Loy Kratong

This year we went to (the Buddhist festival) Loy Kratong, at the local school, this involves floating candles and josh sticks on banana leaf boats. There was dancing from some of the students and Thai boxing (which started very young). There was a "May Queen" or Loy Kratong Queen chosen from 4 hopefuls, Puy, Paa's cousin from our village, one from Ban Prow Wing, and two from Ban Ket. Ban Prow Wing won, although I think Puy came second, even though she should have won.

My Village

I realised that most of my pictures were of us doing x or y. So this morning I went out and took pictures of the children playing shop.

The village shop (with Lottie out front with her grandmother, Puk), which sells a few packets of crisps, pop, beer and vegetables in the early morning. Not much really.

The road almost opposite, Charlie's (after Charles Bronson) house, Boon's house and Lord's house can be seen.

And the local cafe, which is opposite our house. A bowl of noodle soup is 10bht (15p).

Rice

The rice harvest is in full swing, we had help drying the rice from some off the village kids. Almost everyone dries the rice on half the road (some dry it on the blue mesh in their gardens), the road is hotter, you may have to leave the rice for a couple of days to get it to the correct moisture content. When I took the rice to the place where they buy it, it all had the correct moisture content.

The interesting thing around here is that rice can be left (even in sacks) over night, no one will steal it even though it would be very easy. Which is great because it means that no one needs to stay with the rice overnight.

Holiday in Pattaya

These pictures were lost for almost a year, I had had them put on CD so that i could take more pictures. Last year around Loy Kratong (annual festival, reoccured last week) we went to meet Mike and Tariq in Pattaya, we visited the Big Buddha on the Hill.

We took a speed boat to an island called Ko Lan.

Went to Nong Nooch, a botanical gardens type place, Paa was obviously pregnant at the time.