My first impressions of Thailand were… there are lots of cars; therefore, there are lots of very nice gas stations, they love bright colored double decker busses and trucks, they actually follow some traffic patterns, there is no loud honking, and it smells bad. Now they have changed to… no they haven’t really changed. My first impressions of Kanchanaburi were…made in the dark back when I arrived the first time in December. It was cold, which made me think I was about to be miserable for a month. I could not see much, so I figured we were really out in the middle of nowhere. There were many birds and goats and they were making a lot of loud noises, so that meant no sleep. However, I do remember looking up and seeing the stars and think how beautiful. Now they have changed to… I love our village in the jungle. True it was miserable at times to be cold, but luckily that didn’t last all day. The animals (mostly the geese and some other annoying wild bird) did keep you awake at night; however, the scenery, sunset, and stars made up for all the bad.
The weather here… has been all over the place. From as low as 9°C (48°F) at night to 28°C (82°F) during the day. It is dry season and that means absolutely no rain, which was not so bad. For the most part the weather was very nice during the day and I enjoyed the beautiful sunsets every evening.
The best thing I ate was… pretty much anything that Maw made. She and Paw owned a restaurant before moving to the jungle with Pang. Needless to say she is a great cook. No recipes needed.
What satisfied me the most? So many things satisfied me this month. The beautiful scenery – especially the sunsets – reminded me constantly of all the beautiful things that the Lord has created for us to enjoy here on Earth. The relationships I was able to have with our amazing host family will never be forgotten. They truly blessed my life and filled me with such joy for the Lord.
What frustrated me the most? Truthfully, not much frustrated me this month, but if I had to pick something it would be the pure exhaustion I felt about half way through the month. We got up around 7:30 and went to bed around 10:30, but we went non-stop during our waking hours. I have so much more respect now for farmers and all that it requires to run a farm.
I see God at work here… in Pang and her family. Pang and Arun moved their family (Pang’s mom and dad) to Baan Ton Ma Muang (village) about 10 years ago to reach the community in the jungle with the gospel. They have gone through many struggles in the past ten years, but I am seeing the fruit of their labor. The community believed many bad things about them at first because they were not working like most people in the village (because they have supporters through YWAM). However, over the years they have kept their faith and believed that God would change the hearts of the people in the village. Arun is now running a very nice sized farm and working with many of the locals to help sell their crops. Through this work they have begun a small church that meets in their house every Sunday evening. Pang coaches a group of girls in volleyball and is able to mentor them in Christ’s love every week. God is changing things in this beautiful jungle village…He is changing their hearts.
If a friend travels here they must… first visit Pang and the family. Have Maw fix you dinner and watch the amazing sunset behind the mountains. Then while still in Kanchanaburi province visit the Erawan National Park and Waterfall. There are seven levels and they are all worth the hike. Wear your bathing suit, jump in at every level (beware the water is like ice), and make sure to go down the rock-slide on level four. If you are a World War II history buff visit the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum and The Bridge over the River Kwae. They both have to do with the Burma – Thailand Railroad that the Japanese built in World War II. These are both very interesting and beautiful places. Now, whether you are in Kanchanaburi or Chiang Mai, you should make sure to ride on an elephant and pet a tiger.
