Let There Be Light

I remember as a child one of the fun things that we use to do to keep from getting bored out in the country was to lay on our backs out in the back yard and look up at the sky and look at clouds or the sun rises or sunsets or the evening moon and see what kind of images we could make out in our minds eye , I had a real imagination and I could see all sorts of things . Did you ever play this simple game as a kid growing up. and I must still be a kid at heart because I find myself still doing it today, like this sunrise that we saw on our way to Kanchanaburi yesterday, is it just me or can anyone else see an Angel flying across the sky , bringing us the Hope of a New Day and a New Dawning . Malcolm

Something To Be Proud About

All my life,everywhere I have lived, I have always looked for things to be proud of ,rather than looking for things to critize or complain about or find fault with,and here in my adopted home of Thailand I try to do the same. I am proud of the fact that here in Thailand we have to freedom to live and love and enjoy all that life has to offer , as long as we live by the rules.I am proud of the fact that most expat folks who make Thailand their home and realize their dreams come true ,are very decent people. I could go on and on about things that I am proud of here in the Land Of Smiles And Gentle People . I would like to say that the thing that I am most proud of is the little village that I call home , all of our local leaders do all they possibly can to make sure that all the people that call Sai Yok their home ,live in the cleanest , safest,and most enjoyable place they can make it . I have even notice that they pay close attention to even the smallest detail to make sure that it looks good and not a eye sore , and the thing that amazes me the most, is that they seen to understand the meaning of maintainence.

This coming year , my goal is to look for all I can be proud of and if at all possible to thank the person or persons responsible and give them a big pat on the back, and to remind myself that  This is Thailand. Lets all give it a try. Just one more reason why We're Retired in Thailand and Loving It.  Malcolm and Ciejay

LONG LIVE THE KING

All the local dignateries were on hand to show their respect and well wishes

A great fireworks display by our village City Hall

I loved the colors in this one

We all held candles and sang the song for the king's birthday

LONG LIVE THE KING ----This was really neat

My Thai wife Ciejay and La La our local English teacher and our adopted daughter

Everyone making speechs and talking about the King and all His good deeds for the country

Our local village and ampore showing their respect and wishing the King a HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Our village is really small, but when everyone comes out from all the little villages in the Ampore, there is big gathering of folks both young and old , everyone loves a party and the Kings birthday comes at just the right time of the year for folks to get together for a time of fun, food ,music, dance and did I say Food ,and I almost forgot ten matches of Thai kick boxing. Some times I think we have the greatest cooks in all of Thailand living in our small village of Wang Pho .This is my fourth year to celebrate the Kings birthday and for the first time I really felt like I was really at home and celebrating my Kings birthday ( and yet still very much an American). It feels good being a expat here in Thailand , and yet feeling at home ,and very happy and content. That feeling doesn't happen over night and it takes a while for us to adjust our minds and lifestyles to the Thai way of thinking and customs. Have you gotten there yet , I'd like to know.

I'm sure most of you had a celebration in your own villages and towns , and I hope you had as much fun as me and Ciejay did .

LONG LIVE THE KING

Beautiful Temple Art in Secret Places

So Beautiful and Peaceful

A Very Rare Sight

Breath Taking

Is This Budda ?

Maybe The First Loy Kra Tong

Budda In All His Glory

Don't Mess With These Guys

My wife and me decided to go for a day drive , we started toward Nam Tok about 14 miles from home and thats when I saw a small sign that said Hot Springs. What the heck , I turned off on a small and narrow dirt road ,thinking it was only a skip and a hop down the road, well after riding thru four small villages and having traveled at least 30 miles along the mountain side and across several small streams , we finally saw another sign saying the springs had dried up. now why could'nt they have put that sign about 25 miles back , T I T .Not even a place on the road to buy a coke or water . While turning the pick-up around on a very narrow road , I happened to look thru the trees and in a field with nothing else around was this beautiful temple. Ciejay being an ex- Buddist was afraid to get out of the car and kept saying honey lets go , I'm a scared, so I decided to go it alone . She rolled up the windows and locked the doors . I walked slowly and with reverance over to the building , that I could see was going thru an outside restoration . I walked around it to take in all the splender and beauty. snapping pictures as I went and for some reason or another feeling a little spooked myself. there was not another soul around. When I got to the back side I noticed that a small tall narrow door was cracked open, I walked up slow and shouted out (not to loud) any body home ?. no one answered so I slowly pushed the door open and walked in . All of a sudden it was if I was in another world , here was a huge Budda up in the front and from top to bottom and overhead and on all the walls was the most beautiful Buddish folk art or stories or icons ,I have ever seen in my life and I'm as sure that not many others have either.I snapped a few pictures of the closes one and it was almost if I had come upon something not meant for all to see. It felt like the Holy of Holies in the Bible to me,like something out of the movie Raiders of The Lost Ark and my whole body was covered with goose pimples, what a strange feeling . I had to leave out of respect for the( and because I was shaking like a leaf) Spirits represented in some of the most beautiful art my eyes have ever seen. I quitely closed the door , and said to myself "lets get out of here "

This experience I will never forget, and was such as I forgot all about not getting to see the Hot Springs . Hope you like the pictures I did get . Malcolm