We started our morning with a visit to a local elementary school on the way north to Sukhothai. Their grades in school are very similar to ours with six years of elementary school, three years of secondary and three years of high school. School in Thailand is mandatory for all kids, but it is not free like it is in the U.S., and besides the cost of going to school, the families must also purchase uniforms for their children. It appears that a bit of what you pay is based on your income.
We had a chance to look around the school and meet a few of the children before school officially began.
At the school we visited this morning, the children lined up at 8:00 for the national anthem, followed by prayer and meditation.
There are 113 children in the school that we visited. The school loves to have Americans come and speak to the children so that they can hear how we pronounce our words. Mike says that they study English in all grades, but the problem is that they learn English from a Thai teacher who learned English from a Thai teacher, etc., for one hour each week! They never really have a chance to hear English from English speaking people.
After meditation, the children got to choose an adult and give us a tour of their school. Each child chose something a little different that they wanted to show their adult, so we all had a slightly different experience. It was interesting because most of them we afraid of us, but really wanted to spend time with us. It was a funny combination. Once we were together for awhile, they warmed up to us and really started enjoy our time together.
After our tour, we had a chance to play hide and seek with some of our girls, and Steve had the chance to read an English book with his. Most of the kids really loved to read, and enjoyed reading with us.
During our hide and seek game Susan and I even got a behind the scenes tour of the bathrooms which were very clean and nice.
At the end of our visit, they gave us a chance to support the school with gifts and/or money, which are greatly appreciated. It was such an amazing opportunity!
Gate-1 supports the schools in the countries that they tour, and in this particular school they built a large shade structure on the playground for the children, which was very impressive.
All of the kids are very happy and they and the staff really appreciate having us come and support them. Steve and I both walked away with tears in our eyes from this wonderful experience. These kids are genuinely excited about life, not something we always see from kids in the U.S.
In hindsight, this was the most amazing part of the entire trip for both of us. These children and their school were so special we wish we could do this every day....who knows.....maybe we will.....only time will tell! Again many, many thanks to both Gate-1 and Mike for making this wonderful experience happen for us.
We spent much of the day on the bus today, driving between Ayuthaya and Sokothai, and I have to say that the bus is very comfortable. It is air-conditioned, but not too much. Each time we return to the bus, they offer us a moist towelette to freshen up with, and a bottle of water twice a day. We both really enjoyed looking at the countryside we were passing and the people going about their daily lives.
As we drove further north, there got to be more and more rice fields, so Mike gave us a lesson in rice. White rice takes about 5 months to grow from beginning to end and sticky rice takes 2-3 months. If a farmer has 10 acres for rice, he will divide it into 1 acre and 9 acres. In the one acre he will spread his seed. After about 1 ½ months the rice is 7-8 inches tall. At this point the farmer will transplant the rice stalks one at a time about 1 hand length apart, into the remaining 9 acres. It is a very time consuming process. Mike said that his father banned him from transplanting rice because he was not patient enough as a young boy!
They flood the ground where the rice is planted to remove the oxygen from the ground to keep the rice kernels from breaking. After transplanting, they wait another 3 months for the rice to mature, then the rice has to dry before it can be harvested. Most farmers try for two crops of rice a year, but there is rarely enough water for the second crop, so the kernels always come our broken. With the second crop the farmers just spread the seed and hope. Approximately 70% of all farmers in Thailand grow rice.
We have noticed throughout our stay in Thailand that Thai people are very hard working. Today Mike explained to us that most Thai people work at least 2 jobs and most work more than that. Mike’s main job is a tour guide, on which taxes are collected, but in addition to this, he also retouches photographs for photographers and publishers and he uses the leaves of a special tree to make beautiful gold veins which he and his wife sell. I wish I could remember the name of this tree.
Several times during the last few days, we have seen monitor lizards. They have ranged in size from about 8 inches to about 8 feet! The small ones are cute, but the really large ones look like alligators. They are a little intimidating.
On our way between cities today, we stopped at a roadside stand where one woman was grilling something, and another was cracking nuts. We all had a chance to try the nuts, which turned out to be water chestnuts,
And then we had a chance to try the grilled meat, which turned out to be rat. Mike assured us that these are field rats, that were caught in the rice fields, not dirty city rats. Steve and I both tried it, and to our surprise it was pretty good, and tasted like the dark meat on the chicken. About five rates make up one kilogram, which costs 200 baht if yo are interested in purchasing some!
We have also seen a lot of egrets in the fields. Unlike the rats, the egrets are friends to the farmers and eat snails that hurt their rice crops.
A little further down the road, we stopped at another stand where a woman was frying fruits and vegetables. This was Mike's next surprise for us. We all had a chance to try samples of all of it and then purchase some if we wanted. We bought a bag for our evening snack. Most of it was sugared to be like candy and it was all very tasty.
Later we stopped at a Big C Superstore complex for lunch. There is a food court downstairs where you purchase a payment card, then eat where ever you want. The restaurant takes money off of the payment card instead of accepting cash, Then when you are done, you return the card for a refund of what was not spent. It worked really well and was fun to try. Steve and I each had a noodle bowl and a dish of ice cream for lunch.
Steve's ice cream was topped with pumpkin and mine was topped with lotus root. It was all very good, and the entire lunch cost us about 100 baht (~$2.85) for both.
After lunch we went upstairs to the Big C store. It is a lot like a Walmart, except they have a few items that we've never seen there.
So far we have not seen any mosquitos on this trip. Considering how hot and humid Thailand is, we are quite surprised.
Sukhothai is the birthplace of the Thai nation and it’s name means “Dawn of Happiness”, founded in the 13th century by King Ramkhamhaeng. The country’s first capital was established here in 1238 and lasted over two centuries. Sukhothai is world-famous for it’s over 100 historical sites and treasures, including some of the most beautiful Thai art and architecture in the country, created during the city’s “golden era”, between the 13th and 14th centuries. Sukhothai used to be built right around the historic ruins, but about 30 or 40 years ago there was a great fire that destroyed much of the city, so they moved the city away from the historical park instead of rebuilding it there.
We took motorcycle tuktuks to the three different ruin sites within the park. There were four people in each tuktuk and Mike told us that it would be appropriate to tip the driver about 20 baht each.
We visited the Old Town of Sukhothai with it’s impressive Historical Park, set among leafy hills and peaceful lotus ponds, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At this site, most of the remains of the original city can be seen. We enjoyed walking through the ancient Buddha figures, palaces, temples and historical monuments and felt ourselves trying to imagine what it would have been like to live in Thailand during this period of history.
We stayed overnight at the Sukhothai Heritage Resort in Sukhothai. What a great action packed day we had. We were very tired from all the various experiences we had throughout the day. Again, the highlight of the entire day for both Steve and me was the wonderful children at the school visit.
We had a chance to look around the school and meet a few of the children before school officially began.
 |
| The outdoor play area and classes in the background |
 |
| A covered play area |
 |
| A classroom for the younger grades |
 |
| I love how bright and clean it is |
 |
| Children on the playground before school starts. Each grade has a different uniform. |
 |
| One of the preschoolers, isn't she adorable? |
 |
| The kids help clean their school each morning |
 |
| The kids are starting to line up |
 |
| The kids are all very well behaved and polite |
 |
| They raise the flag as the band prepares to play |
 |
| The girl in green leads the national anthem and prayer |
 |
| Even the youngest of the children participate in prayer and meditation |
 |
| Each grade takes time to show respect to the other grades |
 |
| Just because they are so stinking cute!!!! |
After meditation, the children got to choose an adult and give us a tour of their school. Each child chose something a little different that they wanted to show their adult, so we all had a slightly different experience. It was interesting because most of them we afraid of us, but really wanted to spend time with us. It was a funny combination. Once we were together for awhile, they warmed up to us and really started enjoy our time together.
 |
| She was such a cutie and was so excited to tour Steve around the grounds and classrooms! |
 |
| These four beautiful girls gave me a tour of their classroom. Notice that no shoes are allowed in the classroom |
After our tour, we had a chance to play hide and seek with some of our girls, and Steve had the chance to read an English book with his. Most of the kids really loved to read, and enjoyed reading with us.
 |
| This is our high-energy hide and seek partner |
 |
| the bathroom |
 |
| the playground |
 |
| And the cafeteria |
At the end of our visit, they gave us a chance to support the school with gifts and/or money, which are greatly appreciated. It was such an amazing opportunity!
 |
| Our opportunity to pay it forward |
 |
| Gate-1 and it's travelers built the covered playground through their donations to the school |
In hindsight, this was the most amazing part of the entire trip for both of us. These children and their school were so special we wish we could do this every day....who knows.....maybe we will.....only time will tell! Again many, many thanks to both Gate-1 and Mike for making this wonderful experience happen for us.
We spent much of the day on the bus today, driving between Ayuthaya and Sokothai, and I have to say that the bus is very comfortable. It is air-conditioned, but not too much. Each time we return to the bus, they offer us a moist towelette to freshen up with, and a bottle of water twice a day. We both really enjoyed looking at the countryside we were passing and the people going about their daily lives.
 |
| Our route north over the last few days |
 |
| Another cargo barge on the river |
 |
| A little country shelter by the highway. They have to have a bridge to get through the lotus patch |
 |
| Farmers working in their field |
They flood the ground where the rice is planted to remove the oxygen from the ground to keep the rice kernels from breaking. After transplanting, they wait another 3 months for the rice to mature, then the rice has to dry before it can be harvested. Most farmers try for two crops of rice a year, but there is rarely enough water for the second crop, so the kernels always come our broken. With the second crop the farmers just spread the seed and hope. Approximately 70% of all farmers in Thailand grow rice.
 |
| A flooded rice field |
Several times during the last few days, we have seen monitor lizards. They have ranged in size from about 8 inches to about 8 feet! The small ones are cute, but the really large ones look like alligators. They are a little intimidating.
On our way between cities today, we stopped at a roadside stand where one woman was grilling something, and another was cracking nuts. We all had a chance to try the nuts, which turned out to be water chestnuts,
 |
| Our little roadside stand |
 |
| The water chestnuts |
 |
| She's cutting some open for us to try. They are very good! |
 |
| Our meat, freshly grilled just for us |
 |
| My new little friend |
 |
| The grilled meat |
 |
| Up close and personal |
 |
| Tastes like chicken |
 |
| Steve offers a bite to everyone |
We have also seen a lot of egrets in the fields. Unlike the rats, the egrets are friends to the farmers and eat snails that hurt their rice crops.
A little further down the road, we stopped at another stand where a woman was frying fruits and vegetables. This was Mike's next surprise for us. We all had a chance to try samples of all of it and then purchase some if we wanted. We bought a bag for our evening snack. Most of it was sugared to be like candy and it was all very tasty.
 |
| A snack stand by the road |
 |
| So much to choose from |
 |
| We bought a combination of taro root and sweet potato to share and enjoy later. This one is taro root |
 |
| The food court had a lot of options |
 |
| Yummy noodle bowl |
 |
| Chocolate ice cream with lotus root |
After lunch we went upstairs to the Big C store. It is a lot like a Walmart, except they have a few items that we've never seen there.
 |
| Their fresh fish department |
 |
| Such a great selection of cooking oil |
 |
| Lottery tickets for sale. |
Sukhothai is the birthplace of the Thai nation and it’s name means “Dawn of Happiness”, founded in the 13th century by King Ramkhamhaeng. The country’s first capital was established here in 1238 and lasted over two centuries. Sukhothai is world-famous for it’s over 100 historical sites and treasures, including some of the most beautiful Thai art and architecture in the country, created during the city’s “golden era”, between the 13th and 14th centuries. Sukhothai used to be built right around the historic ruins, but about 30 or 40 years ago there was a great fire that destroyed much of the city, so they moved the city away from the historical park instead of rebuilding it there.
We took motorcycle tuktuks to the three different ruin sites within the park. There were four people in each tuktuk and Mike told us that it would be appropriate to tip the driver about 20 baht each.
 |
| Another great mode of transportation |
We stayed overnight at the Sukhothai Heritage Resort in Sukhothai. What a great action packed day we had. We were very tired from all the various experiences we had throughout the day. Again, the highlight of the entire day for both Steve and me was the wonderful children at the school visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment