Week Two on Break

 Coming down from the high of being in Khon Kaen, we returned to our quiet apartment at the temple in Bangkok. Our neighbors all went away for the break and it feels a little lonely here. Plus, we are fairly secluded anyway, as our apartment is in a hallway requiring a passkey. 

We came home to no hot water, due to the temple being worked on. There was no hot water for the next two days either. Dennis braved a cold shower, but I took a shower in the arrival center. When the hot water came back on, it startled me that tinted brown water poured from the faucet. We let it run, and in about a minute, it had cleared again. We take these modern amenities for granted until they're gone.

We hired a taxi to Sirijat Hospital to visit Dr. Cherdchia and his assistant, Aiy, whom we first made friends with back in 2014. the doctor has done a lot to implement Lean processes at the hospital, which (Lean) is Dennis' expertise. The Dr. showed us his latest project that involve ambulance rescues. In Thailand, one doesn't go to a doctor's office, they go to the hospital for everything. 

He uses Lean processes to refine the system. He built a small Lego neighborhood to study the processes more successfully. 

They also fed us a delicious Thai lunch of Pat Thai, chicken and noodles, and coconut and chocolate ice cream for desert.

On May 29, 1971, while Dennis was serving as a young missionary in Thailand, two of his companions Robert Huntington and Gary Willis died in a terrible traffic accident in NE Thailand. They were wonderful young men and usually serious. Huntington is the tall one and came from Tacoma, Washington. Gary Willis, center, was from Mesa, AZ, and the third guy with the big mouth is Dennis. He remembers this day every year.

We went for a Thai foot massage. Everyone who comes to Thailand needs to have one during their visit. These ladies worked on our legs for an hour, and then massaged our shoulders. They take their work very seriously. It was hard to get them to smile. :-) They knew just where to rub to cause excruciating pain! When I'd cringe, I saw the pleasure in their eyes.

We went back to the mall to buy a new purse because mine gave up the ghost. I discovered I am purse-nickety when it comes to purses, but we finally found a nice one. We dropped in again at Sunrise Taco and had a great meal.

Dennis had the enchiladas and I had a taco salad. Both were good. We also ordered a slice of pecan pie. It was a step up from the single serving packaged one at Walmart, which we can't get here anyway.

These vending machines sell action figures from popular shows and movies. They are plentiful in the subway terminals. I wanted the Totoro from this one, but I had a three out of seven chance of getting one. Hmm. Not that big of a gambler for $3. I'll probably give in and try for one in the future.

Workers are cleaning the lighting in the breezeway between the temple and the garden court. Every day, it has been a different project in this spot--usually furniture being refurbished.  Four more days and the temple will open!

Dennis counted 16 lottery ticket vendors on his walk. So many. The man didn't want to be photographed. This is a common scene. Too bad so many depend on gambling to make a living.

Dennis' favorite fruit vendor packages and slices the fruit without ever touching it with his bare hands.

Our delightful granddaughter turned two. Her mother made this beautiful unicorn cake. We were able to watch her blow out her candles by FaceTime. Thank you, technology, for allowing us that small pleasure.

We've kept busy during the break and done fun things, but I'll be happy when the temple opens again and we can return to serving our Lord Jesus Christ through temple work!

Khon Kaen Branch --Day 3

 About 40 people attended the Khon Kaen Branch on Sunday. It is a phase 1 building on a busy street. We took a Grab (Uber) across town to the church house. No one Dennis knew 54 years ago is still in the branch, but they gave us a warm welcome anyway. Dennis gave the photos he printed last night to the branch president for their history.

They invited Dennis to be the first speaker and bare his testimony. It was touching. Then Sister Deep, who I had met in the temple two weeks ago, spoke. Another sister, Sister Nok, takes a flight to the temple once a month to serve as an ordinance worker in Bangkok. What sacrifices these members make!

I sang in English while everyone else sang in Thai. 

There is one American that is a permanent resident.

Members drying dishes after the potluck

True to Thai custom, a potluck was served afterward. Prepared, we brought croissants. 

Then we sat in on a missionary discussion with the elders and a young man investigator. Khon Kaen has two elders and two sister missionaries.

Another custom is to have a group photo on special occasions. Several members had already gone home, so the group isn't complete. We have the place of honor in the center front row. Most of the children are outside playing.

Wasana is the Maa (said like a sheep bleat) of the branch. I heard one of the young men call her by the title, and when I asked her about it she told me with pride she was the oldest. When I told her my age (which is five years older than her), all the sisters around us gasped, then started giggling, calling me, "Maa!" 

Later that evening, Sister Nok (which means bird) took us out of town to Wat Thung Setthi. The name means the Millionaires Field. 

It is a newer wat that emphasizes good and evil. Only a short walk down a path is a display of what happens to you after you die if you do evil. Portrayed by grotesque figures with elongated hands and tongues for stealing and lying, some wearing animal heads for killing animals, some climbing prickly trees for sexual behavior. I will not post pictures because all figures are naked and grossly emphasized. Okay, after seeing that....

Enter through this cave to see the displays. The devil is waiting.

Every wat has a Buddha, or many Buddhas. This one is brass painted black, with gold accents.

Inside the wat, look closely at the shutter panes. You will see Darth Vader in this one. Each pane represents a vice or a virtue. Popular movie characters are mixed in with Thai stories to show anger, greed, kindness, and goodness.

And of course, my favorite, the water lily or lotus. They grow in all colors.

Again, the dragons. There are two on each side. The back one has the tail of the front in its mouth. Lions bite the 2nd dragon, and nymphs bite the lion's tail. Is there a story here, or is it just fun?

Dennis visited the seven-headed dragon/serpant in "hell." It was a creepy place!

Sister Nok secretly took this photo of us. Barefoot at the wat. I like it!

Child mermaids surround the wat.

Sister Nok was so generous to show us around.

One last photo before we leave. Wat Thung Setthi surely is an anomaly when it comes to wats.

We went to the Thai BBQ restaurant down the street from the hotel. We had no idea what it was when we walked in. They brought us little cuts of pork, crab, and shrimp still in the shell with feet, and we cooked it on this little hot plate or dome, and cooked the veggies in the moat around it. Surprisingly, it was delicious!

We're glad we went to Khon Kaen for the weekend. We learned a lot and enjoyed being with the members there. No matter where we visit, the Church is the same and welcoming all over the world!

Khon Kaen - Day 2

Phra Manhathat Kaen Nakhon is one of the many lovely Buddhist wats in Khon Kaen. Ornately carved entry double-doors greet you on all four sides of the temple. That makes 32 of these lovely teak doors.

A sweet little lady sells honeycomb outside the wat.

This "Maa" (the a pronounced like in bad) gave me permission to photograph her wearing a traditional Thai skirt and blouse. She was delighted to pose. Then we spoke with some of her family who were with her. Thais are friendly and helpful.

Maa is a name of honor given to older women.

Dennis stands beside the wat's gong. Of course, the mallet is not there. They probably keep it out of tourists' reach because they would be gonging it all the time.

These dragons greet you at the entries. There are at least sixteen guarding the way. Dragons are believed to embody both natural power and supernatural powers. They also represent maturity and longevity.

A Thai mermaid called Suvannamaccha. She is popular in Thai folklore and is represented on small cloth streamers or framed pictures that are hung as luck-bringing charms in shops and houses throughout Thailand. She was a mermaid princess who tried to spoil plans to build a bridge to Lanka but falls in love with the bridge builder instead. Sound familiar?

We went to the Central mall to have photos printed of Dennis' time here in 1970 that he will donate to the branch for their history. This mall is huge, at least five levels and about a football field long. Guess where we chose to eat: Sizzler, and Swenson's ice cream afterwards. 😀 

I see a pattern here.

Khon Kaen -Day 1

 The temple is closed for two weeks for cleaning and we have gone to Khon Kaen to visit. Dennis served his last four months here and in all our trips to Thailand, he has never returned. So here we are!

Don Muaeng airport had this beautiful shrine with the king's portrait. It was also a Thai religious holiday, so a lot of people were traveling.

While waiting for our flight, we watched on YouTube our grandson, Dillon Stapley, walk in his high school graduation. Thank you technology. It was touching and brought tears to my eyes that he has come this far in life and that we could still witness his graduation. He is getting ready to submit mission papers shortly. 

Our trip by air was only an hour. My dozing head bobbed all the way.

We are staying at the hotel Mantra Varee, which is quite nice. The rooms are spacious, the bathroom is ginormous with a separate soaking bathtub. This seven headed serpent is in front of our hotel. We asked about its significance, and a worker said it is a Buddhist symbol. We've seen it around a few places. Notice the altar beside Dennis, and the offering of  flowers and food to the serpent.

After we had fried rice, pork, and watermelon at Halongbay restaurant, we went to the local night market and watched this fellow make crapes. He fills them with chocolate and whatever you order. Then he puts them in a cute cone holder. The market had all types of food, clothing, and goods for sell. We opted for a chocolate covered waffle on a stick.

Yep. They're bugs.

I've talked about fried bugs being a favorite of the people in Thailand. Here is a wide variety to choose from! The woman selling them would not speak or look at me, but didn't object to my taking pictures. 

We took a tuk-tuk home again. They have become our good friend.

One Month in Thailand

Today marks our one month living in Thailand, and we have served in the temple for three weeks.

Since the temple is closed for its six month cleaning, we're taking it easy, just like this lizard below, who is enjoying the sun.

 

The temple gardens are well taken care of. This lizard has taken up residency on the grounds, a sanctuary in the big city.

Cakes are decorated beautifully here, but by American standards they are about half as sweet. It's always surprising to bite into a cake, expecting one taste but getting another.

We took a three hour bus tour of Bangkok, riding through historical areas, narrated in English. Here's one of the more strange things we saw.

Our tour took us through China Town--many interesting sights. This is Jumama, Bird Nest & Dessert Restaurant.

Bird's nest for dinner?

This sign is seen often in Thailand of the king. Some places still have photos of the last king, his father, but all have a picture to show their loyalty.

The previous king, who was dearly loved, passed away in 2016.

One of the many beautiful Buddhist temples on our route.

A typical street scene. Most neighborhood stores have a roll-up garage door front, with living quarters on the upper floors. I'd regret to see regulations put on these sellers, as we have in the USA. Again, the free enterprise.

These people are waiting for the mall to open, particularly for a certain bakery that sells durian cheesecake. They come hours early to get a place in line. I was tempted to get in line so I could find out why they thought it was delicious enough to go to all this trouble!

Durian is a very stinky fruit. There are signs in the subway saying there are fines if you bring it into the terminal. Thais either love it or hate the fruit.

We've had a lot of rain lately. It's nothing like an Arizona drizzle, it is a downpour! When it starts raining, ponchos and umbrellas magically appear out of nowhere.

Our lunch--

cheesy dumplings --more like a soi jow filled with chicken and smothered in cheese. It was delicious.

An example of strange English grammar so common on t-shirts. Dennis thinks perhaps this is quoting lyrics to a song. It says, "It's 'happened to be' a closet." We ate the other day at a restaurant titled "Eat Am Are." That one still plays with my brain.

Having a great time on the tour.

We miss serving in the temple. These two weeks off will give us time to relax. We will go to Khang Kan for the weekend where Dennis served the last few months of his youth mission.

We have greatly enjoyed being here and serving in the temple.