Craft Factories

Craft Factories

On the weekend we went to several craft factories.  Our main goal was to go to an authentic village where they wove the famous Thai silk.  Not so easy - we failed at that but had a good time.

Umbrella Factory

Umbrellas by the Row

The most fun was at the umbrella factory.  In some ways this was clearly a tourist stop, but they were actually making the umbrellas in the back - lots and lots of them.  The story is in the pictures - the colors and light were fantastic.

Show Room

Show Room

Stringing Spines for Fans - One Foot at a Tim
e

Blue Umbrellas Drying in the Sun

Blue Umbrellas Drying in the Sun

Under the Blue Umbrella

Pink and Painted

Dark Blue WIth Dappled Sunlight

 

Silk Village

We never found the authentic silk village.  After wandering around a small town with one silk shop and being taken to two sales shops that demonstrated the silk process we decided that was the best our taxi driver could do.

Entrance to the Silk Store/Factory
Note the All One Word Name

Extracting Silk Thread From the Cocoons onto a
Spinning Wheel Sort of Thing

Heating the Cocoons
So they are Flexible Enough to Remove the Silk Threads

Silk Worms and Mulberry Leaves

  Drying the Silk Thread Before Weaving

Weaving the Silk Material

The Way Home

The jewelry store was outrageous with shine, glitter, gold, silver, jade, NO PHOTOS signs and price tags that made us all blanch.  We were relaxed and happy on the way home and got a good laugh at this crowded motor bike.

Family Commuter Bike
I think I saw another child in front of the boy in the middle!

Buddha Day

Friday was Buddha day so there were no classes. I went with some of the girls to the women's prison. Our goal was far from altruistic - their rehabilitation center trains them in massage. The idea that these women did something to be put in prison didn't seem like a big deal - the place was recommended. The girls got two hour massages, I kept mine to an hour.  

Fountain in Front of Women's Prison

Thai massage is different from massage in Ketchum.  The main difference is the intimate positions (not sexual) but close contact such as having a leg wrapped around the masseuse waist (both clothed) while she used the position to work the muscle. My masseuse spoke very little English. She said she was from Korat - some distance from here - and that she was going home in December.  The grand finale was a position where she was behind me with her knees in my back and she rocked back onto the table lifting my arched back over the top of her holding me up on her knees. It's taken two days for my back to recover!

Cannas by Women's Prison (Note Concertina Wire on Left)

Following the massage I walked around the outside of the prison. The front looked very pleasant with fountains on either side of the entrance and a wide bed of Canna's blooming. Behind the flowers were rolls of concertina wire to prevent anyone from escaping if they scaled the 16 foot walls. It's a real prison.

Seamstress Outside of Prison
Note: Old Singer Machine 

I visited a Wat and some of another university on the way home.

Buddhas at Temple Near Prison

University Parking - Same Same as Everywhere

Third and Fourth Days

Both days I was given lessons to present to the 'regular boys' at Tamarat. My first period classes of novice monks were cancelled so they could attend dharma classes. The lessons were to hard for them so I had to do a lot of back tracking. For example, we read a brief article written by an American high school student on why parents and teenagers have a lot of conflict. As they read through it with me - one phrase at a time - I realized they didn't comprehend any of it. They didn't have the vocabulary. What's a 'teenager'? I reviewed the numbers from 10 to 19 and emphasized the 'teen' portion. They eventually got it that they were 'teenagers' - they were all 15.

The last class for the week consisted of dividing them into four teams. Two teams in front of the caulk board with me, one staying in their seats, and one basically sleeping at their desks. I showed them a book of pictures of animals in different environments. They got points for how many they identified in English. It got a bit out of control with 13 boys standing in reach of the the caulk tray. Before long, pieces were flying. Though these were the 'regular boys' I've also heard that you can put saffron robes on 15 year old boys, but underneath they are still just boys.

Thanksgiving

We organized a small expedition to a nearby restaurant offering an American Thanksgiving dinner for 400 Bht ($12). By the time we went most of the crew had bailed on us because of the 'high' cost. I've never been a big fan of going out for Thanksgiving but this seemed to be the best option. We had a good time and I got to know Emily and Rebekka a bit better. We shared family stories, had some wine, and laughed.

Thanksgiving Without Pumpkin Pie?  NO!

Emily and I Make a Toast of Gratitude

Rebekka and Me at Art Cafe for Thanksgiving

Day One and Two Teaching

Day One Teaching 

My first day of teaching for the novice monks was simply meeting them and introducing myself.  They are at Tamerat School which has a mix of 'regular boys' and the novice monks. Generally their English level is very low and the materials are far above their level of comprehension.

Chedi at Wat Suan Dok

In the afternoon I was at Wat Suan Dok which houses the university monk school.  There is a tremendous difference. These young men are much more advanced in their English. Afternoon English class is two and a half hours long. The first day was a comparison of Thai and English monothong vowel sounds.  I helped with some of the pronunciation and had to restrain myself from pointing out errors the teacher had made in classifying words. Some of the 'errors' were really differences between American and British pronunciation. 









Day Two Teaching

Arrived early at Tamarat and watched as the monks lined up and sang the King's anthem before class. This is something they do at all regular schools. After they went to class I saw a group of the novices receiving a special lessons in front of the school. Later I found out how special they were - the school is having trouble with tardiness and these novices were receiving a lecture on being late. This is especially intreresting because punishment is not part of Buddhist culture.

School Realities International - Please Come to School

Details of the students listening to the teacher's explanation help us understand the depth of their understanding and commitment. Boys will be boys.

At the University for Monks

The lessons for the university monks focused on training them to be tour guides. They were very interested in the tourist aspects of Sun Valley and asked a lot of questions about the kinds of trees we have, tourist activities, the kinds of animals in the mountains and so forth. They then took turns role playing being tour guides for the class. Most of the students are from Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam and talked about places at home.

The next few days Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University will be preparing for Buddhist week so there won't be any classes for me. They invited me to come to one of the retreat centers where the dharma teachings will be in English for the international monks. I'm going to do that Monday and Tuesday.

More Orientation

On Sunday our orientation continued with more language lessons - counting to 9,999, bargaining, visa issues 30 days, plus 15 days if you go out and back in by bus, 30 more if you fly, or $20 per day fine if you stay to long.

Then a bit more safety - still don't get drunk to much (they tend to have a young crowd of volunteers and a lot of German ones at that), and then off to the market. The market is much as I remember from 46 years ago in Bangkok.  What memories last so long?  Fragrances or if you want to get real about it - odors. We tasted all manner of Thai market delicacies.

Cooked While You Wait

Colorful Deserts

Honey Hive Bee Larva

Panji Ofers Fried Crickets (they DO taste like chicken!)

No one tried the larva.

But several of us braved the fried crickets.

We didn't taste the seafood,

and I wasn't even tempted!

Fish at Market

Squid and ...? 

A Full Range of Whatever!

Of course not everything at the market was food. Aside from the food there were machetes, dresses, clothes, wicker baskets, wooden baskets, plastic baskets, children's toys, pots, pans, meat grinders, and it went on and on.

Painted Wooden Baskets

And the Market Went On and On

Taxi Anyone?

Project Orientation

Saturday I started my project orientation with Friends For Asia. They are low key but efficient.

Following language lessons – Hello, How are you, My name is… We had safety lessons which focused on don’t ride motor bikes, let us know if you get sick, women travel in groups at night, and don’t get drunk to much.  Then we were off on our city tour.

Friends For Asia Volunteers November 2011

In the above photo our orientation team is standing in front of an old Chedi near the heart of the city. Back row left to right Julia (Germany), John (UC Santa Clara), Lauren (Chicago), Maureen (S. Africa/Toronto), Corina (Swiss), Jerry (US). Front row Andrea, Ana, and Kathrin (Germany), Rebekka (Swiss). Maureen is a retired school teacher from South Africa via Toronto where her husband is a geophysicist. Our projects range from the Elephant camp, the orphanage, the ‘Young Girls at Risk’, and teaching monks.

Loaded in the Commando Volunteer Van

Chedi at Oldest Temple in Chiang Mai

Beautiful Buddha

In the evening we went to a “traditional” Thai dinner. It was held in a restored teak mountain home where we sat on the floor, had incredibly wonderful Thai dishes. Dancers performed a floor show of traditional hill tribe ceremonies. I took a zillion pictures but will spare you all but two.

Peacock Dancers

Wow, a lot of color and beautiful too!

Arrived Safely 18-11-2011

Arrived safely in Chiang Mai on Friday night with no more travel issues than flying to LA or any US destination.

Of course Thailand is different from the US and the hotel did NOT have anyone there to pick me up and I did NOT have the map to the hotel NOR their phone number NOR any Bhat (Thai currency) to pay for a taxi.

I had been befriended by a man on the plane who thought he recognized me.  We couldn’t make a definite connection, but he used to live just north of Louisville where I lived for a dozen years.  He gave me 1,000 Bhat ($30) to help me out and wouldn’t take any US cash.  I'm a lucky man!  Eventually negotiated my taxi and was soon sound asleep in a very pleasant room.

The Big Question - WHY?

What I've been asked the most so far is 'Why are you going to Thailand? Why aren't you just going to a beach to soak in the sun, relax, and have fun?'

Why Thailand?

Jerry: Bangkok

First of all Thailand isn't new to me. I graduated from high school there in... well take my word for it - it was long, long ago. Checkout the picture of me in our driveway.

Another reason is that Thailand is a beautiful place full of  beautiful, smiling people.  I was there for a year.  I saw a lot and did a lot.  This is my first trip back.  I've put a few photos below to reflect my time there in the mid sixties.

Two Boys and a Buffalo

Family at Emerald Buddha Temple

Cruising the Klong (canal)

Water Taxi Bus Stop

Traffic Jam Along the Klong

Bananas Anyone?

Being a teenager, I missed a lot.  I have a lot of the explorer in me and a lot of giving in me. So, I'm going to travel, serve, and reflect on it all.

Exploring

Monkey Guardian Temple

What's inside - beyond that temple door?

Ice Cream Man

What does that ice
cream taste like?

What's behind those tusks?

Tusks and Ceramics

What is this all about?

Morning Ceremonies

Morning Gifts 

Most Reverend Monks 

So much seen and more to explore!

Sculpture Shop

What are all these sculptures?
Who made them?
Where?
When?

Watching

Key Shop

Reflecting

Moat at King's Palace - Bangkok

Blessing

Spirit House

Keep checking back and let me know what you like seeing.

ONE BIG RULE  - No Tech Questions!