Visit with Friends- October 15-16, 2013

We woke very early on Tuesday morning so we could leave the home at 6:00 and head up to the mountains and beautiful (suay) Mae Salong. On the way, we visited the monks who reside in an area of villages that are spread apart and they ride their horses to the villages to collect their alms. Monks do not work and therefore they rely on the townspeople and visitors to provide their daily food and any monies they may need for other items. When you visit their compound, you can purchase a number of pre-packaged items to give to the monks and these are all things they need to survive. Monks get up early in the morning, collect their alms and then eat two meals every day. They eat a morning and noon meal as long as it is before 12:00 pm. They do not eat anything after that time. It is their belief that they can concentrate on their minds and bodies better while meditating if they do not have anything to eat. The afternoon is spent in meditation and prayer.

After wandering around at the monk compound we headed to Mae Salong and one of our favorite places, Little Home Guest House. On the way we stopped for breakfast. We had Fried Rice and Pad Thai for breakfast. How many of you can say that you have eaten either one of them for that particular meal?

Once we arrived at Little Home, we settled in our rooms and had a delicious lunch on the patio. The owner, his wife and son are some of the most gracious people I have ever met. They serve the best Oolong 17 tea with every meal. It is quite easy to get since the region where Mae Salong is located is well known for its tea plantations in addition to it's coffee. After lunch we headed to the Lisu hill tribe kindergarten to spend some time with the children there.

Breakfast

Bungalow at Little Home 

The kids and Manrutai at lunch

Joan coloring with the Lisu kids

 After spending time with the children, we went outside to make small purchase from the women of the village. They make beautiful handicrafts and having visitors come for a visit is a special treat for them. Selling the items they make is one small way for them to earn some money. They do not sell them for large amounts of money and even though there are duplicate items, you feel obliged to purchase something from each woman who is selling things.  During this visit, we met with a woman who has 6 children and is widowed. Her husband had died from AIDS and she was ostracized by the village. She was trying to see if we would take two of her sons with us to have them live with me and the other children in the home. The two small boys are twins and are only about 4 years old. It was a difficult discussion because she was not sure she wanted them to go, we were not sure it was appropriate to have two more smaller children at the home so soon after my arrival. The youngest of the two boys that are here now is only 4 and he is quite a handful. I am not certain I have the stamina or fortitude to take on two more small ones just yet.

After our visit to the hill tribe, we returned to Mae Salong for dinner. We visited the Mae Salong Villa which is one of our favorite restaurants. It sits on the top of a hill overlooking the city and the hostess is a gracious, wonderful woman. We had a lovely dinner on the balcony and returned to Little Home for a good night's rest as we had to get up early the following morning to enjoy the morning market with it's coffee and doughnuts and then walk up 718 steps to the King Mother's Shrine. More on that tomorrow.

Until next time....

God Bless,

Heather