The Challenge of Driving to Karen Villages

The first day on the job at BGET was unlike any other first day. At 9 AM the team was already on its way to a Karen village to perform site surveys, a nondescript term for hiking through the jungle and rice fields, avoiding bloodsucking leeches, and trying not to slip down a muddy hill all to take some measurements at a breathtaking yet unknown waterfall to determine its suitability to have its power harnessed by a generator for electricity. But that is a story for another day.

Today's post is about the seemingly simple task of driving to the village. In fact, it is not such a simple task, especially during the rainy season.

On the way to the village, many roads were encountered resembling the one in the photo above. Actually, this photo does not do the road justice. The tracks in the mud seemed to be 1-2 feet deep in some places. This required the use of tire chains.

The tire chains give the truck amazing traction, allowing the team to make it's way to the village. But the driver, Santi, still had to drive up the hills in a zig zag pattern to avoid getting stuck. Also, the chains cause large chunks of mud to fly all over the place.

Perhaps this video will give the reader a better sense of the skill and difficulty involved with driving on Karen roads.

It's not as bad as it sounds though. For practical purposes, it's true the roads are badly in need of infrastructure development. But in the end, for us, all the work is really fun. Sanuk as they say in Thailand.