I decided to spend my one full day in Bangkok not in Bangkok. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the city, I wanted to explore the old ruins in Ayutthaya, about 70 kilometers north of Bangkok. For anyone interested in history, I would really recommend a visit here. It was beautiful and interesting and surprisingly diverse. The tuk-tuk driver took us to a variety of different wats, ruins, and Buddha images. I got some great shots here, and it was a comparably calming, spiritual experience over the crowded streets of Bangkok.

The last week at the Ban Tha Ding Dang School was lovely, but there were many loose ends when I left. This wasn't entirely my fault or anyone's fault, as you will see. On Wednesday, I was in the middle of my second class of the day, when I glanced out the door to see one of the students from the 6th grade class being carried out of the classroom by a group of women. Sommai had mentioned that someone had been ill yesterday, and I was worried that this same
girl might have become sick again.

Then during my next class, I saw the 5th and 6th grade classes, which take place across the soccer field in a different building, run outside and to the road. There was a large group of people gathering, and my students in the 2nd grade class rushed outside to see. After a few minutes, I started to usher them back inside to their work, but then the first grade teacher motioned for them to come. I took this as an indication that something major was happening, and walked over to ask. The first grade teacher said that she did not know what was going on. I was confused, but it was clear that there were no classes going on so I let my class go. I took the opportunity to go back to my house and wash my face and hands thoroughly--my first class had been grade 6!

After lunch, the headmaster told me that there would be no students this afternoon. He explained that five students in the 6th grade class and one in the 5th grade class had become ill, and the villagers believed that there was a ghost in the school. Sommai was at a meeting that day, but when he came home I asked if the students would be back the next day. He said that he didn't know. This had happened once before more than ten years ago.

The next morning I woke up at 6:30 to an eerie quiet. The usual morning sounds of people talking along the road, music playing, and children laughing were nonexistent. Even the roosters seemed hushed, although not silent. No students came to school on Thursday or Friday, and apparently the villagers were going to bring in someone to get rid of the ghost on Friday afternoon. I left before he/she arrived, however, and without saying goodbye to any of my students or two of the teachers. My departure from the Ecole in Switzerland was quite similar. I guess I don't have much luck with goodbyes.

Above are some photos from the last week.

The view of the Khao Sok National Park on the way to the dam.

During the last two weeks in Thailand, the internet decided to go down at my school. Sorry for the lack of updates. But now I am in the Taipei airport with WiFi and a laptop, so I'll try to make up for lost time. My flight leaves at 10:20 pm on Monday and it arrives in San Francisco at 7:30 pm on Monday. Time changes are mind boggling, aren't they.

The first weekend after I got back from Krabi, Sommai took me to the Surat Thani dam. Created 19 years ago, this dam was soon incorporated into the national park. The limestone cliffs are about 3 times as high as the ones in Phang Nga and the surrounding jungle is dense. One of the best things about this place is that I left the tourists behind. Here was a little secret of Thailand.

We took a longboat to the far end of the lake and stayed in some floating huts. After we arrived, Sommai asked me if I wanted to take the canoe out, and I readily accepted. He looked surprised at my enthusiasm, and asked me if I knew how to paddle. I laughed at him: "I'm from Vermont, silly! Of course I can paddle!" He then informed me that I could paddle him arround, since he did not know how to. I offered to teach him, but he refused, protesting that he was too lazy. So I paddled him around the lake a little bit before dinner. And it worked out quite nicely because Thai people have a much better eye for wildlife than I do. He quickly spotted monkeys in the trees that I never would have seen.

The sounds of the jungle were my lullaby that night. Although I certainly didn't see any, apparently the owner of the huts has been having trouble with tigers eating his chickens. When I woke up in the morning to the creaking of the huts, I imagined that a tiger was walking along the wooden bridge, slowly looking in each hut for a morsel to devour. It was only the wind, of course, but it was kind of fun to let my imagination go crazy for a bit.

The next day the owner of the huts took us on a longboat tour of the lake. It was a gorgeous ride, and I was glad that this tour came at the end of my travels. The mountains and wildlife elsewhere would have been pale in comparison. As we headed back to the pier, ominous looking clouds approached us on three sides. (How is this possible, my scientific family?!) I was sure we would not beat the storms, but we made bets as to which one would reach us first. In the end, it was hard to tell through the downpour. But I didn't mind--I love the warm rain here that comes in exiting waves but is warm and lets up shortly.

On our way home, we were just in time to catch the sunset at my favorite restaurant--The Top of the Tree Restaurant that hangs over the ocean cliffs and is nestled in the Khao Lak National Park.

It's high time I post some photos of the reason I came here in the first place--the children!

The weekend in Krabi was quite eventful and lovely. It was the first time during this trip that I have gotten the chance to explore Thailand on my own--which means I get to call the shots. I've only got a few more minutes in this internet cafe before Sommai will finish playing badmitten and pick me up. So, while I have the fast internet connection, here is a photo preview of my weekend. Stay tuned for an updated post with my commentary.