Love from Grandpa

Happy birthday Noah

2011-11-01T08:20:00.000+10:00

Happy birthday Zac

2011-08-25T09:25:00.000+10:00

Happy birthday Isaac

2011-07-26T10:19:00.002+10:00

Happy birthday Harry

2011-06-29T10:16:00.003+10:00

Lumpini encounter

2011-06-05T14:20:00.003+10:00

What a beautiful day. I think I'll find a sunny spot in this tree to sunbake.

Oh no. A pesky photographer has spotted me. Go away, pleeeease.

He won't go away. I'm outa here.

Bye bye. Don't try to follow me.

photos taken Lumpini Park, Bangkok

Happy birthday Chloe

2011-05-25T12:37:00.001+10:00

Snake temple

2011-04-02T12:29:00.005+10:00

Many years ago there was a Chinese Buddhist monk named Chor Soo Kong who came to live in Penang. Like the Buddha he cared for all living creatures—even poisonous snakes. It is said that he gave shelter to snakes from the jungle.

A temple was built in his memory. It was finished about 1850. After it was completed vipers, poisonous snakes, came to stay in the temple. Vipers are still living in the temple today. Although their venom is deadly to humans, they have never been known to attack anyone. The correct name of the temple is Hock Kin Keong, sometimes it's also called the Temple of the Azure Cloud but most people call it the snake temple.

I visited the snake temple recently. There is a room in the temple where there are quite a few snakes. There are some big pythons. You can have your picture taken with them if you wish. There are also a few little guys like this.

Actually, when I got there these snakes were not moving at all. I thought they must be fakes. I asked someone and he said 'No, they like to rest in the daytime. They move around more at night.' Most of them were on a tall stand but this one was on a stand about one metre high. The man prodded it and it started to move. So I took a few photos.

The man explained that all the snakes on the high stand are venomous. They have poison that can kill a man. This one has had the venom removed. They put a red mark on its forehead so they know which one is safe.

I went out the back of the temple where there are some gardens. In trees in the gardens you can see more snakes sleeping.

When I came back inside I took this closeup shot of the snake without any venom.

Some of the others were moving around a little too. So I got on a chair and took this pic of one of them.

Happy birthday Ben

2011-03-28T06:01:00.002+10:00

Learning to shoot wildlife with a camera

2011-03-06T18:48:00.004+10:00

When I was in Thailand recently, my friend, Larry, suggested we go to visit Michel in Kanchanaburi. Michel and his wife, Nong, take fantastic photos of wildlife which they put on flickr. They invited us to come and stay in their house for a few days. Here they are with Nong's grandson.

When we arrived we went to see the Bridge over the River Kwai which was famous in World War II. There was a movie made about it.

The next day we went off into the bush to take photos of wildlife.

Michel is going to give us some tips on taking great wildlife pictures.

After a while, he stopped the Land Cruiser and said 'See, there.'

'What?'

'In the bamboo. Squirrels.'

'Squirrels? I don't see any squirrels. All I see is lots of bamboo.'

Michel pointed and I saw it. Can you see it in the photo above?

Later I got this close-up shot.

I learned the first lesson of shooting wildlife (with a camera). Keep your eyes open and look carefully.

A little further along the track we stopped again beside another clump of bamboo. 'See the bird?'

It took me a while. But I could see it. It's tiny. How did he see it while he was driving?

I got this shot.

And I've learned the second important lesson of shooting wildlife. It's the same as the first. Keep your eyes open and look carefully.

Later we got out of the car and took a walk in the bush. I got this shot all by myself.

OK, so it's only a chicken. But it was free in the bush and it was hard to see against the colour of the straw. Can you see the baby chicken?

Happy birthday Izmaillah

2011-02-13T12:00:00.001+10:00

Thaipusam

2011-01-26T12:22:00.004+10:00

At the moment I am staying in Penang in Malaysia. Like Australia, Malaysia is a country with people from many other countries. There are many Indian people who live here. Indians have many different gods. One of those gods is called Murugan.

Each year in Penang, and in other places, a festival is held so that people can ask for help from the god Murugan. To get Murugan's help people carry a burden. The more difficult the burden, the more help they hope to get.

Some people carry a kavadi on their shoulders for a long walk to the temple.

Some put little hooks in their backs.

Some put big hooks in their backs. Remember, the more pain the more help you want.

Some pierce their mouths and their tongues.

I even saw one who put hooks in his face with coconuts hanging off them.

All this happens at a festival called Thaipusam. You can see more photos I took at the Thaipusam festival here.

love from Grandpa

Homeless kids

2010-11-08T12:15:00.002+10:00

From the window of my room in my guesthouse I look down onto this spot where some families sleep every night. They have to move on in the morning because there are shops there. When the shops open the homeless families must be gone.

The kids usually get washed with water from bottles. I don't know if they use soap. I don't see any. They seem to wear the same clothes day after day. Their skin is clean but their clothes are dirty.

When they want to pee the kids usually go over to the road and do it. I haven't seen what they do when they poo. There is never any on the footpath. They must have somewhere they can go.

During the day I don't think the kids go to school because I still see them around begging. They wouldn't have much money and kids in Cambodia have to take money to school to pay the teacher every day or they can't come to school.

Some of the older boys, teenagers, ride cyclos which are tricycle taxis but I don't see them getting much work.

I see them at times with a brush looking for people who want their shoes shined. Sometimes I see homeless people collecting recyclable materials. The kids and the adults do this. But mostly I see them begging—maybe a mum and a baby, maybe a few kids together, maybe a grandma. They often hang around the money changers and ask for money after people get some money changed.

When I walk around the streets in Phnom Penh, I see many families and many kids like this. There are some kids who don't even have families. They just live on the streets with their friends.

Perhaps there are over a hundred homeless people in the few blocks near my guesthouse. Cambodia is a very poor country. Maybe these people are the poorest in Cambodia.

Happy 1st birthday Noah

2010-11-01T16:33:00.001+10:00

Butterfly escape

2010-10-24T14:55:00.011+10:00

Once upon a time when Grandpa was in Penang his friend took him to visit Penang Butterfly Park.

Penang Butterfly Park has many interesting butterflies and other interesting things too.

Grandpa saw many beautiful butterflies but he didn't touch them.

He saw a delightful duck but he didn't touch it.

He saw a terrifying tarantula and he definitely didn't touch it.

He got really close to a scary scorpion and even though Grandpa is a scorpion too, he didn't touch it.

When Grandpa met the biggest bug he'd ever seen in his life he became very excited. He looked around and everyone seemed to be looking the other way so he kissed it.

Next Grandpa was arrested by a Butterfly Park policeman who pointed to a sign.

They put Grandpa in Butterfly Park jail.

But don't worry, in the middle of the night while Grandpa was asleep a million butterflies flew into the jail and together they picked Grandpa up and flew with him out through a big hole in the roof of the jail. They placed Grandpa gently on the lawn outside the butterfly park.

The next morning when Grandpa woke he realised he was free. He got out of there as quickly as he could.

The end

Dinosaur adventure

2010-10-11T12:04:00.008+10:00

Once upon a time when Grandpa was visiting Kalasin in north-east Thailand his friend Larry said, 'You know, John, Kalasin is famous because they found a complete dinosaur skeleton here.'

'I wonder if there are still any dinosaurs around,' said Grandpa.

'Na. Don't you know anything? They died out years ago. But if you like we could go and take a look where they used to be.'

So Larry and Grandpa set out on Larry's motorcycle. When they stopped Grandpa noticed there were lots of pools of water lying on the ground.

'Hey Larry, what do these pools of water look like to you?'

'They look like pools of water. It is the rainy season you know.'

'Yeah but, haven't you noticed they are shaped like dinosaur footprints.'

'John, you have a wonderful imagination.'

'Yeah. Well what do you reckon that is?'

'Larry,' said Grandpa, 'that sure looks like a somethingorothersaurus to me. I wonder if it's friendly.

'John. Don't go any closer.'

'Well there's only one and there's two of us.'

'Oh, yeah? Well look over there.'

'Wow,' said Grandpa. 'This is really cool. Wait'll I tell my grandkids about this.'

'You can only tell them if we get out alive. Look, they're coming closer.

Just then Grandpa felt something bight him on the bum. He turned around and this whatsitosaurus looked like it was looking for a fight. As you can see, Grandpa wasn't afraid he squared right up to it.

And hit it so hard that he pushed its head out of the top of the picture that Larry was taking.

But there were too many of them.

'I think we're done for,' said Larry.

But just then…

...this guy turned up out of nowhere, grabbed Larry and Grandpa in each of its hands and with one mighty leap took them all the way to Bangkok where Grandpa was able to take this picture.

'Now, how am I going to get my motorbike back?' said Larry.

'I guess that's another story,' said Grandpa.

The End

A visit to Hell

2010-09-17T13:06:00.003+10:00

In Vientiane there is a place called Buddha Park which has lots of statues of Buddha but it has other statues that are not so friendly as the Buddha statues. It also has this strange building. Inside the building is Heaven, Earth and Hell.

To get into the building you have to go into the monster's mouth. When you are inside it is dark.

You climb some stairs and there are windows so you can look out on the park.

Eventually you come out at the top. But there is another entrance at the top. This one takes you first to Heaven, then to Earth and then…

...to visit the monsters in Hell.

Quick get me outta here!

Would you dare to visit the monsters in Hell?

There are more pictures of Buddha Park here.

love from Grandpa

Sujata

2010-09-13T16:27:00.003+10:00

Once upon a time there was a young, beautiful girl named Sujata who wanted a husband and a son. She was told to go to a banyan tree near the river and pray to the tree god.

Later she married a good man and they had a son. Sujata was very happy and always wanted to serve the tree god to show her appreciation.

Sujata had many cows that gave sweet milk. She used this milk to make sweet rice to give as an offering to the tree god.

One day, Sujata's servant went to clean the area under the tree but was surprised to see someone meditating there. The servant ran back to Sujata and said, 'The tree god is meditating under the tree. Now you will be able to give him rice in person.'

But it was not the tree god. It was Siddhartha Gautama meditating under the banyan tree. He was meditating so that he could become the Buddha.

Sujata took the bowl of rice to Siddhartha and bowed respectfully. She said, 'Please accept this rice from me. May you be as successful in obtaining your wishes as I have been.'

Siddhartha ate the rice. He continued to meditate under that tree and in time became enlightened. He achieved his wishes and became the Buddha.

The End

The sculpture of Siddhartha and Sujata was on the wall of a temple in Vientiane, Laos.

Rich Grandpa

2010-09-09T16:36:00.002+10:00

Before I left Thailand, I took some money out of the bank and brought it with me to spend on my travels. In Thailand the money is called baht. If you have an Australian dollar and change it into Thai baht you get about 28 baht or maybe not so much now.

The money was in Thai notes each worth 1,000 baht. (Can you work out how many dollars that is worth?)

When I am in another country I go to the money changer and change my Thai baht for the local money. When I am in Cambodia, I get 130,000 reil for 1,000 baht. Now I am in Laos. Today I went to the money changer with 3,000 baht. I got 780,000 kip. (You can see it all in the picture.) I had another 1,000 baht in my pocket. If I had changed it I would have got over one million kip. I would have been a millionaire.

But unfortunately all that money doesn't buy so much. When I buy my lunch it costs me about 15,000 kip or more. I don't think my million kip will last for a long time.

School for monks

2010-09-02T18:53:00.001+10:00

These guys are monks at Wat Xam in Kompong Chhnang. This is a temple with a school for monks. There are over 100 monks who live at the temple. Most of them are there because their parents are very poor and can't afford to send them to school. So they become monks and go to live at the temple. Every morning they walk around the neighbourhood and people give them food. Sometimes they get a lot. Sometimes, not so much. Sometimes they get water in bottles too. Sometimes they don't get enough and they have to drink the water from under the ground. It isn't always clean but it's cleaner than the water from the river.

After the monks finish school here, many will go to Phnom Penh and study at the Buddhist University there. Most will stop being monks after they finish studying. Then they'll have to try to find a job.

I used to teach the monks at this school about four years ago. I visited last week to see if any of my old students were there but they weren't. They must have all moved to Phnom Penh or stopped being monks.

Don't walk—run

2010-08-30T20:33:00.002+10:00

In Australia, on a busy street, you have a 'walk' and 'don't walk' sign to tell you when to cross the road.

In Phnom Penh many intersections don't have lights. You have to get across the best way you can. Sometimes cars and motorcycles are going in all directions and even on the footpath.

Some busy intersections now have lights and also signs to help pedestrians. When the light turns green there are two lights to guide you. The top one tells you how many seconds you have to get across. The bottom one is animated and shows someone—no, they're not walking—they look like they're really running across the street.

I'm not sure but they seem to go faster as the time runs out.

Trikes

2010-08-17T14:18:00.003+10:00

In Australia mostly little kids ride tricycles. Here in Thailand and other Asian countries it is very common to see adults riding tricycles. Some have motors and some have pedals. Here are two motorcycle tricycles that I saw in my street the other day.

love from Grandpa

Basket vendor

2010-08-10T18:48:00.001+10:00

A vendor is someone who sells something. In most Asian countries you can see many vendors in the streets. Some set up stalls and sell to people who pass, just like a little shop on the side of the road. Some vendors walk carrying whatever it is they are selling.

This vendor has a motorbike with a sidecar. He has all different kinds of baskets that he sells to people. The baskets are used for many different purposes.

In this picture you can hardly see the vendor. The men wearing orange vests are motorcycle-taxi drivers. If you take a bus home it stops along the main road. Perhaps you live a long way from the main road and it is too far to walk. You can take a motorcycle taxi. They will drive you to your home.

I don't know what kind of baskets the motorcycle-taxi drivers bought but they look very interested in these baskets.

PS. At the moment I live just around the corner from this spot.

love from Grandpa

Free the birds

2010-08-09T16:58:00.002+10:00

When we visited Wat Sala Loi in Korat there was a man who had these birds in a cage. They were for sale. When people buy them they don't take them home. These are not pet birds, they are wild birds. People buy them to set them free. They think that by setting the birds free they will make merit.

The next day the man will be back at the temple selling wild birds again. He has caught some more. Maybe they are even the same birds. I don't think there is any merit from buying these birds. If people stopped buying the birds the man would stop catching them and selling them. The birds would always be free. What do you think?

Very thin Buddha

2010-08-07T23:47:00.002+10:00

Before the Buddha became the Buddha he was a prince. He had everything that money could buy. OK, he didn't have a Playstation or any other gaming equipment. They hadn't been invented in those days. But he was rich enough that he could have anything that had been invented.

His name was Siddhattha Gotama. Sometimes you'll see that spelt differently but it is probably still the same person. Anyway, he grew up with everything his parents, the king and queen, could buy him. When he grew up he fell in love and married and his wife had a son. But there were things about life he did not understand. He knew that no matter how much people had they still experienced suffering. He knew this but he didn't know why. So he left the palace and his family and became an ascetic. An ascetic is a person who lives life with almost nothing usually for religious reasons.

Siddhattha had some teachers who taught him all they knew but he still didn't have all the answers. At one point he didn't eat anything for a long, long time and became very thin. He almost died. And it didn't work either so he started eating again.

In Asia there are many beautiful statues of the Buddha but the ones I don't see very often are the ones of Siddhattha when he was very thin. When I was in Korat I was wandering around Wat Phayup. At the back, under a Bodhi Tree there was a statue of Siddhattha when he was very thin so I took this picture for you.

There is another picture like this here.

Cave temple

2010-08-04T22:11:00.001+10:00

Once I went to a Buddhist temple that was inside a big cave, a real cave. In Korat there is one they call 'the cave in the city'. But it is not a real cave.

Phra Raj Wimonmelee, the head monk of Wat Phayup, once found some pieces of rock that had come from inside a cave. There had been an explosion, perhaps the cave was in a mine and it was blown up. When Phra Raj Wimonmelee found it many of the stalactites and stalagmites were there as well as other rocks from inside the cave. He bought them and had them sent back to his temple. There a cave was constructed inside a building. When you go into the building it is like you are inside a cave.

love from Grandpa

Temple dogs

2010-08-03T19:59:00.001+10:00

Buddhist monks must never harm a living thing. Usually they will not even kill a mosquito. To kill anything, even a mosquito, is to make bad karma. If you go to a Buddhist temple it is OK to wear an insect repellent to keep the mosquitos away from you but you shouldn't kill them.

Lots of animals seem to know that they are safe in a Buddhist monastery and they make their way there. If there is a river next to the wat often the fish come to that spot and monks or other people feed them. There is even one temple in Thailand that is famous because of the tigers there. No one harms the tigers and the tigers don't harm anyone but they are still wild tigers.

In Thailand there are many stray dogs. People often feed stray dogs because that is a way of making merit. Often the dogs find their way to Buddhist temples and the monks look after them. It is usual to see lots of dogs as well as other animals in Buddhist temples in Thailand.

When I visited Wat Phayup with Nid we saw this dog. Its back legs seemed to be a little crippled. It could still walk but its legs didn't work properly. If it tried to scratch itself with its left hind leg, the leg wouldn't reach the itchy spot. The dog would keep trying but just kept going around in circles. We felt sorry for this dog but in the end he needed to scratch his right side and that worked. So then we were happy for it.

love from Grandpa

Making merit

2010-07-28T18:41:00.003+10:00

Many Buddhists believe in karma. If you want good things to happen to you then you should do good things. If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. Because of this, many Thai people like to do things to 'make merit' ('tam boon' in Thai language) so that good things will happen to them.

Buddhist monks don't usually buy food for themselves. They are usually only allowed to eat food that is given to them by others. Some monks live in areas where people are very poor so the monks don't get a lot to eat. Others are lucky and get more food than they can eat because lots of people like to make merit by feeding the monks.

At certain times of the year people are invited to make merit by coming to the temple and donating things to the monks, necessary things like clothes, soap, toothpaste, anything they might need on a regular basis.

I went to visit a temple near Mahasarakham with my friend. This temple in known as Wat Wangleung. In Thailand there are two types of monks, the regular ones and forest monks. Forest monks are more strict and follow more rules than the others. For example, they only eat one meal a day. Wat Wangleung is a temple for forest monks.

It was Sunday when I visited so many people had come along to make merit. There was a lot of food. First the food was offered to the monks who each took a little from each tray that was offered. After all the food was offered to the monks, what was left over was put on a table and all the people who had come along were able to share it.

Later there was a special ceremony. My friend's family had donated a sala to the temple. A sala is like a hall but it is open at the sides. People can gather there for ceremonies or to talk with the monks. This sala had just been built and a ceremony was held to hand it over to the monks.

After the ceremony I had a chat with the head monk. He invited me to come and stay at the temple next time I come back to Thailand. Maybe I will.

If you want to see more photos that I took during my visit to Wat Wangleung, just click here.

When you write Wat Wangleung in Thai it looks like this: วัดวังเลีง

love from Grandpa

Happy birthday Harry

2010-06-29T11:57:00.003+10:00

Happy birthday Chloe

2010-05-25T08:48:00.001+10:00

Ben wins award

2009-12-05T16:42:00.002+10:00

Ben Shield recently won an award as Pacific Paradise State School's Junior Woodwind Player of the Year.

Congratulations Ben. Keep that sax hot.

love from Grandpa

Welcome Noah

2009-11-07T16:38:00.002+10:00

Izmaillah and Isaac have a new brother. Ben, Zac, Harry and Chloe have a new cousin. Welcome to the family Noah. Lots of love from all of us. And especially, love from your Granddad.

These are my students

2009-09-26T00:12:00.002+10:00

I teach English two days a week at a primary school in Mahasarakham. I have three different classes. They are grade 4, grade 5 and grade 6. Can you tell which is which? Can you pick which one in the pictures is your grandfather?

love from your Granddad

Magic top

2009-09-12T00:13:00.001+10:00

I went to a science fair at the university. In one display they had this spinning top. It's quite small. The guy got it spinning on top of a piece of hard plastic that he was holding above the table. When he moved the plastic away, the top kept spinning in the air. Magic?

love from Grandpa

Life in Mahasarakham

2009-09-02T23:15:00.004+10:00

I went to visit a village in Mahasarakham province and took this photo to show you how the people live. This is a house. In the daytime, the cattle go out in the fields and eat the grass. In the night time the cattle come and stay under the house. The big pot is for keeping water in. There are no taps and they collect water off the roof when it rains. Do you think you would like to live in a house like this?

love from your Granddad

Happy birthday Zac

2009-08-25T11:46:00.001+10:00

Welcome ceremony

2009-08-15T20:52:00.004+10:00

At Mahasarakham University many of the students come from other countries like China and Cambodia. When new students arrive there is a party to welcome them. At the party they are entertained by a Thai band and dancers. Then there is a special ceremony.

A Brahmin priest performs the ceremony. In it everyone gets some string tied around their wrist. The string is a way of welcoming them and making them feel part of the university.

love from Grandpa John

Ben the saxophonist

2009-08-05T12:33:00.001+10:00

Ben Connor Shield plays saxaphone in prize-winning school band. Whoooo hoooo. Go Ben!!!

Spiky and smelly

2009-07-31T12:42:00.001+10:00

Have you ever seen this fruit? It's called durian. It's also called the king of fruits and it's very popular in Thailand and other Asian countries. If you want to eat it, first you have to peel it. Those spikes are sharp. You need gloves and a sharp knife to cut it open. Usually I let the vendor who sells it to me peel it for me. When it is cut open it has a very strong smell. Some people don't like the smell. Me? I like it. Some people don't like the taste either. Me? I like the taste too. There is a lot of durian around in Thailand now. Come to visit me and you can taste it for yourself.

love from Grandpa John

Happy birthday Isaac

2009-07-24T20:22:00.001+10:00

Sunday is Isaac's birthday

What's for dinner?

2009-07-17T16:08:00.002+10:00

Do you like eating meat? What is your favourite? How would you like to try this kind? These are frogs in a market in Bangkok. Thai people like to eat them. I tried it once. I didn't like it much. I won't bother next time.

Enjoy your dinner.

love from your Granddad

Strange creature

2009-07-09T12:22:00.002+10:00

What do you think is happening here? I took this photo of a wood carving on a temple door in Mahasarakham. The creature on the left looks a little like a giant bird and a little like a dragon but it has tusks and a trunk like an elephant. I wonder what it is going to do with the elephant. Do you think it is going to eat it? The elephant doesn't seem to be trying to fight it. Maybe it is rescuing the elephant. From what? I don't know. What do you think?

love from Granddad

Happy birthday Harry

2009-06-29T11:55:00.001+10:00

Have a very happy birthday Harry.

Now Grandma's 96

2009-06-22T12:10:00.001+10:00

On Saturday it was your Grandma's birthday—actually, I mean your great-grandmother. Your great-grandmother, Hazel Shield, turned 96. Not many people get to be that old. Maybe she'll still be here for another four years and then she'll be 100. This picture was taken this year. She looks healthy. How old will you be when Grandma turns 100?

love from your young Granddad who is only 61

Meet the elephant

2009-06-08T11:48:00.002+10:00

On the weekend I went to visit my friend who lives on a main road in Mahasarakham. While I was there a procession came down the road so we went outside to take a look. While we were watching the procession these two guys were walking up the other side of the road with this little elephant. They have some kind of food in the bags and if you want to feed the elephant you can buy the food from them.

Later they came back down our side. The elephant came right up to me and was pushing me with its head, looking for some food. It is only a little elephant but very strong. My friend bought some food and gave it to the elephant but it was still looking for some from me. But I didn't feed it because I was too busy trying to get this picture for you.

love from Grandpa John

Happy Birthday Chloe

2009-05-25T11:38:00.002+10:00

Strange creatures in Thailand

2009-05-07T12:57:00.005+10:00

Last weekend I went to visit Maha Chedi Chai Mongkhon which is a very special temple not far from where I live in Thailand. And there I met these strange creatures. Fortunately they were all friendly.

First was this dragon. You can see it is waving its paw.

Next was this dragon fish that was jumping out of the water because it was so glad to see me.

There was also a dragon-tortoise and you can see from it's smile that it is happy to see me too.

love from your Grandpa

Dangerous weapon

2009-04-23T11:52:00.002+10:00

I saw this for sale in a street stall in Mahasarakham the other day. It sounds really dangerous. Would you like to be shot by a pooh squirt gun? I'd hate someone to squirt pooh on me. Yuk!

It didn't smell too bad. I guess it wasn't loaded so I decided to take a closer look.

Hey, it doesn't squirt pooh after all. It's a water pistol with a reserve tank in the shape of Pooh Bear. I'm so glad. I don't mind being squirted with water. But pooh? No way!

love from your Granddad

I survived Songkran

2009-04-18T17:49:00.001+10:00

Well, actually this is an old picture. This is what happened to me in Songkran 2001. But don't worry it all washed off.

Here in Mahasarakham there were a few people throwing water around. Sometimes people could see that I had my camera with me so I only got a little bit wet. On the days when I didn't have my camera I got really wet.

Sa wat dee be mai.

Happy Thai new year

2009-04-10T12:38:00.001+10:00

Hi everyone, here in Thailand right now it's new year. They call it Songkran. At Songkran people like to wash the hands of their parents and other people who are important to them. It is supposed to wash away bad luck. But often people get a bit excited by this and start throwing water over anybody. Once I was on a bus and when it stopped someone threw water in the door. This will go on for the next five days. Most people don't mind very much because it's very hot here right now.

To say happy new year to a Thai person, you say 'sa wat dee be mai'.

Happy new year from Grandpa

Hey, it's Ben's birthday

2009-03-27T19:50:00.003+10:00

Saturday is Ben's birthday. To see the card properly, click on it.

Somersaults

2009-02-13T08:18:00.001+10:00

Today Izmaillah is eight years old. He is so excited, he is doing somersaults.

Have a good one Iz.

Love from Granddad

The boy who turned into a plum tree

2009-01-05T15:25:00.004+10:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Prunus who loved to eat plums.

'You shouldn't eat so many plums,' his mother told him. 'One day you'll turn into a plum tree.'

The only time that Prunus stopped eating plums was when there were none in the shops. And there were none in the shops because they were out of season.

When plums were out of season Prunus would become very sad. He tried eating other fruit but nothing made him happy like eating plums. He ate stewed plums out of tins but that only helped a little bit. He didn't become happy again until plums were back in season and on sale in the shops.

One year Prunus had been waiting a long time for his beloved plums to return and when they did he pestered his mother so that she bought three kilos of them. Prunus didn't wait until they got home. He started eating them in the car.

'Prunus, be patient. If you eat too many too quickly they'll give you diarrhoea.'

'I don't care. I just love plums.'

Prunus did love plums and they made him very greedy. He ate the whole three kilos before they got home. He didn't want to stop eating them. When he reached the last one he kept sucking the seed in his mouth. He sucked and sucked. He wanted to get as much plum off it as he could. He sucked the seed so hard that he swallowed it 'Gulp' straight down into his belly.

'Mum! Mum! I swallowed a seed!'

'Well, I told you not to be so greedy.' Mum pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. She got out and started picking up the groceries from the back seat.

Prunus raced around to her. 'But Mum, what will happen to it?' He looked really worried.

Mum kept picking up the groceries. 'Don't worry dear. It will come out when you go to the toilet.'

'Won't it hurt?'

'Maybe just a little bit. You'll be fine.' Mum shut the car door and walked to the house.

'But Mum. What if it doesn't come out?'

'Then the seed will grow inside your belly and turn into a plum tree.' Mum smiled.

For the next few days, whenever Prunus went to the toilet he checked to see if he could see a plum seed. He never did.

And inside Prunus' belly the seed sprouted a root. The root worked it's way down into Prunus' bowel where his poo was forming. As you know, poo is a good fertiliser and fertiliser makes plants grow. A shoot started to grow up from Prunus' belly.

Prunus could feel something funny going on in his belly but his mother said, 'Don't mind darling. It's just that plum seed trying to find its way out.'

Then one day when Prunus woke he found a branch was growing out of his mouth. It was already too thick for him to bite through. He went to the kitchen and said to his mother, 'Gare sa planch krowwem rom my mauf.'

'Don't speak with your mouth full, Prunus. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast. Don't be late for school.' She was too busy getting ready for work. She didn't even look.

Prunus sat at the table and didn't touch his breakfast. He still hadn't eaten anything when his mother left for work. 'Bye dear. Now hurry up. Don't be late for school.'

'Go to school,' Prunus thought. 'No way. All the kids'll laugh at me because of this branch growing out of my mouth.' He went down the backyard and sat on the swing. Prunus liked to sit on the swing whenever he was upset.

While Prunus was sitting on the swing another branch sprouted from his left nostril. Then one came from his right ear.

'Oh no! I really am going to turn into a plum tree.'

Another branch sprouted from his left ear and one from his right nostril too.

'Glelllp!' he called out but no one heard him.

Then his eyes popped out as two more branches grew from his eye holes.

'Nobody's going to come and help me now. And I can't even see.' Prunus thought. He was about to kick himself off on the swing when a root burst out of his bum and struck itself into the ground. Prunus could not move.
When Prunus' Mum came home later she couldn't find Prunus anywhere but she found a plum tree growing under the swing in the backyard.

In time beautiful plums grew on the tree. Prunus' Mum enjoyed the plums. 'I wonder where Prunus got to,' she thought. 'He would have liked these plums. Oh well, I'll just have to eat them myself.'

The End

Footnote: The inspiration for this story came when Izmaillah told me he once swallowed a plum seed and the seed never came out.

Illustrations by Izmaillah Ouedraogo

Huff puff: Grandpa's exercise

2009-01-01T16:00:00.004+10:00

When I was in India I stayed for a little while in Mussoorie in the mountains. I stayed in a guest house that was near the top of this picture. If I needed to go shopping I had to walk down this road to the shops. And then I had to walk back up again to go home. It is very steep. Huff...puff. Your grandfather got plenty of exercise while he was living in that guest house.

Sometimes I would go for a walk up the mountain and I would have to climb up this road. Huff...puff. More exercise for Grandpa.

Huff...puff. When I got to the top of the mountain, after I stopped puffing, I could see a view like this. Do you think it was worth the climb? I do.

love from Granddad

Drying the laundry

2008-12-30T18:49:00.001+10:00

Hey, how do you dry the laundry at your house? Most Australian homes have a clothes line. When I lived in Bangkok I had to hang my washing on the verandah. It was so hot that the clothes usually dried very quickly. In India many people climb onto their roof and spread the washing out to dry.

I was able to take this photo because I was staying in the mountains and the hills are very steep. I was on a road above the roof of these houses.

Hope your clothes are dry.

love from Granddad

An Indian house

2008-12-21T19:11:00.003+10:00

Do you like your house? Would you like to live in a house like this? This is not a cubby house. This is a real house. A whole Indian family lives in it. They don't have much in their house but they have a great view.

Would you like to live there? The hills are very steep and in winter it gets very cold.

love from your Granddad

Please mister, buy a paper

2008-12-17T08:26:00.003+10:00

This girl is maybe just a couple of years older than Ben. We were in a taxi in Delhi. When the taxi stopped at the lights she came to the window with a newspaper to sell. She pressed her face against the window and did not leave until the lights changed. Maybe she thought that the foreigner would like to buy a newspaper more than the Indian people in the other cars.

At many of the traffic lights in Delhi there are kids, often younger than this girl, who are selling something: a newspaper or magazine, a toy, some incense. Some kids will do acrobatics. Some kids have nothing to sell and nothing to do. They just hold their hands out and beg. They do this because they need money to buy food for themselves and their families. Some of them never go to school.

Visitor

2008-12-11T18:16:00.002+10:00

In India I went to stay in the mountains. In Australia we don't get very high mountains. The highest mountain in Australia (do you know what it's called?) is only like a big hill in India. When I was staying at a hotel in the mountains I had some visitors. Here is one of them.

I asked this guy if I could take his picture and he didn't say anything. So I took it anyway. He didn't seem to mind. Maybe if you went to India he could be your friend but I don't think so because sometimes monkeys bite.

love from your Granddad

Share the food

2008-12-03T11:20:00.003+10:00

In India there are many people who don't have enough food to eat. Some people still have some to spare and share it with the pigeons. I saw these pigeons having a feed in Delhi. I don't think the food was meant for dogs but this guy didn't want the birds to get it all.

Another cool trike

2008-12-01T15:20:00.002+10:00

In Thailand they have three-wheel taxis called tuk-tuks. In India they have them too, well they are very similar to the ones in Thailand. In India they are called auto rickshaws or autos. I have been riding in these while I am in India. There is a lot of traffic in many Indian cities and these little guys can zip into spaces where cars don't fit. But the traffic fumes are very bad. Sometimes I cover my face with my hat so I don't have to breathe the fumes.

Strange pet

2008-10-22T20:35:00.002+10:00

Hello

I had a visitor last week. Do you know who it was? It was Izmaillah and Isaac's Dad. He came to visit me in Bangkok. I took him around to visit some of my favourite places in Bangkok. Wish you could have all been here too.

We went to a market where they sell pets. There were lots of fish shops—that's pet fish. One shop had lots of rays like this one. I think it wanted me to take it home. I wonder how you take care of a ray. Do you think you could cuddle it? Even if you couldn't it would be a really cool pet, hey?

Soon I will be leaving Bangkok and going to another country. Do you know which one? I've never been to this one before. If you come back and read my blog again later you will find out.

love from your Grandpa

Bangkok street vendors

2008-09-06T00:09:00.002+10:00

Hello

Just want to show you what some of the streets in Bangkok look like because they are quite different from streets in Australia.

On this street there is not much room to walk along the footpath because there are people who take up most of the footpath to sell things. You can see in this picture that people walk down the road instead of on the footpath. Do you think it is dangerous? But sometimes when you are walking on the footpath someone will ride a motorbike along it. You have to be very careful all the time.

These people are vendors. They sell things. The first one sells nice smelling flowers that are strung together. People buy them to give as an offering to a Buddha image. The next one is a girl selling hand towels. They are very cheap. I bought a couple. There are more vendors on the footpath on the other side of the road. You can find all sorts of things for sale on the streets of Bangkok.

Talk to you later.

Love from Grandpa.

And now Zac is 6

2008-08-25T07:44:00.001+10:00

Have a great day Zac. Lots of love from your Grandpa.

Dragons in Bangkok

2008-08-08T20:02:00.001+10:00

Hey, just thought I'd let you know there are still dragons in Bangkok. Sometimes I don't even notice because I'm so used to seeing dragons these days. Recently I went for a walk in Chinatown and this one was right in the middle of the footpath. It didn't mind me taking a photo. In fact, I think it is posing quite proudly. What do you think?

love from Granddad

Happy birthday Isaac

2008-07-26T13:10:00.001+10:00

Have a wonderful day Isaac, love from your Granddad.

Who's this cute kid?

2008-07-21T17:52:00.001+10:00

One day back in August 2001 a three-year-old kid came to sleep over at his grandfather's house at Redcliffe. His grandfather took him to the Redcliffe Jetty and took lots of photos because this kid liked posing for photos. Does anyone know who this kid is? Does the kid remember visiting his Grandpa?

Another strange creature

2008-07-13T23:05:00.001+10:00

One day in Bangkok your Grandpa saw this creature and it looked very lonely so Grandpa gave it a kiss. It looks really happy now.

Can you tell which one is Grandpa and which one is the creature?

love from Grandpa John

Happy birthday Harry

2008-06-29T10:58:00.001+10:00

Have a great day Harry. Love from your Grandpa John.

Fun with snakes

2008-06-21T19:43:00.004+10:00

When we went to the zoo restaurant we didn't only see the lorises. We also got to meet some snakes. Do you like snakes? Some snakes are dangerous so you shouldn't pick up snakes unless you know what they are and have an adult with you. At the zoo they had some cobras. They are very dangerous. We didn't feel like dying so we left them alone. But this one was quite friendly and doesn't bite people. It is called a corn snake. Grandpa got to play with this snake for quite a while. Do you remember the python that kissed me? This one kissed me on the nose with its tongue.

love from Grandpa John

Grandpa's new friends

2008-06-20T14:09:00.003+10:00

Hello

The other night I went to a restaurant in Bangkok that has a zoo. I made some new friends.

This beautiful little animal I have in my hands is called a slow loris. It is a primate. That means it is a little bit like us and a little bit like a monkey. Usually they live in the jungle. They sleep in the daytime and at night they move slowly around the trees. When they see an insect they move quickly and grab the insect because they like to eat insects. They also like to eat fruit.

The one I am holding is a girl. She moves very gently and holds onto my hands so softly and she stares at me with those big beautiful eyes. Oh, I think I fell in love with her. I wanted to take her home. But she has to stay at the zoo. Maybe I can go back and visit her another day.

This is a picture of my friend Ti-tee. The young woman is Ti-tee the other one in the picture is another slow loris. He is the father of the little girl in the first picture. I had a bowl of fruit. I took the pieces out one at a time. He would take them out of my hands and put them in his mouth. He would eat them slowly and then look to me to give him another piece. When it was all gone he looked at me again as if to say 'Do you have any more?' I held the empty bowl up to show him that there was no more. He took the bowl in his two hands and put his head in it and licked all the juice out.

Oh, they are so cute. I hope one day you come to Bangkok and I can take you to meet them.

love from your Grandpa

Have fun in Queensland

2008-06-06T20:56:00.000+10:00

To Ben and Zac, good luck with your new life in Queensland. Don't forget to read these blogs to find out what your Grandpa is doing. I hope to hear from you. Tell me how you like your new school and your new home. Stay in touch with your cousins too. Remember we're all family and will always be your family no matter where you are.

I'll be back in Australia again before long and I hope to come and see you there.

love from your Grandpa

Happy birthday Chloe

2008-05-25T01:14:00.001+10:00

Happy birthday to my very special girl.

Love from your Grandpa John

Another Australian in Bangkok

2008-05-19T14:04:00.001+10:00

Do you know what this is? It is a bearded dragon, an Australian lizard. Maybe you don't see so many where you live but if you lived in Brisbane you would see a lot. I saw this one in a market in Bangkok. How did it get there?

The man in the market said it came from America. Perhaps this one did but the lizards have been taken from Australia and bred in America. It is against the law to take Australian lizards out of Australia. Do you know why? If people take too many away from Australia one day there might be none left in Australia. And we would have more of the insects that this lizard eats. Keeping the lizards in Australia helps to keep the balance of nature so we don't get too many insects.

Some people don't care about this. They know that people in America will pay them a lot of money to get one of these lizards as a pet. They catch wild lizards and they give them a drug to put them to sleep. They pack them in a suitcase and send them to America. Sometimes many lizards die on the way but the people who do this don't care because they can still make a lot of money from selling the ones that live.

Occasionally some of these people are caught trying to smuggle lizards out of Australia. They have to pay a lot of money as a fine. Perhaps they might even go to jail.

Cool trike

2008-05-07T14:45:00.003+10:00

Here in Thailand there are many different types of transport that we don't get in Australia. There are motorbikes that are taxis. There are tricycles that are taxis. If they don't have a motor they are called samlors. In Thai language 'sam' means 'three' and 'lor' means 'wheels'. A tricycle with a motor is called a tuk-tuk.

This one is a tuk-tuk but it's different from most tuk-tuks because it has the back of a samlor joined to the front of a motorbike.

Cool, hey?

love from your Granddad

Happy New Year

2008-04-15T18:05:00.003+10:00

Hello

Sa wat dee bee mai. That means Happy New Year in Thai. That's because people in Thailand use Buddhist years and this is their new year, called Songkran. There is a holiday and many people leave Bangkok and go home to wherever their family lives. The people who are still in Bangkok go a little bit crazy.

It's very hot here right now. Most days the temperature reaches almost 40 degrees. So people don't mind getting wet. In the first picture you can see there is a stall alongside the road selling water pistols. A girl has bought a water pistol with a backpack to hold the water and she is spraying her friend on the motorbike.
People also drive around in little trucks with barrels of water in them. With plastic bowls they throw water on each other and on other people. In the second picture there are two trucks together having a friendly water fight.

And not only that but people mix powder with water and they put it on other people's faces. You can see the white on the faces of the people in the third picture. I met them in a restaurant where I was having lunch.

Maybe one day you'd like to come to Thailand in April and have fun at Songkran.

love from your Granddad

Wat Arun

2008-03-29T22:48:00.001+10:00

In Bangkok there is a very old Buddhist temple named Wat Arun. There is a tower there called a stupa or chedi. It is quite high. The decorations on it are made from pieces of crockery. You can climb about half-way up the stupa but it is very steep. If you look in the second picture you will see that people hold onto the stair rails with two hands because they are afraid of falling.

Maybe you could come and visit me in Bangkok. Do you think you would like to climb the stupa?

love from Grandad in Thailand

10 is cool

2008-03-27T09:28:00.001+10:00

Hey everybody!

Today is a special day because your biggest cousin and brother (and my biggest grandkid), Ben, is now 10!!!

TaaDaaTaaDaaaah!!! Happy Birthday Ben. May the next ten years be as good as the first ten.

love from your Grandpa

Alligator fish

2008-03-24T21:46:00.002+10:00

Hello

One day my friend took me to a restaurant near Muang Boran. They had a pool with fish in it. My friend said, 'Look, that's an alligator fish.' There were several of them in the pool. I'd never heard of them before. They looked like fish with alligator heads. Maybe they were there so you could order them at the restaurant. I don't know because the menu was in Thai and I don't read Thai very well yet.

I looked on the internet to see if I could learn anything. I found there is a fish in America that is called an alligator gar. It looks very much like this one. Perhaps someone brought some to Thailand. They grow quite big. This one was about a metre long but they grow much bigger. There are photos on the internet of alligator gars that are over two metres long. It says they can grow up to four metres. And sometimes they do bite people.

So, next time my friend takes me to that restaurant, I don't think I'll bother to put my hand in the pool.

love from your Grandpa John

Snake man

2008-03-22T14:26:00.004+10:00

I went to Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, for eight days recently. One day I was walking through the streets of Kuala Lumpur and saw a crowd. I stopped to see what they were looking at. This man was there. He had a cobra rising up right in front of him. A cobra is a deadly snake. If it bites you, you could die. Many people would be very frightened of a cobra. I don't think I'd like to get too close to one. But the man was closer than me. If it was going to bight someone it would bite him first. So I got my camera out and took some photos. He had some other snakes too and showed them after he put the cobra away. He was talking about the snakes but I couldn't understand him because he was speaking in a language I don't know.

Love from your Grandpa John

Witches of Phanom Rung

2008-03-03T14:14:00.003+10:00

Once upon a time when Grandpa John was visiting Muang Boran in Thailand, he went to visit the Phanom Rung sanctuary. Grandpa had been walking around Muang Boran all day and was feeling a little tired so he needed a rest. He sat down on the ground in the shade and had almost fallen asleep when woooosh.

Grandpa opened his eyes and looked up. There were two witches flying around on broomsticks. They must have flown really close to Grandpa to wake him up like that. Grandpa knew it was dangerous to stay around but he also knew that if he told you this story without a photo you might not believe him.

He watched the witches for a while. They didn't seem to be paying him any attention. They were just having fun flying around the old ruins, chasing each other, playing tag. So Grandpa got out his camera and carefully tracked the witches with it. As they came close to the ground he got this shot for you.

Grandpa would have got a few more photos but just then the witches noticed him. They started to ride towards him really fast. Do you think they wanted to be friendly? Grandpa didn't wait to find out. He picked up his bag and ran. Grandpa might be old be he can still run fast. He ran faster than those witches flew until he was out of the sanctuary.

When Grandpa had run a long way and was out of breath he stopped to take a rest. He looked back to the sanctuary. Those witches were flying above the sanctuary and laughing so hard they probably peed themselves. Grandpa thought about going back to see what they would do but he decided to go on and look for other adventures instead.

The end

Danger at Muang Boran

2008-02-28T20:03:00.001+10:00

Once upon a time when Grandpa John was visiting Muang Boran he saw some lions. Well, they were actually statues of singhas which are a magic type of lion that often guards temples. Some kids wanted to climb on the statues and the Mum who was with them called out 'Don't climb on the lions. It's dangerous.' Actually she said it in Thai but my friends told me what it meant in English.

The kids called back, 'Don't be silly Mum. They're only statues.' This is very unlike Thai kids because they are usually very obedient towards their parents and don't answer back.

One started to climb on the singha's back. 'No don't!' The mother called, 'You'll turn into...'

But she didn't finish because the kid became a statue too.

I don't know what happened after that. I took the photo and then I left. I wonder if the statue kid turned back into a real kid again.

The end

Anondha fish

2008-02-22T13:31:00.004+10:00

Once upon a time when Grandpa John was visiting Muang Boran in Thailand he decided to to to Sumeru Mountain which is the pillar of the world and the centre of the universe. The mountain is supported by the giant Anondha fish. If you look at the left of the first picture, you can see the tail of the Anondha fish. The fish goes right around the mountain. Your Grandpa knew that it would not be smart to mess with the Anondha fish. But not everyone is so clever as your Grandpa.

The Anondha fish lies with its mouth open and out of the water. Because it's a magic fish it doesn't need to stay underwater. Because it lies so still some people think it is a statue. They think it is safe to climb on it and some are even silly enough to walk inside its mouth.

This man was looking pretty smart inside the fish's mouth. But he didn't stay there long. Grandpa took this photo then looked away.

When he looked back the man was gone. The Anondha fish had swallowed him.

If you ever visit Sumeru Mountain, take your Grandpa's warning. Look at how big the Anondha fish is. It didn't get this big just lying there and holding up the mountain. Don't mess with the Anondha fish.

The End

PS: If you click on the pictures, you'll see them a little bigger.

Who is this?

2008-02-13T11:45:00.000+10:00

with love from your Grandad in Thailand

Where am I?

2008-02-07T16:04:00.000+10:00

Hello, I've left Cambodia and moved to another country. Can you guess where I am now?

Here are some clues to help you guess:

I've been here many times before.

If you look on a map of South-east Asia you will see that this country is next to Cambodia.

Here are three photos I took yesterday to show you what it looks like here.

So now can you guess where I am? I'll tell you the answer in my next blog.

love from your Grandpa

Monkey trick

2008-01-08T20:01:00.000+10:00

When I feed my dog too much she is a very fussy eater. Dingo only eats what she really likes. If I don't feed her so much she is happy to eat vegetables and rice. But maybe I was tricked.

When I feed her at night, sometimes she eats what she likes and leaves the vegetables and rice behind. Maybe they will still be there the next morning. I don't feed her again until I come back from the market around lunch time. Often when I come back the rice and veges are gone. Do you think she ate them? That's what I thought.

One morning I was leaving to go to the market. When I got to the gate, I noticed the monkey was sitting on the fence. I wondered if it would let me get close to it. I left my bicycle at the gate and walked up to it and stopped about 60 cm from it. I didn't get closer in case it bit or scratched me. I'm a little bit brave but not too brave.

I thought the monkey might be frightened of me and run away but it didn't. It sat on top of the fence and we stared at each other for a few minutes. Then I decided to leave it and go to the market.

After I'd gone through the gate I noticed the monkey had come down on our side of the fence and was heading for the front stairs. I decided to stay and watch.

When it got to the top of the stairs it sat on the verandah rail for a while. Dingo stood there looking at it but she didn't get too close.

Then the monkey got down onto the verandah and went over to check what was in Dingo's bowl. This day there was nothing, so the monkey went back to the verandah rail, sat for a minute and then went back down the steps and over the fence.

So maybe, Dingo is like the spirits. Maybe she doesn't eat her food either. Maybe the monkey does. What do you think?

love from your Granddad

Spirit houses

2007-12-24T12:42:00.000+10:00

In many countries in Asia people believe that there are spirits everywhere. If the spirits like you they are kind to you. If you upset the spirits they may cause bad things to happen to you.

When people build a house, they do not want the spirits to live with them so they build a little house just for the spirits. If the spirits are happy in their little house they do not come into the people's house. To make sure that the spirits are happy people often bring food and leave it for them to eat. And they burn incense so that it smells nice for the spirits. Usually when they come back home the food is still there.

The spirit house you see in the picture belongs to my neighbours, Uan's family. They often leave fruit and vegetables for the spirits when they go to work.

One day I saw the monkey on their verandah. It was eating a banana. 'Where did she get that banana?' I wondered. 'Did someone give it to her?' But there was no one home.

Another day it was carrying a sweet potato up to the roof and once again I wondered where it had got it.

Then I realized—the monkey thinks the food in the spirit house is for it. When the family come home they see that the food is gone and they think the spirits have eaten it. They don't see the monkey because they are out at work or school.

Maybe that is a very clever monkey and it goes to spirit houses in many homes in the village. Perhaps that is why it is a little bit fat.

I hope the spirits don't mind.

love from Grandpa

Visitor

2007-12-19T19:43:00.000+10:00

There is a kid who lives next to my house who is about two or three. His name is Uan. His big sister has taught him to say 'hello' in English. So, often when I am on my verandah I hear Uan's voice calling 'hello'.

I say, 'Hello Uan,' and then I talk to him a little bit in Khmer.

Sometimes when I am in the yard I hear a voice call 'hello'. It sounds like Uan but somehow it sounds a little different. I can't see him because I have a high brick fence. I wonder if he can hear me because he can't see me either.

A few days ago I could hear this voice and I thought, 'That doesn't really sound like Uan.' I took a good look and there on the roof of Uan's house was this monkey.

And yes, this monkey really was calling 'hello'. I answered it but it didn't say anything else, just 'hello'. I've never heard of a monkey that could talk before but this one really was making a noise that sounds just like 'hello'.

When I got my camera out and pointed it at the monkey it didn't seem to like it. Do you remember my camera has a long lens? Maybe it thought it was a gun. I don't know if it knows what a gun is.

For a long time I couldn't get a picture. Whenever I pointed the camera it would go away.

After a while it must have decided that the camera was safe and it came back and sat on the roof. So I got some photos. Later it came down onto the verandah rail. There was no one home at Uan's house so I guess it wasn't afraid.

I took many photos. Then I had some things to do so I set about doing my work. After a while I heard my dog, Dingo, barking. The monkey was on my fence. I could get fairly close to it but I had put the camera away inside so I couldn't take any more photos.

I got Dingo to protect me in case someone bad came into my yard. I was thinking maybe of a big person. But here was this monkey, much smaller than a kid, and it climbed down into my yard. Do you think Dingo would chase it away? No, Dingo was afraid and ran to me to protect her. So much for my guard dog.

But it didn't matter, the monkey climbed the fence again and then went off into a tree in Uan's yard.

I think the monkey is a girl. Do you think her hairstyle looks cool?

Maybe she'll come to visit me again.

love from your Granddad

Gecko battle

2007-12-04T19:24:00.000+10:00

Hello

The geckos can climb on my wall because they have sticky feet. One night I saw three geckos high up on the wall. Two of them were biting each others mouths. I thought they might be kissing. But one grabbed the other by the neck and would not let go. The one that was bitten kept wriggling around but couldn't get away. I thought perhaps one would kill the other and the dead gecko would drop onto my pots and pans below. They stayed like this for a long time. After I took some photos I went away and when I came back they were gone. There was no dead gecko in my pots and pans. I guess it's still alive. Maybe it still has a sore neck.

love from Grandpa John

Another pet

2007-11-27T19:35:00.000+10:00

Hello

Now I have another pet. Can you see the picture? I call her Dingo. Do you know why?

She is only a puppy but already she is very good. She barks when anyone comes to my house. She likes to play with a ball and bring it back to me. She likes to eat too. I wonder how big she will grow.

love from Granddad

Pet lizards

2007-11-14T19:23:00.000+10:00

Hello, I live in a new house now. I got some pets that came with the house. Here is one of them.

'Hello,' I said.

'Gecko,' it answered.

'What's your name?' I asked.

'Gecko.'

My Cambodian friends say, 'No, it's not saying "gecko". It's saying "tokay".'

'Well, it sounds like "gecko" to me. So I'm going to call it "Gecko".'

'What do you eat?' I asked.

A mosquito flew past. Gecko didn't answer. Gecko was too busy watching the mosquito. Then, snap! The mosquito was gone.

'I like you Gecko,' I said. 'You can be my pet and my pest control.'

Gecko is about 20 cm long. There is another one here too. It is about 30 cm long. It said that its name is Gecko too. This is confusing for an old Grandpa who is 30 for the second time.

One of my neighbours also has lizards for pets. His lizards are much bigger than mine. See the second picture. He has more lizards than me. He keeps them in a swimming pool in his yard.

Maybe if you come to stay with me I could take you to visit. Do you think you would like to swim in his pool?

Happy birthday Grandpa

2007-11-10T14:02:00.000+10:00

Today is your Grandpa's birthday. Today I am thirty (for the second time). How old will you be when your Grandpa is thirty for the third time?

Back to Kompong Chhnang

2007-10-22T19:53:00.000+10:00

Hello

I took this photo from the verandah of my friends house in Kompong Chhnang. The walls of the house next door are made from palm leaves. They don't last a long time. After a while the walls get holes in them and they have to get new ones.

Can you see the water through the trees? Do you remember that when I was here last year there were floods? The floods went down after I left but now they have come again. They come every year. In a few months this area will be dry again.

Now, I am living in Kompong Chhnang again. Soon I will move into a house just around the corner from where I took this photo.

love from Granddad

A friendly place

2007-10-19T19:26:00.000+10:00

Hello

I've changed countries again. Do you remember where I spent a lot of time last year? Yes, Cambodia?

I flew from Bangkok, in Thailand, to Phnom Penh, in Cambodia.

Look how friendly the people are here. My friend met me at the airport and we went into town in one of these. It's called a tuk-tuk. It's a kind of taxi that is pulled by a motorbike. I took my camera out and took some photos. When we passed these people all waved. Can you count how many people there are in this tuk-tuk? I don't know the answer because maybe you can't see them all.

Now I am staying in a town called Kompong Chhnang. I stayed here last year. I am going to learn to speak the Cambodian language so that I can talk to all these friendly people.

love from Granddad

Silk-spinning dragon

2007-10-04T19:46:00.000+10:00

In north-east Thailand I visited a village where they make silk. The silk comes from worms called silk worms. When I was a kid we used to keep silk worms. We had to collect leaves from mulberry trees for them to eat. Do you know anyone who keeps silk worms now?

After the silk worm becomes a moth it leaves the silk behind in a cocoon. It has to be taken carefully from the cocoon and that is this dragon's job. It has to spin around and the silk is collected on the spindles that are behind its head.

The dragon must like its job because it looks very happy.

love from your Grandpa

Rope dragon

2007-10-04T19:37:00.000+10:00

In Bangkok I met a man who makes dragons out of rope. This is one of his dragons. Do you think it looks fierce?

love from your Grandpa John

Ferry kids

2007-10-04T19:32:00.000+10:00

One day I took a ferry across the Chao Phraya River. I like boats so it's really nice for me to go across the river on a ferry. I met these two kids. The ferry captain must be their father or perhaps their uncle so they get to spend the whole day on the ferry. Fun hey?

love from your Grandpa John

Flood in Mahasarakham

2007-10-03T19:05:00.000+10:00

I took a bus from Bangkok to Mahasarakham. The weather was fine until the bus was almost at Mahasarakham and then there was a storm. When I got off the bus I put my feet into water about 15 cm deep that was right across the road. It took my shoes two days to dry out.

love from your Granddad

Creatures of Wat Pho

2007-10-03T19:00:00.000+10:00

Wat Pho is a temple in Bangkok. I visited it one day with some friends. In the grounds there were many of these strange creatures. Lucky they don't bite.

love from your Granddad

Dogs of Bangkok

2007-10-03T18:48:00.000+10:00

Bangkok does not only have many dragons, it also has many dogs. Everywhere you go there are stray dogs. Many people are kind and feed the dogs. The dogs like to sleep most of the time.

love from Granddad

River taxi

2007-10-02T18:08:00.000+10:00

The river in Bangkok is called the Chao Phraya. If you are in Bangkok and want to go somewhere near the river there is a really cool way to get around. This is a river taxi. It is very fast, it can hold your whole family and grandpa too and it can take you anywhere you want to go that is near the river.

There are also many canals that run from the river. Many people have a house next to a canal. They can take a river taxi to get home.

love from your Granddad

Dragons of Bangkok

2007-10-01T17:18:00.001+10:00

Hello, guess what?

I'm not in China anymore. Now I am in Thailand. Can you find Thailand in the atlas? If you can find Xiamen in China and Bangkok in Thailand you can see where I flew. I took a plane that flew from Xiamen to Bangkok.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and as you can see there are lots of dragons here too. Here are pictures of some that I met. If you click the pictures you can see them bigger. Do you like me to do them like this, or like a comic?

love from Grandad