Sunday, November 11, 2012
Homework Assignment - The Rest of the Story
Last Friday, 9 November 2012 (2555 in Thailand), my wife and I witnessed a very special event, "The Royal Barge Procession" in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the 17th time that there has been a Royal Barge Procession in the 66 year reign of of Thailand's current King.
Many years ago in the USA, there was a news commentator named Paul Harvey. His famous by-ine was "And now for the rest of the story ..." He would then provide background and details, mostly unknown, regarding some of the more popular stories both past and present. Well this event, for me, was the rest of the story to a blog that I had written regarding our December 2010 visit to the Royal Barge Museum.
http://hale-worldphotography.blogspot.com/2011/01/royal-barge-national-museum.html
During our visit, we saw some of the Royal Barges in storage. More interesting, some of the barges were being renovated. As part of our two hour stay at the museum we also saw some videos showing past Royal Barge Processions. As much as I wanted to see and photograph such a grand spectacle I never expected that I would be able to. As luck would have it or as my wife prefers to say "Buddha take care" this year we had the opportunity to witness the grand procession. It was everything and more that I expected it to be. But, that will be the subject of an upcoming blog.
It was thrilling to see some of the renovated boats completed, manned, and underway on Friday.
For now, I recommend that people read the blog "Royal Barge Museum" to prepare for the rest of the story which should be posted in the next few days.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sailfest 2011 Fireworks
Fireworks Over the Thames River |
On July 4th, we attended the annual Groton Fourth of July parade. The parade had a small town flavor to it and the highlight actually was watching the small children around us. I was able to explain the Revolutionary War and Groton's role in the rebellion fairly well to Duang. However I was not able to explain very well the large women roller skating down the street as part of the parade - they were representatives of a women's roller derby league. Duang was just as much at a loss of understanding of the concept of "roller derby" as to why large women in unflattering clothing would be roller skating down the middle of a street in full public view. I don't always succeed in explaining the idiosyncrasies of American culture but I always try. As Duang often says "Thailand not same America". I have seen women walking down the street in Thailand but they were always wearing their best clothing and behaving demurely and acting dignified - often part of a religious procession or celebration.
The big highlight of early July was the fireworks display on July 9 as part of Sailfest Celebration in New London across the river from Groton. The fireworks display this year was sponsored for the 19th year by the Mashantucket Indian Tribe. My parents had often told me how nice the fireworks were so I was determined to see them with Duang this year. The Mashantucket Tribe own and operate Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard. As I posted on FaceBook "Thank you to all those who gambled and lost (I guess that means just about everyone) for making this spectacular show possible."
I had been told that approximately 300,000 people could be attending the fireworks celebration so I knew that Duang and I needed a plan. My first decision was that our plan would exclude driving our car to the event. Fortunately the fireworks are fired from barges in the Thames River just upstream from Electric Boat - an area that I had walked to many times as a young boy. I figured that the best place would be in the parking lot of Garbo's Lobsters. Saturday afternoon just after lunch Duang and I drove down to the area to scout out optimum viewing locations.
As we drove, I was shocked to see how many streets were going to be closed to parking for the event. This only reaffirmed my decision that we would be walking that night. We made it down to Garbo's and the entrance to the parking lot was roped off. Some people were lined up at 12:50 PM to enter the parking lot. I spoke with some people and they said the the street along the river was going to be closed to traffic at 3:00 P.M. Just before 1:00 PM a couple of men showed up to remove the barrier to the parking lot. I spoke to one of the men, obviously the "Boss" since he was carrying a clipboard, about being able to walk onto the parking lot later for the show. From our conversation I determined that it was possible but whether I had a car or not the fee for a space was $30. I informed me that there were only a couple of spaces remaining. It didn't matter to me because I had no intention of paying that amount! Upon leaving the property I spoke with a family waiting to enter, the husband informed me that he had spent $90 to view the fireworks that night. He also told me how crowded that it got in the Garbo lot and surrounding area. He suggested that we walk down and place lawn chairs on the sidewalk across the street. That sounded like a pretty good alternative to me and definitely a great deal cheaper.
Duang and I returned to our car and drove down Thames Street reconnoitering vantage points. Everywhere along the river bank barriers had been set up to restrict access. Property owners were either denying access to the river for their own use or were charging $20 to $30 a car for parking. I remembered many fond days at Fort Griswold State Park overlooking the river, so I turned the car right to climb the heights to get to the Fort. Just as our drive along the river vantage points were roped off and parking was severely restricted along the streets - either no parking along one side or no street parking allowed at all. However when we got to the Fort, I could see people already entering the park carrying blankets, ice chests, and blankets. From the sights it was obvious to me that this would be our site to view the fireworks.
Since the afternoon was still young and we had our plan, we drove over to New London to attend Sailfest. Once we arrived in new London, I could not find any available parking for less than $20. Undeterred I had an idea; we would drive to Shaw Cove, park the car, and walk to the festival. Shaw Cove is an office development which houses government offices such as Social Security and Veterans Administration along with many doctor's facilities. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, I thought that there would be plenty of parking,; free parking. Well I was partially right there was plenty of parking but it was $20 a vehicle. I found an empty lot that had a sign stating "Event Parking" with no barrier tape or attendants. As I pulled in, the attendant from the lot across the street walked over to me. I asked if I had to pay for parking and he confirmed that it was $20. I told him that it was not personal and had nothing to do with him and inquired if he had a boss. He confirmed that he had a boss after which I responded "Tell your boss, he can go ... himself" The guy laughed and we returned to our home in Groton.
I had lived for a time in California where we also had festivals. At those festivals the city persuaded or perhaps strong armed the local developments to allow the use of their vacant parking lots for festival use. I suspect that the city provided police surveillance as well as clean-up services for the lots while they were being used. The businesses contributed to the festival at no cost to themselves - a good deal for everyone. The city also provided free shuttle service between the parking lots and the festival site. I believe that New London is missing out on an effective and economical way to encourage festival attendance by not doing something similar. However New London is the city that a few years ago made international notoriety by refusing to hire a policeman candidate because he scored too highly on an aptitude test. They informed the applicant that he was too smart to be a policeman in New London. I will write no more on that matter.
Part of the Gucci Fireworks Show |
After returning to Groton, commencing at 6:00 P.M. we walked from my parent's house to Fort Griswold with our car conveniently parked in the driveway. It was a beautiful night for a walk and most importantly - fireworks show. The sky was clear. There was no wind and the temperature was just right for sitting outside without a jacket.
I selected a scenic as well as nostalgic route to get to the Fort, showing Duang the way and building that I attended elementary school, pointing out where long gone restaurants, movie theatre, and friend's homes were located. It was interesting how much the area had and had not changed over the past 4 decades. Of course it was all new to Duang which made it exciting for her.
We had not travelled far when the wisdom of not driving a car was readily apparent. The roads around the park and leading to the park were all closed to traffic other than pedestrians. Police were at the intersections maintaining control. We like so many other people walked up the center of the streets past the homes where residents were grilling as they enjoyed ice cold beverages. All in all it was a very relaxing and festive atmosphere on our way to Fort Griswold.
We arrived at the east side of the park and walked leisurely towards the monument and Bill Memorial Library. It was very impressive. There was a mobile Connecticut State Police command center set up along with some ambulances staffed with several EMTs. The area was well organized and under control. The control was not oppressive or intimidating but just sufficient to keep thousands of people from getting out of control. There were vendors booths set up along the road as well as booths where you could buy food and non-alcoholic beverages. There were also plenty of Porta-Cans available should the need arise. All in all I was very impressed with the planning and organization apparent along the viewing venues.
I stopped and asked a Policeman if the Fort it self would remain open for the duration of the show. I believed that the park typically closed at sunset. He replied that it would remain open for the show. That was good enough for me. Duang and I entered the fort and soon found a nice spot on the slope to set our beach blanket. As it turned out we were actually almost directly behind and about 150 feet above my original planned destination of Garbo's Lobsters. After seeing all the closed roads, I knew that this location was superior for getting out at the end of the show. It was also cheaper - $0.00 each.
There were a great deal of people watching the fireworks. Many of the people were drinking. We were out for 4-1/2 hours and did not see one incident of bad or threatening behavior. It was, unlike many events in Isaan, a very peaceful as well as relaxing celebration. Back in Isaan we attend many outdoor shows and we have only stayed from beginning to end at about 4 shows out of about 35. There is drinking at those shows too but Duang always makes me leave when the fights start and the fights almost always start. In Isaan it seems like the people get drunk, sloppy drunk; the kind of drunk where the person loves everybody and wants to be every body's best friend. At some point this aggressive friendliness crosses the boundary of acceptance and becomes a perceived slight or affront. A push or a punch is made and the fight is on. Once a fight starts the night is fairly well ruined. The initial combatants are usually separated but ancillary skirmishes break out between the people trying to break up the inital combatants. "Face" is often lost which requires combat until "Face" is somehow believed to have been restored. In general people are not afraid of the Police so running skirmishes continue until the concert is completed or shutdown by the Police. Duang is afraid that somehow I will get involved in the middle of all this so she has me leave. The funniest thing was the closest that I got to being involved was at the last show. I had been dancing at the front of the stage in the "Mosh Pit" area. Duang became fearful and walked up and brought me back to sit on a chair in front of the police. While I was cooling off, she went off to buy me a soft drink. While she was away, the first fight broke out followed quickly by a couple more. The crowd ran in panic down the center of the viewing area. The combatant ran along the edge of the viewing area right where Duang had placed me for "safety". I dodged a couple empty beer bottles that had been thrown not directly at me but in the general vicinity of some "bad guys" that happened to run near me. I went over to Duang's mother and hovered over her as I told her to go back to our truck. She was impressed that I was concerned with her safety to the point that I am still in her good graces almost 9 months later. Needless to say the excellent behavior of the crowd at the fireworks show made a very big impression on Duang as she told me "Amerika not same Isaan" For me, this was an occasion that I was glad that "Amerika not same as Isaan".
The fireworks lasted about thirty minutes but it was a very intensive thirty minutes. Tandem fireworks were constantly being fired into the sky. There were all kinds of colors, sounds, and sights from the exploding fireworks. There were special fireworks that when they exploded created star patterns and even "Smiley" faces. Some fireworks exploded to create bi-colored hemispheres. By chance we had watched a show on cable two weeks before about how fireworks were manufactured or more appropriately "created". For us it was even more enjoyable to see the melding of science and art to create such an enjoyable art performance.
Our surprises for the night were not over. The police kept the roads closed until most of the pedestrians had cleared the area. Duang and I were home 30 minutes later and in bed and I am convinced - before many people in their cars had even got on the feeder roads out of the area.
The night had been very enjoyable and a tribute to the organizers of the event.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Royal Barge National Museum
Duang and I have been to Bangkok more times than we care to remember; many of the visits related to business with the American Consulate. On our last trip last month as part of Duang's process to obtain a US Green Card, we decided to visit some places and do some things that we had not experienced before. One place that we had not visited before was "The Royal Barge National Museum".
According to many Bangkok travel guide books and web sites, people should arrive at the museum by boat. The museum is located across the Chaophraya River in Thonburi. The guidebooks and the websites state that going to the Royal Barge National Museum by land is "long, hot slog from the road via jumbled alleys with scant signage". First of I consider guidebooks as well as websites to be just that - "GUIDES". They are like schedules in that they provide a means to develop your own itinerary based upon the information that they contain. They provide a means to evaluate and modify your trip as situations develop. They in themselves are not the end all or only means for determining your trip. Interestingly as you perform more and more research on a location you find that the information more and more closely resembles each other. Many websites and guidebooks are obviously based on the same source of information. It reminds me of the saying about one bad apple ruining the whole bushel basket of apples. How many guidebooks and websites caution against eating "street food"? How many travelers never experience the delights of local cuisine because of fears inspired by guidebook recommendations. Just about every guidebook cautions against using ice cubes in your drinks while in Thailand. In reality the ice cubes are manufactured by companies using pure water and transported in plastic sacks in clean trucks. I use ice cubes throughout Thailand just like the local people do. The locals do not want to become ill any less than I do. You haven't drank a beer here in Isaan unless it is from a glass with ice cubes in it - like the locals do.
As for accessing the barge museum from the road - our biggest problem was getting the taxi driver from the Lumpini Park area of Bangkok to understand where we wanted to go. I told him in English, and pantomimed rowing a boat in the special style used for Royal Barges. He was amused but did not seem to understand any better. Duang spoke in Thai and he didn't seem to understand. I mentioned "Thonburi" and the 1,000 kilometer stare started to recede from his eyes. We showed him on a map but the map was entirely in English which doesn't help all that much with a Thai driver. However it seem to boost his confidence if not ours that he knew where we wanted to go. We set off in the heavy downtown Bangkok traffic for our intended destination. Fortunately there was heavy traffic so that the driver had more opportunities to consult the map. After awhile I recognized that we were in the Dusit Area where we had been the day before. According to our map, Dusit was on the way to the Barge Museum. As we crossed the modern bridge over the Chaophraya River, all confusion appeared to disappear - there was a sign in English and Thai for the Royal Barge National Museum! We took the indicated exit and ended up on a side street. There was a sign for the museum at the entrance of what appeared to be a high rise apartment building set a ways off of the street. We continued a little further and ended up at the entrance to a Navy base. The guard told the taxi driver where the museum was located. We turned around and went back to the entrance of the high rise apartment building. The driver told us to walk towards the building. We thanked him and paid him approximately $4.00 USD for fare and tip.
We walked through a vacant lot type area towards the building. When we got just about to the building there was a sign indicating the way to the museum. We were also joined by a local man who appeared to be a guide. He lead us through a maze of alleys to the museum. I gave him $1.33 USD (40 Baht) for his "help". To be honest I believe that we could have managed to find the museum on our own with the signs that were posted or by asking the many people along the way. But it was reassuring to have a personal "guide".
Sometimes I get the impression that the concept of travel as put forth by many guidebooks and held by many tourists is to visit exotic places within a protective bubble as best can be maintained of your own culture. There seems to be an emphasis on the "places" and not the "people" that you will encounter along your travels. Because you have read some of these blogs you are mostly aware that Duang and I do not travel in that many. Although we love exotic locations it is the opportunity to experience different cultures; to be able to interact with people outside of our comfort zone that is our passion.
Duang On the "Road" (alley?, path? street/) to the Royal Barge Museum |
In about 5 minutes we arrived at the museum. Entrance fee for me was about $0.30 USD and because Duang is a Thai citizen - free for her. Since I intended to take still pictures - I had to pay a 100 Baht camera fee ($3.00 USD). I have read where the author of a blog suggested that only one person in a group pay the fee and take the photos for everyone in the group. Please - give me a break! Objecting and whining about $3.00 to take photos seems to be way too frugal to be polite especially after paying $0.30 to enter. That is definitely a group that I would not want to be part of.
Barges On Display |
The Asura Vayuphak Under Reconstruction - 2.03M wide, 31M long, 0.62M deep |
A Thai Shipwright At Work |
Placing A New Board In Position |
Drilling Ribs In Preparation For A New Plank |
The barges are like works of art. They are intricately carved and are decorated with colorful paint and colored glass. The level of detail and mastery is breathtaking.
My favorite Royal Barge was Suphannahong also called Suphannahongse (Golden Swan). The Suphannahong carries the King of Thailand and other members of the Thai Royal Family. It is a very graceful boat - carved from a single teak tree and completed in 1911. The boat is 46.15 meters long, 3.17 meters wide, and .41 meters deep. It is propelled by 50 oarsmen. In addition to the Royal passengers and oarsmen it also carries 2 steersmen, 1 chanter, 4 officers, a signalman, a standard bearer, and 7 Royal Standard Bearers.
Close Up Detail of Suphannahong, "Golden Swan" |
Prow of Royal Barge "Anantanakkharat" |
Prow of Royal Barge "Anekkachatphuchong" |
Bow of Krut Class Barge - "Krut Hern Het" |
Figurehead of "Asura Vayuphak" |
We had enjoyed our visit to the museum and the opportunity to glimpse at some aspects of life on, over, and along a river canal.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Dock On The River
From what I could see across the river to Laos, about 1/2 mile away, the same was true - offloading by hand. From the sounds coming from Laos, it appeared that the stevedores over there were having a good time. It sounded more like a party than work. On the Thai side it was not all work. During lulls in the arrival of goods to be offloaded, the men played checkers. Their board was a thin square piece of sheet metal that once had blue squares spray painted as required to produced a grid of blue and bare metal squares. Their board had been heavily used for a long period of time reducing many of the blue squares to very faint smudges of color. The game pieces were a combination of beer, soft drink, and Kao Lao (whiskey) bottle caps. One player's pieces were smooth side down and the other player's pieces were rough side down, After watching a while, the men invited me to play. I had not played since a long night in a bar in Malaysia 10 years ago and then it was against my wife of that time. These guys appeared to be a much higher level of competition. I agreed and started to play. The first game was a tie. They changed my opponent and I won the next match. During the third match, we or rather my opponent started getting "comments from the peanut gallery" and advice from several kibitzers. Since I had made sure that we weren't playing for money (gambling is not legal here in Thailand ;-) ), I pretended to be upset and told the men in Thai that it was one man against one man and not 2 men, 3 men, or 4 men against one falang (foreigner). We all had a good laugh. As the match continued, my chastisement did not deter some of the guys, they were giving advise to my opponent - they were reminded of my words by their coworkers. Again we had a good laugh. I ended up losing this match but won my next three matches. It was all good natured fun and amusement. It was an easy way to burn up some time along the river and I enjoyed the time.
As soon as a vehicle pulls up to the curb to be off loaded, the stevedores quickly line up and off load the cargo. The cargo is staged on the sidewalk and entry way to the Customs House. The stevedores are heavily laden with the various pieces of cargo. I saw one man carrying 5 cases of powdered baby formula. Typically one case is placed on edge upon the stevedore's shoulder with 2 more cases added flatly upon this on edge case and the stevedore's head. When a stevedore gets tired and work slows down he can go across the street and lay down on a saht placed upon the sidewalk under the shade of a large tree. Some stevedores choose to play a game or two of checkers. The workers are paid by the "Boss" (Lead Stevedore"). The Boss collects 50 baht to offload a somlaw of cargo and 50 to 100 baht to offload a pick up. The big money is earned for loading the boat. The Boss is paid 10,000 baht for a full boat of cargo. He then divides the money up amongst his crew. Each member of the crew then pays him a fee for allowing them to work. If you is satisfied with their "contribution" he invites them to work the next day. If he is not satisfied, they can not work the next day. Typically the average stevedore will take home 200 baht for the day.
A crew of stevedores on the vessel moored to the wharf awaits the cargo. A stevedore up on the Custom House concrete pad slides the cargo down a long wood chute down to the vessel. Larger cargo items and hopefully delicate items are hand carried down concrete steps and place aboard the boat. A stevedore on board the floating wharf deftly uses his foot, soccer style, to direct and stop the sliding cargo arriving fro high above. To maintain his balance and perhaps to avoid an accident he uses a rope tied off to a railing to steady himself. I am reasonably certain this is a matter of personal choice rather than compliance with any regulation.
There are two wood slides down to the wharf but on Tuesday one of the slides was being reconstructed. Three men were busy replacing some of the boards on the chute.
After watching the two truck canopies being loaded on to the boat, we left to continue our trip to Tahsang Village.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Life Along the Water - It Is All About Water
It is already March here in Thailand. Today is a holiday - the start of Buddhist Lent. It is also the start of the four day Mango Fair in nearby Non Wai in Amphoe Nong Wau Sor. We will go to the fair later this afternoon.
February went by so quickly. It doesn't seem all that long ago that we were returning home from our trip to Luang Namtha. Perhaps because the trip was so enjoyable that our memories and thoughts over the past month numbed our consciousness to the passage of time.
Throughout our trip, I was impressed with the importance that water played in the day to day life of the minority people of the Luang Namtha region. For many of us, water is taken for granted. It is readily available and at our disposal by merely turning a faucet open in our kitchen, in any number of our bathroom sinks, flush one of our toilets, our bath tub or tubs, our shower or showers, and the valves outside our home for watering the lawn and plants in our yards. Many of our refrigerators automatically create ice from the water that is hooked up to the appliance. We have no reservations about pouring a glass and drinking straight from the tap. The water is always there. The water is always potable.
That is the way that it is in our world. We may have concern regarding the availability of oil and its associated products. We are definitely concerned about the price of oil and its associated products. Seldom and perhaps never, are we concerned about the availability or cost of water. But this is not the way it is in most of the world.
We can live without oil albeit not as comfortably as we do now but all people, all creatures as well as plants, must have water. Unfortunately, for many people in the world access to water is not often reliable, convenient or even potable. To address some of the water issues, many people have settled alongside sources of water.
There was photographic opportunity that most likely will forever be fixed in my mind. Outside of Xieng Kok on the road back to Muang Sing, we came upon a mother standing in a shallow ditch in front of her home no more than 12 feet from the edge of the main road. She stood ankle deep in the water, having completed her bathing, wringing the water out of one side of her sarong that due to some semblance of modesty she was still wearing. Joining her in the ditch were three little boys and a little girl - all under three years old. Watching over the scene were three other little children. I often write about the lack of privacy here in Isaan but this scene often repeated during our Lao trip exceeds what is the situation in Isaan.
So today as I wind up reviewing and editing the photographs from our Luang Namtha journey, so many of them having water in them, I reminisce about the experience mostly of life along the river.
Life along the river, life along the stream, and sometimes life next to the ditch - I can almost hear once again the sounds of clothes being slapped against rocks, the soft ruffling of clothes being hand washed, the occasional plop of a fish as it reentered the water after catapulting upwards to snare a meal, the sharp staccato of rocks hitting upon each other as village women wade upstream overturning them in their search for food to bring back for the family meal, the sound of wet clothes being beat with a wooden club to clean them, the excitement as well as exuberance of young boys and girls exploring the banks together - each discovery evoking a conference as well an animated discussion with one child naturally evolving to be the group's leader, the sounds of community gossip in a six tonal language by village women as they congregate in mid-thigh high water to bathe, the soft crescendo of mono filament fishing nets being flung over the waters as the sun sets and a full moon rises ... Yes it is all about the water. - Life along the river in Laos.
We will hopefully never take our water for granted again.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Laos Day #6
I arrived at the Vat, Buddhist temple, after most of the Monks had apparently left on their daily alms walk. Several young Monks ranging in age from 15 to 20 years old milling around in the fog. The chickens and roosters that live on the Vat grounds were busy greeting the morning and leaving their roosts in the many trees and shrubs that grow throughout the compound. At 7:00 A.M. the Lao public radio started broadcasting on the large speaker mounted in one of the large trees of the Vat. There was some ethnic music and what seemed to be a reading of the daily news. Shortly later two separate groups of younger Monks returned with food offerings from their early morning alms walk. I assume that the older Monks had finished their walk prior to my arrival at the Vat. However, I did see one of the older Monks look into a very young Monk's bowl to see what he had brought back - sort of like checking out a younger brother's trick or treat bag on Halloween night.
The Monks were shy so it was not easy to get meaningful photographs. Some of the older Monks were doing morning chores - sweeping out their houses, and carrying water to the outhouse. Most of the Monks were occupied keeping an eye on me, trying to figure out what I was up to,and ensuring that I could not photograph their face. Two Monks, about 8 years old, were busy playing a game with a woven rattan ball - perhaps Takawh without a net. I often find it ironic that these "holy men" quite often can be seen behaving just like so many of the other young boys of their same age. In Laos, and to a lesser extent, Thailand, the Vats and Wats offer an opportunity to poor boys to obtain a higher education for free. One of our new Lao friends, had attended the same Vat from when he was 9 years old until he was 18. At the side of the Vat grounds was a fairly large two story building - the Vat's school.
I wandered around the Vat grounds and eventually made my way to the village outside of the back gate to the Vat. Upon my return on to the Vat grounds, I heard some voices. I peered over a bamboo fence and saw several Monks huddled around a small fire. They were trying to get warm and in deep conversation - perhaps theology? I said "Sabai dii" and asked their permission to photograph them. They indicated that there was no problem. I took several and I am optimistic that this aspect of a Monk's life is not often seen.
I returned to the hotel, showered with plenty of hot water from the solar water heating system, and enjoyed breakfast with my wife. The hotel manager was not there so we made arrangements with the receptionist to hire Mr Kpmpak and his van for the next day so that we could attend the Lanten New Year celebration in Ban Pakha. Just as in Isaan, news travels quickly and far in Luang Namtha, Duang and I returned to our cottage - Duang resting in the bedroom and I writing at the desk in the front room. I heard a voice letting us know that someone was coming - a sing song type lilt used by peddlers when they are making their rounds through Baan Chorada where our home is located. It was Kuhn Khone, and his 11 month old daughter, Soolani. She was all bundled up against the morning chill and clutching a large balloon from the local festival. She was just too precocious in her little pink hat with ears at the sides to ignore so I hauled out the cameras and started taking photographs. She was a very easy and willing model. We all had a good time. Khun Khone had heard that we were traveling to Ban Pahka the next day and inquired if he could accompany us. Without hesitation we gladly agreed. He had been so helpful and kind to us that we were happy to help him out.
After his visit, Duang and I headed out on our first walk of the day. We first stopped at the rice milling "plant" to the right of the Boat Landing Guest House towards the Acrow style bridge spanning the Nam Tha River. The miller has been busy with all sorts of rice deliveries to the mill. These are not huge shipments but are deliveries from local people - deliveries by motorbike, push carts, the ubiquitous Chinese farm trucks 5 HP and 10 HP variety and some of the more modern small farm trucks - approximately 1 to 2 ton rated capacity. Often the farmer's family will accompany him on the trip to the mill. I was able to take several photos of "The Farmer's Daughters" as they waited in their 10 HP Chinese farm truck. The people wait their turn. When it is their time, they dump their rice out of their bags into a square hole in the floor. A vertical conveyor elevates the rice to the top of the milling machine where gravity is utilized to feed the grain through the process. The hulled rice exits the bottom of the milling machine on to a short horizontal conveyor that feeds another enclosed vertical conveyor that fed a chute which dumped the finished product into an awaiting grain bag - the same bags that were used to bring the grain to the mill. just as in Isaan where the rice thresher is paid with a certain percentage of the finished product, the miller kept his share. In the back and side of his milling room (plant?), there were high stacks of filled 100 Kg bags of milled rice. The milling plant was extremely interesting - it was filled with many large cobwebs that had captured the dust generated by the milling process and nearby dirt road for unknown days, weeks, or perhaps months or longer. Exposed drive belts offered a constant source of potential accidents. Standard safety equipment and practises often required in similar American facilities were no where to be seen. This was a down to the basics, one person facility - minimally fit for purpose. A facility where a local person was providing his neighbors with a necessary and valuable service. About 4 kilometers away alongside the main road into town, I saw another similar milling plant. No doubt there would have been more of these small independent plants if I had looked more carefully and more widely.
From the milling plant, we walked back to the paved main road and a very short ways towards the new part of Luang Namtha to Ban Khone where the Vat I had visited earlier in the morning. The Monks were now accustomed to me so photographing them was much easier. Unfortunately the Vat was locked and the Monks we spoke to did not have the key. We grabbed a passing taxi truck and rode into town. After having lunch at a local restaurant, I withdrew 700,000 KIP from my bank account back in California. The world has changed so dramatically in such a relatively short time.
In 1973, I obtained an American Express card for the sole purpose of making foreign currency purchases by credit card during my first overseas trip - a trip to Europe. At the time the only alternative was to carry Traveler's Checks. Today I am able to be in a small town in northwest Laos, use my American ATM card to get funds from my account in California, and check the current balance of the US account - a small town that was leveled during the Second Indochina War, 1973 to 1975 - amazing!
So ended our morning of our sixth day in Laos. The day was one-half over with a full afternoon remaining but that will be subject of a different blog.