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The next morning we were awakened at 3 AM by the chanters from the Muslim
temple a block away. They "sing" over a loudspeaker and it carries all over
the city. It is a call to worship for them. As soon as the chant was over,
I went back to sleep until 6 AM. After a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant
(less than $5.00 for both Donnie and I) I called Winsleigh to check on the
truck status. He had found us a truck but was having problems finding a
driver with Thai driver's license. There are many Karen/Thai drivers there,
but if they got stopped at checkpoints without ID or license they would be
in big trouble.
We got everything packed up to go because when the truck/driver was found
we'd leave immediately. I decided if one wasn't found by 11:30, we would take
the noon line bus. That would still get us into Mae Sariang before dark.
Donnie and Winsleigh both went looking for driver to no avail. They then
ran out to Isaac's and got my 2 big duffel bags full of clothes and zip lock
blessing bags to give out in the camps. I checked out of the room at 11:30
and waited in the lobby till they got back. We then piled everything into
a Tuk Tuk and headed for the bus depot.
The line bus was ready to leave
when we got there, so we said quick good byes and Winsleigh said he would
call ahead and tell his father, Phu Tah Moo, when we would be arriving.
I was able to sit up in the cab with driver and was very glad for that. It
was in high 90's and the humidity was suffocating. People just kept piling
into the back and I felt really sorry for Donnie. He wouldn't switch places
with me though. When we finally pulled into Mae Sariang and Donnie disentangled
himself from the other passengers he looked windblown and toasted! We climbed
out and he was unloading my bags when a Thai Karen man came up to me and
asked, "Are you Betty?" He was Phu's son-in-law and he had sent him to "fetch"
us. He looked at all our heavy bags and said something to the bus driver
in Thai. He then told us to climb back on; he had asked the driver to take
us directly to Phu's house!
Phu looks just the same as I remembered him from last year. He is a vibrant
healthy 86 years old. He has beautiful white hair and silver capped front
teeth and is always telling stories and laughing. After a real shower and
change of clothes I felt great. We gathered up all our clothes and he insisted
on doing our laundry in his washing machine! What a luxury! I hadn't even
been there 30 minutes when the first visitor dropped by. It was my dear
friend, Pastor Law Kler from Mae Rah Moo Refugee camp. I was so glad to
see him! He told me I would need a special permit from the Thai Ambassador
to get into the camp and my heart sunk. Last year it had taken 3 days to
get one! I immediately called my friend Gilbert who works with the Internally
Displaced People. He had helped me get my permit last year. He said he would
check into it and get back to me. Pastor had 3 teachers he had gone to Mae
La camp to get to take back to teach at the mission school and they were
all heading into the camp early the next morning. He was working on finding
a 4-wheel drive truck to take us all into camp. It had started raining a
little and there were spots in the mountains where a 4-wheel drive would
be very helpful. Soon Gilbert came over and said he would contact the Ambassador
in the morning since it was too late now.
I told them I would just be ready to go just in case I could get a permit.
Donnie and I then went in and sorted out the supplies and divided them into
two bags. One we would take with us and one we'd leave with Phu to take
into Seh Lah camp when we got back. The plan was that if Donnie and I couldn't
go, Pastor would take it in for me. I hated to think I had come all this
way to be denied access, but knew that could very well happen. A doctor
friend of ours had been there a few months prior and he was denied access.
We were all in bed early and I slept like a log.