Picture Follow Up

Three days in Thailand. With every new place there is the new born awakening, sometimes harsher than others, but present none the less. Maybe because we have wonderful hosts, maybe because it is a gentler place in many ways, maybe because I travel with Philip this time, this travel experience has been a joyous birth experience.

Day one we woke at the right time; having gone to bed at midnight here we woke at seven and eight. Eliza and Tom went to school; we ate breakfast with Candice, Claire and Silas. We chatted, took a walk in the neighborhood – a main street with many small businesses, mainly exploding onto the sidewalks so we walked on the streets where traffic wove in and out of each other at a terrible rate. We sauntered along right beside and in the street, Candice calmly pushing Silas in his stroller. We stopped to get money from an ATM then broke 1000 Baht by getting drinks – mine was in a tiny glass bottle like an old coke bottle but was a sweet orange drink from Minute Maid.

At lunch time we walked down to Eliza’s school where Tom had been teaching and ate at a small restaurant across the street – mound of rice on each plate and several flavorful dishes to eat on top: ginger chicken and cabbage, shrimp and green beans in a sweet chili sauce, scrambled eggs with pork and chicken with a spicy sauce and onions and peppers. Yum. Kind of Taste of Thai ish, but cheaper than you can make at home, served on hard plastic plates in an open air restaurant with large stone and terra cotta containers of water, live swimming fish and lotus sitting on the huge sills beside us. After lunch we picked Eliza up from her kindergarten school and headed home for naps. Unfortunately, heat and jet lag invited me to take one and I accepted. Never do: Philip woke me up more than an hour later and my head felt thick and dark. I asked Philip if there was a good reason why I should get up. We spent a pleasant evening with the Masts eating sticky rice (Tom made) and pork and papaya salad. Yum! After a great devotions time: Tom reading an Asian comic book version of stories of Jesus (reading in Thai to himself and translating to the girls!), Philip playing great songs, a very intimate prayer time, we took a shower and went to bed. We did not sleep as well as we would have liked but woke for another full day.

Day two: grand palace with Candice. We left the house by 7.30, walked to the end of their short soi (street) and as Candice tried to decide which form of transportation to take, she flagged some motorcycle taxis down. In a skirt, I hopped on the first one, Philip on one to come later and finally Candice. Mine took off through the backed up traffic. I clung to the backend of the seat – some girls ride side saddle, most people hold on with one hand. Quite smooth. For the first time here, I had the feeling of being a minority – of being unable to choose the face I'd have. The motorcycle dropped us off at the corner, we hopped in a taxi that took us to the Sky train (a subway in the sky). At one point we were packed in like sardines in the sky. Cute. From there we got on a long boat that powered its way down the wide brown river. Rich and poor buildings lined the banks, mosques, churches, temples both Chinese and Buddhist. Thick clumps of huge leaves and lotus like vines sailed around the boat in the current, big black barges roared past. We hopped out at a small dock, walked past a monk looking at dried fish, bottled water stands and many other stands exuding the international smells of spices and questionable meats cooked over outside heat sources and sold for pennies. Our next form of transportation: a tuk-tuk around the great wall of the palace. We were dropped at the gate that has a sign “Do not trust wily stranger” right after a “wily stranger” tried to tell us we had to buy tickets somewhere else. The front gate was very open and school groups and tourists from all over were flooding in. Those with inappropriate clothing had to put on long sleeve shirts, funny long pants or wrap around skirts. Fortunately we were modest. Philip and I felt fine being tourists and snapped lots of pictures.

Thousands of tiny mirrors and mosaic and gold plated everything! sparkled in the sun. Claire and Eliza call it the “hot place” because the sun is always blazing down upon this holy place. We walked shoeless inside the temple of the Emerald Buddha (really jade) to see him sitting high atop an extravagant throne surrounded by gold and bells and decorations galore. Worshippers brought money and flowers and bowed down. School groups bowed slightly as they passed us sitting on the floor – a culture of respect.

Outside in a colonnade, a group of school children caught us and had an assignment to practice English questions on us. We gave away autographs.

We took a taxi to meet Tom and the children at Burger King (how often does one get to eat at a Burger King in Thailand? Not much say the Mast kids.)

On the way we passed a small girl and a man with a flute, begging. Candice usually has little kits with milk and a toy etc in her purse to give but didn’t this time so we bought some milk and grapes to give. As we walked away, she just stared into the bag with a blank look on her face before finally reaching in. (For the most part Thais are very good smilers,) Stark poverty and all that is connected to it still sobers me to the point of deep introspection and tears. We cannot fix the world by ourselves. Thank God for the Savior and Redeemer who will transform.

We went home for a quiet afternoon, some pad thai in the evening. Philip and I couldn’t stay awake later than 8.

Looking forward to Thai massages, the beach with Candice, Claire and Eliza, more good Thai food, meeting with the Sunday group, learning a few more Thai words, and lots more cuteness from Silas, Eliza and Claire. Silas loves to say Uncle Philip with distinct rolling emphasis on the L. He also likes to say Betsy but does not often call me that. He calls Philip both names. Silas likes to stand in front of Philip on the guitar and clap his hands. Claire and Eliza chatter and play for hours together. They are so creative and smart.