Life in the Kingdom

Sawaadee kha,

As we write this blog, we have three weeks remaining in Thailand. As we reflect over the past three years and prepare to leave it is those memories combined with the sadness of leaving that sustains us and yet that which we hold with gratitude.

Athough the news recently portrayed in the media has perhaps tarnished the image of the " Land of Smiles" it has in no way altered our affection, respect and admiration for the Thai people, and the beauty of its culture. It is difficult to capture an accurate picture through media reports and images in a conflict situation. I can only say it was complex.... yet painful, sad and dramatic. It's the stories that weren't told and the images that weren't shown that capture the spirit of the Thai people and nation. We continue to hope and pray for creative healing.

The city is again humming and showing hopeful signs of healing. Thousands of residents took to the streets in the clean-up effort. Efforts at reconciliation are evident and only time will tell what creative result may manifest itself out of the pain.

The high end shopping complex "ZEN" at Central World stands as a visible and perhaps a symbolic reminder with it's charred out remains.

As we write this last Thailand blog, the song lyrics " I wouldn't have missed it for the world" and "These are a few of our favourite things" are playing in my head.

It is with that note we'd like to share with you a little about the street where we've lived in Bangkok and introduce you to some of the people in our neighborhood and the lifestyle we witness as we go about our daily lives.

As people hustle to work in the mornings Satya can be found serenading with his wonderful jazz near the Skytrain. Music is a common vocation here for people with disabilites. Satya, blind since birth has been earning his living as a street musician for 20 years. Making offerings is a very common practice in the East. Every offering has a specific meaning, for example offering light is to dispel the darkness of one's ignorance, or offering incense to increase one's ethical behaviour. Offering is considered good training against greed and attachment. Offering flowers signifies the practice of generosity and opens the heart. All over the city there are street vendors which hand craft flowers into decorative pattern of garland or similar to worship Buddha images or for offerings to the house spirit. I have enjoyed purchasing my regular offering from a woman on my street . These beautiful offerings of fresh jasmine, marigolds and roses are sold for 10-20 baht ( .50cents to $1.)

The scent of the frangapani flower on the Whispheria Tree filling the air, mixing with all of the other interesting smells on a Bangkok street is magnificent!

Shopping is undoubtedly one of Bangkok's major attractions. These bustling open-air food markets and colorful noisy night markets, little shops and street stalls in our neighborhood sell a variety of inexpensive items.

What a joy it is to to buy fresh flowers often, fresh exotic fruits and vegetables and delicious street food at one of the many local street markets.

Whether it's stopping by to say Sawaadee kha to the man and his mother who run the lottery ticket and newspaper stand; dropping off some clothes to mend to the local street seamstress, getting shoes repaired by the shoe repair person who sets up shop on the sidewalk, or getting a motorcycle taxi at the corner to whiz us through Bangkok's infamous traffic to our destination; these are a few of the gems we've enjoyed about life in Bangkok.

And... of course Michel especially will remember with fondness his buddy .... the anonymous "Rolex Copy Man" at Patpong market. Patpong is a popular red light district near our home and also famous for it's street market selling designer copy clothing, jewelry and accessories. Bargaining is a must here!

Good byes are not easy and with sadness Kelsey said good-bye to her two pets. Cha Cha her beloved Loris has found a new home at the Wildlife Sanctuary and Gulliver her bunny was welcomed by the children at SangTawan Children's Home , a charity supported by Club Canada.

Our condo belongings were packed and our shipment sent to Canada and China recently. With thanks for what was provided to us the past three years we said good bye and have moved temporaily to a Serviced Apartment called Somerset on Suanplu ( beautiful garden) in the same nighborhood until we leave on July 14th.

Kelsey completes her Internship at the end of June and has moved back with us. Michel is putting the final touches on his project at Michelin and making preparations for his work and our move to China. I have finished my work with the Thai Burma Border Consortium and with Diakonia. My French students hosted a pizza party to say good bye and I have "passed along my Canada Club file"and we are now saying our good-byes to the many friends we have made. This "being" time now is welcomed. We are also traveling to some locations in Thailand we haven't visited yet and will be visiting Thailand's most northern and mountainous provinces next week.

A recent weekend trip to the province of Loei and the Phi Ta Khon festival was a blast. This annual festival celebrates the locals belief in ghosts and spirits.

The Phi Ta Khon mask which is made of dried sticky rice husk is painted in bright red, green or other colours, and features the characteristic long pointed nose. This completes the transformation. The clanging sound of the square cowbells worn around the waist announces the presence of the spirits who wield phallic-shaped long-handled swords decorated with red paint. The good-natured, fun-loving spirits mingle among the crowd, teasing and amusing all who take part in the procession.

There were also the "naughty spirits" including the French one in the middle.

The annual Canada Day celebration was held this past weekend in Bangkok to celebrate Canada's upcoming 143rd birthday. It's always a good time as Canadians living here get together to celebrate. Great food and drinks as well as games including tug a war and a beer drinking contest ensure a rukus ole Canadian time.

We hope you've enjoyed journeying with us through this blog. It has been our joy to share it with you. Thank you for following it. It has in itself helped us to integrate our experience and enabled us to stay connected to friends and family. We hope you'll continue to journey with us through our China blog as we move to Northern China at the end of August. In the meantime we'll be home for 6 weeks soon and look forward to connecting with many of you in person.

Until then.....Wishing you a great summer and sending you blessings.

Go well,

Michel, Kelsey and Dorothy

Life in the Kingdom and Burma's Treasures - Special Blog Edition

Sawaadee kha or should I say Mingala baa ( Hello in Burmese.) As the protests continue in Bangkok we are safe and well. Michel has recently left on a 4 week work trip to Bridgewater so as I write this he is in Canada. He'll return to Bangkok at the end of May and we'll then make our final arrangements for our trip home before embarking on our next move to China. In our adopted home here in Thailand the tension on the street in Bangkok becomes more intense. We felt a need to escape from this for awhile and share with you a special edition of our blog and some photos on Thailand's neighbour, Myanmar or Burma ( as I prefer to call it.) We recently returned from a trip there and were incredibly moved by the culture and people. We hope you enjoy our reflections and photos on this intriguing land and people.

Boycotted by many Westerners because of the political situation- a dictatorship and military regime that is unresponsive to democratic forces- Burma today is building its tourist infrastructure as well as attracting more visitors to this charming and friendly third world country. We were mindful of these things when making a decision on whether we should visit and came to our personal decision that even though we dislike the current military regime, we could have more of a positive impact by visiting the country rather than by boycotting it. Following our visit, this was reinforced more within us as we saw the benefits to the local economy when funds and awareness are provided through tourism to the local people. Perhaps the more people who visit Burma, the more likely change will take place for the better. While I explored and asked my own political questions during our visit we have preferred not to make this blog our personal political statement and instead a blog that will focus more on the culture and everyday life of the people and culture captured in Michel's photos.

It's a place where time seems to have stood still and one feels like they've entered a time warp. Astrology, horoscopes and religion continue to be an important part of everyday life. There are challenges in traveling in the country due to poor road infrastructure so we hired a local private English guide to assist us in finding our way, accessing air travel and accomodations. We also gained important insights from someone who has lived in the country, about its culture and people.

We began our journey in Yangon, the former capital. Yangon still displays some of the colonial buildings left over from the British who ruled Burma for 100 years. Burma received their independence from the British following WWII. The infrastructure deteriorated over the years through poor maintenance and did not keep up with the growing population, however due to more open market policies being developed it is now beginning new infrastructure building.

Yangon is populated with many different races of people such as Myanmars, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. Although Burmese is the official language, communication in English was not a big challenge as English remains entrenched in the Burmese educational system, and is a required subject from Kindergarden onward.

The history of Yangon is intertwined with the history of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Wherever one may be in Yangon the golden form of the Shwedagon will be seen on the skyline rising above the foliage of the tropical trees. This pagoda materialized in Buddhist history over 2500 years ago and over the years has been rebuilt until it reached its present height of 326 feet. It has 10 sections. Hundreds of lamps surround the base and form an elaborate offering to the Buddah. During our visit, ceremonies were held there as young novice monks were entering the monkhood.

From Yangon we flew to Bagan ( travel is by air which is well organized since the road infrastructure is not paved and traveling any distance by car - mostly 4 wheel drives would take a long time.) Once a city of over 200,000 today's Bagan is a small sleepy town of 20,000 people. It is a serene place where over 2000 - 14th century temple/pagoda ruins dot the landscape. It is a place where one where can go about the village in horse drawn cart or by bullock cart.

We explored an early morning market where an incredible myriad of food aromas, colours and activities aroused our senses. Nuns wearing pink were shopping for dry products to take to the monastery for cooking meals. Burmese women and children are often seen wearing a face paste called Thanika. Not only used as a sun screen , women believe it keeps their complexion young and serves as a whitener. The paste is made from a specific tree bark and is mixed with water and applied.

While watching the sunset from one of Bagan's breathtaking temples I was struck with the wonder and beauty of this land and left with a peace that was beyond....

Bagan is also the centre for Burma's lacquer ware production. Most lacquerware found in shops througout the country comes from Bagan's factories and workshops. Many of the factories have been in business for generations and produce beautiful lacquer bowls, plates, serving trays, tables, furniture and accessories. The best quality lacqerware are works of art and the best pieces are made with 12 to 24 pieces of lacquer, with pieces taking 6 to 9 months to complete.

During a drive to Mount Poppa ( 45km took us 1.5 hours) we saw local villagers on their way to market, collecting their water from a reservoir and we witnessed saffron robed monks collecting their early morning alms. Mount Poppa is built on a dormant volcano and is considered the abode of spirits ( Nats.) It is an important worship centre and a a major pilgrimage destination for locals. We climbed the 777 steps accompanied by local children who were fascinated with my blonde hair and intriqued by touching the blonde hair on my arms :) Spirit worship is still an important belief of the Burmese people while at the same time they hold a strong belief in Buddhism’s teaching on “karma”. They realize that they have to go through a life cycle—birth, growing up, reaching adulthood, aging, the prospect of illness and eventual death (and possible reincarnation). They know that in passing each stage of life they will also experience hardships brought about by nature or circumstance—drought, famine, flooding, pestilence and unemployment. Country-dwellers have devised folk explanations to make these events more understandable. They realize that all things happen due to a cause and that man and woman are responsible for their own actions—they believe in good and bad karma. At the same time, the power of the spirit world is used to explain such events as unknown disease that takes the life of a family member, or a phenomenon of nature. Honoring these spirits and keeping the bad spirits contented is important.

Our next locale was a flight to Inle Lake . We traveled on a traditional long tail boat in this picturesque delightful place located approximately 900 meters above sea level in the hills of Shan State. It was easy to fall in love with this place. Home of the Intha Tribe, this area is known for its lake of fisherman who row with their legs, floating gardens, markets and temples. There is no road access. We visited a silk factory and paper umbrella making factory. Traditional methods are used.. living off the land, utilizing with care the abundant natural resources. What a joy it was on my birthday, accompanied by our guide and the Burmese people to have the honor of performing a Buddhist birthday custom of releasing a fish. Back at our hotel, Michel had arranged with the gracious manager to have a cake ( not a easy feat since cake was nowhere to be found.) and of course I enjoyed sharing my birthday custom of "nose greasing" as a symbol and hope for good luck in the coming year. Michel was happy to obliged by smearing my nose with butter to the delight of the locals. Throughout our entire stay, the graciousness, kindness and accomodating nature of the people went beyond expectation. The hotels were lovely and the food a delight. Our last day was spent back in Yangon where we the city was caught up in the annual Water Festival. Wooden stages were erected equipped with water hoses throughout the city where people met and engaged in soaking each other. We also took a 3 hr. trip on a local delapidated train in the city where we witnessed urban poverty and the struggles of the Burmese people living in make shift shantys who survive day to day on about 3000 kyats ( pronounced chat) equivalent to 3 USD.

It is impossible for these images to fully covey our experience and the senses that were heightened as we traveled in Burma. It was certainly one of the most captivating places we've visited.

We'll end by saying ....It was an extraordinary experience!

Go well

Michel, Dorothy and Kelsey