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This past Sunday I had the opportunity to take 275 kids to the Chiang Mai Zoo, it was so much fun. The day began at 8 AM, the kids were all dressed in their school clothes and lined up waiting for the buses. The Monks called 14 Rot-Dang  (translation red, car but they are really covered red pick-up trucks with seats) to take us, again thanks for the donations everyone. Off we went in a caravan of kids singing and cheering down the super highway. When we got there the kids lined up again and the older kids that came broke them up in to groups so they could be watched over.

Now we had 4 hours to run around and see every animal we could. At first I was with the youngest boys sometimes holding the hands of 4 at a time so I was being pulled in every direction and we almost fell a few times. That had to change so we went back to 2 at a time. These kids are so sweet as you can see from the pictures. I then linked up with some of the kids that were a bit older. We happened upon a 7-11 opening in the Zoo and there was a clown making balloons and now for the next hour that was the most exciting animal to them, lol. 7-11, come on we were there for the animals, remember…It was now time to hang with some of the older girls and I think they thought I was their personal photographer. I have 100 pictures of the same 6 girls in every pose, by the flowers, by the fountains, by the animals, by the Panda statue, you name it I have the pictures to prove it.

The last hour was spent with 10 kids, we had ice cream, saw a show with trained birds and yup you are right took more pictures with the birds. Over all the day was great and the kids were happy and I was worn out. When we got back to the Wat a group of people were here making a donation of snacks or Ah-hon Wong as they are called here. Perfect timing, we were starving, thanks whoever you were…Later that day Phra Ah Jon called me in to thank me for taking the kids and I told him I would pass on the thanks to my all of my friends who also contributed, cop-con krap (thank you).

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Sawadee Krap,

Everyone I am here to tell you about last week and it was a busy one. We began the week with the planning of the rest of our garden project with the science teacher, sorry I forgot her name. There are about 775 people working and living here I can’t remember every name, not yet anyway. She wants to plant flowers so the kids can make well for lack of a better word and a better explanation “Lays” . They are used in some of the Buddhist ceremonies and now they won’t have to buy the flowers, just cut and make…The plants will produce flowers all year long and we have 40 plants.  We now have planted everything that we planned on, chilies, limes, cucumbers, peppers, 3 types of basil and lemongrass, can’t wait for them to grow to taste them. More to come after we see how these items grow, I will keep you posted.

Also last week some of your donations went to buying the track team new running shoes. They are going to be competing in a competition in Phuket the first week of December, which I am going to go with them, yeah! I have been going to practice with them to learn to ropes so I can help the coaches when we get there. It has been great getting to bond with these 16 older kids since I have not had much time with them, they practice twice a day so I was never able to see them.

We also have been making different ice creams and sorbets to see what we like best to get ready for selling. So far Pomelo and Pineapple sorbets are in the lead as well as Coconut ice cream with corn, it is so good. Making Chocolate-Milk ice cream soon, it should be great and Chatree is excited to try it too. Those of you who do not know Chatree, he is one of the older kids that has been here for years and now helps out with everything at the Wat, I love him. He loves to cook  but baking is his expertise. Yesterday he baked bread and I should him an American staple with his delicious bread, yup you guessed it Peanut butter and jelly…They love their sweets but have never had it before. I took the sandwiches for the track team for after practice, they were gone in about 3 minutes. Chatree and I also made subs or the Thai version of a sub, I like  more meat on mine but we made them a little thinner. The kids loved them and even one of the Monks help with the preparations.

The Monk that helped us name is Low Pe Gail, I have been teaching him English for a few weeks, 1 hour 5 times a week. He is reading and writing, I am amazed…He taught himself for a few years with the use of a single dictionary he bought in Bangkok. So I guess I am just helping to work on his grammar and some of the finer points. We really need to work on the words with p’s and f’s, he mixes the up a lot. Oh yeah and the whole TH thing is tough as their mouths don’t work that way just like some of the Thai words that I am having trouble with. At night I have been working with some of the kids with their English homework, who knew I would now at 36 years old love doing homework?

So some of the other donations have gone to new tools and beads to make jewelry to sell here the Wat and man these kids are making stuff fast. We should be selling things in the next week or so and I will post pictures and if I can work it out to sell them here on my site, I will. It’s just the shipping cost to the US is so much, anyway i’ll figure it out.

I wanted to also tell you about the Cricket team here at the Wat Don Chan, there are about 20 kids that play. Chris, a retired angel from the UK comes with 2 of his friends 3 times a week to work with these kids and their AWESOME! This Sunday they are having a big game, myself and a few friends are going to cheer them on. There is also a big compititon coming up in Bangkok and Chris is taking 4 of the top players that have been invited to compete, GO TEAM WAT DON CHAN! Also a huge thank you to Chris and crew, the kids are truly grateful…

Also we had a great celebration here called Loy Krathong, this is the holiday where you send off flowers and candles into lakes and rivers to send away the things in your life that are not so good and that you would like to change. This celebration will go on for 2 to 4 days depending on where you live, here at the Wat we did one day. After you let the flowers go there are fire works and more of the home-made balloons sent off. We could actually hear fire works bursting for days and it is kind of nutty people set them off anywhere. I was on my scooter and was surprised several times but how close they were to the road. I spend one whole day preparing they homemade works with the Monks, we took a mixture of 4 items which I don’t know exactly what they were but I know there was gun powder and stuffed it into bamboo. Mine took 1 1/2 hours to make and we made 30 total. After Phra Ah Jon spoke and did a few blessings, the kids chanted for about 45 minutes and then the fireworks show began. It lasted for 1 hour and then it took 45 minutes to fill a huge kom-roy (homemade balloon), all the while kids were sending off smaller kom-roy. The Monks attached a large amount of fireworks to the big kom-roy and off it went, exploding for a while. This night was a blast but so much different from the sates. The kids are given fireworks and matches and let off to do what they want, kind of nutty but surprisingly enough no one get hurt and the next day everything was cleaned up as if nothing had happened. We all had so much fun, check out the pictures…

This week sadly we have a few sick kids here, well 30 to be exact. They have what we call Pink-eye and the Thai’s call it Red-eye. LOL. A doctor came yesterday, lined everyone one up, gave them the drops and on they went. Sadly 4 of those kids are on the track team so no practice for them and I better watch it.

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There have been a lot going on which I will fill you all in on later as I am planning a trip for the kids to the Zoo have have to run to a meeting with the manager of the Zoo to set the rest up. I wanted to talk about our trip to one of the Hill Tribes that a few of us went onwith Phra Ah Jon. We left the Wat Don Chan early in the morning last Wenesday and set out to the mountains. We were going there for an opening of a Wat in a Village were the Galyong Tribe lives and to see the conditions that they are living. This village is located 30 minutes from the Burmise border, danger, danger, well could be but we were fine. It took us about 8 hours to get there and the roads were windey and at some points very dangerous but fun all of the way. I was in the car with Wisit, the head teacher at the school, May-She Ji (a Nun named Ji which means heart in Thai) and 2 little girls from that tribe, they were going to get to see some friends from home and they were very excited.

When we arrived they had an amazing lunch ready for us that I later found out was just picked from the garden that morning and the pork we had was walking around the day before, it was so fresh and delicious! They were looking at me like I was from the moon but said they were very happy to have someone come so far to see how they live.They were bugging out over my beard, leg and arm hair, to boot it is orange, funny. It was so my pleasure as I have watched TV shows on National Geographic on things like this and now I was there, I was so grateful. I had baked them some Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and after they were done dissecting it to see what it was all about, they chowed it down so fast that I think some missed out. We took a walk through the village, which had about 90 homes and everyone was coming out to see what was going on. Some of the people invited us in for some food but as we were so full already the girl that was translating for us told them it’s not personal we are just full. There were a few of the home that had a single solar panel attached to help with a few luxuries, like a light or a small TV or radio, it was really great to see. I also found out that there are only about 12 of these village left. Some of the kids from the school will return to their villages when they finish and some will go to college or get jobs in different cities but the head Abbott hopes most will go back so they can help to keep their tribes going. I made fast friends and had so much fun, I know I will go back to visit and this time I will stay longer.

The opening ceremonies of the Wat were great! The monks chanted, performed blessings followed by another amazing meal and then the night came to a close with the setting off of Kom Roy. Kom Roy are hand-made balloons lit on fire but just in the middle and they then float away with our wishes attached to them, some had fireworks going off too. It was a experience I will never forget and I feel like I am doing it no justice as I write about it and I hope the pictures I add will help. We all slept close together on the floor and woke up to the Monks chanting, beautiful. More praying in the new Temple, a final meal prepared by the men and set off for home, Wisit had to teach the next day and it was a long road home. I am planning a trip to a similar village in March with one of the students, Jaw. His village has about 70 homes and is 16 hours away by bus and that’s the only way there. His parents are both rice farms and make about $200 per month and that is why Jaw is here at the Wat. Here he can get a good education, clothes, food and friends and does not have to work everyday to help support the family. He will help them later by sending money which he told me he wants to work at the place where we went Zip-lining, Flight of the Gibbons. We have been working on his English because if he wants a job there he has to speak it to keep the people safe. Next week I will fill you in on much more, there is lot’s of upward movement going on here and as always thank’s so much for the donations I have been getting they have been going to great use. Cheers, -Stu

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This celebration was this past Friday and it was so much fun. The kids did a ton of work and it took 1 week to get it all together. This is always a big party at the Wat Don Chan, people come from all over for 2 days to celebrate the day of this guys death. The donations of food, drinks (no booze, I’m at a Temple silly), dessert and flowers, I am talking about 4 palets of flowers. Roses, carnations, lily’s and the kids with about 50 other volunteers put them all together, beautiful and the smell was amazing. There were over 100 Monks invited and there was 2 hours of chanting in the morning and another 2 hours in the evening, it was so cool. They have rows of yarn above your head and everyone gets to tie a piece to your own head so we are all connected. Some people meditate and others pray while the chanting is going on, I prayed for every person I know and the energy is felt by everybody, it was amazing. The chanting is to wish everyone good, good health, good wealth, good times, you get it. After the chanting you cut down your piece of yarn and ware it as a bracelet and keep it on until it falls off, pretty cool, huh? I had them tie mine extra tight.

We ate all day long and the food was great, small portions of all types of food and after the evening chanting, donuts, warm sweetened milk, different juices, again it was great. It ended with fireworks and the setting off of lanterns, we all had so much fun and some cleaning even got done by all until around 1 in the morning. The next 2 days were also clean up but the kids took their time and still had fun. I met so many great people and that included 5 people traveling here from the good old US of A and they want to help with some of the project as they will be here for 2 weeks. Three of them are coming over on Wed. to help me with the planting of some herbs to help with some extra seasoning for the kids food. We are just teaching them as they will have to manage this project, we want them to be self sustainable, remember… Again I promise pictures to follow. Anyone know anybody that has a hook up on underwear? Most of these kids do not have any and it is needed, I have bought about 50 pairs already and I need more, lot’s more, anyone, anyone? These kids are so good, we manage to have fun even when working. Until next time, peace y’all.

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Wow! This was amazing, we had so much fun. It all started when Joe from Friends of the Wat Don Chan (a little group that helps the kids here at the Wat) told me that a guy called Tony from Flight of the Gibbons would let orphans go free for a month. Well I just got here and the kids were on holiday from school so I got right on it! Tony said I could bring 35 kids a day to go zip-lining, have lunch and go to a great waterfall. We had 140 kids sign up and they where so happy as you will see in the pictures once I get a minute to put them up. For me it was great because Ihad never done it before and now I was going to do it everyday for 5 days. I got so sick since it rained one of the days but the kids wanted me to goso I could take pictures and video, how could I say no? Tree Top Asia is the name of the company so thanks guys and of course thanks to Tony. Here is the low down they pick you up in a great van with tons of Karaoke, suit you up to zip away, which there are 14 different stations, make you a great Thai lunch when you are done then take you to a great waterfall and serve you an amazing drink from an herb that I can’t remember the name of but I know they add ton’s of sugar but it’s still good. Most of the kids slept on the way home and I slept great those nights. The rain forest was great, the locals make their living from harvesting tea and coffee which we saw while flying as the guides call it. The guides were so nice and knowledgeable about the forest, if you come to visit me you must give this a try. I promise I will post pics soon…

 Wow! Where to begin? I thought if I blogevery couple of weeks that it would be ok but so much is happening. Well when I arrived th kids and the Monks welcomed me with open arms, I cold feel their energy, it was great. I am sleeping in the boy’s what they call “nurse’s office”, it’s very nice but the next day I had to get a fan because the heat made it difficult to sleep. The kids are holiday from school for 4 weeks so most of them are looking for stuff to do. Some of the kids have gone to visit family for this time. The ones that are here are busy with me cooking, making cookies, practicing English, a well I am working on my Thai and the Monks show them a movie every night on a big screen that some nice person donated to the Temple. There are a group of people that are coming to the Temple to teach the kids English on the weekends while on holiday, this group is so nice and they love the kids already after only 2 days, but who would’nt. Feel free to come see for yourself.

 Last night the kids got to make wishes and light off lanters which I took some video and when I have time I will post it.T he kids seem to be very happy and well taken care of. They have food but not much of a variety so last night I bought some chicken and I made a geat dinner with the girls to serve to everyone, it was a blast. People come to see Phra Ah Jon, the head Abbott and when they do they bring, fruits, veggies, rice, noddles and sometimes meat or fish and that is what the kids have to eat I have been tryng to show them different uses so they don’t get board of the same old style.

  I feel I am going to be needed to also help the kids work on their cleaning style, 700 kids so there is lot’s of mess and they seem to walk over a lot instead of picking it up. I am very happy to see that they are now recycling, YAY! So much more to tell you but I am off to work on getting their Karaoke machine fixed for a little show tonight. Peace and love, thanks for all of the support. -Stu

 Well I made it! The flight was great, watched one crappy movie then slept most of the way. My last days in LA were so crazy and  I was so tired between work, packing, phone calls and trying to see people (which didn’t happen as much as would have liked, sorry) I was ready for a long nap. On my last night at home, before heading to the airport  I had  a great dinner with my dear friend Jenna  at my buddy  Warrens place, Westside Tavern, it’s awesome you should go eat there. It was so hard to say goodbye,  well for a year anyway. I already really miss everyone so much.

  Ok funny story so I was so busy getting everything ready to go that I never looked at my flight info, I just went on what I remembered and I guess I remembered wrong and got to the airport a day early…I really could have used that extra day at home but I was packed, I was at the airport, I had nothing to sleep on and they had a flight leaving, so off I went with just enough time to let Stevie know I would be there a day early since  he was going to pick me up in Bangkok.

 Bangkok was AWESOME! Steve bought a house and let me stay with him. It’s so beautiful, Koi pond, tons of room and he did most of the cooking. My jet-lag was pretty bad this time so being taken care off was so nice for a while. Bangkok was mostly about hanging with friends, old and new, ton’s of eating, a bit of drinking ( Lot’s of whiskey but they put so much ice and club soda that you spend plenty of time running to the bathroom), saw 2 movies (shrimp and BBQ flavored popcorn, yum) 1 day we went to the Floating Market and bought ton’s of fruit, mancout and fresh coconuts. The weather was ok most of the time, I wanted to hit the beach but of course those were the day’s we had rain.

 Last year when I was in the South of  Thailand in Sa Keao I met a 17 year old boy named Um and he has Polio. We noticed something was not right and I took his family a chicken and we asked his grandfather if we could take him to Bangkok to see a doctor. Well Um has been in Bangkok for a year now and has had 2 surgeries and is doing great. With the help of an angel named Joy he is now in a group home and is going to school and living a good happy life. Dean is a guy in my Thai class in LA and he got someone to donate a new wheelchair to Um, Thai airways let me take it for free and I delivered it to him a few days ago, he was so thankful and let me tell you, it was needed. I told  Um I wanted to take him somewhere, anywhere and all he wanted was to goto the mall and eat pizza and ice cream, so we did, I have a few pictures to be posted soon.

 I just arrived a couple of days ago at the Wat Don Chan in Chiang Mai but   one of the Monk’s needs something on the computer so I am off to play soccer with the kids. I will fill you in on more in a few days. Peace and blessings, -Stu

Welcome to my first shot at blogging, I am looking forward to sharing some great stories about the kids of the Wat Don Chan orphanage. I am leaving for Bangkok, Thailand on September 27th, I plan to visit with some friends and get over the jet-lag and stay there for a week or so before heading to Chiang Mai. I currently have a 3 month Visa and all I have to do is re-applying with the immigration office for a 1 year extension when I get there. I have heard some horror stories about the Thai immigration officers but once they know what type of work I am doing with the kids, it should not be a problem and showing up with a few Monks should help too. As of right now I am just getting all of my ducks in a row for leaving my home for a year. I do have to say I am a bit tired and overwhelmed but there is lot’s to do when going away for so long. This being said when I think of seeing those kids, it all goes away… First posting, DONE!