Our hotel has limited internet so I’m typing this up to post at a later date.
Yesterday we drove to the Buriram Province, located about 4 hours northeast of Bangkok. Before arriving at the Cabbages and Condoms hotel, we stopped at Phnom Rung historical park.
From the brochure (paraphrased):
Prasat Phnom Rung is a historical monument dating back to the Khmer dynasty. The religious monument was devoted to Shiva; Phnom Rung and its sanctuary are symbols of the mountain Kailasa with Shiva’s pantheon, and symbolizes the center of the universe. Its name means “vast mountain” in Khmer. The creator of Phnom Rung, Narendraditya, is related to King Suryavarman II, the creator of Angkor Wat.
The ruins have been in a process of restoration through most of the latter half of the 20th century. It was designated as a national historical park in 1988.
Yesterday we drove to the Buriram Province, located about 4 hours northeast of Bangkok. Before arriving at the Cabbages and Condoms hotel, we stopped at Phnom Rung historical park.
From the brochure (paraphrased):
Prasat Phnom Rung is a historical monument dating back to the Khmer dynasty. The religious monument was devoted to Shiva; Phnom Rung and its sanctuary are symbols of the mountain Kailasa with Shiva’s pantheon, and symbolizes the center of the universe. Its name means “vast mountain” in Khmer. The creator of Phnom Rung, Narendraditya, is related to King Suryavarman II, the creator of Angkor Wat.
The ruins have been in a process of restoration through most of the latter half of the 20th century. It was designated as a national historical park in 1988.
Khmer-style architecture at Phnom Rung
Our students aren't afraid of a little (a lot) rain
After leaving the site, we traveled to Ban Nong village, where local community leaders greeted us, taught us how to make kanom krok (thai coconut pancakes), and provided a demonstration on how to make a powder for toothaches using natural ingredients. I was proud of our students for being attentive, curious, and grateful to our hosts for their willingness to share their time and knowledge with our group.
Making kanom krok
Plating up (in leaves) kanom krok
The following day, we visited another local village that received national recognition for its innovation in conserving water for domestic and agricultural purposes. This particular region of Thailand has basically three seasons: hot, rainy, and dry. What that means is that during the rainy season, there’s more water than can be used effectively for agriculture and flooding can be an issue, but the flipside of that issue is that the dry season can be problematic for growing—so how can a village capitalize on the rainfall during the rainy season to be used at a later date? This particular village applied for governmental and private business funding to create a water storage and irrigation system to allow the village to conserve water so that crops could be grown throughout multiple seasons. We received a tour of the reservoirs (what they refer to as “monkey cheeks”) and raised gardens. The village is very efficient with its water usage and crop rotation. Take note, Salt Lake.
Traveling out to the water reservoirs (monkey cheeks)
The group at the forest where local herbs, spices, etc. are harvested (tumeric, galangal)
From there, we visited the Mechai Bamboo school, a truly state-of-the-art school that focuses on traditional subjects as well as pragmatic education for civic responsibility and entrepreneurship. Students are highly involved in the governance of the school, including interviewing potential students and providing feedback to teachers. These students and the teachers are so, so impressive. They welcomed us with a musical number, gave us a tour of the school grounds, and gave us six different science demonstrations ranging from seed planting to plant tissue harvesting. A single paragraph can’t do this school or its students justice. It was a highlight from last year’s trip and it was and will continue to be a highlight. Our group left the school feeling both appreciative and very inspired for what values-based education—particularly civically-focused education—can look like.
Bamboo school students giving our students science demonstrations
Our group in front of the Bamboo school with a few of our local student hosts
Our final stop yesterday was to another local village that provided our group with a practical demonstration of traditional silkworm harvesting and weaving techniques. In addition to getting to extract silk, students were able to get behind the loom and actually practice weaving the silk strands using a combination of bamboo foot pedals. We also ate some silk worms. Like…a lot of them.
The definite high point from yesterday’s multiple tours were the interactions with our local Thai hosts. Despite some language barriers, we were able to communicate and share experiences through non-verbal communication, laughter, and sharing food. The opportunity to spend extended time in these spaces with local hosts is a really special feature of this particular study experience, and I’m really grateful to Noi (our primary Thai host), Han, Pete, and other folks who have spent years cultivating these relationships to provide such impactful educational experiences for our group.
Extracting silk threads
Practicing weaving. Check out those bamboo foot pedals!
"Thai Gothic"
I'm actually writing this post on Day 5, which was a travel day to Khao Yai. We stopped for lunch at PB Vineyard before arriving at the Raintree Lodge, which is *definitely* a crowd favorite. This boutique hotel is locally-owned and has a literary theme. It's got a library, various science stations, and good local hikes. The hotel itself is adjacent to Khao Yai National Park, in which we will be hiking tomorrow.
I asked the students to "frolic" for a photo :)
Mini hearts
Okay, our group is about to go for a little walkabout before dinner. Until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment