tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68339839432770980442024-02-21T08:12:02.356+07:00Jerry Nelson's JournalThe words and photographs here are mine. All rights reserved © Jerry NelsonJerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-66252923847532789162017-10-09T10:16:00.000+07:002017-10-09T10:16:15.275+07:00Please Support Mae Tao Clinic GED Fundraiser<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">PLEASE SUPPORT MAE TAO CLINIC GED FUNDRAISER</span></strong></div>
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<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/thumb/Images/Images_for_website/logoflat1.png?_=636431116734623752" style="border-width: 0in; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 5px; max-width: 100px; outline: none; width: 86px;" vspace="5" width="86" /><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC) is
very happy to announce our fundraising project to support the GED
projects at Mae Tao Clinics’ Child Development Center. Monies
Raised will go to Mae Tao Clinic and will be designated for GED related
expenses, specifically::<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Salary of their GED Coordinator / Teacher
for this year<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Food and Lodging for 4 students preparing to
take the GED at Beam in Chiang Mai<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">GED test for 4 students in Chiang Mai<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">GED test for 19 students at CDC in Mae Sot<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To successfully fund all these
efforts we need to raise some 334,000 THB ( $10,450 USD). We
really need your help! For only $250.00 USD you can
fund the GED test for a bright young person who, with the opportunity,
might just make a significant contribution to his or her world.
Of course we will be grateful for contributions of any
amount. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">HOW TO CONTRIBUTE:</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make a direct deposit to our MTC
Fundraising Bank Account:<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> BANK: BANK OF
BANGKOK, Kad Suan Kaew branch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> SWIFT CODE: BKKBTHBK<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ROUTING NO: 026-008-691
(For USA)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ACCOUNT HOLDERS: MS
MALIWAN-KAEWAMPHAI AND MR GERALD EDWARD NELSON<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ACCOUNT NUMBER:
424-407348-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our crowd funding site: </span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/maetaoclinic-966490">https://www.youcaring.com/maetaoclinic-966490</a></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are in Chiang Mai, just hand me cash and I
will deposit it in the account making sure you get the credit you
deserve for your generosity. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Please note that part of my
personal contribution will be to cover all banking charges related to
this fundraising campaign. When you donate money all of that money
will go to the Mae Tao Clinic to support this important program! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Why Support the GED Project? </b></span></div>
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<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/thumb/Images/cdc.jpg?_=636431116734623752" style="border-width: 0in; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 5px; max-width: 100px; outline: none; width: 100px;" vspace="5" width="100" /><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are many migrant and refugee children in the Mae Sot
area, perhaps about 13,000. Due to their immigration and economic status,
many cannot attend school. Others are afforded an opportunity to attend
Migrant Learning Centers. These students do not receive a Thai high
school diploma; thus, they are currently ineligible to apply for attendance
at university. However, those who successfully pass the GED test
are eligible to apply for international universities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mae Tao Clinic’s Child Development
Center has continued to provide education to displaced children from Burma
and children of migrant workers living in Thailand. The General Education
Development (GED) program has continued with the BEAM foundation in Chiang
Mai for 2017. Between 2010 to 2016, 52 students from CDC, schools in the
refugee camps and other migrant learning centers were sponsored to
participate in the GED program. This allows them grade 12 equivalency which
in turn allows the students to access universities. Twenty-three of these
students are currently enrolled at university and one has already graduated
with a Bachelor of Education. Naw Gold Rain, previously a student at CDC, is
now a teacher at CDC. (See CDC Success Story below). One of
the classes that she is teaching is Pre-GED, preparing some 20 students to
take the GED test<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is a severe shortage of
funding at Mae Tao Clinic due to the loss of major donors who have chosen to
give their funds to organizations based inside Myanmar. Mae Tao
Clinic is being forced to make drastic cuts in services and
programs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The situation along the Thai /
Burma border is becoming more critical. Big donors such as USAID have
chosen to cancel funding for organizations on the Thai side of the border,
leaving critical services in many organizations, including Mae Tao Clinic,
without funding. Unfortunately, one of the necessary budget cuts
facing the Mae Tao Clinic is the elimination of their GED program. They
need all the help they can get. Chiang Mai International Rotary
Club will raise funds to support the GED. efforts being undertaken by Mae Tao
Clinic Child Development Center. We need you help! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CDC Success Story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Meet Naw Gold Rain, a product of the Child Development Center and now one of their English Teachers and Student Advisor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Her detailed story is below. Here is an extremely brief summary:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2008 –2009 - :Student at CDC<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2010 – 2012 - Studied G.E.D. in Minma Haw, Mynmar<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2012 – 2016 – Studied at Asia Pacific International University in Saraburi Province Thailand made possible by a scholarship from Child’s Dream Foundation. She graduated 22 May 2016 with a degree in education<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">27 May 206 to present: Teacher at CDC. Naw Gold Rain is teaching English. She is advisor to the Student Council and serves as the scholarship coordinator. She is a living example of what can be attained even in desperate situations! <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Education is the most sustainable thing we can possibly facilitate. Knowing full well that there are many brilliant children with little or no opportunities because of their political and economic situation CMIRC and Mae Tao Clinic is considering a project to provide General Education Development (G.E.D.) scholarships to qualified migrant children in the Mae Sot area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">\\ Naw Gold Rain’s story as written by the Child Development Center//</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Being a migrant student especially in CDC school last six years ago was like making a risky investment for the future. Unless there was luck, no one could reach to their highest potential. Last six years ago, when she was a CDC’s high school student, the opportunities for young adults were very limited since most students had no legal document. she had always felt insecure regarding her future education and career like her other classmates because there had been no one who continues university education before her patch. On contrast, she felt that she was loved and cared by the CDC teachers and staffs. She received the best education that she ever had in her past school years. She had never studied English with native speaker when she was in her mother land. It was unaffordable for her family to give her a chance to study with native English speakers. The support and encouragement that she received from CDC family was very magnificent. Even though CDC was not able to send her to the university directly, teachers helped to find many alternative ways to enter the university. With the love and help from CDC school, she was able to enter to GED program (General Education Development) in 2011 after she finished her high school in CDC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She studied GED program for a year with 24 classmates. It was very competitive and intensive since the chance of getting scholarship was less than the number of the students. Out of 24 students, only the top 7 would be able to go to university. Unless she was at the top of the class, she would not make it to the university. So, she felt that every day was a war for all of her who was studying in GED program. Teachers kept tracking their daily and monthly assessment to compare with the past and present skills. She was able to survive in the ring with the help of her skills from CDC school and supports from CDC family such as stipend, dry food and some toiletries. When the time came, she was selected as a candidate to study in the university with full scholarship. she became one of the very first CDC students who went to the university. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">With the GED certificate, She was accepted to study Education and Psychology in Asia Pacific International University in 2012. She had experienced university life and was able to fulfill her dream that she once thought impossible. She did not need to worry about tuition fees, living expenses as well as pocket money when she was studying. Her university life was easy and smooth which made her forgot all the hardships that she endured when she was young. After four years in university, 28 years of her life, she successfully received her first bachelor degree which made her into the first CDC student to graduate from an international university.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">After all these years, she has learned that for a person to fulfill his or her dreams, the person itself and environment are very important. It is necessary for a person to have willingness, supporter and wait for the right timing to be able to achieve his or her goal. No matter how much she tried and work hard if there was no one who showed her the right path, it would take her longer to reach her goal. Therefore she believes that if she did not get to study in CDC school, she will not be who she is today. Through the guided of CDC teachers, she was now standing in front of 77 students teaching what she has learned from the past years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Currently, she was teaching grade 11 and 12 students in CDC school. Although teaching high school students especially in CDC school is not easy, she is still grateful for the chance. Since the beginning of the school years, every day is full of challenges. In a classroom, there are around 25 to 28 students with 5 different levels. Teaching different levels of students is quiet challenging and tiring. Sometime make her wanted to give up on teaching. As she continues teaching, she begins to fall in love with teaching and understand her students more. On the other hand, she has been as a student in migrant learning centre as the same situation with currently students. But the opportunities are more coming to CDC. However, she believes that with the experience of teaching in CDC school, she will be able to go up to another level easily when the time comes and apply her experience with meaningfully. She was helping CDC students to make a change in their life. She said that She was guiding CDC students like what her previous teachers did with her last six years ago. She comes back to CDC school in order to show her gratitude as well as helping children who are hungry of education. There is no doubt that she understands the students more than anyone else since she was once a student in this school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Since she fulfills one of her dreams, she was looking forward to another one which is her Master Degree again. After two years in CDC, she plans to continue her further study with education administration and develop the high education for young leader again with education. She ever talks about that before she knew CDC, her life was hard and her future was vague. Luckily her life has change ever since she gets to know CDC school. She says “Like a seed meet the correct temperature and grow into a healthy plant, I meet the temperature that is just right for me”. And nowadays, CDC school has become the source of her success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">GED Program for Higher Education</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The GED (General Education Development) program, an American-based and internationally recognized non-formal high school diploma course, allows students without formal education backgrounds to receive an official high school diploma which is typically required for accessing tertiary education. Courses include Language Arts Reading and Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. At BEAM, the majority of courses are taught by native English speaking volunteers to effectively prepare students for the exams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Migrant students from many different ethnic groups from Myanmar come to BEAM to study together with the hopes of achieving recognized high school certificates. Many strive to continue their education and apply to international programs at universities. Beyond the focus on tests and college admission, students at BEAM gain invaluable knowledge, participation, social interaction, communication and critical thinking skills. Currently, 85 of BEAM’s GED graduates are studying at various universities. 16 of BEAM’s Higher Education Program students graduated from CMU, Rangsit, Ramkhamhaeng, Assumption and Payap University in 2017 and there will be more students will be graduating in the end of 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New GEDsystem:</span></b></em> A new GED exam curriculum has been introduced for the 2017-2018 academic year. This is in response to the administering of the GED 2014 test series at GED testing centers internationally. The new GED system will have four subject tests: Reading Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science. The online exam will now include more interactive features when selecting answers; hence, we will provide compressive computer training for our students. A smaller class of 21 GED students was purposely selected because the GED 2014 series is a more rigorous exam than the prior 2002 GED test series. We plan to work closely with other GED testing centers and schools in Thailand to ensure proper support and guidance in assisting our teachers in instructing the 2014 GED curriculum.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4 GED Students from CDC:</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/Images/KhinTyal-Win--Smile-(1).jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 4px; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 0in; max-width: 600px; outline: none;" vspace="5" width="600" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My name is Khin Tyal Win. I am 17 years old. I am from Myanmar, Karenstate. I have five members in my family. I studied in Mae Sot migrant schools for over seven years. These schools are KweKa Baung, Karen national high school, and (C.D.C) Children's Development Centre. I studied in KweKa Baung school for five years and at the (C.D.C) Children's Development Centre for two years. I completed Grade-11 in C.D.C school and participated in the Youth Leadership training for two yearsat Rays of Youth. There, I shared my experience and knowledge to migrant schools and migrant communities. This year, I am studying in the GED Program at BEAMEducation Foundation. I am trying my best to pass the GED. I would like to get GED certificate because Iwant to attend university next year and continue my higher education. Iwant to improve my knowledge eand gain new experiences.Ultimately, I would like to help my community and migrant peoples by improving their education, life experiences, and healthcare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/Images/Novelyn(1).jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 4px; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 0in; max-width: 600px; outline: none;" vspace="5" width="600" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My name is Novelyn. I am a graduate from a refugee camp in Mae Sot Tak province. However, my high school certificate is illegal and there was a lack of opportunity to continue my education. That is why I chose to attend BEAM’s GED Program. I want to pass the GED exam and attend university. The GED certificate is very useful for my further education and it will give me more of a chance to continue my higher education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/Images/Htoo-Plo(1).jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 4px; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 0in; max-width: 600px; outline: none;" vspace="5" width="600" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My name is Saw Htoo Plo. I am twenty years old. I’m from Taung Oo, Karen State. I have five members in my family and they are now living in Mae Sod. I have one brother and one sister. Before I came to Mae Sod,I livedand grew up in Mae La Camp. I spent most of my life time in the camp, over 10 years. Sometimes, I feel bored in the camp because I do not want my life to end there; I want to go further and further to improve my sight, experiences, and to accomplish my dreams. Later, I moved to Mae Sod and I studied at Has Thoo Lei School for one year. After that, I got the chance to come to BEAM. Now I study full time at BEAM Education Foundation. I am very happy that I have theopportunity to study in the GED program in BEAM. After the GED, I want to continue to university and fulfill my dreams. Actually, my dream is to become a good nurse because I want to help my people who are weak or sick, and take care of them. It is my biggest dream in life. To fulfill my dream, I pray to God to give me strength to study and pass the exam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000010783/Images/Myo-Sandar-Lwin--Miki-.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 4px; display: inline; height: auto; margin: 0in; max-width: 600px; outline: none;" vspace="5" width="600" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My name is Myo Sandar Lwin.I am 18 years old.I was born in Myanmar,but raised in a border immigrant community in Mae Sot,Thailand.After spending most of my youth in Mae Sot and completing migrant high school there,I decided to study in the GED program at BEAM. I came here because I want more opportunities to continue my studies. While learning at BEAM, I can improve my English and social skills. I am exploring various education scopes to join university. I want to acquire more knowledge and improve my abilities because I want to help my community get to a better situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">BEAM portion written by Wai Phyo Aung</span></span></div>
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Abundant Blessings, </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
Jerry Nelson</div>
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-55080077194059940552014-03-09T09:07:00.000+07:002014-03-09T09:37:14.734+07:00The Burma Study Center is Busy!<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Today, Sunday March 9,
2014 is Global Day of Prayer for Burma.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yesterday,
I picked up a beautiful 24 page booklet which was prepared largely by the Free
Burma Rangers.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I don’t normally mention
publications I find at the Burma Study Center, but this one is
exceptional.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It contains much
information, presented in factual yet hopeful light.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Your electronic copy is waiting for you at </span><a href="http://www.prayforburma.org/" style="font-size: 14pt;">www.prayforburma.org</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, one of the main
purposes for the Burma Study Center is to serve as a library of information
related to Burma and the many people who are affected by the continuing
political / military situation inside the country and along the borders. The facility is available for research by
academics, journalists and really anyone genuinely interested in learning. They have several books available for
checkout and many others which can be read on site. A collection of lending DVD’s is also
available. Language classes taught at
the center offer migrant an opportunity to improve their life skills. The center is always buzzing with activities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Burma Study Center
coordinates and sponsors many interesting and timely events. Today there is a daylong event at Chiang Mai
University. Happily the event was well publicized
in the Chiang Mai area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Although the posting is
too late for most, I’ll include it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sunday, March 9:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b>"The
'New Myanmar?: Reforms, Ethnic Groups, and Ceasefires"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> A
full-day of lectures, presentations, and discussions exploring Burma's
transition. Presentations will include an overview of changes in Burma since
2010 by Garrett Kostin (Burma Study Center), "Rohingya in Transit: Human
Trafficking and Statelessness" by Ekraj Sabu (Asian Muslim Action
Network), "Dignity Amidst the Rubbish" by photojournalist Jeffrey
Warner, "Burma's Transition: Prospects for Peace and National
Reconciliation" by Alex James (Burma Partnership), a screening of "Guns,
Briefcases, and Inequality: The Neglected War in Kachin State", two
photography exhibitions, and more. All presentations will be in English. Free
and open to the public.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="aqj">9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> at
CMU's Faculty of Humanities, 8th Floor.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="aqj"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Thursday,
March 13</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Understanding
Thailand's Political Stalemate: Causes, Prospects, and Meanings"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>a lecture by Dr. Paul Chambers,
followed by discussion/Q&A, organized by Burma Study Center and Chiang Mai
University. Intended for an international audience, Dr. Chambers will present
on the background, primary stakeholders, different factions, and fundamental
issues surrounding the current political crisis in Thailand, including a
discussion of the implications prolonged instability in Thailand could have for
Burma and Thai-Burma relations. Free and open to the public (presentation in
English).<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_1245478655" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">2–4 p.m.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at CMU's Faculty of Social Sciences,
Lecture Hall 4107. More information:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/866162156732787/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>events/866162156732787/</a></span></i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Thursday, March 20</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Aung San Suu Kyi: The Face of
Burma's Resistance"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Join
Aung Zaw, founder of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Irrawaddy</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>news organization
and winner of numerous international journalism awards, for a presentation of
his new book<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.silkwormbooks.com/catalog/info/face_of_resistance/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Face of Resistance: Aung San
Suu Kyi and Burma's Fight for Freedom</span></a></i>, including an evaluation
of the democracy icon's legacy, credibility, and potential. The author will
also discuss issues currently affecting Burma during this unprecedented time in
its history, including prospects for next year's national elections. Free and
open to the public (presentation in English).<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_1245478657" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">2–4 p.m.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at CMU's Faculty of Social Sciences,
Lecture Hall 4107.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS6o213Vy2G_0iAADsLGcRKjgHrq7NWNMUsMrJ71mMIl5k68ONou6jIcJLvwKFTjLJrOxPzy2bR8uMLDRXcFKJ_T8HcOHTzxHKxsYUyB1trs8UQusBGzuYPeJYfx37j9S1YRWoYlREHo/s1600/Dignity+book+launch+27+March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS6o213Vy2G_0iAADsLGcRKjgHrq7NWNMUsMrJ71mMIl5k68ONou6jIcJLvwKFTjLJrOxPzy2bR8uMLDRXcFKJ_T8HcOHTzxHKxsYUyB1trs8UQusBGzuYPeJYfx37j9S1YRWoYlREHo/s1600/Dignity+book+launch+27+March.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Thursday, March 27</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Dignity Amidst the
Rubbish"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>book launch,
presentation, and discussion with author Jeffrey Warner.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dignity Amidst the Rubbish</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a new book of powerful images and
text depicting the daily lives of members of a migrant community from Burma
living and working on a rubbish dump in Mae Sot, Thailand. Join the author for
a discussion of his work, including a presentation by members of Compasio
Relief & Development about what is currently being done to assist the
refugees. Books will be available for purchase with all proceeds supporting projects
for migrants and refugees from Burma living in Thailand. Free and open to the
public.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_1245478659" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">2–4 p.m.</span></span></span>at CMU's Faculty of Social
Sciences, Lecture Hall 4107.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Friday, March 28</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Dignity Amidst the
Rubbish"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>book launch,
presentation, and discussion with author Jeffrey Warner.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dignity Amidst the Rubbish</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a new book of powerful images and
text depicting the daily lives of members of a migrant community from Burma
living and working on a rubbish dump in Mae Sot, Thailand. Join the author for
a discussion of his work, including a presentation by members of Compasio
Relief & Development about what is currently being done to assist the
refugees. Books will be available for purchase with all proceeds supporting
projects for migrants and refugees from Burma living in Thailand. Free and open
to the public.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aqj"><span style="z-index: -1;"><span data-term="goog_1245478661" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">7 p.m.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at
Documentary Arts Asia, 12/7 Wualai Road, Soi 3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="aqj"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Friday,
April 4</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Dignity
Amidst the Rubbish"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>book
launch, presentation, and discussion with author Jeffrey Warner.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dignity Amidst the Rubbish</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a new book of powerful images and
text depicting the daily lives of members of a migrant community from Burma
living and working on a rubbish dump in Mae Sot, Thailand. Join the author for
a discussion of his work, including a presentation by members of Compasio
Relief & Development about what is currently being done to assist the
refugees. Books will be available for purchase with all proceeds supporting
projects for migrants and refugees from Burma living in Thailand. Free and open
to the public.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <span data-term="goog_1245478661" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;">6:30 </span><span class="aqj">p.m.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at
Borderline Gallery, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="aqj"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Saturday,
April 5</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>"Dignity
Amidst the Rubbish"</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>book
launch, presentation, and discussion with author Jeffrey Warner.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dignity Amidst the Rubbish</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a new book of powerful images and
text depicting the daily lives of members of a migrant community from Burma
living and working on a rubbish dump in Mae Sot, Thailand. Join the author for
a discussion of his work, including a presentation by members of Compasio
Relief & Development about what is currently being done to assist the
refugees. Books will be available for purchase with all proceeds supporting
projects for migrants and refugees from Burma living in Thailand. Free and open
to the public.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <span data-term="goog_1245478661" style="z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span style="z-index: -1;">6:30 </span><span class="aqj">p.m.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at
Wadee Restaurant , Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes
there are several book launch events for “<b>Dignity Amidst the Rubbish”. </b>I have seen the mock-ups and look forward
to having my own copy soon. If you can’t
make one of the events copies will soon be available for purchase at the Burma
Study Center, Chiang Mai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Abundant
Blessings, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jerry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-52720873336553181392014-02-27T20:19:00.000+07:002014-02-27T21:28:10.855+07:00Umbilical Hernia Repair - Chapter 1 - The Happy Beginning<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This story started
10 years ago, give or take. I was in
Tampa Florida and managed to tear my stomach wall at the Umbilical area
creating a very small hernia. Over the
years I ignored it, was told my doctors it wasn't important and that I could
repair it, or not. On a couple of
different occasions I managed to strain myself in such a way as to increase the
rip. The last time I did managed to
increase the tear was just three weeks before the surgery had been
scheduled. The last tear hurt and quite
frightened me, but the surgery was already scheduled so I didn't panic. Looking back, I really should have had this
repaired before I moved to Thailand. I
had opportunities and access to military hospitals in both El Paso and San
Diego. It's so easy to look back and see
what we should have done, isn't it? </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
On 21 June 2013, I
received a complete physical at Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital. Everything was fine except that my platelet
count was very low at 31,000. When I
went to review the results with the doctor I was left with the impression that
it wasn't a critical thing; that in all likely hood it had been caused by some
infection, or perhaps a case of dengue fever I had some time before. He prescribed a regiment of anti-biotic and
had me come back a couple weeks later.
On the 2nd test the platelet count was a bit better but still low. The doctor was not at all concerned about the
results. Foolishly I took his lead and
promptly forgot about the matter. Today,
I don't blame him, I blame myself for being apathetic about something as important
as my health! Please, gentle reader, be
smart, understand the results of you medical tests, stay out of denial and
don't be afraid to ask questions. The
real issues here are your health, quality of life and life itself your life! </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A month ago, give or
take a few days, I made an appointment for a consult to get my hernia
repaired. My surgeon is a Doctor Ekachai
Paiboonworachat. He's great! His name fails miserably in my spell checker
so from here till the end of this article let's just call him Doctor P.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Yesterday, I checked
into Chiang Mai Ram Hospital in Chiang Mai, to have the umbilical hernia
repaired, finally! I'll talk about the
comparative levels of care in the final chapter. For now let me say that I went to Chiang Mai
Ram primarily because they have an attractive relationship with my insurance
provider, Tri-Care for life. The level of care I received, the
professionalism, the compassion, and even the ambience is far above all the
other Chiang Mai options. More on all of
this in the final chapter. Maybe I'll
call it "Lessons I learned - Hope
they are useful"</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Pre-op included
blood work, and Electrocardiogram and a chest x-ray. Every thing was fine except for one
thing. Doctor P. came to my room a half
hour before we were scheduled in the operating room and told me the surgery was
being cancelled because my platelet count was a mere 38,000. He went on to explain that normal would be
between 150,000 and 400,000. Platelet
levels as low as mine put a surgical patient at risk because of the bloods
inability to coagulate. In other words
incisions would be very slow to heal creating several dangers. The good doctor took his time and explained
all of this to me and then told me he was turning me over to the Hematologist ,
Doctor Tamatorn Thamprasit. Again, for
simplicity, I'll refer to him as Doctor T.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Sure enough, Doctor
T. came by an hour later, introduced himself, asked a battery of questions,
answered the ones I could think to ask and prescribed extensive blood
work. Soon after, a couple of nurses
came by and drew a large vial of blood.
A couple of hours later Doctor T. returned to let me know that my liver,
kidney and all such were fine, and that I have no infectious disease. However, my platelet count had dropped from
38,000 to 31,000. There is no obvious
reason why the platelets are being killed off like soldiers serving under an
incompetent general. Maybe the problem
is the bone marrow is not producing platelets in normal abundance. Doctor T. told me to stay overnight and in
the morning he would take some bone marrow and perhaps do a biopsy. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Early this morning
both Doctor P. and Doctor T. came to see me.
As they were asking about my situation and my spirits, I was really
impressed with there true compassion.
These gentlemen are really great people;
I truly like them both. Doctor
P. made sure I understood there would be no elective surgery until the platelet
mystery was solved and the solution a success.
Doctor T. promised he would come back and do the bone marrow aspiration
in another hour. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
An hour later he
returned and tried the aspiration at the base of my spine. That didn't go well, not sure why. I can tell you the local hurt like hell. Doctor T. quickly changed his mind and did
the procedure at the sternum. That's
wasn't too bad at all; more painful that typing on my Nexus 7, but not much.
Those interested in details about these procedures are invited to google
"Bone Marrow Aspiration" . I
will tell you that as I write this, perhaps 11 hours after the procedure, I've
had no pain from this procedure since the moment it was over. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Doctor T. came back
a couple hours later and reported he had found nothing abnormal in my bone
marrow. He did say he was sending off
for a couple of lab tests, but he suspected they would be negative as well. So there is almost certainly nothing wrong in my bone marrow that is
preventing the production of platelets and there is nothing obvious that's
killing the little suckers. I suggested
that it might be a result of the dengue fever I had a couple of years ago. Not at all likely was his response. It would be easy to slip into denial or even
apathy but Doctors Ekachai Paiboonworachat and Taratorn Thomprasit will have
none of that nonsense! Chapter 1 draws
to a close as a happy beginning. I have
an appointment with Doctor T. on the 10th of March to discuss the results of
the lab tests and to discuss solutions.
The 2nd chapter will be posted after that appointment. Until the, gentle reader, if you have a
medical issue, get it taken care of now. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Abundant Blessings, </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Jerry </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-26356312745495283232014-02-20T10:25:00.000+07:002014-02-20T10:30:31.939+07:00Lanna Care Net to the Rescue! <div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
Some
time ago I became aware of a small organization called Lanna Care Net.
Their basic mission is to help old foreigners who are in trouble in Chiang Mai
province. The vast majority of their clients have a serious medical
condition, some at the end of life, and most are without sufficient resources
to cover the costs. I applaud their structure, organization and
efforts. They have an extremely low budget, just simple operating and
transportation costs really. The officers take no
compensation. What they do have is extremely good credibility
within the Thai and ex-pat communities.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
Lanna Care Net (LCN) is appropriately named. One of the
definitions of Lanna is Northern Thailand. Care is what they
facilitate. Net is short for network, and that's what they really do the
most and the best. The organization has no paid positions, no
company cars, or big offices. The composition is that of compassionate people
networking to help those in need. Their mission is really two fold:
First they provide assistance to aging foreigners who are in trouble, usually
people with insufficient financial resources to deal with serious medical
conditions. They lighten the burden of the hosting Thai community by
helping their clients understand what is possible within the Thai health care
system. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
LCN finds resources, both local and ex-pat, and facilitates their
clients interaction. Notable is another volunteer organization called
Cancer Connect, the consulates from various foreign governments especially
Great Britain and the United States, Alcoholics Anonymous, various churches and
of course most of the health care facilities in the province.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
They regularly coordinate with air-lines to facilitate transport
of patients as well.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
To describe what LCN is about let's look at it three ways, NO,
YES, EXAMPLE:</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
NO:</div>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">LCN does NOT provide
financial assistance. However, in many instances they can and will
assist a client in obtaining emergency financial assistance.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">LCN does NOT provide health
care. They do advise clients on appropriate nursing and medical
care.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
YES:</div>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Facilitates care through
liaison and cooperation</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Advises clients on their
options</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Trains volunteers</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Advises and educates the
community on how to avoid problems associated with aging.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
EXAMPLE: There are many, this one I know because the man is
a dear friend of mine. Jim has a degenerative condition in his
spine, I'm not sure of the exact diagnosis, but I do know that he has had back
surgeries in the past. For several years ago he has been comfortable and
physically fit. He even made the 490 mile Camino de
Santiago Pilgrimage last summer. Several days ago he found
himself with excruciating back pain. With the help of some friends he was
admitted to the Chiang Rai hospital where he languished for a week.
Chiang Rai hospital acknowledged that they did not have the expertise to help
him and suggested he go to Chiang Mai University hospital. The best
specialist would be there every Tuesday he was told. He was also told
that the two hospitals were networked.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
The next Tuesday morning Jim came down to Chiang Mai by ambulance,
arriving about 8:00 a.m. The hospital had no idea that who he
was, or why he had been sent to them. They had zero communication from
Chiang Rai. Another friend stayed with Jim most of the day while the
hospital tried to figure out what to do with him. I even went and
relieved Steve for part of the time. Finally, after an ordeal that
might be good background for a fictional work, he was admitted to the hospital
around 5:00 pm.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
I called LCN on Wednesday to give them a heads up. They had
already been notified by the hospital that he was there and were on the way to
assess his situation. Thanks to the credibility LCN brought to the case,
Jim was able to get an MRI and other needed treatment without having to
pre-pay. On Friday the results of the MRI were known and the orthopedic
spinal specialist saw Jim and presented him with his options, which
frankly are very few. Jim has choices to make. In the meantime LCN
was researching various
options. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
What came to light was the fact that Chiang Mai University
Hospital was ill equipped to handle Jim's case.
Not surprising when you learn that his medical condition was so
complicated that the Mao Clinic had him as a study case. His back problems started with a viral
infection in his spine. That was over 30 years ago. His February 2014 MRI pointed multiple
problems with his spine. After a week it
was decided the best course of action was to return him to Chiang Rai hospital
for physical therapy and work on sending him back to the United States. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
Jim is a guy with a big heart and a great attitude. His friends and family were very
supportive. They marshalled by his
bedside to give support where they found themselves often laughing at Jim's
humorous stories. When he was in the
orthopedic ward at CMU hospital, he established a goad of making all the other
patients smile. He succeeded! He even made them laugh, but the "enema
story" is best kept for another writing.
The bottom line is that as he laid in a hospital in terrible pain, not
speaking the language and being attended by people who had great difficulty
understanding the specifics of his condition, he was concerned for the other
patients. I'd go see him and maybe the pain he was suffering was apparent, but the moment he'd see me, especially if I had a camera, he would light up. He has the best attitude of anyone I've ever seen in a hospital setting. The great attitude was not enough to keep his problems at bay. He needed health insurance and a degree of financial solvency.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcaMYZsB_Fx0FtwA-LXQDIi7ms5hTGvFWRegoQXSTVoDI8xEaDG3ib1BMLXF_qmTXaxi-zqZqyjN1z_Z6yYE8XViZ8kczjIlY9P0Zc3Q_E5bAdfc2MsdnwYzqtJ0H0b-57ardeQ81KAE/s1600/20140202_%25C2%25A9JN_0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcaMYZsB_Fx0FtwA-LXQDIi7ms5hTGvFWRegoQXSTVoDI8xEaDG3ib1BMLXF_qmTXaxi-zqZqyjN1z_Z6yYE8XViZ8kczjIlY9P0Zc3Q_E5bAdfc2MsdnwYzqtJ0H0b-57ardeQ81KAE/s1600/20140202_%25C2%25A9JN_0025.jpg" height="400" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Jim being visited by Maliwan. <br />They made each other smile! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Some friends raised money to defray his medical costs, coordinate
transportation and provide conveniences.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the middle of</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">fray I noticed
the volunteers from LCN working quickly and efficiently to provide suggestions
for the best options.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">They accomplished
several things that simply could not have been done without them:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
LCN negotiated with CMU to allow Jim medical testing, including an
MRI without pre-payment. Then on
discharge from CMU hospital LCN negotiated a 20% discount.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
LCN was instrumental in allowing Jim and has family and friends to
understand the medications prescribed, and in convincing the Thai doctors to
prescribe appropriate dosages. They also
made sure that Jim knew what meds he had and when he should be taking them.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
A wheelchair was provided for his use while he was still in
country. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
LCN coordinated with the airline, friends and family to make sure
that Jim's trip back to the United States was as comfortable as possible. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_dFws4G9udU_nwQlo3kOv4uclooQy1zExb_B_sP_CtvsF9coYTR4n1yt31jv_2arTfF_CN99N1O6d225afcascneVRNohY4KdMJshiG71xrztJW9Yud_EAdsS4-V6JVgbBTn_I83V4Q/s1600/IMG_20140218_195908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_dFws4G9udU_nwQlo3kOv4uclooQy1zExb_B_sP_CtvsF9coYTR4n1yt31jv_2arTfF_CN99N1O6d225afcascneVRNohY4KdMJshiG71xrztJW9Yud_EAdsS4-V6JVgbBTn_I83V4Q/s1600/IMG_20140218_195908.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Jim at CNX - Wheels up minus 3 hours</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhmFvVz6Lc3TXxMXlZeoW_UeASqr-iFqpUvg64IZVRar6bnFeiAExFtwwFPWwiXZi_397mOLLkSLOOMBaZjsbOE8VMQZrId4NqlhETZys7tpxbibHYpA3aqoSW7_EGZV8u5rj8eyHLqE/s1600/IMG_20140218_213754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhmFvVz6Lc3TXxMXlZeoW_UeASqr-iFqpUvg64IZVRar6bnFeiAExFtwwFPWwiXZi_397mOLLkSLOOMBaZjsbOE8VMQZrId4NqlhETZys7tpxbibHYpA3aqoSW7_EGZV8u5rj8eyHLqE/s1600/IMG_20140218_213754.jpg" height="299" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The nurse gave me this. Maybe the bear can help me know it's meaning! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Frankly, it doubtful that Jim would have been able to get back to
the United States to receive the treatment he needs if it hadn't been for the
good work of the LCN volunteers.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When I
gave LCN a heads up that I would be writing this they asked not to mention
their names, just provide the phone number and website.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In keeping with this request, I'll simply say
thank you three angles, two in Chiang Mai and one in Chiang Rai.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You have been instrumental in improving the
quality of life an reducing the suffering of my dear friend Jim.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
Lanna Care Net makes it blatantly clear that they DO NOT want you
to be their client. They don't want anyone to be their client. The
truth is that there are many people here who need or will need their
help. They make suggestions that as an ex-pat getting older in this
country, I am taking to heart. LCN will
be happy to advise you on any of these points which include:</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
<br /></div>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="a">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Execute an
Advanced Health Care Directive. Do you want someone to
guess what you might have wanted if you were not able to
communicate? The Thai doctors will honor these directives and
welcome the guidance.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Establish a relationship with
a primary care physician. There are many reasons for this, not the
least of which is having some one who knows you who can
prescribe pain medications as needed. <span style="color: blue;"> <b><i>-- Jim had not done this! </i></b></span></span></li>
</ol>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="3"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Purchase
health insurance ( or at least personal injury accident insurance)
and put some cash away for emergencies. Many ex-pats are here
because they simply can't afford to live in their home country. Many
live month to month here. WE need to have health insurance and we
need to put away some money for emergencies. Unless you have health
insurance, most hospitals will not begin to treat you without an initial
deposit of at least one-half the anticipated amount of your entire bill! <b><i><span style="color: blue;">-- Jim was uninsured, without Lanna Care Net's help negotiating with CMU hospital it would have been much worse! </span></i></b></span></li>
</ol>
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<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
Lanna Care Net can be contacted at +66 85-709-8801 (085 709 8801)
and at <a href="http://www.lannacarenet.org/">www.lannacarenet.org</a><br />
<br />
This was sent by email from Jim's sister 20 February at 5:05 am Bangkok time.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">Jimmy arrived on time and safely. The transition went smoothly. However, our experience at the hospital emergency room could have been better. The attending Dr. was reluctant to perform tests or admit him to a room. He suggested that we go to a facility that had neurosurgeons on staff. Finally xrays, and bloodwork was done and they have a MRI scheduled for </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1367220073" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">tomorrow</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> afternoon. They did end up putting him in a room for the night. Jimmy is exhausted and broke down once. Things seemed to pick up after I made a call to Hospital Social Services. I just spoke with her and we are getting together </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1367220074" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">tomorrow</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> to discuss Jim's condition and options for us. I feel so badly for him! I am doing research on neuro-specialists in a 100 mile radius. The xrays revealed extreme degenerative disc disease, but he already knew that. Hopefully the MRI tells us more and will warrant a longer stay so he can be transferred to a facility where intensive physical therapy can begin to work for him. Will keep you all posted. Love. Joy</span></b></div>
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-61546087284488380332013-11-17T09:15:00.000+07:002013-11-18T08:16:40.969+07:00Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festivals are now<div class="MsoNormal">
Loi Krathong was amazing!
This is the annual Thai festival where people make or buy krathong and
float them in the river. It symbolizes
letting go of the past and welcoming the future. Today I may get to the river and get some photo's of Krathong on the water.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IPWSSpA6P80kb0OR2H5gDpcv2SqyGw20mrLVksCHx1nxrON-crvejq7z-xKANohUSDGp9mjq1x17Nto8CPyMOYacPcOiPA9n9PhtVuDW45A1OuJ3YN5ZYGISLkagcCfjtocsZNuJ-u8/s1600/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IPWSSpA6P80kb0OR2H5gDpcv2SqyGw20mrLVksCHx1nxrON-crvejq7z-xKANohUSDGp9mjq1x17Nto8CPyMOYacPcOiPA9n9PhtVuDW45A1OuJ3YN5ZYGISLkagcCfjtocsZNuJ-u8/s400/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0001.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Young Girl (her father behind her) selling Krathong 50 baht, fair price</b></i></td></tr>
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The festival also coincides with Yi Peng,
the Lanna or Northern Thai festival of sending lanterns into the sky. Hopefully we'll get some shots of laterns being launched this evening. Those not familiar who want to read a bit
are invited to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong">Wikipedia</a> definition.</div>
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Yesterday I went to Tae Pae gate to see the displays from
different countries for Yi Peng. Then
on to Suan Baak Had (the park near my home).
Enjoy the photo’s<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdsnc0WFo_xHWS5LzTGzqyeDqQauD_wMgNeGw6iQHC-_zWK5SobVhFa4Jr_DEJI2OxPmaWiOwuUpjEqdbAOp0bxuThyphenhyphenr8T-0kbj7x78u4I0vfbnkd0CopmFnXq2AMwxVwH5Z6VHT01IM/s1600/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdsnc0WFo_xHWS5LzTGzqyeDqQauD_wMgNeGw6iQHC-_zWK5SobVhFa4Jr_DEJI2OxPmaWiOwuUpjEqdbAOp0bxuThyphenhyphenr8T-0kbj7x78u4I0vfbnkd0CopmFnXq2AMwxVwH5Z6VHT01IM/s400/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0007.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Thailand Display at Tae Pae Gate</i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFpFZ_nmGp-lv3fmp3ajloKuqTuuXZOC4vyzE7-3b92Ed6gqjTSBAZKGsINVkZOjroblJWBq2NTgm99bDPeu0XmI6xy9vln212ORkjzB07QLycF0pklBVi1I3_5GupvVpbcEflnP5uR8/s1600/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFpFZ_nmGp-lv3fmp3ajloKuqTuuXZOC4vyzE7-3b92Ed6gqjTSBAZKGsINVkZOjroblJWBq2NTgm99bDPeu0XmI6xy9vln212ORkjzB07QLycF0pklBVi1I3_5GupvVpbcEflnP5uR8/s400/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0009.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Singapore Display at Tae Pae Gate</b></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJIjopPFYUYRXOiyA_5jhg-tSMCoqxkd2F7dPaNl9Z6CV58jIz0-k4QFO9NAoSeVkuBf84_7BOaYst-tjmWt1wBDdhdC9HmJcf_fDMYIHXs04R8GKvaT6CBWwdV8Q3dJSdAICJmPVcrg/s1600/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJIjopPFYUYRXOiyA_5jhg-tSMCoqxkd2F7dPaNl9Z6CV58jIz0-k4QFO9NAoSeVkuBf84_7BOaYst-tjmWt1wBDdhdC9HmJcf_fDMYIHXs04R8GKvaT6CBWwdV8Q3dJSdAICJmPVcrg/s400/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0012.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Asean Display at Tae Pae Gate</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicH2tp2uBAGX8eW9iYHfm9Xf0HgMIuvIZ84C9g5vjFkuBDjPN_yC_HSVpCQ4GQ7XR5vGGBAFb-ucRNDi7kDHfHyXcAMDsyGU1MbN4QVZj-QxI05k8ITCpElZ_mxywTo4BPykFQnZggooc/s1600/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicH2tp2uBAGX8eW9iYHfm9Xf0HgMIuvIZ84C9g5vjFkuBDjPN_yC_HSVpCQ4GQ7XR5vGGBAFb-ucRNDi7kDHfHyXcAMDsyGU1MbN4QVZj-QxI05k8ITCpElZ_mxywTo4BPykFQnZggooc/s400/20131116_%C2%A9JN_0030.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Oh My! We have a dragon in the lake at the park! </i></b></td></tr>
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Maliwan purchased two kratong made from some sort of bread. We prepared them by inserting a lock of our hair, a coin, a candle and incense. The incense is meant to connect with the spirits, the candle to light the way, the coin represents tamboon and the lock of hair is for identification. We took the kratongs to the lake in the park, very near my favorite dragon. The idea is to respect (pray to) the water asking for forgiveness of our discretion and asking for guidance for the coming year. I just love this culture.<br />
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Jerry<o:p></o:p></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-20718387095353159352013-09-22T14:35:00.000+07:002013-09-26T23:19:14.234+07:00Autism in Northern Thailand <div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Gentle Reader,</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #454545;">Last minute article addition: </span><span style="color: red;"> I only have 4 tickets left for the Bollywood Masala Charity Event. Please contact me to reserve yours today!</span><span style="color: #454545;"> I will be turning in my tickets and money on Monday. If you need more than 4 contact Frank directly. (See bottom of this article for details).</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Autism is a reality in Chiang Mai as it is throughout the world. One expert report says that there are at least 200,000 autistic children in the Kingdom. Here children severely effected with this malady might end up at the Northern Thailand School for children with disabilities. They have some 30 students, many autistic, some with down syndrome and, if I understand correctly one or two, who suffer from severe Attention Defecate Disorder. The school is a foundation under Royal patronage.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeGZZhcqR3BIVMcb1f2uZSQKrfV5KiqVmWbeFNdy5-j4Rt93yXKRKOnbFhbnK0NEhadVFQyZp5YZ4V7tpGG-oVOxOvxmuzTIgi_Bk_G-R0gHpXyzATKyjAkuoPipOWjTWHpdF1cVBdjg/s1600/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeGZZhcqR3BIVMcb1f2uZSQKrfV5KiqVmWbeFNdy5-j4Rt93yXKRKOnbFhbnK0NEhadVFQyZp5YZ4V7tpGG-oVOxOvxmuzTIgi_Bk_G-R0gHpXyzATKyjAkuoPipOWjTWHpdF1cVBdjg/s400/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0219.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Northern Thailand Center for Education of Disable Children</td></tr>
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</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>The school sponsors a small NGO called Chiang Mai Skill center which is located less than a kilometer away from the school. The founder is Lukas Wyss who provides the autistic children with the opportunity to interact with horses and provide riding therapy and Hippotherapy. I know very little about this type of work, but what I do know is that the children enjoy it immensely! </b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mz5SfQjdkOb3jor2NyAx8TbocxvnwEc5hbfzSgmucrkdOGgmu_5FA5xDVWCKvXwEVnpcI5YnKyTBjnx1Z6UUvlgDFm3szekX6efPLN4eSCVNZizbabTh8TLVw_mNjbyMH6HiJnxE110/s1600/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mz5SfQjdkOb3jor2NyAx8TbocxvnwEc5hbfzSgmucrkdOGgmu_5FA5xDVWCKvXwEVnpcI5YnKyTBjnx1Z6UUvlgDFm3szekX6efPLN4eSCVNZizbabTh8TLVw_mNjbyMH6HiJnxE110/s400/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>On the buggy and ready to go</b></i></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">At the appointed time Lukas takes a horse drawn carriage from his barn to pick up children at the school. The children at the school wait anxiously for the horse and carriage. As soon as it's visible on the road there is a furfur of excitement (Imagine a bunch of kids looking down the road and seeing Santa Clause coming up the lane - that kind of excitement is what I'm talking about)! The children then enjoy a carriage ride back to the skill center.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU2SKgKbsniYEzFn14IbWT2V-elXMHkxOi644k1mgQbCi2GLd14z99zG0ddKNyy4K64pvv6ebzdRjNoC8EAYHu50O_Ga1rCIolEzRa8HSdvV57GRCLR5WhACZHQDt-0EzKOJd84QvE9Y/s1600/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU2SKgKbsniYEzFn14IbWT2V-elXMHkxOi644k1mgQbCi2GLd14z99zG0ddKNyy4K64pvv6ebzdRjNoC8EAYHu50O_Ga1rCIolEzRa8HSdvV57GRCLR5WhACZHQDt-0EzKOJd84QvE9Y/s400/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Horse and buggy plus happy children</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>At the skill center they use time grooming the horse and then go to a field especially prepared with soft sand where they take turns riding the horse. Each child is given therapy matching his or her needs. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6OjWAB2Y9qJrq1wFj3P7rAZUFtLDitiGNawdYRVQeJvUvoreuQbaK6q88Wo67tpukZlkcA38zWyy3OGdYgiEcZkEQlCBgz8sh_ej_hQEwhKAPKAhiaNtmQlgAmN374vUVrn6ou2kXEQ/s1600/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6OjWAB2Y9qJrq1wFj3P7rAZUFtLDitiGNawdYRVQeJvUvoreuQbaK6q88Wo67tpukZlkcA38zWyy3OGdYgiEcZkEQlCBgz8sh_ej_hQEwhKAPKAhiaNtmQlgAmN374vUVrn6ou2kXEQ/s400/20130918_%C2%A9JN_0068.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Ride a horse and work on manual dexterity, good plan! </b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>After the rides are done, the children return to the barn where they enjoy more time with the horses and a refreshing snack. Finally they take the buggy ride back to the school.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>The center has several urgent needs including water and toilets. You can help! Attend the Bollywood Masala Event, donate or volunteer. Please take a look at http://www.skillcenter-chiangmai.com/ for more information.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Are you going to be in Chiang Mai on Friday October 4th? Would you enjoy an evening of Indian Entertainment and Indian Food while supporting a most worthy cause; autistic children? Read on.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>My friend Frank from Fashion King of Chiang Mai is organizing the evening. Frank is a guy who always supports others in their charity work. Now is the time to support him and his wife Vinata in their efforts to support the autistic children at the CM Skill Center.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>The Empress hotel will host and they always do a great job. The cost is only 1,000 baht per ticket. Of course, larger sponsorships are requested. See Frank for details or call him at 081-928-4575 or 081-733-5914. You may also contact me directly at 089-556-4293; I also have tickets to sell</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>For only 1,000 baht you have the opportunity to help these children and enjoy an</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Indian Bazaar atmosphere will be enhanced by live Indian music and dance</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>performed by professionals from Bangkok. You will also enjoy a delicious Indian Buffet. A complimentary drink will be provided on arrival. Door prizes, a silent auction and many stalls Will add to the excitement of the evening. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Program</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbjKeEkAPnG4lV5tynm5qgtgNTjh1Gex8iaXJvDRoBh2y2UKXl4WrezM40jMS3AAY403VokgE5IqYuZ-y6-T7qwI1cswHcb8rpXk44kvaYiSMLPlFoTqJqG_CU49bCakW0PCdaeTlbEY/s1600/bollywood+party+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbjKeEkAPnG4lV5tynm5qgtgNTjh1Gex8iaXJvDRoBh2y2UKXl4WrezM40jMS3AAY403VokgE5IqYuZ-y6-T7qwI1cswHcb8rpXk44kvaYiSMLPlFoTqJqG_CU49bCakW0PCdaeTlbEY/s320/bollywood+party+2.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>6.30 – 7.15 pm. Registration</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>7.30 pm. Buffet opens</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Followed by Music & dance</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>(Entertainment)</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Tickets are available at Fashion King or directly from me.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Abundant Blessings,</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Jerry</b></span></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-55223815897273781802013-09-12T09:42:00.002+07:002013-09-12T09:42:55.504+07:00Bollywood Event to Help Autistic Children<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Gentle Reader,</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #454545;">Are you going to be in Chiang Mai on </span><span style="color: blue;">Friday October 4, 2013</span><span style="color: #454545;">? Would you enjoy an evening of Indian Entertainment and Indian Food while supporting a most worthy cause; autistic children? Read on.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My friend Frank from Fashion King of Chiang Mai is organizing the evening. Frank is a guy who always supports others in their charity work. Now is the time to support him and his wife Vinata in their efforts to support the autistic children at the CM Skill Centre and Thanua Withaya School.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAz0Q-VxXSy2n9Pmat9pN3rHi0Gr4HUKp5nGFXoxCPPSD6DrM3ieEk0OS_yi2IQOfNi61ZrosIVM_YS_VBW4f8D5d5T4qdmyS_3YgYmu4XBEGlB-GSpe3U5BUqT-fIrUvskqSzTOBeNM/s1600/bollywood+party+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAz0Q-VxXSy2n9Pmat9pN3rHi0Gr4HUKp5nGFXoxCPPSD6DrM3ieEk0OS_yi2IQOfNi61ZrosIVM_YS_VBW4f8D5d5T4qdmyS_3YgYmu4XBEGlB-GSpe3U5BUqT-fIrUvskqSzTOBeNM/s400/bollywood+party+2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Empress hotel will host and they always do a great job. The cost is only 1,000 baht per ticket. Of course, larger sponsorship is requested and needed. See Frank for details or call him at 081-928-4575 or 081-733-5914.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For only 1,000 baht you have the opportunity to help these children and enjoy an Indian Bazaar atmosphere will be enhanced by live Indian music and dance performed by professionals from Bangkok. You will also enjoy a delicious Indian Buffet. A drink or glass of wine will be provided on arrival. Door prizes, a silent auction and many stalls Will add to the excitement of the evening. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>6.30 – 7.15 pm. Registration</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>7.30 pm. Buffet opens</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Followed by Music & dance</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>(Entertainment)</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red;">Tickets are available at Fashion King or directly from me (I'll have a book available by Saturday the 14th of September.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Abundant Blessings,</b></span></div>
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-55767847513484900052013-07-10T17:20:00.000+07:002013-07-10T17:20:43.719+07:00I married the same woman twice!<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve heard of people marrying the same person twice but that
usually entails a divorce in the middle.
I’ve done it with no divorce in the middle. Some
may argue that it’s just one marriage accomplished in two different stages, by
my explanation is more fun.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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On the 23d of November we were married in Maliwan’s village
in Nan Rong. Then we got busy with
life. There were new volunteer
opportunities and writing projects for me and a new job and at the same time
going back to college for Maliwan. We’ve
been busy! I just realized that though I posted pictures
on face book, I never wrote a blog article.
Let’s back up a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some time ago we decided to marry. We picked a time frame some 14 months in the
future. We discussed this with her
family and in typical Thai fashion left the choice of an exact date up to her mother,
who of course consulted monks and fortune tellers to find the most auspicious
date. 23 November 2012 was chosen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrmwmZhtiHnLPRDEtMxLndawPEc6-DOwBMpHjCxbE2K9aPdvn3MWdpjwaVsVQI1FMfr15Je88mkL6heSd3UPS3J0OZHF-IcRYl9oZgvXVsq-a2MbCFfIG6zmvSRJh13esr_u4t5LTl9o/s1600/20121123_@JN_0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrmwmZhtiHnLPRDEtMxLndawPEc6-DOwBMpHjCxbE2K9aPdvn3MWdpjwaVsVQI1FMfr15Je88mkL6heSd3UPS3J0OZHF-IcRYl9oZgvXVsq-a2MbCFfIG6zmvSRJh13esr_u4t5LTl9o/s400/20121123_@JN_0013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Photo is not good, the food and fellowship was! </i></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK647BHDnb0iD1KQ3Ip7eK33xtHkWRgXK4ihNBSIfKA3ttX8kPB-eCxdahGZhkNoxFpOL4FvFovDPJ49U1fRexdp3yHSevwFgf-w6Mi8ewK04sMJ9dKwLAR0bYybr_YTlW6C-u_NmLUZw/s1600/20121123_@JN_0067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK647BHDnb0iD1KQ3Ip7eK33xtHkWRgXK4ihNBSIfKA3ttX8kPB-eCxdahGZhkNoxFpOL4FvFovDPJ49U1fRexdp3yHSevwFgf-w6Mi8ewK04sMJ9dKwLAR0bYybr_YTlW6C-u_NmLUZw/s400/20121123_@JN_0067.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Maliwan and friends</i></b></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I made it perfectly clear that I was not going to be a part of any drunken fiasco very common at Thai weddings, especially village weddings. She needed to have some sort of a party or perhaps lose face. I refused to pay for any alcohol. The compromise was simple. I increased the dowry and she paid for the party. Trust me when I tell you she spent less that 10% of what they were expecting me to pay. Everyone came away a winner except maybe a couple of neighbors who had planned on a free binge. You've seen it before. 20 people show up for the ceremony and 100 find their way to the reception.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BVlpQTCJGZSDmZ4-u_5mUl_21noOCntyl6xfo_4vLgXj9Jy47AIQXyvdZX3M6UzBJgD5qw0yLQhbvMruT7SKnXIO6QE2QmaidXrN3gOmLWsgWsmWUwld7MfPGiMuixMFDIvEV-4TNYU/s1600/20121123_@JN_0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BVlpQTCJGZSDmZ4-u_5mUl_21noOCntyl6xfo_4vLgXj9Jy47AIQXyvdZX3M6UzBJgD5qw0yLQhbvMruT7SKnXIO6QE2QmaidXrN3gOmLWsgWsmWUwld7MfPGiMuixMFDIvEV-4TNYU/s400/20121123_@JN_0102.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Relatives</b></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE-2wBJ8_JPjR7mD5FA8hjVkGo3P-BF9HV9bRE7rM7R-rllxe1STb51Scw-FuNTSod9XKlPquKg376s4Z436pfQl0GKQu8CrzTtGoInlRYEXQrljwKnjh3o7Otei2DFJ68xJTwkXPKxU/s1600/20121123_@JN_0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE-2wBJ8_JPjR7mD5FA8hjVkGo3P-BF9HV9bRE7rM7R-rllxe1STb51Scw-FuNTSod9XKlPquKg376s4Z436pfQl0GKQu8CrzTtGoInlRYEXQrljwKnjh3o7Otei2DFJ68xJTwkXPKxU/s400/20121123_@JN_0106.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding Day, Maliwan's Father in foreground</td></tr>
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The ceremony was simple, the people genuinely happy for
Maliwan and me. The next day we headed
back to the North and resumed our busy lives.
Time has flown since.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally today, the 10<sup>th</sup> of July we managed to
finish. It wasn’t difficult at all, just
tedious. First she had to secure a copy
of her divorce certificate and her family registry. In the meantime I needed to get a notarized
document from the American consulate which attested to my status and then get a
legal translation of that paper. Armed
with these documents, my passport and her ID card we arrived at he office about
9:30 this morning. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iCw4kOvwet1NpU4UFeRHMhxMMh7J4Sp0ldF3-8kUagNDM2CGhgh2OwpTXSqGhp9qSFuSmDb5F-xckPRnt7RIbVLo5005pp_UXMc28qcTtiqhjY_RjeqUgnLkWMAhx1ubzya5G9nC5GE/s1600/20130710_%C2%A9JN_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iCw4kOvwet1NpU4UFeRHMhxMMh7J4Sp0ldF3-8kUagNDM2CGhgh2OwpTXSqGhp9qSFuSmDb5F-xckPRnt7RIbVLo5005pp_UXMc28qcTtiqhjY_RjeqUgnLkWMAhx1ubzya5G9nC5GE/s320/20130710_%C2%A9JN_0016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Just because there is no ceremony is reason not to get ready!</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was no ceremony. That was done the 23d of November,
but as far as I could tell was totally irrelevant to the proceedings today. The nice lady at the counter gave Maliwan a
couple forms to fill out, all in Thai of course. Four trips down stairs to make copies of
things later we had accomplished two things.
First her family paper has been registered here in Chiang Mai and then
our marriage was registered. Maliwan commented that the people were much nicer than the ones she dealt with registering her first marriage. No, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a comment about when it's right it's easier. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCHyji3yZtxfL2T9ysXvXzt7BZUgOa1F9cWuV6OW-rdTBUMb5rKYRAAfwrq71Q8ESPdJJqZuwkg76nCNyU8yVEyvUhZIuf-Y7NzCpPc3iiN9g5nKQlksP4Bu2_dgoYoTpEVtKEqKky4g/s1600/20130710_%25C2%25A9JN_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCHyji3yZtxfL2T9ysXvXzt7BZUgOa1F9cWuV6OW-rdTBUMb5rKYRAAfwrq71Q8ESPdJJqZuwkg76nCNyU8yVEyvUhZIuf-Y7NzCpPc3iiN9g5nKQlksP4Bu2_dgoYoTpEVtKEqKky4g/s400/20130710_%25C2%25A9JN_0048.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Here we are with the certificate! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They gave us a lovely folder with two copies of the marriage
certificate. Why two? I asked.
Apparently this is just the way it’s done, one for her and one for
me. At first it made no sense. After
thinking about it I’m guessing the reason is because of the fact that married people
often live apart for economic reasons. Living in two different parts of the
country having your own copy of various documents makes total sense. ( I
remember my old driver friend from Bangkok, who I’m sure I met more than 40
years ago, telling me he will be happy when the Federal hotel closes at the end
of the year. He will go and live with
his wife in Lampang See the article “All
things are impermanent” below). </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-17759971276771892302013-06-17T10:12:00.000+07:002013-06-17T10:12:09.656+07:00All Things are Impermanent!<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
My recent trip to Bangkok provided me with proof of this
fact and once again reminded me of the Buddhist teaching that suffering is caused
by trying to hold on to anything. After all, nothing really belongs to me and all
things living and not are simply passing by. Frankly I enjoy Bangkok a little bit less every time I visit though I do enjoy a couple days in the big city from time to time. The main purpose of this trip was to visit the JUSMAG Thai compound so I could see the
tri-care people and to register a better mailing address. After that, a relaxing hour in the pool at my favorite
hotel, The Federal, and a meal at a great Italian restaurant called Limon Cello was also on the list. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Three years ago when I started staying at the Federal there was a condo being constructed a couple hundred
meters down the soi. Last year a second one was erected. Perhaps I should have
seen it coming. When I arrived to
check in at the hotel I was immediately informed that the property has been
sold to some big company from India. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81I1iESEZ0pEzoDge86t1o11eDvjFXg_zDKJSEOE_dQzE7hsAdTyz9-YyHjrREkiT-sGUJp76hfCXcIDbSbQl4eloQyIYbfN-GANz0gMPaSh28yCg6Ny0Un5laNdM3-97Jvy5a6a5sxE/s1600/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81I1iESEZ0pEzoDge86t1o11eDvjFXg_zDKJSEOE_dQzE7hsAdTyz9-YyHjrREkiT-sGUJp76hfCXcIDbSbQl4eloQyIYbfN-GANz0gMPaSh28yCg6Ny0Un5laNdM3-97Jvy5a6a5sxE/s400/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Coffee Shop Front at the Federal Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They will close the end of the year, knock down the structure and build yet another condominium on Sukimvit Soi 11. My first reaction was an internal voice which screamed “No, you can’t do this to me”! Fortunately a second later I recovered, mustered a smile and inquired what will you do when the hotel closes. I’ll miss the Federal but hey, it isn't the only reasonably priced hotel in Bangkok.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD18uL61TVEhC7JzJPW_eHmGPLj9tTfVBCmS_yWbGPke2IyhqIBz-w364EjTn5BDBXFSrgRgCvfrMfHDPkXxE2gv3nIIPj_Zitr1nM5MHJVaAF4tsbRfCyFHoju_no5N0nrDL8ZZZAThM/s1600/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD18uL61TVEhC7JzJPW_eHmGPLj9tTfVBCmS_yWbGPke2IyhqIBz-w364EjTn5BDBXFSrgRgCvfrMfHDPkXxE2gv3nIIPj_Zitr1nM5MHJVaAF4tsbRfCyFHoju_no5N0nrDL8ZZZAThM/s400/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sukimvit Soi 11 with the Federal Hotel and Condo's behind</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the drivers at the Federal is a fellow my age that
used to work for various U.S. Army clubs during the Vietnam era. Talking, we realized that he was at the NCO
club in Lopburi at the same time I was stationed there. Though neither of us are positive, we both suspect that we knew each other circa 1968 - 1969. Today we enjoy swapping stories about those times. He actually remembers the amoebic dysentery
outbreak though he wasn't one who was affected.
Let’s just say Charlie didn’t eat the lettuce and I did. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpYTS0a1HX-uWE-7Yet7dEONrGq7lDqOI5C4fHuF_ihPjJDgr6DuQ-khUv2LPeSt51_SO5yCeM9ano9PgDafPDyaOVylmYic23DFV1gugl5phwbOqmHs1zhpAQHWtmKH-Ow9lp5F0o1A/s1600/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpYTS0a1HX-uWE-7Yet7dEONrGq7lDqOI5C4fHuF_ihPjJDgr6DuQ-khUv2LPeSt51_SO5yCeM9ano9PgDafPDyaOVylmYic23DFV1gugl5phwbOqmHs1zhpAQHWtmKH-Ow9lp5F0o1A/s400/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0040.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old Guys, friends for a long time! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Charlie took me to JUSMAG Thai and on the way he confided
that when the hotel closes he will move to Lampang and spend his days help his
wife with her small food stall, enjoy his time with family and not really miss
much about Bangkok. Lampang is not far
from Chiang Mai; we’ll see each other again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first thing I learned at JUSMAG was that my ID card, clearly
marked ‘INDEFINATE’ actually expired (for the purposes of health care) on my 65<sup>th</sup> birthday; so much
for permanency. No problem I now have a
new ID card, clearly marked 'INDEFINITE' on both sides. After receiving my new and improved ID card, I was able to register my new mailing address. This will perhaps ease insurance matters. We will see. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dinner at Lemon Cello was delightful, as always. The changing times along Sukimvit seem to be
good for their business. I notice that
almost all of their clientele are Thai though the food remains authentic Italian and
the service is still excellent. The sign says Pizzeria but they have a fairly extensive menu; I'm particularly fond of the mozzarella and tomato salad and of course the cannelloni. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9PkryWB3xheF6W_RY30mTKOna_qfbJe3lGzovYhQyoD1Kb5LmFdNY8NPCrDFVcYaxjkIQIoFYMlJV1Voj8vGaUPLh-Ocig5b-AOPbi9lds0oA0TF1md5QKb59BSsijYa_1gYphb7axE/s1600/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9PkryWB3xheF6W_RY30mTKOna_qfbJe3lGzovYhQyoD1Kb5LmFdNY8NPCrDFVcYaxjkIQIoFYMlJV1Voj8vGaUPLh-Ocig5b-AOPbi9lds0oA0TF1md5QKb59BSsijYa_1gYphb7axE/s400/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0019.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just down a little lane off of Soi 11</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFAlu-PnEb1b3_vwx5TjugZDcBvFn0BfQgf9FchheMaN0DepO4QoZUa-dhyhaJmGyJ9rBERp1RzhRC5ig0bOmanfOMDojNRiLAIqvNh32zyJiJWkSCOLLZLKJ5X2rak-IAdenDpEcJSQ/s1600/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFAlu-PnEb1b3_vwx5TjugZDcBvFn0BfQgf9FchheMaN0DepO4QoZUa-dhyhaJmGyJ9rBERp1RzhRC5ig0bOmanfOMDojNRiLAIqvNh32zyJiJWkSCOLLZLKJ5X2rak-IAdenDpEcJSQ/s400/20130612_%C2%A9JN_0022.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rungnapa at the Limon Cello</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three years I’ve been going to this place and now I’m wondering if there can be a fourth or fifth. All I know is that all things are impermanent! </div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-22488564321525871362013-02-10T09:36:00.000+07:002013-02-10T09:36:12.023+07:00A Totally Different Culture<br />
Where to begin? One of my mentors told me that if I didn't know where to begin then I should just start, so here we go. The cultural differences between Thailand and other nations, especially those in the West are vast indeed. One American friend who has lived and worked in Asia for most of his adult life commented that Thai culture is less similar to ours than other Asian cultures. No wonder I didn't know where to begin.<br />
<br />
Somewhere near my 3rd anniversary in Thailand I received an email from my son in which he used the phrase “A Totally Different Culture”. It stuck. Several mornings each month I walk down to Suan Buaak Haad park to meet with friends. Recently I've started being more mindful of my surroundings and taking notice of things that we might not see elsewhere. Tourists come here and snap thousands of pictures; we all know I still do the same thing. But what are we actually seeing? How deep are we looking? Do we see what is important? Important is, of course, a relative judgment made by each individual. Perhaps this will become a series important to some and not to others. If that be the case, how best to organize the content and how deep to go will be the questions of the hour. For our purposes I will borrow a definition of culture from dictionary.com and modify it for focus. <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the Thai culture. </i></span><br />
<br />
No discussion of Thailand would be possible without mentioning Buddhism. When I try and make sense out of what’s available to read and observe what is actually practiced, the subject of Buddhism becomes over whelming. For today, let’s just say that there are five precepts which constitute the minimum moral obligation of a practicing lay Buddhist. They are:<br />
1. abstaining from the destruction of life.<br />
2. abstaining from taking that which is not given.<br />
3. abstaining from sexual misconduct.<br />
4. abstaining from falsehood.<br />
5. abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.<br />
There are good Buddhists and not so good Buddhists, just as there are good Christians and not so good Christians.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ChHffh-JTeqpXsJk-wEANWmcM8P4PXGmiIimfjHuF0_uscncMUllrlsJcJ9hPtQYJyS9i-hQhw2-tP0KgQo1Y9GZbsIjPd137lk4BAFbG_yZk1q5Hd7EJ8WEDwo3sgoUf9r7DHfNaEc/s1600/20130206_%C2%A9JN_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ChHffh-JTeqpXsJk-wEANWmcM8P4PXGmiIimfjHuF0_uscncMUllrlsJcJ9hPtQYJyS9i-hQhw2-tP0KgQo1Y9GZbsIjPd137lk4BAFbG_yZk1q5Hd7EJ8WEDwo3sgoUf9r7DHfNaEc/s400/20130206_%C2%A9JN_0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Wat Phathathariphunchai, Lamphun</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another cultural aspect is the constitutional monarchy and its effect on the belief system of the Thai people. In Thailand the watch word is respect. To say that the Thai people respect His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) would be a serious understatement. They revere him! His reign began on 9 June 1946, making him the and the world’s longest serving head of state and longest reigning monarch. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was on 2 June 1953.<br />
<br />
What about economic conditions in Thailand? How do they affect the daily life of the people here? We, the foreigner, see the surface but rarely do we see anything deeper. I for one know that the tourist dollar has an impact on the people in my community. Much discussion can be heard about the quality of the high season and differences in revenues during the low season. Three years ago much was written about the adverse effect of the political demonstrations on the tourism industry. Two years ago it was the floods that seemed to divert the tourists and their money. One personal observation: Three years ago most of the tourists in Chiang Mai were English speaking white people. Today they are Chinese.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TyqR8Xc5mrLFN2-de9jMm6E0_6fz2laXVZMHpGz-tYLndjpV_Y9M_UizLoCLEyzyVqNczpiMcUmv-bbHdIjbwsvRxcjCY2GNVfV80D48gTg8iOdmGnRU4XmUrLFz_sHqPYUF9O8cCoM/s1600/20130209_%C2%A9JN_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TyqR8Xc5mrLFN2-de9jMm6E0_6fz2laXVZMHpGz-tYLndjpV_Y9M_UizLoCLEyzyVqNczpiMcUmv-bbHdIjbwsvRxcjCY2GNVfV80D48gTg8iOdmGnRU4XmUrLFz_sHqPYUF9O8cCoM/s400/20130209_%C2%A9JN_0048.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Stalls at the Chiang Mai Night Market, hours before opening</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we go forward a few of the things we might want to address are: The idea of saving or losing face, Thai style communication, the importance of family, Thai circles of friends and associates, ethnic minorities, regional differences, the Thai education system and much more.<br />
<br />
Abundant Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jerry<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-7216633968196004042013-01-30T08:47:00.000+07:002013-01-30T08:47:58.846+07:00Lila Thai Massage - A good business<br />
Gentle Reader,<br />
<br />
As the title implies, I like Lila Thai Massage. I became interested when I read about them some time ago. Let me begin with a quote from their newly updated <a href="http://www.chiangmaithaimassage.com/">website</a>:<br />
<br />
<i> “ The Lila Thai Massage was established by Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, former Director of Chiang Mai Woman’ Prison (2011-2008), to help support the lives of newly released inmates in society. She has dedicated the greater part of her 40 year career understanding and bridging the gap between a non accepting public, and the problems released inmates encounter adapting to a new community. Prior to their release, these carefully screened inmates go through an extensive training program which allows them to make a living and contribute to society.</i><br />
<i> “Unfortunately these detainees often encounter discrimination from employers who refuse to hire these skilled therapists. Sadly, due to lack of employment opportunities some return to a cycle of crime, and find themselves back in prison. The Lila Thai Massage was established to help eliminate this pattern of crime and lack of apportunity.</i><br />
<i> “The Chiang Mai Women’s Prison ang the Institute of Skill Development have designed a 180 hour massage training course for these inmates, which are endorsed and meet the requirements of the Chiang Mai Public Health Department. Thus, we guarantee you will receive a fully trained professional massage therapist. It is our cherished hope that you will see these former inmates in a positive light, and your kind patronage will allow them to proudly start a new life and support themselves and their families.”</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzmBXANjNFL2lbLMgswDYkGr9OMXR_L3TQqmPcxQNuTS_j_4ymu5Pf-nWCopZr5ZYjRVCOS0dG38k-1DrmsgkcZyO038gHZh9Upzqgnq8bqIO4LS5PxQdX7KolNxRzxyYQTeNQrAYsU8/s1600/20121114_%C2%A9JN_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzmBXANjNFL2lbLMgswDYkGr9OMXR_L3TQqmPcxQNuTS_j_4ymu5Pf-nWCopZr5ZYjRVCOS0dG38k-1DrmsgkcZyO038gHZh9Upzqgnq8bqIO4LS5PxQdX7KolNxRzxyYQTeNQrAYsU8/s400/20121114_%C2%A9JN_0006.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat</i></td></tr>
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This idea of building a business while helping recently released inmates intrigued me so I started to do a little research and eventually had an opportunity to meet Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat. I learned that in 2007 three women came to her stating that with all their training they could not get a job because they had been in prison. She decided then to open Lila Thai Massage. From that humble beginning the company has grown to five locations employing more than 90 massage therapists. As of 14 November 2012 there were 15 working at location #1, 25 at location #2, 10 at location #3, 21 at location #4 and 20 at location #5.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VbI6W96zduKcJA2NblB7b5c-_uwcbdnJ0VQhxzVD-BJ3lZDJWrbTZkNSmQATGoUaGRt6Pi3HNszL0CL4E8NqwmfNlc0YS0rMJKp-8cETr2mjYU_zUB2AM6U83BT1saRROpuBjyJ0tqk/s1600/20121114_%C2%A9JN_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VbI6W96zduKcJA2NblB7b5c-_uwcbdnJ0VQhxzVD-BJ3lZDJWrbTZkNSmQATGoUaGRt6Pi3HNszL0CL4E8NqwmfNlc0YS0rMJKp-8cETr2mjYU_zUB2AM6U83BT1saRROpuBjyJ0tqk/s400/20121114_%C2%A9JN_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat & a few staff at Location #4</i></td></tr>
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When I spoke to Khun Naowarat I learned that, today, not all of her employees come from the prison. Approximately 15% are friends and relatives of the former inmates who heard good things about the working conditions and asked to join the company. I also learned that each new employee is mentored by the more senior employees to insure a consistent massage technique is used. The system works.<br />
<br />
Lila Thai Massage is a family business. Khun Naowarat’s son-in-law Khun Piyapong Chutipangvivale handles most of the media requests and oversees locations #1,#2,#3 and #4. #4 is also their main office. Her niece looks over location #5.<br />
<br />
Speaking with Khun Piyapong about the drug factor and learned that 85% to 90% of the women in the prison are there on drug related charges; no surprise. I was reminded that, unlike the United States and many other countries, simple possession demands a prison sentence in Thailand. When I asked about the recidivism factor I was told that the women at Lila Thai do much better than the average. I haven’t verified it, but I’m told that on average about 50% of the women in the women’s prison are repeat offenders. <br />
<br />
In the last year three women were asked to leave because of drug activity. Two failed a random drug test and one was known to be associating with drug dealers from her past. They cannot refer their employees to a drug treatment center because the centers would be required to report them to the police. They would automatically be back in court and back to prison. Rather, they asked these two women to leave inviting them to solve their own drug problem with the understanding that they could be re-hired if clean.<br />
<br />
Lila Thai’s massage therapists seem to range in age from their mid 20’s to their 50’s which could be related to the length of sentence served before coming to work. These women are well aware that their past is a huge part of Lila Thai’s marketing. If asked polite questions their answers will be frank. For something like three years I’ve been receiving massage at their shops. I often ask how long they have worked there, where were they before and then how long they were in prison and why. To their credit, and I suspect to the credit of Khun Naowarat, they never try to hide the truth about their past. I even interviewed two of the therapists for this article (see below). Of the several women I’ve spoken to over the past three years all were in prison for drug related offenses and all came to work at Lila Thai upon release. Their time in prison ranged from less than two years up. The first lady I asked these questions to responded with “8 year, 9 month – I never forget”. A month ago I thought I was going to have an opportunity to interview a woman who had spent 25 years in prison, but when I pressed Khun Piyapong for a specific time it became obvious that he wasn't going to arrange it, perhaps she wasn't comfortable. I’ll never know for sure. This is Thailand and the culture features a lot of indirection. <br />
<br />
When I asked Khun Piyapong about employee retention he told me that most of the older women tend to stay with the company while some of the younger ones go on to other opportunities. That made sense to me.<br />
<br />
From what I can tell, Lila Thai Massage is based on an excellent business model and does in fact provide a good value. A couple of years ago the tourist population was predominantly “farang”(white English speaking people). Today there are a much higher percentage of Chinese tourists. The Lila Thai Massage website was recently revamped and is now available in both English and Chinese, telling me they are keeping up with the times and business climate of Northern Thailand .<br />
<br />
As you can see on their website, their prices are competitive. I’ve done a bit of snooping and I can tell you that this company does pretty well while others are closing their doors. I like to think it’s a combination of good karma and a good business plan. Massage therapists are paid by the job. The compensation at Lila Thai is certainly as good as other massage shops and better than many. Yes I know the exact numbers and no I’m not going to publish them.<br />
<br />
I interviewed Khun Pae and Khun Koi about a week ago. Although I interviewed them separately I’ll present their comments as though they were together. The interviews mostly featured the same questions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcgSBa6dIzHT5dslzU0tmAKcKIn1joJUSO_4naVbjVR0i0lcAKLuWxDvsaqKZmuwzS7QbjtO92Y9JUmjAn__0O1E9qAVSu2C47lNisobDHfVxw7DmBu62hHzizKmahosz6SccHv9vDkQ/s1600/01262013_%C2%A9JN_0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcgSBa6dIzHT5dslzU0tmAKcKIn1joJUSO_4naVbjVR0i0lcAKLuWxDvsaqKZmuwzS7QbjtO92Y9JUmjAn__0O1E9qAVSu2C47lNisobDHfVxw7DmBu62hHzizKmahosz6SccHv9vDkQ/s400/01262013_%C2%A9JN_0052.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Khun Pae and Khun Koi</b></i></td></tr>
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JN: Thank you agreeing to do this interview. Please tell me your name and can you spell it for me?<br />
P: Pae, เป้<br />
K: Koi, ก็อย<br />
<br />
JN: How long have you been working here? <br />
P: 8 months<br />
K: About 3 years<br />
<br />
JN: Where were you before you came here? <br />
P&K: prison<br />
<br />
JN: Why were you in prison? <br />
P: I used drugs.<br />
K: Drugs. Methamphetamine, using and selling. <br />
<br />
JN:How long were you in prison? <br />
P: 1 year, 11 months and 15 days. Very bad, I will always remember.<br />
K: 2 years 8 months<br />
<br />
JN: How many people go back to prison after being released? What percentage?<br />
P: Not sure, maybe many.<br />
K: More than 50% go back, I think<br />
<br />
JN:Do you think you will ever go back to prison?<br />
P: No.<br />
K: No! Prison is "Mai Dee Mack" (very bad)<br />
<br />
JN:Did you learn massage there? <br />
P&K: Yes.<br />
<br />
JN: Did you have a choice in training at prison? <br />
P: Yes, many learning programs<br />
<br />
JN: Why massage? <br />
P: My mother thought I should learn massage.<br />
<br />
JN: Do you like massage?<br />
P: At first I didn't but now I do like it.<br />
K: Yes, maybe I stay a long time<br />
<br />
JN: You know the prison moved, right? Do they still have the massage program?<br />
P: Not sure.<br />
K: Don’t know.<br />
<br />
JN: Do you like this job and this company?<br />
P&K: Yes,<br />
<br />
JN: Do you think you will stay here a long time?<br />
P: Yes I want to stay a long time.<br />
K: Yes, maybe 10 years or more.<br />
<br />
JN: Is that because of Griang Jai or do you really love it here?<br />
P: No, I like it here. (She was a bit startled and confused when I mentioned the Thai way of Griang Jai)<br />
K: No I really Iike it, I love it, real life. (She grinned at the question as if to say, oh, you aren’t totally stupid – it was an interesting moment).<br />
<br />
JN: What do you think you would have done if the massage training wasn't offered?<br />
P: Not sure, I'm glad I have massage.<br />
K: I would sell things in my family shop. My family has a furniture factory in Banklong, Handong.<br />
<br />
JN: Does Lily Thai ask you to take drug test? <br />
P: (Pae didn’t understand the question and went on to explain that all the new employees are tutored by one that have been here a while. She mentioned Koi as an example. The idea is that every customer should receive the same quality massage with generally the same technique). <br />
K: (Koi didn’t understand the question either. Test means proficiency test to them).<br />
<br />
JN: May I ask some personal questions? <br />
P&K: OK<br />
<br />
JN: Where are you from? <br />
P: Mae Rim.<br />
K: Banklong, Hangdong<br />
<br />
JN: May I ask your age now?<br />
P: 30 years old<br />
K: I born 1976<br />
<br />
JN: What about your family? Married? Children? Parents?<br />
P: Mother is in Japan with her Japanese husband. They were married 28 years ago. No siblings.<br />
K: I went to prison about 6 years ago in February 2007. My baby was born there on November 2nd, 2007. My marriage ended at that time too.<br />
<br />
JN: Your baby was born in prison? What happened to her? <br />
K: I kept her for about a month and then my mother kept her. <br />
<br />
JN: How much formal schooling have you had. Your English is quite good.<br />
P: I went to many schools, maybe 8 of them after high school. (She giggled and admitted that she was a 'bad girl', meaning she wasn't too serious. Her warmth and openness was very refreshing).<br />
<br />
JN: Where do you live now? <br />
P: Chiang Mai. We (mother and I) own a house.<br />
K: I live with my parents and my baby.<br />
<br />
JN: What is your life dream? (The answers reminded me that these women are Thai and Buddhist).<br />
P: Take care of my mother, she took good care of me in the past. It's hard now because she can't come to Thailand and I can't go to Japan.<br />
K: Take care of my daughter, want her to have good job and good life<br />
<br />
JN: Last question, what would you tell young people about using drugs?<br />
P: Not tell them. Parents should tell them They must learn for their selves.<br />
K: Drugs not good. Don’t do, don’t buy, don’t sell.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to those who made this article possible.<br />
<br />
Jerry<br />
<br />
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-11307665456274095142012-11-04T19:12:00.000+07:002012-11-04T19:12:03.705+07:00A Quick Trip to Sri Lanka<br />
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A quick trip to Sri Lanka<o:p></o:p></div>
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This article is longer than most I’ve written. I actually shortened it quite a bit by moving
a story about the <o:p></o:p></div>
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Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to <a href="http://www.asianelephantstories.blogspot.com/">Asian Elephant Stories</a>. All the photographs from this trip are at http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Sri_Lanka_201210/</div>
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<br /></div>
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The driver who took me from the airport to the hotel in
Kandy asked how long I would be in Sri Lanka. When I told him 5 nights he
commented: “Not long enough sir, next year you stay one month”. The man had a good point, but I get ahead of
myself. On the 13<sup>th</sup> I flew from Chaing Mai to Bangkok and
then on to Colombo Sri Lanka. The first
nice surprise; Thai Airways offered to check my heavy bag through to
Colombo. I accepted. Thai Airways is always my first choice for
domestic flights in Thailand. Sri Lanka
Airlines was really quite delightful.
The service was wonderful. They
provide a menu for the in flight meal which is then served with metal flatware,
that’s right gentle reader, no plastic forks and I was in economy! I asked to move because my original seat was
crowded. No problem. Just as they opened the exit door, the
instant my lens started to fog from the abrupt change from A/C to reality, I
saw these two faces. Better to be lucky than smart sometimes, a second later
and the fog would have been way too much.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQF98-V2dyy_jAm3BgkP1vrVLdudqOvmyYwWHIhHnkEASrd_uL1Ll4CFcldlFgiF570PQnH-eNQID_ggr75UD4Gu3G3UcQmZIkUgKBDwryFzFTkxjxv-fUnhTA0xSGqUxuHz8-kb63vg/s1600/20121013_@JN_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQF98-V2dyy_jAm3BgkP1vrVLdudqOvmyYwWHIhHnkEASrd_uL1Ll4CFcldlFgiF570PQnH-eNQID_ggr75UD4Gu3G3UcQmZIkUgKBDwryFzFTkxjxv-fUnhTA0xSGqUxuHz8-kb63vg/s400/20121013_@JN_0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The 2nd shot<br />I took three rapid fire shots, the fog was way too much on the 3rd</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The passage through the Colombo airport was absolutely hassel
free. Visa on arrival ($25 USD), then on
to immigration. Not many westerners on
the plane so the line was very short. Figuring this trip was going to me a small vacation with “no
purpose” (no agenda, no assignment, etc. I decided to have the hotel pick me up
at the air-port in Colombo rather than try to spend my first hours learning
local transportation systems. It was a
3 ½ hour drive to Kandy. My Driver
Changdra is a nice fellow who has been driving for a very long time. The drive was very interesting. We went from one small populace to the next,
each a bit different yet all with the same flavor. We stopped for tea and a snack which was
delightful and then stopped to enjoy a view.
The traffic in Kandy approaches unbearable; I’m told it is nothing
compared to Colombo. Changdra drives
with his horn, using brakes and accelerator to guide him through the path
magically cleared by the “ngit nit” sound of the van’s horn. According to my trusted driver and guide
there are two types of tuk tuk. Petrol
driven made in India and Diesel made in Italy.
I may not get around to a detailed study about these vehicles, but they
are pretty interesting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili5_lCUu-mkzcq_jRMkWiDJ8bwBEtdwh10f0nfqrvrvWT3eSn8UU7AgaDc0oNPem0Yc4v9bC1bsSJij9LH93QCja4iBJ1xKxq6ivqoEkGsE8msjN6yGl0xLni8AygsnsUQ9LNXWd0LeM/s1600/20121013_@JN_0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili5_lCUu-mkzcq_jRMkWiDJ8bwBEtdwh10f0nfqrvrvWT3eSn8UU7AgaDc0oNPem0Yc4v9bC1bsSJij9LH93QCja4iBJ1xKxq6ivqoEkGsE8msjN6yGl0xLni8AygsnsUQ9LNXWd0LeM/s400/20121013_@JN_0022.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Paper napkins<br />newspaper that is</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIGD6MoBqNLCNICWsJ9XRGT6maZrrnavePkiLiwoK9lym4e88-HrmKJw-HWV4WOQA3weKw_C6RmKbZ69lCSCv33GXtyXcf5fzKjrQYnOcSOd9uq8HDLRzVDCSTBLDg9VIOB7gGTYDcQE/s1600/20121013_@JN_0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIGD6MoBqNLCNICWsJ9XRGT6maZrrnavePkiLiwoK9lym4e88-HrmKJw-HWV4WOQA3weKw_C6RmKbZ69lCSCv33GXtyXcf5fzKjrQYnOcSOd9uq8HDLRzVDCSTBLDg9VIOB7gGTYDcQE/s400/20121013_@JN_0023.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Changdra </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9nPpKPOyUSTjYJba74W4FcRKeGppkbW9LL4FuoinMltQZLn_j39xI7QlzYDeb5ast-kA3cb8U-4UKB38nVlucVTtfEVfhI6snD3ntsgtwI4W3dk8tQ1pJtLmjP8p2ovAJ65e0J55RFo/s1600/20121013_@JN_0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9nPpKPOyUSTjYJba74W4FcRKeGppkbW9LL4FuoinMltQZLn_j39xI7QlzYDeb5ast-kA3cb8U-4UKB38nVlucVTtfEVfhI6snD3ntsgtwI4W3dk8tQ1pJtLmjP8p2ovAJ65e0J55RFo/s400/20121013_@JN_0020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGlUYS2Sc7flEG6JhMmf7gatkTiK0op_pzB5GefepG4wHTokxI3yX7AcMmD7IZV0ir-DedjFHsj1BsrSMN-zsVZbQgryEhRCmIz1CS2VV-IPivB2KN_WODePl6rUw7CXEZfvTNS2u1bk/s1600/20121013_@JN_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGlUYS2Sc7flEG6JhMmf7gatkTiK0op_pzB5GefepG4wHTokxI3yX7AcMmD7IZV0ir-DedjFHsj1BsrSMN-zsVZbQgryEhRCmIz1CS2VV-IPivB2KN_WODePl6rUw7CXEZfvTNS2u1bk/s400/20121013_@JN_0031.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>SriLankan Tuk-Tuk's have personality</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Kandy View Hotel, which I found on Booking.com was
affordable. The room provided a bit of a
culture shock; it took hotel staff to show me how the electricity worked. Fortunately they are very accommodating. The roof top roof, where I found good wi-fi
reception is a delight. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sunday the 14<sup>th</sup>. Changdra was my driver again. Off we went to the Pinnawala Elephant
Orphanage. (See <a href="http://www.asianelephantstories.blogspot.com/">Asian Elephant Stories</a>) You can’t blame him, it’s his
history with tourists and their expectations; he kept asking me if I wanted to
ride an elephant. No! The elephant orphanage is a sad deal. Yea
they have lots of elephants but a few are really not looking good. There are many young elephants. Although I didn’t get a chance to see them,
they have two babies that were allegedly rescued from some natural
entrapment. I think they were trying to
tell me they were in a muddy area and could not get out of the water. Like the mother and aunties would just walk
off and leave them on their own. I’m
impressed but not in a favorable way. I
left there feeling an overwhelming sadness, it was just depressing <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLgojTwqqy09y9JVoWch39J70ptjMmJMMl-GOSgDnytwEn1gTh8SYdn943XcGaRwYVkgTJkdftbi_8XLDzs2AxfM_EJ4BK9o-PDdkLVmGNQ9DsfQ63p_Z2EIP7TjzDXl-Y1mGbwxpc8g/s1600/20121014_@JN_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLgojTwqqy09y9JVoWch39J70ptjMmJMMl-GOSgDnytwEn1gTh8SYdn943XcGaRwYVkgTJkdftbi_8XLDzs2AxfM_EJ4BK9o-PDdkLVmGNQ9DsfQ63p_Z2EIP7TjzDXl-Y1mGbwxpc8g/s400/20121014_@JN_0093.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>On their way to the elephant bathing<br />a tourist favorite</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Next stop was an herbal garden. They have guides who know these herbs and
their uses. Mine told me he is a pharmacist working on natural curse for bad
skin. They show you all the benefits and
explain they sell nothing. Then, they
escort you to the store where you can buy all this stuff. Does this technique work? You bet it does. I was concerned about getting my suitcase closed! The more time I spend
in Asia the more I realize that natural herbs and spices can be effective
remedies without side effects. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZKZ_aSF_57BX0sYOWiqTh8rR5Isu9kpFPXe0qxwaSRzkreQFr2E0I9KV_Pg9zjR6ydYsmz-llqSKxNIXxQ_hdo9sf3nJkrbE5mAEdZvCjy-SFTiKT_t4y2gxsBucu_cpYZpcm82gfmo/s1600/20121014_@JN_0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZKZ_aSF_57BX0sYOWiqTh8rR5Isu9kpFPXe0qxwaSRzkreQFr2E0I9KV_Pg9zjR6ydYsmz-llqSKxNIXxQ_hdo9sf3nJkrbE5mAEdZvCjy-SFTiKT_t4y2gxsBucu_cpYZpcm82gfmo/s400/20121014_@JN_0131.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Herbal remedies</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The place we visited is called The Island Spice Grove. Turns out they have no website and it turns out that many tourist related businesses in Sri Lanka are without websites. The reason is simple. The Srilankan government taxes them and taxes them heavily. Not a good business decision, not at all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Although I had not mentioned it, Changdra took me to the War
Memorial Cementary. There interned are
the remains of 209 young men who lost their lives in battle between 1939 and
1943. Sri Lankan, Indian, British,
Canadian. The cemetery is maintained by
Adit, my compliments and I’m sure the thanks of the families of those buried
there, go to him. The grounds are
immaculate! I was particularly taken by
the tombstone of one young British. He
was only 21 years old when he gave his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR9dlOJZXWfG8QohxoztQg_J3W6PViVBbvn-FyVhn5yZF92r-7fZ_C30fzQXj9cMfQYsS6d1nqEDpsO9F5kf4mrUPbO1EFCeCPrnxm62AWE-daz496h4EnnJ5MagqcqCP7LLmPuUC9BQ/s1600/20121014_@JN_0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR9dlOJZXWfG8QohxoztQg_J3W6PViVBbvn-FyVhn5yZF92r-7fZ_C30fzQXj9cMfQYsS6d1nqEDpsO9F5kf4mrUPbO1EFCeCPrnxm62AWE-daz496h4EnnJ5MagqcqCP7LLmPuUC9BQ/s400/20121014_@JN_0137.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Grounds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi48myACE0JJV_K481WQcMhgg6YR_O3kgc5aNiiqgnOB4yjLZBBJnWDEFJencsycP7FqKsm9FrsR74cYZ8h6MVeCtII8Dq_QMmxdfFzg0l6Je0oYhJp5VtZfOagMquNMVfFOkZmZ4Dmek/s1600/20121014_@JN_0145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi48myACE0JJV_K481WQcMhgg6YR_O3kgc5aNiiqgnOB4yjLZBBJnWDEFJencsycP7FqKsm9FrsR74cYZ8h6MVeCtII8Dq_QMmxdfFzg0l6Je0oYhJp5VtZfOagMquNMVfFOkZmZ4Dmek/s400/20121014_@JN_0145.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R,I.P.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx8z5xLsc5DsUVT3YpqD5MQ1rxSWVh_kRIXaaVuX8E4zoRRTBq2cEEBWlfLD5E2JtBD0K9os1PtT0ts0euimW3NzWK2BgY_k1TG4yl6PXU-J1KZExFmyBplOPDcIc4N6uRnAM2WxrnwU/s1600/20121014_@JN_0152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx8z5xLsc5DsUVT3YpqD5MQ1rxSWVh_kRIXaaVuX8E4zoRRTBq2cEEBWlfLD5E2JtBD0K9os1PtT0ts0euimW3NzWK2BgY_k1TG4yl6PXU-J1KZExFmyBplOPDcIc4N6uRnAM2WxrnwU/s400/20121014_@JN_0152.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Adit, the grounds keeper<br />I truly admire him</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Next stop the big Buddha.
Lovely All white. This statue
overlooks the city of Kandy, and as one might suspect climbing the stairs in
the back of the structure gives one a marvelous view of the city. On a hot sunny day compliance of the rule
about removing shoes can cause one to walk rather briskly especially in areas
in direct sunlight. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoBNdXzkzL9wtzFv-NaZvLj14Uenc2ksa2pPkUFU6qeq8EKA3fsmOSUJ8s8j7b09jgEyIh7gdY08wiEDgOTtBRN0bBFRRms4dwub8afdT80GMlHdBpiOD6rp3hOrnR7aV-DdcF-M3dUw/s1600/20121014_@JN_0162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoBNdXzkzL9wtzFv-NaZvLj14Uenc2ksa2pPkUFU6qeq8EKA3fsmOSUJ8s8j7b09jgEyIh7gdY08wiEDgOTtBRN0bBFRRms4dwub8afdT80GMlHdBpiOD6rp3hOrnR7aV-DdcF-M3dUw/s400/20121014_@JN_0162.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>View from the Big Buddha</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h6SiN_SAqcEg8R_u24TiHuKsQN3-qgL4eLb-Rfm3S1k_YM4LmIAOoAFgHW19kg7xbjb8JuNx3PU-PPTZBQZWstFq55b41D3_JOo9TSsgat_MaMkkkMq-HBHIHOJRJ3Okd7pUj7YrSzs/s1600/20121014_@JN_0165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h6SiN_SAqcEg8R_u24TiHuKsQN3-qgL4eLb-Rfm3S1k_YM4LmIAOoAFgHW19kg7xbjb8JuNx3PU-PPTZBQZWstFq55b41D3_JOo9TSsgat_MaMkkkMq-HBHIHOJRJ3Okd7pUj7YrSzs/s400/20121014_@JN_0165.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGFgTvnjzq31SBMcW3x2QO5ZwzH8sOd1dQtc-BqFuzoB9m8lSg5g7s1Tm2X_FMd4G3ROm1fmEXpmAI0xcdVGL6MC81e93qUCGVedcN0AaOudpdqfFAL10sHTzv5MGylY4yU-lC0GGrgc/s1600/20121014_@JN_0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGFgTvnjzq31SBMcW3x2QO5ZwzH8sOd1dQtc-BqFuzoB9m8lSg5g7s1Tm2X_FMd4G3ROm1fmEXpmAI0xcdVGL6MC81e93qUCGVedcN0AaOudpdqfFAL10sHTzv5MGylY4yU-lC0GGrgc/s400/20121014_@JN_0166.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Big Buddha up close</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsZ5QdmL0Y2Nj4K_vanRyYJgX0t9kdMv6_RE6w4vOjkxoe_YcIwCEccJ7a-_AS1UcCNHMAlGrM6LQGFgDu_0PhFlpE_zrWGD0fY_ofHLTyVI0lNIRCMcwQkOOpH6aRpnWchY1oxZZok4/s1600/20121015_@JN_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsZ5QdmL0Y2Nj4K_vanRyYJgX0t9kdMv6_RE6w4vOjkxoe_YcIwCEccJ7a-_AS1UcCNHMAlGrM6LQGFgDu_0PhFlpE_zrWGD0fY_ofHLTyVI0lNIRCMcwQkOOpH6aRpnWchY1oxZZok4/s400/20121015_@JN_0003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Big Buddha from the Temple of the Tooth Relic</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Monday was a light day.
The only excursion I undertook was a trip to the Temple of the Tooth
Relic. It’s a beautiful complex. Unfortunately I hadn’t done my homework and
arrived later than might have been optimal.
They open the inner chambers of the temple for an hour and a half three
times a day 05:00 09:30 &
18:00. I was there in time to catch the
ceremonious closing of the main chamber, where the casket containing the tooth
relic is housed. Next I return, I’ll
plan a full day here. The grounds
contain the royal palace, places of worship for Hindi and Christian as well as
Buddhist. (Check this out before
publishing)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbiO7KE9sWaOUChcokUq_V4dy4dE90YdU35ru7n8g4eimTm3lCEkYTl7HF_N1z2tWZIw-77rT_cet1MhFMeXG6JJI5Z_5GZVIvO0-RJewR-E91yF8BtkjJeRgaiAhYmyeN9-3glCOZAs/s1600/20121015_@JN_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbiO7KE9sWaOUChcokUq_V4dy4dE90YdU35ru7n8g4eimTm3lCEkYTl7HF_N1z2tWZIw-77rT_cet1MhFMeXG6JJI5Z_5GZVIvO0-RJewR-E91yF8BtkjJeRgaiAhYmyeN9-3glCOZAs/s400/20121015_@JN_0026.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Door Closing Ceremony</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzBKIsvEQE5Wje_1fe1yR5cTWSjTcNChNMrRFw8Vv1lO4NZLu4oTYwO9RG10q4bb1T_AkByP_EU028vHxQOH-4wuyfOrjxqySKg-nJD6i7oMMZfMdhAOL4Ij63hvYDjZJ7SwHlngDk2Y/s1600/20121015_@JN_0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzBKIsvEQE5Wje_1fe1yR5cTWSjTcNChNMrRFw8Vv1lO4NZLu4oTYwO9RG10q4bb1T_AkByP_EU028vHxQOH-4wuyfOrjxqySKg-nJD6i7oMMZfMdhAOL4Ij63hvYDjZJ7SwHlngDk2Y/s400/20121015_@JN_0051.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Meditation Hall</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBNbyoDa4c_kqjOt-Khub9WuWeELqBtseSl0qGyGA6fbexAMORNum9C9g2pe46Pp7p6VkjnLhSkrwHhbHpLd8oQp3gh8nHxVWQWsUtCg5rGN3VoXLxf-oluK0KF6uWFlrSdwSZQ5YxWc/s1600/20121015_@JN_0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBNbyoDa4c_kqjOt-Khub9WuWeELqBtseSl0qGyGA6fbexAMORNum9C9g2pe46Pp7p6VkjnLhSkrwHhbHpLd8oQp3gh8nHxVWQWsUtCg5rGN3VoXLxf-oluK0KF6uWFlrSdwSZQ5YxWc/s400/20121015_@JN_0065.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The King's Balcony</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent 3 nights at the Kandy View Hotel. It’s not modern plush and it’s not
expensive. My purposes were well served.
I found the bed quite uncomfortable the first night. Sunday morning the staff happily moved me to
another room which I enjoyed. The staff
is delightful; the rooftop restaurant offers both a marvelous view and
seriously excellent food. The breakfast
buffet is my favorite offering a variety of Sri Lankan food, fresh fruit, a
coconut “sombon” which is a bit spicy, Indian foods and fresh pan fried Indian
bread. The Sri Lankan special lunch is
also delightful .<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While writing the start of this report, I was at the roof
top restaurant and realized that it really is a special place. Open air, great food and wonderful
people. Occasionally there is a little
distraction like a torrential rain that might bother you even if you are in the
center of the room. That only happened
once, other rains were gentle. However,
on Monday afternoon it rained a torrential down pour. The little road behind the hotel leads to
homes further up the hill. It became a
raging little river. School children
were gathered part way up waiting for the river to subside so they could
continue their journey home. An hour
and a half later the river and the children were in their proper places. At this time of year the best approach is to
do the tourist visiting in the morning and mid-day. Sure as the sun rises in the morning it rains
in the mid to late afternoon. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1uAzQvJpHxMKCK35RzEC91gbMpQ9V-U_ZEsqAS8Wl29ftUNThgR9OfHu1VAYqTbgF5xVAT0ZYLfPmiiZWpIIMZACUeA86UmcnT3B083Q035OsU0RAR3e1K2n6qRASD86IAY4uVs8HF4/s1600/20121015_@JN_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1uAzQvJpHxMKCK35RzEC91gbMpQ9V-U_ZEsqAS8Wl29ftUNThgR9OfHu1VAYqTbgF5xVAT0ZYLfPmiiZWpIIMZACUeA86UmcnT3B083Q035OsU0RAR3e1K2n6qRASD86IAY4uVs8HF4/s400/20121015_@JN_0093.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hotel Staff</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6sx4JDFmXQMzMlrKV4eN-iBqYhDnzccBKkyYCxTJEfJ40YskiGWOpEQcPgKLS4nJOm6a9KKAJG3Jg-8XthYuDIDFyAiztlyycDDgTdhjFCJIckmfs9GxVu0tPr4KBfh9THRguEHBtuM/s1600/20121015_@JN_0094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6sx4JDFmXQMzMlrKV4eN-iBqYhDnzccBKkyYCxTJEfJ40YskiGWOpEQcPgKLS4nJOm6a9KKAJG3Jg-8XthYuDIDFyAiztlyycDDgTdhjFCJIckmfs9GxVu0tPr4KBfh9THRguEHBtuM/s400/20121015_@JN_0094.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>In the Rain, the vines reminded me of elephants</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwsrfczfPLQMMa62mgKVzBqOLdLHSbMVjqfoTaMZxsQgFxzDDwG1rWOLUUzdDKysne0hX09JHVULj7iNBV8jzTPOUYErc1mNwUdBsGTAhOnsN5JS7hD-9rLW9lJaqVRYhfxN7lNHj1vk/s1600/20121015_@JN_0108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwsrfczfPLQMMa62mgKVzBqOLdLHSbMVjqfoTaMZxsQgFxzDDwG1rWOLUUzdDKysne0hX09JHVULj7iNBV8jzTPOUYErc1mNwUdBsGTAhOnsN5JS7hD-9rLW9lJaqVRYhfxN7lNHj1vk/s400/20121015_@JN_0108.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>School Children Wait for the Flooded Road to Dry</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday the 16<sup>th</sup>, I went to Negombo. I took the hotel owners advice and hired his
driver for the trip. Negombo is not far
from the Colombo airport and right on the beach. My travel options were: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Take a bus.
That wasn’t going to work because Sri Lankan buses are even less
spacious than the 3</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> class busses in Thailand. I just don’t fit.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Take a train:
My early favorite until I found out that the train schedule would have
included an all day journey on two commuter trains with doubtful good
connections for the 2</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">nd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> leg of the journey.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Take a tuk-tuk:
Sorry, it’s just too far to go in a tuk-tuk. The tuk-tuk’s here in Sri Lanka are, in my
opinion, more comfortable than the ones in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia. Still not my cup of tea for a four hour
journey. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hire the driver from the hotel: A bit more expensive, but I didn’t take this
short vacation as an endurance contest.
The driver happened to be Rivi, the son of Changdra. In my humble opinion he’s a better driver
than his dad; much less horn action and seemingly more patient behind slow
traffic.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Along the way from Kandy to Negombo I noticed a couple of
signs which I thought were pretty cool.
Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot of the “Thirst Aid
Station”. Too bad it’s a great play on
words. The one I did manage to get was
the Hotel Hilarious which boasts of special accommodations for foreigners,
perhaps they have a special foreigner price as well. Actually foreigners are charged more than
locals. Their logic is simple,
foreigners have more money. At least
they are almost up front about it and it does leave some room for
negation. They would rather sell it to
you for local price than give the opportunity to the stall next door.<o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1112bggV3HyyNrq4DE9-bEVdQ5kC5VldARlEHPD-TpTiaHirsytYfUWxqJjcQS8T8NzecBhdYleBDKp9kqZtqitAVZDp9g3zecZ2YFu7VeRnNTviS71fprxU9sirbsc1LeTI8oJtMJ0/s1600/20121013_@JN_0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1112bggV3HyyNrq4DE9-bEVdQ5kC5VldARlEHPD-TpTiaHirsytYfUWxqJjcQS8T8NzecBhdYleBDKp9kqZtqitAVZDp9g3zecZ2YFu7VeRnNTviS71fprxU9sirbsc1LeTI8oJtMJ0/s400/20121013_@JN_0053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Well it is in front of the hospital! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjES7D3XO5xy-l_MdH9N8AkRRTVCkDkvQ_3KAoqyxw1KUi8N2FLh30-_RI1ZXhW5pwXepR_y1gKuyw4oixe4ybv67HI4DijhisNXQJ_Sna16PH5CBgOjQx67M08LM5fkP5s1GOEDxPM7c/s1600/20121016_@JN_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjES7D3XO5xy-l_MdH9N8AkRRTVCkDkvQ_3KAoqyxw1KUi8N2FLh30-_RI1ZXhW5pwXepR_y1gKuyw4oixe4ybv67HI4DijhisNXQJ_Sna16PH5CBgOjQx67M08LM5fkP5s1GOEDxPM7c/s320/20121016_@JN_0008.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had book a room at the Golden Star Beach Hotel. I seriously doubt that I could have made a
better choice. The rooms are
lovely. Somehow I ended up in a room
with a balcony and a marvelous view of both the Indian Ocean and the hotel
pool. I had eaten a couple of Sri Lankan
sandwiches on the road so I wasn’t too hungry at lunch time. I did, however, try a shrimp appetizer. It was both beautiful and delicious. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The restaurant is a winner, but wait. I ordered the Fajita’s for supper. Bad mistake, they were somewhere between
awful and terrible. My best advice, eat
there but avoid the Fajita offering.
Meat was burned and too tough to chew, what was supposed to be beans
looked and tasted like bad ground meat which had been refried. The rice was dry but almost passable. Did I forget to mention the tortilla’s, not
at all. There were no tortilla’s. Where I come from the tortilla is the bread
in which you place the contents of the Fajita.
Sorry, Golden Star, I tell it like I see it, smell it and taste it. The next day I went to talk with the chef
about the last evening’s meal. His
explanation was that Australian beef is very expensive and local beef not very
good. I suggested he stop selling the
stuff and gentle reader I recommend you stay at the Golden Star, eat in the restaurant
and by all means avoid the beef! In fact
it’s likely a good idea to avoid the beef in all of Sri Lanka. Yes, it was that bad.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next evening, my last night in Negombo I decided to try
the special “set menu”. The price was
1,800 and I nearly balked until I realized this was a four course meal. The salad was actually an aspic and it was
wonderful! The soup was carrot and
orange; man was it delicious. I chose
the fish and am so glad I did. It was delicious
and perfectly prepared. The desert was
wonderful as well. I love surprises and
received a very nice one with the bill.
The 1,800 was inclusive of all taxes and gratuities. This was a marvelous meal at a great
price. Golden Star: Like I said, I tell
it like I taste it, smell it and see it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlcDA3zS93AH1Ie9l1g5pGrQNUCaR62NnPZPSMTE2TzWyYxUJb7encZnQwWLZzSBo-zkN87Wo0dnFhf9uEquK9dr9nFkoMBtCCE3l_tbypmI1C8u0duC_waUbPxE1zDNAKcckwQRwf6A/s1600/20121017_@JN_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlcDA3zS93AH1Ie9l1g5pGrQNUCaR62NnPZPSMTE2TzWyYxUJb7encZnQwWLZzSBo-zkN87Wo0dnFhf9uEquK9dr9nFkoMBtCCE3l_tbypmI1C8u0duC_waUbPxE1zDNAKcckwQRwf6A/s400/20121017_@JN_0039.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Marvelous Shirmp Appetizer</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first afternoon in Negombo was spent largely on a quick
tour of the city. In all fairness I
didn’t realize I was on a “tour” until I returned to the hotel and the tuk-tuk
driver explained my charges. We
negotiated and were both happy at the end of the day. Where did he take me? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First stop was the lagoon. This is a marvelous photo opportunity
especially for those who like rugged looking boats. I learned that the Dutch had built a canal
from Negombo to some point a 100 Kilometers away. The early occupation of Ceylon (today known
as Sri Lanka) by the Dutch had some long lasting impacts. Negombo is predominately a Christian city,
Sri Lanka. There is still a sizable
Dutch presence in this city. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP069Se56ERVdGeoRDHnwJXpZ4EeIGiwu1UWIddqsUydCyy0DZTXcZ7hdJqCa3ytTZsa38OdJvheQtvgwB2t0gpruLKpCAtDIjDkxVB0TbgiQtXatv_h5QQpPC4yg1anQTXqC_EDOQhWY/s1600/20121016_@JN_0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP069Se56ERVdGeoRDHnwJXpZ4EeIGiwu1UWIddqsUydCyy0DZTXcZ7hdJqCa3ytTZsa38OdJvheQtvgwB2t0gpruLKpCAtDIjDkxVB0TbgiQtXatv_h5QQpPC4yg1anQTXqC_EDOQhWY/s400/20121016_@JN_0043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Boats in the harbor</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOdD7ztKPZdbSdxhjHJEedc87wFsAXsGE1VDgF0JaVdHkW-CudyUZd3gHttq5KlrWY5vR7bMkZrVewHmOU4Bn_ac_-uk9wlfeOM4qiGcDnAP2RRPOu-kbSp1C9Gs0mxpUpQic6_cmAPg/s1600/20121016_@JN_0046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOdD7ztKPZdbSdxhjHJEedc87wFsAXsGE1VDgF0JaVdHkW-CudyUZd3gHttq5KlrWY5vR7bMkZrVewHmOU4Bn_ac_-uk9wlfeOM4qiGcDnAP2RRPOu-kbSp1C9Gs0mxpUpQic6_cmAPg/s400/20121016_@JN_0046.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dutch Canal</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Our next stop was what the driver referred to as the old Dutch Fort. According to signage it was originally built by the Portuguese in 1600, captured by the dutch in 1678<span style="color: red;"> </span>and then “snatched” by the British in 1796. Today it is a prison. Of the original structures only the old tower remains.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9Qa0uXXgeUb3d_SI1kRFQT9_zJKcofcw71KMDHRhZRxV76LqSAFRS9F3vBvyimWVDceTfDpY9TCpZCV3jwRIecwPBCKtnq-vzvXH5-tdXzU6y-ZEgCtDYNiXrl1hucYyYkX06ApqE_M/s1600/20121016_@JN_0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9Qa0uXXgeUb3d_SI1kRFQT9_zJKcofcw71KMDHRhZRxV76LqSAFRS9F3vBvyimWVDceTfDpY9TCpZCV3jwRIecwPBCKtnq-vzvXH5-tdXzU6y-ZEgCtDYNiXrl1hucYyYkX06ApqE_M/s400/20121016_@JN_0061.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old Dutch Fort</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We went to a rather large Buddhist temple which I found
fascinating. A monk came to meet me and
give me a tour. His English was
excellent. All of the statues are
cement painted with natural colors. The
monk pointed out the mythological dragon (I had seen this in Kandy as
well). It has the head of a elephant
with the mouth of a crocodile, eye of a bird, ear of a pig, body of a fish,
tail of a peacock, foot of a lion,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a very quick stop at a smaller temple because I
wanted a photograph of the Chedi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next we went to a Catholic church. I gather this is the driver’s parish church.
He was quiet proud of it, as he should have been. There was a service on going
when we arrived. Three women were
singing the reverence. It was really
amazing. This Catholic Church is one of
several in Negombo.<o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6td_tLqePfEt8H4OfxzJtvsNwsuQuA15m277xypXBlW_OKyReAqdcMZQrLa1BojVpBl0RZdOpuDSljku5aGs4Jn_aQdWS1VU1lgTTVnbjnCoK6H_1u1K1dco6ZybCoCHw-vZDSc_zJdQ/s1600/20121016_@JN_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6td_tLqePfEt8H4OfxzJtvsNwsuQuA15m277xypXBlW_OKyReAqdcMZQrLa1BojVpBl0RZdOpuDSljku5aGs4Jn_aQdWS1VU1lgTTVnbjnCoK6H_1u1K1dco6ZybCoCHw-vZDSc_zJdQ/s400/20121016_@JN_0084.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Inside the temple in Negumbo</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfrj_-GfFjozitJLSGoHjIFnl2N45vAH-8L7SIt5lab4tSkMDjWAfGI2stHeUP4Mk9zbo5a5B28gZesNLKz8ACoC7-7cPfhycz1Cp0uDT34EYbX0e-hOxtJKK4kNdNSvQJ2fsFT96ljY/s1600/20121016_@JN_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfrj_-GfFjozitJLSGoHjIFnl2N45vAH-8L7SIt5lab4tSkMDjWAfGI2stHeUP4Mk9zbo5a5B28gZesNLKz8ACoC7-7cPfhycz1Cp0uDT34EYbX0e-hOxtJKK4kNdNSvQJ2fsFT96ljY/s400/20121016_@JN_0118.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Beautiful Voices, Marvelous Music</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnoJae4LiTInjfzvpQfbTfNi_pDGj4DxCS8kfQINiEBJpE0Ark7gqCWYFCiMrHQX_RD4gRWiYaxL8IwZTiqYuH4exGBn4hm6z8OzFX2h6VZbdB50xuwoch20cg9QQL8E5RvXio2ei9BU/s1600/20121016_@JN_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnoJae4LiTInjfzvpQfbTfNi_pDGj4DxCS8kfQINiEBJpE0Ark7gqCWYFCiMrHQX_RD4gRWiYaxL8IwZTiqYuH4exGBn4hm6z8OzFX2h6VZbdB50xuwoch20cg9QQL8E5RvXio2ei9BU/s400/20121016_@JN_0093.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Srilankan Mythology</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My last morning in Sri Lanka was spent relaxing and walking
on the beach. My thoughts are that I
would like to return and when I do I’ll just hang out at the beach.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTTxgsdT4vYzLvf4Lf8hcOyRYkTxsF07KmI2C5IdbH6uJd0-uWK8ipsa_RIkNsupC5h046jGK-PQKv8yTq5R0fSwfaihBCD4IzAT9jMzFZhI0j0gTqt6UptRcU6UG9POIysKckcWxhyphenhyphenU/s1600/20121017_@JN_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTTxgsdT4vYzLvf4Lf8hcOyRYkTxsF07KmI2C5IdbH6uJd0-uWK8ipsa_RIkNsupC5h046jGK-PQKv8yTq5R0fSwfaihBCD4IzAT9jMzFZhI0j0gTqt6UptRcU6UG9POIysKckcWxhyphenhyphenU/s400/20121017_@JN_0030.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCStlNtu8OFyZYgMKlkygoXv4yrce9Ju3XeSn6ojcSEgqlCLVhWEtqAgqoxgnVgS5Il0nDzoq9UmJEI_AX8nrSgmuJrd0jIpRJN4MGeJiZSP7mYOmA8fRTXIcpoaF7_A4YxMFV4f7fXs/s1600/20121017_@JN_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCStlNtu8OFyZYgMKlkygoXv4yrce9Ju3XeSn6ojcSEgqlCLVhWEtqAgqoxgnVgS5Il0nDzoq9UmJEI_AX8nrSgmuJrd0jIpRJN4MGeJiZSP7mYOmA8fRTXIcpoaF7_A4YxMFV4f7fXs/s400/20121017_@JN_0037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>I Love This Beach! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Abundant Blessings, </div>
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-90013248877152187282012-09-21T03:40:00.000+07:002012-12-17T12:50:11.673+07:00Mae Tao Clinic to Stay in ThailandGentle Reader,<br />
<br />
One thing I mentioned in a previous post was that a rumor about the clinic moving to Burma may be hurting funding. Dr. Cynthia assured me that they were not moving. Irrawaddye just published an article confirming that Mae Tao Clinic will stay where it is. You can also see it at <a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/14396" rate="1" style="background-color: #b8eab8; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;" target="_blank">http://www.irrawaddy.org/<wbr></wbr>archives/14396</a><br />
<br />
You can learn more about the work being don by Dr Cynthia and her crew at<a href="http://www.maetaoclinic.org/"><span style="color: lime;"> </span><span style="color: cyan;">Mae Tao Clinic</span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.saveelephant.org/" style="color: cyan;" target="_blank">Save Elephant Foundation</a>
<a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/14396" rate="1" style="background-color: #b8eab8; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;" target="_blank">http://www.irrawaddy.org/<wbr></wbr>archives/14396</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://jerrynelsonphoto.photoshelter.com/about/" style="color: cyan;" target="_blank">About</a>Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-33912060670564967882012-09-15T16:45:00.001+07:002012-09-15T16:45:32.638+07:00Mea Tao Clinic<br />
Gentle Reader,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few days ago I posted my initial impression article which was written while I was still in Mae Sot. I’ve been back three days and have had time to decompress, at least a little. My initial impression was stick on accurate – Wow would be an understatement. Today I’ll try to take a look at the scope of the need and Mae Tao Clinic’s contribution to that need. I’ll close with a bit of information on how you can help, if you are so moved. Please note that the scope of this article is limited to Burmese migrants in Tak province. There are perhaps 65,000 registered and 150,000 unregistered Burmese migrants in Tak province <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>(1)</b></span>. This group, over 200,000 human beings, are all in Tak province. They are just part of the bigger picture which would include the migrants and refugees all along the Thai / Burma border. The bigger picture must also include all those in Burma who suffer at the hands of that junta. The scope of suffering and need is beyond comprehension.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mae Tao Clinic serves Tak province and supports clinics in Burma. The contribution made is immense. I would invite you to spend some time at <a href="http://www.maetaoclinic.org/">www.maetaoclinic.org</a> The site is very well organized and well written. You will see that the clinic is involved in three main areas:</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>First they provide health services</b>. “The Mae Tao Clinic, founded and directed by Dr. Cynthia Maung, provides free health care for refugees, migrant workers, and other individuals who make the dangerous journey across the border from Burma to Thailand” <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>(2)</b></span>. The daily patient load is around 300 per day and rising. It’s worth repeating that approximately half of the patients they see each day make a day trip from Burma while the other half are migrants who reside in Tak province. All medical services at Mae Tao Clinic are free to the patient.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xy9tpPG0z-UCtMT44wfj_cxD6dDT9pzIQFpnJmc6lDSPQNVri9vXvAhqf-XVGiL8J9eb4IPLJnxqYVTVpbOiaZY_yNLkZi56Pkb8AvT2DWpmWRQO55TthSyOO2mH4Hu4I_7VkELWsZQ/s1600/20120912_@JN_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xy9tpPG0z-UCtMT44wfj_cxD6dDT9pzIQFpnJmc6lDSPQNVri9vXvAhqf-XVGiL8J9eb4IPLJnxqYVTVpbOiaZY_yNLkZi56Pkb8AvT2DWpmWRQO55TthSyOO2mH4Hu4I_7VkELWsZQ/s400/20120912_@JN_0014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The green uniforms tell me these children reside in Burma</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI-zlys8qi0-Cgin_2Crd9F-ffqR0FwxbaAMUv1Yo053l4StUMtq7N8n5ztB50xBsS6IrC-wAvO30NjinxW64TP-o4A6xysZTaSL_EhNWyjII85ceIvdJ7kKB-5DWYjzxhC-_PW1m93A/s1600/20120912_@JN_0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI-zlys8qi0-Cgin_2Crd9F-ffqR0FwxbaAMUv1Yo053l4StUMtq7N8n5ztB50xBsS6IrC-wAvO30NjinxW64TP-o4A6xysZTaSL_EhNWyjII85ceIvdJ7kKB-5DWYjzxhC-_PW1m93A/s400/20120912_@JN_0053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Dr. Cynthia Maung, Founder and Director of Mae Tao Clinic<br />with one of her many pediatric patients </i></b></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Second they provide medical training</b>. “Mae Tao Clinic is viewed as an excellent training facility as it offers skilled trainers, including Burmese doctors, senior medics, and international professionals. Due to the Clinic’s high patient load, it also offers extensive practical training. Although travel from inside Burma to the Clinic is expensive and difficult, involving passage through areas of conflict and the passing of security checkpoints both in Burma and Thailand, participants come from all over Burma to attend trainings at MTC”. <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>(3) </b></span>Their participation makes a difference in an untold number of lives in Burma.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Third they provide Child Protection:</b> “While Mae Tao Clinic began as a humble health service delivery organisation, it has evolved into an umbrella social services network for refugees, migrant workers, and other displaced Burmese. As a focal point of these activities, child protection is the most rapidly growing area of need. The continued deterioration of services in eastern Burma, coupled with the steadily growing population of migrant families, accounts for the increased demand for our work”<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b> (4).</b></span> The Child Development Center (CDC) is Mae Tao’s own school with 1,000 students and several boarding houses. By its self the CDC is a huge project!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskSLPiD_tdIeDZZgBHEr8E8xUPX7_BjomcYo999bOPWbeT4K9-WwIU9JrHuqsS22EaWYE4qblTgnBPhVYRFNljPNN1SjRIBuLcHMkZkd9PzVaTZpBQbjL_7RByw7yJOGe1jhPcsFG4gM/s1600/DCS_2230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskSLPiD_tdIeDZZgBHEr8E8xUPX7_BjomcYo999bOPWbeT4K9-WwIU9JrHuqsS22EaWYE4qblTgnBPhVYRFNljPNN1SjRIBuLcHMkZkd9PzVaTZpBQbjL_7RByw7yJOGe1jhPcsFG4gM/s400/DCS_2230.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sign at the entrance of Mae Tao Clinic.<br />"<span style="color: #990000;">We do not tolerate gambling, illegal drug-taking or human trafficking</span>"</i></b></td></tr>
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Many organizations are suffering from financial shortages. Mae Tao Clinic is, sadly, included in this group. Anyone with an eye for numbers and a computer can clearly see that Mae Tao Clinic spends their funds wisely and always have the people they serve first in their minds. Mae Tao Clinic also has a 4 year grant / contract with USAID. Stringent audits are required as a pre-approval process for any money given out by USAID. NGO’s who have questionable accounting practices need not apply. Actually the audits are so stringent that only three accounting firms in Thailand are acceptable to USAID. This says a whole lot about the quality and sincerity of the Mae Tao Clinic.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of their recent / current challenges is funding for medicine at the clinic. Mae Tao has enjoyed a restricted grant from a foreign government which provided some 10 million baht a year for the purchase of medicine. The contract ran out in June and has not been restored. The agency representatives say it's bureaucratic delays and there nothing to worry about. However it's been 3 months and Mae Tao is worried. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
USAID has already warned Mae Tao Clinic that they may be forced to reduce their funding in the 2nd and 3rd year of the contract.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Future and present fund raising plans feature diversity. Past reliance on big government grants make them vulnerable. Currently 60% come from big Government grants and the governments may be changing their helping strategies. Mae Tao Clinic wants and needs more unrestricted money. Given the stringent auditing and reporting requirements they must meet to satisfy their big government donors, it's easy to be certain the money goes to the right place. Audits are clearly posted on their website, they are hiding nothing! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Interested donors have several options, based on their country of origin. You can see those at <a href="http://maetaoclinic.org/how-to-help/donate/">http://maetaoclinic.org/how-to-help/donate/</a> In addition to requiring funds to continue operations, Mae Tao clinic is always looking for medical volunteers. Medical students, doctors, medics and nurses are all invited to volunteer. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since I’ve been in Thailand, pushing three years now, I’ve seen a lot of organizations that provide opportunities to donate and to volunteer. Mae Tao Clinic is, in my opinion, the most deserving. They need and they deserve our help! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJx-Ggfq8ZdcNUuz1jLdZvyPkABlN9BpGy7eN-0A4rELiVrKLjpC2wOKDIvkdU2aPIUq0p5zxdCDiKesFq7gUD_0dU-5z5qptGfY16w3CMQrNl74KTwo3O9IbMwGKL3M1JsQFS9LCC-vA/s1600/20120912_@JN_0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJx-Ggfq8ZdcNUuz1jLdZvyPkABlN9BpGy7eN-0A4rELiVrKLjpC2wOKDIvkdU2aPIUq0p5zxdCDiKesFq7gUD_0dU-5z5qptGfY16w3CMQrNl74KTwo3O9IbMwGKL3M1JsQFS9LCC-vA/s400/20120912_@JN_0106.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother and Baby at the Mae Tao Clinic</td></tr>
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Footnotes:<br />
<br />
1,http://www.fmreview.org/sites/fmr/files/FMRdownloads/en/FMRpdfs/FMR19/FMR1917.pdf<br />
2.http://maetaoclinic.org/health-services/overview/<br />
3.http://maetaoclinic.org/training/training-overview/<br />
4 http://maetaoclinic.org/child-protection/child-protection-overview/<br />
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<br />
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-56251743210159936092012-09-13T09:44:00.000+07:002012-09-13T09:44:41.375+07:00Agape - One of 74 migrant schools in Tak Province<br />
<br />
Gentle Reader,<br />
<br />
Agape means unconditional love. Love will be the only thing that will truly heal the wounds of 9/11; I could think of no better tribute than on the anniversary of that tragic day in 2001, to visit Agape Orphanage and Learning Center in Maesot Thailand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZRhWkOj7uuKYdofIgpqd5l2I35TOkFgOrtSq2xETF1pCNJlzentR4XsIpzu1GvBsfNWYM4xYbZHndP9cUnoIiyHh5EdVTR6q7jKnDH5cSSs-50CuVoBpq2oNXW1sj4mxLh5A9FzRUEw/s1600/20120911_@JN_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZRhWkOj7uuKYdofIgpqd5l2I35TOkFgOrtSq2xETF1pCNJlzentR4XsIpzu1GvBsfNWYM4xYbZHndP9cUnoIiyHh5EdVTR6q7jKnDH5cSSs-50CuVoBpq2oNXW1sj4mxLh5A9FzRUEw/s400/20120911_@JN_003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b><i>Headmaster David Min Naing at Agape</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>David and two other head masters </i></b></td></tr>
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Tak province borders Burma and is teeming with Burmese people, culture and challenges. Three of the seven refugee camps are in Tak, but that’s a total ly different story for the future. There are thousands of migrant workers in Tak province, here at the grace of the Royal Thai Government but without many of the basic rights and privileges of a Thai citizen.<br />
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There are 74 schools (learning centers) in Tak province which support the children of migrant workers from Burma. Perhaps in a future article I’ll take a deeper look at the political situation in which they must survive. Today you receive only a very brief background and a quick tour of a rather amazing campus. Fair enough? <br />
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<b>This article contains no information on how you can contribute. Those of you who are interested please contact me and I’ll provide that information. Depending on your country and tax status there are different options.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWaro0BzTFJIUuekESETAUcN4YouIqesBLDEIdpfPOiU8qLv0mWu_88oErFuoIOMDN6cfccRPxIzp9pTYkwvEefqpBYoWIM5NIzqkOnjqv5HLDKKY3lJstLK2OzS2TtapNq8M-UXX094/s1600/20120911_@JN_037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWaro0BzTFJIUuekESETAUcN4YouIqesBLDEIdpfPOiU8qLv0mWu_88oErFuoIOMDN6cfccRPxIzp9pTYkwvEefqpBYoWIM5NIzqkOnjqv5HLDKKY3lJstLK2OzS2TtapNq8M-UXX094/s400/20120911_@JN_037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Boys at study, do they deserve an education and a chance in life?</i></b></td></tr>
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Agape is one of the 74 schools. Headmaster David Min Naing is also the vice chairman of the consortium of 74 schools that support the migrant workers in Tak province. The 74 schools support some 15,000 children, ranging from Nursery through grade 6. David is quick to point out that after grade 6 most children are removed from school by their parents and put to work. He also said there are between 15,000 and 20,000 children of migrant workers who are NOT in school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Nursery Age Children, learning the Thai alphabet<br /> and beiing distracted by the foreigner with the camera .</i></b></td></tr>
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After I left his company I sent David a flurry of short emails asking questions. The last was just to confirm that he has 300 children. His answer tells a lot about his operation, his philosophic approach and his finances. I love this guy! His answer <span style="color: blue;"><i>"Agape has 300 children, 10 salary teacher including me are 3,500 thb per each, me the same, 3 volunteer teacher no salary just pocket money no more 500 thb.and 4people for boarding house care and cooks are 1800 thb per each. 1 day and gate watch and 2 night watch 2000 thb per each. and finally 2 free driver like me".</i> </span><br />
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This headmaster does everything based on love, he even named his school Agape. An incredible man, David has designed the buildings himself. He prefers separate buildings rather than a typical elementary school configuration. It’s like a small campus. The construction and maintenance is done by staff, volunteers and the children. In addition to the classrooms, auditorium, dining facility and dormitories, there is a pig pen, chicken house, fish tank and more. Agape is to the extent possible, a self-sustaining community. Each building was sponsored by donations from various charities. Without their support, life would be unbearable for these children. Still there is much to be done, and serious shortages of just about everything.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YRzhyphenhyphenZEHBCchcTpFk0ObQ37Jh-FJbRJD6UZbjLNCF_geQMJCZEkDPGJQprke0ZC-6FRmU6dOEqfsZTEa0dwW0-e4v63U1NVza5Awui653dLAlPU_FmWRPoXf4D4HDvb4-l6_oW97sHQ/s1600/20120911_@JN_016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YRzhyphenhyphenZEHBCchcTpFk0ObQ37Jh-FJbRJD6UZbjLNCF_geQMJCZEkDPGJQprke0ZC-6FRmU6dOEqfsZTEa0dwW0-e4v63U1NVza5Awui653dLAlPU_FmWRPoXf4D4HDvb4-l6_oW97sHQ/s400/20120911_@JN_016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Boy's dormatory</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Fish Tanks - part of being self sustaining!</i></b></td></tr>
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Agape has 300 children ranging from nursery school through grade 6. As I walked around the campus I couldn’t help but notice some of the activities. In the nursery school the children were learning the Thai alphabet. The kindergarten class was lined up to show the teacher their written assignment, in Burmese. Other classes were studying from books that looked like readers<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Writing assignment being checked</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>They caught me at the window! </i></b></td></tr>
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The sign says “Orphanage”, but that could be misleading. Of the 300 children 14 are known orphans, 12 are abandoned (the status of their parents is unknown). The rest of the children are boarded at Agape while they attend school. They are too young to work in the fields; the parents are happy to have them taken care of by the school. The parents get care for their children while they toil and the children receive an education. It may seem sad, but it really is a win-win scenario within an overall situation that is far less than desirable.<br />
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David tells me that the children must learn to love and respect each other. To that end, each day begins with, and again I quote David from one of his emails <i><span style="color: blue;">“ 1. First we bow to Thai national flag and sing Thai national song , happy children songs with action ,Christian song. and pray Islam by Islamic children lead them self ,then Buddhist religious saying by Buddhist children them self, then for Christian I lead to pray , then good morning song, then final song is pigeon song that all children singing with flying and sleep action and then all children go inside the class room.”</span></i> Next time I’m in Maesot I’ll record this! <br />
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Each day these children are taught respect for the nation that is their host and also to appreciate each other’s religion and culture! I love this powerful approach. Much of the evil in the world is committed in the name of religion. Teach the children that we are all the same and that there is no benefit to religious persecution; that is his belief and I totally agree. Agape is love! Children are lovable and deserve our love and respect!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Beware of these children: They will steal your heart!</b></i><i><br /><b style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, they commit no crime</b></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>David and most of the 3rd grade class</i></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;">This article contains no information on how you can contribute. Those of you who are interested please contact me and I’ll provide that information. Depending on your country and tax status there are different options</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The bigger Issue! </i></b></td></tr>
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-57116489298057614462012-09-10T21:55:00.000+07:002012-09-10T21:55:04.841+07:00Mae Tao Clinic - First Impression<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Wow would be an understatement!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landmine Victim sleeping in the surgery. Mae Tao needs help to help</td></tr>
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Before coming to Mae Sot to write about the goings on in
these border communities, I had the opportunity to meet Dr Cynthia Maung, the
founder and director of the Mae Tao Clinic, and her right hand woman, Khun Eh
Thwa. They gave me their 2011 annual
report to read. Two impressions from the
report: 1. It is very professional,
really well done. I was grateful to read
it as background information before the trip.
2. They need financial help. The shortfalls are effecting the service they
can provide. Annual reports do not shake me up. My visit did shake me and shake me hard; that's a good thing. Never again do I want to say "I should have".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bHm2F9r4jMLJtBErgK_yo52qA1VOEU_Lr8Wl0J1VYgl5CCAF7u7KbRIs_OpRP8t1v64FjBndz8XGgQjnlAG3nASDT9GRHL2T3bYZ_0NlJWB7XsGOl8X99Vao76NtdGjvgLhGCEsHOec/s1600/20120910_@JN_113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bHm2F9r4jMLJtBErgK_yo52qA1VOEU_Lr8Wl0J1VYgl5CCAF7u7KbRIs_OpRP8t1v64FjBndz8XGgQjnlAG3nASDT9GRHL2T3bYZ_0NlJWB7XsGOl8X99Vao76NtdGjvgLhGCEsHOec/s400/20120910_@JN_113.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This beutiful child was just being a child in the middle of it all. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This morning I met with Eh Thwa and was given a tour of
the facility. Wow! The report didn’t say anything about these
people rocking my standing, kicking the chair out from under me and pile
driving me into action! But that’s what
happened.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Donations are way down at Mae Tao Clinic, and if I understand
it correctly, the reason is because many of the large donors are under the
impression that the refugees and migrant workers are returning to their home
country, Burma. Not so much, gentle
reader. The fact is that the Mae Tao
Clinic is serving something like between 300 and 500 people a day. These people come in two categories:<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>50% of them are migrant workers from Burma who are living
and working in Thailand.</li>
<li>50% are people who make a day trip from Burma to obtain
medical services at the clinic. In Burma
they would have to pay for the service, and most of them simply do not have the
money.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are rumors that the clinic will move from Mae Sot
across the border into Burma. This is
not true. The clinic does provide support to the Pa Hite clinic. That will continue, but the Mae Tao clinic
will remain where it is. The clinic has
three main areas of activity. Tonight we
get a just a peek at the first one, health services. Providing medical training and child
protection will be discussed later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m so glad I went on a Monday. It’s both registration day and inoculation day. The place was teaming with people. I received a quick tour and many more
statistics than I’m going to share with you tonight. Having said that: 300-400 people will be on any Monday, Wednesday or
Friday.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjouoz6hWPp1sLqcub8yu7rCPe53hzki9jrJX_8929VQbg_N6jO6JdRkZNLYkwGTXgZ5jIezS9Ok5H_pwVUi6gnF05LSKx1Wwa9CgAQpvUFBrAfP_tZJ-stSfyWmv5tp31CdQ7L3uG_k/s1600/20120910_@JN_018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjouoz6hWPp1sLqcub8yu7rCPe53hzki9jrJX_8929VQbg_N6jO6JdRkZNLYkwGTXgZ5jIezS9Ok5H_pwVUi6gnF05LSKx1Wwa9CgAQpvUFBrAfP_tZJ-stSfyWmv5tp31CdQ7L3uG_k/s400/20120910_@JN_018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The registration que</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There are between 3 and 10 live births at the clinic
every day! Some days there are as many as 15. If I get time I’ll try
to get a report by date. Will I find a spike during the full moon? I’d bet on it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg31zvq46xZcVHOlAOqTFs20n-WaCkFVSVzF8neq_ihGavy38yvw26wrpSmrgA7VxVzmWRlLze8RKv3_kiOm_u6K2TXn9kMhai770u1kQG5eIiBED16pF2WODoh6f7V40Vlp62Ml5j3Q/s1600/20120910_@JN_057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicg31zvq46xZcVHOlAOqTFs20n-WaCkFVSVzF8neq_ihGavy38yvw26wrpSmrgA7VxVzmWRlLze8RKv3_kiOm_u6K2TXn9kMhai770u1kQG5eIiBED16pF2WODoh6f7V40Vlp62Ml5j3Q/s1600/20120910_@JN_057.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhRALSRtvfDaxLjNM5Z_3jsFuumFM4w2UbEtX22Gx19ontovLxLcLMiMYRhJaetwyQV6mGmbQ5vMQuqUeUUR-4biPT0sCI6refxXAlb0hGIF3uVpBtyPBAibY49RLYSn0znK8Mfo-LRA/s1600/20120910_@JN_073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhRALSRtvfDaxLjNM5Z_3jsFuumFM4w2UbEtX22Gx19ontovLxLcLMiMYRhJaetwyQV6mGmbQ5vMQuqUeUUR-4biPT0sCI6refxXAlb0hGIF3uVpBtyPBAibY49RLYSn0znK8Mfo-LRA/s400/20120910_@JN_073.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EwQP22t7maU9821gTflyJeh2CPrNdVcaHswBhkVFekcBgZHMaWDG2u-msHV2PkpL5mFVnt0d69Y-6zQOnX32LewysI8GIcmQgxjYh_tqKuNNTZpMvPAljG3qxWvNCnbRNOmq0hsAuzY/s1600/20120910_@JN_082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EwQP22t7maU9821gTflyJeh2CPrNdVcaHswBhkVFekcBgZHMaWDG2u-msHV2PkpL5mFVnt0d69Y-6zQOnX32LewysI8GIcmQgxjYh_tqKuNNTZpMvPAljG3qxWvNCnbRNOmq0hsAuzY/s400/20120910_@JN_082.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reminded me of the first time i saw my grandson</td></tr>
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Over the past 11 years they have fitted more than 260
people with prosthetics. 80% of them are
landmine victims. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-P_Bw9vlg8OW-3XNOMn4PqIU5QcUdKNGkziStf1dsUV6KwiLrk4lbnQ2PZI5K2UCkLouklrPWV3jco1hpf7_Ci8IYbJ5QH6WJcKBa01w9NYWSVBOf2x-81Lf6aN4oc5Sqga_S9_hgAE/s1600/20120910_@JN_030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-P_Bw9vlg8OW-3XNOMn4PqIU5QcUdKNGkziStf1dsUV6KwiLrk4lbnQ2PZI5K2UCkLouklrPWV3jco1hpf7_Ci8IYbJ5QH6WJcKBa01w9NYWSVBOf2x-81Lf6aN4oc5Sqga_S9_hgAE/s400/20120910_@JN_030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way too many lost limbs, most from land mines. <br />Landmines Suck<br /> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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They have dental,
optical, pediatric and mental health services.
They even have an acupuncture center.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu19FOvh4WMuOgfpC6HOhntjPfz7jziTgjMkCYeJAfdfbkeZ0k5aCdjQcPOYeOAhEB_rdzs6OuZajJpkVaitkZYwZgeQEqtyQl-BQg4LrgZ2yGKqO3wW5Mu7rHW_JP2oh3YwwM4Br2j1c/s1600/20120910_@JN_118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu19FOvh4WMuOgfpC6HOhntjPfz7jziTgjMkCYeJAfdfbkeZ0k5aCdjQcPOYeOAhEB_rdzs6OuZajJpkVaitkZYwZgeQEqtyQl-BQg4LrgZ2yGKqO3wW5Mu7rHW_JP2oh3YwwM4Br2j1c/s400/20120910_@JN_118.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stroke Victim receiving acupuncture. They are seeing progress in his recovery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you or someone you know donates to any of the great
causes related to the please keep the donations coming. These people need your help and the refugees
and migrant workers are not returning to their homes in Burma. More will be coming as I have time to research. Today, I just have to tell you that the Mae
Tao Clinic will rock your world if you come and spend a bit of time with the
people there!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-80410162725304501162012-09-07T07:47:00.001+07:002012-09-07T07:47:53.426+07:00Symposium on Local Wisdom & Improving Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
When I was in college, don’t ask how long ago, I took a fascinating course called “Futures Management” which dealt with looking at the possible things we could do to have effect on the future and some predictions about the future. What would the world be like after the turn of the century, more than 20 years in the future? We read many things written by futurists. Alvin Toffler’s “Future Shock” was one of our texts. “The Third Wave” had just been released; many of us added it to list of reading material. Some of the predictions have come true, or partly true. Sadly most of those were made by pessimists. The optimists view never merged with reality, especially where energy and conservation are concerned. Perhaps they underestimated the power of short term greed at every level. Frankly I hadn’t thought much about my futures course recently, that is until I was invited to attend and write about “The Inaugural International Symposium on Local Wisdom and Improving the Quality of Life”.<br />
<br />
This Symposium was opened by Yingluck Shinawatra, The Prime Minister of Thailand. This says a lot for the value placed on this symposium.
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDl2VFRijcSiFA0cAz-LOEnGX5BrQOvcY1GDEqdVSu7pHVetaK5RQBBIDTXbOdjAUif7GTw8G3Q9W6feFOd2x2TOhqXMV5UV-BNmOW61YQjvBza9JWfBR0EZAAQNAIfjJjNxiI-9srcQw/s1600/20120808_@JN_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDl2VFRijcSiFA0cAz-LOEnGX5BrQOvcY1GDEqdVSu7pHVetaK5RQBBIDTXbOdjAUif7GTw8G3Q9W6feFOd2x2TOhqXMV5UV-BNmOW61YQjvBza9JWfBR0EZAAQNAIfjJjNxiI-9srcQw/s400/20120808_@JN_0016.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prime Minister Pays Respect to the King<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz_J-QF8DIbtpDUzcEsvb2jdX3PhYIU0dsBTW2G8corxuNQN94VYEwWkoDaeoq1LgPXbrXV1ah61N6d5ukJxF4D5LlA1Z2-jnzqS91Q7hdlp6jnM9-5RY1T-AMD1FaOLe3vTe6pS6Ftk/s1600/20120808_%2540JN_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz_J-QF8DIbtpDUzcEsvb2jdX3PhYIU0dsBTW2G8corxuNQN94VYEwWkoDaeoq1LgPXbrXV1ah61N6d5ukJxF4D5LlA1Z2-jnzqS91Q7hdlp6jnM9-5RY1T-AMD1FaOLe3vTe6pS6Ftk/s400/20120808_%2540JN_0015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly, it was a media frenzy<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEp4-P0eBVAgYe3FURUa-qP5ZaHs0-397hfnat0ql-51uAjf9JTGfcVN75xgt5YnAfVXZv1pbK_WgH1nesrsnsUc5Y4QFAIDwh-eYv3Mva2yXhCp-G6uSrmBLtpnbNyywVXSYqKjFX6g/s1600/20120808_%2540JN_0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEp4-P0eBVAgYe3FURUa-qP5ZaHs0-397hfnat0ql-51uAjf9JTGfcVN75xgt5YnAfVXZv1pbK_WgH1nesrsnsUc5Y4QFAIDwh-eYv3Mva2yXhCp-G6uSrmBLtpnbNyywVXSYqKjFX6g/s400/20120808_%2540JN_0027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PM Officially opens the symposium<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b6graLHgIO8_tnlh2ac81HSmk109bd1UFHDb1oMbA63nSbq6HJv52mW1aNHmB4hKgzKx7CqKp6ZBmHeSlKTBBJOjPNqMBuQgckkVa-CDF7ZiJ9XfJgV9oAbAC2oZcBhNy8qVAIbkFik/s1600/20120808_@JN_0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b6graLHgIO8_tnlh2ac81HSmk109bd1UFHDb1oMbA63nSbq6HJv52mW1aNHmB4hKgzKx7CqKp6ZBmHeSlKTBBJOjPNqMBuQgckkVa-CDF7ZiJ9XfJgV9oAbAC2oZcBhNy8qVAIbkFik/s400/20120808_@JN_0013.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Prime Minister
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Yingluck Shinawatra</span></td></tr>
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The symposium was sponsored by the Rajamangala Universities (There are nine of them throughout Thailand). The host and primary organizer was Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Chiang Mai. The three day event took place at the Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai which is a beautiful, stunning actually, botanical garden with lovely meeting spaces. The theme or central question was: “How will the community’s way of life be in the next 20 years”? Participants from academia, government and industry made presentations. The symposium was organized around five main topics:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Way of Life in Harmony with the Environment</li>
<li>Community Entrepreneurship</li>
<li>Laying the Foundation for Strong Community</li>
<li>Culture and Tourism</li>
<li>Community Education and Local Wisdom</li>
</ul>
<br />
These people know they need to preserve the village community if the future is to be good. They face challenges and are asking hard questions. Perhaps the central question is: How do they find a balance between preservation of culture within the small communities, the environment and both economic and academic progress. These small communities are ethnic minorities. In many ways they are analogous to the Native Americans, the difference being that it appears Thailand is attempting to preserve their culture.. <br />
<br />
The list of presenters and attendees was impressive! May I suggest you spend a few minutes at <a href="http://www.wisdom.rmutl.ac.th/">The symposium website </a>? Not all of it is in English, but the important historical aspects are. Besides this is a Thai project for the Thai’s, the language should be Thai.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqdLcB3tZxLHJOh1GYeslg9DtflknGOu-vaQPCwfuHw3VkotjqKbXuES69exjb_VC2QN126liHGntqsxpkdJ1jSF7xjeMCkdlL68UrQrEJ2A2FmcUVCiLB-1PPQDyuHFnhHypylvzKBc/s1600/20120808_@JN_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqdLcB3tZxLHJOh1GYeslg9DtflknGOu-vaQPCwfuHw3VkotjqKbXuES69exjb_VC2QN126liHGntqsxpkdJ1jSF7xjeMCkdlL68UrQrEJ2A2FmcUVCiLB-1PPQDyuHFnhHypylvzKBc/s400/20120808_@JN_0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phonesvan Bilavarn Luangprabang Laos<br /> Dr Cynthia Maung Mae Toa Clinic Thailand<br />Sangduen Chialert, Conservationist<br />Prayat Worapricha, Rajamangala Univeristy</td></tr>
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There were fascinating exhibits in the hall adjacent to the meeting rooms. Some of the exhibits were typical public relations, others were truly history lessons. As I walked around the hall taking pictures, I was often invited to be a part of the photograph.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzWPOn50jPkEpVeRbHjZp-yg7IyjocwylYyI-kNZwgcIC4YtGByR2NL1NEw6fTWINr40FGe1wFNZY1G1Gdi-zPU5xe1lfPHKxNnMZSGXJ0N8uU_NPeqyOMqmDsAZ-S5sVzQVpFHaoS8g/s1600/20120809_@JN_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzWPOn50jPkEpVeRbHjZp-yg7IyjocwylYyI-kNZwgcIC4YtGByR2NL1NEw6fTWINr40FGe1wFNZY1G1Gdi-zPU5xe1lfPHKxNnMZSGXJ0N8uU_NPeqyOMqmDsAZ-S5sVzQVpFHaoS8g/s400/20120809_@JN_0026.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rajamangala University Bangkok Contingent plus<br />(Yes that's in the middle)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPohTu_AEo3oFBoLGjkvP_1X8zGg33Io5VJtncD7BxN9yzfv9ZZ0tIdhy80bpyEzT1e2Qpgw9iWfZvo2DjghzY7zxvi_K8ov6FcUJDZVhYnizG9aopWKVnFKO84QMx-HsqtGW5V6MdRsc/s1600/20120809_@JN_0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPohTu_AEo3oFBoLGjkvP_1X8zGg33Io5VJtncD7BxN9yzfv9ZZ0tIdhy80bpyEzT1e2Qpgw9iWfZvo2DjghzY7zxvi_K8ov6FcUJDZVhYnizG9aopWKVnFKO84QMx-HsqtGW5V6MdRsc/s400/20120809_@JN_0044.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh from the farm, no chemicals</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GYj3hTbDzk0o9gsgj269uL6kdxVgIZDO0K6GvLkFeNGB-9X1FApzJoOsCsZllhCjl6fDoTk5o5VxRVlSISNwOwltsN1F1puitVexyp7MvO6xxw9H9JZ32BhfvPdBaLZrvNsUf8qNoSg/s1600/20120809_@JN_0049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GYj3hTbDzk0o9gsgj269uL6kdxVgIZDO0K6GvLkFeNGB-9X1FApzJoOsCsZllhCjl6fDoTk5o5VxRVlSISNwOwltsN1F1puitVexyp7MvO6xxw9H9JZ32BhfvPdBaLZrvNsUf8qNoSg/s400/20120809_@JN_0049.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchient Instructions for Thai Massage<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJM5ysi9x4I8flzlLf1QFm1xZII4I_SidoceXvPjzSVr3nHPEZ48g7UzwNP_CmAiqThx8tPPPfUe3LJwvC9iyFcToqib4UPJWHW5c_Qso7UsLq_thTBL4ciu7FwxqyGM65wtuwP4aVKM/s1600/20120809_@JN_0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJM5ysi9x4I8flzlLf1QFm1xZII4I_SidoceXvPjzSVr3nHPEZ48g7UzwNP_CmAiqThx8tPPPfUe3LJwvC9iyFcToqib4UPJWHW5c_Qso7UsLq_thTBL4ciu7FwxqyGM65wtuwP4aVKM/s400/20120809_@JN_0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lantern Makers from Chiang Rai </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwD5GDUl7CmEcNy4HOUC8QbXNGEi6FTTm5eMYaLbkHtnN0sBlL1Xnp-HtzOtPCjXji-raEI-8436JL05aD8_ZA6kOM-6-0j0I3_KIU4U-WgHcwAnwq3r_ou04qnfC1i1B8XJLkasjPEU/s1600/20120809_@JN_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwD5GDUl7CmEcNy4HOUC8QbXNGEi6FTTm5eMYaLbkHtnN0sBlL1Xnp-HtzOtPCjXji-raEI-8436JL05aD8_ZA6kOM-6-0j0I3_KIU4U-WgHcwAnwq3r_ou04qnfC1i1B8XJLkasjPEU/s400/20120809_@JN_0012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lanterns from Chiang Rai</td></tr>
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I had the opportunity to meet several of the organizers and participants. Doors have been opened and I look forward to the learning that is my future. A sincere THANK YOU to my friend and teacher, Ajaan Prayat Worapricha for seeing to my invitation and making many of the introductions.
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-38123661983458859022012-09-04T20:56:00.000+07:002012-09-05T07:24:43.422+07:00Was the silence deafening?<br />
Gentle Reader,<br />
<br />
I just realized that there has been nothing new posted here since the 2nd of March. That is more than a half a year. Where has the time gone? Where in the universe has my head been? Those of you who follow my other blog, <a href="http://www.asianelephantstories.blogspot.com/">Asian Elephant Stories</a> have an idea, but that’s not the whole story. I’ve also become involved in some rather interesting aspects of living as an ex-patriot in Northern Thailand and plan to post a series of two, three or four articles on that subject in the next few days. Let me give you a tiny preview.<br />
<br />
What if one were to move to Thailand and then find an urge for the familiar? Well here in Chiang Mai we have something called the <a href="http://www.chiangmaiexpatsclub.com/">Chiang Mai Ex-Pats club </a>which meets monthly, provides presentations of interest and networking opportunities. The club has an SOS element, an excellent concept. Members who subscribe receive emergency assistance. There is an extra charge and while it’s only ฿2,000. I would prefer to see it available to all members, but that’s just my opinion. Personally I think the club is an excellent resource for people who are newly arrived. There are outside group activities sponsored by the club and several vendors who are affiliated with the club. I’ve used the services of two or three of their favored vendors and have no complaints. My favorite vendor has to be <a href="http://www.fashionkingchiangmai.com/">Fashion King.</a> I found it necessary to have a suit made. You will know why when I post my next article “The International Symposium on Local Wisdom and Quality of Life”. O.K. back to the present.<br />
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There is a unique organization called<a href="http://www.lannacarenet.org/"> Lanna Care Net</a>. Their mission is to care for aging foreigners in the Chiang Mai area. The Thai government is unable to help foreigners and quite often these people are denied help from their country of origin. An American consulate officer explained that while they would like to help it’s often not politically or fiscally possible. The mission of the consulate is not to care for individual citizens. I didn’t realize that! Lanna Care Net (LCN) tries to fill the void, providing volunteers that visit with aging and infirmed foreigners. They liaise and cooperate with other groups such as the ex-pats club, the various hospitals and even Alcoholics Anonymous. LCN will have their Christmas Shopping Fair on November 24th. It will be co-sponsored by the Royal British Legion, another excellent organization. I would love to have a table and sell photographic art. However I have a previous engagement which will actually turn into a wedding the day before in Issan. (Oh my goodness, could that be another personal blog article)?<br />
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Americans will be familiar with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I have belonged to VFW posts in the past but was never really involved beyond the bar and the kitchen. I just joined the <a href="http://www.vfw-chiangmai.com/">Chiang Mai VFW post</a>. If you are an American Veteran I highly recommend you join the VFW where ever you may be, but especially if you are living overseas. This is an excellent source of information and support. At my first meeting I found out I made a horrible mistake with my Medicare. The post service officer is researching solutions. He knows who to ask and perhaps more importantly what to ask. Another American that I met a couple of years ago was recently in a horrific motor cycle accident, leaving him with a broken neck and a broken back. The VFW post is all over this. They have been with him providing both moral and physical report. A ramp is being donated to allow him access to his home and they are raising money to buy him a motor cycle with a sidecar, custom made to suit his requirements. These guys are simply the best! One gentleman I met turned out to be a fellow member of the <a href="http://www.46thsfca.org/index.html">46th Special Forces Company (Airborne) Association</a>.<br />
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English speaking ex-pats can find many familiar things here. The backpacker set seem to be delighted with McDonalds and other chain food. It must be an age thing. Personally I prefer real food. People can also suffer from “Culture Shock” My British friends don’t mind that the Thais drive on the left side of the road and I’m more than happy to stand up and respect the King when the national anthem plays at 08:00 and 18:00. Sometimes the smog is almost unbearable and yet the food usually has flavor. The Thai respect their elders and at 68 I rather enjoy that. A young man I know was finishing his master’s degree and had no plans for the future. A Thai friend offered to introduce him to a local university where teaching positions were available. His response was “No thank you. I have no intention of uprooting my family, moving half way around the world to a totally different culture”. Other people seem to be clamoring for an opportunity to live abroad, especially here. You may soon be able to read my take on this cultural difference. In the meantime there are excellent books on the subject. The big ones seem to be “Culture Shock” and “Working with the Thais”.<br />
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Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-32422406665509680982012-03-02T18:31:00.000+07:002012-03-02T18:31:41.965+07:00Back to Luangprabang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Let's start with a couple of my favorite shots! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAKC_bMr8CK7YDqqJlOvy4ejv4KdWImTdH10111ls7aXk5Ux6U2Ugw_4dcNALLzRlGiWUp-e9Yq6Ud97d_GQiorzDsvlesw-QQ9GBqWmQe97ykDIHCU4nLcn5yjpX8XHbhbrARMb3Yjw/s1600/20120215_@JN_0001b+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAKC_bMr8CK7YDqqJlOvy4ejv4KdWImTdH10111ls7aXk5Ux6U2Ugw_4dcNALLzRlGiWUp-e9Yq6Ud97d_GQiorzDsvlesw-QQ9GBqWmQe97ykDIHCU4nLcn5yjpX8XHbhbrARMb3Yjw/s400/20120215_@JN_0001b+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjs9m6SBDEFEjK867PCSjNPmUTkV_xZBwXfqjmGilNB2KvWe_DGyVZq3W1dpcPgKhl8CMCDI4ZDGsYpt_6B2PQi5SFkRlB3fNpEXarGrbKaVPNqrvhQDUnLS8oBhdWISfzbffEfI_yEQ/s1600/20120223_@JN_0197+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjs9m6SBDEFEjK867PCSjNPmUTkV_xZBwXfqjmGilNB2KvWe_DGyVZq3W1dpcPgKhl8CMCDI4ZDGsYpt_6B2PQi5SFkRlB3fNpEXarGrbKaVPNqrvhQDUnLS8oBhdWISfzbffEfI_yEQ/s400/20120223_@JN_0197+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Luangprabang at night</b></i></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the 15</span><sup style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> of February I went back to Luangprabang.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This time I flew on Lao Airlines from Chiangmai. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had only an evening and a morning before I went to Sayaboury for the national elephant festival, but that’s another story (actually it may be as many as three, stay tuned). On the 23</span><sup style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I returned to Luangprabang for the evening, before flying to Bangkok on the morning of the 24</span><sup style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On these stopovers I made no attempt to make new discoveries, rather I chose to enjoy what I knew would be comfortable and restful. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">As I did last year, I stayed at the Sokxai Guest House. Next time I’ll likely stay there again.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">The place is reasonably priced, clean, well accompanied and most importantly the people are very nice.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lao Airlines was nice as was Bangkok Airlines. Bangkok bills themselves at the “Botique Airline” They even offer a private lounge for their customers which offers complimentary coffee, juice and breads. <o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-6jsSCQCM4Waniemi9eHv26BYMgMJYO_zbJtYDewESKylBU1dJAhxRcejVozNc2GQEyNaR-5kzGjbaCaw8wcloW6A_T0M7YwNE4zD7EDuQRcO9taz8iJbwgzMRXNyrz_pVsn_wQ7fYg/s1600/20120224_@JN_0109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-6jsSCQCM4Waniemi9eHv26BYMgMJYO_zbJtYDewESKylBU1dJAhxRcejVozNc2GQEyNaR-5kzGjbaCaw8wcloW6A_T0M7YwNE4zD7EDuQRcO9taz8iJbwgzMRXNyrz_pVsn_wQ7fYg/s400/20120224_@JN_0109.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hostess in the Bangkok Airlines Lounge </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of course every visit to Luangprabang means opportunities to photograph the monks who in their devotion have become quite the tourist attraction.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxE6j_uC4zGB8qyqe_HZhr9pi9XVUvy1UjNojkegSK7LqK98GmVFC3VqBhfd-6ANr1Z6FHH5_jJCX4d99kgtEUABZBvNkWT3Qas7TvzyE_vFyAhZhoUtH31Mv0h9NveRwAMJzgYQwn-A/s1600/20120216_@JN_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxE6j_uC4zGB8qyqe_HZhr9pi9XVUvy1UjNojkegSK7LqK98GmVFC3VqBhfd-6ANr1Z6FHH5_jJCX4d99kgtEUABZBvNkWT3Qas7TvzyE_vFyAhZhoUtH31Mv0h9NveRwAMJzgYQwn-A/s400/20120216_@JN_0014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rr5y-OkUW2tjwmfVJHUY2xmy0l3ta4P8bAa0kEW9cPkE7kunvIP-QYUX8_SFrDjmAwZztr8mDeqrLHBD1VF8JN_l6kIGbtUJA2YAMUviyB86eSFdB8qogWxIIENspfabsxiwDc4WlFQ/s1600/20120224_@JN_0067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rr5y-OkUW2tjwmfVJHUY2xmy0l3ta4P8bAa0kEW9cPkE7kunvIP-QYUX8_SFrDjmAwZztr8mDeqrLHBD1VF8JN_l6kIGbtUJA2YAMUviyB86eSFdB8qogWxIIENspfabsxiwDc4WlFQ/s400/20120224_@JN_0067.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Well worth getting up at dawn!<br />
</b></i><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A collection of 50 photos are on line at:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Luangprabang%20201202/">http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Luangprabang%20201202/</a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">They include a few candidates for my new photo project idea.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll call it “A few faces of Lao”.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of the two below, which do you think might make the better front page candidate.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which one will be more likely to cause the viewer to want to see more? </span></div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRJe0GF8cYie6N-qZaTYpEU3I7eGQ79tsmt38m7PwuwpOC57rPzIgYxygqAxIaxYYMJOfiEpfXyxSuGTVe1c4Bq9KH18TyIeu27bo2BxdPRDVpOs6wnT9B-Lc0B98yogAWsPSixkixLg/s1600/20120224_@JN_0069+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRJe0GF8cYie6N-qZaTYpEU3I7eGQ79tsmt38m7PwuwpOC57rPzIgYxygqAxIaxYYMJOfiEpfXyxSuGTVe1c4Bq9KH18TyIeu27bo2BxdPRDVpOs6wnT9B-Lc0B98yogAWsPSixkixLg/s400/20120224_@JN_0069+copy.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>He's about my age, not many left from his era. Laos has suffered so much in war.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjSRuZYVJMqJ-3Zj3iYTA5gSOK997NqijY1aaPbRrxK6afB__Edf_DZDVl86z2MAZjqjY8DUsjR2Z7QaO3L1jWFTvIWmih3pBhdBGzAik11OmX6qOFxFfctr0TsFDQlntMQQTVkverdM/s1600/20120224_@JN_0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjSRuZYVJMqJ-3Zj3iYTA5gSOK997NqijY1aaPbRrxK6afB__Edf_DZDVl86z2MAZjqjY8DUsjR2Z7QaO3L1jWFTvIWmih3pBhdBGzAik11OmX6qOFxFfctr0TsFDQlntMQQTVkverdM/s400/20120224_@JN_0034.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><i>She was waiting to give to the monks </i></b></td></tr>
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</span></div>Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-33733462313725118422012-01-29T08:44:00.000+07:002012-01-29T08:44:59.589+07:00Part 3, Photographic Highlights of Siem Reap & The Temples of Angkor<div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Gentle reader, </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m limiting this article to just a few photographs. These chosen from over 500, may not be the same ones I would choose the next time I look at the group. The truth is this: The area is a photographer’s paradise. I posted just under 200 at http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Seam_Reap_201201/ Enjoy! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">During my time in Seam Reap I stayed at the Tan Kang Angkor Hotel, and am happy to recommend them. Their website is http://www.tankangangkorhotel.com </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Like most other tourists, I headed for the ancient temples of Ankor. The first stop was at Ta Prohm. It’s fascinating because it’s been left in pretty much the same condition in which it was found many years ago. Current noterity includes the fact that Ta Prohm was used to film scenes from Lara Croft, Tomb Raider starring Angelia Jolie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl86bbjNTiuEoGFUInP_ezDhZxmb_j29u-4Kv2vk_-fyuy4pzGL4CX-35HRw5tUz_Doh8Yn2c8EEyccPTdYQRHElU31VPQ7NPStsclTlmfmAjdm52lAwuSOuO8WkqS3zaAnLFOmumxhdc/s1600/20120108_@JN_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl86bbjNTiuEoGFUInP_ezDhZxmb_j29u-4Kv2vk_-fyuy4pzGL4CX-35HRw5tUz_Doh8Yn2c8EEyccPTdYQRHElU31VPQ7NPStsclTlmfmAjdm52lAwuSOuO8WkqS3zaAnLFOmumxhdc/s400/20120108_@JN_0039.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hey Movie Lover! Does this look familiar? </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I went through some of Angkor Thom realizing that I would want to come back at a better time to do some serious photography. Too much direct sunlight for my taste, and way too many tourists to allow for a pleasant and leisurely visit. Still I’m delighted to have made this adventure.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93eoTQ6IAMqnjh6i0uW1roKZpAHwQlsNCKTibkA5FCj_dJDOI7wQ1HyoymMAPvVKIzrOJTWEYwrsP_i6tRjoayAZfOu5BVInVWyIPkltNOz1i04mWHnP4CmwlxprHpEeNpHC2mcLmw0w/s1600/20120108_@JN_0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93eoTQ6IAMqnjh6i0uW1roKZpAHwQlsNCKTibkA5FCj_dJDOI7wQ1HyoymMAPvVKIzrOJTWEYwrsP_i6tRjoayAZfOu5BVInVWyIPkltNOz1i04mWHnP4CmwlxprHpEeNpHC2mcLmw0w/s400/20120108_@JN_0131.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">My driver took me to Angkor Wat for sunrise. Next time I’ll have a better idea for photographing this most famous of all temples. This day provided a delightful self guided tour. I met a delightful young lady from China and we spent two or more hours photographing together. Her nick name is 11 (Turns out this is because she has a friend whose nick name is 7). I sort of got the humor and immediately chose 44 as my nickname for the day. Next time I come back to Cambodia I’ll allocate an entire day to Angkor Wat.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4NAOnXo-mhiL75Tdy7N0q8rd0v_2oKuW4PIviLrVW9oLBsfsOTpLBa1sTyXdIsCMAksc0o8zwGl7I_tMBLKI7tsbNC30U4aP8yz2KZF0soO7-YyX2wiSpX00YdG57xAYmziGalhRi4o/s1600/20120108_@JN_0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4NAOnXo-mhiL75Tdy7N0q8rd0v_2oKuW4PIviLrVW9oLBsfsOTpLBa1sTyXdIsCMAksc0o8zwGl7I_tMBLKI7tsbNC30U4aP8yz2KZF0soO7-YyX2wiSpX00YdG57xAYmziGalhRi4o/s400/20120108_@JN_0348.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Number Seven ! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Banyon is also a place where I would like to spend a whole day. This is a marvelous complex of some 37 towers each with faces carved upon them. Most have 4, but some have two or three. As the light changes this place is truly a photographers dream.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Banteay Srei is another of my favorites. Just as we arrived there was a commotion of sorts. A man with an small parade following him was chanting loud enough to be heard for some distance. Mr. Va, my driver, explained that the man was removing some unwanted spirit that was occupying his body. The spirit would leave him once her arrived at the center of the temple at Banteay Srie. This is another temple where it would be well worth the time to spend the whole day.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gAllCr1cAOMmQ8WWCAVtn7F1vcnG-EFrvie7-CKaCQQihVy17LO3YjphD9UVsZPsEQG2Vr7F0dsfgQI_qsJzBMirq7y0h_NtDJhrtkkT6Q34wUtBm2t_vIxte5ni5tKtwVwd5Pf2wqw/s1600/20120108_@JN_0752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gAllCr1cAOMmQ8WWCAVtn7F1vcnG-EFrvie7-CKaCQQihVy17LO3YjphD9UVsZPsEQG2Vr7F0dsfgQI_qsJzBMirq7y0h_NtDJhrtkkT6Q34wUtBm2t_vIxte5ni5tKtwVwd5Pf2wqw/s400/20120108_@JN_0752.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ghost be gone! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW-XpVS-H2Hpx4ZLvaiRw-YemPoC7jtgBa0C8Kb4ukAe7tYg4vkYo4ZsW9VgsqlfSSUdkCrF_lE7xNRIGajstfK0KfWYkEB0t8q6mklX8hd0TZNs6P5FzE-5mV9iDUtA3IgpBu8HKmRk/s1600/20120108_@JN_0788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQW-XpVS-H2Hpx4ZLvaiRw-YemPoC7jtgBa0C8Kb4ukAe7tYg4vkYo4ZsW9VgsqlfSSUdkCrF_lE7xNRIGajstfK0KfWYkEB0t8q6mklX8hd0TZNs6P5FzE-5mV9iDUtA3IgpBu8HKmRk/s320/20120108_@JN_0788.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s not just about temples. Mr. Va recommended we spend a sunset on the water at Kompong Khleang. The boat was expensive, $40.00 USD. Had I known and had I wanted to trouble my self I could have recruited another 3 tourists and we would have all gone for $10 a head. However, this was delightful because for the evening and the sunset there were no other crowds. A few boats in the water, but on my boat there were just three including Mr Va myself and the boar driver.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZh8jXjBfn-ubnp-Ssxa512a4AWWb1ZLxc5FXu3Brn9QhMOdRKJuz589orwp9JziGu5l6uAkJ43oy7Nkwgb6dqBsJq71F0vCZgGqNvJ-dIUdwnRv5tAJ0YSAd26ubDtL8wl7CXy135_U/s1600/20120108_@JN_0635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZh8jXjBfn-ubnp-Ssxa512a4AWWb1ZLxc5FXu3Brn9QhMOdRKJuz589orwp9JziGu5l6uAkJ43oy7Nkwgb6dqBsJq71F0vCZgGqNvJ-dIUdwnRv5tAJ0YSAd26ubDtL8wl7CXy135_U/s400/20120108_@JN_0635.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">In Seam Reap there are photo opportunities, but I spent most of the day light hours outside of town. The night market provided one nice shot and I thought it a fitting end to this little 3 part story. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Abundant Blessings, </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div><div><br />
</div>Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-80948173649267692342012-01-24T08:46:00.000+07:002012-01-24T08:46:31.076+07:00Part 2 Cambodia, Initial Impression on a First TripGentle Reader,<br />
<br />
As the title implies my intention is to return to Cambodia. I find it to be welcoming, extremely interesting and quite unique. I could return for another vacation, but would not want to do so in early January. I'm happy for the locals, the tourist business is booming. For me, wanting to be civil and still get a decent photograph amongst hordes of tourists and tour groups, it's frustrating. It's not the ugly Americans here, we are in a minority. The Koreans, Russians and Chinese are predominant. Maybe I'll return during the rainy season. Exactly when is another question.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJN1L3YtdsC15i8roJWHwmNhI5qDTUhT97fVlvGzDSTm7omVXr8BxUeakX99mJDlnFXIRnvdE6KHDLye3LoTqLlmrG8xEF4v9SyWHsmxz1XFqgkfC4Uq6C_-hPxxPAN8GZQ_YJHS7kDM/s1600/20120108_%2540JN_0223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJN1L3YtdsC15i8roJWHwmNhI5qDTUhT97fVlvGzDSTm7omVXr8BxUeakX99mJDlnFXIRnvdE6KHDLye3LoTqLlmrG8xEF4v9SyWHsmxz1XFqgkfC4Uq6C_-hPxxPAN8GZQ_YJHS7kDM/s400/20120108_%2540JN_0223.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Tourists Lined up to watch the Sun rise at Ankor Wat January 5, 2012</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As it was I came back with over 800 images which I managed to cull to something over 500. Of those I’ve put just under 200 in PhotoBucket. You can see them at http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Seam_Reap_201201/<br />
<br />
There is much written about the border scams and how to avoid them. Here is what I learned which might save you a few baht / dollars / pounds: On the Thai side simply walk to the departure stations. You either have your visa from somewhere else, or you get a visa on arrival in Cambodia. The Thai visa stations are a scam. They charge you at least twice what it's worth.<br />
<br />
Walk across and go to the visa on arrival office. Now you are Poipet Cambodia! You will need your passport, a passport photo, $20 US. For whatever reason the Cambodians are now asking for an extra 100 Baht. (Scam creep from the border)? I didn't have 100 baht visible, they settled for 90. After the visa is in your passport and your passport is in your hand go get on the free bus. It will take you to the big bus station on the outskirts of Poipet. The Cambodians took a lot of grief about scams. There were several comments on different websites indicating the scams were so bad that avoiding Cambodia might be a good idea. Lonely Planet apparently collected tons of complaints. The Cambodian government responded by providing free transportation to the big bus station, which was no doubt a government project. The Thai's have done nothing. Not surprising as they are not at risk of losing revenue at the departure point. I've never seen a scam at a Thai arrival point. I've regressed, gentle reader. Take the free bus! Our driver was instant that we board immediately. No time for a restroom stop. Turns out there were better, cleaner restrooms at the big bus station anyway.<br />
<br />
At the big bus station several options are available. I took a $10 seat on a van.<br />
Two hours later I was in Seam Reap. The highways are in really good condition. The van drops you off at a central location where you will be met by an ample number of tuk-tuk drivers. It's fine to barter and if you don't find one pleasant to deal with just choose another.<br />
<br />
My driver was Va, I used him for all the time I was there. Nice enough fellow who knows the area and can help you find anything you want. He has good ideas for photo times. Sometimes he disagreed with the venerable Lonely Planet. Most of the time we went with his suggestions, but he is very sensitive to what the customer wants. His price to me was $20 a day. Maybe I could have found one cheaper, but maybe not. It was money well spent.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Qlt_TewZb9wuRt4JXzJ09INx0QjfNwB5KR9XyfEPK8RNZ-h_ts8pQ9ZkhmPzrkTc3xE_zb8mdClcFoZ0_01L5v_e12uDQHz16933YXpFq4nMnyYmzBCOcELL3G22LDiqyRxLej00yk/s1600/20120108_%2540JN_0075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Qlt_TewZb9wuRt4JXzJ09INx0QjfNwB5KR9XyfEPK8RNZ-h_ts8pQ9ZkhmPzrkTc3xE_zb8mdClcFoZ0_01L5v_e12uDQHz16933YXpFq4nMnyYmzBCOcELL3G22LDiqyRxLej00yk/s400/20120108_%2540JN_0075.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>My Driver Va, and his Tuk-Tuk</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The people are small, gentle and serene. They do not automatically smile as tends to be the habit in most of Thailand. However when they do smile it's genuine. Most would light up a room! The amazing thing, at least to me, is that after all they have been through in the past half a century they seem to not hold a grudge. I say they are gentle, but they are also warriors when they need to be; heck, the national sport is Cambodian Kick Boxing. One day I’ll return and photograph expressions and feelings. There is much to be photographed, learned and written.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DaBdMA2G9AKSdIgWwOAGiV7h2FA3zfipAQxg5R7GyKbBNNd7_0dYsYVr5x2s65cO-KzBAdEpEFoX-_J99oJG0XjBonMp1AVHdUcO9H1j7TgjKn85y3aoe9H116M62rrbfL_pygBtMXQ/s1600/20120108_%2540JN_0185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DaBdMA2G9AKSdIgWwOAGiV7h2FA3zfipAQxg5R7GyKbBNNd7_0dYsYVr5x2s65cO-KzBAdEpEFoX-_J99oJG0XjBonMp1AVHdUcO9H1j7TgjKn85y3aoe9H116M62rrbfL_pygBtMXQ/s400/20120108_%2540JN_0185.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The cleaning ladies at the Tan Kang Angkor Hotel where I stayed.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The recent history of these people includes the ravages of the Vietnam war. America’s involvement included support of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge killed as many as 4,000,000 of their fellow Cambodians! America dropped of thousands of tons of bombs on their Cambodia. The Vietnamese invaded and, using Cambodian forced labour, put down a mine field that stretched the length of the entire Thai / Cambodian border. This ordnance is still killing and maiming people! When I visited the land mine museum and the war museum I was amazed at some ot the things I saw, including unexploded Russian bombs, artillery and explosive devices from America, China, Russia and even Bulgaria. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX7O3XaZeuLbeWSVNyqCuMCRO8hIXeeAK_rKThdRn3JPb_0tPRYOg9MuqzbH63GsVRnidwP9ZamLf0PjM8umCiqG37dhJdBx8WIkwxWL0sT_nVRrumhHXUPSKz-ak-tnFBJzgxqbBmDs/s1600/20120108_%2540JN_0499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX7O3XaZeuLbeWSVNyqCuMCRO8hIXeeAK_rKThdRn3JPb_0tPRYOg9MuqzbH63GsVRnidwP9ZamLf0PjM8umCiqG37dhJdBx8WIkwxWL0sT_nVRrumhHXUPSKz-ak-tnFBJzgxqbBmDs/s400/20120108_%2540JN_0499.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>My guide at the War Museum. He spent 4 years as a <br />
demo man in the Cambodian Army fighting the Khmer Rouge! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I’ll leave you with these rather hard facts and close this with a promise to post another article about my trip to Ankor Wat and a few of the other amazing highlights around Seam Reap Cambodia.<br />
<br />
Abundant Blessings,<br />
<div><br />
</div>Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-31111130569235502652012-01-02T15:27:00.001+07:002012-01-24T08:16:52.368+07:00Part 1 Chiang Mai to Nan Rong and "The Talk" with Maliwan's parentsGentle reader,<br />
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This was written in an internet cafe where I was, by at least 50 years, the oldest customer. The rest are playing internet games and chattering among themselves. The noise level is such that this will be a good lesson in concentration and maybe an even better lesson in patience. (I'd really like to unplug a couple sets of speakers, but it's best I remember that all things are impermanent and this shop is here for everyone's pleasure). Being on the road I without my computer there will be no attempt to include photographs now; I may come back and add a few once I return home to Chiang Mai I think I have a couple of good ones so far.<br />
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As you can imagine I'm quite a bit taller than the average Thai and sometimes that presents challenges. Where to sit on a long bus trip, being one of them. I learned that if you are in the first seat on the right hand side of the VIP bus there is a storage shelf directly infront of you and at just the right height. Unlimited leg space is a wonderful thing. Failing that most seats on the VIP bus are O.K. The first seat on the left has no room and the legs get quickly cramped. This is all true, except that if the VIP bus is not a double decker then the first seat has no leg room. Maliwan bought the tickets to Nan Rong in good faith and was even told the seats had plenty of leg room. Oh well, the trip was only 13 hours! Make sure you know which bus style you are buying tickets for, or you could end up with a leg cramp.<br />
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For me, main event was "The Talk" with Maliwan's parents about the wedding. As I write this Maliwan is going to the temple with her mother to talk to the monk and pick the "lucky day". Who know? We might have it settled before this gets published. I'd like to back up here and tell you a little bit about Thai culture, but realize that I feel grossly unqualified to explain any of it. Having said that this wedding has an importance that I had not considered. Maliwan's mother feels she has lost face in the village because of her children's divorces, carrying on and so forth. What happens in a small village is gossip and bad mouthing. The upcoming wedding is an opportunity for her parents to "show off" some good from one of their children. My cultural ignorance leaves me with the best choice being just to go along with the flow. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maliwan and her parents</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My dear friend, teacher and adviser Khun Lek gave me some suggestions about negotiating this wedding. One of her suggestions was that we should have the ceremony and the party at a hotel. That way we could control the cost. In the village it would be acceptable for people to run down to the store for more beer or what ever and just put it on my tab. Now I'm all in favor of a good party but since I don't drink I'm not going to be in the mood to spend a fortune so other people can get blitzed for free. Lek also gave me some suggestions about negotiating the dowry. In this culture the groom is expected to give a dowry to the brides family.<br />
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So we had "the talk" and her father suggested a dowry and then I suggested a dowry and also mentioned that I intended to have the wedding at a hotel. The dowry wasn't much of an issue but her mother was devastated by the hotel idea. Old people would not be able to attend, problems would happen, it would be more expensive and on and on. Clearly it was very important that the wedding and the party be in her home, as tradition dictates. We hit a brilliant compromise, the wedding will be at their home, I increased the dowry and her mother will pay for the whole party. That provides the advantage of my not having to shuffle money into the booze store and let's her control the amount of the dowry that is left over after the party. If she spends it all, that's fine with me, if she spends only a little, that's fine with me.<br />
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Gentle reader, the lucky wedding day is: 23 November 2012. The wedding will be in a small village known as Thabaag. It's about 5 kilometers outside of Nan Rong in Buriram Province. I'm not at all sure how many people will attend. Most will be from the village, I'm told 20 or 30 but suspect the number may swell. I have no expectations that any of my family will attend, though they will be invited. Actually I do have one niece who is trying to make arrangements, I'd be so delighted if she could make the trip. I really have no idea what will happen at this wedding. The legal marriage may be the act of signing the government papers, not sure if we do that in Nan Rong or Chiang Mai. Likely is matters not. I asked if we would go to the temple, and was told no. We will tamboon with the monk, but that's not an actual part of the wedding ceremony. It's going to be a village celebration at the home of Maliwan's parents.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rot is really Maliwan's dog, but he likes to hang out with me </i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Maliwan's great niece, I love the light in this one</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILIHKmcutVCkKmJUVodO2MWRjUFoa_bk81m59z94SUzcSziElkmtjNdHaniCogIzo83b7i16oqgg4BkkaDkQNu1KPQ6ZFW95W3nEzvPKHTqG8NT3CsZsIYZLTirQjeukG35jNOrF9zJM/s1600/20120103_%2540JN_0217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILIHKmcutVCkKmJUVodO2MWRjUFoa_bk81m59z94SUzcSziElkmtjNdHaniCogIzo83b7i16oqgg4BkkaDkQNu1KPQ6ZFW95W3nEzvPKHTqG8NT3CsZsIYZLTirQjeukG35jNOrF9zJM/s400/20120103_%2540JN_0217.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Gun, Maliwan, Kwanjai, and the parents</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT5TbJylpof5rIhTF1eh8IGv_CPzEnFECnOfAox2tIoSr3rhadsa4sMkMm7OkXjLiT_Mr-S69f2gFx2pLHvmARjulHIeHb_IGjh9zwLUE2fm3jxY6LXm1jssMKLnW_Zv8_Q30jvvBEyg/s1600/20120103_%2540JN_0237b+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT5TbJylpof5rIhTF1eh8IGv_CPzEnFECnOfAox2tIoSr3rhadsa4sMkMm7OkXjLiT_Mr-S69f2gFx2pLHvmARjulHIeHb_IGjh9zwLUE2fm3jxY6LXm1jssMKLnW_Zv8_Q30jvvBEyg/s400/20120103_%2540JN_0237b+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Roof tops, Nan Rong </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had lunch with Maliwan the day this article was originally posted. She asked a very interesting question. Why do I have this blog? I received some good feedback from a couple of friends. The blog will continue, though it may take a slightly different path in the future. More feedback would be welcome.<br />
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Abundant Blessings,Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-83024344564659305162011-12-25T14:51:00.001+07:002011-12-25T15:02:52.888+07:00Season’s Greetings, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!<div class="MsoNormal">My Dear Gentle Reader, </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, I wrote something called the 2<sup>nd</sup> year, but it’s Christmas and I’m remembering the Christmas letters that my family used to send out with all the news. I was not as appreciative of them as perhaps I could have been. Anyway, they inspired me to write this and share with you a few photographs that you may not have seen. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y_rS4u5HL3hiZ3MTEQA1r3nvxqbA1WeTb6JhfYKJZEq0n0L0cuvhQopF8J4n1kpwenwSnZ0KdSCdfFi51JvieVu9uWHD7uV0V6HYtM2ui3ISePg9-989PaDWE98YpvVP1nJDxIxPrnA/s1600/20111017_%2540JN_057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y_rS4u5HL3hiZ3MTEQA1r3nvxqbA1WeTb6JhfYKJZEq0n0L0cuvhQopF8J4n1kpwenwSnZ0KdSCdfFi51JvieVu9uWHD7uV0V6HYtM2ui3ISePg9-989PaDWE98YpvVP1nJDxIxPrnA/s400/20111017_%2540JN_057.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Do you know this was taken? </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I have spent the entire year as a long term volunteer with Save Elephant Foundation (formerly called Elephant Nature Foundation). I have learned more about me and about positive relationships than I thought possible. I have adopted the founder, Sangduen “Lek” Chialert as one of my spiritual teachers and I think she is doing a fabulous job! There is no formal lessons given or anything like that. People come into the picture and do what they do. I simply observe how Lek reacts. She always takes the high road. To say I have received Abundant Blessings would be a gross understatement. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsR7zSva9bHYipKcaBlL4P2TO-3vVsmSecb-jZ5bZRdMbaK2OIspuPcEB74NsrZbUqgNIEuc-H5btQA5TDLRzEhK1yNUl_nPJD1eHRThxTEAK5bV3540bdjgdqUYiMFN0stptGpBBvLg/s1600/20111121_%2540JN_311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsR7zSva9bHYipKcaBlL4P2TO-3vVsmSecb-jZ5bZRdMbaK2OIspuPcEB74NsrZbUqgNIEuc-H5btQA5TDLRzEhK1yNUl_nPJD1eHRThxTEAK5bV3540bdjgdqUYiMFN0stptGpBBvLg/s400/20111121_%2540JN_311.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Lek inspecting the flood situation </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I am in a loving supportive relationship with my partner Maliwan. For two years this woman has put up with me. We actually met on American Thanksgiving Day 2009. The last day of this year will be spent with her parents discussing wedding plans.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58rp_EhHswuvw29Lap24gyHwkZ1QcpkQ5XI6Vuf5DNa4PyO0CtYFrYP4DuZynEWOyennXfHuanpCIHTMpjzBU-LHWY68NFgaW5SuPZsfu7h60UTHhqwiTPmKjgbZpugQV5MfCsszG2qs/s1600/20111017_%2540JN_027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58rp_EhHswuvw29Lap24gyHwkZ1QcpkQ5XI6Vuf5DNa4PyO0CtYFrYP4DuZynEWOyennXfHuanpCIHTMpjzBU-LHWY68NFgaW5SuPZsfu7h60UTHhqwiTPmKjgbZpugQV5MfCsszG2qs/s400/20111017_%2540JN_027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Maliwan and her son Gun</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">In late January – early February we went on a whirlwind trip that took us to Laos and then to several parts of Thailand. You can go back and read some of the posts if you missed them. We had a wonderful time.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLMm0kLPrDYgDQ8Vh-pBm8YerG8OLiKhz6MNv6XONVs7hEXFOGBufDdffXQXS9Vm5l_IIPyxaPoZqLE5RQ6zd7jUiqy7SvVXjqRYmVuPZyLvhJbcePfnu8rTWRotTTP__fIyjWrdYjqQ/s1600/20110128_0133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLMm0kLPrDYgDQ8Vh-pBm8YerG8OLiKhz6MNv6XONVs7hEXFOGBufDdffXQXS9Vm5l_IIPyxaPoZqLE5RQ6zd7jUiqy7SvVXjqRYmVuPZyLvhJbcePfnu8rTWRotTTP__fIyjWrdYjqQ/s400/20110128_0133.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>On the boat to Luang Prabong</b></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfAKZilhUXXKEcWKiD1PXO-0zCJvKK9lK6_hB-0DgpBEK2YGnRqHk7mOoBPDrza0gxOwaYwEhB4oG7clTlt7oORb475IFdIsFz0ILfCwVZUGUtdUqO074EkudBAYvTMRfGai88sK5-Ow/s1600/20110128_0176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfAKZilhUXXKEcWKiD1PXO-0zCJvKK9lK6_hB-0DgpBEK2YGnRqHk7mOoBPDrza0gxOwaYwEhB4oG7clTlt7oORb475IFdIsFz0ILfCwVZUGUtdUqO074EkudBAYvTMRfGai88sK5-Ow/s400/20110128_0176.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>River Scene</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">In late July – early August I went back to the States for a brief visit. I had the pleasure of going to Lego land with my 5 year old grandson and his mom and dad, spending a bit of time with my California relatives and then a couple days with my niece Kate and her family in Colorado. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSketfNJncioQHNaomtY0Zs3Uc-CK56wrWVLUMayA7qAS-x5hpar2HYNapcrksKvY7PqYXs10HH7XmIQP01MFpJSVQWHnoWJZVX1nOEi7jpvLEHc95kzVD9a8sQ01WMllYbDejoWO6NtA/s1600/20110802_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSketfNJncioQHNaomtY0Zs3Uc-CK56wrWVLUMayA7qAS-x5hpar2HYNapcrksKvY7PqYXs10HH7XmIQP01MFpJSVQWHnoWJZVX1nOEi7jpvLEHc95kzVD9a8sQ01WMllYbDejoWO6NtA/s400/20110802_200.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Andy at Lego Land</b></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuecRYlUQDcCpju9-FlbJ9fUBtVm-k_5l0nTpdfP_qPntqQiXFuReIGilriP7lIje5mMNV49AcxivjOyNnUmd5-m9vugLS2X9hKIv2WOsjwpNRUE_Zm3CwL8kYtOipV2wCk8D3w-u8QCk/s1600/20110808_117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuecRYlUQDcCpju9-FlbJ9fUBtVm-k_5l0nTpdfP_qPntqQiXFuReIGilriP7lIje5mMNV49AcxivjOyNnUmd5-m9vugLS2X9hKIv2WOsjwpNRUE_Zm3CwL8kYtOipV2wCk8D3w-u8QCk/s400/20110808_117.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Kate & the tribe at Rocky Mountain National Park</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The first of October we moved to Chiang Mai. The pace has quickened. This city has a lot going on and I am within a comfortable walking distance of the SEF office. The proximity has allowed me the opportunity to get more involved. Because I was in Chiang Mai at the right moment I had the opportunity to go with the SEF people when they rescued Pang Pornsawan. I swear that elephant and I immediately ‘clicked’. She teaches me patience, tolerance and most of all compassion. Maybe one day I’ll write a whole short story or something about our relationship. Today, the story is a long way from being finished.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL247oUXm6eN-MROPyeSqtMCTmq01eBwR3KKlUtIaX1m_ps8nXUXRzIby7vdBPnCWskdEjsJcAy0HdMczreTZkAwbN3eLR_JJBnPYZ9nR5d_A8pPnHKgfWY5TR7f0FVYP3RVT-JRx0FnM/s1600/20111216_%2540JN_0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL247oUXm6eN-MROPyeSqtMCTmq01eBwR3KKlUtIaX1m_ps8nXUXRzIby7vdBPnCWskdEjsJcAy0HdMczreTZkAwbN3eLR_JJBnPYZ9nR5d_A8pPnHKgfWY5TR7f0FVYP3RVT-JRx0FnM/s400/20111216_%2540JN_0054.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A recent visit with Pang Pornsawan</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I had the opportunity to spend a day on the truck rescuing and feeding dogs in Bangkok. I am awe struck by the dedication of the volunteers, the acceptance and serenity of the people effected by this travesty.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxgYWLLdULI7ywHHjhuhUGuFt7ShDzDJPUG9pFHbTPBb_MSpTW0UPAfkU5pPuMPOej2h-o-l0qf9IPgL0EdmgvfxeYwFsWKoBgK2qN8lie4ro7BpQFoHrodaQvBgPajMlpDUhOwQJcGk/s1600/026G1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxgYWLLdULI7ywHHjhuhUGuFt7ShDzDJPUG9pFHbTPBb_MSpTW0UPAfkU5pPuMPOej2h-o-l0qf9IPgL0EdmgvfxeYwFsWKoBgK2qN8lie4ro7BpQFoHrodaQvBgPajMlpDUhOwQJcGk/s400/026G1769.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Safe and on their way to a better life! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vE8gSXeHjgFYx-6so0GRf_mybrsxhyz7lvE32mbKm0Nxl0N3Z5bAFZCQ1yOaiQoIDsAJE5h4DHAqVoq2K6vBBE42DREJPDQThORTqrSngWAdHIVeiFcZZ-pvlUnd4XNo4fOPqqK4gzQ/s1600/20111121_%2540JN_148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vE8gSXeHjgFYx-6so0GRf_mybrsxhyz7lvE32mbKm0Nxl0N3Z5bAFZCQ1yOaiQoIDsAJE5h4DHAqVoq2K6vBBE42DREJPDQThORTqrSngWAdHIVeiFcZZ-pvlUnd4XNo4fOPqqK4gzQ/s400/20111121_%2540JN_148.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Stranded on a roof, we can only feed this one. He's in a panic</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">My Art Sale Event to help Pang Pornsawan has also taught me a few valuable lessons. Timing is everything and the event was trumped by the floods in Bangkok. It’s hard to ask the world to help one elephant when there are thousands of people and their animals trying to survive in a huge flood zone! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGepdETX2Eefm5frjI8zTYAo-ErIT2sbd23LgeYNkpEIH8lEAmkLs2835VKtH7WKajOrV0VwJZ4oWD9zdN4EtuiGiXImUxa_XjLAOdppQIWGn9Zj0s7PWqK3XMg1rmoZ5UegvPIn2Tlw/s1600/20111121_%2540JN_140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGepdETX2Eefm5frjI8zTYAo-ErIT2sbd23LgeYNkpEIH8lEAmkLs2835VKtH7WKajOrV0VwJZ4oWD9zdN4EtuiGiXImUxa_XjLAOdppQIWGn9Zj0s7PWqK3XMg1rmoZ5UegvPIn2Tlw/s400/20111121_%2540JN_140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Flood Dogs Reality! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">We moved the date of Pang Pornsawan's Art Sale Event to the 21<sup>st</sup> of January and expect a good turnout and are still accepting art work. You can read all about it, and even help by going to the <a href="http://www.jerrynelsonphoto.com/">website.</a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw_RaUE1A9xtk6OhViCnw-zu3WvyB6HBg88OJizlqnfBV2t5F3r9z-d17_XZU8IkNmXy1AxCoYYFgdLJOk2tstTA9tQJV-Al6RkSEUNcaAuHrZ1jtas507bSg4OZ6YBmvDsgG_HjsKQM/s1600/Poster3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw_RaUE1A9xtk6OhViCnw-zu3WvyB6HBg88OJizlqnfBV2t5F3r9z-d17_XZU8IkNmXy1AxCoYYFgdLJOk2tstTA9tQJV-Al6RkSEUNcaAuHrZ1jtas507bSg4OZ6YBmvDsgG_HjsKQM/s400/Poster3.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Chiang Mai Poster for the Pang Porsawan Art Sale Event</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The last two months of the year has been spent largely with what I am calling the “Mubu Products Project”. At the moment that includes two finished books, both authored by Peter Alexander with illustrations by Sergio Paulo. This is a great project for me because the books contain marvelous examples for children all over the world. They are based on the childhood of Sangduen “Lek” Chailert. Check out the website at <a href="http://www.mubustoriescom/">www.mubustoriescom</a> We also have a Facebook Page, please go and like The Mubu Book Series - "The Little Girl Who Made a Big Difference". </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 10px; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjBIiXBmCLMjfPlhJDT2PmbA2bYkQduM3R2LQvHvdG0tPdqXVqI_tOMpU1bR3fgLB2iQlvKj8wCSY6UcDdLF-LqixVAY3xUKljXbogc3QtYMfmSj7BXWGebycvSKkBoZPYVRptLpvKEE/s1600/MubuAd2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjBIiXBmCLMjfPlhJDT2PmbA2bYkQduM3R2LQvHvdG0tPdqXVqI_tOMpU1bR3fgLB2iQlvKj8wCSY6UcDdLF-LqixVAY3xUKljXbogc3QtYMfmSj7BXWGebycvSKkBoZPYVRptLpvKEE/s400/MubuAd2+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Magazine Ad, not the version that was chosen</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night Maliwan and I were guests at the annual Elephant Nature Park Christmas Party. It was fabulous. Different groups put on different ‘shows’. My two favorites were the mahouts doing a traditional bamboo stick dance, and Darricks family serenading Lek and Darrick with their own re-writes of the 12 days of Christmas. 12 ele’s, 11 pachyderms, 10 thousand acres, 9 dog cages, 8 buffalo…… and a moon bear in a tree.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVb4nn_znq8hAcOSerZhhRYniVGynGjmmRDMfx-gMBRyU2DvPf9a0B6_yx2VwxTOmTlDp_AOQHXnPaWjdtXqExa1MswoXs3RPaHI8Z16bNGUaxj_C3WWF6q3SyEh_krAc5gytrzUctZCc/s1600/20111224_%2540JN_0088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVb4nn_znq8hAcOSerZhhRYniVGynGjmmRDMfx-gMBRyU2DvPf9a0B6_yx2VwxTOmTlDp_AOQHXnPaWjdtXqExa1MswoXs3RPaHI8Z16bNGUaxj_C3WWF6q3SyEh_krAc5gytrzUctZCc/s400/20111224_%2540JN_0088.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Christmas is Love! </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I hope your Christmas Holidays are everything you wished and that your new year brings you everything you so richly deserve.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Abundant Blessings, </div>Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-63168539548154309812011-12-05T15:54:00.001+07:002011-12-05T15:57:52.246+07:00A Letter to Santa ClausDear Santa Clause,<br />
<br />
Yes! I still believe in you and I believe in lots of other mystical magical things as well. You well know that in life there are givers and takers. Knowing there is more joy in giving than in receiving, knowing that givers gain and knowing that we are all a part of a greater good, I’ve learned to be very careful about asking. Self promotion has not served me well in the past, so I’ll ask you to decide if I’ve been good or bad this year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBftE9NXHoME8p_ZPWb1pyyC8A-bTA7cRlYbmqZF1k6NEuFyRRDftNNcWafHkNX9gBlCoVH5hQT8teEu7LcJGZJIvtrvkJLNnJT1nXnuCHlTkUuidQQL5XQL89nmpqk0xkmi-Mde_pSM/s1600/20111118_%2540JN_1222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBftE9NXHoME8p_ZPWb1pyyC8A-bTA7cRlYbmqZF1k6NEuFyRRDftNNcWafHkNX9gBlCoVH5hQT8teEu7LcJGZJIvtrvkJLNnJT1nXnuCHlTkUuidQQL5XQL89nmpqk0xkmi-Mde_pSM/s400/20111118_%2540JN_1222.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I believe in sunsets and they are definitely magic! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>If I’ve been bad, please refrain from putting coal in my stocking; it leaves a bad carbon footprint and just isn’t useful. I big plop of elephant dung would send the message, and I could use it for organic fertilizer!<br />
<br />
If I’ve been good please just make a donation to the Save Elephant Foundation (SEF). It’s really easy. Just go to <a href="http://www.serengetiusa.com/">http://www.serengetiusa.com</a> and donate. While you are there be sure to designate the donation for Save Elephant Foundation, and maybe even send them a short email. Did you know that the Serengeti Foundation makes sure that 100% of your gift goes to the cause of your choice? May I tell you why I make this Christmas request? There are many reasons:<br />
<br />
Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) operates the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) which is home to 36 elephants who have been rescued. These elephants eat a lot of fruit and veggies; require medical care and lots of other expensive stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyv-2YYMO8gzKJC2aP2PR7MK7-p1wsCm08FanZnjnm9K5ng1HDl-sg1IuvLSv-lhQ1uSoCoDjFY4JX0AfyCMBJE-JrcUCRa5XGywYTr_jApftXWbCPC-g3Emxiao5Oi-Hgtm_q363Uu4/s1600/20111006_%2540JN_284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyv-2YYMO8gzKJC2aP2PR7MK7-p1wsCm08FanZnjnm9K5ng1HDl-sg1IuvLSv-lhQ1uSoCoDjFY4JX0AfyCMBJE-JrcUCRa5XGywYTr_jApftXWbCPC-g3Emxiao5Oi-Hgtm_q363Uu4/s400/20111006_%2540JN_284.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Hanging out at ENP</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>SEF rescues elephants that are in terrible condition and gives them the best life possible. I have already told you about Pang Pornsawan but this letter isn’t about her specifically.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDFMxB_wiz37RnvrzgTD9NukiNHipUL2TEprPYBC1H8vP4VlsfrxX_OF6h_pGoj01rpiDaRy-cOLXSIWldV-BFnoY50Q7xWmZrvme6u6En-ByS64cjQA8_tnA_GcrnpfgmpPpR2oah0E/s1600/20110831_%2540JN_049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDFMxB_wiz37RnvrzgTD9NukiNHipUL2TEprPYBC1H8vP4VlsfrxX_OF6h_pGoj01rpiDaRy-cOLXSIWldV-BFnoY50Q7xWmZrvme6u6En-ByS64cjQA8_tnA_GcrnpfgmpPpR2oah0E/s400/20110831_%2540JN_049.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>My introduction to Pang Pornsawan</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>SEF supports the elephant community in the Surin area of Thailand. Recently, at the Thailand’s famous Surin Elephant Festival, SEF sponsored a healthy elephant contest as a way of encouraging the best care possible of the elephants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKijANeHwUNVB9S2owmdeJQkKCvQ1tumg7w5klkaxUbM0WMVBIyXCFaZEMOp27oNXGgMfqRL3z8vMnHMl4FnQ4_XImL7rYD7WtsB6koA9UkAfBRkMasUxw_1gAyg4MSRcuLHTWxwsrVr8/s1600/20111118_%2540JN_0341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKijANeHwUNVB9S2owmdeJQkKCvQ1tumg7w5klkaxUbM0WMVBIyXCFaZEMOp27oNXGgMfqRL3z8vMnHMl4FnQ4_XImL7rYD7WtsB6koA9UkAfBRkMasUxw_1gAyg4MSRcuLHTWxwsrVr8/s400/20111118_%2540JN_0341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>First Place Winner - Healthy Elephant Contest</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>SEF has been very involved in the rescue of dog, cats and other animals from the devastating floods in the areas surrounding Bangkok. This has been an expensive proposition that has been undertaken with just one concern. How can we best help the animals in trouble? Some people are stranded with their pets. The SEF team brings them food. Often the dogs are in too much of a panic to approach, so the team just feeds them where they are.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5xIlZYvGMD3PqLLaQrEIgN67lXugEhBS9xZIFEzfqCSUh4CrNmv35l5CbtDv5VsKTlmGifCL8R_Ue_oULzQKjZpCu9oDuHN52Q4r2fbazWaTGs3FEwNP-glxgpMQanKWZvUHPQihQKM/s1600/20111121_%2540JN_171+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5xIlZYvGMD3PqLLaQrEIgN67lXugEhBS9xZIFEzfqCSUh4CrNmv35l5CbtDv5VsKTlmGifCL8R_Ue_oULzQKjZpCu9oDuHN52Q4r2fbazWaTGs3FEwNP-glxgpMQanKWZvUHPQihQKM/s400/20111121_%2540JN_171+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>SEF Dog Rescue Team at an apartment complex</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>If you take the time and trouble to make a small donation it will help. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnxSn9-0EmkA_VsdLXwDKp3IPuVS0pUQlDJfuEAzWelT_oJw0QfiaRkyxagQ1nHhzcMIX1I3zdWjnoiwVp3tM4efE67INvIPI7Hc8FOskFu9UqNpG4JwqsSa2BxcM3YkkNbDwcwTYpZ0/s1600/20111121_%2540JN_162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnxSn9-0EmkA_VsdLXwDKp3IPuVS0pUQlDJfuEAzWelT_oJw0QfiaRkyxagQ1nHhzcMIX1I3zdWjnoiwVp3tM4efE67INvIPI7Hc8FOskFu9UqNpG4JwqsSa2BxcM3YkkNbDwcwTYpZ0/s400/20111121_%2540JN_162.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Flood dog finds food thrown to him by SEF rescue team</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Are you going to pay income taxes for 2011? Would a charitable contribution help lower your tax payment? Well you should know that the Serengeti Foundation is a registered 501c non-profit. Donating through them means you have helped SEF and it means that you have taken control of how some of your hard earned money is to be used.<br />
<br />
Abundant Blessings to you and Thank you!<br />
<br />
JerryJerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6833983943277098044.post-31207664066328175352011-11-16T16:19:00.000+07:002011-11-16T16:19:40.400+07:00Flood News, Some Sad and Some GladThe flood situation is turning into a long term ordeal. There are a lot of dark spots. Thousands of people, thousands of acres of land and thousands of animals were, are and will be effected. I was going to just report the good news, but before I do that, here is a brief update directly from Sangduen "Lek" Chailert which was written late last night.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Dear All</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">This is our eight week that we can continue to work to rescue the animals from the flood at Bangkok. The more week of flood continue , the more difficult and risky for us to do work , because of the water become smelly, black , most animal we found are become stressed and aggressive , Many of them are also getting sick and weak . </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">I will send more continue story update.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Lek</span></b><br />
<br />
There is a few bright spots, the most significant is the massive effort that is ongoing by many local, national and international organizations who are hard a work doing what they do best. Some are rescuing animals some are working with people in neeed. <i><b>The spirit of cooperation and level of effort is amazing.</b></i><br />
Given the stress levels, the different organizational cultures and the very difficult situation, I believe the Bangkok volunteers all deserve a resounding <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">THANK YOU! </span></b><br />
<br />
Let me tell you a story, a true story in fact. A couple of days ago one of the Save Elephant Foundation SEF rescue teams came across a tortoise in need of rescue.The poor thing had ended up on one of the Bangkok area freeways. They found him in the Pratung Thani area where he had wondered out into traffic on the freeway (super highway). This fellow would have been ran over if the SEF team hadn’t grabbed him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9RKRbvFMUr12ypDh_s_M2XzpKF9P63Mm8JXoyI5eoaCODCV5qAhuEtqFKqHCbn3ykTXYAmVkqT3OJkQQnff471YSriozMlvprwwFxoaZOxQpLaM0kQMDz_HRGQPsvjMWwXPcFx9lhhU/s1600/DCS_2560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9RKRbvFMUr12ypDh_s_M2XzpKF9P63Mm8JXoyI5eoaCODCV5qAhuEtqFKqHCbn3ykTXYAmVkqT3OJkQQnff471YSriozMlvprwwFxoaZOxQpLaM0kQMDz_HRGQPsvjMWwXPcFx9lhhU/s400/DCS_2560.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rescued from the floods and just about to be released</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>He's a tortoise with a history (almost completely unkown) and a destiny. He is a three legged tortoise who gets on quite well without his right front leg. One could only speculate how he lost his leg. All I know is that the wound was long healed before SEF found him. I’m told he is actually a Black, Soft-shell Turtle which are quite uncommon. Comparing the photo I took with the ones on the internet just might be that rare specimen. He’s certainly quite similar. Actually I wasn't told about his possible identity until after his release or I would have taken more photos, maybe many more.<br />
I claim no expertise in this subject area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvuRlROW8uP3ezd7nIJxQgQ6FOqsn4tbARMhToKGUjbDrbhdcVDkbRixbOeDbouzw4PVN27eiPMBbO0M4s3FuAxWeE8DU-4EHp9-BIDCI-tzKzVsNJEvJ2W21kjky-dNY0n6BO3Phslo/s1600/DCS_2561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvuRlROW8uP3ezd7nIJxQgQ6FOqsn4tbARMhToKGUjbDrbhdcVDkbRixbOeDbouzw4PVN27eiPMBbO0M4s3FuAxWeE8DU-4EHp9-BIDCI-tzKzVsNJEvJ2W21kjky-dNY0n6BO3Phslo/s400/DCS_2561.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>They took the netting off, what's happening?</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSkb4a9mNXOG9qpG1u3NhIuo0S7x8Ht3_T1IopmUV7Z7pBVy6og3PWyKhClsbll-K1JWPyl23teMqRs7NVzcUE3LAOeOyna5_U-fULsqtQTcV3-UJ0JI478RF7wpFbzUygUGq_VsTztI/s1600/DCS_7921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSkb4a9mNXOG9qpG1u3NhIuo0S7x8Ht3_T1IopmUV7Z7pBVy6og3PWyKhClsbll-K1JWPyl23teMqRs7NVzcUE3LAOeOyna5_U-fULsqtQTcV3-UJ0JI478RF7wpFbzUygUGq_VsTztI/s400/DCS_7921.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The turtle's new home at Wat Omung! </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The wonderful people at Wat Umong agreed to let our 3 legged friend come and live in there lake. Wat Umong is a very serene place with lots of history. If you come to Chiang Mai I’d encourage you to visit this wat. It’s known for it’s history, it’s meditation center and for it’s lake where people come to feed the fish. We sent him off with traditional Thai well wishes. I’m sure that the <b>ตะพาบน้ำ</b> as the Thai’s call him will have a long and happy life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIsRTCFJu_fRQfnJJolvamy2SpYCdQqUo6Y5OXAHRgRsmPwUzSk8vWXVTVDJ8Q2ZUS1R6woUcMAN_z1gZmvB_VLM4mqxsvxo8iRN2syvjXoO8c_czQ_wBBoRF_zIz8U1J3j64aViJepI/s1600/DCS_2565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIsRTCFJu_fRQfnJJolvamy2SpYCdQqUo6Y5OXAHRgRsmPwUzSk8vWXVTVDJ8Q2ZUS1R6woUcMAN_z1gZmvB_VLM4mqxsvxo8iRN2syvjXoO8c_czQ_wBBoRF_zIz8U1J3j64aViJepI/s400/DCS_2565.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I'm being put in the water! </i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4LYXvDHMMwf4SCtZNUdwAv7KL9RI_2FJ-1OOaoFHcihbk4Y-A189IRQr1bdfr66MWt_caZA_TFmRNkU6u3ZwQOmUmqhryltPKIjdxapRuDy6Hdiqfifr8NIYGT0au8_25Qcvit0JmwM/s1600/DCS_2568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4LYXvDHMMwf4SCtZNUdwAv7KL9RI_2FJ-1OOaoFHcihbk4Y-A189IRQr1bdfr66MWt_caZA_TFmRNkU6u3ZwQOmUmqhryltPKIjdxapRuDy6Hdiqfifr8NIYGT0au8_25Qcvit0JmwM/s400/DCS_2568.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>I'll just swim to freedom </b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Given that he was rescued from a flood in a city and ended up in a lake in a very spiritual place makes me think that he may be the basis for part of a future work of mythological fiction. <br />
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Abundant Blessings,Jerry Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205179587203503931noreply@blogger.com1