Thursday, May 1, 2008
Sunrise Memorial Service at Hellfire Pass
I hired a local driver to bring me to the Pass. The hour long drive at 3 in the morning was quiet and dark. My driver spoke "nitnoy" English and my Thai is the same so there was little conversation. What I do remember the most is how red the trunks of the teak trees shone along the highway as we drove though the national forest to get to the Pass. We saw very few vehicles except other vans and vehicles carrying fellow attendees. We arrived an hour before the service was to start and were told that the parking lots were already full. My driver would have to drop me at the museum and circle out to park along the highway. I opted to take the tuktuk ride around the hillside to the entrance at the other end of the Pass since I'd never walked that end. While it was a more level walk, the large stones in the path and sporadic tree root combined with no light but burning bamboo oil lamps made the walk slow and tedious. I made it just the same and will remember being there for a long time. And I'll always remember the shine of red-brown teak tree trunks illuminated by the high beams of an old Toyota pickup.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
It's The End.... of April, of summer session, of....
Near the end of April is a special date for those from Down Under. April 25th , ANZACS Day, is a time for remembering those in the military who died in service to their country. In Kanchanaburi there are 2 big services for the ANZAC soldiers who died as POWs forced by their Japanese captors to build the Thai-Burma Railroad. It was my great honor to attend both of those services. The first is a sunrise service at Hellfire Pass, about 80km from town. There is a small monument in the pass where the tracks once ran and a graveled path through the jungle that follows the route cut through by those POWs 65 years ago. I arrived at 4:30 and was disappointed to find a large crowd already gathered and by 5:30 when the service began, the crowd had doubled in size (the number I heard was over 700). The service was brief yet moving. Wreaths were layed at the base of the monument; an honor guard stood silently around the monument throughout the service; bagpipers played Amazing Grace on a rise just above the cutting; Royal Thai Army buglers played a soulful taps. All the while a light drizzle of rain tried to penetrate the heavy canopy of bamboo trees, vague morning sunlight forced its way through the heavy leaf cover, and birds sang out their resentment to our early intrusion. I cried. I wasn't the only one.
Later that morning an even bigger crowd gathered at the Don Rak Cemetery in town where over 9,000 POW dead are buried. Chairs were set up under tents for visitors and in the hour or so before services began people wandered through the graves reading markers and looking for their relatives. As the memorial began those same pipers marched in behind a guide on carrying the Australian flag followed by an honor guard who took up their post around the large cross in the center of the cemetery. Speakers were eloquent but thankfully brief (it is extremely hot in the middle of the day in the hot April sun here). The longest speech was from one of the 5 survivors who were in attendance though I doubt that anyone cared how long he spoke. It was a privilege for me to shake the hand of those 5 men - I would have sat there all afternoon had they wanted to tell their stories to me. Finally the service ended with the Royal Thai Army buglers following by the pipers leading the guide on and the honor guard off the field to the tune of what else? Waltzing Matilda! And a hearty round of applause. A great way for me to end the month of April.
Today was a bittersweet day at school. The last day of April is the last day of summer session and I really hated to say good bye to so many of the darling little P1 kids that I had come to know. This past month was really the first time I have taught first grade every day. It has got to be the hardest job here (my hat is off to Brad and his Thai teacher partners who do this all year) and the most rewarding. The first day there were 3 in tears clinging to mothers and fathers. Today they were running, playing, laughing, and ignoring the urging of mothers and fathers to get in the car and go home. I also taught in the upper elementary grades and had some adorable and very bright students there, but as far as I know none of them cried first or last day. So my first "summer school" experience has come and gone. I learned a lot about trying to teach a 45 minute lesson to a room full of 5 minute attention spans (oh and the fact that I'm teaching in English which only a few of them understand even a little bit) and how to talk a little, play a little, talk a little more, write a little, play some more. Like I said, Brad is my hero! And as the saying goes, all good things (and even some not so good things) come to an end. About 4:00pm today the school was quiet as a tomb with students gone and exhausted teachers sitting, staring into space.
And finally, with the end of April comes the end of my time as a teacher in Thailand - for now. I am returning to Tennessee the first week of May - not sure when I will return to the Land of Smiles but sure that I will. It is another bittersweet ending for me for although I do look forward to being back home with my family and friends, I am struggling with leaving my Thai family of teachers and friends that I have come to love so quickly. More tears - just like the P1 students (maybe I do belong in that grade?). But I know we will keep in touch. Perhaps some of them will come to visit me in Tennessee. So much to do in so little time: pack, give things away (no more room in the suitcase), write thank you notes, clean out my room, ship boxes home (things that don't fit in the suitcase but I don't want to give away), plane reservations, etc., etc.
If it's the end, then why is there so much to do?
Later that morning an even bigger crowd gathered at the Don Rak Cemetery in town where over 9,000 POW dead are buried. Chairs were set up under tents for visitors and in the hour or so before services began people wandered through the graves reading markers and looking for their relatives. As the memorial began those same pipers marched in behind a guide on carrying the Australian flag followed by an honor guard who took up their post around the large cross in the center of the cemetery. Speakers were eloquent but thankfully brief (it is extremely hot in the middle of the day in the hot April sun here). The longest speech was from one of the 5 survivors who were in attendance though I doubt that anyone cared how long he spoke. It was a privilege for me to shake the hand of those 5 men - I would have sat there all afternoon had they wanted to tell their stories to me. Finally the service ended with the Royal Thai Army buglers following by the pipers leading the guide on and the honor guard off the field to the tune of what else? Waltzing Matilda! And a hearty round of applause. A great way for me to end the month of April.
Today was a bittersweet day at school. The last day of April is the last day of summer session and I really hated to say good bye to so many of the darling little P1 kids that I had come to know. This past month was really the first time I have taught first grade every day. It has got to be the hardest job here (my hat is off to Brad and his Thai teacher partners who do this all year) and the most rewarding. The first day there were 3 in tears clinging to mothers and fathers. Today they were running, playing, laughing, and ignoring the urging of mothers and fathers to get in the car and go home. I also taught in the upper elementary grades and had some adorable and very bright students there, but as far as I know none of them cried first or last day. So my first "summer school" experience has come and gone. I learned a lot about trying to teach a 45 minute lesson to a room full of 5 minute attention spans (oh and the fact that I'm teaching in English which only a few of them understand even a little bit) and how to talk a little, play a little, talk a little more, write a little, play some more. Like I said, Brad is my hero! And as the saying goes, all good things (and even some not so good things) come to an end. About 4:00pm today the school was quiet as a tomb with students gone and exhausted teachers sitting, staring into space.
And finally, with the end of April comes the end of my time as a teacher in Thailand - for now. I am returning to Tennessee the first week of May - not sure when I will return to the Land of Smiles but sure that I will. It is another bittersweet ending for me for although I do look forward to being back home with my family and friends, I am struggling with leaving my Thai family of teachers and friends that I have come to love so quickly. More tears - just like the P1 students (maybe I do belong in that grade?). But I know we will keep in touch. Perhaps some of them will come to visit me in Tennessee. So much to do in so little time: pack, give things away (no more room in the suitcase), write thank you notes, clean out my room, ship boxes home (things that don't fit in the suitcase but I don't want to give away), plane reservations, etc., etc.
If it's the end, then why is there so much to do?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Songkran Hangover - The Final Chapter
Typically a VIP bus means nice comfortable seats on the upper level with wide, clear windows for viewing the countryside, air conditioning, a TV console up near the front playing some recent movie in English with Thai subtitles (or sometimes in Thai with English subtitles), and a bottom level with a restroom and luggage storage. I've ridden several of these so I saw no problem taking one back to the city since I had failed to make a reservation on the train and all the seats there were sold out.
But this VIP stood for Very Iffy Proposition. We didn't leave out until 7:30 which wasn't so bad. But as soon as we got on board I knew this was just an extra bus pulled off the company's yard to accomodate the extra travelers for the holiday. Not really dirty, but not the usual cleanliness I was used to. Every seat was full and every one of us had a book to read (must be a reason for all the bookstores in Chiang Mai). Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was that the individual reading lamps didn't work. Then my seatmate noticed that the a/c vent wasn't putting out air. About 30 minutes down the road I noticed that it was getting very dark in the bus and realized that the little running lights that are usually on along the sides of the ceiling and on the aisle were also not working. All this is coming to "light" as the poor bus works hard at pulling up the steep hills for we are in the mountains but there are mountains we must climb up and come down again in order to reach Bangkok.
The driver and his assistant don't speak any English so it's no use to ask them why nothing electrical seems to work on the bus. Most of us have reading lights and flashlights to read by. I heard the girl in the seat behind me complain that there was no light in the bathroom either. Soon we all smelled that chemical bathroom smell and realized that the fan unit in the bathroom didn't work either. This was going to be a long night. All this in the first 100 miles - only 400 more to go.
We stopped at a truck stop about 12:30 in the morning and people gladly got off to stretch, smell fresh air, and use the bathrooms. 30 minutes later we were back on the road again, still trying to get down out of the mountains. I had my GPSr out watching our route and realizing that we were following a highway that ran within 50 miles of the Myanmar border. I looked at the mountains outside the window and listened to the bus engine strain. For some reason I was reminded of WW II pilots and their stories of getting over the hump in Burma. I was developing a new respect for their survival. Around 2am we had to stop for a red light and the driver stalled out the engine. I was getting nervous since students would be back at school in about 6 hours and I was due to teach a class in about 7 hours. Some of the young men sitting near the front of the bus understood the problem and got out to push the bus till the engine caught. Off we went with only 150 miles to go.
We reached Bangkok around 6am: hot, tired, restless, and thankful to be done with the trip and to be alive (the next day I read about a bus just like this one turning over in the mountains and 7 people on board died!). But I was still 2 miles away from the train station where I catch the bus to the school which was still another 2 hours away from Bangkok. I bargained a tuktuk driver down to 50 baht. He drove like a madman but I hung on and somehow arrived at the station with my luggage and myself still in the tuktuk. The bus was just pulling out but I managed to flag it down and board. By 7:30 I was in my room peeling sweaty clothing off my tired body and dreaming of a hot shower.
The water felt so goooood! I came out and looked at my bed and then at the clock. Why not just a little rest before class? I was really feeling the push of the trip and all the sightseeing and no sleep on the all night bus ride and, well, what would just a little nap hurt? The phone ringin in my purse beside me on the bed didn't really register at first. When I finally realized where I was and what was happening, the caller had hung up. I looked at the clock and realized my class had begun 15 minutes before. Holy Cow!!! I dressed quickly and ran to the school to find that Jimmy had taken my class for me. Had just about 10 minutes to prepare for my 11:00 class which I somehow got through as well as the rest of the day. I clocked out at 4pm, went to supper with some of the other teachers, and was in bed asleep by 6pm.
So what great adventure did I have this weekend? A sleeping marathon in my quiet little dorm room. Best trip all year, I think. I had to cure my Songkran hangover from lack of sleep and rest because this weekend I will make one final trip to Kanchanaburi. But for this trip no VIP bus and no long train rides, I promise!
But this VIP stood for Very Iffy Proposition. We didn't leave out until 7:30 which wasn't so bad. But as soon as we got on board I knew this was just an extra bus pulled off the company's yard to accomodate the extra travelers for the holiday. Not really dirty, but not the usual cleanliness I was used to. Every seat was full and every one of us had a book to read (must be a reason for all the bookstores in Chiang Mai). Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was that the individual reading lamps didn't work. Then my seatmate noticed that the a/c vent wasn't putting out air. About 30 minutes down the road I noticed that it was getting very dark in the bus and realized that the little running lights that are usually on along the sides of the ceiling and on the aisle were also not working. All this is coming to "light" as the poor bus works hard at pulling up the steep hills for we are in the mountains but there are mountains we must climb up and come down again in order to reach Bangkok.
The driver and his assistant don't speak any English so it's no use to ask them why nothing electrical seems to work on the bus. Most of us have reading lights and flashlights to read by. I heard the girl in the seat behind me complain that there was no light in the bathroom either. Soon we all smelled that chemical bathroom smell and realized that the fan unit in the bathroom didn't work either. This was going to be a long night. All this in the first 100 miles - only 400 more to go.
We stopped at a truck stop about 12:30 in the morning and people gladly got off to stretch, smell fresh air, and use the bathrooms. 30 minutes later we were back on the road again, still trying to get down out of the mountains. I had my GPSr out watching our route and realizing that we were following a highway that ran within 50 miles of the Myanmar border. I looked at the mountains outside the window and listened to the bus engine strain. For some reason I was reminded of WW II pilots and their stories of getting over the hump in Burma. I was developing a new respect for their survival. Around 2am we had to stop for a red light and the driver stalled out the engine. I was getting nervous since students would be back at school in about 6 hours and I was due to teach a class in about 7 hours. Some of the young men sitting near the front of the bus understood the problem and got out to push the bus till the engine caught. Off we went with only 150 miles to go.
We reached Bangkok around 6am: hot, tired, restless, and thankful to be done with the trip and to be alive (the next day I read about a bus just like this one turning over in the mountains and 7 people on board died!). But I was still 2 miles away from the train station where I catch the bus to the school which was still another 2 hours away from Bangkok. I bargained a tuktuk driver down to 50 baht. He drove like a madman but I hung on and somehow arrived at the station with my luggage and myself still in the tuktuk. The bus was just pulling out but I managed to flag it down and board. By 7:30 I was in my room peeling sweaty clothing off my tired body and dreaming of a hot shower.
The water felt so goooood! I came out and looked at my bed and then at the clock. Why not just a little rest before class? I was really feeling the push of the trip and all the sightseeing and no sleep on the all night bus ride and, well, what would just a little nap hurt? The phone ringin in my purse beside me on the bed didn't really register at first. When I finally realized where I was and what was happening, the caller had hung up. I looked at the clock and realized my class had begun 15 minutes before. Holy Cow!!! I dressed quickly and ran to the school to find that Jimmy had taken my class for me. Had just about 10 minutes to prepare for my 11:00 class which I somehow got through as well as the rest of the day. I clocked out at 4pm, went to supper with some of the other teachers, and was in bed asleep by 6pm.
So what great adventure did I have this weekend? A sleeping marathon in my quiet little dorm room. Best trip all year, I think. I had to cure my Songkran hangover from lack of sleep and rest because this weekend I will make one final trip to Kanchanaburi. But for this trip no VIP bus and no long train rides, I promise!
Songkran Hangover
Well, it finally happened. I had to take a weekend to recover from a weekend. Well, to be fair, my Songkran weekend lasted 5 days - 5 1/2 if you count the 4 hours I was AWOL.
As you know the train finally did pull into the station in Chiang Mai. For the next 2 hours it was sheer pandimonium trying to get into the old part of the city and find my guest house. Up and down every street people were lined up throwing water. Believe me, as hot as April is here in Thailand, I don't mind getting wet. But I didn't want my suitcase and laptop to get soaked. My purse didn't worry me too much either. I had to dry out my passport twice during rainy season last year so I'm a pro at that. But the new laptop and my dry clothes in the suitcase were a different matter. My car could only get me within 2 blocks of the guest house so I literally ran the gauntlet (fortunately my suitcase has wheels and a handle) to the guest house. Once things got put away I bagged up my important stuff and went to town to watch the fun. Yes, all during Songkran the plastic bag industry makes a killing in Thailand. My cell phone was first put into a small bag, sealed, then dropped into the pocket for it in my purse. Next, I put my passport in a baggie and then into my purse. Then I had a ziploc bag for my wallet and money. Once all those bagged items are in my purse I then take a plastic grocery bag and "bag" my bag, tying it at the top and leaving the strap out. Then it all fits ove my shoulder. My camera is very small and I put it in another plastic bag and then in my pocket. That way I was able to pull it out from time to time when I was out of the line of fire and takes some photos. In fact, most people will pose with their buckets and water guns, and then soak you once you put your camera back in the bag! Later I found a restaurant near the moat where I was able to stay dry and watch the last hour of the water throwing.
My hosts at the guest house, Joe and Amara, arranged for me to take a tour the next day to the northern-most reaches of Thailand. At 7am on Sunday a van picked me up and after picking up 8 more people around the city we were off to the north. We stopped for breakfast in the province of Chiang Rai and after viewing a small hot water geyser we all ate breakfast and wandered around the sourvenir shops. But you never got far from the sulfur smell of the geyser. There was even a bent old lady walking around with baskets of eggs hanging on each end of a pole across her shoulders. People buy the eggs to boil in the hot water from the geyser. The locals believe the hot sulfur water has special curative powers. After about 45 minutes we were back on the road - a winding mountain road that climbed steeply and slowly reminding me of the train ride to Chiang Mai - and in about 2 hours we were at Chedi Luang. This is an ancient temple and chedi that is still used today even though it is crumbling in places. It reminded me of the old remains at Ayottaya although not as old.
Our next destination was only 30 minutes away and the point of the trip I had been looking forward to: The Golden Triangle. At the northern tip of Thailand the Ruak River meets the Mekong River and forms a triangle with Myanmar and Laos on the other two sides. Historically, this was an area of rich soil and large poppy fields harvested for the opium trades. Today it's just a stop on busy tour routes although I did see a stray poppy growing in the wild here and there. Because there is so much to tell about Chiang Mai I will just finish the day by saying that I did ride on the Mekong River in a long tail boat, I didn't drink the whiskey made with rattlesnakes and scorpions, and it was 10pm before I got back to the guest house that night. Whew! What a day.
On Monday the tour van picked me up at 8am and we drove up into the Doi Inthanon National Forest where again I worried about the van making it up the steep, winding mountain roads. We saw waterfalls and native hill tribe villages. I stood on the highest peak in Thailand (and got the T shirt to prove it). A shorter day that saw me back at the guest house by 7pm.
On Tuesday I bagged up all my important stuff and went out to see what I could of the town and to get wet. I succeeded on both accounts. Chiang Mai today is built around the original city moat and what's left of the gates and walls from 1261 so it's pretty cool historically. But all around the moat stood kids of all ages ready to soak me down. By the time I got back to the house I was dripping wet - but that's OK since it was almost 100F that afternoon. I was sitting on the terrace talking with Joe and Amara when their teenage son came by with some friends and invited me to join their pick up truck run. You see, while people stand around the moat to throw water, other people ride by on motorcycles and in pick up trucks throwing water back at them. Did I go? You better bet I did! But you'll have to take my word for it because I knew I couldn't take my camera on this run.
Wednesday, my final day in town, was quiet. Locals were back to work and businesses were open again. I roamed the city taking pictures and looking for reading material for the long ride home. There are 8 used book stores in Chiang Mai! At 7pm I climbed on the "VIP" bus for the 10 hour ride back to Bangkok. It turned out to be a very long night!
As you know the train finally did pull into the station in Chiang Mai. For the next 2 hours it was sheer pandimonium trying to get into the old part of the city and find my guest house. Up and down every street people were lined up throwing water. Believe me, as hot as April is here in Thailand, I don't mind getting wet. But I didn't want my suitcase and laptop to get soaked. My purse didn't worry me too much either. I had to dry out my passport twice during rainy season last year so I'm a pro at that. But the new laptop and my dry clothes in the suitcase were a different matter. My car could only get me within 2 blocks of the guest house so I literally ran the gauntlet (fortunately my suitcase has wheels and a handle) to the guest house. Once things got put away I bagged up my important stuff and went to town to watch the fun. Yes, all during Songkran the plastic bag industry makes a killing in Thailand. My cell phone was first put into a small bag, sealed, then dropped into the pocket for it in my purse. Next, I put my passport in a baggie and then into my purse. Then I had a ziploc bag for my wallet and money. Once all those bagged items are in my purse I then take a plastic grocery bag and "bag" my bag, tying it at the top and leaving the strap out. Then it all fits ove my shoulder. My camera is very small and I put it in another plastic bag and then in my pocket. That way I was able to pull it out from time to time when I was out of the line of fire and takes some photos. In fact, most people will pose with their buckets and water guns, and then soak you once you put your camera back in the bag! Later I found a restaurant near the moat where I was able to stay dry and watch the last hour of the water throwing.
My hosts at the guest house, Joe and Amara, arranged for me to take a tour the next day to the northern-most reaches of Thailand. At 7am on Sunday a van picked me up and after picking up 8 more people around the city we were off to the north. We stopped for breakfast in the province of Chiang Rai and after viewing a small hot water geyser we all ate breakfast and wandered around the sourvenir shops. But you never got far from the sulfur smell of the geyser. There was even a bent old lady walking around with baskets of eggs hanging on each end of a pole across her shoulders. People buy the eggs to boil in the hot water from the geyser. The locals believe the hot sulfur water has special curative powers. After about 45 minutes we were back on the road - a winding mountain road that climbed steeply and slowly reminding me of the train ride to Chiang Mai - and in about 2 hours we were at Chedi Luang. This is an ancient temple and chedi that is still used today even though it is crumbling in places. It reminded me of the old remains at Ayottaya although not as old.
Our next destination was only 30 minutes away and the point of the trip I had been looking forward to: The Golden Triangle. At the northern tip of Thailand the Ruak River meets the Mekong River and forms a triangle with Myanmar and Laos on the other two sides. Historically, this was an area of rich soil and large poppy fields harvested for the opium trades. Today it's just a stop on busy tour routes although I did see a stray poppy growing in the wild here and there. Because there is so much to tell about Chiang Mai I will just finish the day by saying that I did ride on the Mekong River in a long tail boat, I didn't drink the whiskey made with rattlesnakes and scorpions, and it was 10pm before I got back to the guest house that night. Whew! What a day.
On Monday the tour van picked me up at 8am and we drove up into the Doi Inthanon National Forest where again I worried about the van making it up the steep, winding mountain roads. We saw waterfalls and native hill tribe villages. I stood on the highest peak in Thailand (and got the T shirt to prove it). A shorter day that saw me back at the guest house by 7pm.
On Tuesday I bagged up all my important stuff and went out to see what I could of the town and to get wet. I succeeded on both accounts. Chiang Mai today is built around the original city moat and what's left of the gates and walls from 1261 so it's pretty cool historically. But all around the moat stood kids of all ages ready to soak me down. By the time I got back to the house I was dripping wet - but that's OK since it was almost 100F that afternoon. I was sitting on the terrace talking with Joe and Amara when their teenage son came by with some friends and invited me to join their pick up truck run. You see, while people stand around the moat to throw water, other people ride by on motorcycles and in pick up trucks throwing water back at them. Did I go? You better bet I did! But you'll have to take my word for it because I knew I couldn't take my camera on this run.
Wednesday, my final day in town, was quiet. Locals were back to work and businesses were open again. I roamed the city taking pictures and looking for reading material for the long ride home. There are 8 used book stores in Chiang Mai! At 7pm I climbed on the "VIP" bus for the 10 hour ride back to Bangkok. It turned out to be a very long night!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Happy New Year!! - again
I know the last time we talked New Year it was February and we were talking Chinese New Year. Now welcome to Thai New Year. The festival is called Songkran and the biggest symbol of the festival is water: water guns sprayed at each other, water poured gently over buddha statues to clean and bless them, watealr tossed in bucket loads from a street corner. (for a better explanation go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_New_Year). Wow - Thai people know how to throw a holiday. For one thing, it lasts 3 days which is a whole lot better than one. Which leads me to explain what I was doing hanging around the train station last night to see the Songkran blessing of the trains. I'm off for 5 days so I decided to take a train to Chiang Mai - the one remaining large Thai city that I was yet to visit. More about that later. Suffice it to say, I've been wet for 2 days and will likely be that way 2 more days. On Friday afternoon all the kids brought out their water guns and after a very solemn blessing ceremony which included traditional bongos and chimes, Thai dancers, we all got wet. It was 2 hours of uninhibited fun and my hat is off to Brad who teaches P1 and was the biggest 6 year old in the group. He brought his own super soaker from home and played water wars all afternoon. Great fun!
Later we all scattered for popular vacation spots: Hua Hin, Pattaya, and in my case, Chiang Mai. I had to sit around the train depot for a couple of hours which was cool because I got to see the blessing of the trains several times as part of the Songkran events. Then I was off on what should have been a 12 hour train ride but turned into much longer. I took the overnight sleeper train thinking I would wake up the next morning and enjoy the scenery on the last couple of hours there. I woke up to find we were behind schedule. Oh well, at least we're on the way. Then around 11:00 the train began to slow down as we started up the mountains (Chiang Mai is in the mountainous northern part of Thailand). Suddenly the train stopped and porters came through telling us to get off the train. Get off where I thought. We're in a jungle. For about an hour we stood in the edge of the jungle in the shade of a bamboo grove while workers tried feverishly to repair whatever broke (I never did understand). I was nervouse since I don't like snakes and I was wearing only flip flops and my crop pants. But the Thai perspective is why be worried, it won't fix the problem any faster. In about an hour we were on our way again and I had only a couple of bug bites around my ankles and some great pictures of a huge ladybug. Eventually we did make it to the depot in Chiang Mai and the real craziness began!
Later we all scattered for popular vacation spots: Hua Hin, Pattaya, and in my case, Chiang Mai. I had to sit around the train depot for a couple of hours which was cool because I got to see the blessing of the trains several times as part of the Songkran events. Then I was off on what should have been a 12 hour train ride but turned into much longer. I took the overnight sleeper train thinking I would wake up the next morning and enjoy the scenery on the last couple of hours there. I woke up to find we were behind schedule. Oh well, at least we're on the way. Then around 11:00 the train began to slow down as we started up the mountains (Chiang Mai is in the mountainous northern part of Thailand). Suddenly the train stopped and porters came through telling us to get off the train. Get off where I thought. We're in a jungle. For about an hour we stood in the edge of the jungle in the shade of a bamboo grove while workers tried feverishly to repair whatever broke (I never did understand). I was nervouse since I don't like snakes and I was wearing only flip flops and my crop pants. But the Thai perspective is why be worried, it won't fix the problem any faster. In about an hour we were on our way again and I had only a couple of bug bites around my ankles and some great pictures of a huge ladybug. Eventually we did make it to the depot in Chiang Mai and the real craziness began!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Back to the Bridge
I realize I've been AWOL from the blog for over a week. Blame it on sheer laziness. Last week was panic city around the school with finals taking place and kids having farewell parties. Then deadlines to meet for turning in exams and entering grades into computer systems that always seem to run slowest at this time of year. On Friday afternoon I was beat so I ate an early supper and went to bed abour 6:30. Woke up early the next morning and decided since I had a while weekend with no training or classwork to do, best to run away. And my favorite place to run away lately is Kanchanaburi.
The bus got me there mid morning and I just walked around the town for a little while to see things. About 3 months ago I took up a new hobby called Waymarking which is kind of like geocaching except that in geocaching you have coordinates that you go to and find a cache. In waymarking you find a site that is exceptional in some way (or else fits into one of the hundreds of categories listed at the website) take photos, gather info, and most importantly, get the coordinates. Then you upload the info under your trail name - mine is Horizon Seeker - and other folks try to visit that site. Meanwhile others are posting interesting waymarks as well, all over the world, so that if you know you are going to visit another city, across the state or across the world, you can check for waymarks at that locale to find neat things to see or do and great places to eat and sleep. I like to waymark used book stores (read a lot on buses, trains, and long distance flights), internet cafes, and unusual things to see. So check out waymarking.com and see all the neat things we waymarkers have found.
One of the coolest waymarks I've added is an old firefighter jeep that I came across when I was walking around Kanchanaburi this weekend. I've uploaded the picture to my blog in case you're too lazy to look it up on waymarking. Anyway, the fireman told me that it still runs (well, best I could get from what little English he spoke & what little Thai I understand) and judging from the fairly new looking tires I don't doubt it. All the labeling is in Japanese so I do wonder if it could have come over during WW II when the Japanese occupied Thailand. It looks like it could be 60 years old. I do know that the Japanese brought a bridge from Japan that was used in building The Bridge. This weekend I noticed the info plate on The Bridge (yes, I walked across again) which I hadn't noticed before so I've added that picture here as well. I also met some other Farang teachers who hang out in Kanchanaburi but teach in Bangkok. The place to find them is Birdland Used Books where you will also find a colorful fellow named Big Jimmy. He knows a lot about the area and what he doesn't know he makes up I'm sure. He is quite glib and a very entertaining host. And who wouldn't love a used book store/bar/internet cafe/local information booth? Picture attached.
Returned to reality Sunday afternoon (took a van back to Bangkok which was something I don't plan to do again real soon since he broke all kinds of land speed records) because I had to get up early Monday and go to an international school in the city for classroom observations. Left the school at 6am with 2 other teachers. What should have been a 45 drive at 6am took an hour and a half. The driver doesn't get to Bangkok much I guess and he just didn't know exactly where we were wanting to go. So with much hesitation we got into a different taxi this morning and made the same trip. Except this time it took 2 hours and the guy was really lost. Add to that the morning rush hour traffic in Bangkok and the smog, and the smells, and the other teacher in the backseat who kept yelling at him when he made the wrong turn and then punching his arm when he ignored her..... That's it. I'm swearing off taxis in Bangkok. Had an enjoyable visit in the school and was glad for the opportunity to visit a different teaching environment and to talk with other teachers and students. The campus was beautiful and the faculty and staff all very welcoming and helpful. If they offered me a job I would take it in a heartbeat - if they moved it away from Bangkok. Too many taxis!
The bus got me there mid morning and I just walked around the town for a little while to see things. About 3 months ago I took up a new hobby called Waymarking which is kind of like geocaching except that in geocaching you have coordinates that you go to and find a cache. In waymarking you find a site that is exceptional in some way (or else fits into one of the hundreds of categories listed at the website) take photos, gather info, and most importantly, get the coordinates. Then you upload the info under your trail name - mine is Horizon Seeker - and other folks try to visit that site. Meanwhile others are posting interesting waymarks as well, all over the world, so that if you know you are going to visit another city, across the state or across the world, you can check for waymarks at that locale to find neat things to see or do and great places to eat and sleep. I like to waymark used book stores (read a lot on buses, trains, and long distance flights), internet cafes, and unusual things to see. So check out waymarking.com and see all the neat things we waymarkers have found.
One of the coolest waymarks I've added is an old firefighter jeep that I came across when I was walking around Kanchanaburi this weekend. I've uploaded the picture to my blog in case you're too lazy to look it up on waymarking. Anyway, the fireman told me that it still runs (well, best I could get from what little English he spoke & what little Thai I understand) and judging from the fairly new looking tires I don't doubt it. All the labeling is in Japanese so I do wonder if it could have come over during WW II when the Japanese occupied Thailand. It looks like it could be 60 years old. I do know that the Japanese brought a bridge from Japan that was used in building The Bridge. This weekend I noticed the info plate on The Bridge (yes, I walked across again) which I hadn't noticed before so I've added that picture here as well. I also met some other Farang teachers who hang out in Kanchanaburi but teach in Bangkok. The place to find them is Birdland Used Books where you will also find a colorful fellow named Big Jimmy. He knows a lot about the area and what he doesn't know he makes up I'm sure. He is quite glib and a very entertaining host. And who wouldn't love a used book store/bar/internet cafe/local information booth? Picture attached.
Returned to reality Sunday afternoon (took a van back to Bangkok which was something I don't plan to do again real soon since he broke all kinds of land speed records) because I had to get up early Monday and go to an international school in the city for classroom observations. Left the school at 6am with 2 other teachers. What should have been a 45 drive at 6am took an hour and a half. The driver doesn't get to Bangkok much I guess and he just didn't know exactly where we were wanting to go. So with much hesitation we got into a different taxi this morning and made the same trip. Except this time it took 2 hours and the guy was really lost. Add to that the morning rush hour traffic in Bangkok and the smog, and the smells, and the other teacher in the backseat who kept yelling at him when he made the wrong turn and then punching his arm when he ignored her..... That's it. I'm swearing off taxis in Bangkok. Had an enjoyable visit in the school and was glad for the opportunity to visit a different teaching environment and to talk with other teachers and students. The campus was beautiful and the faculty and staff all very welcoming and helpful. If they offered me a job I would take it in a heartbeat - if they moved it away from Bangkok. Too many taxis!
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