south Thailand

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranong is lovely. In the south we saw more hills and trees than Bangkok, more mosques than central or north Thailand. This mosque is walking distance from my home in Ranong, the hills a short drive away. Aom and family laughed as I scrambled up the hill for a better view; they thought it was too hot. Means I must be becoming acclimated to Thai weather, just in time for our US winter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------










-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranong is famous for its pearls, so we went shopping. Also famous for rubber plantations, which I found interesting and pretty, trees all in orderly rows.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



And Aom's family took me to Phuket, rightfully famous for its beautiful beaches. The family pose is in the hotel where Aom's parents went for their honeymoon, quite elegant and now outrageously expensive. Just like Mom and Dad for their 50th, evidence that you chose a good location the first time 'round.

Currently with AFS for end-of-stay in Thailand; I think my next post will be a wrap-up from the States. It has been a wonderful visit, rich and varied.
-----------------------------------------------------

the people of Taweewattana

Just a few of the people I grew to know and love in Taweewattana (part of Bangkok, near Nakhon Pathom):

Boom's niece and nephew, Naan's kids.









My two Thai language teachers, Ajahn Siribun on the left and Ajahn Suriporn on the right, in the Thai department admiring the new baby of another teacher.









My music teacher Ajahn Siranat (in the tie) and one of the student photographers. The student is the brother of the xylophone player, can't miss the resemblance.









YaJing from China, my AFS adviser Ajahn Jiaranai, Julian from Germany. We were dressed up for the Wisdom ceremony, and seated in our seats of honor (AFSers always get the sofa, while the students sit cross-legged on the floor.)









This is Master Jeffrey, English teacher at the local elementary school. He's from New Jersey, has lived in Thailand for thirteen years.




































These are Mae and Gan, my favorite kid-friends. Their mother is on the left, is a science teacher at the school.

the people of Isaan

The glimpse of Isaan is incomplete without a view of the people. I found them to be diligent, generous, observant, fun.

Isn't she lovely? Dana's host sister Miw loves pink. This is on a walk we all took through the forest near the temple. The umbrella is a standard Thai precaution against the strong afternoon sun, also handy if it suddenly starts to rain. I always carry one, as do most women and some men.











These are the silk weavers of Boeng Khae. They clearly love fine fabric and are justifiably proud of their work. We went to visit them with Dana's AFS adviser Ajahn Benjaporn, who grew up nearby. The weaving operation is part of OTOP, one tambon one product. The concept is clearly successful here.











From the back of the table at our outdoor cafe: Khun Paw, Dana's host dad; Khun Maa, the mom; Miw, older sister; Nong, younger sister; Dana from Wisconsin and Irine from the Philippines.











One of many interesting forms of transportation in Thailand; this is one I never saw in Bangkok.











Dana, Miw and Nong playing chinese checkers in the family living room. The girls had never played before, but they caught on quickly.

Isaan

This shows the contrast that is Isaan--the beauty of elegant temples and the vast expanses of forested hills.

























We went to a village with long looms to weave gorgeous silk fabrics. Yes, I'll be bringing home some silk, and some more pictures. I wish we could've spent longer; anyway it was a wonderful chance to meet the weavers, see their looms, see some of the dying process--fascinating.








And this is the cows who live at the host family of Dana, the American AFS teaching assistant from Wisconsin whom I visited for the five days. Wonderful family, and cute cows. They came to the fence to nuzzle me--

temples in Ayuttaya, for real

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Saiparn, YaJing's host sister, at the famous bo tree that grew up around a fallen stone head of a Buddha. Wat MahaThat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wat PhananChoeng, with its Chinese part and the older Thai part, both Buddhist.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wat Phra Srisanpetch, ruined during the wars with Burma in the 18th century.

------------------------------------

And Wat PhananChoeng at night...

temples in Ayuttaya

flowers in Ayuttaya

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are the flowers they use for garlands, in both purple and white. The garland-ready fluted spiral is less than a centimeter in length; strung end to end they are lovely.
--------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just when I thought I must have seen all the kinds of flowers in Thailand, I noticed more and more. The Thai people must have thought me strange as I cycled through town, stopping often to take a picture of "ordinary" flowers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a banana-tree flower, seen at the Ayuttaya floating market.

--------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The orange flower in the top picture and this red one are both tree flowers--trees loaded with beautiful blossoms.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm guessing the little yellow part is the actual "flower" and the pink are brachts, similar to our dogwoods. Botanists may comment. This is at the Japanese village, a fascinating memorial of the history of Ayuttaya as an international port city in the 15th century.

----------------------------------------------------------------

And more lila wadi, here seen in front of the massage school: Boonyakorn school of traditional Thai massage.

massage course in Ayuttaya

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consider this the before and after picture. My role model is the director of the massage school, seen here in natural-dyed Thai silk. She's 60 years old, so in two years I can look just like her...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was in Ayuttaya for ten days to attend a Thai massage school, 50+hours of instruction and a two-hour hands-on exam. Each morning I took my borrowed bicycle to a nearby temple (Wat Caw' Kaeow, but you won't find it on any map), then to the Ayuttaya train station for breakfast of fried rice or pad Thai. I'm the only one who took advantage of the opportunity to pay for a one-hour massage ($3/hour) before class--well worth it. Felt great and helped me remember the previous day's instruction. Class from 10 am to 4 pm with an hour for a lunch of noodles at the shop next door. After class, I joined my German classmates to see old temple ruins, or explored on my trusty bicycle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------











----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My nine classmates were young Germans, age 15 to 18, so it was linguistically fascinating. The Thai instructors knew no German and minimal English, so they relied beautifully on tangible demonstrations. Here the one standing is the instructor, showing Johanna in yellow what it should feel like as she practices on Yanina.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------











-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here you see a good demonstration of the sen lines--kind of like meridians, or energy lines. They are the safe areas to push with really firm massage. Causes that "good kind of pain"; the real massage therapists say cheerfully, "Thaep, mai?", meaning, "Hurts, eh?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below you see Konstantin and Tim with another instructor. This is a great aspect of traditional Thai massage, sometimes described as "passive yoga".
----------------------------------------------------
One history says this version of Thai massage was developed for Siddhartha, the Buddha himself, by his personal physician. Our school's description says it's not so simple, and was probably developed over centuries. In any case, it's pretty well defined by now, with a rich and ancient past.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------