The girl on my right is one of my students (our interpreter) and the girl on my left is her cousin. Their English is poor and they don't speak the language of the village, but we managed to communicate.

As a child, playing dress up was one of my favorite things to do and I must admit that I still enjoy it. I felt like a porcelain doll as grandma very carefully dressed me in her native clothing. It was quite a bonding experience to have her wrap the sash tightly around my waist like a corset, button the shirt in hidden places, and adjust the pleats of the little skirt. The silver plates on my chest have intricate carved designs on them and the bells on the bottom do jingle. In past days they wore this clothing everyday and I don't know how they worked with all this weight around their necks. Now the clothing is only worn for festivals and special events.

Silver Pipe

I had heard that women of this group smoke a silver pipe. When I saw a little silver pole sticking out of this woman's pocket I asked her to show me what it was. She pulled it out and then told me to wait a second. Apparently she wanted to smoke it for me. So here is an action shot. I really have no idea what they smoke but I have seen many interesting smoking contraptions.

A village woman standing by the garden gate. It seems that all of the women in this county wear towels on their heads. Funny, growing up I always thought I was being African when I got out of the bath tub.

This is a village house from my most recent trip. They keep animals under the house and hang vegetables to dry on the inside. The walls are made from woven mats, though some of the house in this village had more substantial walls.

Upon viewing this sign outside the Hard Rock Cafe in Thailand, I didn't know whether to laugh or be afraid. I thought, "Does this mean that nuclear weapons are allowed outside of the restaurant?" I wonder what stories are the cause of that sign being posted.

Sometimes you feel a bit dizzy when you step off an elephant. With each step you go up and down, back and fourth. It is a fun ride, but you must learn how to hang on and move with the vehicle.

As a senior in highschool I randomly decided that I wanted to ride and elephant in Thailand while eating rice. 2 out of 3 isn't bad. I suppose I could have gotten some rice had I really tried, but maybe next time. I got to drive the elephant too. You steer by kicking his ears (which are great for keeping your legs cool by the way).

This is what I call Fresh Meat. They had just hung the slaughtered cow up by a hoof so that the blood would drip onto the floor. Apparently this makes it easier to cut. If the head was still on the cow I would say that it was a new kind of head rush, but they poor cow has already lost all but her thighs down.