The English Camp

May 21 - Offered as an option at the end of the tour was a day at a local school to work with children to improve their English language skills.  Seven fearless travelers and one local transplant from Hawaii volunteered without a clue of what we were getting into.  Read on to determine for yourself  if our time was well spent.  First was the assembling of the students. (Editor note: as all you videographers know, it is very difficult to video when you don't know what is going to happen, what will be the highlights, and when will it end. I was lucky to get as much substance as I did.)

This was inspirational.  When I was in elementary school I was in the color guard that raised the flag every day to start the school day.  I haven't seen this pageantry since.

Followed by their National Anthem.  Can you believe this?

Now, how would a group of respected adult, visiting Rotarians introduce themselves to the students?  Of course, The Chicken Dance.

She is the convener of The English Camp, a very fun person to work with.

 Are teenagers the same all over the world?  I am just asking.

Remember, click to enlarge.  These are two very different views.
<  left first                     then right>


This is the end.  Thanks for the visit.  Hope you enjoyed my view of Thailand.  Next blog Sydney Australia June, 2014.

Sights and Sounds

May 15-20 -  As you can imagine, the next few days repeated much of what we had already done.  There were some sights and sounds you may enjoy.  Here is a collage of my last few days in northern Thailand.  There will be one more describing my fun time with Thai students at the English Camp.  Stay Tuned.

You can't leave Thailand without seeing an adorable baby elephant.  This one is a month old and enjoys cavorting for the crowd.

The media reminds us of the land mines left that harm humans, but animals are damaged also.  We visited an elephant hospital that opened a whole new perspective on the collateral damage of war.  If this is an interest of yours, I highly recommend you visit this website http://animom.tripod.com/faepage3.html  There is an abundance of information and many photos.  Keep moving down.  Warning! Some content is graphic.

     

The view from my room in Chiang Mai.

I never imagined this is how pottery is mass produced.  A Rotarian owns this ceramics factory.  He was most cordial and generous, giving all of us a substantial gift from his factory.  I answered a question correctly about quality control during the tour, and he offered me a job.  I asked about the wage. He offered $8.35.  I

 asked if that was hourly?  He said that was daily.

It never occurred to me that so many mass produced pieces would be hand painted.  Watch the video.  Each piece you purchase is a unique work of art.

                                                       

I like having my picture taken with members of my ancestry.

This was taken at a monkey school in Thailand

Savanah, above was at a motorcycle rally in Olathe, KS 

This is a view of a coal mining operation in northern Thailand that is state of the art.  The visitor's center was breathtaking.  The power plant provides about ten percent of Thailand's power.  Be sure to click to enlarge.

From modern, state of the art, to "needs help." Only an old telephone man would notice something like this.  They have a long way to go to bury their communication and electrical   infrastructure.

One of our roadside stops was here.

To see a mannequin clothed in a dress made of condoms brings a smile to your face.  The reality is that Thailand has managed their HIV AIDs epidemic in a stellar manner.
 http://www.avert.org/thailand-aids-hiv.htm   

Can't say goodbye to the group without one last photo.  This was taken on the steps of a very posh country club where we had our last night together.

My last post will be "The English Camp"  the highlight of the tour working with high school children to help them improve their English language skills.



I hope you have enjoyed the sights and sounds.  As I have said before, there are many, many more sights and sounds at    http://s436.photobucket.com/albums/qq88/terryinaz/  Click on "View all Albums" and find Thailand listed alphabetically.

 May 14 -  Yesterday, we talked about temples, today we pay tribute to the Buddha.  Of course, this is the most sacred idol in Thailand, hence the signs posted as above that removes all doubt about the dress code.  One is never to show the bottom of their feet to the Buddha. After prostrating oneself, it is necessary to sit facing the Buddha sidesaddle with the knees pointing to the Buddha and the feet pointing behind as shown in the photo below.  Thai people take their religion very seriously, though not regularly. I was informed that the only community observed attendance at temple was twice a year, otherwise, it is to give thanks, or make a supplication.

 I added this photo of a shrine in an alley to show the contrast in places of worship.  Their religion appears to be very close in more ways than one.  There were smoking incense sticks as I walked by.

 < click to enlarge

This day was special as we visited a school for children "from the hills." Most of the students are boarded.  Their families are far from the city of Chiang Mai.  One of our tour conveners, Steve Yoshida and his wife, Noko, have been very active with this school for years.  The school was a recent recipient of a Rotary International grant to provide drinking water to the school.  The school uses the water for students and staff and bottles it to sell to in the community to help with expenses for the school.

I was impressed with the friendly order of the school.  Rarely do you see the beginning of a school week like this.  I was truly moved by this pageantry.

Found a scooter >

Newt, our guide and translator, and I under the Banyan Tree

Lest you think it is all fun and games, we do a fair amount of investigation and learning.  The principal spoke to us through a translator who called himself  "Pan."  That is not pronounced like "Peter Pan."  Pan was a treasure to have around.  Very friendly and knowledgeable guy.

This is a clip of one of the dances performed by the students.  I, irreverently, call it, "The Dance of the Fence Posts."  You are free to coin a different title.

This is a bit long, but very meaningful to those of us who experienced the gratitude and hospitality of all at this school.  They made a video thanking us for our visit.

http://photopeach.com/album/56r3k3

We finished the day at "The Golden Triangle."  This requires a bit of explanation.  This intersection of countries, Burma (now Myanmar), Laos, and Thailand was the hub of opium traffic "back in the day."  Each country had their own currency, so the currency of the opium trade was gold. Thus, the location of drug trade was, "The Golden Triangle."

 The arch to the left announces the northern most point of Thailand.  The flags above announce the entrance to Myanmar.

Temples

May 13 -  Our tour included visits to many, many temples. According to Wikipedia,"There are a total of 40717 Buddhist temples (Thai: Wat) in Thailand as of 31 December 2004, of which 33902 are in current use."
I am not aware of the political boundaries of church and state, but my guess is these temples are not subsidized by the government, thus, it is a major burden on the population, assisted by us, tourists, to maintain these structures.

One of the more unusual and outstanding of the temples was "The White Temple."

I was able to hang out with the architect for a couple of minutes.

I could give you all day to guess what this building is, but you wouldn't guess.

The toilets.  No street shoes allowed. Use the community slippers. Bear in mind, you are in a different culture.  There is no right and wrong.  It is all a matter of conditioning.  There were westernized toilets provided, of course.

The lunches were, most always, a delightful experience.  We had a local travel agent that booked all our accommodation and meals and she did an outstanding job.  Here are three views of our lunch the day of the visit to the White Temple.

A Day with the Elephants and More

May 12 - Riding an elephant has never been on my bucket list, but, I must confess, it should have been. What a treat!  What great animals...intelligent, even lovable.  As you can imagine, I have many more photos and videos than I am sharing here.  If you are interested is seeing more, check out http://s436.photobucket.com/albums/qq88/terryinaz/  Click on "View all Albums" and find Thailand in alphabetical order.

A gentle smooth ride feeling the super strength below.

You are probably curious about the mount and dismount.

After the ride, the elephants put on a show. The show was an hour and outstanding, but space and time allows only a few highlights.  The first is the number of people in attendance.

If I hadn't witnessed this, I would not have believed it.  An elephant that can paint a self portrait?

This was fun.  We were watching the elephants relaxing and refreshing in the river when the mahouts, elephant handlers, played a trick on us. No one got wet.

After the elephants and raft ride on the river, we went to the hills to visit some of the locals.  I saw a documentary about the Long Neck People and never imagined I would meet them face to face, but here they are;  a beautiful young girl from whom I bought a gift...

and a woman weaving.  Notice the belt around her to keep the yarn taught.

I am always on the lookout for the unusual.  When I first started watching this child playing at the water hydrant, I sensed something was going to happen...it did.  I laughed when I filmed this and have every time I have watched it since.

Most evenings ended with dinner and fellowship.   One of the benefits of a group tour is getting to know people from all over the world who share a common passion for Rotary.

Silk and Silver

May 11 - Our first day out on the town in Chiang Mai was an indicator of things to come. We were busy from early morning to late afternoon and the weather stayed hot. Our first stop was at a silver shop where they made and sold silver jewelry. I was fascinated with the craftsmanship displayed by all the workers, but this guy who pedaled while he handled tiny pieces was amazing.

The retail shop was extensive and expensive. They had a one-of-a-kind necklace that I liked shown here. It is unique to this studio as it opens like a locket to receive many inserts.

I watched the making of silk, which was enlightening. Thai silk is known for its quality. I haven't priced much of it yet, but here is a sample of a caftan that is $70 USD.

Traffic is pretty much with us all day. No such thing as rush hour as streets are “alive” until around midnight. At least that is what I have heard as I have not stayed up to check it out. This is a view from inside our van. Nine of us share the van with a guide shown on the left and a driver on the right.

This little car was parked outside our hotel for a couple of days that reminded my how much I regret not buying a mini cooper on my first visit to the UK back in 1989.

A full day was extended by a wonderful evening at a Khantoke Dinner, which is a traditional Thai ceremony beginning with food served on floor tables and concluding with a fabulous show.

One of the performers came over to where I was sitting and made my day.

I didn't get this finished until Tuesday, May 22. With the hectic pace and Internet availability (slim and none), I am unable to complete this blog for now. Very sorry. I will finish it, but it will probably be sometime this summer as I have a very busy June coming up. Saw wat dee, krap.  (Hello and Goodbye.

First day in Bangkok

It is Wednesday, May 16, but I am going back to May 9 for this blog. The pace has been somewhat speedy. We are up at 6:30 and in the vans by 8:00 or 8:30 and return between 4:30 and 5:30 for dinner at 6:30. Not much time for blogging. Today, however, is a free day, so I am going to catch up a little.
The guide I had contracted met me in the lobby at the agreed upon 9am and we went to the railroad station to purchase my ticket to Chiang Mai leaving at 7:35 that evening. From then on it was non stop. Her name is Pai, a thirty something single mother of two girls. She was great. We started in Chinatown. Check out these two videos Tuk Tuk and Quick Walk.

There are a zillion temples in Thailand and I am sure we will see most of them before we leave.  Here is the first one I toured. That is Pai in the foreground. And this is me in front of a picture of the King.

Pai recommended we tour the canals to see a different part of the city. It was a little expensive, $60, but turned out to be worth it.  Check out the canals and fish. The fish are abundant here as it is close to the palace and fishing is not allowed near the palace..If the video is too long for you, just exit when you have had enough.

It was a long day, but I was able to board the train early and take a snooze, before departure.  The ride was what I expected with stops all night long, noisy, swaying and clanking, but I slept like a baby. The next morning I took many photos and videos through the window.  The train arrived three hours late.  No worries. The tour didn't gather for dinner until six hours after I arrived. It may be a few days before I get back to the blog. We have a full day tomorrow, then off to Lanpang for two days. Stay tuned.