Continue reading »]]> I spent the last night on the boat in a remote area with the boat moored to a tree. It was a nice and peaceful way to end an exciting and hectic journey down the Mekong.

In the morning of the 10th day the boat and I navigated our way around the most dangerous part of our trip. The river, just before Kemmarat, is very rocky and fast moving. Fortunately Google Maps uses satellite imagery that was taken when the water levels were low so I am able to see which areas are the deepest and stick to those routes. Unfortunately, right before reaching the rapids, I accidentally “butt-deleted” the Google Maps software from my phone. D’oh!! So while using my legs to steer the boat through the rapids I was using my hands to download Google Maps and install it (License Agreements are very annoying when you’re in the middle of a life-and-death situation – needless to say I didn’t read through it). Within a few minutes the software was installed and I could once again see where I was on the map and where I needed to go. That GPS phone and software made this trip MUCH easier. It still would have been possible to navigate the river with just a pair of binoculars but it was really nice to be able to prepare hours in advance which area of the river I should be avoiding and which area I should be aiming for.

Once I approached the town of Kemmarat I could see a group of government officials assembling on the dock. They had been told of my arrival a few days before and were calling all morning to ask when I’d be arriving. After the boat was parked I was greeted by the Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Kemmarat. Their officials helped me secure the boat and to get my bags off the boat. Once I was on land they got me some food and took me to a guesthouse so I could relax for a while. Later in the evening they invited me to a party the Health Department was having. They recently began and Environment and Health campaign so they said the timing of my arrival couldn’t have been better.

While at the party the Mayor invited me up and asked me a few questions. I was really tired so I’m pretty sure what I said didn’t make any sense but everyone was very nice and understanding.

In the morning I went back to the government building on the river and talked with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor about the plans for the boat. They were REALLY interested in keeping the boat and use it for their environmental campaign. I had always thought that the boat would be taken a part and recycled after its journey but if it can continue to be used to encourage people to protect their environment then WHY NOT! Once we agreed to donate the boat to the Municipality of Kemmarat they had a team go down to the boat and remove the batteries, solar panel, and inverter. Those were the items we purchased and want to continue using back at Isara. We did, however, donate a smaller solar panel and a charger/inverter to them. They were all very pleased and I could see quite a few of the employees really interested in test driving the boat. At one point there were 11 people on the boat at one time. I think that’s a new record. She’s a strong boat!

After all the items were removed I said my goodbyes to the boat and gave her one last pat on the back for a job well done. I’m certain the people of Kemmarat will take good care of her and make sure she continues to help the environment. We’ll check-in on the boats progress over the coming months and years but, for now, we’re very relieved she found a good home.

Thank you to everyone who made the “Think Before You Throw” project a success. None of this could have been possible without the support of our sponsors and volunteers. Thank you!!

Continue reading »]]> The rain stopped but the wind, waves, and whirlpools started. the boat was getting tossed around pretty good. the boat feels like a tank. it never feels like its only being held up by plastic bottles. its only when i look at the bottles do i get a little nervous.

Made it to Mukdahan in the afternoon. a tv crew was waiting and recorded my arrival. there were also reporters from a newspaper and website waiting to interview me. its nice that the media has shown so much attention in our campaign. it helps us get our message to more people.

In the morning the tv crew picked me up and took me to a school. i spoke with the students about our boat and campaign. everyone was really nice and many of the teachers had seen our story on tv or newspaper.

At about noon i left Mukdahan and have now parked the boat against a tree in a quiet area. getting ready for the last day on the boat.

Next stop Kemmarat in Ubon.

Continue reading »]]> Reached Nakon Phanom yesterday evening, only 15 seconds before the hardest rain I’ve ever seen. Phew!

After it stopped raining I went around town looking for dinner and supplies. Afterwards I watched some Tv shows on the laptop (usual routine) and got some sleep.

This morning I got some more fuel for the boat and found this Interent cafe with, quie possibly, the oldest keyboard known to mankind. But I’m not complaining. This is the first hi-speed Internet I’ve had in almost a week and I’m glad to have the opportunity to upload some images of the first part of the Mekong River “Think Before You Throw” campaign.

[Show as slideshow]

123►

Next big town is Mukdahan and then the final destination for Thailand a few days after that. We will decide at that time if we will continue on through Cambodia and Vietnam.

Continue reading »]]> Spent 90 minutes typing a description for each day but lost everything when i hit send.

Will try again later. Until then, everything is going very well and the boat is doing great! Lots of rain today. Hopefully it will clear up tomorrow.

UPDATE:
Day 1
We launched the boat at about 2pm. Isara volunteers, some Thai river police, restaurant staff, and a small tv crew were there for the send off. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to give a proper Goodbye to Ming and our volunteers because we were being rushed by the TV crew.

Once the boat was in the middle of the river I stopped the engine and started the “Think Before You Throw” audio message that plays on the loud speakers. For the next hour or two I just drifted. Only occasionally did I need to start the engine to move me away from shore.

The response from the message was good the entire time. People were waving and giving a thumbs up. Parents were lifting up their children in their arms so they could see the boat. I was happy to see parents encourage their children to wave at me instead of telling their children to divert their eyes from the strange man in the strange boat. It was reassuring that our campaign was a welcomed message.

At about 5pm it became clear that we were not moving as quickly as we had planned and that the boat was not going to reach Phon Pi Si before sunset. It was at this point I started to worry a little because there were not any places to safely park the boat. I kept floating down the river hoping that a perfect spot would be just around the next corner. No luck. The sun had set and now it was dark and lightning was in the distance. Now worry turned to panic as I turned on the spotlights and looked for anything to tie the boat to. With my binocuars I spotted a small shack in the distance. As I got closer I could see that it was a water pump station and there was a large metal pipe I could maybe get a rope around. I had never parked the boat alone before so I was really nervous. The fact that it was dark and about to storm only made things worse. Fortunately, after an hour of trying, I finally had the boat firmly secure to the shack. It was possibly the worst parking job in the history of boating but it worked.

Once the boat was safely docked I noticed a stowaway abandoned ship. A rat that had been living inside the hull made a run for it and made it back to land. I guess it has friends or family it needed to visit in the area.

The first night on the boat was ok. Took a while to get use to the noises. Distinguishig between noraml creeking and dangerous creeking. But, all-in-all, it was nice to have the first day behind me and it was nice to get some rest.

Continue reading »]]> Hard to believe the boat is finally finished. We’ve been working on it for so long I almost forgot there was something else we needed to do. That is, take it down the Mekong River and encourage as many people as possible to not throw trash in their rivers. You know, the important part! I’m sure there are going to be some problems along the way but we will take the boat as far as she will go and then make sure she gets reused or recycled.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make this campaign possible. A LOT of volunteers gave their blood, sweat, and tears (literally) to build this boat and it couldn’t have been done without them. I’d like to give a special thanks to Ming, Alec, Tom, and Jan for putting in a lot of over-time to make sure the boat was built strong and safe. I’d also like to thank all of our sponsors. Each one of you trust us with your financial support and we hope we make you proud.

Whenever possible I will post an update but, until then, please pass along this link to everyone you know on Facebook or elsewhere. The more people we can reach the bigger difference we can make. http://www.talktrash.org

Before I go, here are a few pics taken last night. In case you wanted to know what the boat’s cabin looks like, here it is.

The computer, power, and navigation area.

The bed is pretty comfortable, especially with the over-sized pillow Ming made for me. Thanks, Ming!

The kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and living room.

And here’s another photo of the boat at night.

If all goes well I should be in Phon Pi Sai, Thailand by 4-5pm this evening. Be sure to check the Tracking map for the boat’s current position. See ya!
k

Continue reading »]]>

TalkTrash.org New Website

Yesterday we launched our new “Think Before You Throw” website, which you’re viewing right now.   The site will have regular updates of the campaign’s progress down the Mekong River. In case you’re curious, the domain name is TalkTrash.org because ThinkBeforeYouThrow.org was already taken.

Until the rain clears, and we can get back down to the boat for final preparations, we’re taking this time to prepare promotional materials for the “Think Before You Throw” campaign. Since I’ll be stopping at towns along the way, and visiting schools, we want to make sure that we have things to show the people we’ll be visiting. Many of the people won’t be able to see the boat so we’ll be taking some laminated photos to show them. The photos will be of trash along the river, the boats construction, and also the previous campaigns we’ve done for the environment. Hopefully we’ll be able to motivate people to do more in their local area to help keep their environment clean.

While on the river, we have a recorded audio message (in both Thai and Lao languages) that will be playing on a continuous loop. Loud speakers mounted on the back of the boat will make it possible for everyone within a 500 meter area to hear our message. The message will simply encourage people to stop throwing trash on the river and ground, to reuse and recycle more, and to help the environment be clean.

Stay tuned…

Continue reading »]]> Last night we installed the spotlights. We don’t plan on doing any sailing at night but it’s best to be prepared.

Here is the map of the first leg (and possibly only leg) of our journey. It is about 650km (400 miles). You can monitor our progress down the Mekong River by visiting the link below and bookmarking it.

Follow our “Think Before You Throw” campaign on Google Maps.

Our plan is to leave on Sunday morning and stop in Phon Pi Sai (about 30 miles down river) a few hours later. We could go 100+ miles in one day but we don’t want to go too fast or else people won’t be able to see the boat we built and hear our message about keeping the rivers clean. So we’re going to take it nice and slow.

Continue reading »]]> Quick update: We are still preparing the boat for the long trip down the Mekong River. Fixing electrical problems, adding metal sheets under the boat, tightening bolts and screws, and stocking the boat with supplies.

It has been raining (and flooding) for the past week so that has delayed our departure by a week or so. Also, Thailand has a BIG general election today so we’re waiting for the political excitement to ease before we set sail. For now, it looks like we’ll be leaving sometime at the end of the week (Saturday or Sunday). Fingers crossed.

Continue reading »]]> Here are some pics from Saturday’s event. Unfortunately the rain kept most of our guests away and the fast current of the river kept us from sailing the boat after the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Thank you to our Isara sponsors and volunteers for making all of this possible. And thank you to the Vice-Governor of Nong Khai for helping us launch the “Think Before You Throw” campaign.