Heidi and Cheyenne at Rose Garden and Thai Cultural Show - Bangkok Thailand

 Rose Garden and Thai Cultural Show - Bangkok Thailand
Rose Garden and Thai Cultural Shows ; Enjoy the unique and unforgettable experience of the world-renowned Thai Village Cultural Show. Daily, over 150 performers vividly portray a fascinating cross-section of Thailand's culture, heritage and way of life -- dances, ceremonies, rituals, sports and pastimes. The show highlights are:

Thai Martial Arts: Thai-style boxing is extremely popular in Thailand. Accompanied by its unique ritual and ceremony, it is an art that demands a high degree of skill and fitness.

Thai Wedding Ceremony: Witness a traditional Thai wedding ceremony performed according to ancient Thai customs.

The Monkhood: In Thailand, young men usually spend a period of time in the Buddhist Monkhood. To mark a young novice's entry into the monk-hood, the Buat Naag ritual consisting of a traditional procession followed by the ordination ceremony is performed.

The Fingernail Dance: The Fingernail Dance is a graceful dance which originated from the North of Thailand. It is usually performed as a gesture of greeting and welcome.

Dance From The North East: A mixture of North Eastern dances which collectively and symbolically express greetings and good luck.

Bamboo Dance: Another North Thailand dance, which is usually performed during the the full moon. It requires great skill, practice and timing. Even a small slip can be very painful.

Kala Dance: The Kala Dance comes from the southern part of Thailand. The dance features coconut shells and reflects the importance of coconuts in everyday village life.

Max, 1st counselor in the Asoke Branch, and Taxi Cab driver took us to the Floating Market and the Rose Garden.

Enjoying lunch:  Max, Heidi, Cheyenne, and Sister Moleff

Heidi getting a hug from an elephant

And another hug

Whats wrong with this picture?  I would have rather gotten a hug from an elephant than an albino snake.

In case your wondering, no that's not Heidi and Cheyenne that's trying to avoid being smushed by an elephant

Waiting for the show to start

The parade of champions

Bamboo Dance

Kick boxing is very popular in Thailand

Thai wedding ceremony 

The end of a GREAT DAY!  Thank you elephant - for the memories.

BANGSAI ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER

Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center and Village is another tourist attraction which is located at about 60 kms from Bangkok. On an area of 285 rai (14 acres), the Bang Sai Center provides training in folk arts and craft. The Center is under the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques which was established under Royal Patronage on July 21, 1976.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand founded this centre to help villagers to improve the quality of their products so that they could make more money. This project expanded and in 1976 it was formally established as the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques, or "SUPPORT" in short. The first project started in 1977 in the palace compound at Chitlada Palace, but because of the success she instructed the privy councillor and vice president of the SUPPORT Foundation to find a piece of land near Bang Pa-In in Ayutthaya province for a second centre. Two pieces of land were found, which were both given by His Majesty the King to the Government for land reform project. One of them was in Bangsai District which would be the location for a new training centre and on December 7, 1984 Her Majesty Queen Sirikit opened the centre with a ceremony. The main building (Sala Pra Ming Kwan) has 4 floors. On the ground floor are arts and crafts products on sale, on the 1st and 2nd floor are exhibits of masterpieces and on the 3rd floor is a conference room. The training centre consists of workshops, the Arts & Crafts Village is a blend of many traditional houses from all over Thailand, the freshwater fish aquarium (Wang-Pla) is the largest in Thailand, the Bird Park have many species of rare birds, and finally The Royal Lodge, which is a central Thai-style structure made of locally produced and easily obtainable materials, where Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the royal family stay during their visits to the centre.

Map of Arts and Crafts Center

Arts and Crafts Center and Museum

Inside Arts and Craft Center  

 Where masks were made.  For Rebecca.

L-t-R Elder and Sister: Seppi, Meeker, Ure, Smith, Moleff and Valentines from Nepal

Heidi and Cheyenne at Floating Market

There are countless floating markets throughout the country, many within a couple of hours of the capital. The colorfully clad merchants at these lively markets paddle along congested canals in sturdy canoes laden with fresh fruit and vegetables to sell to shoppers on the banks. There is lots of chatter and activity – bargaining is common – that’s all part of the fun -- but don’t expect to get the price down more than a few baht.

The most famous of the floating markets is Damnoen Saduak, about 100 kilometers southwest of Bangkok. This buzzing market is at its best in the early morning before the crowds arrive and the heat of the day builds up. 

We are at the market in the early morning

Our driver

Cheyenne and Heidi

Thais eat a lot of Squid.  I find it a bit chewy for my taste

More fish

Fruits sold with a smile

We enjoyed being at the floating market

Nuntawan SppreedaChaiaree Wedding Reception

Sister Nuntawan Chaiaree was married to her husband   Thanatorn   in the Hong Kong Temple n April 2015. They had one wedding reception in her home town, and another at the Changwattana building on Saturday 16 May 2015.  It was a wonder affair. A few photos are shown below.

A happily married couple.  The Thais are a handsome and beautiful race of people.  They both work at the Service Center.  Sister Wan in finances, and Brother Thanaton in translation. 

The Moleffs with Wan and Thanatorn

Bishop Sathit and family with the couple.

Elder Kanakham, first Area Seventy from Thailand

Supreeda with Sister Moleff.  Supreda is Service Center office Secretary.

Sister Noi with Sister Moleff.  Noi is custodian at the Service Center.

President Sathit Bangkok North Stake President,  Bishop Sathit's son, and President Senior Thailand Mission President

Sister Moleff & friends

Sister Patch, Family History Consultant in Bangkhae Branch.

BANG PA - IN PLACE SUMMER PALACE

On  09 May 2015, Elder Meeker drove 6-Senior couples to the Bang PA - Summer Palace.  The Senior Couples were:  Meekers, Moleffs, Seppis, Smiths, Ures, and the Valentines from Nepal.

The Summer Palace [ Bang Pa-In Palace ] is located 30 kilometers south of Ayutthaya on route to Ayutthaya and is on a small island called Bang Pa-In in the Chao Phraya River. The Palace was commissioned in 1632 by King Prasat Thong in the late Ayutthaya Period.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน), also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex formerly used by the Thai kings. It lies beside the Chao Phraya River in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya Province.

King Prasat Thong constructed the original complex in 1632, but it fell into disuse and became overgrown in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, until King Mongkut began to restore the site in the mid-19th century. Most of the present buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn.

Amidst vast gardens and landscaping stand the following buildings: Wehart Chamrunt (Heavenly Light), a Chinese-style royal palace and throne room; the Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode), a royal residence; Ho Withun Thasana (Sages' Lookout), a brightly painted lookout tower; and the Aisawan Thiphya-Art (Divine Seat of Personal Freedom), a pavilion constructed in the middle of a pond.

The palace remains largely open to visitors, as King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family use it only rarely for banquets and special occasions.

Entrance sign.  If you look closely, you can see the character who took the picture

We were  not allowed to take pictures inside the Summer Palace, nor are short skirts, jeans hats or shoes allowed inside.  One could rent the proper attire.  The sanctity of the Palace was to be preserved.  The side of the palace was magnificent befitting of royalty.

Sign outside of Palace.  Notice that the photographer is having trouble keeping out of the pictures.  We left our shoes and hats outside.

Lighthouse where Elder Ure and I walked up to the 2nd observation point.

The inside of a building.

If that tree could talk, what stories it would tell.  No matter what country we are in, all dogs and cats speak the same, without accent.  What language does the tree speak?

Heidi and Cheyenne Visit to Maetaeng Elephant Park and Clinic

 The Park

“The Maetaeng Elephant Park began as a result of the 1989 ban on Logging in Thailand. We witnessed increasing numbers of elephants being forced to roam the city streets and take up work in the Illegal logging trade. With no previous history of working with elephants, we decided to create a safe and friendly environment for the elephants and support the park through our visitors, who can experience the elephants close-up, becoming better informed about the present situation and long term future of Asian elephants. Since 1996, we have dedicated ourselves to protecting the elephants and sustaining the culture of the mahouts and their families.”
– the Chailert Family

The Clinic

In 2000, we decided it would be a great idea to use the money raised from selling elephant artwork to fund the purchase of medical supplies needed at the park. Back then, Maetaeng Elephant Park did not have a clinic on site; a sick or injured elephant would have to be loaded onto a truck and driven the three-hour journey to the government sponsored Elephant Hospital in Lampang. The alternative was for the Lampang veterinarians to make the long journey to the park itself. Either way, delays were stressful and sometimes dangerous for the sick elephant. The visiting veterinarians share their knowledge with our park’s mahouts so the mahouts can treat and properly take care of their own elephants. Still, we needed to do more.
In 2006, we created a fledgling clinic. Initially, it was to attend to the pregnant elephants in the herd so they could have a monitored and protected area within the park. Soon after, it was equipped to take care of minor medical issues, as well.
In 2009, we took a big step forward, realizing that a fully-equipped, licensed clinic needed to be created, one with a full-time veterinary staff  as well as experienced Mahouts, with their ancient knowledge of natural, medicinal herbs and of elephant behavior. With help from various charity groups, volunteers and several local businesses we were able to create a proper clinic-infrastructure. Today we have a fully operational FREE clinic. Except for the government-sponsored Elephant Hospital at Lampang, the Maetaeng Elephant park and Clinic is the only elephant clinic in this part of Thailand.

Our FREE elephant clinic has been pivotal in the care and welfare of all the elephants in this area. They no longer have to make that arduous and stressful journey to Lampang. Still though, we work closely with the veterinary team from Lampang Elephant Hospital along with veterinary students from local universities. We are constantly changing and discovering different ways to enhance the care, welfare and long-term sustainability of the Asian Elephant in Thailand.
We are grateful for the support we have received both locally and internationally. Since we began in 1996, we’ve witnessed a great deal of progress. We’re proud of our committed staff and honored to be a part of this remarkable journey. In this ever-changing world, we are determined to continue to create the best possible future for the elephants.

Yep, we were there.  L-t-R: Cheyenne, Heidi, Sister and Elder Moleff 

Elephant giving pointers to Cheyenne on how to draw a tree free hand (trunk) using Acrylics 

Cheyenne thanking the elephant for free trunk drawing lesson.  Elephant still wondering how Cheyenne will using her proboscis to draw the tree??

Elephant saying:  "Hey, get off my back. You really don't want me to climb on your back"

Having a casual stroll with your elephant around your yard 

Yep, that's us in an Ox Cart

Here we are again in a bamboo raft.  From elephant, to ox cart, to bamboo raft.  Well I guess that progress - You think?

Cheyenne is driving.  Now what did you say happened to the motor and steering wheel?

Children enjoying the water on a hot day!