Friday, February 27, 2009
Last day in Krabi - Welcome to Trang
Our last day in Krabi was full of energy. Our first stop was the Laem Pho Mollusk Fossil site. The fossils in this site are believed to be about 75 million years old. Our second stop was the Outdoors Aquarium where we got to see a little bit of everything: small fish, BIG fish, colorful and even ugly fish. After that we visited Wat Tham Seua (aka Tiger Cave temple). Even though this visit presented a challenge, Maggie and Brett made us proud by climbing 1237 steps to the top of the mountain. I only climbed half of the mountain, but Maggie and Brett took amazing pictures for all of us!
After an amazing day we had to say goodbye to our friends in Krabi and move to the province of Trang. We were received with open arms. Our hosts families were very excited and happy to see us. I enjoyed a great dinner with my host family, Manit and Lynn Wongsureerat. They made thai rice noodles and shrimp soup for me. Delicious!
An amazing day awaits tomorrow! It will include a sea trip, snorkelling and visiting an underwater wedding festival.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Krabi
Spent the evening at the Krabi Tipa Resort belonging to Rotarian
Kanokwalee Engchuan. The resort was a compound of over 100 very nice
secluded bungalows very close to main street Krabi. Dinner was of
traditional dishes (chicken,rice, octopus, prawn, thai coconut soup
and egg omelette, among other things). Dinner included 7 Rotarians
from various vocations including hotel owners, doctor, insurance sales
and an owner of high end commercial construction company. Pitak
Peanusaha, a Rotarian, engineer and hotel owner was graciuous enough
to give us a tour of his property and treated us to an after dinner
cocktail. Before calling it a night we spent time on main street Krabi
where there were several vendors and a Burger King; I had forgotten
how good Whoppers really are!!!!!
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Updated photo for 226
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The true meaning of resilency
There are still shards of its former tenants about - scattered debri, old clothes, toys that were probably loved dearly by some child. It was quite sad and very, very moving to see these people getting on with their lives. Children still being able to smile despite the cards they were dealt. It really makes you wonder about the inner strength that lurks within all of us. I will post photos of the village when I can. Until next time, peace, love and blessings.
~ Natasha
Thai Ocean Venture Co
Warm welcome at Phang Nga
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Monday, February 23, 2009
Vocatioanl day for the team in Phuket
sites individually. I spent the day with Leo and Piopop at a local
credit union and bank.
More to come when internet access is available.
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Saturday, February 21, 2009
Visiting Bangkok Bank February 19th
Friday, February 20, 2009
Leaving a blazing trail in Bangkok
Our line would be hard to miss – I’m sure there is a trail of perspiration we weave from our hotel to the sky train all the way to the markets. The water seems to pour out from us to soak our clothing and run down our faces as quickly as we guzzle it from our plastic bottles. I am in desperate need of a diaper. My pants are soaked from perspiration and I am pretty sure along with our trail of perspiration, I have left prints of my derriere all over the city.
The markets are almost overwhelming as we make our way through it. Side by side, row by row unique gifts, clothing, quality handcrafted furniture, paintings, carvings and more are at each turn. You can smell the scent of cooking meat at nearby vendors. The city is alive with sights, sounds, smells and tastes. In fact, I can almost taste the thick humidity. Inside the markets we spilt up and roam leisurely. I climb the tri-level market and explore what I can. Exquisite silks and handcrafted jewelry line tabletops and counter spaces waiting for an owner. I hit the jack pot in the basement though. Unique paintings line a small square room. Bright colors, bold images and minute details capture me. I ask the young woman if she has created the wonderful artwork and she shakes her head. Her sister, who is not present, is the artist behind the masterpieces.
After lunch (old-school cafeteria style complete with karaoke entertainment) we leave the markets, get back on the sky train and head over to MBK mall. The stores are impressive. I have little luck in the clothing departments. I tease C earlier in the day by telling him, “Big Girls Get No Love in Bangkok.” Ha.
Goodbye Bangkok......Next stop: Phuket Island
Our last few days in Bangkok were full of fun activities, including the zoo, the weekend market and a great Thai show called Siam Niramit. We did a lot of new things and saw unbelievable sites. We even had the chance to feed the elephants, who slobbered all over us.
Visiting the traditional Thai village was one of my favorite things to do. We had the opportunity to witness the string ceremony. We had a piece of string tied to our wrists, while a prayer is said to bring good luck and health.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wonderful Thai Cuisine
Learning from one another
This morning I can’t seem to sleep for a long period of time. I went to bed a little before midnight and kind of toss and turn in the night. It is a little after 4 a.m. and since we will depart Bangkok in two days, to begin to head south, I figure now is a better time than any to write. I may not get the opportunity, nor have the time, to fully get my thoughts down later.
First off, you don’t realize quite how long 23 hours is until you’ve spent it with no where to go in an airplane. Nonetheless, when the five of us finally landed in Bangkok, after crisscrossing our way from Connecticut to Washington D.C. to Tokyo to Thailand, I don’t think we could have imagined the welcome wagon that awaited us. The people of District 3330 have been absolutely amazing. It’s funny because language is not the barrier that everyone seems to think it is (Of course, many of the fabulous people we’ve met have spoken English, so it may sound overconfident to say). When we can not understand each other very well, we do take a moment to find a better word that will contribute to understanding. But warmth, kindness, hospitality, the early roots of friendship, these are things that can be communicated without words. It is body language, demeanor and the tone in which you say anything in any language.
Jiraporn reminds me of just how similar we all are when we are on the grounds of the Grand Palace. She is a GSE member of District 3330 who will journey to our District 7890 in April. She and her other GSE teammate Unchalee, Krittika and I visited the Emerald Buddha together. As we move around the palace my team (Maggie, Brett, Jacelyn and our Team Leader Aileen) break off into twos or threes, meet up again, take pictures, chat, keep it moving – the cycle continues. I pretty much have traveled along with Jiraporn and Unchalee not only because they are awesome, but because I really love to hear them explain what each piece of architecture, painting or symbol means personally to them and their people as a whole.
We take off our shoes and sit down inside, pointing our feet away from the Buddha. We talk a bit about Buddhism; I do most of the listening and every now and then ask specific questions about prayer, worship and meditation. This is why I personally came to GSE, for these moments. You see I am captivated with studying and learning about life and how others get through theirs. About a year ago I went to Elms College on a scholarship to study religion. Not because I am taken so much with the acts of worship, but with the reasons people choose to worship. We human beings are ingrained with the need to believe in something. In order to survive in at least a happy existence we all have the inner need to be connected to something or someone - whether we choose to believe in our family, a politician, God, our friends or in the greater good of every human being. Here I am sitting with a woman I met for the first time a day before, and while I don’t know everything about her (she’s still almost a stranger), I know the feeling she talks about when she tells me about what her prayers and meditation mean to her. She finishes by telling me that in Thailand there are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, but all, each and every one of them, are all Thai.
First day pictures!
WE'RE HERE
First day in Thailand!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
GSE Thailand
The Group Study Exchange (GSE) of The Rotary Foundation is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four weeks, team members experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
This year’s team includes three individuals from the Springfield, MA, area and one from Manchester, CT. Brett Gearing is the director of the structured credit group of Babson Capital and is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club; Natasha Clark is a reporter for The Reminder publications and is sponsored by the East Longmeadow Rotary Club; Magdalena Jaroszewicz is a product marketing manager at Lenox Tools and is sponsored by the West Springfield Rotary Club; and Jacelyn Lopez is an aircraft engineer with Pratt & Whitney and is sponsored by the Manchester Rotary Club. The team leader is Rotarian Aileen Witkowski of the Putnam (CT) Rotary Club.
The team will participate in a rewarding, once-in-a lifetime experience and will return home with a broadened cultural perspective and new understanding of a nation’s history, language, commerce and government. A GSE offers a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills, work on team building, and increase self-confidence. The program is designed to have an invaluable impact on the career of these young professionals in an increasingly global workplace by creating networking opportunities and lifelong friendships.
While in Thailand, the US team will stay with host families from the local Rotary District and will move to a new location every few days. The Thailand team will arrive at Bradley International on March 28 and will stay with host families from the Springfield, Franklin County, Simsbury and Windsor Rotary Clubs over a four-week period.