Conference time in Thailand Feburary, 2015

It's a hard life - we have to attend our yearly conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand in February. Fortunately it is held in a big, older hotel, where we re-connect with other teachers, learn what's going on in 8 other countries (yes, 8!), hear wonderful stories and teachings, and are inspired to see what the father is doing around our world. We also use the week before to visit doctors, dentists, stores and hair salons (not necessarily in that order of importance!) We return with spices, clothes, gadgets that we cannot find in Tibet. Plus we usually return 5 pounds heavier from the wonderful street and conference food. The soft beds, bathtub/showers, warm temperatures, and hugs from friends feel like heaven.  This year we heard new visions for ELIC - exciting stuff! It's a great organization. I wish I could share photos of specific friends. If you want to see more photos of the same city, so back a year and I'm sure you'll find a greater variety!

I also was fortunate to attend a second conference concentrating on the people here, and met people from England, U.S., Australia, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Korea, India and Thailand! Such stories! Such depth! I was asked to lead a workshop to consolidate a teacher's notes and found the information rich.

Of course, if you are in Thailand, you may as well go to the beach, so Leianne and I spent 4 days (via overnight train, airplane, bus and ferry) visited beautiful Ko Samui to see her friends and actually lie on a beach for a morning. We danced, snorkeled, ate and soaked up the sun. On the way back, we stopped in at Bangkok to visit the fabulous Jim Thompson Silk Museum.

Our welcome dinner for more than 600 teachers, spouses and children. Lots of hugs and smiles.

from the train ChiangMai to Bangkok.

Ferry from Bangkok to Ko Samui

Snorkelling - I should have taken more photos.

View from our hotal in Bangkok - what a night - got off the bus in the dark, expensive taxi ride, lost reservations, transfer to another hotel, no internet, but a/c and a great travel mate. Thanks, Leianne, for a fun trip!

Bangkok's water taxis.

Samples of silk at different stages of processing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main floor of the Thompson house (built on stilts),  shows a wooden block carved to print designs on silk fabric. Beautiful!

 

Farming in rural Yunnan

The farms in rural Yunnan are nestled close together in villages where most people are related. Almost completely self-sufficient, they grow a little of everything, quite a change from the american model of specialization.
Each compound houses an extended family where a large courtyard is bounded on four sides by living/sleeping quarters, livestock barn, grain storage, and a large kitchen building. Often a separate room houses a place to cook the food for the animals. The distinctive architecture of this area uses stone for the ground floor and decorative wood for the second floor, with slate roofs. The surrounding fields grow wheat then rice, and canola, and vegetables. A series of shared pipes bring water from the mountainside to water fields and provide water for cooking and cleaning. Most houses have an outhouse (or use a back field) and some have a modern looking bath house. They cook and warm themselves by a wood fire, but I noticed a few electric rice cookers and griddles. Fortunately winters are mild because bedrooms are not heated and people sleep under big quilts. Many farms have a vehicle, but there are some so far up the mountainside that they can only be reached by motorbikes.

The straw coloured lines are mounds of dried earth. We walked along these while visiting, and tried no to fall in the fields! After the green wheat is harvested, they will flood each section and grow rice.

View from my friend's farmyard. You can see the farmhouses climbing the mountain.

Yunnan has a unique type of architecture, blending the local stone and carved wood.

Four typical farmyards, bounded by buildings on 4 sides:

This stove was brought out to cook for the relatives.

This is my friend's father's kitchen; the glass-less lattice work window allows ventilation and light. 

These large woks are used for cooking the feed for the animals.

Huge pots to store seed, meal and food for pigs.

The hole in the roof gives ventilation for the open fire, but protects from wind and rain.

Back door shows a large cistern of water collected from pipes coming down from the mountain. The water is used for washing and also to supply boiled drinking/cooking water; with a tap, it almost feels like indoor plumbing! But that is where they wash their dishes and clean the veggies.

Canola plants behind a field of hops.

My favourite.

Each farm stores their crops to eat or to feed the animals. The corn was surprisingly sweet.

Walking from one farm to another we saw various cows tied up. No open grazing the way they do in Tibet! This fellow bellowed at us a few times. We gave him lots of room.....

Two cows finding shade while eating.

My friend's father's chicken gave us lots of eggs and delicious meat.

Just outside their side door..

I tried to figure out to add scale to this photo- this is a HUGE pig. His stall is in the barn on one side of their yard.

This water buffalo is still used to plow fields.

Do you know what these logs are used for? hives for honey! Most farms have their own.

They use the dried hay to weave into baskets.

 Walnuts and hazelnuts drying upstairs on my friend's farm.

Mulberry bush.

This is a persimmon tree. Again, each farm has one and the dried persimmons are delicious!

                                        Guess? It's a walnut tree!

                                 and these are the nuts.

                                    Red peppers - well used in spicey dishes.

Here we are, snacking on chestnuts and fried pumpkin seeds.

The local women often wear this type of cap - even before Mao made it famous!

This sweet auntie sang us a song, and was wearing her traditional apron and 'wings' - to protect her when she carries food in her basket on her back.