Khao Yai

This past weekend I went to Khao Yai National Park. I chose this destination because, quite frankly, because I couldn't stand weekend excursions into Bangkok anymore. I am fascinated by Bangkok, particularly, the beautiful temples, but the pollution and traffic is unbearable. Bangkok needs to undergo drastic changes in this regard. I have gotten sore throats and runny noses from walking down the streets, inhaling all the pollutants. Last weekend I resorted to wearing a mask while walking through the city. I felt a little silly but plenty of Thais do it. In fact, almost every police man, traffic official, and tuk tuk driver (local three-wheeled open taxis) wear face masks. Thailand is a place of contrast, conflict, and change. It is home to some of the most beautiful beeches with pristinely clean waters, lush jungle habitats, and the busiest, dirtiest cities in the world. In Bangkok you will see some of the poorest people in the world, children, elderly, and disabled people literally rotting on the sides of the street with amputated limbs and infections. At the same time, the richest business people in the world walk by them as they leave the Oriental Hotel, voted the best in the world and costing over $1000/night. Mystical Buddhist temples are nestled amongst skyscrapers. Right when you think Bangkok will never end, the dense buildings keep going on and on and on..and on, you hit a rice paddy where a farmer is sowing seeds with his oxen.

Khao Yai is the second largest National Park in Thailand and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grant and I left Friday afternoon and took a third class train for three hours northeast. Because trains are always left, we had time to see a local dance festival at a nearby temple. Dances ranged from traditional dances from the Ramakien to little boys dressed in skirts and makeup. Very interesting and entertaining. I'm glad we stumbled upon this show because ti was being held for the children's parents and other local people. Earlier I had seen a dance performance but they were catering to quite a different audience, tourist. We stayed at a little lodge run by a German for $6/night. Saturday and Sunday were spent trekking through the jungle. As soon as we left the road and cut into the dense forest, we entered another world. The noises around us were so eery. Monkeys shrieking, birds chirping, insects doing whatever insects do, and the faint sound of rain hitting the tree canopy far above us. The species diversity is incredible. After only a few minutes of walking, I had already seen three spider species I didn't know existed. BIOTEC actually does a lot of species identification in Khao Yai. This week there is an exhibit in the lobby on the fungal species that have recently been discovered in the park. Leeches are also quite abundant in the park. After 1 minute in the jungle, I had at least ten leeches crawling on me. This number increased exponentially throughout the weekend. Fortunately we were given "leech socks" and were able to flick most of them off before they began to suck.

Bangkok!

From May 18, 2009. Yesterday I explored Bangkok. I have to admit that I am quite proud of myself for taking a van, then the sky train, and then a boat to downtown Bangkok without getting lost. Well, I might have gotten lost once, but it led me to a lively street market where I bought fresh pineapple, bananas, and a green pistachio pastry shaped like a lotus flower, a specialty from southern Thailand. I took a boat which operate like water taxis here along the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn (Wat means temple in Thai). The temple was beautiful and glistened in the sun. The towers were covered with mosaics made of Chinese porcelain and elegant narrow pathways through the monastery were lined with pools and statues. The most impressive statues were the two fine giants, Yuk Wat Jaeng, mortal enemies of the Yuk Wat Po across the river. I took the ferry across to take a look at the Yuk Wat Po and was taken back by the beauty of this temple too. Wat Po is a very large compound and houses the Thai Traditional Medical School. Given my interest in natural medical practices, I could not resist getting a massage. The Thai massage is similar to Indian Ayurveda and Chinese acupuncture and is intended to have healing effects on the body. It seemed like the therapist was definitely getting a work out as well while she was using her hands, legs, knees, and feet to move my body into all sorts of positions. Overall it was a very energizing experience but there were times when she was putting me into yoga-like stretches when I wasn't quite sure what I had gotten myself into. Next time I go, I would like to try the foot reflex zone massage. It must be noted that everything is incredibly cheap here, including one hour long massages.

I have added a few pictures from Wat Arun and Wat Po but I am very frustrated that my camera could not capture the true beauty. Also, the towers are so high that they usually do not fit onto one picture. I also apologize for the aesthetics of the picture arrangement, but this website is making things very difficult.

Sawadee

From May 13, 2009.Greetings from Thailand. I am currently in Pathum Thani, a city and province near Bangkok, on a summer internship through HHMI and Rice's BTB. I will be doing research at BIOTEC, a Thai research institute and part of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).

This is just a general overview and I apologize for any errors my severe jetlag might have caused. I will be investigating the heme synthesis in the murine (that's mice) malaria parasite by genetic transfection under the supervision of Dr. Philip and Dr. Sumalee at the Protein-Ligand and Molecular Engineering Lab. We are using the murine parasite plasmodium burghi rather than the human form plasmodium falsiparum because this allows for in vivo testing.

Haem is an essential cofactor for many proteins and is used for gas exchange, electron transport, and oxidant defense etc. but must be tightly regulated because it can be toxic. When a parasite has entered its host (that's us), it breaks down the haemoglobin. The globin is used for food but the haem needs to be detoxified. This is done inside of the parasite's food vacuole which provides an acetic environment where two haems are joined together until chains of haem, the inert crystal haemozoin, are formed.

In addition to the haem the parasite gets from its host (extrinsic synthesis pathway), the parasite possesses an intrinsic haem synthesis pathway. This pathway is linked between the cell's apecoplasts (an organelle unique to this group of protozoans) and the mitochondria.

We are trying to see what happens if we knock out the parasite's own heam synthesis and make it reliant on scavenging through its food vacuole. Or, given that the parasite has a lot of haem it gets from degrading heamoglobin, why does it have its own mechanism and is this mechanism necessary for proper functioning?

I am staying at the BIOTEC dorm where many of the employees and students live. So far, I am enjoying the hot tropical weather and the daily rains. Everyone is very friendly here and I have already been invited to homemade Thai food and introduced to fresh exotic Thai fruits at the market. Yesterday I wasn't feeling too well and I had to leave the lab early. I think it was a combination of low blood pressure, dehydration, no sleep, and watching poor little mouse tails get chopped off. But all is well now and I look forward to exploring Bangkok this weekend!