Thai'ing one on
Forgive the word play, couldn't help myself! I've just reread my previous blog entries and send apologies for repetition. It's hard to go back and forth here on the old 28k dial up. I don't think I've done the trip justice, so I'm going to fill in a few blanks.
1. Where I stayed - The Tip Chang Hotel.
This is where the team was put up for the build. Listed in The Lonely Planet as "one of the more modern hotels in Lampang" a description we all found pretty hilarious. In fact, we used "Tip Chang" as our own adjective, such as "looking a little Tip Chang there". Indeed, bedbugs and micro-ants were our roommates. The rooms blatantly advertised mold, peepholes in the walls and curious dark hallways, but considering that I truly thought I'd be sleeping on a dirt floor, it was luxurious. Every morning at 7:AM we met for a breakfast of various meats, rice and croissant. Oddly, the croissant was quite good. The hotel also was home to "The Dizzy Disco" which thumped throughout the entire building until 5:30 AM. We finally got them to turn off the music when the club closed at 2:AM, much to the consternation of the staff that had to man the desk 24 /7. Another club was hidden in the basement, I didn't investigate.
2. Our Driver. Yo Yo, constantly upbeat and a Habitat homeowner himself. What a joy to meet each morning with that smiling face. He would pull up in the Song Tel and take us out into the villages of the Lampang province and then pitch right in with us mixing motor and laying blocks. One by one, he tried to teach us a very popular children's tune - the "elephant song" which goes something like Chang! Chang! Chang! something something lu- bow. I'm sure Brian & Christine know it. I will certainly miss Yo Yo. He was one wonderful spirit.
3. Cement This!
I think I mixed about three thousand tons of cement, gravel and sand and laid about four thousand blocks. Antonio would be proud.
P.S. This does not mean I will build your retaining wall for you.
Indeed, we ended up completing 75% of the 100th house. Everyone involved was very moved. You don't realize what an accomplishment you've contributed to until you actually give the house over to the owners. For ten days, you're mixing and shovelling and carrying and scraping and filling in floors and of course you see the progress day by day, but it doesn't carry any emotional weight until you hear the stories from their own lips and watch them take possession of the house in front of their extended family & neighbors. Both families asked that we sign our names on a cement plaque by the front door with a peaceful, joyful wish inscribed in Thai.
3. Lampang.
I didn't get a good sense of the city we camped out in since the Song Tel does not really have any windows, but rather slats between the roof and seats. Exhaustion hits you at the end of the day, especially when everybody is covered in sweat, dirt, cement, bug repellent and sunblock. By the time showers were had, it was dark and we were off to a team dinner. There are night markets everywhere. That is something I will also attribute to Thailand. Similar to the Grand Central Market or the Flower Market, (better yet, picture a supermarket covered by large cafe umbrellas), these enclaves are open early in the morning or at night and sell anything from Palm Bugs (yes to eat) to clothing boasting strange epithets (such as "Kangaroo Make Money!") to puppies, ice cream, knock off Levis and tons and tons of food, fresh or cooked right there. There is the most amazing kinds of fruit, my favorite being either mangostein or dragonfruit or pomelos. I want to grow them at Oak Grove! Dogs and cats run freely everywhere. When I asked about that situation, I was told that they lead peaceful lives. Hmmm. The streets are filled with mini-motorcycles that storm towards you like schools of bass. Although there are just as many pedestrians, I still haven't figured out how best to cross the road. You just sort of jump out when there's a space. Jaywalking in New York is MUCH easier, believe me.
4. Spirit Houses. Everywhere, people have spirit houses and they can range to the most outrageous to the simplest construction of plywood and left-over corrugated tin. Inside, you'll find icons, but also food and sodapop and the remains of burnt incense. Someone correct me if I get this wrong, but I believe the spirit houses are posted in front of people's houses so that ancestors can have a place to visit without actually inhabiting the house. I really like that practice and Boots, our team leader's wife, asked if I would be interested in a "spirit house import" partnership. Could work. Could add it to my roster of careers to come!
5. Butterflies and spiders! There are so many colorful species and huge too! I remember reading in "Love in the Time of Cholera", which takes place on an entirely different continent, about a character whose spirit left clouds of yellow butterflies whenever she was present. I saw that at the Elephant Conservation Center. Clouds of yellow butterflies, it was truly magical. And huge, white catapillars (about 1 inch thick by 8 inches long - don't ask me metric conversions please) destined to be the most gorgeous flying creatures. I wished I could be there when their cocoons burst open. Everytime I saw a spider, it was bigger than the last time and streaked with yellows, blacks, reds and long, dainty legs. Webs would span across the little stream by House 98. How is it that webs can be so strong and capture such grace and shimmers of sunlight?
Signing off and more to come later on Bangkok and the Center when I'm a little more awake. I've spent the last two days by the pool or the ocean lazily flipping through old New Yorkers and jotting down observations in my journal to share with you!
1. Where I stayed - The Tip Chang Hotel.
This is where the team was put up for the build. Listed in The Lonely Planet as "one of the more modern hotels in Lampang" a description we all found pretty hilarious. In fact, we used "Tip Chang" as our own adjective, such as "looking a little Tip Chang there". Indeed, bedbugs and micro-ants were our roommates. The rooms blatantly advertised mold, peepholes in the walls and curious dark hallways, but considering that I truly thought I'd be sleeping on a dirt floor, it was luxurious. Every morning at 7:AM we met for a breakfast of various meats, rice and croissant. Oddly, the croissant was quite good. The hotel also was home to "The Dizzy Disco" which thumped throughout the entire building until 5:30 AM. We finally got them to turn off the music when the club closed at 2:AM, much to the consternation of the staff that had to man the desk 24 /7. Another club was hidden in the basement, I didn't investigate.
2. Our Driver. Yo Yo, constantly upbeat and a Habitat homeowner himself. What a joy to meet each morning with that smiling face. He would pull up in the Song Tel and take us out into the villages of the Lampang province and then pitch right in with us mixing motor and laying blocks. One by one, he tried to teach us a very popular children's tune - the "elephant song" which goes something like Chang! Chang! Chang! something something lu- bow. I'm sure Brian & Christine know it. I will certainly miss Yo Yo. He was one wonderful spirit.
3. Cement This!
I think I mixed about three thousand tons of cement, gravel and sand and laid about four thousand blocks. Antonio would be proud.
P.S. This does not mean I will build your retaining wall for you.
Indeed, we ended up completing 75% of the 100th house. Everyone involved was very moved. You don't realize what an accomplishment you've contributed to until you actually give the house over to the owners. For ten days, you're mixing and shovelling and carrying and scraping and filling in floors and of course you see the progress day by day, but it doesn't carry any emotional weight until you hear the stories from their own lips and watch them take possession of the house in front of their extended family & neighbors. Both families asked that we sign our names on a cement plaque by the front door with a peaceful, joyful wish inscribed in Thai.
3. Lampang.
I didn't get a good sense of the city we camped out in since the Song Tel does not really have any windows, but rather slats between the roof and seats. Exhaustion hits you at the end of the day, especially when everybody is covered in sweat, dirt, cement, bug repellent and sunblock. By the time showers were had, it was dark and we were off to a team dinner. There are night markets everywhere. That is something I will also attribute to Thailand. Similar to the Grand Central Market or the Flower Market, (better yet, picture a supermarket covered by large cafe umbrellas), these enclaves are open early in the morning or at night and sell anything from Palm Bugs (yes to eat) to clothing boasting strange epithets (such as "Kangaroo Make Money!") to puppies, ice cream, knock off Levis and tons and tons of food, fresh or cooked right there. There is the most amazing kinds of fruit, my favorite being either mangostein or dragonfruit or pomelos. I want to grow them at Oak Grove! Dogs and cats run freely everywhere. When I asked about that situation, I was told that they lead peaceful lives. Hmmm. The streets are filled with mini-motorcycles that storm towards you like schools of bass. Although there are just as many pedestrians, I still haven't figured out how best to cross the road. You just sort of jump out when there's a space. Jaywalking in New York is MUCH easier, believe me.
4. Spirit Houses. Everywhere, people have spirit houses and they can range to the most outrageous to the simplest construction of plywood and left-over corrugated tin. Inside, you'll find icons, but also food and sodapop and the remains of burnt incense. Someone correct me if I get this wrong, but I believe the spirit houses are posted in front of people's houses so that ancestors can have a place to visit without actually inhabiting the house. I really like that practice and Boots, our team leader's wife, asked if I would be interested in a "spirit house import" partnership. Could work. Could add it to my roster of careers to come!
5. Butterflies and spiders! There are so many colorful species and huge too! I remember reading in "Love in the Time of Cholera", which takes place on an entirely different continent, about a character whose spirit left clouds of yellow butterflies whenever she was present. I saw that at the Elephant Conservation Center. Clouds of yellow butterflies, it was truly magical. And huge, white catapillars (about 1 inch thick by 8 inches long - don't ask me metric conversions please) destined to be the most gorgeous flying creatures. I wished I could be there when their cocoons burst open. Everytime I saw a spider, it was bigger than the last time and streaked with yellows, blacks, reds and long, dainty legs. Webs would span across the little stream by House 98. How is it that webs can be so strong and capture such grace and shimmers of sunlight?
Signing off and more to come later on Bangkok and the Center when I'm a little more awake. I've spent the last two days by the pool or the ocean lazily flipping through old New Yorkers and jotting down observations in my journal to share with you!
posted by katsninelives at 9:34 PM
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