The Last Words

This is it, friends. I'm leaving tomorrow and you have a sampling of my pictures and thoughts. It is fitting to leave with an image of the Buddha, as he looks with compassion on the devoted. I spent the morning giving Reiki to poor (financially) cancer patients and it was a wonderfully rewarding experience. A way to give a wee bit back to these people who have opened their country so warmly to me.

I leave Thailand with these impressions: the people smile from their hearts, and genuinely welcome strangers. They want to talk to and learn from us and want to share their ways with us. They will walk 2 blocks, leaving their store, just to guide a lost tourist to her destination. They love their King and country, and live in close relationship to family and community. They strive to live the country's three pillars: Buddhism, King, country. Thailand is modern, clean, and with excellent health care. It is an exotic place with temples, tribes, modern art and architecture, and a lovely, lively, interesting culture. It is very hot and humid this time of year, and to compensate they have the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, with turquoise, blue/green waters. On the flip side, I've heard repeatedly about government corruption - a siphoning off of funds that do not go to improve living conditions. Politics are a problem - they are currently debating their 17th new consitution in maybe 50 years (just guessing time frame). They have regular peaceful coups, demonstrations, and yet nothing really changes. There are big problems in the South, where thousands have been killed in the last 2 years in religous clashes (Buddhism/Muslim). The standard of living is quite low in the country, and the water not potable - some of it comes out red from dirt that is not showerable unless allowed to settle first. Education is not compulsary and that holds back progress. The traffic is noisy and crazy, but there is cheap public transportation. So, they have their problems, but they are warm and secure in their friendships and family, and happy to be alive in this beautiful place. I love it here too. You should go.

Bell at Wat Souk Dok.

Me and the one with rough skin. On top is a tourist from Australia who is learning how to train the elephant.

Training elephants. This baby dumped the trainer within seconds of this photo.

I always wondered how they got Bamboo Shoots - well, this is it - raw shavings from the bamboo.

The two pics below are from an ancient city built about 12oo a.d. It was the original Chiang Mai location, but it was flooded repeatedly. When the last biggie wiped it out, they moved to the current location - perhaps 10 kilometers away.

Stupa from the old city. I wondered what that word meant as I saw it everywhere - it is this shaped structure as part of a Wat.