Everyday life

As I was going through all my vacation pics I realized that most of them were of Thai everyday life….and a beach or two….and of course some really touristic photos of the family in front of this or that….I realized that the joy of watching and taking part in the Thai everyday life is what gave the trip meaning for me. A beautiful beach is a beautiful beach whatever country you visit. The sad thing is that so many tourists never look beyond it.

Here is some of the pics....

This is my sisters next door neighbour, the rice farmer working on his field together with his family. I loved to watch them from the kitcen window while I washed up the breakfast dishes.

As we were out driving one day we passed some men working in the woods. When I saw the elephant I shouted STOP to my husband and got out to take a photo. The men kindly let me take a photo of the elephant but only after I had taken a picture of them lifting some really heavy logs, laughing and making it very clear that they were just as strong as the elephant. Or stronger...

The traffic in Thailand is caotic, intense and crazy and they drive on the wrong side of the road. If you are a swede that is... It`s the land of pick ups and mopeds. The amount of stuff or people they can transport on one single moped is amazing.

Religion is present everywhere. Temples and Mosques lying side by side. You see monks wander the streets early in the morning with their wooden rice bowls to collect food.

Many thai houses don`t have a kitchen so they eat at food markets or tiny resturants along the road. Or from a mobile kitchen where a woman cook and serve the food directly from her moped or tuctuc. Many of the houses on the country or the city flats are really just one big room where you roll out madresses to sleep on at night. Most of the thai life take place outdoors and the house is just a shelter to protect you from the rain.


I loved the food. I usually started my day with scrabled eggs and a large plate of ripe mango, pineapple and watermelon. All of it bought at the tiny local shop close to my sisters house.

The food market in Krabi

Three girls in their schooluniforms getting an afternoon snack

A woman buying her meal at a food stand in Krabi town

Oh boy this is the longest post ever so I better stop now. Just wanted to share a piece of the trip with you. Thailand is a colorful country and very inspirational creativitywise....so you just might see some posts in the future with stuff inspired by my trip.

Or made from the tons of handprinted cotton fabric I bought....

Take care

Jeanette

Had Yao & Noppharat Thara

Did you think that the lovely isolated beaches you see on photos look like that naturally? Wrong! Most of them look like that because they are cleaned and raked early every morning!

My sisters house is a 30 minute drive from Krabi town in a very small village. It’s situated in a small resort between a rice field, the village school and the tiny local shop. It’s almost in the middle of nowhere and far away from “tourist country”. On our first evening there we walked to the beach , Had Yao to see the sun set. It is an unexploited beach which basically means no tourists – no cleaning up. It’s sad really to see how much we throw away at land and at see and even sadder that the beach has to be exploited for tourists to get cleaned up.

Anyway, when we wandered beyond the debris of driftwood, bottles, plastic bags and old sun bleached sandals the view was beautiful.


And better still – it was like dying and come to sea shell heaven. Being a manic shell seeker I nearly lost it……and as I was totally unprepared of this feast of sea shell picking I had nothing to pick in.

An old coconut shell came in handy.

As we walked back towards the house I understood from my daughters talking that they found this first encounter with a Thai beach a bit disappointing - no white sand and palm trees. A visit to Noppharat Thara beach the next day put the smile back on their faces....

....white sand, crystal blue see and 28 degrees in the water and not a deckchair and beach umbrella in sight. We where the only ones on the beach accept for a tree legged dog. Oh joy!

Take care

Jeanette

I`m back

Just a quick post to let you all know that I am back!

It will take a very long time ( if ever) before I endure a 12 hour flight again. The chairs just ain`t built for my long legs. It felt like we flew Sardine Airways!

Welcome onboard Sardine Airways. This is your Captain speaking. We are ready for take off. Please be seated at all times and avoid trips to the lavatories as much as possible. If the need should occur please use the can of olive oil in the seat pocket in front of you to easier slide in and out of your chair…….

Part from the flight I had two very interesting weeks in Thailand and I will post about them later. Right now I am heading for bed to try and beat the jetlag. Work day tomorrow!

Take care
Jeanette

I am off…..

….in an hour. Being a time optimist I didn’t finish that last report at work so I have to take it with me….. But I don`t mind setting up office under a palm tree and take a drink at my coffee break. You know one of those drinks with an umbrella in it…




See you in two weeks time!

Take care
Jeanette

Butterfly personalities

I sat and watched the Butterflies in my lavender today. It seemed to me like they had different personalities. First there was this “relaaax - go with the flow dude” sitting for ever on each flower enjoying the nectar and allowing himself to get really intoxicated with the taste and smell. No problem to take a photo of him !




Then there was this “hurry, hurry - things to do, places to go “ kind of girl. Flying very efficiently about and just making the tiniest of stops on each flower. Had a hell of a time getting a photo of her!

Anyway, then there was this little person. Hanging on for dear life, sitting absolutely still not daring to make one false move or he’ll fall over. I can tell you that he looked straight into the camera and begged for help! It made me wonder if he had been out partying with Mr “Relaaax dude” , had a hell of a headache and soon was about to get some serious bellowing by his Mum…..

How I chose their gender says more about me than the Butterflies perhaps. Ha, ha!


Take care
Jeanette

Never forget Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. At that time a little girl named Sadako lived in the city. She survived the bomb but later developed leukemia and was hospitalized. Sadako started to fold paper cranes hoping to fold a thousand believing in an old Japanese saying, Senbazuru that says if you fold a thousand paper cranes you are granted one wish. Sadakos wish first was to live but she then changed it to peace on earth. Sadako managed to fold 644 paper cranes before she died at the age of 12 and after her death her friends and family finished folding the rest.

There is a statue of Sadako in Hiroshima Peace Park and people still leave paper cranes at the statue.

Photo by Hikarulychee

You can send a paper crane to be hung in the statue. The address is:
General Affairs Division
Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
1-2 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima,
Japan 730-0811

On the statue is a plaque:
This is our cry

This is our prayer.
Peace on Earth.

For Sadako and for all other victims of war in the world we must never forget Hiroshima and never stop fighting for a world free of atomic bombs!

Take care
Jeanette

Countdown

In five days I am off to Thailand. I am finally going to visit my sisters house and see all the places she talks about and love so much. We where meant to go 18 months ago but then my dad had a stroke and we stayed home. Now the time has come and we leave for Krabi next week.


I have felt (and still do) a bit ambivalent about the trip. Ever since my daughters were just kids I have refused to visit Thailand due to trafficking, sex tourism and the fact that it actually is a country with a military dictatorship. Not my favourite kind of country…. Many and I mean MANY people over the years has called me stupid saying that me not going doesn’t make any kind of difference what so ever. I on the other hand call it micro activism!

But nothing is black and white of course and I decided that I want my daughters to get an opinion of their own and not just inherit mine! So off we go. Soon.

But until then there is tons of stuff to do…..Tomorrow I plan to pimp my ride……or at least my luggage. But more about that another day.

Take care
Jeanette