celebrating Lena's birthday by the Mekong River! Then (on evening of 22 Feb) we fly back to Bangkok and are going to stay with a Buddhist Monk for 2 nights who our host Tuenjai Deetes really wants us to meet. We'll be back in Bangkok on 24 Feb, so if you don't hear from us before I'll definitely be in touch then.