Shortly after we started at Baan Nong Phue School, we were invited to join the students on a field trip. We wanted our blog readers to learn about the school and the students before we told about the field trip, so we've held off posting this report. But now the Baan Nong Phue post is up and we hope you're read and enjoyed it (despite the formatting problems), so here's the field trip report.
The students get to take two field trips a year and this was the fall trip. The school arranged for big buses to transport students and teachers. The buses were equipped with hi-fi sound systems and karaoke equipment, and Thai music videos were played during most of the travel time. It was pretty loud!
Our first stop was
Buddha Utthayan (Buddhist Park), about an hour west of Baan Nong Phue. The Park is known for Phra Yai, a 20-meter-tall Buddha image in the park, which has become the logo of Amnat Charoen Province, in which it is located.
Here is Mary with some students and with Wachinee and Toom, who have appeared in earlier posts,
and both of us with teachers, school staff, and students.
Behind Phra Yai, there are two strangely shaped Buddha
images. We are told they are named Phra Lahai or Phra Khilai by the locals, which means
"not beautiful". These ancient Buddha images were found in 1962
during construction. Locals believe they bring good luck and
often come to worship.
Close-up of figure on the left above:
The back of the head of Phra Yai is an interesting sight.
The bougainvillea in the Park were beautiful.
The second stop was Phra
Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol ("the Great, Victorious and Auspicious Pagoda"),
one of the largest chedis in Thailand. It's in Roi Et
Province and was still under construction when we were there. There was a short hike from the parking lot.
One will often find colorful strips of cloth tied around large trees in Thailand. It is believed that spirits reside in old trees and the bright ribbons are a symbolic warning for others not to cut down the tree.
The Province name, "Roi Et," is the Thai word for 101; the Chedi is: 101 meters high, 101 meters on a side, and covers 101 rai (a Thai area measurement, 101 rai equals ~40 acres). There are six floors in the Chedi; each has a Buddhist worship area and a different set of imagery. The final climb to the 6th floor involves 117 steps. It is said that relics of the Buddha are contained in the top of the pagoda. The finial on top of the Chedi is made of 60 kilos of pure gold. There is an excellent view of the surrounding area from the top.
Views from near the top of the Chedi:
In the low buildings surrounding the Chedi:
The Chedi is built near a cliff. We walked to the top of the cliff and saw these views:
We walked to a market near the Chedi and had lunch. Mary did a little browsing with some of the teachers.
Then we headed to the Mekong River near Mukdahan and the mile-long Friendship II Bridge between Thailand and Laos. Traffic on the bridge drives on the right in Laos; while on the Thai side, it drives on the left; the change-over is in the middle of the bridge.
The last stop was a Big C store in Mukdahan. Big C is a chain of superstores in major cities in Thailand -- with clothing, appliances, electronics, furniture, etc., and lots of smaller fast food restaurants and small shops under the same roof. The students were excited to stop there and we saw quite a few in the arcade area.
It was an interesting and fun day!
The finished mats are things of beauty.
