China Full Moon

 

That brilliant round white ball in the sky every 28 days is some thing I look forward to seeing. I make a long gratitude list of blessings and create an intention for the month ahead. Thanks "Grandmother Moon" for many moonlit memorable eves. 

This month it was very magical to be gazing at the July Full Moon in China with my daughter, from the guest room balcony of their big beautiful home in Shanghai.  I was in China because we had a really welcome school mid-term break from teaching, so... I headed off to visit my family.

My grandsons welcomed me with hugs, kisses and a big sign on the door that said “WE LOVE YOU GA-GA from Aidan and Taylor.”  I wonder if they have any idea how much I love and miss them? 

My daughters husband John had to have hernia surgery while I was there. It went well but a few of our days were filled with trips to and from the hospital. However Carrie and I did find time to go to the amazing Shanghai Flower and Gift Market and visit another intricate Chinese Temple.

The boys were at sport camp, but we had time to go swimming at the club pool, with a small sandy beach area, which was fun. 

The nine busy days flew by and before I knew it I was on the airplane back to Bangkok and teaching school in Ban Chang.

 

     Beautiful Quan Yin, Chinese Goddess of Mercy, bestows her Blessings

Pattaya Floating Market

Pattaya, Thailand  

As I had not had much time to explore Pattaya, I was excited to have some Thai lady friends offer to take me on a day trip.  Leaving on Saturday morning from Ban Chang we stopped for gas and coffee at one of the many 7-11's. The adventure began when we arrived at one of the few vineyards in Thailand and sipped frosty grape slushies as we walked through the beautifully landscaped grounds.

Motoring onward to the floating market, but pausing first to feed the 115 year old elephant who gave me inspiration and new hope for living beyond 100! He had a few wrinkles but wore them magnificently. The look of peace that comes from age glowed in his dark eyes.We spoke to the current owner who is the third generation caretaker of BoBo, as his father and grandfather had taken care of this amazing creature all their lives. BoBo happily devoured whole bunches of ripe bananas from us and would have willingly given me a hug with his enormous trunk, but I declined.

Pattaya is about a half an hour by car (1 hour by bus) from Ban Chang where I teach, and two hours south of Bangkok. It was once a small fishing village on the bay, but during the Vietnam War boatloads of American GI’s flocked to the then quiet beaches and bars for R&R and many called it the “red light city.”  The city and beaches of Pattaya now have a diversity of attractions, shopping, many good restaurants and beautiful resorts, including its famous "Walking Street" and infamous nightlife.                             At the market a variety of handicrafts from all over Thailand mixed with colorful "T"- shirts, Thai music, dancing, boat rides, and souvenirs for the tourists made for shopping heaven. The always and ever present Buddha was there in many forms.

On the way home we stopped at an Outlet Mall as one gal was looking for a swimsuit.

Many stores were just like ones we would find in our American malls … a small world.

As the sun was dropping in the azure blue sky we had to stop the car for me to take another photo. On the hill along the roadway was a gigantic Buddha outlined in gold. 

 

May Buddha blessings and golden light fill your life, Rose

 

A Thai 4th of July

 Independence Day or Interdependence Day?
 

A thought to ponder…

 How it works......... IN THE USA

John Smith, an American started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 am

While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA)

  was perking, he shaved with his electric razor

(MADE IN HONG KONG)

He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA),

designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE)

           and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA)

                 After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet  (MADE IN INDIA)

             he sat down with his calculator

             (MADE IN MEXICO)

to see how much he could spend today.

   After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN)

to the radio (MADE IN INDIA)

he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY)

filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia)

and continued his search

for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

 At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, checking his DELL Computer

(made in MALAYSIA),

John decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL),

poured himself a glass of wine

(MADE IN FRANCE)

   and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA),

     and then wondered why he cannot find

   a good paying job in AMERICA…

  AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT - MADE IN KENYA!  

  I was lucky enough to find a job teaching in Thailand where age is respected, wisdom honored, knowledge appreciated, and education is a priority.                      The Thai elections were held first weekend of July and so the teachers at our school decided to celebrate…a combination of the American 4^th and a newly elected FEMALE Prime Minister in Thailand.

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. The King is still King and very much loved by the people of Thailand.  

Pala Beach seemed like the perfect place for our all American traditional picnic and BBQ, complete with hot dogs, potato chips, and marshmallows to roast. The Thai teachers also brought yummy Thai food to add to the feast. The calm water glistened in the hot afternoon sun as we successfully gathered driftwood and twigs for the fire.

The first round of cooking and eating was almost finished when we saw that an ominous black cloud was forming as the ocean turned dark, gray, and angry. After all it is the rainy season and not wanting to fool with Mother Nature we quickly packed up, and headed to one of the teachers carport, arriving just as the sky opened up with a heavy downpour. The pelting rain continued and so did our celebration, just minus the singing around the campfire and fireworks!

Hoping you had a magical and brilliant 4th of JULY in AMERICA

Sending bright starry lights & BLESSINGS from THAILAND