Temple Celebrations

The telephone rings - it's Khamma's Mama, and it is 5:45am, Sunday 26 August 2012.  I am, or was, in a deep sleep.  Khamma's voice rises as she reminds her Mama of the time and yes, she does know she has to make food for the monks and the special party at the temple - but it doesn't start until 11:00am, now go back to sleep.  Well at least that is what Khamma tells me she said - it could have been a lot worse from the sound of it.

I ask what party is this, because it is the first I have heard about a knees up.  I still don't know why there was a party, but it was something like a birthday, but not birthday.  Many important monks were coming from other temples to Thamuang to join in the fun.  Sounds like a good opportunity, so I checked if I would be welcome - no problem.

I think Khamma started to panic a little bit because she was ushering me to leave the house at 9:00 am.  I did notice a lot of other people, dressed in their finest traditional clothes, making their way to the temple and this seemed to 'hurry her up.'  Sadly Khamma's Mama did not attend.  She is still recovering from her illness and cannot sit or stand for long periods of time, so she is best at home where she can decide for herself.  A lovely lady though, who is deeply religious and obviously upset at not attending.

The old temple has been demolished and work has just started on a new one.  I suspect there is a lot fund raising going on, especially as the chief monk greets me like an old lost friend.  I am actually very flattered, and it goes down well with the onlookers.

The old temple

The new temple under construction 

The leader of the village is a family friend, and he quickly invited me to sit at the front of the makeshift temple, which was bit of an honour.  It also put me on show to the rest of the assembled crowd.  I cannot sit on the floor for very long without getting cramp, neither can I sit cross legged as my worn out knees and knotted leg muscles refuse to be flexible.  My heart sank as Khamma said this was going to be a long session.

However, it was interesting watching the arrival of the senior monks and the respect shown to their position in the temple.  They were greeted with humility, reverence and they responded with smiles and compassion.  I was very impressed with how they could sit on the floor without flinching or any sign of discomfort.  Unlike my position which was being threatened by a lack blood supply to my right buttock and right arm; due to all my weight resting on those body parts for the last thirty minutes.  The problem is, you have to be careful where you point your feet - do not point them, or the soles, in the direction of a monk.  This is tantamount to blasphemy, especially as most of village was intrigued at my lack of mobility.  Anyway I shuffled and somehow found a part of my backside that hadn't been rendered physically insensible by the pressure between body and concrete floor.

The climax was a long blessing and prayer from the assembled monks.  The chanting is deep and hypnotic - evidenced by a few sleepers, and goes on for a longtime, which was further bad news for the dead leg that had caught up with my numb bum.

I saw an opportunity when another honoured guest alongside me got up and walked to the side.  I did the same and limped out of the hall trying to get much need blood into my leg.  I noted I had been sat there for 90 minutes - 85 of them in agony!!

Leader invites me to sit at the front

The rest of the village were seated further back

Two villages Two bridges

This is blog post about how two different villages go about fixing bridges.  I hope to be very impartial (difficult) and therefore leave you to make up your own mind on the issues.

Diggle

A small village in Saddleworth, northern England between Oldham and Huddersfield.  The village lies in a valley with abundant small water courses, including a canal.  It is not known as flood zone, despite an average annual rainfall of (approx) 47 inches because the water courses effectively carry the water quickly downstream to the River Tame.  However, to those who are blessed with a keen eye, you cannot mistake that on three sides of the village there are steep hills, with Huddersfield Road (to the north) being the most obvious as it exits the village.  Needless to say, flowing down the road is a fair proportion of the annual rainfall with Thorns Clough, the little tributary to Diggle Brook running parallel about 50 feet below in the valley base.

More or less at the bottom of Huddersfield Road (north) is Carr Lane.  This is a steep road linking the northern end of the village to A670.  It is short but steep, probably classed as a single track road and at its lowest point there is a bridge.  Thorns Clough runs under the bridge and at it widest I would say it is three metres, in full flow.

It took the best part of a year and half to rebuild this bridge!  Well, I said I would impartial, OK the walls and banking along the road have been reinforced, which was a considerable job and as modern dry stone wall examples go, I would say cannot be bettered, but all the while the bridge was under repair as well.

A fine piece of civil engineering

Even when the project was completed there was a temporary closure as a good deal of the annual rainfall fell in 24 hours and cascaded, as it has done for centuries, down Huddersfield Road.  As we know from school physics, water is susceptible to gravity, and in this case there was a convenient right turn down Carr Lane to the bridge.  The result was that half Carr Lane disappeared and ended in Thorn Clough.  The bridge was fine, but Carr Lane was a mess.

A well engineered bridge to last until the next millenium

Disaster as the first flood washes the road away

If you are so inclined you can read more about the saga by following the link www.diggle-news.com/wp Photo above courtesy of Stuart Coleman - Diggle News

Now we move on:

Thamuang

A small village about 40 kilometres north of Ubon Ratchathani, north east Thailand, about 6 kilometres from Highway 2050.  The village lies on the flood plain on the River Sa, which eventually reaches the world famous River Mekong in about 50 kilometres.  There is a not a hill of any significance anywhere.  There is substantial annual rainfall of 60 inches (approx) most of which (55 inches) falls during the rainy season between May and September.  The problem arises when the river overflows.  The land is so flat, the floods rise without warning.  

The villagers have built houses on stilts to prevent flood water ruining their homes, or, as we have done, to raise the building land a couple of metres above the flood level.  

The main road into the village has to cross a small tributary that flows into the River Sa.  Without the bridge the diversion to the main road is about 20 miles (which is a long time on a Honda Wave motorbike).  The bridge finally succumbed and had to be replaced in August 2010 - the height of the monsoon rainfall.

The workman took about 4 weeks to replace it, and each and every one was a hero.  As I passed the temporary crossing, when it was available, they all waved a shouted out my name, a very friendly hard working bunch.

Construction of the bridge in flood conditions

A Just Do It attitude 

OK the water is warmer - but there's more of it

Temporary spans in place

Next day - more flood water

Serious construction work

The finished bridge

The finished bridge (Take 2)

As I have said, I want to be impartial in contrasting the two projects.  Therefore, I have summarised the prevailing conditions of both locations, the needs of each village and shown you how each working group performed and to some extent the results of their efforts.  

However, I must say the Thais have shown Oldham Council how to build bridges!  I received an email on 3 September 2012 stating the road and bridge are closed again for repairs - this is almost TWO years after the project started.

Back to Owerrrouse

I arrived in Ubon Ratchathani late on Wednesday night and was greeted by Khamma, Pell, Yo and Ying (another of Khamma's multitude of cousins).  After a meal at the very same restaurant we visited after our wedding, we drove home where the dogs, Cherlon and Kitty (!), barked a symphonic reception and jumped up at me as if it was the return of the Irish Rover.

Nothing much has changed around Thamuang, people come and go whilst wanting to know your business, but it is easy to just drop into the slow pace.

For the first three days I just relaxed and fought off the jet lag, which hit me pretty hard this time.  We ventured on the motorbike to Trakon Phutpon on Friday.  A serious mis-calculation found us sheltering from torrential rain with thunder and lightening thrown in.  Needless to say we arrived home cold and wet.  The weather is, apparently, mild but to my sensitive English disposition it is humid, hot and horrible to relax in without dissolving in pools of sweat.

About three months ago we, or rather the house and the kitchen in particular, was attacked by termites.  There was no warning sign, they just appeared and destroyed what lay before them.  Copious spraying of insecticide seemed to send them away, and we have since injected the floors with some of 'termite-icide', in the expectation (or hope in my case) that the little blighters will die!

Termites idea of a meal

On Saturday I had a little wander round the farm and found Bung, my brother-in-law, busy ploughing a rice field, the new cows, a new chicken shack and young boy ploughing the family rice field ready for planting this year's seedlings.

My brother-in-law never stops working

The new cows

Happy chickens in their Five Star Chicken Shack

A young lad spending his Saturday morning tilling the earth

It never ceases to amaze me just how hard these people work in conditions that are beyond anything we have to endure at home.  I couldn't last ten minutes doing what Bung does, and I ashamed that his fourteen year old son leaves me for dead as well.  It is best just admire from the sidelines, but show an interest and have a go by all means, because that attitude endears you to village, and actually makes the locals proud to show you what they can do.

Bung is so resourceful.  We have not had water for two days because lorries keep breaking the mains pipe about two miles up the road.  Bung and his family live next and for some reason get their water from another source, which is not affected.  He somehow configured our pvc piping to connect to his supply, and hey-presto we have water.  We filled the bath and several 'Ali Baba' type monster pots and we have enough to shower and drink until our pipes are fixed - maybe tomorrow, but who knows?  If this was Saddleworth we would be phoning the emergency services.......

Thamuang village

Thamuang is about 20 miles north of Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast of Thailand. It isn't too far from the borders of Laos and Cambodia and the Mekong river. It has a population of about 400 and it is in a rice growing area.

I visited the village in January 2008 and immediately felt at home. Khamma lives with her mother and two children in a modest but fairly large house. Life is certainly not hectic and the daily routine is centred on the home, the temple and rice fields. There isn't a shortage of things to do whether cleaning the home, tending the animals or giving alms to the monks. The village is clean and amongst the locals there is a strong feeling of pride in their surroundings, culture and tradition. Everybody made me very welcome and I look forward to going back in May.

Khamma's marriage ended about three years ago and she was determined to give her children the best education they could get. Pell is nineteen and is just starting university in Ubon, whilst Yo is 13 and is still at the village school. Left with nothing after her marriage she moved into her mother's home and strived to make ends meet.

Khamma's mother gave her some land in the hope that one day she could build a home of her own. In January we looked at the land and talked and then decided to build a home together.

For me this is a life changing experience, for us it shows we have comittment, but for Khamma it is a dream come true.

We looked at some recently built houses and with the help of a local architect we decided upon a design. House construction in Thailand is very different from the UK and to some extent I had to put my trust and faith in the fact they have been doing this for ages and they know a lot more about it than I do!

Work started on 'our home' in February and is expected to finish in June - at least that what the builder says, but who knows?