New Years at Bangkrachow and Mu9

We will not have any newspapers delivered from the next four days, people are going on vacation and traveling over New Years. We have some trips planned for the next few weeks. We will be going to Chiang Rai area with the people from Non-Formal education. We will meet with them on the 6th. Next Sunday we will visit 9 temples with Mona and Jit's old "gang" from the Manhattan hotel. We will be going to Ayuthaya. The next weekend we will be going to Sing Buri for the wedding. It will be very busy, besides starting to work with continuing education.

We went to Phra Pradaeng today, took the bus. When we were getting our glasses adjusted and buying film there was a kid's marching band, with uniforms and everything going by followed by people marching with signs against drugs. It stopped all the traffic, sort of surprising, I took a couple pictures for the record. We then took a blue truck-bus to Big C to get a DVD player for Jit's mom. She loves to listen to Likay. She has a large box of Likay DVD's and listens to them over and over. There was a Sony on sale but we were encouraged to get a different model that included Karaoke and was multi-region, We resisted the opportunity.

Big C was way too busy, people getting ready for the holiday. When we left there was a large line for the taxi so we walked out to the road, where there was another line. We were going to get on a truck-bus but then a taxi appeared. The driver said people were arguing in front of Big C about who would get a taxi, so he just left. The taxi driver was interesting. He loves reading and computer. He had a Windows XP book and uses his son's school's account to access the Internet. He said he can not afford to go to school. He supports his parent's and helps his sister go to school.

Tomorrow there will be a Tambon New Years celebration

12/31
We got up early, prepared food for a Pinto, a Pinto is a stacked metal food container, and walked over to the Tambon heads home, people gathered and shared food. We walked on the new path. I did not recognize the road, Ratrangson #16, but we pass it every day on the motorbike on the way back from the dock. It was just a different perspective then I am used to seeing. When we got there people put food from their Pintos onto dishes. There are tables, with roofs, for the food. There were nine bowls to put rice in for the Monks. Each person spooned the rice from the Pinto into each bowl. Left over rice went into a large pot for the rest of the community. People made a donation an got the new calendar with the King's picture on it. As in many cases her is carrying a Canon EOS camera, not an expensive one either. There is a museum that is supposed to have some of the King's photographs. I would like to see them. There are many pictures of him carrying cameras.

Jit made an appointment with the head of the Tambon, I am not sure what about, but it is her nature. I think they will meet after the 10th.

A person using a microphone talks on and on, most people seem to ignore him. I think it is community calendar information. People just sit, visit and wait. The Monks arrive in a silver van, there is long chanting, the food is moved over to the covered building where the Monks are chanting, they eat, then we eat. Dog's move around, very politely, waiting for food. The dogs are also very good at getting out of the way. When the monks have finished eating the Abbott walks around splashing the audience with water. They then leave to return to their Wat. I love red and green curry, and there was a lot of it to eat. Jit made yellow cake, from a mix, but people were not eating it, I do not think they are used to having cake.

The Tambon celebration combines the King, the Nation and Buddhism. Politics and religion are not separate, there is an seamless merging of the three strands of the modern Thai nation.

When I am at these celebrations I just observe, think, reflect, fantasize about many things, and take notes. It really is interesting.

There was a women sharing Red Bull, or one of its clones, with her son. I like Red Bull and use it when I am driving from Fairbanks to Anchorage and back, a six hour drive. It really does help alertness. In Thailand people work so hard and get up so early that I can see why energy drinks are popular.

Many older men, and Monks, have extensive tattoos on their bodies. Some peoples backs and arm are covered in symbols. It think it is related to fate and luck. The process must be pretty painful. At the gathering there was an old man, with a beard, who was riding an old shabby bike. He had many tattoos. Jit's dad also has tattoos all over his back.

Some people in the community participate in these events and many do not. I recognize many people from the Kathin ceremony and the funerals. It is like a large community pot luck. Since Monks can not eat after lunch, many events start early in the morning. The weather is also not too hot then. Sometimes there is a pause in the day from about 12 to 3.

There are so many paths and many very nice homes, and some not so nice, when we walked over to the gathering. Most of the houses in our area are large and are nice, but some are very shabby. The communities of Bangabua and Bangkrachow are really beautiful and natural. I think there is a lot of pressure to develop residential houses in the area. The price of property is rising. The new road will open up more area for building houses. There are no housing estates or developments, the houses are individually built. I hear the fire crackers that signify the beginning of a house often, once or twice a week.

There are other similar events for the next few days because of the new years celebration. Tonight at the big tree and tomorrow there is supposed to be something for 49 Monks at the Tambon leaders house!

Keenon went to Bopae Market yesterday, she had her purse stolen. Somebody used a razor to cut the strap and run off. She said she did not lose anything. Keenon is a 60 year old women. When people are desperate they forget their values and lose their self. It makes me remember to be aware.

There was another big tree for Mu 3 surrounded with multi-colored thin cloth. I think that this makes the tree sacred, people wai when they pass the tree, or at least that is what I saw. In our community, Mu 9, I do not see people wai when they pass the tree, but that could be because they live right next to the tree. Hmmm....

There is very loud music from the community tree. We are getting ready to go over to the New Years eve gathering, I hope there is not much drinking. Last weekend there was a fight, we heard about it in the morning. I am a definite morning person and like to go to sleep early at night.

We went for awhile, there was a stage set up and sort of a DJ playing music, Kid's were dancing in costumes, people brought food, it was like a pot luck, there was also a lot of whisky being shared and people were getting drunk. Alcohol is a big part of community life. From my Alaska experience alcohol, especially large groups of people drinking, means fighting and craziness in the end. Somebody was acting a little crazy, a person who works at building houses, he was being moved away. People were having fun, I was encouraged to dance, but I am really a shy person. Anyway the music really was way too loud, I mean it is where it can hurt your ears, really, so we went home. The music is everywhere, but it is OK at home. I like Thai country music, it is really celebration music. It has been over 20 years since I stopped drinking and alcohol has hurt so many people in my life, I just do not like being around drinking. I am finishing the blog and then will go to sleep.