Full Transcript

Dana Blouin

What's going on everyone? Welcome back to Bangkok strange. I am Dana Blouin as always joined by my co host, Mike Summerville. Mike, what's going on greetings and Aloha. Everything is going on and I can't wait to talk about it. Yeah, everything. Everything back

Mike Somerville

since we never have anything to talk about. Thank God that we've got a new host Yeah,

Dana Blouin

we've got we've got a new co host today. Elgin has joined us. If you were on the live stream on YouTube the other day Jim joined in jumped on with us for a couple hours. Mike was in Where were you Mike?

Mike Somerville

That's not an island.

Mike Somerville

koh phangan

Dana Blouin

koh phangan

Jib Blouin

koh phangan

Mike Somerville

koh phangan ,koh phangan Okay,

Dana Blouin

Before we get into it everyone, do not forget to subscribe to Bangkok strange iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify. I just got notification. We are now live on Amazon podcast and tune in tune in I don't know if we're on I Heart Radio. Yeah, I've submitted they have not responded. Sorry when they wake up over there. Yeah, we'll be there eventually. Also the YouTube channel. So this will be the first episode to drop on a Monday East Coast time. And Monday evening, Tuesday morning, Bangkok time. So Monday night in the US Tuesday in Asia. We will be doing a live stream on YouTube our normal live stream but we will be discussing the podcast that drop 12 hours previously as well as some other stuff. And we'll be will no longer be doing the Thursday night live stream on YouTube because Mike's an old man can't stay up past nine.

Mike Somerville

So of course Dana, being just so incredibly conscientious. He wake up somewhere about 1030 in the morning. 11 o'clock. Yeah, we just kind of roll out grab yourself a doughnut and then BAM I'm ready to start. Yeah. 32nd round Look at her she's like oh, yeah, my husband he's like a go getter. He's right out there for a milking the cows

Dana Blouin

30 seconds before the podcast starts. Yeah, no shit. So I'm just so

Mike Somerville

you know, like, I'm usually ready like, easily 30 minutes ahead of time I give him the thing I got. I can't do it. I'm ready. I'm in. Literally 30 seconds before we're supposed to go live. Bam. I get the friggin stream yard tells me to go on. How do you live with this? You can plan

Dana Blouin

one time but again, the way you do anything is the way you do everything. So I've got to own it. I was responsible. Yes. Awesome.

Mike Somerville

Sorry. I mean, fashionably late, right. I mean, I know how you're incredibly style conscious, because of course, you're wearing a skirt. Oh, wait, I'm the only one with one chakra.

Dana Blouin

That is mine, though.

Mike Somerville

It really?

Dana Blouin

Yeah.

Mike Somerville

I wondered why it smelled so good.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, fair enough. So. But again, I've been I've been on time for the other ones true. But yeah. So from now on the Tuesday morning we'll be discussing and going more in depth on the previous episode from Monday. Yeah. And then we will I think we might move it to either a weekend or we'll do like another morning. We'll figure it out. If you guys have a suggestion Bangkok stream gmail.com. Let us know

Mike Somerville

that would actually be really interesting, too. Because I mean, obviously we're going you know, it's global. Right. So we get guys that like come in on the live chat from Australia. Europe, us. Absolutely. And Europe's a tough one. Because they're Guinea because well, who doesn't love Papa New Guinea? I mean, I know they're starved for podcasts. So we're probably a good option for them. But I mean, it's hard to hit all Yeah, you know, West Coast, East Coast. Even that three hour Delta. Yeah, you know, so yeah, we would love to hear from you guys. Please send us an email

Dana Blouin

Bangkok Strange at gmail.com. Let us know where where you would like the live stream stuff or when you would like the live streams to pop up? And we'll definitely try to accommodate whatever the mean is. As long as it's not past 7pm

Mike Somerville

No, because that would be ridiculous. Dude, though. Then if the sun goes down. I'm just like, I'm done. I'm done. My day.

Dana Blouin

Mike's on the beach. He doesn't drink coffee. Right. So he's hanging out your sunset. Yeah,

Mike Somerville

you look at the beach. You're like, Alright, I'm done. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

gotta wake up early with some powers gonna go out anyway.

Mike Somerville

could could you believe that? Which is so rare in Thailand? Yeah, I mean, and it cuz and what was funny is you knew that was coming. Yeah, because I like sent him a video earlier in the day. It was like, What? noon time one of the afternoon. winds blowing like crazy powers out right out. And I'm thinking okay, well, this won't be so bad. Like

Dana Blouin

I'm like, are you gonna die cuz your places right on the beat. So I'm like, Mike's dad. Mike is dead.

Mike Somerville

What beachfront city in Thailand has ever suffered anything from a large wave. Oh, too soon. Too soon. Okay. So I'm thinking this but again, I was on the Gulf.

Dana Blouin

You are also literally like 10 meters from the beach. Well, yeah. Like the you said went up to your front step

Mike Somerville

it did. They had to swiftly the added to sweep it off every single morning. Yeah, because the wind would blow it on there.

Dana Blouin

So like if I had some heavy waves and you get in two meters?

Mike Somerville

Yeah. To me. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. But they had like manmade beach, right, like doing a lot of places us as well as Thailand. But they like just bring in a whole ton of sand and give it like that berm. So if the if the waves do come, but I mean, I was paying for every foot that I was away from the beach. Yeah. You know, I mean, to $20 per night by the time I was leaving, Are you shitting me?

Dana Blouin

It was they drop your price down to like, what? 650 there's Yeah. So he was kept saying that they're like, what they told him like, if you book what five days he had to free? Yeah. And then they'll He's like, Oh, I don't know if I'm gonna stay five days like well, if you do that, we'll give you two.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, exactly. So the six the day the morning they're like, you know what? You just need to I said, Look how many other people you're at. And I'm like, I've got the 650 Yeah, you know, plus, I mean, it's one of those deals where it's like they were pretty nice to me. Did you see my video? The talking bird?

Dana Blouin

Yeah. What kind of bird is that?

Dana Blouin

You just didn't see it. You don't watch my videos?

Jib Blouin

No.

Mike Somerville

What?

Mike Somerville

The hell off this podcast. I need my egos fragile you know that. You can't just lock yourself into this thing. Just jumps on the live leaves and with the owner. Black with yellow on it. Oh, no. Yeah. No, you're

Mike Somerville

not couldn't tell. Because I would walk by it.

Dana Blouin

So Nok is bird Mike.

Mike Somerville

Nok Oh,

Jib Blouin

nok.

Mike Somerville

Which is why the airliner?

Dana Blouin

Yeah.

Dana Blouin

Okay,

Mike Somerville

so bird air. Yeah, right. Bird airlines. It would say things like somebody's car. Right? Yeah, it was amazing. There's a cool one to hang out with it.

Jib Blouin

You can teach it to talk like, what what would you want to teach? You can repeat repeat.

Mike Somerville

So you know me enough probably to know that I laugh occasionally. Okay, yeah, exact right. You see, I've been made you do it. And so I would walk by this bird and it would say stuff at first I was entertained by it. I started laughing. By the time I left when I would go up to it. And I would like say something it would repeat it back to me like Saudi Chi or whatever. And then it would laugh at me.

Mike Somerville

Haha. There's the way that I

Mike Somerville

like it was repeating back to me. Yeah. Which I thought was amazing. I mean, I was only there. You know what, like, how long was it? 10 days? 30 days? Yeah, just basically the 30 day beach vacation that the standard American

Dana Blouin

Standard vacation on the island driving a scooter around

Mike Somerville

copan. Young right up Hang on. kopargaon. So you do pronounce the G? It's like a soft g Coppola.

Jib Blouin

Well, we have Mongo that you don't have in England. Yeah. So they have this MX

Dana Blouin

a different Yeah, true. So we have Javan today, like I said, she joined us the other day for the for the live stream. And we talked a little bit about the hilltribe that we're doing the project with Yeah. So we had had a conversation with the and we got way off base on the live stream as we tend to do on our live stream. Well,

Mike Somerville

what did you say for free form? Right when someone called and sent us an email to give a shit? Yeah, dude. unsubscribe, no use for you over here. Yeah,

Dana Blouin

you know, you don't like what we're talking about? This, okay? be subscribed. The more you The more you pay

Mike Somerville

us, the more you might like us. Yeah, you know, so suck it up.

Dana Blouin

So we we had a good time, we got slightly off topic. So we thought we would do a much more structured podcast about the school about the teacher about the hill tribe itself. And I think a great way to start is with the teacher with Khrushchev. Great and so Jeb give us a little background about cruising because we met her when we went up but you know her through a classmate right?

Jib Blouin

Ah, I know her through my friend. She's are in a same badminton team when I was in mahidol University Okay, so the year that I want to do the project like give away and knitted hat and scarf and know that I need so I asked my friend this friend Batman friend like if she knows someone because she's from the north of Thailand so also like if you know teacher from school and school and North that need like warm stuff for students because it does get cold in the north. Yes, it's cold in the north.

Jib Blouin

It's not your call

Dana Blouin

Boston frosty cold so it gets like one degree Celsius

Jib Blouin

it can be water freezes. Or Yeah,

Dana Blouin

water not that you might get a skin on top a little like the water or you might get like a you definitely get frost on the ground.

Mike Somerville

So but I mean, they're gonna be championship ice gators, once we get up there. I mean, it's basically basically like going to Canada is as good as

Dana Blouin

the Thai version. I can got it. Okay. Very

Mike Somerville

good. Winter Thai winter. Yeah, right. Not Canada winter. So what you're saying is below 70 which is bullshit. I'm not

Mike Somerville

saying that to GM at a time it

Jib Blouin

can be called like, one degree C one degree. Okay, that's fair enough.

Mike Somerville

Whoa. So you're gonna make hats?

Jib Blouin

Yes. Like our beanies? Okay.

Dana Blouin

I think we were brought up a couple hundred beanies and sweaters.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, and what is it like this material kind of like that yellow right there?

Dana Blouin

wool and acrylic and cotton. Got it? Okay.

Mike Somerville

And you knit all these yourself? Oh, Turner fans. Yes. Right. That's right. Okay,

Jib Blouin

page that by Jeb so like I asked my fans to help like, because they like to knit right as most of us live in Bangkok. Okay, so it's not that cool. Yes. Like we don't need

Mike Somerville

only in your house. Is it freakin

Jib Blouin

easy go to theater. Yeah. Fair enough. Yeah, theater or shopping mall, airport. Ample BTS BTS.

Dana Blouin

MRT is worse than the BTS. Oh, yeah.

Jib Blouin

And like so. I asked a announcer my fans like okay, if you like to knit and you don't know where to giveaway, please send to me. I will collect All and send it to school

Dana Blouin

okay on her fans came through.

Jib Blouin

Yeah, lots of big box

Mike Somerville

and you didn't just say hey knit whatever you want. I mean you actually came up with a pattern right that you like sort of thing

Jib Blouin

I made? We do. Okay I have Yep. And I think other year Yes. Like kids sighs

Mike Somerville

so these patterns they like

Jib Blouin

yeah go away and watch on YouTube follow but for for other fans that they know how to knit already so they didn't need other thing like or some knit scarf or some like kind of sweaters sweater

Dana Blouin

whatever her fans came through like we would get at the house just boxes. Yes, box.

Unknown Speaker

That's amazing here in Bangkok, all your friends and Becca has come

Dana Blouin

from all over her fans all over Thailand. Okay, great. And like what are actually one of our close friends to give us a box of medicine?

Jib Blouin

Yes, yes. A nurse. Wow. Yeah. So So when so I announced on my your patient by job and then on my personal Facebook too. So like, of course my friend don't really knit, but like they want to help. So some give one yes. And yeah, she's a nurse. Okay. So you say okay, how old for students a primary school that okay, need this and that so she can like, get it from her friends like no friends. Yeah. So we went to her dorm you know, in hospital and like we get like big balls of metal. Yeah, I thought

Dana Blouin

she was like, it was like, like a little something. And she has like this, like pallet size box. Yeah.

Mike Somerville

Now medicine if you're if you're living in it hilltribe what sort of medicine is like really? I mean is Tylenol. I mean, that doesn't they need biotics? Yeah.

Dana Blouin

Medicine, like started the counter. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, anti, we brought antibiotics up as well. Because if you cut

Mike Somerville

yourself and potential for infection, right, you want to be

Jib Blouin

like, Damn, it's difficult to come like to come down for hours to the Yeah, like a primary care unit. It's far. Okay. So it's better to just get medicine there. So like, one day, it's not that too serious. Yeah. Well, that's good.

Dana Blouin

isn't like antibiotics are available over the counter here. All right. So

Mike Somerville

physically getting to a place where you can buy it. I mean, that's the challenge for us. But yeah,

Dana Blouin

so there's a doctor who I know and he was like, he's like, I wouldn't really want you bringing antibiotics off but at the same time, like they need to have them

Mike Somerville

yeah, so just in case

Dana Blouin

it's like a catch 22 shelf life he's like well, he's also like you don't want like people just take an antibiotic Yeah,

Mike Somerville

everything yeah, cuz then it's like you got useless medication. Yeah, he says I have

Dana Blouin

so it's a catch 22 but it's the cough syrup like cough cough medicine like common cold stuff stuff to to treat the kids like if they're just like got a common cold aspirin or not aspirin or Tylenol. Okay, that's just off Yeah, yeah.

Mike Somerville

What do you call it because I we don't have that word that medication.

Dana Blouin

So it's Tylenol with paracetamol is the actual name of the drug? I thought it was acetaminophen No, that's a acetaminophen is um, is a anti histamine

Mike Somerville

I'm sorry. Wait, what? No, what is a what is the generic form of Tylenol? It begins with an A

Dana Blouin

No, I think it's paracetamol. No.

Mike Somerville

I have to Google this but if there were only a globalism

Jib Blouin

it's

Mike Somerville

a no Marxist yeah that's a yeah you're gonna Yahoo it no no, I'm I might dang it. I mean, I may have you're

Dana Blouin

not gonna ask jeeves it

Mike Somerville

I'm trying to think because I've never I never heard that word before I moved to Thailand.

Dana Blouin

What what? paracetamol?

Mike Somerville

Yeah, it's not something

Dana Blouin

I think it's the generic name of Thailand.

Jib Blouin

Right name of the

Mike Somerville

I thought it was acetaminophen. I believe that is Yeah, I believe that generic. Well, if I had a computer, very, that's downstairs. Oh, dude, I'm focused on the podcast. Okay. All right. Any all in

Dana Blouin

all Got it? Didn't you? You got

Mike Somerville

you guys do all this amazing stuff. Right. And so obviously, Dana, and I get together. We're talking about it. You guys talk about it frequently. Right. And so now we're the sort of most recent news as you reach back out to the teacher. Yep. Right. And then said, so let's like, you know, do the next step. Yeah. Although, do you want to talk a little bit about what you also brought up there last time, which is like the ping pong table and

Dana Blouin

no, so we bought a ping pong table. We bought a bunch of food on the way up, okay. And then like, obviously, we bought a bunch of vegetables. And like, I think I told him for like, 100 baht. We bought like a pallet of cabbage on the side of the road. And I was like, I was like, Oh, it's gonna be like, 1000 bucks. It's so much cabbage. Right? Right. It's like Thai cabbage is really good. Yeah, no kidding. It's fresh, right? It's like all vegetables here. There. It's not picked and then like look, shelf a notch.

Mike Somerville

I like that fermented nonsense you had downstairs that dipped in red paint.

Dana Blouin

But so we bought he bought so much like this is a stupid amount of cash right? Hundred bought or bought now. Just amazing. cannot be like economically viable but like no it's because the farmer is selling it on the side of this mountain road yes 100 bucks we probably bought enough food like for the whole village for like a week okay

Mike Somerville

yes um and that will do that regardless of what else we bring. Yeah, just do it on the way the rabbit

Dana Blouin

will tell Kusama hey we need food for the we're gonna be there for a week anyway so we'll just feed the village for however long we can buy food for you it'll be like 500 baht and they'll be like holy shit right and like and bottled water bottle we need to double yeah

Mike Somerville

got mad right?

Dana Blouin

Absolutely So yeah, they have they drink the water up there I don't want to what did you bring

Mike Somerville

medication last time that will still be there so that when I get incredibly sick and and puking and pooping all over the place?

Dana Blouin

We will bring carbon with us.

Mike Somerville

Ah, I like those I have actually traveled with us carbon or carbon Yeah, so

Dana Blouin

we'll bring that just because that will stop anything from flowing out that

Mike Somerville

we don't want it to we don't got it but

Dana Blouin

i mean i didn't get sick last time I was there luckily. Um, but you know we're gonna be eating there for five six days. So you know we need to make sure that we're we're good

Jib Blouin

medicine for you.

Mike Somerville

Really just like the carbon and stuff no more than paracetamol stuff that I've ever taken before they apparently think is exactly like Tylenol and that's gonna be very

Dana Blouin

Tylenol

Jib Blouin

Thai brand medicine as a white

Jib Blouin

rabbit. Yeah, it's like it's a brand. Yeah, white row

Mike Somerville

of white flag ever heard of Woodstock? like white rabbits came out of this like this. Anyway, go ahead.

Jib Blouin

So it's like when you have like, a, like, diarrhea. You can take it and they'll help. It's like Thai Pepto bismol.

Mike Somerville

So I ingest an actual White Rabbit.

Dana Blouin

That's a liquid. It's got. The logo

Mike Somerville

is white snap its neck. Just like drink a lot of a white rabbit. That's weird. Thailand. No, go.

Dana Blouin

It's a white flying rabbit on the low flying

Mike Somerville

wings. Who doesn't want perfect. It doesn't talk like my other Colbert.

Dana Blouin

Just like Woodstock. That's why rabbits are talking. Do you see therein lies the rub.

Mike Somerville

Alright, so you guys are awesome. You totally come up there. You're like, this is the greatest thing ever. You share it with me. I completely agree. We got to do this. We bring it to the we bring it to the to the podcast people. But recently you reached out. Yes. Right. And so what are her sort of needs now knowing that like, we're not just going to show up with like four eggs. Like there's an infinite amount of stuff.

Dana Blouin

So solar active solar is number one. Okay. They've had issues with the solar system. Since last time I wanted to get like, I've been wanting to do the solar for a while. I got some, some hits and some misses trying to line it up on some missed opportunities over the years, but really like getting consistent power and storage. Yeah, exactly. So that power to the school would change the ability of crucem to teach Okay, and to educate the kids in new ways

Jib Blouin

to tell the condition of the village because we all may not understand why we need

Dana Blouin

so let's talk about the remoteness so jibba it so it's in it's north of Mekong song

Jib Blouin

north of Chiang Mai. Yeah, but like not make on song. No, no, no picture is from Mecca was born in southern province, but it's like so maybe you know, Chiang Mai is a not province of Thailand. So

Dana Blouin

well the digital nomads live

Mike Somerville

incredibly successful.

Jib Blouin

If you ever visit here in Thailand, right, when you hear the word Chiang Mai, you think about oh is a hipster cafe restaurant, Thai and Western restaurants. bottom ones apartments. Yeah, exactly. Like Okay, nice hotel. We can you can go to like, one star to five star hotel in Shanghai city, but that's just in a city. Yeah. So this school actually like one year, right? She might you have to, like, take a ride for like, a day. Like,

Dana Blouin

half day we drove for a while we stopped to the National Park just towards Chang ry like

Mike Somerville

Chiang Rai different direction, different direction. Okay.

Jib Blouin

So like, one day one day, right? Dr. Okay. To arrive at the district. His name um ya know, methadone. So right method. So you stay there one night. Yeah. And next morning, it's four hours, by four by four by four

Dana Blouin

pickup truck on mountain roads with like, 500 foot drops on the side.

Mike Somerville

Nice truck. Like maybe like what six months old? That

Dana Blouin

was actually a really nice truck. It wasn't too bad. Okay. This guy owns the truck. He only has one arm.

Mike Somerville

Okay, that's all he needs.

Dana Blouin

manual transmission, four wheel drive with one arm.

Jib Blouin

Gary, because actually it's not a road.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, it's his driving skills.

Dana Blouin

No, no, she's saying there's no Road is no

Jib Blouin

road it's like dirt roads washed out all right it's like

Jib Blouin

it's not a rod but that's

Mike Somerville

the point to us going up when we're going up there won't have been so much rain why

Jib Blouin

I choose to help this school because there is no road no electric no water

Dana Blouin

no cell phone service nothing

Jib Blouin

there is like the leaving like old style yeah

Mike Somerville

middle of the country like nothing yeah

Jib Blouin

no no Monique and like without road no big help go to them. right you know people some people like to like drive there easily give stop take photo and posting like, Oh, we give away food gave away medicine the stuff to students. take photo? Yeah, sure. But they have to go by can't get there. Yeah, car. But with this. It's like, more difficult to arrive. So not really much help.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, it's not convenient at all.

Jib Blouin

Yes. Got it. So that's why I choose

Mike Somerville

Yeah, no, that's wonderful. All right. So then to get there we get there. Yep. And obviously pickup trucks can hold whatever pickups trucks. So

Dana Blouin

now that he has a truck so

Mike Somerville

okay, that's probably take us but electricity not right. So right now they have basically solar panels that effectively don't work. They probably

Dana Blouin

get like 10% capacity out there.

Mike Somerville

Yeah. No batteries, no storage.

Dana Blouin

Open cell. Let acid love it.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, absolutely awesome. Rainwater very effective for assisting in the storage of energy. So we're gonna have to bring that now again, this is sort of just our teaser, just so you know, because we're kind of like just setting the foundation we absolutely have to come up with a budget. Yep. So that we know we're gonna I mean, because oh, yeah, just bring up 350 solar panels. And I mean, there's going to be a finite amount of everything that we can bring up there. And but with this electricity to your point, they're going to be able to potentially have fans now in the classroom, right so that they can tolerate the heat and potentially not be distracted by their health.

Dana Blouin

So So when it's not cold, yeah, it's crazy. Like the heat and humidity is unbearable. Okay, so there's a song and I'll put a link in the show notes. And actually, I cried the first time like, I saw this video the song you cried the first time you met me? I think that's fine. It's like when you understand the plight of the kids, right? And it talks about like, people forget us, but you know, in in these mountains when it's cold, it's cold. And when it's hot, it's hot.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, that wasn't the first way you described it. There were a lot more superlative. When you grab it. Yeah, but

Dana Blouin

we're here with Jim. Fair enough. Okay, yeah,

Mike Somerville

cuz I've never said anything in front of your wife. Why start now?

Dana Blouin

When it's cold there it is fucking cold. Yeah, it's mine. It's one degree two degrees. And when it's hot, it's 40 Plus, and it's super humid.

Mike Somerville

What do you do when you live in that scenario? I mean, do you carry like fans around or do you just

Dana Blouin

you sit under a tree and you get you

Jib Blouin

get used to it as best you can.

Mike Somerville

I mean, again you can you know you can use your hands but they don't they just

Jib Blouin

baby like who now maybe in the summer they just like walk to a small river they're

Mike Somerville

getting okay. Yeah, that's okay. That makes the water is cold in the

Dana Blouin

yeah in the river.

Mike Somerville

Clean though. Right from the Yeah, that's nothing there at the top. It's not like a child pride River.

Dana Blouin

They're they're essentially the highest village on their mountain. Okay. And or at least in this section? Yeah, the water that comes down is literally a natural spring at the top of the of the mountain that's just coming down before it got there. It was in the sky. Yeah, basically the water

Jib Blouin

come from the glaciers like to show us one time like a wall and show us like walk to the top where the water come from, like come from the ground. Yeah. Oh, got it comes. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

Yeah,

Mike Somerville

we're still gonna need bottled water because along the way it can pick up a Maven, right? Yeah.

Jib Blouin

Yeah. You will survive. Don't worry.

Dana Blouin

You will survive your organs, man.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, I was gonna say I survived diarrhea for three days, but I didn't like it. You know, I'm on vacation. You got to remember it's either beach or the hilltribe

Dana Blouin

say okay to cook with. You not to drink straight up.

Jib Blouin

Okay, you can boil it? Yeah,

Dana Blouin

acing it later. Cool. That's good. But yeah, so we'll bring bottled water with us. We'll bring whatever Um, so yeah, the remoteness, the, the infrastructure challenges are great. And because of, you know, education, and we You and I are on the same page is this Jim is on the same page as this. Education is the one way you can offer opportunity changes lives out there lately. I don't want to go up there. You don't want to go up there. We don't want to spend a bunch of money and give every house solar and give every house like money and then they're six months later they're ruined gifts ever get a bike? Yeah, no, come on. Right. We want to we want to give the teacher the opportunity to change these kids lives and support them. When we're up there. We'll teach English you know, for We try to interact with the kids. And like I said, the first time I went up I was the first foreigner some of these kids had ever seen.

Mike Somerville

And one of the largest.

Jib Blouin

They still talk. The villagers still talk about him. The giant white man.

Mike Somerville

Yes. Oh no, that's not what they called it giant, giant frog. Or like, how do they? I don't know.

Mike Somerville

Good. Okay, fair enough. Yeah,

Dana Blouin

that's good. They were kids would like they were blown away by my body here. I'll bet so it wouldn't be uncommon for me to be like having a conversation with the teacher and turn around. There's like two kids petting my leg. God,

Mike Somerville

I know guys in Cambodia that pay for that.

Mike Somerville

You refer to them?

Dana Blouin

combat?

Mike Somerville

Yeah, aka Cambodia professors that are basically doing you know, e commerce. Yeah, but Okay, so I'm, I mean, obviously, I'm really excited about this. We've talked about this. This is like the third or fourth. Yeah, yeah. On the podcast. And so just to get some clarity. Um, are you coming up there with us? By the way, this sounds like you're just giving us directions to the wife. So she can't come? Oh, how convenient. Yeah, this is probably why you signed up for school several years ago. At this moment? Nope. Not going up. Would you? Do you see it? Like, are you bummed that you can't go up there? I mean, obviously, other than to see your friend, but like to just see these kids and be like, wow, I really wish I could help.

Jib Blouin

Well,

Mike Somerville

or do you know that we're helping and so that gives you enough sort of emotional satisfaction like oh, that's really cool. You guys. Are you like no, I really wish I could go because I'd love to see that one kid kills rats with his slingshot.

Jib Blouin

Well, I just want to dislike

Jib Blouin

i right there, right? Yeah, no, yes. So suffer like to take, like, the whole day, but like two days? Yeah, two days and it's not easy. It's like, Oh, my God. Yeah. Right to sit in the trough and like,

Dana Blouin

stress out? Are we gonna

Jib Blouin

die? Yeah, it was this one slip. Travel fall from the hill. So to to to the, you know, the bottom

Mike Somerville

where the water ends up? Yeah,

Jib Blouin

yeah. It's a straight. Okay. So after the first time that we were set, yeah. Later, and now like, maybe a year or two later, I send more help, like, kid send more stuff. Okay. Then, like, some catch that teacher can buy medicine that they need. Awesome. And like food for kit. Right. Like, and also milk. A box of milk? Like

Mike Somerville

I know. Yeah. Last on the shelf for like six months to a year. Yeah. Okay. All right. So solar, obviously is going to be one of our first thing Yeah, we're gonna do the yarn thing again. And we're gonna do the clothing thing is that I kind

Jib Blouin

of know

Mike Somerville

what do they need more? In other words, like whatever they have, because of the way they wash clothes. No clothes last six months. We

Dana Blouin

don't wash clothes.

Jib Blouin

Because they don't I mean, they're but like, yeah, okay, it might like, go back. Many years. Yeah. Okay. All right. And teacher can like our share to other village or other school because there are many schools on that mountain. Okay. Because her her husband actually he is a teacher in school. Yes, it's a cop. He's a Ranger,

Dana Blouin

Metro Ranger

Jib Blouin

Ranger. Yeah. National Park. Okay. All right. So he also like he teach and also police

Mike Somerville

and like two part time jobs and they live like what, like two and a half hours away? They don't live with each other. No, no, no,

Jib Blouin

they don't see each other every day. Yeah, because they're working different school.

Mike Somerville

So like once a month. Like when did they get

Dana Blouin

weekends? Probably weekly. I would have met Okay, so I mean, that's not horrible.

Jib Blouin

Like he can write morose. I see her. Okay.

Dana Blouin

So here's the other thing is like so the reason you have to spend the night before you go up is because it's not safe to go at night. Yeah, I can understand um, we were talking about this the other day some of these kids walk back 20 it's 20 kilometers to walk from their school.

Jib Blouin

Actually. It's phenomenal. It's like he's a girl variabel the boy who shot killed the rat.

Mike Somerville

Okay,

Dana Blouin

what one this he has no point being as handsome as he is right now. Right? Put Like a high school kid. is unacceptable. Right?

Mike Somerville

But no jealousy. No jealousy at all.

Dana Blouin

Not at all. I should not be that good. But

Dana Blouin

the thing is, so he goes to school he's able to go to school in the village in the the main village on the bottom of the mountain. Oh, so but he still comes to help his mom every weekend harvests the rice. Throw the rice okay. He walks 20 kilometers back on Friday. Yeah, and then Sunday night he walks back 20 kilometers and this walk is on the same road that we're gonna die on. No Okay. I mean, I get I've heard that discussion before there's plenty of roads in the United States. Oh my god. It's like off the cliff kind of thing. Like how are we gonna see like cars that didn't make it? I mean, is this a common thing or is it just a possibility teacher

Jib Blouin

told

Jib Blouin

Sometime people who write their to donate stuff Yeah, don't make it Yeah.

Mike Somerville

So that's why you're okay wait like I mean you're married to him like you guys have long term plans like me

Mike Somerville

yeah but as long as he gives him another friggin

Jib Blouin

we just

Jib Blouin

bought Lego all we want to give away a little bit and to the uncle who drive the one one arm uncle right so he knows how to dry

Dana Blouin

Okay, so the people think they're gonna drive up themselves

Mike Somerville

Oh yeah. Right

Jib Blouin

so they can do they want a

Dana Blouin

high locks I got this Yeah,

Mike Somerville

it's got DVD and then I should be okay so I so he's obviously skilled at this Yeah,

Dana Blouin

the teacher she's making the drive all the time.

Mike Somerville

These roads I mean, a lot of times. I mean, I gather right nature doesn't make more dirt. Right I mean, it just like pulls away so I mean, are they like maintaining this road? Like who takes

Dana Blouin

after rainy season they patch up with Okay, I got it all right.

Mike Somerville

Is there any asphalt or is it just like dirt the whole way?

Jib Blouin

All right.

Mike Somerville

Right away. Oh, so it's slippery.

Jib Blouin

Like we don't show up in the rain rain. Yeah,

Dana Blouin

there's a little bit of asphalt when you first pull into the off the road there's that like 10 meter section of asphalt

Mike Somerville

they got the full 10 meters Yeah, this four hour drive is a full 10 meters. I can't wait time lapse video that all day because that's gonna be the slowest part.

Jib Blouin

Yeah, wow. Okay. Wait until you see like what you call a steep like, oh the cliff did how how like, high Is it like so those that it's gonna flip the car going? Did you did you look at this guy and say well

Mike Somerville

shit, he's got the one arm we should be go

Jib Blouin

trot and play all the time. So there's it's good.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, I can get good at my Buddhist prayers I guess.

Dana Blouin

So there was one point where we're on the truck and it were pitched to the side about 15 degrees. Okay, going down your pitched off the off the mountain view is going down and it's basically like a V at the bottom of this this piece of the road Okay, so you get to the bottom and your pitch and then it straight up to the point where I did not think the truck was going to make a slide

Jib Blouin

you try I'm not gonna drive

Dana Blouin

you too hard.

Mike Somerville

In there okay. Pretty

Jib Blouin

fancy. You will get

Dana Blouin

the torture okay that and then you get the point where like you'll see like hilltribe kids with like a rifle on their back or fishing pole zipping by I'm like Scooby eyes just like

Mike Somerville

right flops no helmet Yeah,

Dana Blouin

riding the rod. Right? Like Yeah, no helmets up there. She's That's amazing.

Mike Somerville

But again, I slow it's gonna be we're gonna be going up there after rainy season or before after after. Okay, cuz effectively like this winter? Yeah. And then when's the when's the next sort of bad season start like around April or it's not just bad weather. It's it's frickin hate. Yeah, right. This is so unbearable death Okay, so

Jib Blouin

no electric no fat Yeah,

Mike Somerville

and Joe okay. Yep. But again we're gonna obviously change that there'll be some fans in the school. Yeah, yeah. So right not not in the houses. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

And then the the write up

Dana Blouin

rainy season there's just it like I said, it takes its toll. Yeah, sure. Right. No drainage. Just nature. Yeah, gravity and you know, whatever.

Mike Somerville

So who made this road? Was it like the the guys that work in the national parks they just made like, I mean, what, 2030 years ago someone just decided well, you know what, we should probably stop walking this damn thing is a part

Dana Blouin

of the project of King Rama nine.

Mike Somerville

So asked like, every time I hear about something being done to help the Thai people yeah,

Dana Blouin

I mean, it's a he gets credited.

Jib Blouin

He when he was it everywhere in time? Yeah. Clearly no road he built so he built it. Yeah. You know, so there's people there

Dana Blouin

where there's like infrastructure to get to places that shouldn't be like places where you're like, but there's not economically It doesn't make sense have a road here but part of this project he was like, I need to visit this province. Let's go there

Mike Somerville

a Thai citizens here. Yeah, he's like yeah,

Dana Blouin

give me a road map. So he's like, Oh, I have citizens who live

Jib Blouin

and just so you know this cool report by princess doing on his daughter. Oh, wow. Yeah. So to like or support for school like far away school and education.

Mike Somerville

So we should probably interview her then on the podcast. I mean, what are we up to now? We got 76 subs. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

7679

Mike Somerville

Yeah. 79 that's enough Thai citizen.

Dana Blouin

Our next goal is 100 100 subs. away Yeah, as of recording this, so like that. But if you have not subscribed to the YouTube channel, help us out. Go over there. At least we do. Our episodes drop everywhere but we do live streams and we'll have some vlogs coming on the YouTube channel so much supplemental content available

Mike Somerville

while we'll get some praise for YouTube to the hundred and get some more features, I'm guessing we get to 100 100 203 that queen is showing up big time in the studio, we will probably have to heat it a little because it'd be like, bro, it's really cold in here. I mean, I'm sure she's got good quality scars. But I mean, as far as her interaction does she do the same thing like she she physically has been there on this road or she just is like, no, I love education. I want to help these kids.

Jib Blouin

Well, education was cool because a teacher told me told me like a baby pair to like a welcome her. But I don't know how she arrived. That must have been amazing. Like she was at school but not Yeah, I think maybe not every year because like all teacher must like, like, prepare for like, you know, plays Yeah. Okay. Student Oh, yeah. So but I don't know how how often she said, but she was because I heard from cool songs. That's so wonderful.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, you know, it's like, as Royals go she's probably like, the most low key like, super chill. And um, you know, but education is like really is clearly one of like her big things because she supports

Jib Blouin

ation and nutrition. Yeah, I would say because nice in the Institute of nutrition in Macedonia. We are in study, right. So ci like our attend every year conference about nutrition. The Queen

Mike Somerville

shows up in recess. That's amazing.

Jib Blouin

Like when the professor gives a lecture and to like, take note, like wow, oh, yeah. About like nutrition. How important was the support like school in Laos? Okay, also good for them. She has many projects about education and nutrition

Dana Blouin

so let me tell you a story about like just like to set the for instance to convey the ego here right so I've been in when I first moved to I was in this mall and ranks it called future Park and there was some of some of the other Royals are they're not like directly like princess Prince but like other non direct

Mike Somerville

just people that work in IT companies like kind of that.

Dana Blouin

So they

Mike Somerville

inside joke they

Dana Blouin

they blocked off half the mall. Okay for for them. So like you couldn't go and half the wall because these royal family members over there. I've been on the skybridge of between central world and power gone. And you can see the Princess jaunting around, because she lives there

Mike Somerville

just like cruising around on Thursday. It was like a handful of bodyguards here. I mean, that's important.

Dana Blouin

But like she's not blocking off the skybridge. She's not walking off wherever she's going. So great. Like, so like, that gives you an idea of like, the commitment the one to her people. Yeah, just like the complete lack of ego.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, that's, yeah, I mean, I can understand being in that job, if you will, right. And there are certain performances that you need to engage in as part of it. So I can understand that. But when you get that, like, just open to being with the people that effectively you're supposed to serve and the theory, right. That's awesome. That's really awesome. I didn't I had no idea. I had no idea that we were going to be part of a project that is so respected by the leaders of your company or your company, the leaders of your country. That's that's really wonderful. Yeah, that's cool. All right. So she has reached out and said, these are the next things we need.

Dana Blouin

And so then another one that we we have, there's a boy there who we talked about on the livestream, he has telecine Mia, and the teacher pays out of pocket for his medicine, right? And so it's like 12,000 baht a year. She was 1000 baht, he needs blood trends. He has a very severe case of tele Samia needs blood transfusion. Yes, yeah, he has mental deformities, like physical deformities. Um, he he's very young looking like she sent a recent photo he looks about the same age that he did developmentally when we were there last

Mike Somerville

so his body is just progressing differently than the average what 10 year old girl

Dana Blouin

but he's still alive I mean, and keep keep this in mind like like, which is a great accomplishment considering the level the access to medical care he had.

Mike Somerville

I'm assuming that if you like skip a month of blood transfusion not even look? Yeah, like you bought you could probably only last what like two months? Yeah. And then game over.

Dana Blouin

And so probably I mean, I don't know. His is obviously very severe. I'd never seen it that severe before. Okay. Um, Jim, Jim has you've seen other people with severe cases just

Jib Blouin

see like this, like, you know, textbooks? Yeah, from just textbook.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. So you won't see this kids like sweetheart, he's obviously he's friends with all the other students like everyone loves him. He's but he clearly has some medical issues and cruise on pays out of pocket and she takes him to his his medical appointments herself once a month. Yeah, once a month in a like in a Scooby eye or not on a truck. Yeah, she takes him on the takes him on the scooter like a Honda wave down that he has other bikes. Oh, yeah. She has the bigger bike. Yeah. Got CRF Okay, yeah.

Mike Somerville

been good. They can both fit on there go for a day and make a day of

Dana Blouin

it. Yeah, but yeah, it's uh, but yeah, like keep in mind like shihlin like the food she like the other day I talked about we sent her 3000 baht to buy chicken feed because she she wants to get the kids more protein. So she started raising chickens so they could get Eggs Eggs for okay. Yeah, yeah. And but they have to buy the chicken feed.

Mike Somerville

How many chickens they have? 2999. Okay. All right. Well, that's pretty good. You know? So here's some I didn't realize until I was at gracies farm. chickens lay eggs every day. Every day. I had no clue.

Dana Blouin

Once a day.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, I didn't realize it. I just like this is friend like, so what is it like, like, and then you get away like three or four weeks. And then of course, her mom's looking at me. Like, I thought you said he went to school. She thought these Americans are smart. God, did he graduate? You know. So anyways, I learned that but I mean, it's so reliable. Yeah. You know, I mean, 29 how many kids are in school?

Jib Blouin

Now? Maybe like 30

Mike Somerville

eggs every morning? Almost. Yeah. I mean, you know, I mean, obviously at scale that you know, your nutrition, right? You got to watch that. But the, but I mean, that's just fantastic. And so do they not have the ability to do that now? Because

Dana Blouin

it was caching, right? She needed. Okay. So she asked me for like, 590 baht to buy like a bag. Oh, yes. And I was like, I was like, I can't send her 593 K and like buy other food for the kids.

Jib Blouin

like milk. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

Like proteins, especially for kids like proteins important?

Mike Somerville

Yeah. And, you know, do a lot. I mean, vitamin every good. fat. I mean, fat.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. And, like for development like, and like Jim knows, like, I don't eat meat. Right. I don't eat eggs. But like, I understand these kids need it. Like I'm not going to try to eat vegetables and fruit. Oh, look, he

Mike Somerville

What do you think we got these trees? Yeah. And go?

Dana Blouin

Yeah, like plenty of vegetables. Like I understand. So the very subsistence lifestyle right you eat when you can like you shoot a rat with your slingshot at 30 meter bam, boom, dinner dinner for the family.

Mike Somerville

And what happens in a scenario like that when your son You know, you like the family, right? He comes home with that they like Wow, man, thank you very much. Yeah, appreciate that. grill it up. Do they have any sort of ceremony? I mean, is it a big deal? Like, I'm trying to go with like, Is it like Thanksgiving? Like I haven't seen you right? You and I are brothers. We haven't seen each other you show up at the family and you show up with you know, what? Is it the the turkey? No, but what's that one ham company that everyone uses in the United States? Not golden honey bag. How do you show with a honeybaked? ham? They're like, Oh, thanks a lot. Is that the equivalent slot? The pineapple on? Right? Yeah, I mean, it's like killing a rat in this village, the equivalent of someone showing up something special catching

Dana Blouin

a rat. It's not like something special, but it's like, Hey, we have protein today.

Jib Blouin

Okay, just like lucky.

Mike Somerville

Yeah. Okay. That's cool.

Jib Blouin

Good to have like a phage.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, this I have like, a dig the mud holes. Yeah.

Jib Blouin

What?

Mike Somerville

What? I don't know what I honestly don't know. This is Thai

Dana Blouin

fish like Thai farm. fish farming. Okay, they dig holes in the mud and fill everything with water. Okay, they love that area. How deep is this whole meter?

Mike Somerville

So big is this table?

Jib Blouin

No, no bigger, bigger, but not not that deep?

Dana Blouin

No, the, the main hole is like the main areas bigger than the table. Yeah. But then they dig holes deeper, like individual holes and the fish go in there.

Mike Somerville

Okay. And they cultivate them. They like it's a fish farm. Yeah. Okay, and so that I can get more protein. But I mean, you throw a fish in there. I mean, you're looking at what that's like a year commitment for the thing to get big enough for you to eat it. Right? Well,

Dana Blouin

that's from like, 30 fish in there. And then you reach in and grab it with your hand and fish it out.

Mike Somerville

So is it like shooting fish in a barrel? So without the barrel

Dana Blouin

without the barrel knife,

Jib Blouin

or the teacher like to let you do it to catch all the fit for students? Yeah,

Mike Somerville

so one of the things that I noticed that I was it was, again, my, my only closest experience to this is gracies farm. So where parents live and they are on top of a mountain, like their land is like that's where they have and then they have like the tiered you know, things for the rice, everything. Okay, so we're up there. And of course, I'm doing things that I just think are normal, which of course the children are finding incredibly funny. Yeah. And so But what was interesting is I would walk around and there would be like this team of children that would just like follow me around, they didn't start petting my legs and that sort of thing. But I would like stand and I would like look around and I would think I would look around and I would want to sit down and they would go over and get these giant from my perspective banana leaves and they would set those down in the ground for a chair for me to sit like a blanket. And I would sit down and I would like sort of ask them questions and they would just you know it's Philippines right? So they speak English and so and they're just like laughing at me. Did you have that experience where you were just like I wish you would probably get some fishing poles and they're like poles they just put your arm in there forgot their fish

Dana Blouin

well trying to walk through the walk through the jungle. I think all the kids thought they like how did this guy survive? Yeah, right. Like how is he not dead?

Mike Somerville

Have a bolo with him. Like he's not hacking down like yeah, so

Mike Somerville

It was just basic stuff and even all of a sudden you hear like six or seven of them laughing.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, so one point I was trying to pick bananas off, like this banana plant and it's I was trying to reach out but not step off the I didn't want to step into like the brush. Okay, just trying to reach out again road. Yeah, sure. So all the kids are laughing at me. Yeah. And so Khrushchev's husband comes over, and he like, takes the slingshot and just shoots the bananas off the fine tree, you shit.

Mike Somerville

Bam, and they just like fall to the ground

Dana Blouin

because because you know, banana trees are super soft. Okay, so he takes the slingshot right through the stamp, one shot one kill. And the whole bushel of bananas just drops and they're like this

Mike Somerville

Paul, white guy. He's like picking one off and be like, I want the one banana. Yeah, I don't need it. He'd like 90 of them fall. Yeah, Jesus. I love stuff like that. Yeah, love it. Absolutely love it. I mean, learning that way is just so pleasurable. Yes, you know, and I bet these kids really like going to school. I bet if they can't go to school it's like a bummer for them.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, it's a but it's like the one thing that keeps you engaged and like you see the value of work in the rice fields all day and it's not even a rice field like I said they cut it into the side of the mountain and you know that like the tears I'm talking like the surprise it's not as it's not as sophisticated as the tiered system okay, but it's like a slow

Mike Somerville

yes slow yeah just slow but there's like they make cuts stairs in so yeah, like transactions there

Jib Blouin

they just walk

Dana Blouin

so there's some like rocks and some stairs into one of them

Jib Blouin

just the part that we walk to but we never walk

Dana Blouin

Yeah, we didn't go up into the thing

Jib Blouin

again Stan and look up like okay enough

Mike Somerville

actually enough like where's the one arm guy when I need like some actual guidance on how they get up is treacherous.

Dana Blouin

So then they told us to that they have sometimes they'll see elephants out there. And really yeah,

Mike Somerville

now elephants in the wild not in a walk in the park like did they are they gonna look at us and be like, oh, dinner are they gonna charge

Dana Blouin

so they don't come into the village usually but you they said like you can hear them when they're nearby

Mike Somerville

can be like can you hang out with them? I mean it's not you don't like hang out with Puma?

Dana Blouin

No, no there's no hanging out with wild animal Okay,

Mike Somerville

got it you stay away but then they look at you and they stay away from us Yeah, they're like whoa to

Jib Blouin

stay away but unless if like the year that like no fruit in a hungry they might walk to village and try to find like okay banana or something that they can eat that's all okay just like let him eat Yeah. But why are they eating you just like hi in the house if your distance

Mike Somerville

like don't go close so I can understand seeing a rat and killing it seeing a they probably don't have them but for the sake of rabbits you know that sort of thing right? Did they look at an elephant and be like Oh, dude, we would eat for weeks

Jib Blouin

you cannot kill elephant here

Mike Somerville

now is that just because it's a legal issue? Okay, is it that reason? Okay,

Dana Blouin

but also like how are you gonna kill the slingshot How are you killing? Again it I mean one bite at a time like

Jib Blouin

you know like for Thai we respect elephant right?

Mike Somerville

It's the equivalent of the Indians and cows right?

Dana Blouin

Like, not the same.

Jib Blouin

We don't we don't cow as a like a golf

Jib Blouin

shirt animal like our elephant used to work for tie like a Dr. Robin thing and be labor work time. Right Right. Right. We respect because like, it's kind of like a leave long. Mm hmm.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, no, man. Cool nose

Dana Blouin

animal wise, like dangerous animal wise. There's some snakes up in the mountain. Okay, um, we didn't see anyone we were there.

Mike Somerville

What time were you there? What time of year did you go?

Dana Blouin

We went kind of similar like november december like okay at the end of rainy season. Um, or the after rainy season so that we didn't see any snakes. The only thing we saw that wanted to see it No, but I'm saying we didn't they have they told us that they have them but we did not see any Did you

Mike Somerville

see any live? Any animals where you're like, Oh, that's kind of interesting and be like, well, I guess they wait

Dana Blouin

more more interesting insects. Like a stick bug. Stick bug was my first time to see a real stick bug. That is it looks like a stick a walking stick.

Mike Somerville

like six a meter?

Jib Blouin

No, no, it's more like go

Mike Somerville

so like why did dragon fly with us body

Jib Blouin

10 centimeters. It's not Dragon 10 centimeters, like three inches or?

Dana Blouin

So it looks like it looks like a stick and it just has like legs. It walks or flies. No Fly walks. Got it. Okay,

Mike Somerville

but it's just sort of interesting. What about like,

Mike Somerville

oh, okay, but without the some big ants big. Okay, but anything I got is tarantulas. I mean, anything that like freak you out.

Dana Blouin

They told us they see bear sometimes

Mike Somerville

bears. Yeah. With that heat.

Jib Blouin

Yeah, we have bears. Yeah,

Dana Blouin

tie bears. Sure,

Mike Somerville

but okay. I thought they were more or less Kind of a cold though.

Jib Blouin

That just caught one

Mike Somerville

the villages did

Jib Blouin

not not this village

Mike Somerville

okay, but like nearby

Jib Blouin

no it's like somewhere in like a we let you in the city like a

Mike Somerville

residential area there was a dev

Jib Blouin

so if you like are weird from but it's like light it just

Mike Somerville

caught it it put it back they didn't like kill it right? No

Jib Blouin

just like they don't make rugs.

Mike Somerville

No. I know it sounds ridiculous. I wouldn't do it.

Dana Blouin

There bear rugs like people will kill a grizzly bear make a rug out of the skin and

Mike Somerville

they'll stuff its head and put it on there. Yeah,

Jib Blouin

they do it like talking to them like they still do it

Dana Blouin

now or they're savages in America. Yeah, yeah.

Mike Somerville

I mean, it's not like as respected as it was like in the 1300s. Where you did it because but but yeah, peoples Do they still shoot lions? They Yeah, it's ridiculous. Americans

Dana Blouin

like to kill shin. Yeah, the president's son likes to go on safari in Africa because he has a small penis. Yeah. And like his dad, and precise kill animals. I just lost half our audience. I'm sure.

Mike Somerville

That's all right. But yeah, so people don't donate to hilltribes. Anyway.

Dana Blouin

So yeah. So they told us that every now and then they'll see a beer. Okay, but Thai beers are not the size of like American Grizzlies. Okay, they're like, I guess it'd be like the size of like a master.

Mike Somerville

And again, they What? Oh, okay. Got it. It's a big dog. Yeah. Okay. But I mean, again, they're if they come into the village and they see other humans are like, not gonna

Dana Blouin

Yeah, not

Jib Blouin

not not the best place to really like, Come attack. You might like fight because this girl like, Oh, yeah, sure. Right. Like you scared. Yep. Yep, yep. If I know I said, I stay Oh, so like, if you with it, the village stay away from the bears. They like are in the village, I don't walk to the edge of the village.

Mike Somerville

Here's what I'm going to do when I get there. Initially, I'm going to make really, really good friends with the kid who can basically kill anything with the slingshot. And he's going to hang out with me all the time. And then I'm going to be like, Hey, dude, banana rat, bear. He's gonna be like,

Jib Blouin

just look at them. When they start to run. You run? Totally. Yes,

Mike Somerville

I will follow them. I completely agree. The guy with one arm. He's like, Oh, this is gonna be tough. Wow. Sounds like I'm walking the rest of it. Could we do that? Like, I mean, if we had, I mean, obviously we would be complete pain in the ass. But if all of a sudden like the truck breaks down, we just walk the 20 kilometers like that kid, right? You can walk? Yeah, I mean, we'd be painful.

Dana Blouin

It's a slow 20 minutes a couple hours.

Mike Somerville

I was gonna say 20 kilometers. I mean, cuz I would walk about 10 kilometers a day when I would be like a beach city. Yeah, and that'd be like two or three so yeah, up

Dana Blouin

a hill. It's on a beach city. It quite flat.

Mike Somerville

Exactly. So I'm thinking like up a mountain. I mean, this kid does. 20 kilometers What's it take him like six hours?

Dana Blouin

I don't know be for him. Maybe? Yeah,

Mike Somerville

he doesn't run it

Jib Blouin

fast. Because Sure. League no go up there. Every day, right? So like, not a change. Show us like rice field. or water? Like I almost passed out. Up there. Like kid like they run like Oh, fine with a flip flop. I wear boots. I wear like sneaker to get one and like, Oh, can you

Dana Blouin

hear me?

Jib Blouin

Like that? Yeah. And you know, once it's like 50 kg is like not heavy. No, you're not heavy? Yeah, like typical.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. Yeah, it's uneven ground. Right. But for them, it's like, yeah, like pavement was. Wow, this isn't

Mike Somerville

how do you get this? I was, again, gracies farm. And all the kids half of them are cruising around. No shoes. Yeah. I'm like, What are you but of course then they laugh at me. And I'm thinking oh, what's their problem? I stick my foot into mud. Pull my what happens no shoe damn shoes days in the mud. I'm there. Now barefoot, they're like, all we did is proactively prevent that by going barefoot. That's the way it works up here. But I couldn't so Okay, so we're gonna do this, we're gonna give them some ability, obviously, long term again, it's not just like a one time quick fix. We do this. And hopefully we build some momentum. Again, obviously, this discussion started. Certainly you know that I'm here and I'm honoured by the way. Thank you guys for bringing me into this. This is going to be a Bangkok strange, you know, type of thing. And obviously, we won't be we're not against bringing in any other organization. I want to support this provided they share our vision of long term education and that sort of thing. So obviously, we can't bring everything up there. So what do you think like maybe the next step after the ability to the other words, as far as I'm concerned, once we leave there, there's going to be front loaded two years worth of ability to give this kid transfusions hopefully, yeah, yeah. And so and again, at the end of the day, if all that is is 24,000 baht Yeah. Right? So I mean, so there's not

Dana Blouin

extend this kid's life. Yeah,

Mike Somerville

yeah. Big times. Nothing. Yeah. So there's that and then Obviously with the you know, you can bring a finite amount of food, right? finite amount of milk. I mean, again, you could have given him 300,000 baht. And it's like, Yeah, but dude, we can't Yeah, this is no physical. So what do you think there's like, I mean, if you were to just ballpark something like this, like they get that and then and then so now we need to basically do the thousand baht a month for the just think like a monthly budget Yeah, to make this village prosper. And be really really comfortable not give them french fries are friggin stupid. You know, but like, I mean, are we talking like 10 20,000 baht a month?

Dana Blouin

So monthly, right? I think like, it's not worth looking at a monthly and I think that's your 10,000 try way over what they would need to be I and I don't want to what I what I would like to do is for me look at look at it is what what can we do to make their the education and the ability to improve lives sustainable in internally sustainable something. So like, we don't need to say we need to give them 10,000 or 5000 a month. So we bring a solar system up there, we're probably looking at a few thousand dollars, like, you know, panels, I'm trying to reach out to different companies to get like sorry. Yeah, and you know, try to work it that way. Um, you know, the best that we can but get them in a position where they they have their own energy, their own power in the school. Yep. Right. And then when we're up there, like we spend the time to assess like, Alright, you're doing the chickens, can we learn more and help you improve this? Right? You know, what are the other things that can really improve education, other other small technological things that we can do? Okay. And obviously, you know, food wise, like, the teacher shouldn't be paying out of pocket right here to feed these kids. But she does because yeah, that's her Okay. Um, and I'm sure she's not feeling I'm sure a lot of teachers up there come out of pocket to make it just because they want kids to learn and they're not learn if they're hungry.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, so agreed.

Jib Blouin

So from what I see, you know, like our first time that we there Yeah, like all the kid look healthy. Yeah. Okay. Which is like, without teacher, I don't think

Jib Blouin

they can look like that agree.

Dana Blouin

Some of these kids did once a day. Yeah. So our guy what sorry, but what's the guy's name? The kid's name with the toxemia. tool to his mom's an opium addict. And doesn't take care of him. Yeah. And so the teacher takes him to his appointment. She She pays for everything cuz this mom can't anything she has is spent on opium and the kids fend for themselves. If they did it, she has multiple kids, but he's the one with the telecine. Mia. Okay,

Mike Somerville

so how prevalent is that? I mean, is she the only opium addict in the villagers? I don't know.

Jib Blouin

Like we do. We don't. Yeah, we did not talk to village because they don't speak. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

We weren't trying to invade.

Mike Somerville

Yes, of course.

Dana Blouin

Because of his situation. Kusum shared that with us. Okay. Um, but yeah, she's got three kids and opium addict. And if these kids didn't eat this big lunch in their breakfast at school every day, yeah, they would be out looking for that little pieces. They wouldn't. Yeah.

Mike Somerville

So now, I mean, a lot of I've seen a National Geographic for example, you watch these documentaries, or these these shows, whatever. And a lot of times people will I mean, again, I'm sure she's not like she's not walking down to the village every single morning for her dose of heroin or whatever. Or opium so I mean, did she just like walk into the village and she like, chews on those leaves

Jib Blouin

know how she can get in? Yeah, but Tito just like she is okay. Got it. But no more to tell about like how right or it's you still but just know that she's not take care of her kid. Yeah, no, that's like, you know, data points. So for the update for the boy with slingshot as he goes to school down a hill and a village. down hill. It's like you can see he grew up very well. Yeah. Like, like a city boy look like tall. Yeah. Right. Not lay steamy? You know? He looked healthy. What? Like, um, I have monster nutrition. I know. Yeah. So healthy. Right.

Dana Blouin

Right. Good skin tone. Like Yeah, like Yeah, he looks

Jib Blouin

like a boy. How can he grow up healthy without this teacher? So this is like, made me like, want to help them more big time. So like, think about all the kid there. Go up, have good education from this teacher go down. You get better education because hers his sister. Now she's like a nursing student things do?

Mike Somerville

Yeah. She's the one that he graduated from high school. Yes. Nice. Okay, like

Jib Blouin

they can go for further education. Yeah, just like high school in the village. Yeah. So they can go further. If they have a chance. Yeah, for sure. I see this five years after the first visit. I see what happened.

Mike Somerville

Was that your first visit five years ago? Yeah, yes.

Jib Blouin

Okay. And then I send like, somehow, like, not physically go there because it's so suffered. Right. It's

Dana Blouin

Yeah. It's not an easy trip.

Mike Somerville

I'm sure the novelty would probably wear off after

Jib Blouin

the first dress. Like sometimes she's like, pose like, Oh, I need to fix like I need to build the proper toilet. Okay, somehow. Okay, how much you need and I will need scarf. Yeah. And off my fan if anyone want to buy it and I will and all those cat totally awesome to teach. That's great.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. And never a problem selling for that. Yeah. Jim doesn't sell products. And so people know Jim doesn't sell products generally because of the market value here. So like people, but when Jim's she designed stuff and when she does make it to sell it like it's for these uses. So it's like, yeah, like 100% goes to this. And you know, but this is, but this is the price. So this is what you pay. Yeah,

Mike Somerville

but negotiating.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. And people like boom, right away.

Mike Somerville

That's fantastic. That's really cool.

Dana Blouin

And so I think like in like Jim said, It is so hard to get there. It's not like he mentioned it. It's not like oh, this is a cool adventure. It's like holy shit were pitched 15 degrees on the side of a mountain with a dude driving a truck with one arm so

Mike Somerville

I get that, but again, it's not easy. I mean, he's done this before. Yeah, I mean, he's probably he probably doesn't tell his buddies. Oh my god, you're not gonna believe what I got to do Thursday. I got to drive this goddamn truck up the mountain. Twice a day. Yeah, really? Yeah. Oh, well, then he's an expert. Oh,

Jib Blouin

like this uncle. He's like, leave like down a hill. So anyone wants to go up there? He's the one like pay him you drive up there.

Mike Somerville

What is he charged for just driving 3000 baht 3000

Jib Blouin

baht wow

Mike Somerville

Yes. To carry alone that's it this is just pick

Mike Somerville

up trucker? Is this a it's a Hilux. Okay, well by for Ben he does this twice a day.

Dana Blouin

He can do it twice a day for him.

Mike Somerville

It's good income

Dana Blouin

but he doesn't so like I don't think he like he could do it twice a day. twice every day

Jib Blouin

got it. But like every day that he drive up there Yeah, I mean

Mike Somerville

that's okay. But he

Dana Blouin

told me he could do like first thing in the morning and then right back and then one more time.

Mike Somerville

Okay, so our next steps basically now do you think people have a good enough foundation an idea of what's going on there? Yes. I mean, are we missing anything?

Jib Blouin

People just help like time by time okay just

Jib Blouin

grouping get together go to help like fix something well the new building but not I don't know she has like help from many groups. Okay. Yeah, like like for for the building that we stay in is like a it's a new school building that time Okay, so like someone helped come and help three helped to build it. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, so they like have a 10 at the school

Jib Blouin

to build it is that we're gonna leave it at it.

Dana Blouin

We'll see it's a template they set it up inside Oh tent and

Mike Somerville

I'll be like camping indoors like when we had sleepovers when we were kids same thing right like air conditioning guys, you know?

Dana Blouin

No, no.

Jib Blouin

Again, you can have a 10 in VR, but that time is a bit cold. So teacher, like I like I will freeze today so to attend and yeah,

Mike Somerville

I hope they have the same impression with me. They don't look at me and say look at all that extra fat. There's no way he's gonna be called. No, I'm cold. Like constantly. I wasn't wearing a scarf. I will be clear I

Dana Blouin

wore sweater every day that were up there we went hiking and I wore a sweater

Jib Blouin

that Cole Okay, so we'll have to bring and just so you know no hot shower. Yeah. Yeah, I actually just realized you know Cold Shower that the Laura from from the mountain Marlin

Mike Somerville

Yeah, gonna be cold I'm gonna probably not shave a whole lot. I'm pretty certain that I

Dana Blouin

ever want to take her first shower. I like

Jib Blouin

cold because I don't think right so you're asked like do I need like a hot water so she can boys a okay don't don't don't waste your like,

Mike Somerville

say offer that.

Mike Somerville

Oh yeah, please heat that water. Oh,

Dana Blouin

that's one that's one meal. They can't cook

Jib Blouin

my face like, you know, save everything.

Jib Blouin

take showers like

Mike Somerville

so. Okay. Look at you said basically you can go up there until rainy season starts again. Yeah, as far as I'm concerned. There's no reason to not go up there when it's warm.

Dana Blouin

Well, you make the biggest Damn it's hot. Yeah, I'm okay with hot. No, no, I think you're not understanding is

Mike Somerville

that a cold shower would be awesome.

Jib Blouin

Did you try some grand here?

Dana Blouin

Yeah. So you know how to get here? Yes, yes. Multiply that and then zero escape from the heat.

Jib Blouin

It's no water.

Mike Somerville

I couldn't I could swim in the consuming the stream with the kids with it with the slingshot

Jib Blouin

in the river all day.

Dana Blouin

Yeah. See me at the beach. I'm a trooper. not deep enough.

Mike Somerville

I'm okay. I'm just excited for this whole thing. You know, I mean, obviously it's gonna be learning experience. We're gonna video the hell out of

Dana Blouin

Yeah, well maybe

Mike Somerville

like a little documentary, not the least of which is gonna be the ride up.

Dana Blouin

Yeah, in the for sure. One arm band. Well I think what we'll do is we'll train up. Yeah, yeah my shaman so it's overnight train we'll get the the sleeper. We get to you know which it's a little bit more than flying but if we're bringing stuff it's actually more convene totally Yeah. Um and so we get up there and then it to be clear like we're not raising money for the trip we're paying for the trip. Yes. Anything that people products, anything that people donate or whatever like that goes to them

Mike Somerville

solar solar medication, medication, and then food and then anything else the school needs.

Jib Blouin

Oh, and teachers say she would like to have like new books. Yeah, a new book book for kids. Awesome. You said like our older kids interested in English?

Mike Somerville

Yeah. Yeah. So like literature or like mathematics and English. I mean,

Jib Blouin

I think any kind of you can get

Dana Blouin

Yeah. And then type your kids

Mike Somerville

type books. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah. When did they start sort of learning English? At what age? Are they taught English up there? And like, we get

Jib Blouin

together only one teacher dad. Yeah, we have to teach old school single classroom. Yeah,

Dana Blouin

schoolhouse. Right. Right. Right. Interesting. So yeah. So yeah, anything that you don't like, obviously, solar is our first priority because that that changes the landscape of teaching. Think of the tools it opens up. Can't wait till the teacher so solar and then on top of that, we want to definitely cover the medical expense for our for our kid in the hotel. See me up there? Yeah, $30 a month gets him blood transfusions and medicine and that extends his life. And so dollar a day. Yeah. And then on top of that, you know, it's bringing food up for the trip, and then things that they can keep shelf stable. So like, you know, unfortunately, like packaged or processed stuff, canned food, yeah. packaged food, some snacks for the kids, UHT milk, because and then we'll we'll assess while we're up there, what the next steps offered for us to help the school on the following chip. Precisely A year later, six months later. Yeah,

Jib Blouin

just thinking like, if if like teacher have the she has enough power. Electric power. So you can like, show the villager YouTube, like how to make things. Yeah. So like they they have like a, you know, natural resource that they can get to like bamboo and stuff. Okay, you can start to do something. Yeah, for sure. That's great. Like, if they can make nice and enough, I can help to sell it. That's great. Oh, that's so cool. And it's like money. Go back to that.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, great. Yeah, I guess stainability

Jib Blouin

First time I was there, I think about I may teach them how to knit. But then it's like, just like coupled it just two days, two or three days in the villages. Like not enough time? If they have YouTube? Yeah, you can send it like I can send my file. Download it. Okay,

Dana Blouin

show them even like, obviously internet is something that we could maybe tackle long term. Yeah, we're both skilled enough in that we're both for engineers that we could we could make that least something we could investigate. But yeah, like if they if they have enough power, where that they can run a computer or at least run a laptop and charging

Mike Somerville

that kind of thing that we can

Dana Blouin

we can mail her or we can put the files up on the internet and then when she's in the village and down the mountain there she can download them and bring them up and teach things to the to the villages so again, having the ability now she has the charger laptop in town at the bottom of the mountain Yeah, and then it lasts until however long it lasts. Yeah,

Mike Somerville

right well hopefully she doesn't have a shitty one like I had

Mike Somerville

only got a decent over the battlefield. Alright, so obviously we're gonna be doing some fundraising for this there's gonna be actual cash. What about people's ability like if there's a guy out there that like wants to design a website, we're gonna have to come up with sort of a list of other things to people that I mean again, there's time talent and treasure that's basically how you give to an organization or to some person or something like that. A lot you know, in the US one could argue it's fairly easy to give treasure really easy to double click next next finish hundred dollars. Additionally, I really want bla bla bla bla bla bla yeah and get but I really want to thank you. Thank you so much, dude for the 3000 baht that was ridiculously unsolicited and very generous.

Dana Blouin

Literally just hit us up during the live stream with 1000 baht. And it blew me

Mike Somerville

Yeah, blew all of us away. Yeah, just thank you very much.

Dana Blouin

And then we've had some other small donations. Thank you to all you guys time. Yeah, I mean, again, gratitude, right? That's your big thing.

Mike Somerville

Right? Pretty big fan. Yeah.

Dana Blouin

Can't be can't be grateful enough for that. Because, you know, these are things that change. You know, a whole village is live like generation of kids. Yeah, right if we do this, right, and position the school to where these kids are really learning and have the opportunity to learn new things, different things. Yeah. Yeah, it's a game changer.

Mike Somerville

And it's something I think, actually, quite frankly, several of the people that are listening or watching or whatever to this could potentially relate to it. I mean, how many of us that grew up in the US have a story that's been passed down to us about our great grandfather, who came here on the boat and opened up his first clothing store. And his last name was Walmart, you know, kind of thing? And it's like, and now he's right. I mean, again, this happens everywhere. Yeah. And Thailand, this location is ripe for it. Yeah. You know, and we just have the ability to be the cabinet or the conduit really, you know, for all of your generosity as well as your assistant. I mean, if any of your sit around Oh, my Trust me, I know solar better than you

Dana Blouin

awesome. Email, if you're it, let us know, if you have inside. Like if you can help us out with design or if you can help us out with any of that, let us know. I mean, it's not always about money. It's, you know, knowledge goes a long way. If you're in Thailand, some of our viewers and our listeners are in Thailand and you want to get involved. You want to take a week and come up here with us and help the kids or you want to come teach English, Bangkok change@gmail.com Let us know in time, we will coordinate so that we can bring the most resources the most help to this school at one time.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, I mean, I just flashed on something like regarding solar. I mean, when I was living in San Diego, all I had to do if you guys know anything about San Diego, all I had to do is drive over by Balboa Avenue basically where the headquarters if you don't know for jack in the box was and pretty much down the street and across the street was the Kyocera plant and they used to throw panels away they were over a year old all day long after testing it right. Well, okay, that would be really easy if we were saying doing a project that was near St like in Mexico. Yeah, we're doing something so I can't like you know, can't just like email one of my buddies Hey dude, cruise over to Kyocera and then drop ship us some friggin stuff. So, so again, but like resources like that are always available and like the local community and let's face it, like we've said, Dude, Bangkok is the best city in the world in the world and therefore there are like if we needed parts for a Toyota

Dana Blouin

Yeah, we're good Honda scooter? Absolutely along they exist in dumpsters

Mike Somerville

because it's like yeah, well, you know, we've got another 700 so plenty of resources here obviously plenty of passion, you know, and thank you guys again for allowing me to be a part of this. We wanted to basically do this podcast specifically because we've kind of touched on this hill tribe a couple of times in on my podcast, I brought it up very briefly, but also you know, Bangkok strange for sure. Yeah. Do you think there's anything we're missing? Or is now a good time to stop?

Dana Blouin

I think now's a good time to sort of wrap it up and again, it's about education and changing kids lives long term. Yeah, and that's always been the goal is to support the school so the school can help the village thrive. Love it. And when you're up there you'll see the school is the center of the community. Yeah, I'm sure it is.

Mike Somerville

Yeah, right. Which where everything's getting better. Yes. Great. So great.

Dana Blouin

With that said, Guys, don't forget to subscribe iTunes, Google Play Stitcher, Spotify tune in Amazon podcasts, YouTube, definitely YouTube, where you'll get all the supplemental content and the live streams live stream discussing this episode. 12 hours from when this drops, so Tuesday, 9am Bangkok, Bangkok time, like and I will be here at the studio. And until next time, stay straight peace.