Life in the Kingdom

Sawwaadee kha ,

We hope all is well in your part of the world.

Thailand, now is in it's high season -better known as the cool season. It's the time of year when we see more tourists as temperatures are at a cool 28-30 degrees.. making it nice to be outdoors.

In December on a trip to Shenyang China we had the opportunity to again experience winter. Shenyang is a city of 4 million in north eastern China. Although Michel was there on a work trip with Michelin we had a chance to do some sightseeing. Certainly not unlike many Chinese cities, Shenyang is quickly modernizing and experiencing rapid growth. Although the snow was nice to see, we realized how little we missed the cold winter temperatures.

We've were particularly warmed with a recent visit of our NS friends, Randy and Brenda Croszman. We enjoyed visiting some of our favouite places with them, enabling them to get a "taste' of Thailand's unique culture.

Thailand affords such sensuals delight so although we crammed much into their two week visit.. we felt satisfied that a good overview of the culture was obtained. In the photos here you can see our trip to the north, visit to Hillside Tribes, mountain scenery, floating market, Sukhothai ancient ruins, Bridge over the River Kwai and Kho Samed Island. A game we enjoyed when driving was to identify the most unusual site. Of course, there were many! We shared many laughs along the way. Randy, while relaxing at a beach in Kho Samed decided he would enjoy having his toenails painted with a variety of colours. Hmmmm...maybe it was the good Thai beer that lessened his inhibitions... nonetheless ....all in good fun and we enjoyed seeing him walk about for the remainder of his stay in Thailand with "rainbow toes". An interesting place we visited was Wat Rong Khun ( White Temple. ) Located in the north this temple is different from any other temple in Thailand, as it designed in white color. The white color stands for Lord Buddha’s purity; the white glass stands for Lord Buddha’s wisdom that "shines brightly all over the Earth and the Universe." The bridge leading to the temple represents the crossing over from the cycle of rebirth to the Abode of Buddha. The small semicircle before the bridge stands for the human world.

Eggs are a staple in the Thai diet. At these hot springs the locals were cooking the eggs in the hot springs where they were soon sold to nearby food vendors.

Being a fun loving people, one often chuckles when coming across some of the merchandise for sale. One of these lamps is "turned on".... can you see which one??? Lol

While in the West folk tend to be individualistic, Thais are communal and enjoyed their time together hanging out... and of course eating. And of course, religious practices are seen everyday and everywhere!

Khon dance or the masked dance drama is the highest form of dance drama of six traditional Thai dance forms. It consists of four sets of characters, male, female, monkeys and demons with dancers wearing elaborate Khon masks. This traditional Thai dance is based on the Thai drama which was adapted from the Hindu Ramayana epics which had a profound impact on the cultural development of Thailand and several South East Asian countries. It depicts the life of Hanuman( monkey god) since he was born and became a valiant soldier who helped King Rama win against an enemy Totsakan. This spectacular episode has 60 performers, with elaborate dress specially designed for this specific dance. It involves highly traditional singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics and music.

A visit to a khmer temple ( 11 century temple) we came across a filming of a Thai movie. Set in the 11th century we watched as the characters in period costume re-lived a segment of life in Thai history. Kelsey has recently started a 6 month internship at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok as she completes a Hospitality and Tourism program. Michel is wrapping up a successful "project bamboo" at Michelin .

My work keeps me busy and recently I was pleased to obtained a contact with a Swedish based NGO and will be working on an interesting development project in the north of Thailand for a couple of months. At present my days are busy chairing Club Canada's upcoming fundraiser "The Snowball". Although a small group, Club Canada supports a number of charities that focus on disadvantaged women and children. Life is indeed meaningful and colourful !

Our time here is drawing to a close. Soon we'll prepare for our annual vacation home and this formidable chapter in our lives will come to a close. We are considering another assignment abroad... nothing definite yet and we'll share more as it evolves. There is so much about Thailand that we'll miss, yet we'll cherish the experience, the adventures, the learning and the people who have touched our lives along the way.

Until next time,

Blessings

Go well

Kelsey, Michel and Dorothy