Lightning Crashes

What a week!

Early in the week I was trapped in a severe storm by the Mekong river, which separates Thailand from Laos. As lightning crashed too close to me for comfort, I hid in a cave to protect myself and my cherished camera from the torrential rain while my only escape route transformed into a waterfall. After about ten minutes I realised that the conditions were only going to get worse and so I endeavoured to climb the waterfall to safety, gripping on to the single slippery rail and trying ever-so-hard to keep my feet grounded so as not to fall down the cliff into the Mekong. I seriously thought I was going to die! I found myself having flashbacks of happy moments in my life and, to my surprise, praying haha. Obviously I made it out alive but not without many screams and tears along the way.

The weekend past was the anniversary of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death - the most important date on the Buddhist calendar. To celebrate a couple of the teachers and their families took me to an international temple near Ubon Ratchithani that is populated with monks from all corners of the globe and headed by an Aussie abbot. For two leg-numbing hours I kneeled before a large gold Buddha statue, listening to the awe-inspiring chanting of the monks and the hundreds of Thai followers around me. Afterwards I participated in the vientiane (or however it is spelt). This entailed following the monks around the temple three times - once for Buddha, once for his teaching and another for his followers - whilst holding a candle, incense and a lotus bud. The sight of hundreds of people walking calmly and in silence in the dark with burning candles was absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. I walked away that night strangely feeling as though all the tension in my body and stress in my mind had vanished. An amazing experience and one that I'll never forget.

At school the kids have started to let go of their initial shyness. They are now comfortably approaching me outside of class to practice their English on me. "Goo afernoo teasher" they giggle. A few cheeky boys have even called out to me "I loe you teasher" and "You are so bootiful teasher" before ducking behind fences to preserve their anonymity haha. Word of my presence at the school has somehow reached miles away and the Pa-a has received several letters from other schools requesting that I visit their students for a day. So far the Pa-a has agreed to let me attend the nearest primary school for a few hours next Tuesday.

Whatelse? Oh, I have a fan in my room now thanks to a concerned teacher at the school. And I have not received another visit from the snake but last night I busted a couple of geckos having sex near my bed. I thought at first it was a large gecko having a heart-attack, however upon closer inspection I realised that there were in fact two geckos jumping up and down having a great time. You'd think that they'd at least hold off till they were somewhere discreet!