I am sitting under the protection of a pink mosquito net as sweat drips down the back of my neck and I listen to the sounds of bugs and Thai radio. This morning we left the guest house and drove outside of the city. Nicely paved roads took us through jutting mountains of green for about an hour until we reached Chiang Dao. We stopped for a lunch of fried rice and my new favorite drink, Thai Iced Tea. After lunch we visited Chiang Dao cave where we paid about 75 cents for “electricity”. Farangs (foreigners) paid 75 cents while Thai people only paid about 25 cents.
Once inside the cave we walked down a flight of stairs to a room where figures of dragons and other various statues were carved into the rock walls. Buddha statues were adorned with offerings of candles and flowers.
Further along in the cave we paid for two guides to take us through the rest of the cave with lanterns giving off nocuous gas fumes. We climbed stairs, crawled through holes, and squeezed through spaces to go from one room to the next.
Each of the rooms varied in size and had diverse formations. The guides pointed out formations named for being similar in appearance to a giant chicken, a flower, an elephant lung, and a fried egg.
At the end of the tour we made our way toward the exit where we found yet another room filled with Buddha statues and a board of lucky numbers. In this room we sat and prayed for the people of Thailand and those worshiping Buddha.
From the cave we drove about 25 minutes on winding curving roads into the jungle. Ray explained that the government no longer allows anyone to cut down trees, because about 10 years ago the jungle was stripped by people wanting to build houses. I was surprised to hear this as I looked out into the dense vegetation. Finally we arrived at a wooden house built on stilts that serves as the home of Ra Pi’s (the pastor’s wife) parents. Pastor and his wife hurried into the house as we walked around to check out the church. Tomorrow we will work on fixing the ceiling in the cement block church.
Tana and I were taken to the home where we will stay for the next few days. The house is also built on stilts and sits about 12 feet off the ground.
The wooden boards bend and creak as I walk on the floor, so I try to walk where I see support beams below.
Pastor and Ra Pi spend a great deal of time going into hill tribe villages to put in sewage and irrigation systems. Because of this the outhouse has a flushing toilet. The toilet is not a Western style toilet, so in order to use it you stand on the sides and squat. It’s amazing to have a flushing system in this rural area.
The heat and humidity was very intense as Tana and I settled in that sweat was dripping off my skin. Ra Pi encouraged us to take a rest until dinner and because we had very little energy we agreed. Our dinner was served in Ra Pi’s parents’ home. We took our shoes off and sat on the wooden board floor around a meal of fried rice, soup, dragon fruit, avocado, and coffee. It was delicious, but my knees got sore from sitting with crossed legs (It is rude to sit with legs pointed in the direction of someone). After dinner we talked as a TV hooked up to a satellite dish flipped through news, Thai soap operas, and American broadcasts. Ryan commented, “Just like the US, after dinner everyone gathers around the TV.” The only difference was our setting: no furniture, no windows, no doors, just a roof and a floor.
When a picture of the Thai king appeared on the screen Ray explained that the king is 80 years old. The Thai people don’t talk about what will happen when he passes away, because it would be disrespectful and they want their king to live a long life. The current king does a great job of mediating between the different political parties and has the respect of the Thai people, because his actions show that he cares for his country. His son would be next in line for the throne, but does not have the respect of the Thai people. Many people do not trust he has Thailand’s best interest at heart, because of his wild lifestyle in the past. On the other hand the daughter of the king has shown goodwill towards all Thai people and would be a very good Queen. Unfortunately Thai law would not allow her to rule. Ray is praying that the law will be changed, so that Thailand can continue to improve. It will be interesting to watch the events unfold in Thailand in the next decade or two.
