A ride to the torched Mae Surin refugee camp 1 year after

KTMphil

KTMphil

Senior member
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
Its been just over one year since the devastating fire at the Mae Surin refugee camp, that killed so many people. There's details on what happened in the link below:


http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...0-killed-mae-hong-son-refugee-camp-blaze.html




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With rainy season upon us, I wanted to get out there and see how things now were.


From Chiang Mai, its over 250km to the actual camp location, with 35km of double track near the camp. Being so far, I decided to take the KTM 990 for some comfort.


route all txt by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
200km's later, safely in Khun Yuam, the bike thirsty for a fill up and the heavens open, not really what you want when you're about to head off road into the unkown (on a 1,000 cc bike) with lots of rivers around you (FYI - when it rains, the rivers get deeper in case anyone misses that point)


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...........More to come in the morning
 
Was in 2 minds as to whether abort this ride idea, often you end up in places you can't get out of when conditions deteriorate. The rain stopped so I carried on.


This had been some nasty storm, north of Khun Yuam it had brought down concrete electrical pylons, all of Khun Yuam had lost power


IMG_8092_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



I wanted to try a northern, anti clockwise loop around to the Mae Surin refugee camp, not sure of how deep the rivers would be or how slippy after the reain. I made a deal with myself that if the trails were wet turn back.


IMG_8095_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



The green rack below is the northern anticlockwise track that leads to towards the Mae Surin refugee camp, although I had no confirmation if it actually linked to the camp



zoom with txt by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
A few nasty bridges along the trail for a 1,000cc / 200kg bike plus full of fuel and gear, but still dry so carry on


IMG_8093_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




IMG_8094_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




There was some really nasty single track, cut ledge type, that meant you avoided crossing the Surin river (dry season with a rain storm was thigh deep), I gave it a shot and wished I hadn't on a big bike, but made it through. On a 250 cc it would have been fun - see bottom right on the map below (blue track)



sgl track with txt.jpg
 
Looking good Phil nice pictures even though the viz was poor.
 
Bottom right of the map above, I was now heading in the wrong direction (I'm at the SE edge of the blue single track now). Not fancying my luck on the ledge single track again, It's time to go shake hands with the wide, Surin river.


It was deep, fast flowing, green slime, uneven big rocks, everything you need for dropping a huge bike in a river


IMG_8096_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Managed to get the beast across with dropping it, but couldn't get it out of the river bank, it dug a hole and the hole got deeper and deeper in the swamp mud.




Propping the bike up with some extra branches for the night in case the rain softened the mud where the side stand was.


IMG_8103_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Another reason for doing this trip was to test out a new camping configuration (a real dry run). With the huge temperature variance between sunset and the cold 1am - 6am period, it's hard to create the right camping setup with minimal gear so that you're warm enough. I can sleep hammock camping but never sleep that well, so I was testing out a new state of the art "tarp" setup, basically an ultralight tent with no built in ground sheet.




Thunder and lightening all around, starting to get dark, this seemed like a good camping spot. I had a river to shower in & ill deal with getting the bike out in the morning



IMG_8102_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
A little bit on jungle camping & why I'm trying this setup.


- You are trying to keep the bike as light as possible

- If you're intending to camp, you want to make it as pleasurable as possible, so that you get a decent night's sleep & not dreading it

- To me Bivi sack camping is for emergency, unexpected camping only

- Often, hut shelter is not available, even with a hammock, because of the dew/ falling moisture you need some kind of flysheet/ tarp cover to keep you dry & of course of the risk of rain

- You need to have adequate thermal insulation to deal with the 1am - 6am cold period (catches everyone out they first time the camp in the jungle, huge drop in temperature)



So I did to some extensive research and hunted out the best ultra lightweight tarp you could possible buy, with cost being not important. You only buy it once and comfortable sleeping after a nightmare day in the jungle when it's raining is worth a million dollars when you're in the middle of it. So after all the research i decided on the Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid. See the link below for manufacturer details:



Mountain Laurel Designs


It had been tested in the most brutal conditions:


This is the shelter used by Andrew Skurka on his incredible 4700mi Alaska -Yukon Expedition. - Andrew Skurka // Adventurer, Guide, Speaker, Writer





The whole thing weighs 280 grams!!!!! You need at least one carbon trekking pole which weighs almost nothing too.






IMG_8097_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
I had no idea whether this would be too hot as it has little ventilation. I opted for the 3" bug net skirt which gave surprisingly good ventilation when you were lying down



IMG_8098_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Perfect amount of space to get all your gear inside with you without being cramped



IMG_8100_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Will do a full write up in the jungle camping thread, but needless to say highly impressed
 
There was enough of the bike out of the river bank, that i was able to rotate the beast on the side stand to get the back wheel out of the swamp, but only just, there was a real risk that the back wheel would slip back in


IMG_8104_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Managed to scavenged some rocks a branches to build up the swamp river bank area so the back wheel could get some traction and not slip back in




IMG_8105_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




IMG_8106_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Loop said:
Brave man heading out there alone Phil.

No thought of the boogeyman getting into the tent? 55
Click to expand...



Started to think about those huge centipede things they have here and snakes. I'd asked Som about snakes before I left, she said no snake in Thailand was actually hunt you.
 
The tarp set up looks good, but without a groundsheet i would expect some unwelcome visitors in the night :p the principle looks good and it's light, good thing about a hammock with a built in mozzi net, once your inside the only bug's you need to deal with are the ones already on your body.
 
The trail in the direction of the Mae Surin refugee camp followed the Surin river bank then stopped


IMG_8107_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




This wasn't looking good, huge steep river bank into the deep Surin river


IMG_8108_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Heard a Honda Wave in the distance on the single track ledge track, after a bunch of shouting managed to coax him down to help the stranded farrang. We found a less steep part of the river bank and he cut a way through with his machete




IMG_8109_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr







IMG_8110_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Had some discussions with the locals they said my green track does go through to the Mae Surin camp but crosses the Surin river multiple times and was deep, so that didn't look very appealing - so back to R 108 and try from the southern side which was supposed to be easier



Below a map showing where the linkup should be along the Surin river


camp big zoom with txt by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Double track was rutted but pretty easy, in and out of a stream 10x but all easy. Then back to the dreaded Surin river. There was a foot bridge but looked too small for the KTM monster


IMG_8111_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr






IMG_8112_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Then disaster struck. In sight of the Surin refugee camp, jubilation about finally making it there, became complacent about crossing the deep Surin river again and rode straight in. Big mistake, big green slime rocks, had a big slip and couldn't hold it upright and did a slow motion lay down into the deep river, exhaust side down.
The bike fell "down current" , so picking it up with gear on the bike and full of fuel would be a real task. managed to get it up after a while but by now it had sucked gallons of water up the exhaust. A press of the start button and nothing happened - hydrolock.


IMG_8113_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Hugely lucky that thos happened near "people", there was a chance we could lift the front end and get the water out, although the oil would probably be contaminated with water by now....so off to the Surin refugee camp by foot



IMG_8114_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr





The half dead KTM beauty at rest in a shallower part of the Surin river


IMG_8115_editedzoom by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
An old waterwheel probably used in a system for pounding rice



IMG_8127_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr






IMG_8128_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Waiting around for the option of a truck for getting the drowned bike out, a vehicle came along with an aid worker that spoke English. I asked him how the camp was doing a year after the horrific blaze, he said there had been good development and a huge aid effort in rebuilding homes. He said in fact there would probably be 10 trucks coming with supplies that day. he also said because of strict legal policies, the contracted trucks to International Rescue would not legally be able to help me, i would have to use a private vehicle headed for the Surin refugee camp.


Waiting around and sure enough the trucks started coming, filled with cement mostly and food supplies



IMG_8124_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
It was good to make it to the Mae Surin refugee camp and see that there was some good progress to restoring these destitute people to a half decent living standard.



When you've done a lot of jungle exploring on motorcycles, you just learn to deal with situations that develop. As long as you have water to drink, most things are only really an inconvenience rather than a drama, a drowned bike isn't a big deal.


Now to get the bike out of there. I managed, with the help of the Army officer, to persuade a pick up driver to give me a lift out of there. 1,500 Bht was what it cost, considering the nasty trail ahead, a bargain.



IMG_8129_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Back through one of the deep, slippy, Surin river crossings


IMG_8130_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
No problems getting the bike out of there and managed to find a mechanic in Khun Yuam that would attempt to get the water out of the bike


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Checked the airfilter/ airbox and was bone dry, so some good news, now to try get the water out of the engine. To get the spark plugs out, to release the water hydrolock it quite a dis-assembly on a KTM 990 ADV, once this chap realized this he wasn't too keen on continuing.


So now getting dark we decided to continue in the morning. A lovely nights sleep at Ban farrang in Khun Yuam, 900 Bht with breakfast, WIFI and aircon, just around the corner


IMG_8131_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Brought plenty of the Surin river back with me, apparently this green stuff is delicious to eat


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Luckily this mechanic had a 4 poster lift, so it was easy to get the front wheel up and try get all the water out of the exhaust





lift_edited.jpg






Still wouldn't turn over, time to check the engine and see how much water had got in there, ovaltine milkshake, lots of water for sure



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It would now be a big job to get it going here in Khun Yuam, sensible option was to put it in a truck and send it to Chiang Mai for a full flush before adding new fluids



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The chap that drove me from Khun Yuam back to Chiang Mai, drives this route twice a week every week, with a large truck full of propane bottles. Interestingly, even with the pickup he went via Mae Sariang (R 108) which is 85km longer than the R 1263 route via Mae Chaem/ Doi Inthanon (200 km Khun Yuam to Chiang Mai)



He told me it's much easier on the vehicle the longer way, the windey road north of Mae Chaem isn't much fun in a car. Two routes are below:



Khun Yuam to Chaing Mai the longer way - 285km R 108 Via Mae Sariang below:


KY 108.jpg
View attachment 28545





Khun Yuam to Chaing Mai the shorter way - 200km R 1263 via Mae Chaem/ Doi Inthanon, but more mountainous


KY 1263.jpg
View attachment 28546
 
As a side note, another fire broke out in December, 2013 at the Ban Mai Nai Soi camp.



Credit - International Rescue:

http://www.rescue.org/blog/fires-two-refugee-camps-thailand-leave-600-homeless-irc-responds




Fires in two refugee camps in Thailand leave 600 homeless; IRC responds


January 3, 2014 by Peter Biro

Mae%20La%20Fire%20Dec%202013%20570.jpg
Over 100 homes were destroyed in a fire that blazed through the Mae La refugee camp on Dec. 27. Photo: Suchart Sangphaijit/IRC
The International Rescue Committee is assisting some 600 Burmese refugees who were left homeless after fires broke out in two refugee camps in Thailand last week. At least one person was killed, several injured and over 100 houses were destroyed.
On December 27, a fire broke out in the Mae La camp in Tak Province near the border with Myanmar (also known as Burma). The camp is home to over 46,000 mostly ethnic Karen refugees. The next day a fire erupted in the Ban Mai Nai Soi camp, in Mae Hong Son province, which is home to some 13,000 mostly Karenni refugees.
"We are saddened by this tragedy which has displaced so many people," said Christine Petrie, the director of IRC programs in Thailand. "This is a sad reminder of the refugees' vulnerable living conditions. Families lost all their possessions in a matter of minutes."
Fire-Incident-in-Site-1-on-28-December-2013.jpg
The charred ruins of homes in the Ban Mai Nai Soi camp. Refugees' houses are made from bamboo with thatched roofs, and fire can spread quickly. Photo: Supak Charoenpornkul/IRC
The IRC provides healthcare, water and other services to refugees in nine camps located on the Thailand-Myanmar border. After the fires, the IRC distributed mosquito nets, cooking utensils, hygiene articles and other essential items to displaced refugees, most of whom are now staying with friends and relatives.
"We are doing everything we can to swiftly respond to the needs of those who lost their homes," Petrie said. "An IRC health team is visiting each displaced family to provide counseling. Our legal assistance team is also working with the Thai authorities to help identify displaced families and to assist with interpretation and interviewing witnesses in order to reveal the cause of the fires."
Refugees live in houses made from bamboo with thatched roofs and once a fire erupts, it can spread fast. Last March, a blaze at the Ban Mae Surin camp killed 37 people and left 2,300 people homeless.
"The next step will be to clear the debris and help the residents rebuild their homes," Petrie said. "This was indeed a tragic end to 2013."



Posted in Emergency Response, Thailand | Tags: refugees, Burmese refugees, emergency relief,humanitarian aid, refugee camp, Karenni refugees, Mae La, Ban Mae Surin, Karen refugees, Ban Mai Nai Soi
 
Interesting comment about the slippery mosey water crossing, must be the time of year and the warmer waters, Laos was the same everything covered in a film of green algae.

Nice report Phil thanks.
 
Thanks for taking us along with you, great pics.

But I was hoping to see more people photos, especially the village inhabitants.

I guess you will be uploading a few more ?

Ally
 
Great report, thanks Phil.
 
Ally said:
Thanks for taking us along with you, great pics.

But I was hoping to see more people photos, especially the village inhabitants.

I guess you will be uploading a few more ?

Ally
Click to expand...


They are not really allowed out of the camp Ally & I wasn't allowed in so only a few inquisitive kids were around from the camp. Planning another trip on the other trail and will hopefully see more from the harder trail.
 
Mad stuff Mr. Gibbins!

If I may add, I'd be tempted to set up camp a little bit further away from the river, seeing as it could lash it down...
 
LUFC said:
Mad stuff Mr. Gibbins!

If I may add, I'd be tempted to set up camp a little bit further away from the river, seeing as it could lash it down...
Click to expand...


Funny you should say that, the river got a lot louder with rushing water around 1am & that was a concern. The river did rise and 6am the back wheel of the bike was under water. So would pitch camp higher next time for sure, trouble was it was a perfect flat spot that had been cleared & worth the risk on that basis.
 
It sounds like you had a very interesting experience out there Phil, well done
 
Great report, Phil.. quite an adventure, and good of you to look in on the refugees too, even if you couldn't get inside. That lightweight groundsheet looks VERY light: any problems with puncturing on sticks etc?
 
oldbloke said:
Great report, Phil.. quite an adventure, and good of you to look in on the refugees too, even if you couldn't get inside. That lightweight groundsheet looks VERY light: any problems with puncturing on sticks etc?
Click to expand...


Jim - No problems with sticks or prickly leaves, was concerned about the expensive Thermarest Neo Air getting a puncture, so checked the sleeping area real good.

Through your Myanmar connections, do you have any updates on what they've done in the last year in respect of aid?
 
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