Some Final Pics

Well, as much as it hurts, this is my final day in Thailand on this trip.  This evening will be the annual Christmas celebration for Young Leaders Group and as soon as it is over, I head to the airport.  I will add some photos from YLG when I get back to the States, but for now I will wrap up with some random photos of life in Thailand that didn't find a home in my other posts.  Thanks for sharing in these adventures with me.  I hope it has been interesting....

Upcountry version of a school bus.

Granted this load is just styrofoam boxes, but this is not photoshopped.  Huge loads on pickups are a very familiar sight here.

This is where the nickname comes from.  In the US, my nickname has been "C" for as long as I can remember.  Here, it quickly became Big C.  Thailand has no WalMart.  They have Big C.

Light posts in Kanchanaburi

Roadside decorations in Kanchanaburi.

My dinner last night.  Bpla-tu, or mackeral.  Steamed and served whole like this.  Delicious!

My beloved ba-mi, egg noodles served roadside throughout Thailand.  How I wish there were noodle vendors in the US!

Bridge going back into Bangkok.  Thanks for sharing my journeys with me!

Kanchanaburi

My last big adventure on this journey home was a trip to Kanchanaburi with my great friends Vee and Seth.  V, you will remember, is the assistant pastor of my church here in Bangkok and Seth is one of the best friends I have ever had, and is the young man who assumed my role in guiding the Young Leaders Group.  We went to Kanachanburi to meet with another friend and member of Immanuel Baptist, who has been going through a tough time and has been staying with family there.

Kanachanburi is best known as the home of the Bridge on the River Kwai.  A large number of American and other allied prisoners of war were forced to work on construction of a railroad by the Japanese army during World War II in the area.  Many lost their lives and are buried in a military cemetery in the city of Kanchanaburi.  This trip, though, I got no photos of the bridge or cemetery.

Its about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of Bangkok, and we stopped on the way at a floating market and had guay jub for breakfast,  I can't explain how much I love guay jub.  It is a more traditional Chinese dish and pretty hard to find in Bangkok

Wide rolled noodles in a rich broth with a boiled egg, fried squares of tofu, squares of congealed blood (also called blood jelly), pieces of crispy pork and pork entrails.  It may sound intimidating to my American friends, but this stuff is really REALLY good!  

We met with our friend Noom at the home of his mother and sister.  We just wanted to drop in and encourage him.  He was very happy to see us.

We went to a local shop for lunch.  Everyone else had rice and muu dang (red pork), but I opted for ba-mi... egg noddles with chunks of pork and small meat balls.

Leaving Kanachanaburi, we stopped at Sai Yok Yai waterfall.  Vee loves waterfalls more than anyone I know, and there are a lot of them in Thailand.

Standing on a bridge overlooking a community that lives along the river.

Its a beautiful country.

We finished the day by stopping to visit with a man I met a year ago.  Jack was injured nine years ago in a car accident, which left him with no use of his legs and very little ability to use his arms and hands.  Still, he has a wonderful attitude and outlook on life.  He and his brother and mother raise rare tropical fish and sell them.  He makes a pretty good living at it.  He loves getting visitors but he always encourages me more than I do him!

One of Jack's fish.

The Saddest, Most Beautiful Place In Thailand (Maybe the world)

One of my favorite places to visit in Thailand is Ayutthaya. I have long said it is one of the saddest places I have ever seen, because the ruins there stand as a lasting reminder of the glory of its past and of the horrible toll of war and hate.

I have been to Ayutthaya many times, but wanted to come again after seeing this from my airplane window on my return from Chiang Mai.  I looked down and recognized Ayutthaya because it has the unique characteristic of being completely surrounded by water.  The mighty Chao Praya river runs to its east and feeder streams run just north and south of the river,  The western portion was man made to complete the surrounding of the capital city by water, which, it was believed, would make them invulnerable to attack.  Anyway, seeing her from above, I wanted to visit Ayutthaya one more time, so I arranged to do a day trip with New on Tuesday.

The Ayutthaya kingdom existed from the mid 1300's until its destruction at the hands of the Burmese army in 1767.  At its height, it controlled most of what is now central and parts of northern Thailand, along with parts of what is now Myanmar and Cambodia.  Ayutthaya welcomed foreigners and traded freely with other countries, including those of Europe.  It rivaled the capitals of Europe in population and power.  Sights like the rows of Buddhas lining temple walls were common.

Bhuddas line the walls at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

For making a fair sized donation, you can spread a robe across the reclining Bhudda at Wat Yai CHai Mongkhon.  New was happy to get to do this.

The ruined remains of Wat Phra Si Sanphet.  In 1767, the Burmese army laid siege to Ayutthaya. After 14 months, the kingdom gave in and the Burmese army burned and destroyed most of the city.  The glittering gold gave way to this....  These ruins fill the old city.  Some years later, Taksin the Great would re-gather the Siamese people and establish a new capital in Thonburi, just across the river from what is now Bangkok,  

Rows of Bhuddas, must like those in Wat Yai Chai, but these have all been beheaded.  It's just heart wrenching.

The famous Buddah in the tree.  Roots of the tree grew to surround it.  Today this is one of the most photographed places in Thailand.

If I could ask everyone to do one thing while in Thailand, it would be to visit Ayutthaya.  In one day, you capture so much of the history and culture of this wonderful country. 

Bang Pa-In Palace

Tuesday's adventure was a trip with New to one of my favorite places ever, Ayutthaya.  More about the history of the beautiful place in the next post, but the first stop was my third or fourth visit to Bang Pa-In palace, a stunning combination of Thai, Chinese, and European influences in a palace built for King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V.  I can't take enough photos to capture the real beauty of this place, but here are a few to give some small idea...

This visitor's hall is filled with obvious Chinese influence and intricate craftsmanship.

Although seldom used for official affairs, it IS still a palace and as such, has a military guard.

King Rama V's wife and her infant son were drowned in a tragic accident in the late 1800's.  Each year, a flotilla transported her to the palace here from Bangkok and a few month's later, back downstream.  During one of these events, her boat struck a sunken structure that capsized it and they lost their lives.  In his grief, Rama V ordered this memorial raised in her honor with one side engraved in Thai and the other in English,

Diamond Grace

Monday's adventure was a trip with my friend Vee, assistant pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, to Kamphaeng Phet province, about four hours north and west of Bangkok, to visit Q.  Q was an intern at Immanuel while finishing seminary, and three years ago, he moved upcountry to start a new church, Diamond Grace Church.  Vee thought it would be a good thing to do a quick road trip up to encourage him.  He was right.

With Ahjan (pastor or teacher) Q.

People from churches all over central Thailand joined in helping build this terrific new building.  Diamond Grace Church started with nothing and now on a good Sunday, they have forty people gathering here.

It never fails, ten minutes before we arrive, Vee tells me that Q has sent out word and has a half dozen church members waiting to greet us, and that they expect me to share "a word of encouragement," with them.  Zero time to prepare.  Thanks buddy.  I spoke and Vee translated for me.

We went around visiting members at their homes.

Chatting with church members.

Visiting with a man too sick to make it to church...

A group photo is ALWAYS a must at the end of a visit like this.  lol

Q's oldest daughter, Alpha.

And the youngest... yep, you guessed it, Omega.

A Funeral Fit For a King

The last part of my adventure with Num yesterday was a visit to the Bangkok Museum.  I had been there before, but never went into this building and had no idea it existed... a big building with exhibits showing details of royal funerals.  It was fascinating for me and I was sure many of my American friends would be so happy to see this...

The royal urn is bigger than it may look here.  The body is placed in an urn similar to this (I believe in a seated position) and will remain there until the cremation ceremony.  In the case of King Rama IX, the cremation will take place roughly one year after his passing,  Currently, his urn is in the Royal Throne Hall in the Grand Palace.  Each day, over ten thousand people pass through the Hall and pause before the urn to pay their respects.  His Majesty's urn is gold plated and much more ornate than this one, which is a copy of one used for an earlier queen.

On the day of the cremation, the urn will be carried on a palanquin similar to these to the site of the royal "chariot."  I was told they will have sixty men assigned to help carry this,

The urn is then placed into this chariot,  We were told that this is the exact chariot that will be used, but that it will be totally refinished before then.  The chariot will carry the urn from the Grand Palace to Sanam Luang, a thirty five acre open field just outside the Grand Palace (and just outside the Bangkok Museum.)  Ordinarily, this field is something of a public square, but its primary purpose is that of being the site of royal cremation ceremonies.  The chariot will circle the area three times before the urn is taken from it and placed into the funeral pyre.

This, as noted above, is a model of the funeral pyre for King Rama VI.  Sanam Luang will be closed in the next week or so and for the next ten months, craftsmen will be working on completing the pyre for His Majesty.  Already, the specific trees that will be used to produce the wood have been identified and ceremonies held to bless the trees before cutting them down.  For the craftsmen involved, I am sure this will be the greatest honor of their lives, building this beautiful, ornate structure, to see it burned to the ground,  This pyre, if memory serves, will be enclosed in a larger structure so that the public will not see this part actually burn,

More details are noted in the sign below.  Following the cremation, part of the ashes are interred in the royal cemetery, some are placed in a special building inside the Grand Place grounds, and I believe some may be sent to a wat (Buddhist temple) that was of special significance to the King.

As Num told me, he has NO doubt this will be the biggest ceremony in his nation's history, but it is one he wished was never necessary.