So you want to be a rice farmer?

Step one. You have to collect the young rice stalks that you planted a month ago.

It is easiest if you collected them into bundles for future planting.

Step two. You and your family take the bundles and plant the young stalks. They need to be spaced about 10 inches apart in nice rows.

Once all the rice is replanted fill and drain the field to ensure maximum hydration.

You'll know you are doing it right if your field looks like this.

Good luck!

Mis-adventures in Tak.

This is a post of MISadventure. A story of bad karma. A warning....of what not to do at a Thai Temple.

One weekend I went to Stoney's site in the grand ol' province of Tak. He knew of a giant Buddha statue that we could visit. So we got a ride out there and it was amazing. HUGH and beautiful. 

We took some funny photos.

And we should have been on our way...

You could go inside this mammoth Buddha and leave flowers and money to make merit. It was inside the Buddha that Stoney discovered some stairs. They weren't finished, and at some points they turned to ladders,  but they also weren't blocked off. So I convinced Stoney we should climb them.

We climbed for AGES. At the top we found a door that would have opened out the back of Buddha's head but it was locked. So we climbed down.

On the way home for the giant Buddha we stopped at a waterfall.

It was here jumping from rock to rock that we discovered that 1. I am not a good jumper and 2. Buddha may be mad at us.

I landed wrong on a jump and hurt my right foot. It swelled and hurt to walk on but later x-ray's would show that nothing was seriously wrong with it.

That night we went to use the internet at Stoney's office. Stoney had forgotten something at home so he left me at the office while he returned home. On his way back he was leaving his gate and instead of turning left he accidently went straight into a coconut tree and flipped over his handlebars.

He got cut up pretty bad and had a bunch of bumps so his neighbor wanted to take him to the hospital. Just in case. He called me to come back so I could come with him.

Tak hospital. 

After I returned home, Stoney caught Dengue Fever and had to be admitted in a hospital in Bangkok. While he was away a stray cat got into Stoney's house and died. When Stoney got back he had to clean up the dead body and all the maggots.

 I lost 3200 baht.

Stoney's new kitten ran away. 

I got a flat tire. 

Stoney's neighbor cut down Stoney's tree that gave his house shade. 

I was told that we weren't going to have a rainy season this year and temps have stayed in the 100s.

I just want to say publicly, I am sorry Buddha for everything.

A day in my life.

I thought it would be fun to show you what a day in my life looks like. 

Each morning I begin my day with 2 cups of instant coffee and fruit. 

Then I jump on my trusty bike and head off to school.

On Mondays and Tuesdays my ride to school takes about 13 minutes and I absolutely love it! 

My desk at my small school.

The calm before the storm.

Teaching.

After school I usually play a game or two of volleyball with the students then head home. The ride home takes longer because it is H O T. But it is still beautiful.

Once home I drink about a gallon of water and cool down, read a book in the hammock, cuddle with the kittens, just relax until about 5 pm. This is the hardest part of my day... deciding what to have for dinner. Lately I have been cooking for myself and usually I have to go to the market to get supplies.

My Market! 

The stands on the outside are cooked food. There is grilled chicken, a noodle stand, a couple places that make Thai dishes (curries, vegetable dishes), a pork salad stand, a few fruit stands and the best dessert stand in Thailand.

Inside you can buy fresh veggies, raw meats, eggs, garlic, sugar, fermented fish, and all sorts of things you would never think to eat.

Live frogs.

I buy my veggies from this beautiful lady. 

This guy makes the absolute BEST desserts. 

My favorite is these little green balls with a sugar sauce on top. The one in the middle.

She makes thai dishes and sometimes I buy them but mostly I go to her to buy sticky rice and chili sauce. 

Ahhh fruit. I pick up some fruit. Mangosteens are my favorite the purple ones 3 fruit back. 

While I was taking pictures of the fruit this nice man asked if I would sit and have some dessert with him. 

The dessert ended up being green and purple jellys with ice and milk.

I cook and eat my food. This one is my current FAVORITE bamboo with chili sauce, fried egg and sticky rice. 

I do the dishes.

After dinner I usually go over to my neighbor Aunt Nang's house and sit with her while she cooks. Some times I have a second dinner and sometimes we just have fruit. 

I spend some time with my favorite person, Mein.

I shower and then pour myself into bed around 9pm.

My New-ish House

My sister has been bugging me to put up some pictures of my new house and I have finally done it. Sorry I didn't clean but I figured you would want to see the REAL thing.

My front door opens up do my living room.

Where I do all my work.  And sometimes on the weekends my students come to play games.

Another work station.

The Kitchen

One of the best things about the new house is it has a sink! 

My fridge covered with pictures of the people I miss the most.

Stove.

The Bathroom

Absolutely the worst thing about me new house is the squat toilet. To use it you must squat and aim... I have gotten better at it but NEVER will I EVER choose to use this kind of toilet over a good ol' western toilet.

The big basin is what a Thai person would use to shower. They fill it up and then use a bucket to shower. I did it for a week and had my fill.

My hot water heater came after a week of "bucket showers."

The Upstairs

The stairs made for babies. The stairs are about 4 inches wide so I walk up and down them sideways.

The upstairs is made of wood and gets really really hot during the day which is prefect when I do laundry!

My bedroom.

Poochie snoozing on my bed.

The tape on the wall is to patch up the holes in the walls.

The reason for the move.