Things are moving along faster than I can both experience AND record. So I'l skip Khon Kaen, only temporarily because it was a delightful experience, to tell you a bit about our arrival in Chiang Khan yesterday afternoon. This is a small town right on the banks of the Mekong River in Thailand, looking across the river to Laos. It is where our friends, Dtaw and Katie Tiparos and their two sons, Tahn and Cody, are living for awhile. Like us, they have rented their home in Portland for a year and are having an amazing adventure. Unlike us, they have deep Thai roots, as Dtaw grew up here and his extended family lives here, including his mom, just across the street!
We had met up with Katie and Tahn in Chiang Mai a few weeks ago for lunch and a tour of a beautiful city museum. However, I was intrigued with seeing the more typical small town where they are living. So we made plans to take a couple of buses to get here from Khon Kaen for a couple of days on our way back to Chiang Mai.
We arrived yesterday, after 4 hours on a bus and 1 hour in a sorng-ta-aouw (a truck-like bus with benches along the side for passengers). When we arrived in Chiang Khan, we called Katie and got directions to their home, not far, as the town is small. Hugs and greetings all around were followed by water and conversation on the patio of their home. Nearby I could see the low table, books, and mats where Katie and the boys do their home schooling.
As we followed Katie and Tahn to the local guest house which Katie had found and arranged for us, we were joined briefly by Dtaw's mom. She is a sweet woman who clasped our hands warmly and told us that she has 4 sons who also are teachers, like us!
The guest house is lovely! It is 3 stories tall, and we are on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows all around, giving us the feel of being in a tree house. (I remember the same sensation when I first saw the "new" top floor classrooms at Breakwater!). We can look out over the town and see the golden Buddha statue atop a hill where Dtaw's brother is the head abbot, another tall hill over-looking the town, and also the banks of the Mekong beyond which is Laos.
Dinner last evening was quite magic - outside on mats on the patio where I imagine that most socializing and family life takes place at Katie and Dtaw's home. While dinner was being prepared by Dtaw, Bruce and I joined an impromptu badminton game with Tahn and Cody and a friend on the narrow street (soi) in front of their home. It quickly became apparent that I need some serious practice. Can I use the darkening sky as an excuse for missing the birdie so often?
Dtaw's dinner was exotic and delicious, full of herbs and tastes that were new to us. One dish was created with fish from the Mekong River and was served on a large banana leaf. Another had eggplant in a coconut milk sauce. Fresh herbs were picked from plants beside the patio. No silverware was necessary, as we used balls of sticky rice to scoop up the meal from a communal bowl. Dtaw's mom joined us and, as adjunct hostess, urged us to eat lots of food. No urging was needed: the tastes were fantastic! Dessert consisted of a an incredible banana in coconut milk creation, so simple-appearing but with subtle combo of tastes. Yum.
The boys went off to see friends after dinner. We chatted with Dtaw and Katie about their lives here, their plans for an upcoming family bike trip to China, to be followed by a stint of public school enrollment here for the boys and teaching for Katie. Eventually, we made our way back to our little aerie at the guest house. It had been a delightful introduction to life in a small Thai town. We can't wait to have Tahn show us more!
We had met up with Katie and Tahn in Chiang Mai a few weeks ago for lunch and a tour of a beautiful city museum. However, I was intrigued with seeing the more typical small town where they are living. So we made plans to take a couple of buses to get here from Khon Kaen for a couple of days on our way back to Chiang Mai.
We arrived yesterday, after 4 hours on a bus and 1 hour in a sorng-ta-aouw (a truck-like bus with benches along the side for passengers). When we arrived in Chiang Khan, we called Katie and got directions to their home, not far, as the town is small. Hugs and greetings all around were followed by water and conversation on the patio of their home. Nearby I could see the low table, books, and mats where Katie and the boys do their home schooling.
As we followed Katie and Tahn to the local guest house which Katie had found and arranged for us, we were joined briefly by Dtaw's mom. She is a sweet woman who clasped our hands warmly and told us that she has 4 sons who also are teachers, like us!
The guest house is lovely! It is 3 stories tall, and we are on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows all around, giving us the feel of being in a tree house. (I remember the same sensation when I first saw the "new" top floor classrooms at Breakwater!). We can look out over the town and see the golden Buddha statue atop a hill where Dtaw's brother is the head abbot, another tall hill over-looking the town, and also the banks of the Mekong beyond which is Laos.
Dinner last evening was quite magic - outside on mats on the patio where I imagine that most socializing and family life takes place at Katie and Dtaw's home. While dinner was being prepared by Dtaw, Bruce and I joined an impromptu badminton game with Tahn and Cody and a friend on the narrow street (soi) in front of their home. It quickly became apparent that I need some serious practice. Can I use the darkening sky as an excuse for missing the birdie so often?
Dtaw's dinner was exotic and delicious, full of herbs and tastes that were new to us. One dish was created with fish from the Mekong River and was served on a large banana leaf. Another had eggplant in a coconut milk sauce. Fresh herbs were picked from plants beside the patio. No silverware was necessary, as we used balls of sticky rice to scoop up the meal from a communal bowl. Dtaw's mom joined us and, as adjunct hostess, urged us to eat lots of food. No urging was needed: the tastes were fantastic! Dessert consisted of a an incredible banana in coconut milk creation, so simple-appearing but with subtle combo of tastes. Yum.
The boys went off to see friends after dinner. We chatted with Dtaw and Katie about their lives here, their plans for an upcoming family bike trip to China, to be followed by a stint of public school enrollment here for the boys and teaching for Katie. Eventually, we made our way back to our little aerie at the guest house. It had been a delightful introduction to life in a small Thai town. We can't wait to have Tahn show us more!
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