Oceans Course December 2010

It’s so hard to even know where to start.

Oceans Course Fall 2010 went as thus, on a Saturday afternoon the students piled into Rote Daengs (red taxi trucks) at the corner Shell station and headed out for the Chiang Mai Train Station. From there we boarded an overnight train headed to Bangkok. After an afternoon wandering the streets of Bangkok we then boarded another overnight train to Hat Yai, road in vans to Satun then boarded a ferry with a 4 hour seaward journey ahead of us. Longtail boats met us a ways out from the shore and took us into the first island. We camped there for two nights before moving on to yet another island. We moved amongst 4 total islands kayaking across the archipelago with our bags and group gear following us on the longtail boats. During the days on the islands we’d swim and snorkel and take the longtails out to off shore snorkel sites. There were so many fish it’s hard to fathom what the reefs would look like if there wasn’t the amazing loss of biodiversity and population density of fisheries like we’ve been learning about. Some of the fish we saw include: morish idols, groupers, a number of wrasse, urchins, a sting ray, and lastly a singular pink dolphin to name some.

We had our mid course lecture on the highly developed/touristy island called Koh Lipe then left the next day for our home stays in Haht Jao Mai a muslim fishing village about an hour towards the coast from Trang. This village was devastated by a tsunami just 6 years ago, and it’s easy to see why with its close proximity to the shore. By close proximity I mean half of my host families house was on stilts and when I woke up to run to the bathroom every night at hightide, the water was lapping up to the steps between the two halves of the house. Upon arrival to the pier we spilt off into our host families. My family consisted of a mother, Ma Dehr age 43, a father, Pa Anu age 47, and a grandmother, Tok Da, age 82. Our house was also structurally connected with two other houses of one brother and one of her older sister, Ja Mae. My mother together with her sister/my aunt, Ja Mae, and a friend of theirs ran a store/roti stand/and boat dock respectively. This store was quite literally in the front of our house, as in the front wall of the house was a wooden removable wall that during the day opened the whole of the living room to the street. Much of the traffic they got was from thai tour groups out to see the islands as well as some farangs backpacking the coast and then many a local fisherman stopping by for cigarettes and snacks. The week was lovely, very relaxed and broken up by a couple trips to see mangrove areas as well as a trip to an inland shrimp farm. Our time in the village concluded with an evening of food and dancing with all of the students dressed in full Muslim tradition clothing.

The weeks we spent in the south were wonderful, sunny and warm. I’ve seen things I’m sure I’ve never seen before and likely won’t see again. Aside from a comment on the wild color of the water in the islands, I think this is where I should let the pictures do the talking.