Chunky Passport Holders

My passport holder now needs a spring-clean. Along with notes of currencies from all over the world, it holds snippets of stuff, old boarding passes, even a momento of a visit to a cruise ship in Sydney Harbour. It's getting heavier too, with all that ink from many, many customs stamps and visas! Soon it may have to be checked in as a separate piece of baggage...

This was torn out of a German pharmacy magazine, Ihre Apotheke, or "Your Pharmacy", and yep, it lives in the worn passport holder. If ever I'm thinking about staying in one place for too long (pigs might fly), I can whip this out and say: "There must be somewhere in the world I haven't seen yet!"


Sprech Zimmer  translates to "Consulting Room" (not directly), but the artist has forgotten the "P". Who said that the Germans don't have a sense of humour?

"The patient with the travel-bug please!"

Living in the Big House

It's so different from what I'm used to, here in this house. We have the 12 students (18-23years old), Manja and myself, and "E" from Canada too. "E" wanted to live in the house to get to know everyone before he moves to another house across town. We're "stuck" here - that's our "job" - as live-in youth workers, but it's a lot of laughs. A year ago I'd have said : "no way do I want to live with so many people!", but it's actually okay. There's always something happening, somebody singing, or playing a game.

But sometimes there's a bit of drama: Last week was one of those times...

A student collapsed at lunch. I enlisted another to help me carry him up the stairs in a "fireman's-carry". He's cold, and has extreme pain in his hands, and sometimes his chest. Four other students and I rub a local version of "Deep Heat" into his hands and feet to try and stimulate the circulation while we wait for a Tuk-Tuk to get him to the hospital. At one point, I'm massaging the stuff into his chest, as he's having breathing difficulties, and he starts to slip unconscious. "Stay with us!" I'm calling out, and talking to him to keep him awake. I was very worried that he might die right there in my arms. Then the Tuk-Tuk is there, and we carry him off and put him in the back. The hospital is luckily only a few minutes away, and he's found to have a mineral deficiency. We all go out and buy some bananas and kiwi-fruit! Phew! I was a bit stressed after that and went off to a quiet spot to sit and chill out for a bit.

Back in Time

I just found some older photos of my last few days in Germany that are worth putting in here. So jump back to the 16-17th August and this is where I stayed. This is Stella's beautiful Schrebergarten, or allotment, in Berlin. They are very popular in Germany, especially for people who live in the cities. I helped her put up a fence before I left, to keep wild pigs from munching on her veggie crops. (Not that wonky one on the right - the wonky one you can't see on the left!)

And here's an arty-farty one, using a glass garden decoration thingy.
(Spot the camera on the chair - this took a little bit of mucking around to get the angle I wanted just right)

And here's a side to Berlin that not so many might know about. This area of Berlin has heaps of canals and natural waterways. It was a few minutes walk from the garden hut.

Drawing

I watched Ghandi the other day with the students, so I thought I'd sketch a picture of him too. I used a smaller picture to draw from, and I think I got the dimensions close. I couldn't quite capture the cheeky smile - try as I might. It's more of a "stumped-mullet" expression in mine. Oh well, I'm learning. It wasn't done in five minutes - more like 5 hours, spread over three days.

 Here's another one I drew from a picture in a "Learn to
Draw" book that belongs to one of our (very talented) students. I find it a very relaxing hobby, and rewarding too. Drawing from other pictures is a good way to refine technique and train the eye. Maybe even both eyes. I'm up for that.

 I've been slack on finishing my picture book drawings, I hope that I can get on with that soon, it's been a fun process.

A few pics of Mae Sot

3 min by bike from our place and you're into open country. Makes for a nice sunset ride.

That's our street behind him!

Cock fighting in our street. Brutal? No more than boxing.

Typical Asian squat loo, in a public toilet at the market.  Ours is a more conventional looking one, only with a bidet hose attached. I've become used to it after some initial trepidation.

Massive reclining Buddha

Taken from our front gate - welcome to our neighbourhood. (15 second exposure)

Market scene

Clear Skies

I was sitting on a deckchair by the pool yesterday, in a bit of a meditative state, watching the clouds go by. There goes one that looks like a dog...there goes one that looks like a sheep...there goes one that looks like a Ming Dynasty vase, only more detailed...

 European skies sometimes look like this - this is not photoshopped!
(Not my photo - from the net)

Anyway, I noticed for the first time since being here that there wasn't a single contrail across the sky; no airliners. I can't remember the last time I lived in a place that didn't have at least a few airliners crossing from time to time. So, I guess Mae Sot is not on the way to anywhere. Not even remotely. As a bit of an aircraft watcher/aviation buff/wannabe pilot, I'm surprised it took me so long to notice.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois (not my photo - from the net)

We do have some aircraft activity here in Mae Sot. There's the occasional Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter from the Thai military, and a little regional passenger plane from Bangkok every few days or so. Just enough to keep me looking up.

Dornier Do-228 (not my photo - from the net, also below, yep, nicked from the net. Too lazy today to go out and get my own pics!)

I guess it all makes me think about the level of visual/atmospheric pollution that we generally don't give too much thought to. There's contrails across the sky - big deal. Who cares, right? Well, After 9/11, when all aircraft were grounded, scientists had an opportunity to study the effect of the unusually clear skies. They found a difference of nearly 2 degrees Celsius between the day and night-time temps. In just 3 days. There you go, just makes me think, that's all...

Paradise Found

"We've lobbed on!" , as our friend Chewy would say. We've located the most beautiful pool, only a 5min bike ride away from our house. It is stunning, and the perfect place to escape the tropical heat for a while. It costs 30 Thai Baht (0.70€, or $1AUS) for as long as you want. Jurek from Fallingbostel would like it too!

Swimming is not very popular in Thailand for some reason, so we pretty much have it to ourselves during the day. I've never really been a public pool person but when there's no public - well bring it on! All the other westerners who swim there seem to work day hours, so they don't come until after 5 or so. Palms all around for shade after 2pm too. It's like a resort pool, only better. Here's a pic - see for yourself!

15 second exposure, just after sunset.