Children's Day

January 10th was Children's Day here in Thailand. My SAO (my office) put on a little carnival for the kids. They (my co-workers) were preparing for it all week long, but of course they waited until 4:00 the day before to tell me that I had to play a game with the kids. When I asked how many kids they said about 500!

I actually got there a little late (they told me to come at 8:00 or 8:30 or 9:00...and usually when they do this it means that the event doesn't start until later in the afternoon). I showed up at 9:15 and things were in full swing. There was dancing...

And singing...

Here's another little girl singing...but notice the REALLY little one in the left hand corner? She "participated" in all of the performances ;-)

I found it entertaining to watch the boys get their heads shaved. There is a strict dress code here...the students (boys and girls) are not allowed to have long hair (unless they go to a private school).

This little girl was a doll!

After all the prizes had been given away, the students had to go back to school. Here's another thing that would never fly in the States...a Thai "school bus."

Oh, and they totally forgot about having me play a game...oh well!

This Would Never Fly...

Here's another example of "this would never fly in the States."

The community water pitcher. You will find these in markets, temples, businesses, bus stations, pretty much everywhere. There's usually one or two glasses hanging around, and if you're thirsty, you fill it up & drink. The "issue" is that everyone uses the same glass. They MAY be washed in the evening (I don't know) & you probably don't know who drank from the glass before you.

Thirsty?

Chaing Dao

After we went to Ayuthaya, Kerry and I met up with Melanie in Chaing Dao. Chaing Dao is a small village north of Chaing Mai & it was amazing...amazingly cold!!! Luckily we were somewhat prepared with warm clothes & the guesthouse had a campfire going in the evenings.

The scenery was amazing...I'm not sure if my pictures even show a small portion of the beauty.

Here's Kerry & Mel relaxing by the fire.

And a pic of the guesthouse lobby.

There is a big cave at Chaing Dao & we spent a little time exploring. We had to hire a guide with a lantern even though we had our own flashlights...which was a good thing because I would have gotten totally lost in there.

In front of the cave entrance, they had a little market area set up. They were selling herbal medicine. It was really interesting to see what some of the roots could cure.

There was also a temple & fish pond.

There was also a Buddhist Monastery close by & Kerry and I decided to check it out (Mel was out with food poisoning). We had to climb some stairs to get there...Half-way up, I thought I was going to die...then I saw this sign & it made me think.

Right after the sign, we came to a little resting point & this sign:

The way down...

Here's a pic of the Monastery in the hills.

The temple was actually built in front of a little cave & they filled it with Buddha statues.

Chaing Dao was very peaceful (if a little cold) and I would LOVE to go back sometime!

It's COLD!!!

So you know I'm not lying when I say it's been cold lately:

Cold snap hits Thailand
At least five deaths reported as temperatures in the north plunge to 2deg C

BANGKOK: An unusually severe cold spell has hit tropical Thailand, with temperatures falling to as low as 2 deg C in northern parts ofthe country. At least five people have died as a result of exposure to the unusually cold conditions in northern areas such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, which have prompted the authorities to declare anemergency zone across more than half of the country yesterday.

While cold weather is not unusual in Thailand, especially between November and February - with temperatures dropping to 8 deg C in the north and 18 deg C in Bangkok - this year's weather has been exceptionally cold. In Bangkok, the temperature fell to 15 deg C on Monday, which saw many residents and commuters leaving their homes clad in cardigans and jackets. While this is cold for the Thai capital, the temperature is far offits record low of 11 deg C recorded in 1974, according to the Meteorological Department. The department attributed the cold spell to intense cold air blowing in from China. 'Because the high pressure from China keeps coming, the cold weather will stay in Bangkok at least until this weekend,' a meteorological official said.

The cold snap has hit the northern parts of Thailand especially hard. Strong winds coupled with the cold snap brought temperatures in most parts of the north and north-east below 14 deg C, with one mountain recording 2 deg C on Sunday morning. Temperatures in central Thailand dropped to 13 to 15 deg C, while the south remained a little warmer, at 17 to 23 deg C.

Government officials said that 42 of Thailand's 76 provinces, mostly in the north and north-east, will get a special budget to provide blankets and warm clothing. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation had last month warned northern residents about plunging temperatures and started declaring some northern provinces as cold-spell disaster zones.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERNAMA

This would never fly...

It's VERY difficult adapting to a new/different culture. Things constantly take you by surprise...I've been here for 2 years now, and I'm still shocked by some things! One of the ways we (my fellow volunteers and I) have dealt with these little shocks is to call each other up...and at some point in the conversation "this would never fly in the States" is said. Here's an example:

I went to the post office with another volunteer to mail some calendars to my mom. I didn't have a box, so I just brought the calendars in with me & bought a box there. As I was getting my package ready (I was standing at the counter), the guy working behind the desk grabs one of the calendars out of the box and starts looking through it. It didn't really faze me until the volunteer turns to me and says "that would never fly in the States." And I realized she was right...the postman would NEVER examine your package/letter before you sent it.

I thought it was great though, the guy was just curious...and very excited to see the pictures in the calendar. I think I made his day...you know, it's not every day that he gets to go through a "farang's" mail!

Music Lessons

I though that when I turned 18, mandatory music lessons would be a thing of the past...that is until I came to Thailand. One of my counterparts has decided that I need to learn to play the saw (no, not the thing that cuts wood). Not only that, but I have lessons on Mondays & Tuesdays (I got out of the Thursday lessons because I have to teach). As always...

And for those of you who have not had the pleasure of listening to this instrument, I even have a video clip...

I'm not a fan...I think it sounds like cats fighting, but oh well, what can you do?!?

Ayuthaya

After our COS Conference, Kerry and I went to Ayuthaya. Ayuthaya was one of the previous capitals of Thailand, but fell to the Burmese in 1767. The historic temples left behind are now a Unesco World Heritage site.

The ruins were amazing...

My favorite was the Buddha head engulfed by a tree.

Some more photos:

(FYI, we actually climbed up those stairs!) We didn't have much time there, but we made sure to do a boat trip around the city & it was amazing...gave you a view that you normally wouldn't get. The contrast between the wealthy & poor homes was drastic!

Then we had just enough time to grab a beer (with ice & a straw of course) before we had to get on the train.