Coming Home

After a last bout with biting insects and last-minute consumption of green curry, mangoes, and Thai iced tea, we are on our way to the airport for the long journey home. We have had a wonderful time and will miss so many parts of Thailand - especially some of the wonderful people we met here. We are very excited to get home and see the people we love who have been looking forward to our return. We should be back in our home by Friday. See you soon!

Island Paradise

Before taking off for good, our whole family took a week to fly down to the southern islands off the Thailand coast for some fun in the sun. We flew to the main island of Phuket (pronouced poo-ket') on the Indian Ocean side of Thailand and spent four nights on Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee') island and three nights at Kata Beach on Phuket. We hired a very beautiful and friendly island man named Rin to take us in his long-tail boat around to the nearby beaches and islands. We stopped a few times to snorkel. Wow, it was definitely the best we had ever experienced. Dan could not get enough snorkeling. It was like living the Finding Nemo movie with all of the fish characters swimming around your head. We saw long fish, short fish, red fish, blue fish, purple parrot fish, yellow angel fish, fish striped long ways, fish striped short ways, spotted fish, speckled fish, a puffer fish, and even a squid. At one point we got greedy looking for sharks but we got tangled up in the waves and cut up on a group of rocks (we all came out ok). When we weren't snorkeling, Rin took us to swim in the incredible, warm, clear, turquoise waters. We spent an afternoon frolicking on the beach made famous in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach." It was quite heavenly. Back at our hotel on the island we got to see fire twirlers, beach bums, and other assorted locals hanging around and wondering when the next tourist rush was going to happen. That is because most everywhere we went, we were among the only ones there due to the low tourist season and the low world economy. It was mostly good for us as we got good deals on activities and didn't have to share things with too many other tourists. It was a little eerie at times, however, as more than once we found ourselves the only group in a restaurant with a bunch of Thais hovering over us trying to satisfy our every want and need. We learned that some times life is hard, but you just knuckle down and go with it.

On Kata Beach, Max and Anna bodysurfed to their hearts' content. They are now officially surf kids, if only they will be able to continue back in the cold waters of the California central coast. Kim, Ginger, and Dan snacked on fresh fruit and drinks while watching from the beach chairs, occasionally stepping into the water for a refreshing swim or surf. After seven days of this, we decided we better get back to reality before the kids suffer eternal "pruniness" of their fingers and toes or excessive sunburn of their cute little faces. We had a lot of fun on the islands. We learned some interesting island culture. We even trekked uphill to see the "Tsunami Village" on Koh Phi Phi (many were killed there in 2004). We caught a Monday flight back to Bangkok and checked in that night for our last couple of days, staying at the same University hotel where we had been for a month before we left.

College Students Are Not So Bad

During our last couple of weeks in Bangkok, Kim and Dan started to feel satisfied that they'd really gotten some quality time with Anna and Max. Fortunately, some of the Cal Poly students were ready to step in and spend some quality time with them themselves so that Kim and Dan could go out together. Anna and Max got to spend almost a full day with Annie and Josh, a couple of crazy engineering students that had started hanging out together during the trip. They took the kids out on a fun journey around the city, played games with them at the mall, and got them treats at the fancy doughnut shop. Kim and Dan got some work done, went for a massage (oh, we will miss the $6 massages), had some great grownup food, and visited the famous Oriental Hotel for a cocktail. The Oriental has housed some of the most famous European writers and travelers over the past century and it is a model of extravagant living. After our family got back together, we all went down to the National Puppet Theatre and saw The Birth of Ganesh, a mythological story about one of the major gods of Hinduism (though Buddhist in name, the Thais kind of like a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Animism - think animal spirits). Anyways, the puppet show was wondrous. The puppets are on sticks coordinated by actors (three to a puppet) who dance, gesture, and react in synch with the puppets themselves. A live orchestra with traditional Thai instruments accompanied the performance. Afterwards we were all able to "worship" Ganesh and try to get a little of his strength and ancient wisdom to seep into our selves. Oh, by the way, Ganesh has the head of an elephant - think of the teasing he must have had to put up with at school.
Monica, Shelley, and Emma all got to take turns watching the kids at some point as well. Kim adn Dan got some really fun time down at Kao San Road, the famed hippie hangout area in central Bangkok. They went to a cool rooftop hookah (water pipe) bar, got another message, and snuck in some more of that really spicy food that Anna and Max cannot deal with.
In our last week, we had a going away party from the college here and a going away river cruise on the Chao Praya River with all of the Cal Poly students. Both were really fun. Anna and Max spent the whole river cruise goofing off with the Cal Poly students. Kim, Dan, and Ginger loved the incredible view of the whole city going by as we ate. The college party was filled with slideshows, speeches, music, dancing, food, picture taking, and lots of silliness. The Thais bent over backwards as usual to make us feel loved and respected. The Cal Poly students had a nice farewell present for Dan and our family. Everyone agreed it was the best trip ever!

Bangkok: No Helmet Required

Bangkok is one crazy, fabulous city. We love it all -- the crowded markets, the delicious food, the ever-present street vendors, the high-end malls, and all of the insane methods of transportation that people use. Motorbikes are one of the most common ways to get around, but they are not just for one person. We constantly see motorbikes with 2, 3, or even 4 people on them. Families are a common sight, with a mother on back holding an infant, a toddler in the front grabbing the handlebars, and/or an older sibling on the back who may be talking on a cell phone or sipping a beverage out of a plastic bag with a straw. A couple of days ago I saw a parent driving a motorbike with a younger child in front and an older child in the back eating a bowl of soup while they navigated the crowded Bangkok streets. Of course, if they aren't carrying children or enjoying a meal while driving, we often see Thai people carrying the most outlandish things while driving their motorbike -- furniture, equipment, building materials, etc. Yesterday Anna tried to take a picture of two people carrying a twin size mattress between them, but she couldn't snap it fast enough before they veered off into traffic. Every once in a while we even see someone riding a motorbike with a helmet on, but that's much less common than seeing someone carrying a table or chairs.

This week, in addition to seeing the sights of Bangkok, we took a day trip to Samut Prakan which is a park designed in the shape of Thailand with monuments positioned in their corresonding locations and scaled to about 1/10 their original size. It was fantastic. Kim also took the kids to the Crocodile Farm nearby, but we couldn't quite make it through the whole show. We all watched while the men put their hands in the crocodile's open mouth, but Anna had to leave when one of them put his head in. Kim made it through to the point where they reached in to take out the 20 Boht bills (money) that they had collected from audience members and placed on the crocodile's tongue, but then had to leave when a 12-year old boy came out to assist with the show. Instead, we wandered over to the walkway where you could "fish" for crocodiles, by paying 20 Boht for a long bamboo pole with a rope tied to the end. Attached to the bottom of the rope was a section of a small animal carcass, which we then dangled into the pit below. We all thought the rope would release the carcass a bit easier than it did. When the crocodile snapped, we had to pull with all of our strength to keep the bamboo pole up with us. At least it wasn't like the elephant park we visited last month, where the baby elephant wrapped his trunk around Max's leg and tried to pull him into the cage to play. At the crocodile farm, we decided that we would let the crocodiles have the bamboo pole if it came down to that.

So we are eating drinking, walking, and sightseeing as much as we can during our last few days in Bangkok. We leave tomorrow morning for the islands, and then we have a couple of nights back in Bangkok before flying home on the 18th. We're really in the homestretch now!

The Grand Palace and Royal Temples

On Monday after the visit from Mandy and Galen, our entire group went on our last field trip together. The University where we are staying had arranged a special tour of the Grand Palace, the historical and ceremonial home of the monarchy (i.e., the Chakri Dynasty of Thailand, namely Kings Rama I through Rama IX). It was beastly hot. But we endured through the incredible palace grounds. It is actually an interesting mix of traditional Thai architecture, ceremonial opulence, and European influence. Some of the coolest things were the King’s thrones, the King’s elephant mount (i.e., an ornate carriage fitted to the back of the Royal elephant for processions), and the royal portraits of past and present kings and queens.

Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho are the two famous royal temples near the Palace. One houses the “Emerald Buddha” carved from a large single ingot of Jade. The other houses the “Reclining Buddha” which relaxes over about 50 yards and includes feet the size of a man. Both were very cool. Both temples have a series of incredible wall murals depicting the life and times of Buddha as well as scenes from the creation mythology and from Thai history. The murals rival the amazing artwork in Italian cathedrals. And, oh, there are lots of other Buddha statues and opportunities to bless oneself or others (with lotus flowers and holy water, for example). Max loved the giant ogre warrior statues that guard all of the temple entrances. Dan and Anna felt like giants in front of the scale replica of Angkor Wat, the ancient ruined temple/city in Cambodia. Kim really dug getting to wear borrowed Thai clothes to go in to see the King’s private gallery and dining hall. Ginger tried to follow all of the stories on the wall murals. We all perspired greatly, but we felt the touch of history and the power of worship as we regretted not bringing another memory card for our digital cameras.

Visits from Family and Friends

Just after arriving in Bangkok, we got a visit from Bruce Klickstein, our world-traveling neighbor from San Luis Obispo. We caught up with Bruce and his business partner Sammy at one of the big hotels in the touristy Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. Sukhumvit is known for having lots of custom tailors, fancy hotels, British pubs, and some very shady bar areas. We enjoyed a fun evening walking around, getting caught up on what’s happening in SLO, and having some excellent martinis at the Marriott.
Just a few days later, Dan’s sister Mandy and her husband Galen arrived in town as part of their two-week Thailand vacation. Our mission with Mandy and Galen was to find some great food (oh, we did, we did), some good shopping (Galen got a cool fake Rolex, Mandy a great fake Prada purse), and one of those crazy Asian nightclubs. Our nightclub (with Max and Anna being tenderly supervised by Cal Poly students) was a space-shuttle shaped building called Bed’s Supperclub, complete with a second story lined with queen-sized beds for lounging with your drinks. They had a dance floor, and trendy drinks, and we indulged in pure pleasure. During one of our days together, we all trekked down to humongous Lumphini Park to ride the paddle boats and picnic on the grass. It was hard to relax while picnicking, however, since we kept seeing enormous monitor lizards – about the size of small alligators – running around freely and sizing up the tourists. Fortunately, no one was harmed. At the park, we even saw a small playground sponsored in part by the Rotary Club of Rockford, Illinois, Kim’s hometown. All together now, “It’s a small world, after all, . . .” Over all, we had a nice visit, and Mandy and Galen got to see a lot of interesting sights in Bangkok in addition to their fun times in Chiang Mai and on the coastal islands in the South.

Adventures in outpatient surgery

This week I finally got to talk to the doctor to find out that the results of a bioposy I had in Nong Khai were just fine. So now that I know it turned out all right, I'll briefly describe my adventures with outpatient surgery at the Nong Khai County Hospital.

As it is, we get stared at everywhere we go, since we are taller, fairer, and blonder than everyone else here. Oh, and some of us are considerably *wider* as well, and getting wider by the day. So when I had to spend a week with a big bandage on the middle of my nose, I was just about ready to hide in the guesthouse. Thankfully, there are few people who care less about their appearance than me, so I was able to manage. But living in small-town Nong Khai, I'm sure I was known as the farang with the big bandage on her nose.

It all started when I noticed that a bump on my nose was not only growing but actually bleeding. I've had this before, so I knew it was time to go straight to the doctor. Not knowing what else to do, I went to the Emergency Room in the morning, and did my best to help the nurse fill in the paperwork. My name was recorded as "Kimbefly Lonsway," however, and efforts to correct the spelling error never went very far.

After clarifying that the bump on my nose was not exactly an *emergency,* I finally understood that it was a holiday and I should come back tomorrow. Fortuantely, there was no charge for the visit. The next day, I reported to the main reception area, checked in, and settled in for about an hour-long wait with the rest of the Thai people -- mostly families, some elders, and of course a few monks. Finally, my name was called ... "Miss Kimbefly" ... and I used all the Thai phrases I had been practicing while I waited to describe my problem. I was also armed with the word "biopsy" written in Thai on a piece of paper, thanks to the host of our guesthouse. Yet the doctor spoke some English, and asked me simply "You want excision?" "Yes," I answered. So off I went to surgery.

I didn't wait at all in surgery, but climbed up on the table and tried not to think about movies on cable about health care in foreign countries. They covered my face with a cloth that had a hole for my nose, and I was grateful for the nurse who held my hand while the doctor gave me a shot of local anesthesia, sliced off the bump, and left me with three stitches. I then did my best to understand the follow-up instructions, picked up my prescription for pain medications, paid my bill, and headed back to the guesthouse. The next morning, I came back for a follow-up appointment with the nurse, who checked and cleaned the wound, and said that everything looked good. "Free," she said, "you no pay." A few days later I came back, and the same nurse checked and cleaned the wound, again reassuring me that everything looked good. It was 5pm on Saturday, and she apparently had come in on her day off. Again she said, "Free .. you no pay." A week after the surgery I again returned, and they took out the stitches so quickly and easily I was confused, because I thought they hadn't yet started. Yet again, "Free ... you no pay." I went to the bakery and brought the surgery staff two large cakes, which I think they appreciated.

Now, my wound has healed perfectly. Just a few weeks later, it's hard to even see where it was. Total cost for the whole experience (ER visit, triage at reception, outpatient surgery, pain medications, two follow-up appointments to clean the wound, a third appointment to remove the stitches, lab testing of the excision, and a phone consultation with the doctor about the biopsy results): 600 Boht, or about 18 dollars. Cost for the cakes: 500 Boht.

Overnight Train to Bangkok

What could be more romantic . . . mysterious . . . intriguing? The overnight train to bangkok left Nongkhai Saturday afternoon among cheers and waves. No one expected that we would be subjected to theft, bribery, seduction, political espionage, and ultimately murder along the way. Well, no one expected it, and fortunately we weren't. However, one of the porters did steal some of our potato chips - but she was just joking with us. Anyways, it was a really fun trip that went very quickly for a 14-hour adventure. We got to stay up fairly late and chat with some of the college students since they were trapped on the train and couldn't get away from us. Anna played poker, Max read his book, grandma got to compare shopping notes with Jennifer (new Cal Poly program coordinator), and Kim and Dan actually got to sit together calmly eating dinner and sipping on Leo beer (our new favorite whenver we can't get Beerlao) and Sang Som Thai whiskey (technically it's rum, but who am I to correct them).

After our slightly weary arrival in Bangkok, we checked into our new hotel at the University and spent the rest of the day on a tour of the city. We took a water taxi on the Chao Praya river to get downtown. Then we chartererd a tour boat (a longboat!) to take us through the maze of canals that interconnect various neighborhoods and sites. Who knew that Bangkok was the Venice of the orient? It was very cool as we went by run down shacks and mansions alike - all on stilts and hoping the Thai government can successfully control river level. We stopped at Wat Arun, an awesome old temple on the banks of the river. We eventually made it to a popular river port and got out to take the SkyTrain (elevated subway) to the famous Paragon shopping mall. The Paragon is for the obscenely wealthy, with a Ferrari dealership, lots of Gucci-type stores, and a bunch of fancy restaurants serving Thai and Western delicacies. We feasted on designer cupcakes, custom cream puffs, and pizza in a cone. Wondering when we were going to get around to returning to our normal caloric intake, we hopped in a taxi and made our way back to our hotel for our first night. Hello Bangkok!

Farewell to Nongkhai

Our last week in Nongkhai was jam packed with activity. On Mother's Day (Sunday) we went to an immense sculpture park filled with very large works covering a wide variety of mostly Buddhist-inspired images. It had naga-dragons, Buddhas, mermaids, elephants, and all manner of crazy artistic interpretations of Buddhist, Hindu, and even some Western stories and beliefs. The artists body is actually entombed on the grounds. It was pretty freaky and unbelievably hot. We were rewarded afterwards with ice cream.

We went out to eat at fancy restaurants on several nights. We ate curries while watching the sun set over the Maekong River - an incredibly beautiful sight. Picture a lone fisherman floating by on a longboat sillhouetted against the deep green water while occasional lights began to twinkle on the sparsely populated shores of Laos. An elephant lumbers by looking for bananas (this really happened). Geckos, moths, and surprisingly elaborate beetles compete for time in the lamplight. We wipe the tears from our eyes from the intense spice of the papaya salad poured over our steamed catfish. Some fine evenings - each capped off with a little ice cream.

We spent one full day sightseeing and food-sampling in Wientiane, the capital city of the People's Democratic Republic (P.D.R.) of Laos - which is cool both because it is now communist and because it was once a French colony. This means that there is only one beer in Laos and everyone must drink it (BeerLao - it is actually quite good) and also that there is French bread and croissants in many of the local bakeries. We had a terrific European meal (including crepes) on a balcony overlooking the main town square. The Italian wine was terrific - and duty free! We walked the streets checking out colonial architecture, government buildings, a famous temple (seen on Lao currency), and various other sights. The Lao people were amazingly friendy - especially considering our country bombed theirs in the 70s. After a long day of walking we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream.

Friday night was the farewell party at the college. It was a well-deserved celebration after a long day of sports and games with the Thai and American college students in the blistering Nongkhai heat. We were joined at the party by college administrators, local students, visiting students, a group of Lao teachers, and various local characters. The locals performed the Baan Sii Su Kwai ritual of tieing strings around our wrists and wishing us safe traveling. There were songs, dancing, a huge food spread with sticky rice and dipping bowls, even several cans of BeerLao!). Many of the students and participants were on the verge of tears as friends said goodbye and promised to keep in touch. Even though there was no ice cream, it was an enjoyable and emotional event for all. We slept well and prepared for Saturday's overnight train to Bangkok.

Rocket Festival

Nong Khai province is famous across Thailand for its Rocket festival, held each year in Spring on the full moon before the start of the rainy season. Or so they hope. The intent of the rockets (kind of like giant bottle rockets) is to alert the Gods of the sky that it is time to allow the rains to fall. There are several mythological stories that accompany the tradition, involving various Toad Kings, evil squirrels, serpents, epic battles, and long held promises. But sure enough, the day after we watched the villagers shoot rocket after rocket into the blue sky, the heavens opened up and let loose a series of storms like we rarely see in California. Whether it was the rockets, the rain dances, the all-day drinking and shouting, or simply good timing, the festival worked, and everything cooled down just a bit after a couple of weeks of intense, dusty, heat.

Several other events took place during Rocket festival week. Our family and the Cal Poly students got to participate in many of them. There was a fashion show for international couples held in conjunction with the annual beauty pageant. 13 Cal Poly students were able to pair up with some visiting Thai nursing students, and the whole group rented fantastic traditional Thai costumes to parade down the runway. A terrific time was had by all, and if I do say, the Cal Poly/Thai couples stole the show. Anna and Max got some neat clothes out of the deal, too. A parade took place on Thursday, within which a group of students got to perform the traditional rain dance along the parade route. The parade itself was an epic, three-hour long procession of twelve sets (one for each regional village) of giant serpent floats, gongs, dancers, decorated children, rockets, and large groups of very drunk villagers (mostly teenagers) completely covered in mud. The mud is from the tradition of throwing a rocket launching villager into the muck if their rocket does not launch with sufficient height or glory. It was approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit and desperately humid during the parade. We only lasted for 6 village sets before rushing back to our air-conditioned bus. The Cal Poly students also kept busy during the week by traveling back and forth to school in Nong Khai each day from their homestays in the country, working on individual projects at the Center for Vocational Building Technology (CVBT) with local Cal Poly alum and do-gooder Geoffrey Wheeler, and turning into regular patrons at the river bars and city nightclub (called Bar-Nana but pronounced Bah-nana). Dan did his best to help with logistics and coordination and moral support for all of these activities. On Sunday, our whole family stayed together and rested, doing just about nothing.

News Flash – Cal Poly Student Ordained as Buddhist Monk

Michael, one of our engineering students, accepted a special invitation to spend a week as an ordained novice monk with one of the local temples. Our whole family got to participate in the preliminary Brahman ceremony offered by local villagers and the official Buddhist ordination ceremony presided over by current monks. For the week, Michael had to follow all the rules and activities of the monks – including fasting every day from noon until the next morning, waking up at about 5am to go beg for breakfast with a copper bowl and cloth bag, avoiding lying, stealing, women (that is, ALL women, not just lying, stealing women), skin products, entertainment, and several other things the students had gotten used to. He was not allowed to kill or hurt any animals, including mosquitoes and the beetle that bored its way into his skin one morning. He had regular meditation activities daily. During the week, Michael was a changed man. He was noticeably, visibly more humble and thoughtful. He seemed very vulnerable and exposed in his orange robe and shaved head. It did not seem to be a pleasant physical experience, and he missed several of the fun activities that the other students were undertaking. By the time he emerged in his own clothes at the end of the week, he had undergone quite an ordeal, but after a good night’s sleep in an air-conditioned room and a hot shower, he had a big smile on his face the whole next day. In the end, not everyone envied his experience, but all had respect for what he did and congratulated him on the lengths he went to in the search for enlightenment. Way to go, Mike!

Mango with Sticky Rice, Please!

We arrived in Nong Khai Monday evening and checked into our hotel - the Thai Nongkhai Guest House. We ate our first Mango with Sticky Rice here after purchasing it from one of the many street vendors on the adjacent streets. The vendors sell all kinds of soups, noodles, roti (crepes), meat-on-a-stick, whole fish, iced coffe and iced tea (with condensed milk of course), sodas (Anna and Max love the Fanta), fruit (pineapple, watermelon, jack fruit, tamarind, green mango, apples, green oranges, papaya, guava). There is even a vendor with a sewing machine who sits on the sidewalk and mends the clothes of passersby. Our hotel is very nice with air conditioning and television - amenities that the college students are mostly doing without for now (please don't tell them). Our proprietor Som is super nice and makes a nice coffee for Kim every morning. There are geckos and frogs ALL over the place. Fortunately, they help with the mosquitoes which are quite common.
We swam in the Mekong River on Friday. Of course we had brought some Mango with Sticky Rice to enjoy along the river banks. The river was surprisingly clean and easy to maneuver at the little beach spot we found. There is a strong current, which adds a bit of excitement when the kids begin to drift away to Cambodia. They found endless fun things to do in the current with their bodies, a couple of innertubes, and a rope. We were joined for the day by the Wheeler boys, including father Geoofrey, a friend of Dan's who he met last August on the visit with the Cal Poly Engineers Without Borders group. His sons Andrew (15), Thomas (8), and Peter (8) are delightful and played with Max and Anna nonstop. It was really cool to keep looking over to the other side of the river and realize that we were so close to Laos, a country of very similar people as Thailand but very different politics and economics (it is Communist and much poorer). We hope to visit Laos before we leave the area.
We also got to spend some quality time at the Wheeler's home about 20 minutes south of Nong Khai. Geoffrey's wife Yupin made us an incredible batch of homemade Mango with Stick Rice from fruit trees in their front yard. Anna and Max had more fun with the boys - it is good for them to have some kids their age to play with. They are learning English and they even have Monopoly!
It is now Sunday, and I cannot eat another serving of Mango with Sticky Rice.

En Route - Sukhothai and More

On our long bus trip to Nong Khai we made several cool stops. The first was the Elephant Conservatory. We watched elephants move and stack logs in the Thai logging tradition. They aren't really used for logging anymore, so the conservatory is kind of an employment program for old elephants and their trainers. The elephants are also trained to paint pictures and play music with their trunks. Of course Grandma Waldorf had to buy one of the paintings from the elephant named Cezanne. On our visit to the baby elephant's pen, we got to feed it bananas. The elephant was so excited it reached through the fence and grabbed Max's leg and tried to drag him into the pen. Fortunately, Max was released unharmed after a brief scare.
We visited an amazing 800-year old temple, and then went to Sukhothai. At Sukhothai there is a huge park with several sets of historical ruins from several hundred years ago. Giant Buddhas, towers, temples, and other structures are there for the climbing on. It was very neat - we got to rent and ride bicycles through the whole park. The kids actually had a great time despite some fears about "looking at a bunch of old crumbling buildings." Anna particularly had fun running around with all of the college students that she'd been sitting with on the bus. She's learning lots of new words and picking up some interesting philosophies.
The hotel in Sukhothai was a real treat. After a big thunder and lightning storm the first night we got to swim in their large swimming pool several times. Thankfully, the college students never tired of carrying Max on their necks and playing volleyball with Anna in the pool. Kim and Dan were happy to sip some coconut drinks made from Mekhong whiskey and lounge poolside. We left the hotel Monday morning and settled in for the beautiful 8-hour drive through the mountains towards Nong Khai and our next home.

Farewell to Chiang Mai

Our last days in Chiang Mai were fun but we were sad to leave. We went to the Tiger Kingdom where we got to play with baby lions (in their cage) and tigers (next to their cage). One of the baby tigers really took a liking to Dan and tried to purr and lick our faces through their bars. We took a boat dinner cruise on the Ping River. The kids found it a little boring, but Dan and Kim thought it was very romantic. We had dinner one night at Antique House, set in a 100-year old fabulous wooden house made in the traditional Thai style. Max was served both his dinner and his dessert in a pineapple there. We made our last trips to the zoo again, to Smoothie Blues for more mango waffles, to the vegetarian restaurant for black sticky rice with coconut milk, to the Warm Up bar for some Leo beers. The students suffered through my two exams and started pairing up romantically as the week concluded. So long Chiang Mai, see you next time!

Mae Nam Khun

This past weekend Dan and Anna joined six Cal Poly engineering students and traveled to a small rural village in the hills of northern Thailand, Mae Nam Khun, near the Burmese border. It is considered a hill-tribe village because the people who live there are not really of Thai ethnicity. For this village the residents included Chinese, Lahu, and Akha tribe members, and they predominantly farm tea for a living. We mostly stayed with and worked with the Lahu people; Cha-Sha-La means Hello (and Goodbye) in Lahu. Most of these tribal settlements started as refugee villages when people were kicked out of other countries (usually China).
Our Goal in Mae Nam Khun was to work on two engineering projects, one ongoing and one just beginning. The existing project involved design and installation of a water filtration system on the overlooking hillside. It mechanically and biologically filters water that comes down to the village via a set of water tanks on the hilltop (pumped from some river as near as we could tell). We successfully added a flow restrictor valve to make the filter easier for the villagers to use and modify. The second project was to explore the feasibility of implementing an alternative trash processing method. The current methods involve burying trash in the jungle, dumping it in the river, or burning it in or near the home. We collected data on what is in their trash (a lot of plastic, foil, and, and ag waste), how often it is eliminated (many homes burn their trash on a weekly basis), what health problems arise from the practice (burning trash in or near one's home has very bad effects on respiratory systems and buried trash can cause harmful agents to seep into the river). We will summarize our trash findings in a report and make a recommendation on alternative processing technologies (e.g., burn with an air filter) to the Cal Poly Engineers Without Borders student club.
Anna got to participate in all of the activities, including hiking up to the water filter, surveying villagers, and sifting through trash. We slept on mats in a small dormitory (two-story thatched hut). The little kids of the village were constantly staring and giggling at the white visitors (us), especially Anna and her blonde hair. Overall, we learned a lot, got to talk (somewhat) to some of the villagers, ate lots of 5 Bhat (about $0.15) ice cream cones, and had an amazing ride in the back of a pickup through the beautiful highlands of Northern Thailand.

Max's birthday

Max turned 7 yesterday! While Dan and Anna were off visiting a hill tribe village in the mountains (working on a project for Engineers without Borders), Max got to plan the day for us. So we started the day with breakfast at his favorite breakfast place (french toast with mangoes), then we went off to the zoo again. Although it was a pretty hot day, we trekked around to see all the animals of his choice, and since they are a bit looser with regulations here, there are often opportunities to feed the animals with food purchased by people stationed by the animal's area. So Max got to feed an elephant, some giraffes, and a hippo. Then we saw an animal show, and a seal show, topping the day off with several fishy-smelling birthday kisses from the seal. Dan and Anna returned in time for dinner at his favorite dinner place, with presents from everyone. All in all, not a bad day.

To see what else we're up to, we have posted new pictures on our share site at: http://lonswaywaldorfsinthailand.shutterfly.com/ They are from Ginger, and they cover our daily life, as well as some past activities like Easter brunch and Songkran festivities. Just a few more days here in Chiang Mai, and then we leave for the weekend in Sukothai, and the next few weeks in Nong Kai, on the banks of the Mekong River across from Laos. Hope everyone is doing well at home!

Songkran

Sawatdee Be Mai khop! That means (I think) Happy New Year in Thai. Songkran is their three-day new years festival that we helped usher in on Monday with the Chiang Mai Songkran parade through town. It is insane. It is like a regular parade, but under water. There are bands, floats, dancing girls, banners, costumes. Many of the floats have a shrine with a Buddha statue. Apparently, Songkran is the one time of year when the Buddha statues get washed, so the Thais all get a bucket of water and douse the statue as it’s going by on the float. There are a lot of Thais and a lot of buckets of water. And the poor guy (or monk) who is responsible for wiping off each Buddha statue gets entirely soaked – for about 5 hours. And this is just the start of the water throwing. It has become tradition also to throw water on each other as a sign of good luck for the new year. Since it is generally hot, this is a nice refreshing tradition. To a point. After five hours of constant spraying from squirt guns, buckets, cups, hoses, barrels, and sprinklers, we felt very blessed by the Thais. Since we got to march in the parade (with the University International Center) we got much attention, and water. It was an amazing, crazy experience.

For the remainder of the three day holiday, there are constant roving gangs of street thugs who ride in the back of pick-up trucks and dump water on whomever they can. Shop owners set up a barrel of water in front of their store and douse anyone walking by. Kids all have squirt guns and feel obliged to spray you as you go about your activiites. Even little old ladies, seemingly so innocent, typically have a bucket of water nearby and will politely wish you well as they pour a cup of cold water down your back. Our group of family and Cal Poly students are taking turns going out and participating in the madness and hiding out in the relative safety of our hotel. Happy New Year!

Easter

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. The Easter Bunny did not exactly find us in our hotel room here in Chiang Mai, but we did go for a terrific Easter brunch at a local restaurant. They had all kinds of food, most including fried pork, but also lots of desserts and fruit. Ana and Max got to play some traditional Easter games like hunting for Easter eggs and trying to put the egg on a Coke bottle with chopsticks. Catherine (my mom) went to an Easter worship service and learned how the Thais are constantly finding ways to pay respect to their elders: asking for blessings, advice, etc. She is starting to feel a bit entitled to some extra respect just by virtue of her wisdom and experience in the world. All in all, it was a nice holiday, and by the end we were all getting ready for Songkran (Thai New Year) by spraying water on each other.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

We have posted quite a few new pictures from our adventures here in Thailand at our Shutterfly site:

http://lonswaywaldorfsinthailand.shutterfly.com/559.

There is an album for our visit to Doi Ithanon National Park, where we visited with two hill tribes. First, we visited a Hmong village where the Chief spoke to us (through a translator) and we watched a traditional dance with a unique musical instrument. Then we hiked down the mountain to a Karen village (with a break to swim under a waterfall), where we stayed in fantastic accommodations developed as an ecotourism project, with support provided by the King of Thailand. We were also treated to a show there, with music and dancing.

Next we visited the King's Garden. The King and Queen of Thailand have done an extraordinary amount of work -- funded with their own personal money -- to support development and sustainability for the hill tribes. This garden is on the site of an extensive agricultural research station, developing new products and technologies for hill tribe people. Where they used to slash-and-burn the forests and grow poppies for the opium trade, they now grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers -- and host ecotourism like the village where we stayed.

On the way home, we got to ride elephants -- the main reason the kids wanted to come to Thailand. Elephants have been used in Thailand for many purposes, and most recently for logging. However, now that logging has been curtailed significantly in the interest of sustainability, many elephants are out of work and now give rides to "farang" (foreigners) like us. Finally, there are pictures from ziplining. Dan, Grandma, and the kids took a day trip to the "Flight of the Gibbon," where they did ziplining, rappelling, and hiked to a waterfall. Way to go, Grandma!

Life in Chiang Mai

Life in Chiang Mai is excellent. The weather is warm and a bit humid, but not uncomfortable (at least most of the time -- yesterday was pretty hot). There is usually a slight breeze that moves through all of the open-air buildings, including our guest house. I have posted a few new pictures at our site, including another temple (wat) and the night market here in town:

http://lonswaywaldorfsinthailand.shutterfly.com/

Our neighborhood is near Chiang Mai University, and we are told that it is somewhat "trendy." On every block, there are adorable cafes, restaurants, and bars, and we want to try every one of them. The food is consistently fabulous, whether it is Thai or western. While Dan and I could eat Thai food every meal, we do try to make sure the kids get some more familiar fare as well. Yesterday we had "breakfast for lunch," with pancakes, french toast, and eggs -- almost all served with mangos, which are in season and absolutely incredible. We can't get enough of them.

We cannot believe how much English there is on signs and menus, and most Thai people can at least manage in English, so we do not have to embarass ourselves with our extremely limited knowledge of Thai language and a game of charades. At least in Chiang Mai, life is very easy for us "farang" (the Thai word for "foreigners"). Oh, did I mention that the coffee is great ... ?!

Bonnie's obituary

A beautiful obituary for Bonnie appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. For anyone interested in reading it, you can follow this link: http://www.legacy.com/sanluisobispo/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=125632678. Her life was certainly an inspiration to us, as it was for many others as well.

Pictures from first week

For those who are interested, we have posted pictures from our first week on a share site within Shutterfly. Here is the link: http://lonswaywaldorfsinthailand.shutterfly.com/

When you get there, you can click on "View Album" and then look to the right to for the slideshow command. It will start playing automatically, but if you want to read the titles of the pictures (which I would encourage), you can click on "options" in the top right corner and select "show titles."

Sad News from Home

Our excitement about starting our time here in Thailand was tempered considerably by the news from San Luis Obispo that our very close friend Bonnie McKee lost her short battle to Leukemia and died this past Thursday. She was one of the strongest, bravest, and most beautiful people we've met. We have learned a lot from how she lived her life and we feel she made the most of her time on earth, She is survived by her husband Rod and two young children Casey and Helen, all special friends to our family. Bonnie, we love you and will miss you immensely!

Work and School

Work and school started today. I started teaching my two classes - one on Engineering Economics and one on Statistical Methods for Engineers - today. So far I have not assigned homework. I don't think the students will be too hard on me either.

Anna and Max started classes with their teacher (grandmother) upstairs at the hotel today as well. I can't wait to hear what they covered. Hopefully they will be able to write their names in Thai by the end of today.

Kim (surprise) worked on her computer today. I am posting this from an internet cafe where we get pretty consistent wireless and entirely yummy green tea frappes.

The work and school is a welcome beginning of routine for us. Although we love vacation, it is comforting to setlle into a routine. Especially after the crazy trip to the Sunday night bazaar last night. It was so crowded! Kim and the kids got to practice shooting a cap gun, we all got chocolate Pokemon waffles, and Dan finally got Mango and Sticky Rice anda pair of silk boxers.

Arrived Safely

Well, we arrived yesterday safely after a long journey. The flights went pretty well. We have been eating well since we arrived - there is good food wherever we go. We heard an introductory lecture today about Thai family culture. Apparently, there exists a very heirarchic structure with the parents on top and the kids below. The kids usually do NOT participate in decision making, and certainly do not sass back or question when the parents make a decision. Very interesting, and weird.

Max and Kim got up at 1:30am last night and started roaming the streets of Chiang Mai like adventurous raccoons. They found a 7-11 and got some food. Dan finally got a good sleep. We are all still a little jet-lagged and are sleepy and awake at the wrong time. You may notice I am writing this at 5am.

Tomorrow (actually later today), we will go to a silk factory and a jade factory. We will travel on a bus with the Cal Poly students. We are getting to know the students -they are fun, if a little loud in the late evening. Poor Lexie was sick today, but Anna made her a get well card.

We hope to hear from all of you, so please post some comments. Not much home sickness yet, but I suspect the kids will start feeling it soon. - Bye for now.

Planned Departure

We plan to leave on Tuesday, March 24, by driving down to LA first thing in the morning. We will fly to Bangkok, have a 7-hour layover, then fly to Chiang Mai. The flight to Bangkok stops in Taiwan and includes about 17 hours of flight time. Yikes. We plan to have lots of things to do on the plane. We have about two weeks now to get ready, with lots to do. Today's tasks included gift-buying!

Welcome

Hello

Welcome to my Thailand journal. Please stop by often for updates or just to say hi!

By the way, this is a picture of a water buffalo from Thailand.