Some sights in Thailand

I spend a surprising amount of time traveling to other parts of Thailand for conferences, trainings, and the occassional bout of fun. Though we had a Peace Corps training at a beach location for 2 weeks, we spent most of the time at work and training! So I am still waiting for my big Thai beach adventure, which is going to be at Christmas time with my dear friend Kerry! The statues were pictures I took at a cool wat (temple) in Phrae province. The wat in the cave is amazing -- built about 100 years ago by King Rama V in Hua Hin, south of Bangkok. You have to climb down and down into a cavern. The roof of the cavern collapsed long ago, letting a shaft of light and rain come down into cave. So deep in earth long trees reach for the sky, and the wat hides like a secret.

The FLOOD!

Here it is, the pictures you've been waiting for. Well, maybe not. ;)
Remember my house? The white one on stilts? Well the stilts turned out to be useful
afterall, saving my bedroom and livingroom from the mud. But a lot of people were not as lucky. The woman in purple sandbaged her house, but the mud and tides prevailed. All that slush she is in is about 8 inches of silt and mud. Even now, 4 1/2 months later, most of the government's efforts is focused on flood rehabilitation in my community.

May

No, May is not the cool springtime we think of in the U.S. It's still hot. Really hot. Among the highlights for the month (pre-flood) were a big bike trip to with about 300 people from the northern provinces (I was the only farang in sight!), and lots of good cultural events. School break is from late Feb - April, so things start to quiet down in May when the kids are back to school.

Long time no see -- a view of March and April!

I just can't seem to get a grip on this blogging thing. That's why I leave computer science to the computer people. I'm a people person. So that is my main excuse for not updating you aall with pictures for the last six months. But I'm trying! So here goes, hope it works!

These pictures are from our famous festivals in March and April -- Songkran, the Thai water-fight new year; and The Elephant Ordination. You can kind of guess what happens here -- everyone dresses up in "Thai Puan" clothes, Thai Puan being the Lao ethnic group that lives in my area. We dance in street parades, alongside elephants, children, all the while throwing water at each other. It was the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad hot season, and these festivals are a brilliant relieft from all the heat!