this is playing statues in a thai community within bangkok where we had a bbq and played games with the kids... pretty amazing opportunity to connect with some thai families who are really reaching out...
this is a footbridge into burma. it used to be a vehicle bridge years ago, and when dee was 13 she ferried women and children from their village, which was under attack from burmese soldiers, to a safe place in thailand. she spent the entire day doing trips, driving a 4wd that the men were too scared to drive because nobody had licences... they asked if i could cross but the soldiers at the border said it was too dangerous. one of dee's uncles was kidnapped by burmese soldiers somewhere near here...
the thatched rooves you can see used to be dee's (and khugay, khusay and wa wa's) home... the first time the soldiers came the burnt it all down... (dee's relatives saw their house burning on the news)... dee's family rebuilt, and then the soldiers returned, maybe two years later, and that's when dee's extended family fled to thailand...
this is the view (above) from a church on a hill which dee spoke at at an early morning service, after which we were fed a hearty breakfast (typical karen style, lots of rice, chilli, chicken and pork soups and curries - tasty... we then returned to khugay's house, where we were fed another meal... this day i ate 6 substantial meals. thailand is always a little like this for me - the karen are highly hospitable, but mae sot is particularly social, and every house we visit feds us a huge meal - to the point where i am visibly growing, and my body is in a state of distress... i'm eating like i'm in serious training for world sumo championships... i caught sight of myself in a window today and was startled, astonished (in a kind of fascinated 'woh' kind of way) and a little dismayed to see how much i've 'grown'... (boh oo - very fat in karen)...
after being told i couldn't cross the bridge as it was too dangerous, we walked down to the creek for a 'shower'. i spent a lot of time playing in the current... the river is the border, so everytime i got out on the far bank i was in burma
[we have to go and eat again - meal number 4 for today, so i'm just going to post this with no more explanations, and hopefully get back to fix it up...]
this is noon, prior to having a wash in the river...
this is the view from the back of khugay and khusay's house, taken during the killing of the pig...
this is the pig...
this is the merry dance prior to killing the pig, in the end 4 other guys hopped in the pen and held the pig down. she didn't entirely appreciate that and squealed a lot...
here the hole in her side, which was recently spurting blood, is being staunched with some kind of raffia reedy grass stuff...
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