Fishing with a slingshot, random observations and the funeral.

After attending the ceremony at the Wat Bangkrachao Nok yesterday morning and the funeral ceremony the last two days I am starting to see a pattern. It reminds me when I first attended a Catholic church ceremony, I could not figure out how the people knew what was going on. After attending for awhile I began to see the pattern. In fact I see many of the same patterns that I observed in the ceremony for Sutep in Fairbanks.

Yesterday morning, at the Kathin ceremony at Wat Bangkrachao Nok I noticed a little boy, maybe seven or eight years old with a couple guns. He was having "fun" shooting his father. He was also wearing camouflage pants. He was slightly overweight and looked indulged. In Fairbanks when we had visitors I had them check their toy guns at the door!

I have seen people, a couple times walk and up and down the canal with a slingshot, they are fishing. I have not seen any success yet. I even saw one person trying to fish with a pellet gun. So far I have not seen a fish large enough to shoot, but they must be there.

The road is getting near and it is a mess, they cut down the palm fronds that surround Jit's old house. The house is much more exposed. I am still unclear exactly how the road will be routed. I think it will eventually go to the river near the small boat dock. I am assuming, with no facts, that eventually more houses are going to be built. It is hard to imagine the investment in the road without some method of earning money.

Yesterday as we were returning from the ceremony at the Wat Bangkrachao Nok I saw a Lotus sports car beside the road with its hood up. Sort of surprising, not the hood up, it was a Lotus, but just that it was there.

On the way to the funeral last night I saw a sign on the front of a store, Optimum Brain.

There were many more people attending the funeral last night, there was a series of four distinct chants and people visiting and paying respect.

As we were leaving for the funeral last night Juke put a small leaf in my pocket for protection. After we were at the funeral Jit said many of her mother's relatives were there. I asked why Jit's mom was not going and Jit said it was because she was sick. Somehow attending a funeral makes people who are sick more likely to get worse. I bugged Jit a little, I would think it would be great for her mom to get out and see some of her relatives. Being at home makes her life perspective get pretty small.

We dropped 18 rolls of film by for developing last night. They should be ready to pickup today. I need to select and get pictures printed of the funeral by Thursday so that I can give them to the family.

Tonight Pan, Jit's younger brother will pick us up to go to the funeral. There are two more days of ceremonies and then on Thursday the body will be cremated.