9-13 July 2018
Had Chao Samran, Petchaburi, Thailand
It’s Monday and time for school!
We visit Nada’s school in Petchaburi. Her school is a government school for which the students need to take an exam to gain entrance. They have language programs, including French, Chinese, Japanese and English. Nada is in the English Program. All of her subjects are taught in English, except Thai language. We speak with a few of the teachers, including the Physical Education teacher, who is from France.
We first visit Nada’s classroom. She introduces us, and then we each say our names and the children say their ages. When it is Hayden’s turn, the girls (also 13 yrs old) in the class erupt into screams and giggles!
We next join the PE class. The students are learning to play volleyball. The teacher told us that most PE classes are held outside because there is only one gym for the school which has 3000 students (middle and high school).
So usually, there is a lot of instruction under the trees followed by 5 minutes on the field to play. In the gym, though, they can play for most of the time.
Our kids are asked to demonstrate the correct arm positioning.
Then they get partners and start to practice. Hayden and Eliza jumped in without hesitation. We were so proud of them!
Lydia joined for the second drill. She and Eliza formed a threesome with Eliza’s first partner who spoke some English to her.
We had thought maybe we would go back to join a math class but after PE, Nada was at lunch so we left and went to lunch, too. We went a restaurant known for Pad Thai. It was so delicious.
After lunch, Nada’s parents brought us to shop at Big C for groceries, and then dropped us off at home. We went to the beach in the evening to play frisbee for our own trip schooling PE class!
The next day, we had a lazy morning followed by Art class at the beach where we sketched the sea and whatever else seemed interesting.
Brian and Eliza are under the trees sketching.
Brian’s sketch. He came home and looked up “how to sketch” so he could teach the kids some official techniques.
Hayden stays longer than the rest of us.
Eliza sets this “fruit heart” still-life up to sketch back at the house.
Here are the next day’s creations, after Brian gives his lecture on shading.
A pic of the sketches.
Time for PE. We go out to the beach in the late afternoon, when it’s not too hot and we don’t need sunscreen, for a family frisbee game. We’ve played the last couple of afternoons.
We walk into town for dinner. We notice this sign! The spelling is not always as we would spell things in English.
We go to the restaurant on the main street into town that I had noticed look busy one of the first nights. It’s a BBQ restaurant and so delicious! Eliza is enjoying it much more than she appears to be.
On Wednesday, July 11, we have a big day of rice farming with Noi and her friend who is a farmer in Petchaburi.
We start the day with drinks from the new 7-11 which is down the street from the other 7-11 in town. Two 7-11s in a very small town. The kids think this is so funny! There is a promotion to get free straws with the drinks, iced lattes, a mocha frappe and latte frappe.
Fah picked us up and gave us sticky rice with pork wrapped in bananas leaves. Another treat!
Fah drives us back to Noi’s guesthouse where pick Folk who drives us to the farm, on his was to work. He is a lawyer.
We arrive at the farm and start by watching the farmer
plow the rice field.
First he sets up the tractor. Water buffalo used to plow but now most farmers have tractors.
Hayden gets the first turn, then Lydia joins him and Eliza too. Hayden is so excited!
The tractor is hard to turn in the mud.
Now it is Katie’s turn to hop on with Eliza.
The farmer needs to help get us going again after we get stuck.
I am getting the hang of it, although I think I pulled a muscle!
The farmer pushes the tractor out of the field.
It is time to throw the rice seeds into the field. But first the kids have fun walking in the mud.
Hayden decides they should have a race out of the field. A rice race!
Eliza comes in last, and she announces, “I won because I get to stay in here the longest!” She loves the feeling of mud squishing between her toes.
We walk backward through the field with buckets of rice and toss them into the water. Brian stays on the sideline because his leg is still healing.
The rice will sprout and then be replanted in rows. Noi tells us she will come back in one month to take a photo to send to us so we can see how our rice is growing.
We wash our feet off…
And meet the farmer’s bull, whose name sounds something like Towlowla.
We move to these huts for lunch.
We enjoy lunch prepared by the farmer’s wife and some neighbors. This is the stove.
We have coconut cream in banana leaves to start.
The neighbor brings his cows in from the pasture.
We help prepare the soup while eating Rambutan. Eliza is storing one in her cheek for later.
Hayden finds a hot pepper and will be careful after his experience burning his face at our cooking class.
The farmer plays some music.
He brings out a different instrument and Lydia tries the guitar. Later he finds a second guitar and shows Brian how to play the song.
Hayden carries the dishes and cooking supplies.
This rice field behind him was planted one week ago.
We get set up to eat.
Rice from the farm, garlic chicken, Tom Kha soup, meatball soup, an omelet, sticky rice (saved from the sticky rice and pork skewers that Noi gave us), shellfish.
A final look at the farm. Such a good day!
The neighbors’ cows, back at their home.
Water buffalo are there too.
Folk brings us back to the guest house, where Noi’s 96 year old grandmother stays under the care of a nurse and family members. Fah drives us back to the beach.
We have a beach soccer game at dusk. Eliza was the goalie and spent much of the game building the wall of sand across her goal.
July 12- our final full day in Petchaburi. We have had a fun and culture-filled visit here, thanks to Ying’s family. They have been incredibly generous with their energy and time, and we are so appreciative. We are going to miss them!
Fah picks us up and then Noi to return to the restaurant we went to a few days ago. We enjoy another delicious lunch. Eliza and Lydia are cold from the strong Air con (so they are wrapped in my scarf)!
Sister bonding in front of the restaurant - Puktuy (I think that is the name…)
Fah drops us off at the new 7-Eleven so we can get one last treat. We do a Happy Birthday shout out to Baby Finn Thomas McPhee who was born in Boston on 7-Eleven (7/11/18)! We are so excited to about his safe arrival!
We bought some modeling clay at 7-Eleven, so we continue with art class. Today is sculpting.
Hayden makes a “weiner dog.”
Lydia creates a snowman with a rainbow hat.
The snowman’s back.
Eliza’s is a pegasus. Brian is busy reading up on how to teach sculpting (just kidding)! He is actually listening to an Audiobook on “how to talk to teenagers so they will listen.”
I have spent the last several days catching up on these blogs! And I am up to date today!
Here is a pic of “our” cat, “Titty Tat,” who spends much of each day in our garden. She started out following us around outside and trying to get into the house every time we opened the door, and she succeeded once (Nada was here and carried her out). Now she just lies around and sleeps.
For our last evening, we had another soccer game on the beach. Hayden and Katie vs. Lydia and Brian. Eliza was the ref and score keeper, and then just Hayden vs. Katie and Brian (Hayden won 5-4)!
And then back to the BBQ place for dinner.
Here is one of the jellyfish, which is the main reason we were hesitant to swim in the ocean.
One more pic from my morning walk.
Here is a picture from the beach looking at the Chidlom Resort, who let us swim in the little pool, and where we played on the beach. To the right is the road leading to the house, Bansansook.
Bansansook is on the corner.
This is the kitchen sink and laundry area, out the back door and along the side of the house.
Some of the Thai sweets from Petchaburi. Nada’s parents bought us the peanut cookies and Noi got us the little cakes.
A view into the dining area and kitchen of the house.
Brian and Katie’s bedroom. The bed mattresses were the firmest we have experienced yet.
This is the kids’ bedroom. They each got their own beds, although we all thought Lydia’s mattress was the softest one of all, so several of us slept next to her for a least one night.
Brian takes the kids to the beach for 5 on the move pic. There is “quick sand!” I finish packing and cleaning up.
A final 7-Eleven trip. We decided to the kids would each get $10 to use for “junk food” for the rest of the trip.
We are all packed up and ready for our 2 ½ hour ride north to Bangkok, our last stop in Southeast Asia!
Goodbye to Nada’s parents!