Safe Haven Learning Center background:
As we rode to Mae Sot with Simon (the Australian who has been helping Tasanee for years, he explained how he would like to build some additional structures at Safe Haven so he can bring the children from Safe Haven Learning Center to live with those at the orphanage. He told us that a fundamentalist religious group from the USA had originally taken charge of the kids & moved them to the Learning Center site but had pulled out and they actually took materials (wiring, plumbing, etc.) when they left and stopped providing support. Recently that group returned and wanted to take ( or kidnap) the children-and that is why the children were brought to Safe Haven and "hid out" all day with us. That was the day they came to "visit" and stayed all day... Sometimes it is better not to know the entire story!
Traveling notes:
I need to mention that when we were trying to get to Mae Sot's bus station, we started walking down a road pulling our luggage. As we went by a barber shop, the barber came out & asked where we were headed. When he found out, he said I will take you. He then ran across the road, got his truck & off we went--leaving the barber shop door open. When we offered to pay, he totally refused. Thai service!
Driving:
The road we took to Sukhothai in the back of a truck was so curvy that it felt like we were on a go cart track & that yellow line must have just been a suggestion.
Luxury:
Imagine how great it felt to take a hot shower, swim in a cool pool, swing in a bamboo hammock, drink cold Diet Coke & relax in an air conditioned room! A month without those luxuries made it all feel so wonderful!! First night in Sukhothia, Jane feasted on a ham & cheese sandwich, chips & cold diet coke--all purchased at a 7/11!! Rog totally loves the Thai food and so he feasted at a local Thai restraurant.
Sukhothia After Thoughts:
After spending a couple days admiring the majestic remains of a kingdom over 700 years ago, reading about the King (whose name already I can't remember) who rode his treasured white elephant to the temple at the top of a hill overlooking his city and remembering The King & I--it again made us realize that even the most grandeur buildings & society doesn't guarantee fame or lasting value.
Train ride to LopBuri/Ayutthaya:
Third class is cheap & not that bad! Rog, of course, knew which side to sit on so we didn't have the sun on us & the open window kept us cool. Vendors walked the aisle selling all sorts of food--most we could not recognize-made us glad we had packed bread, peanut butter & chips so all we needed to purchase was cold water. We traveled for miles seeing the lush spring green rice fields dotted with farmers. Probably 200 miles or more. That's a lot of rice!! About every 20 miles, we came through small towns. The houses on the outskirts were made of bamboo or sawed wood with corrugated metal roofs--pretty rough looking--but as you got closer to the center, the houses were made of cement & tiled roofs & much nicer. Though beautiful bushes bloomed everywhere--there seemed to be no landscaping plan. At one stop, we were joined by a man who was very loud and friendly but we soon realized also very drunk. He spoke to us in Thai and seemed to encourage us to take pictures of rice fields, birds, ponds, etc. He smiled and bounced around as the train rocked its way along. Soon the rocking motion put him to sleep and after a short nap, the conductor stopped by to check his ticket. He quickly got off the train (he was on the wrong one). After he got off a young woman who was sitting nearby came up to us and asked if we were OK. She had been concerned because the man was so loud and she was afraid he was bothering us. How thoughtful of her! It is nice to know that there are good people around us. Though it was a long six hour trip, we were glad we'd seen some country side & meet a few more Thai.
LopBuri:
We got off the train in Lop Buri--mostly to see the monkeys. They were everywhere: hopping from moving car to car, tightrope walking the electric lines, using umbrellas as trampolines & happily climbing over the ruins. Lop Buri is is site of many ruins some of which date to the Khmers who built an empire centered around Angkar Wat in Cambodia. We went to see the "Monkey Feast" at the ruins of the Monkey Palace. Locals feed the monkeys a lot of fruit in one area and we think it encourages the monkeys to stay in just that area rather than spreading throughout the city. There we saw newly born monkeys clutching & nursing.
Jane has sometimes complained of having a monkey on her back...but in Lop Buri she really did have one and then another and another. Real ones first on her leg then on her back. Finally, as we were walking out of town toward the train station one last brave monkey snatched a plastic bag she was carrying and tore it open, spilling out a loaf a bread meant for peanut butter sandwiches. She just laughed as he made off with her lunch.
How do you know when you have been in a third world country a loooong time??
When you first start looking for the water source used to fill a container so you can "flush"...only to discover, there is handle for flushing!!!
Ayutthaya:
Who'd have guessed that we'd arrive on the Chinese New Year's!! And boy do they celebrate that! One long street was filled with set tables covered with pink tablecloths where hunreds of Chinese wearing red shirts ate numerous courses and watched several performances on a ornate stage complete with two large screens for better viewing. Often the entertainers were mimicing western performers. Vendors lined the side of the street cooking up huge amounts of who knows what and others selling an array of items. Some food items we did recognize: duck, octopus tentacles, squid, shrimp (live tank next to it), pig ears, pig jowls, rice dishes galore, egg omelets, etc. Most smelled good but we opted for pizza & ice cream. As we laid down to go to sleep, we could still hear fireworks, gongs & merriment.
