Mae Sai -The Last Ten Days

We have been pretty busy having fun, fun, fun the last ten days.  We are going to take a little week long rode trip tomorrow so we thought we should bring our blog up to date.

About a week ago, Daeng went with her friends, Tan and Peg, to see the White Temple in Chiang Rai and meet the artist Chaloemchai Khositphiphat.

I personally think it is the most beautiful and interesting temple in Thailand.

They had a great time together.  Peg, Daeng's friend from Japan was thrilled to get his autograph and have her picture taken with him.

For a video of the White Temple just CLICK HERE.

Just a note, you can see in the picture above the girls are dressed up like it is freezing out; all but Daeng.  They don't want their skin to darken so they dress up so no sun can get to their skin.  They think men like "white" skin.  I guess that is true of Japaneses men.  Both Peg and Tan live in Japan now.  Daeng says she doesn't have to worry as she already has a husband. 

I stayed home that day and figured out how we could, Daeng and I, take down the metal canopy that was in front of part of our home.

We wanted to take it down as it just did not make the place look good and really had no purpose to us.  The last owner, an older single lady, was very concerned about security.  That section of our home is built like a bank vault.

You can see the red and white canopy with the gray metal fencing in the left of the picture.

Well, the next day we got up early, about 5:00 AM, had breakfast at the morning market.  It is always nice to see the young Monks pray for people.

Well, we did it all in one day without getting hurt.  We saved the bottom fencing and gates for her brother Tun's home. 

Daeng sold the metal frame work and red and white coated aluminium at the scrap dealer down the street for 360 Thai Baht (about $11.77 USD). 

She was not happy with that amount.  I explained that it was about the same amount she would have gotten in America for the 34 kilograms of steel and the 6 kilograms of painted aluminum.

The next part is to paint the walls and fix the rain gutter, the blue pipe, coming off the forth floor roof.

The next day we hopped on the new motorbike and rode the 50 kilometer to the Chiang Rai Airport and rented a Nisson March for a month.  Daeng always gives me a hard time about renting a car as she feels it is money down the drain.

I try to explain that for the 16,050 Thai Baht (about $524.00 USD) a month it would take us about 30 months to make up for the cost of a new one.  We only use it about 5 months a year so that would be six years without any registration, insurance or repair costs. 

And, the big thing, we don't have to worry about it while we are in California during the summer and winter.

We'll, the car they gave us was due for service so I told the rental manage that I would take it to the garage the next time in town.  That was day before yesterday.  I dropped it off and went for a coffee in the "Big C" Shopping Plaza next door to the "ACT" garage.

It only took and hour and I was back on the road to Ban AYO.  I have been putting off visiting the children's shelter as I felt I would get depressed when I saw it.

To read more about this children's shelter project just CLICK HERE. 

By the way, I was correct as not much has been done and Chom-nom has been working at Doi Chaang Coffee up in the mountains. 

It was funny because Chom-nom called me on the the phone while I was in route to Ban AYO.  I told him I would come see him next Sunday, November 11th.

Well, yesterday I started sanding the wall and fixing the wires to get the outside ready to paint.  I want to be loving here but things like ladders as not made very well in Thailand. 

Even though I bought the most expensive step ladder, two years ago, while I was working up in the air about five feet it broke.  The aluminum just gave way and down I came.  The lucky part is I just bruised my left elbow a little when I hit the concrete.

When I spoke to the place I bought it the owner just smiled and said I was to big for the ladder.  I think he used the Thai word for "Fat Boy".  I am a little sore today but that is about all.

Road trip for about a week to Chiang Mai tomorrow!