Close to Home

Ajarn Dangue and here husband offered to take us sight seeing to some of the neat things we have not too far from home. About 10 kilometers from NonSung there is an archaeological dig sight in Ban Prasat. This sight is free to visit and is surrounded by a small village of people that live and work in unbelievable proximity to it.


-The sight is protected by this structure and on the walls in both Thai and English, is an account of the work done and speculations on time and origins of the people buried here. The burial sight is about 30 feet deep at its deepest and maybe 1000 square feet. It is close to the size of a volleyball court.


-You can see the burial sites are at different levels and are likely an indication of time. What amazed Tim and I was how well things were preserved. It seems like in such a wet climate and ground the bones would have deteriorated. You can see the wet ground in the far end of the picture.



The items found in the burial sight included pottery, jewelery of bronze, beads, stone tools and part of a loom.


-Homes are literally a few steps away from the dig site.

Also near our village (about 30-40 kilometers) is Phi Mai, famous for it's ancient architecture built during the 10-13th centuries by the Khmer Empire ( it is what you would find in Cambodia).


-Ajarn Daang walking on the Naga bridge into the ruins




-Us, looking like a couple of tourists.


-A view from the inside.


-Ajarn Daang's husband in the corner. A view of the largest structures.


-Scale check.


-Picture of the temple wall.


-A view after walking through the central structure.


-Close-up of carvings that are on most mantles.


-Pi mai

We had been to Phi Mai once before in the evening for a festival. Ajarn Tak (pronounced talk) and her husband took us to see an elaborate stage performance that was translated in English, Chinese, Japanese and German and performed right on the ruins. We were given complimentary ear pieces and tuned in to the English channel. Local drama teams danced and acted out the mythology of the Hindi the Buddhist gods.

Phi mai and Fireworks!


I love fireworks. This really was a treat for me.

We were also taken to see a Banyan tree that is said to be 350 years old and covers about 35,000 square meters. Inside of the tree there are walkways, benches, shrines, and fortune-tellers. It's a terrific place to escape the heat as the temps are a bit cooler under its canopy.


-Flowers decorating the main trunk of the tree.


-Tim and Daang under the tree.


-The outer layer of the tree.


-Fighting a famous Muay Thai boxer from Phimai.


Weekend Getaway with Ajarn Tak and her Husband Taw

Vacation time is not something that we always have advance notice on, despite our best efforts to acquire the information. Thai's are not exactly planners, but somehow things still get done and it all works out in the end. The teachers will tell us, “It is the Thai way.” So, we learned of an upcoming three-day weekend when we were approached by Ajarn Tak the youngest, and best dressed, teacher in the English Department. She invited us to visit her hometown for the long weekend.

She grew up in Buriram (about a 3-4 hour drive from NonSung) near the Cambodian boarder. Buriram is home to Thailand's most famous Khmer temple, Phanom Rung.

We arrived late Friday evening and spent the night in what we have voted Thailand's most comfortable bed and indulged in a really long and hot shower. Tak arranged for us to stay in a bungalow near her house because she said we would be more comfortable there. Oh, we love her for that.


-Our bungalow, site of Thailand's most comfortable bed.

The next morning before Tak and her husband arrived to take us to her parents house, Tim and I went for a walk to see the surroundings. We found ourselves in a rural farming village.

We headed down a road lined with houses and were greeted with an enthusiastic “hello” by almost everyone that saw us often followed up by “Where do you come from?” Others just stopped to stare. When we came to the end of the houses the land opened up in beautiful rolling hills with tall trees and big farming plots. Right at the start of this opening there was a group of children running around chasing each other and climbing up into a tree. We said “hello,” as we passed and they all screamed and squealed and scrambled into the tree. When we were a “safe” enough distance, they climbed out of the tree and came out to the road and began to shout all the English phrases they knew. My personal favorite, “I am a boy!” was very emphatically yelled out by a boy with toothpick legs sticking out from his little shorts. I replied by telling him that, “I am a girl.” The kids giggled like crazy and yelled their English at us until we were out of ear's range.

We enjoyed a breakfast which was something like a 5 course meal, ice-cream included, at Tak's parents house. They run a restaurant, known here as a “food shop,” so her mom is an amazing cook and we gratefully indulged in all they offered us.
After breakfast and some time in the hammock (funny hammock story later), we drove to see a lookout where you can see into Cambodia.


We climbed a look-out tower and Ajarn Tak wanted to know if we could see any Cambodians taking a bath in the river through the complimentary binoculars.

-Tak and her husband

No Cambodians were to be spotted but it was the first time our eyes had laid sight on Cambodia and the surroundings were a delight. It was a bit like being in the foothills of Colorado in early fall. The air was crisp and fresh and the surrounding trees were tall with outstretched arms.

-Tim and Tak

After spying on Cambodia, Tim inquired whether there were any tall stones he could climb since he'd noticed some big rocks in the area. So, we were driven to a quarry whose entry was flanked by two large rocks, one of which Tim climbed to the top. I'm sure you can imagine what a spectacle that was, and I'm sure you can also imagine Tim's contentedness after showing off for a cheering crowd of Asian tourists that had just piled out of their double-decker bus. Tak declared Tim the “winner” and took us back to her parents for another round of eating. After lunch we went to Phanom Rung.


-Ah, bouldering in rural Thailand.


-The "winner"


-Lisa getting in on the fun


-Tim is surprised to find just how much water is inside a coconut.


-Lisa is tickled when Tak informs us that she thinks Tim is “too fat” to snooze in the hammock. Lisa must document this with a photo. Come on, I may have put on a few kilos (76 kg, roughly 170 lbs), but can you blame me, they feed me five times a day!!
(Please note, the chair Tim is in was brought out just for him and his big belly)

Phanom Rung would serve handsomely for either of these uses: a site for the coolest of weddings or as the setting for the climactic showdown of the next James Bond movie. In any case, the temple is built upon an extinct volcano and you have to climb a bazillion steps to get to the top, so it's impressive even from afar.


-Lisa and Tak at the start of a bazillion stairs.


-Tim and Taw looking really GQ. Tim is demonstrating the proper way of posing for a photo in Thailand, this gesture lets all viewers know that you are a smart and handsome person. ha.


-Monks walking from the temple.


-Yep, more steps


-The stonework on some of the spindles, murals, and frescos in the temples are amazingly preserved (some have been restored).


-This is a fun juxtaposition of the old and the new(er) in Thailand. These jalopies are used by farmers and vendors in rural provinces to cart around hey, rice, animals, food, supplies, the family, you name it... Their top speed is maybe 15 mph and they make a putter-putter of small explosions as they chug along the roads.




-The grounds around Phanom Rung are full of flowers and trees that are being climbed by a snake-like vine-cactus ( sorry botano-nerds that's the best I can do)

After visiting Phanom Rung, we returned to Tak's family home for.... yep, you guessed it, more eating. But instead of eating at home, we went to a nearby lake where we were treated to spicy somtam (papaya salad) and canoeing.


-Enjoying the lakeside dining and the giggling children playing in the water. Look as those noses will you? I fear for our children.


-These children just moments before where splashing and laughing and shouting out “Hello, what's your name? Do you speak English?” and the like, until we asked to take their picture, then we got their serious sides.
When I asked, "Do you speak English?"
They replied, “No! No!” giggle, giggle and then proceed to yell out more English phrases.