http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Thailand , South-West Thailand , Ban Nam Khem en-us Mon, 20 May 2013 00:19:29 +0000 Mon, 20 May 2013 00:19:29 +0000 Short Mission Trip to Ban Nam Khem South ThailandDay 1 17 Mar 2008Departed Sibu on time by Airasia to Phuket via KL. The ride on Airasia is hussle free except the usual rush for seats. Airasia should seriously consider investing seat allocation system at least it avoids the ugly kiasu scene. We were met by a prebooked friendly driver who took us to Ban Nam Khem in about an hour and fourty fi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-262682.html The Absence of Christmas was replaced by the celebration of life and memories here.We marched from Wat Bang Nam Kaem to the Beach an hour away. We started out amidst the banging of drums and the yells of the women. Then we danced. We danced our way down the streets and through the village past the destruction and towards the future.We danced and sang until the sweat poured down our necks and drip http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-113918.html A Young Boy's ClosureOver one year later and the remnants of the tsunami still are touching the lives of its victims. I found it odd when I was once again invited to attend a funeral Buddhist style for Kai's mother. Her remains had finally been matched through DNA to Kai and his father.In January 0f 2005 I visited the Wat Temple Yan Yeaw in Takuapa to photograph where the victims' bodies were http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-43385.html When Two Worlds CollideToday was special. But let me go back a bit first. In November I was honored to meet Peter Gliechmann of Germany a tall robust and roughcut man of his forties and an appetite to match. The near death story he shares of clinging to a taught cable in the tsunami catastrophe and barely surviving is a story no grandpa could tell his grandchildren without complete intense sta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-40717.html Airline Ambassadors International AAI at www.airlineamb.org has funded the construction of a new home for a woman I met two weeks ago. I don't build homes I build playgrounds. But this woman is special. She was a tsunami victim and escaped with her life and the lives of all her family. She lost her hospitality job the hotel was demolished by the wave and was forced to sell noodles from her mo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-37883.html Welcome back to my blog. It's Saturday afternoon January 21 I had to stop and think about that one here in Thailand. There's a lot to catch you up on...Yesterday morning I checked out of my hotel behind Khao Lak Seafood restaurant and took the bus from Khao Lak to Bang Muang 30 minutes by bus. Once there I called Pastor Wasan this Thai cell phone is coming in handy who picked me up at http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-36799.html My day was to be a full plate. And it seemed to have turned out that way. In the late morning I received a call from Gyll my Australian friend to inform me of a ceremony at the Buddhist temple a wat in Thai and that perhaps I would be interested in coming to photograph the scene. As it turns out I was to witness the transition of the Buddhist men from student to monk. I dont claim to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-28976.html Ban Lut is a newly constructed housing camp for displaced victims of the tsunami.After doing some other tasks to get ready for the team to arrive to construct the playground at the Ban Nok Na school I was called by the director of the Ban Muang refugee camp and asked if I would help them by driving a few people to the local market to pick up some supplies for the new daycare center being organize http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ban-Nam-Khem/blog-28000.html