 Karen Girl in Pigtails Late into our last visit to Thailand, I made another trip “up-country” to visit schools deep in the hills of Mae Hong Son. I’ve talked about previous trips (Budding Potentials, Building Better Futures, Schools at the end of the Road, and True Colours) in several previous posts, but I never tire of accompanying the indomitable Susan Race on her visits north to interview study-scholarship recipients and to inspect building projects.
I’m a little slow on posting about this particular trip for a number of reasons: early into day two my brand new camera decided to stop working (this sort of thing happens to me a lot!), so I was limited in the pictures I took; I’ve been on the road constantly since then, and so am distracted by other things; and most importantly, about two years ago, I promised Susan a website, which I still haven’t finished.
Fortunately, Susan is a very patient woman, which explains how, brick-by-brick and student-by-student, she has succeeded, over the last 20+ years, in improving school retention rates for children living in remote Hilltribe villages in several districts within the Mae Hong Son area of Chiang Mai. You can read more about that when I get the website finished! In my defence, I didn’t know the first thing about web-design or web-construction when I made that rash promise, and it has been a long, slow learning process.
There is a small teaser to the site on the sidebar at the right. At the moment, the link effectively goes to a “bookmark” and no further; the rest will happen in the next month or so… Watch this space!
When I have some free time, I do plan to write more about that particular trip and the various projects we visited and the students we met, but in the meantime I will share a few pictures from the first school we visited: Ban Huay Sa Paet School in Chom Thong district, Chiang Mai Province.
When we arrived at the school, the children were all sitting outdoors, on the wide bench around the bodhi tree, practicing their reading.
 Under the bodhi tree in the school yard, Karen children practice their reading together.  On Fridays, children come to school in traditional dress.  Thai is a second language for these children, as they all speak Karen at home. Two Karen girls in their beautifully embroidered hand-woven dresses smile for the visitor. The boys have that impish sparkle in their eyes that says: “Here’s trouble!” Two girls work on their maths problems in the classroom. A young teacher at the school. Behind the school, there is a weaving area – one of the Queen’s projects – where Karen women weave cloth for export to the city. Weaving requires co-ordinating foot pedals with the shuttle on the weft thread. The weaver is pleased to pause for a picture. The children are happy to take time away from their reading to show the visitors around. Boys join us in the weaving room. Before we can leave, Susan Race (centre) has to have her photo taken with other Expat visitors from Bangkok, men from the District Education office, and the students. While gathering sponsorship money to build auxiliary buildings and support children’s educations, Susan has also been building relationships. Everybody in the area knows her – and knows her energy and staying-power. Neither she, nor the teachers she works with, like Kru Apichart, whose new school this is and who is pictured in Schools at the end of the Road, are ‘fly by nights’. All have demonstrated a longterm commitment to improving educational access for Hilltribe children in the remotest of Thai communities.
The perfect man for the job of official photographer: Khru Sunthorn, another of the dedicated teachers who has been part of helping make Susan’s THEP projects work for more than twenty years.  These faces certainly make me feel better on a gloomy day in London!
As does the knowledge that these children, at least, are getting the educational opportunities they deserve.
Enjoy.
Pictures: 25May2012
Posted in Culture,Education,Thailand,TravelTags: blog,children,education,Mae Hong Son,people,Photo Blog,portrait,portraits,rural,thai,Thailand,Thailand Hilltribe Education Projects,THEP,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Blarney Castle grounds and entry tower. “Did you kiss the stone?” my daughter asked me by phone from London.
“No, but I kissed someone who did,” I replied, laughing. “They say that that is the next best thing.”
Now, I could tell you that I didn’t kiss the Blarney Stone because, as I end my second year of Weekly Wanders, I don’t want to add more gab to my postings, but that would be blarney.
Truth is, after exploring the gardens in the pouring rain and working my way around the castle and up the wet and narrow stairways, I couldn’t cope with the idea of removing my hat, glasses, raincoat, umbrella, two cameras and camera bag – all while standing exposed to the wind and rain at the top of the battlements – in order to be suspended upside-down by a gruff man in a raincoat so that I could kiss a rock. My husband, however, was more amenable, and I reckon that was enough for both of us!
I didn’t mind missing out, because – to my mind – the real joy of a visit to Blarney Castle is a walk through the extensive gardens, and taking in the charm of the castle itself. It rained on the day of our visit (as it has just about every day of our stay – Ireland has just finished the wettest June on record), but this only added to my sense that there might just be faeries around the next corner…
It may be summer, but the visitors in the grounds of Blarney Castle, across the River Martin are rugged up in raincoats or huddled under umbrellas. Fir boughs, laden with rain, hang low over a pathway. Rain drops and spider webs cling to delicate plants. Water falls over the Wishing Steps. According to the story, if you walk down the Wishing Steps then backwards up them with your eyes closed, thinking of nothing but your wish, it will be granted. It is easy to imagine flower-fairies living here. This stone is said to be the likeness of the Blarney Witch, who wanders the woods looking for fire wood. The Druid Stones are mossy and over-grown. All that rain is how the island stays “Emerald.” What is left of Blarney Castle (built in 1446) is rather plain on the exterior. Without the benefit of a roof, it is as wet inside Blarney Castle as outside. Moss and ivy grows where the kitchen once operated. On the ramparts, people gather for their kisses. The formal gardens from the ramparts. Hanging from the wet Blarney ramparts to kiss the ancient stone – the ground is far below. Every castle needs a back entry. The paths wind around the castle and back through more gardens. In the still-wet gardens outside the castle, trees from around the world are on show. Tower beside the Blarney River. In the “Poison Garden” there are examples of medicinal plants, including foxglove (digitalis). Ivy grows everywhere. A simple rose climbs the old iron fence.  I didn’t notice any improvement in eloquence from my husband – or indeed myself – but I was entranced by the castle site and left it with pink cheeks and a happy heart.
That is its true gift.
Sláinte! Good health!
Photos: 2012June18
Posted in Architecture,History,Ireland,Nature,TravelTags: architecture,blog,flowers,nature,Photo Blog,ruins,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
With an air of calm, two Buddhas preside over Wat Phra Si Rattana Mah (Wat Phra Prang), Si Satchanalai Thailand is rich with the textures of life and history.
I’ve talked before about our recent visit to Sukhothai, or more properly, the UNESCO-listed “Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns”. One of those “associated towns” is Si Satchanalai (or Sri Satchanalai, depending on whose transliteration you follow).
The trees and rice patties were full of birds as we drove north on country roads. Here, flocks of Asian Openbills perch in the rice fields. Fifty-five kilometres north of Sukhothai along country roads flanked by fields and rice patties, the ancient city of Si Satchanalai on the banks of the River Yom is in a tranquil location. In addition to various ancient wats (temples), the park includes important archaeological sites where some of the world’s earliest celadon kilns have been uncovered and preserved. In the 14C, Si Satchanalai was the biggest ceramic producer in Southeast Asia, exporting its prized Sangkhalok pottery as far afield as Japan, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Old trunk; new growth. Wat Chedi Chet Theao I was struck by the peaceful quiet of the grounds. I am not alone in actually preferring the somewhat understated ruins here to those of the better-known Sukhothai site.
The city and surrounds date back to the 6th century, when the inhabitants were producing tools, beads and terracotta. In the 12th and 13th century, the area was under Khmer control. While this has had little influence on the remaining buildings, the giant fig at Wat Chedi Chet Theao was reminiscent of Ta Phrom at Angkor.
The quiet of a giant ficus. Wat Chedi Chet Theao Smooth growth; rough laterite bricks. Wat Chedi Chet Theao Suggestion of a Buddha, Wat Chedi Chet Theao Visiting monks add life to Wat Chang Lom Many of the ruins date to the rule of King Li Thai (1347-1368) when several buildings were renovated or constructed.
After the death of King Li Thai, the city came under the control of Ayuttaya, before again becoming part of the Sukhothai kingdom in around the 15th century.
Elephants on guard: Wat Chang Lom (Rob) Ruins on the green: Wat Nang Phaya A newly ordained young monk or “nehn” travelling with his elders: Wat Nang Phaya Wat Nang Phaya features laterite blocks decorated with early-Ayutthaya style stucco. Thai temples are full of surprises. We climbed up the hill that houses Wat Khao Phanom Phloeng and Wat Khau Suwan Khiri to be assailed by a cacophony of chittering and the ripe smell of too many animals in one place. I thought it was monkeys or bats, until I looked to the tree-tops to find them full of water-birds: herons, egrets and stork – all squabbling for perching and nesting spaces.
Tree-tops full of cattle egret, with their golden nesting-head-plumage. An egret and a heron share the tree-tops. Asian openbill storks look too big for the trees they are sharing with herons. Several nests contain eggs or chicks. Not all the chicks make it; more than one chick lies on the ground around the temple. Impromptu cairns dot the Wat Khao Suwan Khiri surrounds. A dead leaf seems to illustrate the story of the temple history. As the afternoon lengthened, we drove off the main Si Satchanalai site to another temple located close by, in the fold of the river. We arrived just ahead of the travelling monks who were visiting from a central province east of Bangkok and were greeted by a seemingly ancient man playing a simple stringed instrument and hoping for payment. Naturally, we obliged!
Elderly Thai Musician – Wat Phra Prang Buddha – Wat Phra Prang A senior monk poses for his picture. Wat Phra Prang Ancient laterite wall: Wat Phra Prang Giant standing Buddha – Wat Phra Prang As if to remind us that all things pass – all things change – a Buddha sits with its head fallen. Next door to the old temple ruins of Wat Phra Prang (Wat Phra Si Rattana Mah), new works are being undertaken to expand the new temple of the same name.
The worker on the foundations of the extensions at the new Wat Phra Prang, when asked, said proudly: “Pen khon sukhothai!”: “I am a Sukhothai person!” So, the past links to the future. And the cycle continues.
Happy travels!
Photos: 21May2012
Posted in Architecture,Culture,History,Museum,Religious Practice,Thailand,TravelTags: ancient,architecture,blog,buddha,buddhism,buddhist,history,museum,people,Photo Blog,religion,Religious Practice,ruins,Sukhothai,Thailand,travel,Travel Blog,UNESCO,Ursula Wall
Crystalware Our travels can be a little haphazard sometimes.
We had work and family business in England, so we decided to go walking in the south-west of Ireland. (More about that soon.) Once I had booked our walking trip, I contacted an old friend and colleague from Thailand who had moved back to Ireland some years ago, to see if we would have the opportunity to cross paths. He and his family are in Waterford, which is not far from the Irish Ferries’ dock at Rosslare. So, that was a good enough excuse for a stopover, en route to County Kerry.
Now, as it turns out, Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city, having been established by the Vikings in 914. They called it Veðrafjǫrðr; “Ram Fjord” or “windy fjord”, and sections of the city walls they built still stand.
New growth on an ancient Viking wall ~ Waterford is an interesting mix. Bits of the remaining Viking wall and towers, with later Norman “improvements”, are scattered around the charming and modern city centre of Waterford. After successive attempts, the King of Leinster, with the aid of Norman mercenaries under Richard de Clare, Second Earl of Pembroke (Strongbow), took Waterford in 1170, marking the entry of the Anglo-Normans into Ireland. The rest, as they say, is history.
I didn’t know any of this when I made our plans to stay there. Nor did I realise it was, and is again, home to the Waterford Crystal factory. I’m not a particular fan of cut crystal, but as we were going to be there for a a day, a visit to the factory seemed like a good plan.
As it turned out, watching crystal glassware being made by true craftsmen was an interesting and worthwhile experience.
The modern crystal manufacturing plant and showroom in downtown Waterford was opened in June 2010. Tours of the facility run regularly. Alison, our guide, gives us a brief rundown of the company history. Wooden molds are used for limited edition items; steel is used for production items. The pear-wood moulds for crystal blowing are quickly charred by the molten glass. Making crystal is skilled and labour-intensive. The “blowers” have served apprenticeships of up to six years and need to handle more than one task. The furnaces for melting the glass mixture are over 1,200 degrees centigrade. Turning and shaping the “gob” of molten glass. “The craftsmen have to be, not only capable of working in a team, they also have to be quite athletic.” (https://www.waterfordcrystalworld.com) The newly-blown vase is cut away from the blower. Glassware is annealed on a slow-moving belt through special ovens. Water acts as a coolant as the excess glass is trimmed off … … and as the edges are ground smooth. Marking up patterns can be as “easy” as markers strapped to a turntable. A selection of cut and partially cut crystal trophies and vases – including a London Olympic Games trophy, sit on the marking table. Cutting the crystal takes strength and concentration. Water is again used as a coolant. A cutter is happy to show off his work; it makes a break from the concentration! “Well, I’ve been doin’ it for on forty-four years.” A display of some of the special Waterford pieces. A work station with engraving tools. Art, craft and work… Waterford shop display room. Sales staff check inventory. Chandeliers over a table set with Waterford crystal and table-ware from the partner-companies Royal Doultan and Wedgwood. Carved crystal stemware.  I’m still not cut-crystal’s biggest fan, but I’ve gained a new appreciation for the work and skill that goes into it.
And we did buy one or two pieces…
Pictures: 16June2012
Posted in Craft,Fine Arts,History,Ireland,Travel,WorkTags: arts and crafts,blog,Ireland,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,work
Offerings to ancient Buddhas The beauty (and frustration) of living in Thailand lies in the ability of people to hold mutually incompatible ideas at the same time, and to never speak about some things which everyone knows.
Take Sukhothai, for example: that most revered of ancient Thai cities.
Sukhothai was originally a trade centre, enjoying a degree of autonomy under the various rule of the Mons of Lavo and the Khmer Empire, until becoming the centre of a kingdom in its own right in 1239. Even thought the kingdom only ruled for two hundred years, starting with the upper Chao Phraya valley, by some accounts, it eventually extended north into what is now Laos and south across much of the Isthmus of Kra. Traditional historians see this as the start of Thai history.
But, like everything else in Thailand, it is best not to try to examine concepts too closely. The Sukhothai legend has been invested with national importance and political ideology from the time King Mongkut read it into Thai history in the late nineteenth century. Since then, it has been used to defend the succession of kingdoms from father to son as a form of “Thai democracy”, and as a model of “freedom” from the colonial and Khmer rulers.
The most influential of the Sukhothai rulers, King Ramkhamhaeng, is credited with expanding the empire, inventing the Thai alphabet, and spreading Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. This influence is according to an engraved stone: the Ramkhamhaeng stele, reputedly discovered by King Mongkut in 1883. The authenticity of the inscriptions have been questioned, but if the doubts are proven, then much Thai history is thrown into question.
Whatever truths are buried in the legends, the ruins of the old empire are magnificent. Driving aroung the region, remains of red laterite brick wall, stupas and temples can be seen everywhere. Four separate sites are maintained, as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the unwieldly title of “Sukhothai and associated historic towns”.
Fishing for fish-food: in the moat around Wat Mahathat Modern tourist ~ ancient ruins. Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai. Some of the most evocative Buddha images at Wat Mahathat, to my mind, are those which have not been restored. An imposing white buddha image in the Abhaya mudra – the hand gesture imparting fearlessness or reassurance. Flowers at the feet of another standing buddha. Wat Mahathat. Buddha in bhumisparsha mudra , or ‘touching the earth’ hand position. Everything was rich and green, with lotus – symbols of purity and enlightenment – rising from the muddy moats. A view of Sukhothai ruins through fresh green trees. Workers, in long sleeves against the sun, work hard to keep the grounds nice. Of course, they don’t get paid much; I guess the honour is enough. People bringing tributes and saying prayers to King Ramkhamhaeng the Great. For them, his “greatness” is not in question. Thai Buddhists are not necessarily vegetarian; for some reason, many people were offering King Ramkhamhaeng pigs’ heads and feet. Of course, King Ramkhamhaeng is also the recipient of flowers. Karma, an integral part of Hinduism and Buddhism, is another one of those tricky words, and trickier concepts. In Thai, the word for Karma is “kaam” (กรรม), which, if not pronounced correctly becomes a vulgar epithet.
From the Sanskrit, karma can be defined as “the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, deciding their fate in future existences”. In Thailand (and other countries in the region) it is not uncommon to see sparrows crowded into cages outside temples. The idea is that you purchase them and release them into freedom, thus buying good Karma for yourself. At Sukhothai, bags of fish and frogs were available for the same purpose.
Selling Karma: bags of fish and frogs for release back into the wild. Captured spirits looking for release. I find the idea that you can buy “good Karma” somewhat startling, and cannot help but wonder what capturing the birds, fish, and frogs does to the Karma of the collectors!
Wooden bridge leading to Wat Sa Si, Sukhothai Looking through the rough, red laterite at a delicate white buddha. Wat Sa Si. Flanked by pillars: Buddha, Wat Sa Si, Sukhothai. Buddha in Vitarka mudra, symbolising intellectual argument and discussion. Wat Traphang Ngoen, Sukhothai. Back robe detailing: Wat Traphang Ngoen Buddha Remains ~ Wat Traphang Ngoen After a morning of clambering around ruins, we arrived back at Wat Mahathat… … ready for a hot, sweet, stimulant coffee after all that calm.  Beautiful Buddhas, Karma and a Sukhothai king ~
And coffee.
Never mind the inconsistencies; you can’t ask much more than that!
Posted in Architecture,History,Museum,Religious Practice,Thailand,TravelTags: ancient,architecture,Bay of Thailand,blog,buddha,buddhism,buddhist,museum,people,Photo Blog,religion,ruins,Sukhothai,Travel Blog,UNESCO,Ursula Wall
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Lovely post and beautiful images. I love the first one (pigtails)! Well done . . .Lisa
those innocent and not so innnocent faces, the skill of the weavers… the colour of the cloth are all so lovely. Thanks as always for sharing your trips…enjoy good old England and say hi to Natalie for me.
Lovely informative post Ursula – the images tell a wonderful story.
Anna :o]
Thanks, all! It is always a pleasure to visit these schools. 🙂
Congratulations Ursula on the good work you’ve done on the website. Your pictures are gorgeous. It’s great to see the wonderful work of Susan Race highlighted in words and pictures.
Thanks, Elizabeth. 🙂
Hi Ursula…
Susan has sent this on to me and I wanted to say lovely pics and great that you could visit the area again with Susan. The two girls you met when we both visited the hilltribes lst year and whom my husband and I sponsor, K. Suriporn and K. Porntip, are now training to be nurses in Bkk…so that is a true success story. Keep well. Margaret.
Hello Margaret,
It is so good to see students’ lives changed, one by one, isn’t it? 🙂
Happy travels!
Hello Ursula, Just revisiting your photos and remembering our trip back in 2012. What an adventure we had meeting and learning about the students and seeing first hand how our small contributions help. Hope you are well and enjoying life wherever you may be!
Hi Deborah,
Thanks so much for “dropping in” to my PhotoBlog! I have such admiration for the work Susan does. I still hope to get back up there one day soon – my first University scholarship student graduates this year!! Time sure flies…
[…] It has been ages since I’ve forayed into the remote and rugged hills of Mae Hong Son on the wild border with Myanmar. My last trip was with Susan Race, several years ago. She was on one of her many excursions north to interview students who were recipients (or wanted to be) of modest scholarships, and to oversee one of the many projects she helps manage through THEP, the Thailand Hilltribe Education Projects. I’ve mentioned THEP and the work it does several times before (Budding Potentials 1, Building Better Futures, Schools at the End of the Road, True Thai Colours, and For the Children). […]