Our Backyard

Directly behind our house is the edge of a beautifully manicured golf course, but beyond that is this rougher back country where we love to run & bike. A little lake lures me to use its surrounding path as a track where I (try to) do sprint workouts... darn heat

Love passing this point... lots of birds, white cranes usually rest here, but I scared all away today

Flora surprisingly survives the dry season. This winter I showed my deaf school teachers a picture of our woods in winter. "What flowers in the snow?" they asked. Their jaws seriously dropped when I told them we really have no flowers between November and March in Michigan. They gave me a sad, "Oh, you poor person," look like I probably give upon seeing "poor" situations here

Pineapple fields

Pineapple flower

Passing the parking lot for golf course workers... often a cart sits here selling pineapple, fruit & morning breakfast to arriving caddies & gardeners

On past the perfectly groomed practice putts

Old driving range. I don't typically see anyone here, it's super quiet and my hideaway. Every place I have ever lived has some enchanted spot in the neighborhood where I go to get away

Wish this path wasn't paved. Coming down the mountain reminds of Lake Michigan's wooded dunes, with billowing grasses & fallen leaves. I saw a squirrel skitter across path yesterday. I see maybe one a month, little ones... heat & snakes (?) keep numbers in a different order from back home where bushy tails multiply faster

Back on the golf course... this sculpture always reminds of my beautiful & lovely snister, Christer

Hot season pushes out spring blossoms as do spring rains back home, but no "spring" here. It's just a section on the calendar. 3 seasons in Thailand: hot, very hot, and rainy hot. I can dream & this reminds me of spring

                            

Sprinkler gusto

Another extremely common form of irrigation here... people powered

One eye on the trees, another on the ground... last night my footstrike nearly came down on this snake while Rob & I were jogging. Startled me leapt right into his path (startling, but not befuddling Rob's focus, as he set a new PR on his weekend route. Congrats, dear). Seemed a motorbike ran over part of spine, couldn't tell if dead or alive, kept running, but its head was large triangular shape of green pit viper, body mostly intact, fresh, plump, hydrated. I came back with camera 12 hours later this morning and it's the shriveled thing I've been seeing every few days on my bikes & runs. Hardly saw any until a month ago. I hear it's snake mating season

Hardly any rain since last November

Inspiration for someday if we build that little place up North

Back to our reality & privilege to live on this side of the mountain

Others have asked this question... Why are some blessed with one shape of mountain and others one from a seemingly different architect? Wishing you peace today, Khun Mayuri, with your mountain.

Mayuri

Mayuri, and her daughter... at their home outside of Khon Kaen during Christmas break  

In 2003 her husband was fatally shot by a gunman in their own yard while speaking mid-sentence with her as she stepped into their home.  He left behind an elementary age son & an infant daughter.  And a longstanding problem, unresolved.

We were first introduced to Mayuri in the year after Riley was born.  The tragedy had just happened, and Rob's professor at KKU let the network of former students know of the ugly goings-on in their previous northeast Thai region home... care packages, donations were welcome... the horrid plight was worthy of attention & more. Having an infant daughter nearly the same age, we connected at once with the news & sent support packages, but could never grasp her reality.

Mayuri and her husband were farmers.  She still owns and lives in the house where the evil event took place, a small, rural chunk of land 30 minutes from Khon Kaen. It sits on a quiet dirt road with a dozen or so neighbor homes within sight, forming a little, scattered farming community. Mayuri and her aging mother now operate a tiny convenience shop out of the house.  The morning we visited, two people stopped to buy cold drinks.

Mayuri shared details that pretty closely resemble those of the attached article. Please read for yourself at www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/74/Thailand.html

Almost 7 years later, she continues to farm, unsuccessfully on land adjacent to her current home and more fruitfully on land she owns some distance away. But distance has its disadvantages. The paper company tied to the murder has since changed ownership, and has only slightly cleaned up... its image mostly.  Making paper the bright white we desire is a dirty, nasty process.  Pollutants are still pouring into the community's soil, as all of the area farmers continue to struggle growing rice & crops. The area is well suited for rice, as rainwater & run-off pools in ways conducive for growing the crop.  But now corporate contaminates pool with the rains where rice should grow. The paper company has bought & planted tapioca trees in these fields... about the only thing hardy enough to now grow in the tainted area.  But the locals want to grow what they want to grow.  And know that their drinking water is safe.  And that their livestock are not grazing from the polluted earth. 

While Mayuri explained these things through Professor Dave's translation in that quiet, country mourning, the clunking of cow bells grew... closer & closer.  A small herd of 10 or 12 were led by a neighbor along a path just a few feet behind us. Could have just about leaned over to pet them while they plodded by, I'm kind of surprised Riley did not try. The noise as they passed almost made Mayuri's words inaudible, but she kept right on talking through the commotion.  Life goes on, even disturbed.  

We did not meet her son, he was out.  Her daughter was extremely shy, and did not seem happy at all that we were there.  She had to have heard some of our conversations & known the reason for our visit.  I feel bad for upsetting her morning. Then I curse the ones at fault.  We ask Mayuri how the kids are doing, and she says fine.  Her son still has a few years left in secondary school, and would like to take up a trade & make things.  I wonder if they will be able to make that happen for him.

I also wonder if the spot where we were sitting...  a blue tiled floor on a shaded outdoor gathering area... was the spot where her husband's life & dreams ended.

Since her husband's death, progress on the area's conservation front has gone from slow to slower.  There are governmental agencies that are supposed to monitor pollution, field complaints, and look out for citizens. Such agencies are mostly on a regional level, and there is disparity between regions.  In a country where the average monthly wage is about $300 US, it doesn't take much for a company to pay an official to look the other way.  Or hire a gunman.  Since the murder, neighbors have been too scared to speak out.  A few have sold bits of land to the paper company for a joke of a price.  The rest are stuck there because nobody wants the land and it is worth nothing.

That is Mayuri's situation.  I asked if she had the ability to move, would she do so & start over somewhere else? Or is she so attached to this place where her husband died & where she has known neighbors for so long, that she would stay?  She said she would like to move, but it is not a possibility. 

I'm writing this all as Rob works late into the night, almost 11pm and still not home. Very unusual to be this late.  I won't complain, he will come home. 

World Water Day was celebrated just a couple days ago.  Reading different accounts about the lengths people go to for clean water reminded me of Mayuri. Many things that I now encounter do.  I think of her often and wanted to share her with you.

Monday

At first glance I thought it had worms, but no, just seeds sprouting inside. Heat?

Our baby is excited to turn 8 with a water slide party on the ocean. I don't remember my 8th birthday, wonder if she will

Great family evening playing Marco Polo Saturday under the crescent moon, and then HSM3 sucked them in

Petronas Towers... view from Rob's hotel, Kuala Lumpur

This and the meeting room were all he saw last week in Malaysia. 

Just saved the laundry from a downpour & it's now drying under the air con in our dining room. But I'm loving this rainy Monday afternoon.  RIP Karen Carpenter.

6 Months

Today marks 6 months in Thailand for us girls.  Cheers! 

Tidbits

Family favorite Sukiyaki

                           

Allie's tiniest gecko find so far, found skittering across living room

Girls get a kick out of all the fun restroom signs we see

And the motorbike riding pups

                           

Love our weekend mornings

Sent boxes of games here, yet they love making their own & having crazy fun with simple trinkets, rocks, or here, speedpass balls. They got lost in their game for a good half hour while I made dinner... love!

               

Also love playing with orphanage babies

This little one has taken a liking to Ry. Girls have shortened school day on Wednesday, so Ry does a quick swim lesson after school and then we come here for an hour or two

Orphanage has been a great place for our family. Girls are now comfortable roaming the campus a bit and Ry can visit playground w/ preschoolers if she's had enough baby time. School age kids are off-campus at schools on Wed afternoons, so most of our time is with the babes... don't need Thai language to help them

Allie wants us to adopt this little girl. She is her absolute favorite, and they've developed a sweet little bond

Newborn nursery set up for 8, but busy now with 13 & always prepared for a new drop off. Paid staff helps newborns and we help with roughly 8 months & up. Since Christmas there has been an influx of newborns

Peace!

Koh Samet

Drove an hour Saturday morning to the pier at Ban Phe

Ferried 20 minutes to Koh Samet

We've been on several recent boat rides and Allie has been a nervous wreck each time.  If we were to sink, our state medalist swimmer would likely have best chance of entire boat load at surviving. She reports fear of sharks & jellyfish should she go over, as she hasn't forgotten nasty jellyfish that got her on Corsica

Island getaway that felt of a weekend back home heading up north

15 minute ride in back of a pick-up on unimproved roads from island pier to the beach resort we picked out of Lonely Planet guide. Like a roller coaster ride with bumps, hills, and laughs galore

Drop off point 20m from ocean

Found the little girls room

Then lunch

After lunch Allie's foot immediately discovered coral in the turquoise waves. Not bad, but she bled all over the beach for quite a while. Glad it settled down fine. We were a bit remote & wouldn't want to need real medical attention in this place

Bumming

Building

Voila!  Little did she know her creation closely resembles shape of Koh Samet. We stayed just south of her shadow hand touching island. Scampering stray pups kept knocking down her efforts. White silky sand beaches compete with Lake Mich, but Mitten sand wins in our book, as Thai is very sticky. Played in water all afternoon, wonderful, as it was 100 degrees air temp. Never saw a jelly fish

Every once in a while someone walks buy selling something

Only vacant bungalow for 4 we could find on short notice, about 75m from waterfront.... upper peninsula 1960's motel charm & no air con

No vacancy in the updated bungalows. Great locale, and we will return.... girls want to come back every weekend

In transit to the island, Ry proclaimed as if a grown woman desiring margarita, "I need a pineapple drink once we arrive," and she doesn't even like pineapple

My dinner, girls were intrigued by the teeth

Poor Allie cannot yet tolerate much heat in her food, so Rob is trying to toughen her chops. He talked her into putting peppers on her noodles... too hot... Ry asked to try a bite and then said, "It's not spicy at all," shocking Al that her little sis can tolerate more heat than she can

Girls cartwheeled down the beach outside restaurant while awaiting...

... beachside thai massages just down from our table. Ocean is about 20 feet from their heads, girls were in heaven 

Rob too... only $12 total for hour & half massages for kids while we finished dinner & drinks 

Just before 7am

Swam to the raft multiple times & played on it all Saturday afternoon. Tide was out so it wasn't such a trek

Monks making morning collections along beach

Lucky pup

Lucky girls, and a little sleepy-eyed

We were reminded why "tropical island" & "paradise" are typically used in same sentence.... wow, what a great weekend away!  If we can't snowboard hills, might as well hop to an island for some waves.  Easy to get to, kids love it, inexpensive. Rob visited Koh Samet when he studied here in '96. He got the worst sunburn of his life and extremely sick, yet for 14 years I heard about its beautiful white sand and how we would visit someday. Saturday was that day. At times I still can't quite believe we made it to Thailand. Then I watch a monk walk a silken beach at sunrise, and I see the evidential truth.