head for the border!

Once again Patrick and I pack our bags and this time, head south for Choam Srawngam, Thai-Cambodian border. Nang and WaLee insist to give us a ride to the border. We leave early so we can enjoy on the way.


We come upon a beautiful Chinese Temple run by a nun.


Four letters above her from right to left read 'heaven, earth, father and mother'


You can see the feature of Chinese Buddhism in the big round smiling faces of these statures. Happy face!


Another bit further South towards border, the oldest temple in the area is building a new structure, looking very much like temples of Angkor (Khmer/Cambodian)


And there it is! a sign of Hinduism/Shivaism the mighty loving elephant 'Ganish' I love seeing all the mixture of different philosophy/culture in such area.

Si Saket school project!

Patrick, WaLee and I visit Non-Wa Kao-Kam school, some 50 km outside of central Si Saket. all you see from the schoolyard is vast rice fields with Buffalos munching on dry grass. Nang (Patrick made friends with her on his last trip to SE Asia last year) is the head teacher to 100+ elementary school children and 5 teachers.

Children wake up 6 AM, walk 1-2 km to school, study til 4 PM, go home and help family work (doing dishes, harvesting crops, take care of pigs and cows, or take care of younger family members etc.) most of their parents are living far away in Bangkok or other major cities to support their lives, so mostly their grandparents look after them.

Children want to be policemen, singers, and movie stars. They like going to Wat (Buddhism temple) to "pray for good things in our lives". They show us their dancing and singing.

Toddlers of 3yrs old are hanging out in the school since there's no-one to look after them while grandparents are busy. They are given milk.
Nang: "We want computers for the children."

Thai cusine

Peppers, Hearbs, Basil and Lemongrass are widely used to sharpen the fravor, often too spicy for those who are not used to it. Coconut, Peanut and Fish sause create deep and rich grounds. And don't forget, color and atmosphere are inseparable part of this cusine as well. ---much more on this subject to be posted.

on-the-road-again haiku

iPod drives us out
from the city of madness
to the stary sky

--------

Patrick, you were right about the pink taxicabs. this guy doesn't know where he's going.

So we ride in Nang's car to her house in Si Saket, a tiny city in Northern Thailand near Ubon Ratchatani. She's a head teacher in a small village school there.

Sunrise in Si Saket

WaLee, Nang's growing-up friend from Si Saket, and her brand new pick-up truck. she bought it to buy and carry plants for her garden. She speaks English better than anybody I met in Si Saket, gave me the best Thai crash course I ever had.