A Collection

Before the next three weeks fly by, this blog post will stand as a reflection of  some of the children who have brought so much happiness into my life. 

 

It will be these constant smiles and the endless laughter that I will long for once I'm back home.

Erawan Waterfall!

Although the water wasn't crystal blue, as they advertise EVERYWHERE, it was refreshing and thunderous. Each level was a little bit different, and once Hannah and I made it to the top, we were speechless.  The following photos are sort of in order of tiers,  hope you enjoy the beautiful sites! 

The Bridge on the River Kwai...

We kicked off our week-long break, headed down to Bangkok on a 12:30am bus.

We arrived around 7 am, and were desperate for sleep. We decided to hop straight on the next bus to Kanchanaburi, home of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. Immediately upon arrival, we climbed into bed and slept the afternoon away. After a much needed dip in the pool, we spent the evening walking around the nearby night market.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of rain. Great, our first day of break and it decides to rain ALL DAY. Our plans to climb Erawan Waterfall clearly had to be rescheduled. Hannah and I decided to ride the Death Railway to pass the rainy day ahead of us.

 In 1943 thousands of Allied POWs worked on this railroad under orders from the Japanese army. The train would link Burma and Thailand and serve as a means to transport men and supplies to the Burmese front, where the Japanese were fighting the British. Construction of the railway required blasting of deep valleys and hills. All work was done manually from dawn until dusk, through perilous conditions. By the end of the war, thousands of these laborers perished. Two war cemeteries are located in the town of Kanchanaburi, commemorating almost 8,000 men of Australian, British, and Dutch descent.  

But enough with the history, you probably could have looked that up yourself. Back to the visuals.

Hannah in Don-Rak War Cemetery

 The beginning of what would become a very long train ride.  At least it was one of the most beautiful rides I've taken! 

Passing over the River Kwai.

Falling asleep after six hours spent riding the train... woopsies.

We successfully passed an entire rainy day sitting on this train. Luckily, we met some nice tourists and breathed in the fresh air of the countryside. The more we thought about it, we came to realize there was literally nothing else we could've done in Kanchanaburi on a rainy day. We were happy to have had the chance to learn about this important aspect of World War Two. 

We topped off our night with a traditional Isaan meal, and hit the hay by 9pm.

A Taste of Chiang Mai

Made a few friends on the side of the road.

Found some inspiration at Wat U-Mong.

On our way up the mountain we stopped to overlook the entire city, typical tourists.

A quick visit gave us just enough time to ab-nam (bathe) in the waterfalls!

 Halloween night; awesome to see people from all over the world dress up and celebrate.

Lazy Man Coffee

On our comparative study in Chiang Mai, we stayed with a Pagayor hill tribe, in the Nong Tao community. Pagayor means "simple people." They shared their incredible values with us, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding homestays our student group had. They refer to themselves as "lazy people," not because they aren't hard-working (because they really are!), but because they are extremely self-sufficient. They produce only what they need in order to support a sustainable relationship with the forest. Some of us were lucky to spend a few hours with P'Saweat, the son of the village's head, who produces organic coffee. (Their entire garden was organic--80+ trees & fruits) He walked us through each step of the process, allowing us to become lazy men. 

Organic coffee beans galore! 

Once the beans are picked and peeled, they are left to dry for a week or so. Then they're ready to be weighed and peeled again!

Using a mortar and pestle, the shavings are removed and they are blown away with the wind. Time to roast the beans!

P'Saweat making sure each bean is roasted to perfection.

Try and imagine the smell of these fresh roasted beans.

All the girls & Ajaan John enjoying a fresh  cup on our last morning. Mom & Dad-- you'll get to try your very own cup of lazy man organic coffee when I'm home!

Because one blog post isn't enough...

U-MOONG CONTINUED!!

Ready for our morning tour of the mountain! I promise, these hats were really meant to block the sun.

Yes, this is really their backyard.

Cousin Mik & Mu, a university student who happened to be home for vacation!

 Spent the tractor ride getting to know the two!

Beyond this beauty is the site of the proposed Iron Mine. The mine will destroy 98 rais (roughly 40 acres) of agriculture lands.

Our last night the villagers held a baci ceremony for us to welcome us into their lives.

A traditional female dance was performed for us with all smiles and plenty of laughter.

We spent the night dancing and drinking!  And of course showing off in our patoongs.

We all enjoyed the home-made tree whiskey.

We all had such a hard time saying goodbye on the last morning! We were 45 minutes late to our next exchange...