In Search For Gold

Myanmar

19 May 2018, Saturday

It is a Saturday, a weekend for most to enjoy, a day of rest for some, but not for this old geologist who is working the field in search for that precious metal, gold.

After heavy rains yesterday, that marks the start of the monsoon season in Myanmar, we were able to head to do some field work. Yesterday, we sent a scout to assess the road accessibility to the outcrops. After a couple of hours, they came back reporting the river crossing had high water level with strong downstream flow that made it risky. Also, the summer long dried and dusty road is now saturated, muddy, slippery making the four-wheel drive veer off the road. Yesterday's field work was a write-off.  Today, however, the sun showed its face. We had quick breakfast and geared up, excited to see some good outcrops. 

We took the Toyota Land Cruiser up to the field camp in a village called Kame. The village of Kame looks like an old and humble village. I observed no televisions, computers or even smart phones! Houses were all constructed of hard wood with corrugated galvanised iron sheet roofs. Only very few houses had painted exteriors that are now cracked and faded. The houses are on stilts of about 3 to 4 metres above ground. The lower portion is used for storage of farm equipment and other amenities.  Around the village I noticed the rice paddies and peanuts laid out on a wicker mat for the sun to dry. Farming is their main livelihood.

At Kame, this is the end of the 4X4 ride. Looking back, the Toyota Land cruiser was a luxury ride and from this point on there are no longer accessible road by four-wheel drives. What lies ahead are old logging road, no longer maintained, that only motorbikes and water buffalo or cow drawn carts are able to trek. For us, it is a motor bike ride moving forward.

Each of us were given a motorbike and driver. We had a convoy of eight bikes. I am very impressed by these Chinese made Kenbo motorbikes. They were designed as city road bikes but are used by these experienced bike-drivers to the hilt!

These drivers know its mechanical limits, not to run them to destruction as it would cost several harvests to get a new one. These motorbikes can really take it, imagine carrying this 80Kg stubby geologist? During the uphill drive, you can hear the full throttle, loud rumble, see the bellowing smoke and feel the grumbling of a stressed-out engine.

The road was not forgiving to these motorbikes, there were uphill sections that it could not move forward due to the wet and slippery road. We had to walk these uphill stretches. Some downhill sections were deemed too dangerous that our drivers asked us to walk downhill as well. It was good to know they cared about their passengers.

There is no petrol station in the village, nor one nearby. What they have are villagers selling petrol in 750ml whisky bottles. To save on petrol, during downhill sections of the path, they switch-off the engine and glide downhill, just at it levelled and slowed down, they release the clutch that starts the engine once again. From petrol power to gravity power then back to petrol power. During the gravity power, we did not have any engine brake to count on and the speed is a tad faster. What an adrenalin cycle.  They know these paths very well indeed.

These motorbikes and skilled drivers safely brought us to the outcrops where we conducted our geological work. The details of this work and results is not covered in this journal, but in a separate field investigation report submitted to my employer.

Lunch, men ate first while the women and children watched and served by the side.  This made me feel uncomfortable and awkward. At home, we always eat together. We say a prayer before meals and partake on the food at the table. We enjoy each others' company that we always have extended meal time for conversations after meals. Meal time is part of our day that keeps us together as a family. Sharing and communicating. For these villagers, they may not have known any other that they keep this tradition. Not knowing of the complex political correctness and gender equality issues of the modern world, their lives are simple, content and happy.

After lunch, the men gathered around sitting in a crossed legged fashion and individually prepared their betel nut chew. Some made their own cigarette from locally grown tobacco using old newspaper strips as wrapping. All the while I did not comment, just observed and took their photos. My mind was thinking how unhealthy or toxic inhaling the burnt chemicals from the newspaper ink. I was offered, but tactfully declined. I can see teasing in their eyes and smiles that knew I would not try.

We hit the trail, visited three other outcrops. Panned in two areas where both showed three and two colours respectively. That means we found three and two specs of very fine gold from the panning. I marked the locations with a GPS, took photographs, made some notes and headed back to Pinlebu. We found gold and called it a day!