Dedicated to a wonderful Mother Jean Noble 31/5/1929 - 20/8/2007 - may we never take our mothers for granted. - Goodbye Mum

THAILAND PAGE 11 AUGUST 2008

Thursday August 21st Baan Don Khun Ta.
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) 2Min. Max speed. kph Max temp we recorded °C
Terrain: Road Conditions: Overnight Accommodation: $0.00. Standard, Stay with family.

The 21st of August 2008 is my Sister Denise's birthday.... I am posting this one day early, as, if I forget, my life will not be worth living.!!! :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER DENISE

Friday August 22nd Baan Don Khun Ta.
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) 2Min. Max speed. kph Max temp we recorded °C
Terrain: Road Conditions: Overnight Accommodation: $0.00. Standard, Stay with family.

TIM RAMBO – December 1948 – August 2008

I have just learned, a Man died on the 17th of August. He lived in Lebanon in the United States of America. His impact on my life was ENORMOUS. I have never met him in person, but communicated, sometimes daily, on line with him, for about 8/9 years.

His main page is here With his “blog”, here. And here. I Do not know how long it will remain... At some point in the future I may write an epitaph to this Man from my humble perspective, however, an excellent eulogy to Tim appears Here. I do not know how long these links will last, but hopefully for as long as...... I am too sad at the moment. His passing is a huge loss to Humanity. He hurt many (me included) yet touched the hearts of thousands who were fortunate enough to interact with Him.

Monday 25th August Baan Don Khun Ta.
Approx. 23.28k's Average Speed 14.69kph Cycling time 1Hr(s) 35Min. Max speed. 29kph Max temp we recorded 37°C
Terrain: Road Conditions: Good Overnight Accommodation: $0.00. Standard, Stay with family.

We cycled to BuaYai Market (a little early so not completely set up – usually 4pm).... Exercise and maintain fitness was only part of the goal..

On this occasion we did not need to buy water... Water is sold in 20 litre containers for $0.50c per Container. We wait until we need four filled then get a tuktuk to take us there and back. We normally combine this with our shopping (food) trip to save doing too many journeys.

Going on our bikes it is technically possible to bring back the four water containers – 80kg and food in the panniers, however, the containers leak when laid upon their side.. We will try to figure this out and save what is becoming a considerable transport expense – by Thai standards.

Tuesday 26th August Baan Don Khun Ta.
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) 2Min. Max speed. kph Max temp we recorded °C
Terrain: Road Conditions: Overnight Accommodation: $0.00. Standard, Stay with family.

“PEELING BACK THE LAYERS” PAGE 1

We remain in “Baan Don Khun Ta” Village, whilst Lee spends some “quality” time with her paternal Grandmother... Memory problems have robbed Lee's grandmother of much awareness. She occasionally remembers – with remarkable clarity – who Lee is. It is sad to watch, however, all of us potentially face these, or other problems, should we reach old age.

We take “grandmother” out when we can

much depends on her condition at the time. She appears to like “going out” despite being in a wheelchair – yes we do have a rudimentary wheelchair. Hard tyres and low profile make it very difficult to push in many of the unpaved parts of the village.

We take her everywhere we can, however, her memory spoils it for her. We took her to her husbands “grave” - a place in the temple where the ashes are stored.

Sadly she did not remember that he had died and was wondering where he was... The repository for the ashes is the thing that looks like a house on the wall in front of her. If you look around the picture you will see others...

Outside the temple itself but within the Temple grounds are various other areas where people store the remains of loved ones......

A moment of recognition is always a very moving time... as is the case in this photo... Incredibly she “instantly” recognised this lady and has not met her for a very long time.......

It is these “moments” that make our journey special....

We carried on our tour – on different days, meeting with her old friends and relatives.... Here is a lady with a very special daughter.. They are related to “Grandmother”.......

She lives in crushing poverty, way beyond our ability to help. Despite the monetary burden she shoulders, she is an incredible woman. She has taken care of her Daughter for over 22 years... Two pictures of her daughter are here....

and here.... She can laugh and cry, but is unable to talk... much of her day is spent in this hammock, however, so profound is her disability that there is a tiny amount given to her by Govt. to assist in her care...

Sadly the wheelchair in the background is no longer functional and there is little money available to assist with it's repair...

Meandering on, again different days, we visited an old guy aged 81, whose mind is as sharp as you or I. He knows Lees Grandmother well, them both having spent much of their life(s) in this village.

It is sad that he has developed inoperable? “Testicular Cancer” and nine days ago (From the date on the picture) he lost his ability to walk.... Furthermore he has a catheter inserted, which is causing problems. The bag can be seen in the picture together with the tube....

His daughters do not understand and have not been “schooled” in its use. The constant “remove and replace” has caused infections. I have suggested they do not need to remove each time the bag is full... Plus, they contact the hospital for a few lessons on managing this situation. This village does not have clean water, the water is pumped directly from a lake within the village. Hygiene is not well understood and the washing of his catheter equipment is certainly best done in a sterile environment.

We have offered the family the opportunity to “share” our wheelchair, if they want to take him somewhere. In the picture above they dressed him in a new shirt, for his picture taking.... They are a lovely family and we wish them well...

Many may say what has this page got to do with cycling... We believe that anyone who intends to cycle for a long time, should not just go go go, day after day, unless they/you are chasing a record of some type. Immerse yourself in a culture and see what comes of it... you may need to remain for days or weeks to “peel back” sufficient layers. Hopefully enough to give you (and your readers) a 'peek' at their lives.

Wednesday 27th August Baan Don Khun Ta.
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) 2Min. Max speed. kph Max temp we recorded °C
Terrain: Road Conditions: Overnight Accommodation: $0.00. Standard, Stay with family.

We have spoken with MANY families and individuals throughout our short stay and we will bring some more of their stories here to our pages (With their permission). Catchya Later...

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