What A Difference A Week Can Make - Cane Harvest

Sugar Cane Trucks Awaiting Offloading

Last week, activities in the fields in Isaan centered around rice cultivation, more specifically threshing this year's rice harvest.  As you drove along the narrow country back roads you would see clusters of people in the parched paddies collecting the sheaves of rice for threshing.  You would encounter small farm trucks transporting bags of threshed rice back to the farmer's home.  Occasionally you would encounter a small farm trucks transporting sugar cane from the fields to a refinery.  Well one week has changed all of that.  The three month sugar harvest is now well underway.

A Typical Isaan Farm Truck

The back roads of Isaan on now filled with large, very large, and heavily loaded trucks transporting harvested sugar cane from the fields to the sugar refineries. These trucks will run all day and well into the night for the next three months.  The heavy trucks and amount of trucks take a heavy toll on the roads.  It seems that the roads are destroyed after two seasons of the sugar harvest requiring the roads to be replaced every three years.  yes that's right - destroyed every two years and replaced every three.  That is the way it is out in the countryside.  For one year you learn and become adept at avoiding the potholes, lumps, and bumps of the back roads.  I often joke with the local politicians and officials that if they will fix the road that year, I will vote for them.  I suspect that elections are every four years so the roads are fixed every three years as demonstration of the elected officials performance.  Right now the road out to Tahsang Village is great (the elections were in November).

Sugar Cane Laden Trucks At Kumphawapi Sugar Company Refinery

The loaded trucks take the sugar cane to sugar refineries.  On our way to Tahsang Village, just outside of Kumphawapi, Kumphawapi Sugar Company has their refinery.  Between the road and the refinery which is set a ways off from the road, is a large parking area.  The area used to be unpaved and was covered with a thick layer of very red dust.  This year the company greatly improved the parking area, it has been completely paved over with concrete and has a grass covered berm built around it. It is much better now to walk around it taking photographs than when the dust got into everything.  I suspect that the local residents are even more thankful.

The refinery has a limited capacity to offload trucks and to process the sugar cane.  The result of the refinery capacity and uncoordinated delivery of cane to the refinery, is a huge logjam of cane laden trucks at the entrance to the plant.  The parking lot is where the trucks await their turn to enter the refinery and offload their cane. During the height of the harvest, truckers can wait up to three days for their turn to be offloaded.  It reminded me somewhat of the huge line of trucks lined along the highway for about 20Km (roughly 15 miles) during the soy bean harvest waiting to enter the port of Paranagua, Brasil to ship their cargo out.

Trucks In Line to Enter the Refinery

At the Kumphawapi Sugar Company, the trucks arrive and log into the security office.  The truckers are given a number and they park their trucks to await their turn by number to get into the line to enter the refinery.  We spoke to a trucker and found out that he had already been waiting one day.

Passing Time, Waiting For Their Number To Be Called

Hearing that he had been waiting a day and knowing that some truckers end up waiting three days to offload, got me to thinking about how the truckers make money.  Do they own the trucks?  Are they hired to drive someones truck?  Are they paid by the hour?  Are they paid by the day?  Are they paid by the load?  Are they  paid by the weight of cane that is delivered?  Fortunately Duang was with me to ask and get answers for me.

For the most part, the drivers are hired by companies that own the trucks.  The drivers are paid by the amount of sugar cane that they haul.  The driver that we spoke with is paid 6 Baht ($.002 USD) per metric ton of sugar cane hauled.  For a tandem trailer, two 35 ton loads, he makes 420 baht ($14 USD).  General farm labor had been running 150 Baht a day but now it is closer to 300 Baht a day ($10 USD).  So running and offloading in one day is not that bad.  However, taking two or three days to offload is not very good.

The drivers pass away the time by socializing, listening to ethnic music, and sleeping.

Have Hammock, Will Sleep

Many of the drivers will sleep in their trucks overnight.  Food is readily available.  Townspeople have set up little stalls outside of the parking area where food and drink are available.  Some of the drivers, like the driver that we spoke to, drive their trucks back home for the night and return to wait once again early the next morning.  They keep the same number in the line until they are off loaded - whenever that may be.

Although it was a public holiday, The King's Birthday/Father's day here in Isaan, some people had to work.  Their work schedule is dictated by the ancient cycles of farming - times for sowing and times for harvesting.  There is also the need to take advantage of any opportunity to make a living.  Where opportunities are great, any opportunity, no matter when, can not be ignored.

Sugar Cane Trucks In Kumphawapi On Father's Day

Happy Father's Day - In Thailand

A Father Accepts Offerings From His Children and Nieces

 Today, 5 December, is a holiday in Thailand.  Today is King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 85th birthday.  As King he is considered to be and revered as father to the Thai people. As such, his birthday is also celebrated as "Father's Day" just as Queen's birthday is also considered to be "Mother's Day"

Today throughout Thailand, children paid respect to their father and made offerings to him in small private rituals.  In Bangkok there were tens of thousands of people witnessing the "Trooping of the Colours" where the military pledged their allegiance to the King and wish him a Happy Birthday.

We drove out to Tahsang Village in the late morning for Duang to pay respects to her father.  Duang is a very loving and forgiving daughter.  We stopped at the market in Kumphawapi to buy some things to give Duang's father and two uncles.  After buying some boxes of milk, bananas ($0.15 a pound), and special floral arrangements called "pumahlai"

Pumahlai - Fresh Floral Arrangements

Duang and her sister knelt before their father who was seated above them, bowed their heads almost to the ground once and offered him a pumahlai and some cash on a plate.  As they made the offering to their father they said something along the lines of "Father, you have taken care of us and you have taken care of Momma for a long time, we wish that you live for a long time.  We wish that Buddha take care of you"  As he accepted the offerings, he said something along the lines of "You are good daughter.  The money that you gave me will come back and more to you. You have good husband.  He loves you very much.  Good luck to you.  Buddha take care of you long time." After the ritual, he was given some boxed milk and a bag of bananas.

Duang and Her Sister Make Offering to Their Father



Duang, her sister, and I then made a short walk through Tahsang Village to pay respects to one of their uncles.  Once again they offered cash, a pumahlai, and boxed milk to him in a ritual similar to the one for their father.





Offerings to An Uncle On Father's Day

After a short visit, we walked across the village to another uncle's home.  Apparently, at least for Duang and her sister, Father's Day is not just limited to your biological father but to all senior males of the family.  I know that Duang has many more than two uncles so I asked her about the others.  She replied that they lived too far away (i.e. too far to walk) and it would cost too much money.  OK - good enough reasons for me.

This uncle had his daughter and son visiting along with his young grandson.  The ritual was repeated once again.

A Father Accepts Offerings

Son, Daughters and Niece Make An Offering

After finishing paying our respects to the elderly men, we headed back to our home but not before taking some more photos but that will be another blog entry.

Today I read on the Internet that Thailand was selected as one of the best places for Americans to retire. Besides the low cost of living here, respect for the elderly was listed as an advantage. Both are real advantages here.

I hope that not too many people decide to act upon the Internet poll.  I enjoy and I am happy staying here. The last thing that I would wish to see would be for Thailand to be over run by people trying to make Thailand like the country they just left.  When people point out in negative intonations how Thailand is not like the USA, I point out that if I wanted to live in a country like the USA, I would return to America.  In my opinion, different isn't necessarily bad.  I support multiculturalism in the world.  I would not want to live in a world where culture or even governments are homogenized - one world culture, one worl government.  I support choices where I am free to be me and, perhaps more importantly, others are free to be them.

Today, I was pleased to witness Father's day in December, Father's Day in Thailand.

Bangkok Gems

Rough Sapphires Awaiting Processing

 Visitors to Bangkok are most likely very familiar with the plethora of locations and "opportunities" to purchase jewelry.  Just about every guide book that I have read on Thailand also cautions tourists regarding touts for gems and jewelry scams in Bangkok.

The raw stones for the jewelry sold in Bangkok come mainly from Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Cambodia.  Raw stones are not suitable directly from the mines to be used in jewelry.  The raw stones which are irregular shaped and opaque need to be processed somewhere and by someone before they can be used in jewelry.  On our last trip to Bangkok last month, I visited one such location where sapphires were being processed.

Our flight back to Udonthani was a late afternoon flight so we ended up visiting Duang's Bangkok relatives.  With some time on our hands we decided to visit some of Duang's relatives who live and work in Bangkok.  "Live and work" go together even more closely in Thailand and other Asian countries than in many other countries.  Many people in urban areas live in concrete structures call "shop houses".  Shop houses are two story drop front concrete and brick row houses typically 5 to 10 units wide.  Typically a family has a business on the ground floor and sleep upstairs.

Selling Vegetables In Bangkok Working Neighborhood

Businesses run the complete range of activities - small market, restaurant, bicycle shop, photocopy shop, making clothing, motorcycle repair shop, printing shop, electrical repair shop, electronic repair shop, welding shop, and machine shop. Duang's relatives make clothing mainly for tourists.

Duang's Relatives Sewing Custom Clothing

Throughout Bangkok you will find shops, some located in hotels, where you can select fabrics and be custom measured for clothing.  In the vast majority of the locations, the articles of clothing are not manufactured on site.  The measurements and information as to style are sent off site - off site to a working neighborhood where people will make the clothing.  Partially finished and finished products are transported back and forth by motorbike.

Duang's family operate one of the cottage industries where the clothing is made.  The entire staff is related and lives together in the shop house.  They cook and eat along with work on the first floor.  The bathroom is also on the ground floor.  Everyone sleeps upstairs in one large room with curtains hung on ropes strung across the room providing some degree of privacy.

On our first visit back in December 2010, I had explored this neighborhood.  The area is in Southwest Bangkok where very few tourists visit.  The streets are narrow and crowded with family life often spilling out from the shop houses onto the margins of the streets. Where Duang's relatives live the street is so narrow that you have to walk or go by motorbike to get there.  All this contributes to a most interesting neighborhood.  I found places where families were making small purses that are sold in morning as well as night markets.  There were also two other homes where clothing was being produced.  There were several little markets as well as restaurants.  At one home, the women were making greeting cards.  I even found a machine shop where large blades for shearing thick stacks of paper were being sharpened. Around the corner there was a commercial print shop with three offset printing presses.

During last month's visit after paying my respects to the family, I grabbed my camera and set off to explore once again.  The biggest change that I found was that one of the places where little purses were being made two years ago is now occupied by a new family that processes sapphires for the local jewelry industry.

This is a family business with sons, daughters, and in-laws all having duties and responsibilities in the process.  Towards the back of the ground floor room the television was on showing a cartoon show that three small children were attentively watching.

For Some in Thailand - Everyday is "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day"

Sapphires, a mineral called Corundum, need to first be cut roughly into the size and shape required for a specific purpose.  After being cut, the gemstone has to have facets ground into the surface of the stone.  The facets then require polishing to facilitate the reflection and refraction of light i.e "sparkle"

After asking permission to enter, I moved from my streetside location to better positions overlooking the worker's shoulders.  The first work station involved grinding the rough somewhat irregular shaped dark stones into more suitable sizes and shapes.  The work was performed on a mechanical lathe type device.  A single stone was mounted on a plastic shaft and shaped with a silicon carbide wheel.  Periodically the operator stopped to measure and inspect the preform as it developed.



Dimensional Checking of Rough Gemstone

Facets are then cut and polished over the entire preform.  The preform is "dopped" (attached) with adhesive wax, crazy glue, or epoxy on to a metal dopstick which resembles a tapered pencil.  During my visit I did not see this process and because Duang remained with her relatives I did not have a translator to help me understand better what was going on or how it was done.



A Worker Adds Facets Using A Lap, Adjustable Handpiece

Further done the processing line a young man was polishing the facets on some extremely small gems - so small that he had to use a loupe to inspect them and I had to remove my eyeglasses before using the loupe to just barely see the sapphire - sort of makes me think of a butchered recent film title "No Process For Old Men"

Young Worker With A Bunch of Dopped Gems to Be Polished

Addition of the facets and polishing of the facets is accomplished on the same type of equipment.  An electric motor turns a flat rotating metal disk called a lap.  A series of various abrasives, incrementally smaller and smaller in grit size, are spread on the lap for processing the gemstone.  The stone mounted on the dobstick is pressed against the rotating lap and the other end of the dopstick against a vertical mast to achieve as well as maintain proper angles.  A great deal of inspection and verifying of angles is performed during the process.

Inspecting In Process Gems

Taking A Closer Look

After visiting the gemcutters, I continued my tour of the neighborhood.  I found the old man that I had photographed playing chess alongside of the street two years ago.  The Ladyboy who delivers crushed ice from his mother's shophouse across the street from the chess player was still making deliveries to customers on her bicycle.  The machine shop still had four large shear blades to machine.

I visited the printer and he proudly gave me a tour of his shop making special effort to point out the two presses that came from Germany.  He had a large run of government forms that were being printed for Chiang Mai.  He offered me a glass of cold water which even though it was November, I greatly appreciated and needed.  Even in November the temperature is often above 90 F in Bangkok.

I returned to Duang's family shop before I got into trouble ... trouble with Duang.  She worries about me when I am out and about on my own.  I am sure that I could find trouble if I were looking for it on my unaccompanied excursions but I am not looking for it.  Instead I find very friendly people all too willing to share as best they can with a stranger how they live and work.  I hope that in some way that I too am able to share with them some of my ways as our paths cross here in this most interesting land.  It had been a gem of a morning for me - literally and figuratively.

Bun Kaithin - Day 2

Tahsang Villager Places Sticky Rice Offering Into Monk's Bowl

Sunday, 25th November, was the day selected for Tahsang Villagers to celebrate Kaithina with the Monks at the "Outside" Wat.  The previous day, the villagers had celebrated the festival by making money trees to offer to the Monks in gratitude for all that they do.  Following the procession through the streets, 6 of 7, of the village, everyone returned to their homes for the night.  Some women prepared food to offer to the Monks the following morning as part of the daily merit making ritual.

Other women, such as my wife, chose to get up early on Sunday morning to prepare food for the Monks.  Duang woke up at 3:45 A.M. to prepare fresh food for our scheduled 6:00 A. M. departure for Tahsang Village.

We stopped at Duang's house in the village to pick up our Grandson, Peelawat, and my mother-in-law to drive out to the Wat.  Our truck was enlisted to transport many of the money trees, banana stalks, and decorations from the civic pavilion.

Villager's Offerings For the Monks

The partially completed Bot was decorated with the banana stalks, pennants, and colorful decorations.  The middle of the section where lay people participate in the ritual was filled with all the money tree as well as other offerings such as sahts (woven reed mats), mons (pillows), religious decorative bowls, artificial flowers, and handicrafts.

The religious celebration commenced as a typical merit making ritual where people make offerings to the Monks.  A Shaman leads the people in a ritual which offers the food to the Monks.  The ritual involves lighting of small candles, chanting, and presenting a small dish with the lit candles and some leaves to the Abbott of the Wat.  The Monks then perform their portion of the ritual by chanting.  One part of this ritual involves the lay people pouring water from a bottle or special metal container into a bowl as they and the Monks chant.  The water in the bowls is then carefully taken outside of the Wat and poured at the base of various plants or trees in another private ritual.

After that portion of the ritual was completed, the Monks ate while the lay people watched and prepared to eat after the Monks.  The Monks only take what they can eat,  After they have eaten, the remaining food is consumed by the lay people.  There is always a surplus of food.  On special days such as Sunday, there is a great deal of surplus of food as well as variety of food.  The eating of the surplus food sustains the very poor of the community.  My wife and her children were nourished by this arrangement many years ago.  The eating of the surplus of food also serves as an opportunity for the community to socialize. Each morning and especially on festival days, there is a sort of pot-luck meal for the people.

Nong, Peelawat, and Tey Playing in the Dirt

Nong of Tahsang Village On Ok Phansa Day - 30 Oct

After they finished eating, the Monks left the Bot.  The lay people took their time to eat their meal.  After finishing their meal, the people gathered up their money trees and other offerings.  They assembled outside near remnants of an earlier structure and chedi at the site.  By this time I had been surrounded by several of my little friends from the village.  My Grandson, Peelawat, likes to hang around me even though we can not talk about too much.  One of my new favorite models, Nong, likes to hang around with Peelawat , Tey and me.  She is 20 months old and likes to be one of the "guys".  Sometimes being one of the "guys" can be difficult and carries a price.  Last week Peelawat ran her over with his bicycle - not intentional but he was unable to stop in time or to avoid her.  Nong had a cut on her head and a scrape on her arm.  She has recovered fine and is back following Peelawat around, and doing whatever he or Tey does. Whenever I take a photograph, she runs up to me so that I can show her the result on the monitor.  The day before, she was seated in the back of a pick up truck.  I took her photograph and showed her.  She smiled and then pointed up in the sky and said something.  I looked and saw nothing.  She pointed again and repeated her words.  Again I was unable to see what she was trying to show me.  She insisted and repeated her gesture as well as words.  This time I tried very hard and saw a helium balloon floating away just about out of sight.  I have to admire and love the persistence of children!  I thanked her for sharing.

Villagers Assembling For A Procession Around the Wat

The villagers commenced their procession around the Wat.  I stayed ahead of them so that I could take photographs of the procession.  Peelawat stayed with me along with Tey and Nong.  The procession was lead by some men with long brooms, sweeping the ground ahead of the villagers.

As is the case in other religious processions, the people walked three  times around the remnants of the Wat.  They walked and danced to ethnic Lao music as the circumambulated the old chedi.  Everyone was smiling and very happy.

As the villagers were finishing up their third circuit of the chedi ruins, I broke off followed by 8 of the children.  I could not help but think of the story of the Pied Piper.  Anyhow, I removed my shoes and climbed the stairs to the area where the Buddha used to be kept, as I started up the stairs I looked back and motioned for the children to remove their shoes and sit down.

The Wrong Place At the Wrong Time

The Monks were inside the worship hall adjusting their clothing.  After awhile of taking photos, one of the Monks let me know that the ceremony was at the other hall.  I exited the hall and found all the children right where I had left them.  Together we all crossed the yard to the proper location much to the amusement of the assembled villagers.

Monks Commence Ritual to Accept Robes (Kaithin)

In the new Bot, there was a special ritual for the offering of the robes (Kaithin).  The Monks rather than the usual single line configuration, were set up in a semi-circle.  They all took turns chanting rather than the usual Abbott and one other Monk.  Chanting was first performed over the robes that were in a plastic shipping bag.  The robes were then removed from the bag, a braided gold colored belt was wrapped around the robes, and additional chanting was performed as Monks held on to the ends of the belt.

After the Monks had accepted the robes, the people took their money trees apart.  The process was done very deliberately and carefully - the bills all had to be facing in the same direction.  The  stack of bills were folded in half and secured with an elastic band.  The wad of cash was then placed into a plastic envelope and brought up to offer to the Monks.  The Monks gave special religious pennants to each family that donated.  The pennants are to bring good luck.  After all the offerings had been made to the Monks, the Monks passed out cardboard boxes that contained a religious statue for the people's home.

The offerings were counted and announced to the people - 109,127 Baht ($3,637 USD) which will be spent to finish the new Bot.

Once again I had the privilege to participate and document a unique event in the Lao Loum culture here in Isaan.  Be it a religious celebration, a funeral, a wedding, or the ordination of a Monk, the community bonds in Isaan are strong.  These bonds start developing at a very early age with babies and toddlers participating in all the rituals.  Some people would say that these are poor people but don't tell them that.  They think that it is all about being happy rather than what you have.  Personally I call the people very fortunate.

Bun Kaithin

Tahsang Villager Dances Down Street Displaying Her Money Tree

The month of November is a period for Bun Kaithin here in Isaan.  "Bun" is a Lao word  that roughly means festival so Bun Kaithin here is the festival for Kaithin.  The Royal Barge Procession was conducted on November 9th so that HRH The Crown Prince could perform the Royal Kaithin Ceremony at Wat Arun.  The Royal Kaithin ceremony involved demonstrating  appreciation for the Monks by offering them robes called "Kaithin".

Throughout November and all over Thailand as well as the Lao People's Democratic Republic local people demonstrate their appreciation for their Monks in village celebrations.  For Tahsang Village, November 24th and 25th were the days chosen for their celebration.




Duang's Mother Working On Family Money Tree

Saturday, November 24th, the first day of the celebration started with each of the households making a money tree.  Often when cash is raised for offering to the Monks, a money tree is created out of a banana stalk.  Bamboo skewers are split and a small elastic band used at one end in order to hold a baht note.  The assembly is then jabbed into the banana stalk to create baht "leaves".  The banana money tree is  then paraded through the village with stops at each home seeking donations to add more leaves to the tree.

For this celebration there were some different types of money trees.  One of the village men had set up across the street from Duang's house in the village and was making money trees out of rice straw from the recent harvest.  Bundles of straw were lashed together with plastic ribbon to create three legged trees that had either two or three limbs.  Some of the straw money trees did not have roots to support the tree.  Those trees were placed in an empty plastic beverage bottle filled with sand.  Some families did not create a money tree.  They filled a container either plastic, earthenware, or glass with sand to support the bamboo skewers of baht notes.

There are some cultural mores associated with the offerings.  The first is that the offering needs to be as auspicious as possible. Rather than having a single 1000 Baht ($33.33 USD) note on a money tree, the Lao Loum people prefer to have 10 branches of 100 Baht notes or perhaps even better yet - 5 branches of 100 Baht notes, four branches of 50 Baht notes, and 15 branches of 20 Baht notes.  Just as a big public display is made at weddings to count and recount the Sin Sod (dowry), it is important to make a public display of the family's offering to the Monks - the larger the tree and the more branches the better the offering.  Some people will donate money to other's trees in order to participate in a grander display than they could make on their own.

On our way out to the village we had to stop at the bank in Kumphawapi to change money for dressing out of not just our money tree, Duang's mother's tree, and Duang's son's money tree, but money trees for several other family members.  Besides changing the 1000 Baht notes into smaller denominations, obtaining new uncirculated or at least crisper bank notes is desired.

The morning was spent in the homes, dressing out the money trees.  Everyone participated in the task.  Children, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents all helped.  At Duang's house, some visitors were also enlisted to help out.

Peelawat Dresses Out the Money Tree

Around mid-day some men showed up.  They were lay people from the Wat who handled the Wat's finances.  Monks are not supposed to handle money, so selected lay people handle banking and other financial tasks for each Wat.  In the case of the "Outside" Wat the biggest financial dealing involves building the new Bot (Worship Hall).  The laymen carried and maintained a ledger of all donations. Just as is done at a funeral wedding, the name of the donor and donation was recorded in the ledger.  The ledger will be presented to the Monks who will read it and incorporate the names of the donors in their merit making rituals.

The Family's Contribution is Recorded

After the laymen had concluded their visits, the villagers along with their money trees started congregating at the village meeting pavilion across the street from Duang's house.  The meeting pavilion is about 30 feet by 30 feet open sided and covered with a corrugated metal roof.  It is used for voting and village meetings.  When not used for public events it is used as a play area by the young children of the village or as a stall by travelling vendors.  On Saturday, the pavilion was all decorated with colorful pennants.  Several large stalks of bananas were hanging down from the roof on one side.  Across the street from the pavilion, a large truck was parked.  The truck was loaded with large speakers blaring out ethnic music.  It was quite a festive atmosphere.

The pavilion was a staging point for the afternoon parade through the village.  At 1:00 PM the parade started.  Men, women, teenagers, children, toddlers, and one falang (foreigner) set off followed by the sound truck.  Tahsang Village is a small village and the parade route was roughly 6 to 8 city blocks long - a loop through the village.  Three hours later, the procession was over.  Three hours?  Yes!  The procession stopped at just about every home along the route.  People had started drinking when they were putting their money trees together earlier in the morning.  Now that the procession had started, the drinking had become more prevalent.  Stopping at every house?  At each stop, people joined the procession; some after cajoling.  At some of the stops. people add money to some of the trees.  At many of the stops, people gave glasses of beer or whiskey to  the participants.  At every stop, besides dancing, there was conversation and joking with the residents - things that all ate up time quickly.

Parading Through Tahsang Village

One of the pleasures that I have is to witness and document the passage of time in Tahsang Village on an individual basis.  Babies are now young children.  Sons and nephews have become Monks and some have moved on to be husbands and/or fathers.  There always seems to be a new baby in the village to become acquainted with.  For every funeral, there is a spouse who carries on with their life.  Unlike many in Western countries, here in Isaan, they do not carry on alone.  Family. friends, and neighbors support the widows of the village.  One of my favorite subjects is Duang's Aunt who is a fairly recent widow.  She always transports herself with a strong sense of dignity and with a quiet resolution of suffering.  She makes it to all family events and village celebrations.  Saturday was no exception.

A Familiar Face - One of Duang's Aunts

During the celebration, along the entire procession route, a group of young boys danced with tremendous enthusiasm directly in front of the sound truck.  One of the principle dancers was Tey.  There was a time, not all that long ago, when we all thought that Tey would never walk.  Well past the age when children walk and run, Tey was still moving along by using his hands and arms to lift his bottom off the ground and use his stomach muscles to thrust is abdomen forward as his arms lowered his bottom once again to the ground.   Well Tey is six years old now and you would never know about his early difficulty walking.  Lessons learned:  Although you may have many answers, you rarely have all the answers.  Some problems are not problems.  Somethings take longer for some people.  Tey is now a dancing machine.

Tey and Other Village Boys Dancing Up a Storm

Village Boys Dancing Ahead of Sound Truck

The young boys were dancing like the older boys dance in front of the stage at Mahlam Lao shows.  The dance is what I call the Carabao (Water Buffalo).  It involves alternative stomping of the ground with one foot while hopping on one leg.  The body is bent at the waist while motions are made with the hands and arms.  It appears that a new wave of dancers is ready to take over the mosh pits to come.

The Joy of Being Young ... In Isaan

Youthful Enthusiam Can Be Contagious ... At Any Age

The end of the day, the end of the procession.