Cambodian Soybean Harvest

Workers Secure Truck Load of Soybeans

When my wife and I travelled to Cambodia the first week of last November, our visit was timed to coincide with the full moon which signified the start of the fishing season on Tonle Sap Lake.

Our timing was about a week too early for the rice harvest.  We saw many rice fields where heavy golden panicles of rice were bowed almost as if in homage to the Earth or deities of the land.  We did see a couple of fields that had been harvested but nothing that would warrant stopping to photograph.  I did notice that the rice in the region was growing in very wet soil but not in paddies as is the standard in Isaan.  At harvest time in Isaan the rice paddies are parched and not muddy as in Cambodia.  Our rain stops in September and by November the ground is dusty and cracked until the rains return in April or May.

All was not lost in our quest to witness and photograph people going about their daily lives and activities.  On our way in the afternoon from the ruins of Koh Ker to the ruins of Beng Mealea along the paved two lane Cambodian National Highway 105, we came upon a hectic sight.

The area through which Highway 105 traverses about 20 kilometers south of Koh Ker is a hilly agricultural area.  The area is speckled with solitary huge trees - a reminder and testament to the rain forest that covered the land not all that long ago.  The forests have been logged out and the land converted into farm land in response to the economic realities of today in Southeast Asia.  Just as in Lao, vast expanses of Cambodia have been cleared to grow crops for markets in China and Thailand.

Soybeans and bananas now are grown along Cambodian National Highway where forests once stood.



Typical Cambodian Farm Home Along National Highway 105



Soybeans Drying Along the Roadside

It turned out they had missed the soybean harvest by just a day or two.  We did not see any machinery or people harvesting the soybean crop.  What we did see were many large tarps spread out along both sides of the highway and around the various farm houses.  The tarps were covered with a thin layer of soybeans.  The soybeans were exposed to dry out in the strong sun and breezes.  The same process is utilized in Thailand, Lao, and People's Republic of China for the rice harvest.  Dried, dehydrated product can be stored however moist, or improperly dried product will be ruined by mold and also become spoiled through fermentation.



Soybeans Drying In the Sun In Front of a Home



Sacks of Soybeans Being Loaded for Markets in Thailand or PRC (China)

We stopped along the road where there were several tandem trucks and large single trailer trucks were being filled by hand with large sacks of soybeans.  The location was a marshaling station for the nearby farms. The trucks were from a middleman in Phnom Penh with the final destination for the crop being either Thailand or PRC (China).

I rushed out from our car as soon as it stopped and started taking photographs.  A man, a man who was clearly in charge, walked over to me and asked politely in fairly good English what I was doing.  I explained to him how I liked (was obsessed?) in taking photographs of people and then writing stories about the people and related photographs on the Internet.  I showed him some of the photos that I had taken.  That was it - we were then "buddies".

I have never had a problem photographing here in Southeast Asia.  The people have been very receptive to being photographed.  I do not expect them to pose and let them know to just carry on with what they are doing. I share some of the shots that I have taken and they quickly relax.  Inevitably they end up joking and laughing over my enthusiasm and efforts to get that "perfect" shot.  There have been many times, that the people have pointed out someone or something that they though that I would be interested in shooting - I always make it a point to take that shot and share with them.

It turned out that the "man in charge" was an ethnic Chinese business man from the capital.  I bring up the fact that he was ethnic Chinese not in any judgmental or prejudicial sense but for the readers to better understand the conditions; the realities of today.  Throughout Southeast Asia, many of the business people, bankers, and merchants are ethnic Chinese - a fact that the local indigenous people are very aware of.  In some cases there is an underlying resentment of the ethnic Chinese prosperity.  In 1969, there were serious race riots in Malaysia against the ethnic Chinese.  Ethnic Chinese were also victimized in Vietnam earlier last year over the actions of China regarding oil exploration in disputed waters.  Things do not happen out of a vacuum - there are always underlying conditions that serve as catalysts.

Anyhow - the business man and his wife serve as middlemen for buyers in either Thailand or the People's Republic of China (PRC).  I asked the man how much money did he pay for a bag of soybeans.  I always try to learn and understand the value of the various crops that I witness being harvested.  He said that he did not know - he was responsible for arranging for the loading along with transportation of the product to final market, and it was his wife who handled the money.  I confirmed that his wife handled the family finances.  I told him that I handled our family finances and not to tell my wife that his wife handled his.  I joked with him about not telling my wife because then she would want to be the "Big Boss"  Just then Duang showed up to check and make sure that I was alright.  The man knew that I had been joking so I told Duang that I wanted to know how much was a bag of soybeans but he didn't know.  Apparently believing that the man would better understand her English better than mine, Duang asked him in English.  He told her that he didn't know because his wife handled the money and that she was the "Big Boss".  Duang caught on quickly and said to me "Me too, I want to be Big Boss - you give money to me to take care! See just like this man!"  The three of us enjoyed a good laugh.

We had come upon a frantic situation along the road.  Besides loading up the trucks with bags of soybeans, people were hurriedly folding up the tarps to completely encase the soybeans.  The sky had taken on the look which is typical for late afternoon monsoon rain.  Soybeans getting wet would be a disaster for everyone involved in the ongoing transaction.

Rolling Up A Tarp to Protect Soybeans from Rain

The weather forecast for the day had been for rain showers with a 57% chance of rain and 12.5mm (1/2") accumulation.  How did I know?  How do I still remember?  Prior to leaving our home, as I typically do prior to our big trips, I printed the weather forecast from the Internet and pasted it in the journal that I carry.

Well the adage about not believing everything that you read on the Internet proved true on the trip.  Without exaggerating - we had approximately 15 drops of rain hit the car's windshield during our entire trip - including the forecast of 79% probability of 20.9mm of rain the next day - which happened to be our best weather day!

After 30 minutes at the marshaling area, we recommenced our journey to what we were confident were the mysteries and sights that awaited us at Beng Mealea.  It was several kilometers down the highway before our nostrils were cleared of the earthy, perhaps even musty, odor of soybeans drying in the air.  However that scent remains a strong memory today of a great stop along a road in Cambodia.

Casting the Wat's New Buddha Statue - Day #3 But Not the End

People Retrieving Bronze Casting Splatter

Duang and I returned to Wat Ban Maet at 7:50 A.M. for the 8:00 A.M. scheduled start of the activities related to the new bronze Buddha statue for the sala.  We had asked about the time, confirmed the time, verified and re-verified the start time with the casting crew the previous afternoon upon completion of pouring the bronze.

I anticipated witnessing and photographing the removal of the plaster casting mold, rigging of the statue into place, and polishing of the statue.

As we pulled into the parking area at the Wat, Duang's often spoken words echoed in my head ... "Thailand not same Amireeka".  Although it was not quite 8:00 A.M., the large off-white plaster mold was no longer standing in the center of the casting area.  The plaster cast was located next to the larger beige cast that was bound for Loei, 4 hours to the west.

Some of the local people were scavenging small pieces of bronze splatter from the previous afternoon's casting operation.  No doubt these objects would be incorporated into home shrines or worn in conjunction with amulets to take advantage of their mystical powers.

Local People Removing the Casting Mold From Statue Arm

As the casting crew occupied themselves with breaking camp and loading up their flatbed truck for the next casting site in Loei, another group of local people removed the hard plaster casting mold from the two hands of the statue.  Typically statues are cast in sections because of complexity and delicacy of certain parts.

Cast Bronze Hand Still Wrapped In Mold Reinforcing Steel

Duang checked with the casting crew and determined that they along with the new statue were travelling to Loei for four days to cast the bigger statue.  They then would take a full day to drive back to their factory in Chonburi.

In Chonburi, the molds would be removed from around the statues, the statues would then be ground to remove imperfections and remove any remnants of the casting process, arms and other delicate features would be attached, and the statues highly polished along with a final coating applied.  In about two weeks the completed statues would be delivered and installed at their respective Wats.  I am fairly certain that there will be a special ritual for setting the statue inside of the sala - which we may or may not be able to witness - not for the lack of trying but more likely the miscommunication of timing.

Clarity in communicating time is complicated by the differences in telling time in Thai and telling time in English.  In English time is typically broken into two 12 hour clocks with the time being differentiated by A.M. and P.M. example: 5:00 A.M (morning) and 5:00 P.M. (afternoon, night). Military time, one 24 hour clock, eliminates the need to differentiate between A.M. and P.M. or day and night example: 0500 and 1700.

In Thai, there are 4 clocks of 6 hours each for a day. The first clock of the day is from 12 midnight to 5:00 A.M. These hours are named:  Tiang keun (midnight), dtee neung, dtee song, dtee saam, dtee see, and dtee haa - except for midnight, "dtee" followed by the Thai name for the numbers 1,2,3,4, or 5 - OK, a little different but manageable in my opinion.

6:00 morning - is Hok Mohng (6 o'clock) or Hok Mohng Cao (6 o,clock morning) - Still manageable ...for me.

However the time from 7 to 11 A.M. is where the confusion starts.  The second clock of the day in Thai kicks in at 7:00 - jet mohng chao (7 o'clock morning) OR neung mohng chao (one o'clock in the morning), 8:00 under the Thia method can be referred to as song mohng chao (two o'clock in the morning)

Often Duang has told me that we needed to go somewhere or do something at see mohng cao "4 o'clock in the morning" rather than the western terminology of 10:00 A.M. - talk about some confusion!

The potential for confusion includes the hours 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. with the Thai time being 7:00 P.M. - tum neung or neung tum (one o'clock), 8:00 P.M. - song tum (two o'clock) - Yes, Duang has caused me some adrenalin rushes telling me things using this Thai method for telling time!

Other people were busy dismantling the offering table used for the previous day's ritual.  As we were leaving, one of the women came over and gave us two of the watermelons that had been offered to the spirits.  After getting permission, Duang removed two of the scallop shell wind chimes that had hung at the entry to the casting area.  The wind chimes now hang outside of our home.  "Good for us, good for house"  Good for Duang - she hung them so that they do not work - I can't stand the sound of wind chimes!

Hand Painted Gable of the New Sala

Casting the Wat's New Buddha Statue - Day #2

Workmen Pour Molten Bronze Into Mold for Buddha Statue

Sunday, 1 February, was the big day for casting the Buddha statue for Wat Ban Maet.

Our day at the Wat started at 9:15 A.M. - our timing was to coincide with the start of the daily Ta Bart ritual.  There was a very large crowd at the Wat.  The new sala was filled with chi pohm, the women who were participating in the two night religious retreat, and laypeople - many of them children.  Children receive religious training and instruction at a very early age.  With lighting candles and burning incense being central to worship ritual, most children are very willing students.

Worshipping with Yai (Grandmother) and Teddy

Outside of the new sala and the old sala, many people were occupied setting up food and beverages on bamboo tables.  The food and beverages on the tables were not intended for the Monks.  The food was for the people who had arrived to witness the casting of the statue of Buddha.

Everyday people bring food to offer to the Monks.  The Monks take a little bit from the various platters, plates, and bowls - placing their selections inside of their Monk's bowl.  The food that they have selected must be totally consumed during their one meal of the day.  Their meal must also be consumed by 12:00 Noon.  Food that has not been selected by the Monks, is placed on the woven reed mats, sahts, that had been placed on the floor of the sala.  The laypeople then have a community meal.  This is the way it is all across Thailand - anyone and everyone is invited as well as welcomed to eat the food that the Monks do not accept.  Years ago, Duang and her children survived by eating this way.

On special celebrations, the casting of a statue being one, there is another tradition involving food and drinks.  Since the special celebrations last longer than the typical two hour daily Tak Bart ritual, people donate food and drinks for the people.

Some people, often families, donate 1.5 liter bottles of soft drinks - colas, Fanta Strawberry, Fanta Orange, Fanta "Amoung" (a banana, pineapple, coconut, orange concoction). The soda is then distributed to everyone in small plastic cups filled with either crushed ice or ice cubes from large plastic coolers placed on the ground.

Young Girl Enjoying Her Soft Drink

Other people supply small prepackaged drinking water or prepackaged soft drinks (fruit juices and kool aid)  The various booths and stalls are manned by family members of all ages.  Children at an early age learn to help and participate in good works.

Other stalls offer curries, noodle dishes, rice dishes, ice-cream, and donuts.

The ice cream booth was quite interesting - as always.  You have three choices for your ice cream - a cone, a bowl, or ... small hot dog bun.  Hot dog bun?  Yup - here in Isaan you can get three small scoops of ice cream served open faced on bread.

The ice cream arrives in large, heavily insulated metal cylinders.  Flavors are typically coconut, strawberry, jackfruit, and corn. Corn?  Here in Thailand corn is used just as much for a dessert as for a vegetable entre.   Other popular flavors are mango, pineapple and taro. I opted for a single scoop cone of Jackfruit ... twice!

People earn merit by offering free food and drinks to the people at these events.  However there is a hierarchical order in earning merit.  You earn merit for offering food to people at Wats but not as much as offering food to the Monks during Tak Bart - either at a Wat or alongside the road as the Monks walk by.

The previous day, before we left for the day. we confirmed that the statue would be poured at 1:00 P.M.  Our plan was to arrive at the Wat for Tak Bart, stay for the casting of the statue , and return home around 2:30 P.M.

Casting Crew Accommodations

The casting of the Buddha statue was performed by a company from Chonburi - roughly 8 hours from Udonthani.  The ten person crew, 9 men and 1 woman, arrived at Wat Ban Maet with the mold to be cast as well as a much larger mold for another statue to be cast in Loei - 4 hours west of Udonthani.

The crew arrives at a location three days before the scheduled casting day.  The first day is spent offloading the firewood to fuel the temporary furnaces required for the casting operation.  Besides the firewood, there are also many bags of charcoal to fuel the furnaces.  The firewood is burned in a large furnace that surrounds the statue mold.  Charcoal is burned to create the much higher temperature necessary to melt the bronze ingots for the casting.

The crew also offloads their bags of refractory cement, metal stands, piping to be used as furnace and mold supports, as well as their crucibles and pouring tools.

While part of the crew works at offloading the statue mold, setting it upside down and constructing the natural draft furnace around it, other members of the crew construct the bamboo/macramé panels that form the ritual area for the casting process.

Natural Draft Wood Fired Furnace Drying Out Statue Mold

The mold for the statue was fabricated at the company's facility in Chonburi.  The mold is associated with the lost wax, also referred to as the investment, cast process.  I wrote about the process on a much small scale regarding a visit to a Wat near Khon Kaen,

http://hale-worldphotography.blogspot.com/2014/10/forest-foundry-not-to-be-confused-with.html

Since the statue to be cast is much larger and will contain 500 KG (1,100 pounds) of molten bronze, the mold is much more substantial than the molds used in Khon Kaen.  A great deal of reinforcement steel, chicken wire, was incorporated into the Wat Ban Maet to handle hoop stresses and evenly distribute heat throughout the plaster mold.

The mold arrived at the Wat as a three layer sandwich - a wax/clay core with a thick plaster coating on each side.  The wax/clay core melts out of the mold creating a void into which the molten bronze will flow and fill.

After setting the mold and building a furnace around it, the workers heated the mold for 2 days.  Heating the mold serves several purposes - it hardens as well as cures the plaster, it removes any moisture from the mold (water and molten metal is an explosive combination due to rapid creation of steam), it removes the internal wax/clay core, and heats the mold to ensure that the molten metal does not "freeze" when poured into the mold during the pouring process.

As is typical for traveling workers in Southeast Asia, the casting crew did not stay in hotels or guest houses.  They stayed in small tents and under an awning that they had brought with them - camping out on location of their work.

Duang and I, on Sunday, stayed at the Wat until roughly 10:30 A.M. when it became obvious that the casting would not happen at 1:00 P.M.  We asked around and verified with the casting crew supervisor that the casting would actually be at 5:00 P.M.  We returned home to relax and take advantage of the more convenient restroom facilities of our home.  I spent a couple hours working on photos when an inner voice, perhaps a spirit, told me that we should return to the Wat immediately.  I told my wife to get ready.  She reminded me that it was too early for the casting at 5:00 P.M. I told her about my premonition and attributed it to Buddha - end of any further discussion from her!

We arrived back at the Wat at 3:45 P.M. to find the place a beehive of activity.  Dignitaries had arrived and were seated in their places of honor in front of the new sala.

Luang Por Pohm Likit and Dignitaries In Front of New Sala

The two forced draft charcoal fuelled furnaces for melting the bronze ingots were blazing away sending thick clouds of smoke into the late afternoon sky.  The oxygen required to raise the charcoal fire to the necessary temperature to melt the bronze was supplied by forcing air into the bottom of the fire by electrical blowers located at the side of each furnace.

Forced Draft Furnaces Ablaze - Melting Bronze Ingots

Tending to the Bronze Furnace

Small Molds for Statue Parts

The large temporary furnace around the statue mold had been dismantled  and replaced by metal pedestals at four corners to the mold.  Although the furnace was gone the remaining coals on the ground surrounding the mold were still giving off quite a bit of heat.

Heating Up the Tools for Casting Bronze

Many spectators were situated just inside the casting area along the east side.

Witnesses to a Casting

This was another family affair with the audience being people of all ages, in some cases four generations of a family.  Just before the actual start of the casting process, a sai sin, white cotton string, was unrolled and held by each of the witnesses.  The sai sin connects people, alive and dead, with the Monks and statues during many rituals of Theravada Buddhism.  The string, a sacred thread, brings good luck and good fortune to people while connecting the people to the spirit world.  On Sunday, the sai sin connected all the people - the lay people, the young, the old, the Monks, the dignitaries with the mold for the statue.

The casting process began with four Monks ascending and sitting in the lotus position on the large elevated rattan thrones laced in each corner of the casting area.  A small portion of the statue - the flame usnisa which is placed on top of the statue's head  to signify Buddha's enlightenment was cast with the assistance of the ranking dignitaries.  I assume that the small casting was the flame usnisa based upon the shape of the mold.  Of course my analysis is presupposed upon the notion that you can judge or at least determine a casting by its mold unlike not judging a book by its cover. The casting proceeded with the rhythmic and somewhat hypnotic chanting of the Monks filling the air.  Their voices disappearing into the late afternoon sky along with the disappearing pillars of grey and white smoke plumes of the casting process.

Casting the Flame Usnisa

The casting of the main part of the statue proceed rapidly and continuously after the formalities of the flame usnisa.  Time and the cooling effects of open air are the enemies of making high quality castings.  Bronze melts at 1,700F and is poured into the hot mold to ensure that it remains free flowing throughout the mold and to prevent is from freezing.

Awaiting the Word to Commence Pouring the Statue

The casting crew manned their work stations - four men at the top pouring platform level, four at the intermediate level, and two people to carry the crucibles from the furnaces to the staging area and from the staging area to the intermediate level.

Under the Thai Buddhist Flag (Dhamakra Flag) and Sai Sins, Workers Top Off the Bronze Pour

After the main pour had been topped off, the dignitaries walked clockwise around the mold tossing offerings of flower petals on the mold.  After the dignitaries had completed their circumambulation, Luang Por Pohm Likit with the assistance from one of the casting crew sprinkled the mold with water  - akin to blessing the mold with holy water but more like transferring the merit of the proceeding ritual with the statue.

After completing the blessing of the cast statue, Luang Por Pohm Likit blessed (transferred merit) the crowd by sprinkling water upon them with a reed brush made specifically for that purpose.  As typically happens, I got a heavy dose of water and three taps to the head - much to the delight of the crowd.  I suspect that this is a sort of Buddhist evangelizing or proselytizing ... they do not try to persuade people to become Buddhists leaving it to individual choice - "up to you" but I suspect a little extra water and three taps (the Buddhist three gems - Buddha, the teaching of Buddha, and the Sanga (Buddhist religious community) are offered as encouragement.

Blessing the Crowd

The ritual was now completed.  I looked at my watch and noted that it was 5:02 P.M.!  It was very fortunately that I had listened to my or whosever voice that I was hearing back at our home.  Well as Duang reminds me "Thailand not same, Amireeka"

As we left the Wat, I stopped by the worker's accommodation and had some fun with the supervisor who I had gotten to know.  I looked at him and pointed at my watch and then at the completed cast statue.  I told him in Thai that I did not understand.  I told him it was 100% at 5:00 P.M. not 0% like he told me.  He instantly knew that I was joking with him.  I told him that I was happy that Buddha told me to go to the Wat at 3:45 P.M. not 5:00 P.M.!

I then had Duang ask him when the plaster mold would be removed from the casting and the statue placed in the sala.  He told us it would be 8:00 A. M. the next morning.  I asked twice to confirm that it was 8:00 A.M. the next morning and not 8:00 P.M. that night or the next night.  I reminded him about his telling me 5:00 P.M. for today's casting when it actually ended up being 4:00 P.M. - "Thailand not same Amireeka".  We all enjoyed a good laugh, said goodbye , and promised to return the next day at 8:00 A.M.

Casting the Wat's New Buddha Statue - Day #1



One of the many signs directing visitors to Wat Ban Maet

The casting of the Buddha statue for the new sala at Wat Ban Maet was a two day event, Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February.

We arrived at the Wat around 9:30 A.M., our typical time for the daily merit making ritual of offering food to Luang Por Pohm Likit and the samanen who also stays at the Wat.

I had not been out to the Wat for about three weeks and was surprised at all the work that had been accomplished during that time.  Two large plots of land off to the side of the new sala had been cleared and leveled for use as parking lots.  Even at the relatively early hour of 9:30 A.M., the lots were fairly well filled with vehicles.

In front of the sala, there was a large area cordoned off with panels constructed from freshly cut bamboo, strings, and pakamas.  Archways that provided access to this impound area were located on the narrow dirt road that runs past the Wat and another archway was opposite the first leading directly to the sala.  The archways were created from tall bamboo poles and very intricate weaving of colored string to create three dimensional shapes.  Offerings of banana stalks, coconuts, turban squashes were placed on the sides of the arches.  Thai flags and the Dharmakra flag (the Thai Buddhist flag) flew from the vertical supports of each panel.  Scallop shell wind chimes were attached to the corner supports.  I am certain that these items were related to ancient Animist beliefs as well as rituals.

I was intrigued by the handcrafted panels that surrounded the casting area.  They reminded me of a combination of large scale macramé and large scale "dream catchers" favored by hippies and new age people back in the USA.  I asked Duang about them.  She said that the crew who were going to cast the Buddha statue had made them and set them up.  She added that some of the people at the Wat had helped to make them.

Security Fence?

Panel with an Origami rosette made from a Pakama

A Design Utilizing Different Diameter Yarns

Tonight, in preparing to write this blog entry, I asked Duang for more detail about these fabric sculptures, dream catchers, macramé or whatever they are.  Duang told me that they were "Sirimohnkhun". 

Many times there are issues in learning and understanding some of the things that I observe here.  The first issue is Thai as well as Lao our tonal languages - for many words there are five different ways to say them and hear them. Each of the five ways of saying the word has completely different and highly unrelated meanings.  For 65 years my world has been basically a monotonic world with only an inflection at the end of a sentence if asking a question. On a good day, a VERY GOOD day I may be able to hear three of the five ways to say a Thai word.

There are often more than one way to spell Thai words, even if you correctly hear them first.  Many tourists as well as resident expats have been confused reading road maps and street signs in Thailand due to different or unique English  translations.

Another issue is Duang not being a native English speaker and she is not able to write English just as can not read or write Thai.  This does not present any major difficulties in our daily life but is an issue when trying to learn and understand cultural differences.

I tried through Google to learn more about "Sirimohnkhun", "Sirimonkun", "Silimongkhun" or was it "Silimonkun"? to no avail.

According to Duang "Sirimohnkhun" are good for lor paht - same same lor paht, lor paht #1 Buddha in Thailand, good luck for people, good for everything"  Now you know as much as I do.

There were many women at the Wat on Saturday.  They were participating in a two night religious retreat.  Duang participated in three of them during the past Vassa, Buddhist Rain Retreat.  During the religious retreat the women listen to religious sermons and readings by the Monks.  The women also do a great deal of chanting day and night.  The woman are supposed to stay awake the entire period but many end up falling asleep in their little tents that are meant for resting and meditating.

The women, known as "chi pohm" during the retreat, followed the Monks for the Tak Bart ritual.  Lay people, family and friends offered them food for their one meal of the day.

A Chi Pohm Accepts A Food Offering

After eating their meal, the chi pohm returned to the old sala to chant and participate in rituals lead by the Monks.  Other women, dressed in white for the serious nature of the day, busied themselves preparing for the next day's activities.

Women Making Centerpieces for the Next Day's Rituals

Hand Made Baii Sii Kuwan - banana leaves and jasmine buds

Off to the side in the cordoned off area, there was a pavilion where tables and chairs had been set up.  Men sat at the table selling gold for casting the statue.  There were ingots of various weights on sale for 200, 300, 500, and 1,000 baht ($30.00 USD).  People paid for the metal and their name and the amount of their donation was recorded in a ledger - just as is done for weddings, funerals, monk ordinations, tambon roy wan (death anniversary) and special fund raising events at the Wats.

I went up to the tables to check out the gold.  I lifted up the ingots and was fairly certain that they were not gold.  The ingots were not as heavy as lead ingots of roughly the same size that I was familiar with.  I am also familiar with gold ingots fresh out of the smelter from my construction engineering career.  I then banged a couple of the ingots together and created a high pitched ping sound rather than the expected low bass thud of gold.  I was now convinced that the metal was not gold but more likely some type of copper alloy.  It then occurred to me that the casting metal was actually bronze - 90% copper and 10% tin with will create a "gold color" statue for a great deal less money.

Next to the metal desk, there was a tree which had many thin rectangles of gold and silver dangling in the breeze.  The thin metal disks, copper and tin, were embossed with writing and symbols.  People paid a small amount for each piece.  They removed the piece of their choice and used one of three available 16d nails to write their name, and birth date, number- month- year, on the metal.  Some people were not able to write, so a local man who is a policeman took the information from their national ID card and wrote it for them

Once a piece was completed, it was returned to the tree.  The next day, the completed pieces would be melted with the ingots to bring good luck and fortune to the donor.

Completed Metal Offerings

In the center of the casting area, a temporary furnace was blazing.  The mold for the Buddha statue had been placed upside down with the furnace built around it.  A large wood fueled fire was maintained in the furnace to cure the mold and drive out all moisture prior to casting the next day.

Temporary Furnace Blazing Away

Statue Mold Inside of Furnace

Off to the side of the furnace there were two smaller furnaces set up with crucibles inside of them for melting the ... bronze ingots.  These furnaces would be fuelled by lump charcoal with forced draft created by electrical fans.

Crucibles with some Metal Offerings

Crucibles Loaded For Melting the Next Day

We returned to our home at 5:30 P.M. to rest, sleep and prepare to return the next morning for the big pour and ceremony.