Connor's Last Tak Entry
It took me four months but I finally found a quiet place to walk where I could enjoy the tranquility of nature. However, on my second trip out I walked by a house that had six dogs. Thankfully, they were fenced in. Then one dog jumped onto a spirit house and over the fence. I expected the rest to follow so I rushed into the woods to find a stick. Thankfully none of the other five dogs realized how to jump over the fence and the dog didn’t enter the woods. I breathed a sigh of relief and I turned around only to see a pack six wild dogs watching my every move. They didn’t attack and I managed to slip away but I know I dogged a bullet that time.
It took me four months but I finally found a quiet place to walk where I could enjoy the tranquility of nature. However, on my second trip out I walked by a house that had six dogs. Thankfully, they were fenced in. Then one dog jumped onto a spirit house and over the fence. I expected the rest to follow so I rushed into the woods to find a stick. Thankfully none of the other five dogs realized how to jump over the fence and the dog didn’t enter the woods. I breathed a sigh of relief and I turned around only to see a pack six wild dogs watching my every move. They didn’t attack and I managed to slip away but I know I dogged a bullet that time.
The Thai community in
Tak have been incredibly kind to Heather and I despite a gigantic language
barrier. They accepted us as part of their community and I am very grateful for
that. Here are some stories of their generosity.
Internet Cafe
Heather and I became
friends with a very nice family that ran an internet cafe. Before I left they
put up a photo of me in their store, gave me a CD full of photos from shared
memories and took Heather and I out to dinner at the best restaurant in Tak.
Yet, they weren’t finished. The morning before Heather and I were leaving they
stopped by and gave us a bunch of candle holders and they still weren’t
finished. An hour later, they stopped by again and gave us some beautiful
handmade cloth.
Restaurant #1
At one restaurant the owner saw us as her grandchildren and often refused to let us pay for meals. She bought both Heather and I Tak t-shirts and even gave us each a gold medallion with a king of Thailand on it that had been in her family for years.
Restaurant #2
At one restaurant they really wanted to give us a goodbye message in English. The trouble was the only friend they knew who spoke English lived in Germany. It turned out that didn’t matter and before I knew it I was speaking to their friend in Germany who told Heather and I in English that many people were going to miss us.
Motorcycle Man
One man from the community showed up on my doorstep one day with a big smile. In his hand he held the most surprising gift that Heather and I received. He had handmade each of us a cowboy hat! This was exciting so we spent the morning walking around town in cowboy hats. That wraps up my time in Tak and now I'm off to Cambodia!
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| What a useful information board... |
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| Read the red writing under King Taksin aloud without pausing. Yes, aloud it's worth it. |
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| A Thai Style Graduation |
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| High School Graduates put flowers on their heads. |
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| Mango picking |
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| Construction in Thailand |
Hi Connor, this is Sabrina (from roots)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that the people in Tak sound amazing. It is really cool how they are so welcoming are teach you guys so much.
I hope that I can be like that restaurant owner and be "grandmother" to some new people one day :)
Have a great time in Cambodia!
Somehow I missed these last posts when they came out and only read them now. I did read all of the writing in red, Connor, and it made me laugh. I just saw a picture of you and Heather with James in Istanbul (I think that's where it was taken, anyway!), and I'm so happy that you have the chance to explore such a neat area before coming home! I'm looking forward to seeing you both (and James, too, if he comes to visit!).
ReplyDelete-Joanna