Back To Work!

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. We ended up our last three days in Bangkok and had no internet access. We had the opportunity to stay at a local school that houses translators, and other volunteers, so we took it. It was a very special experience getting to eat breakfast with them every morning and tour the facilities. Everyone was so nice and there were several people from America working in construction. The grand opening of the new kitchen facilities took place our first day, complete with ribbon cutting! We were treated like special guests and even got a ride to the airport on our last day. There were other visitors there from Norway who also work at similar place, in the management division. We spent one day in the main part of Bangkok after a long boat taxi ride and we walked ourselves to death. Seven hours of straight walking in the hot sun! But, I we both managed to find a few pieces of clothing that we needed and we didn't get too lost. Here are some pics of the new kitchen and sights in Bangkok. I will post pictures of the rest of our trip as soon as possible.

mandy

Who Has Barricaded the Sea With Doors?

This picture reminded me of a question asked several thousand years ago: "Who has barricaded the sea with doors...that this far you may go and no farther?" Unfortunately, events above and beneath the ocean have triggered devastating hurricanes and tsunamis that wreak havoc all over the world. The Asian tsunami on December2 6th, 2004 killed over 220,000 people. 5,000 of those were in Thailand. Most of the damage has been repaired and after 6 years you might never know what happened here. However, on a few of the smaller islands, you can find the skeletal remains of boats that were carried far inland, pushed through forests and left to rot. These below were left as testimony, a reminder to always respect the power of the sea.










































A friend here told me that despite the damage, the Thai people kept their sense of humor about them and as early as days after, were making jokes. One man was jogging along the shoreline when suddenly a local started yelling, "Tsunami coming! Tsunami coming! Run! Run!" Then the local burst out laughing. There are now evacuation routes all over the island and even on hiking paths you can find directions to evacuation sites, a cave or a high flat rock to climb to for safety.

mandy