Unique Batik

The last few days have been very busy. I spent some time with 9L on their last few days at Prem before they went on the Barge on Sunday. We went to Maesa Valley- misty hills and green, green jungle- where the girls went to  the Maesa Craft Centre to learn how to do Batik. Batik is a Thai art form that involves drawing on material in hot wax, then washing the material down with cold soapy water and then applying coloured dye. The wax acts as an outline and you use it to divide one dye from the next to create your pattern. I had a case of the Goldilocks- either my wax was too hot and bubbled on my fabric, or it was too cold and didn't go all the way through the fabric, meaning my dyes would blur. But it all worked out in the end with some creative approaches to blobs of wax where they shouldn't be. Some of the girls drew abstract prints, others were inspired by some of their photos, traditional images of Thailand or pictures from a Thai art book. We have left the Batik prints to be treated and the wax removed before they are sent back to us. Once again we were served to a three course lunch of traditional Thai food- early apologies to my jeans for when I get back.

On 9L's last night at the Prem we had a wonderful Khantoke dinner (which means to sit on the floor around a woven basket of food and eat with your hands) in the open sala. There were flowers and lanterns decorating the sala and music filled the room- we dined on various curries, sticky rice, salads and watermelon. Then the girls got to set alight and send off the lanterns that they made in Umbrella painting class. They had been filled with fire crackers and as they took off into the still night they crackled and burnt upwards- becoming like distant stars.  On the lanterns the girls had drawn or written their memories of the trip and for some of them their hopes, so it was a lovely way to give them flight.
Since then I have spent some time with 9M at the Mae Rim Sustainability project making woven flowers, paper and pottery. We have also spent some more nights at the markets supporting the local economy. Over the last few days the majority of my time has been spent at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. Once as a guardian for a sick student and then once as a patient myself. Now don't be alarmed- we are both perfectly fine. The Nurse here at the Prem is extremely cautious and anything that is beyond her she will then send us to the Hospital to see a Doctor- they don't really have a GP service here- you have to go to the hospital to get medical help. The Hospital staff are very well equipped to deal with westerners and they do not take any chances- so we have gotten in to see specialists on the spot and have had various test results back in an hour. The Hospital is first class, even if they make all the nurses wear pastel blue and green dresses from the 60's, with white high heels. I am so impressed with it's service and efficiency. It is equal to any hospital in Australia, no exaggeration. I have recently found out I am allergic to DEET- the active ingredient in mosquito repellent. I look like a burns victim on my legs! Within less than two hours at the hospital, with no appointment, I had seen a skin specialist and was sent off with a little gift bag containing my medical goodies. Service I tells ya. So please don't think that Thailand's hospital system in third world, it is first class.