To Bee Or Not To Bee


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March 20th 2006
Published: March 20th 2006
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Bee-52Bee-52Bee-52

One helluva wingspan and speed to match!
Sorry to those that are getting this blog entry, as it is more of a personal entry and may bore you!

To Bee Or Not To Bee



Every morning I usually sit outside my bungalow overlooking the Andaman Sea from atop a beautiful hillside. I sit on my white plastic chair and set my fresh-brewed instant (oxymoron) coffee cup on my lovely white plastic table. I feel the warm humid breeze across my face and close my eyes and listen to the distant birds.....and...wait....(buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz), DAMN! That damn bee is here again! He's the size of small 747 Jumbo Jet (at least a 3-inch wingspan) and whizzes past my head, sending the hairs on my arms and nape of my neck into military-like attention. He is the local annoyance and he visits me nearly every morning...on cue!

After a few dive bomb runs from my foe, he takes up a landing zone at the tip of a dead branch just 3 meters from my coffee cup. And he stares. I can see his beady eyes, as big as peas, flicking back and forth. I know he can see me in those compound orbits, refracting my image in his miniscule
Stand By MeStand By MeStand By Me

Read the text to know the heartfelt story
brain at least a hundred times. He waits for me to lean forward to clutch my awaiting hot brew and when I do...he springs to life and comes at me again. I've learned to bring out a small hand towel from the bathroom to swish him away, but it only aggrevates him more. I must find a way to get rid of him, the Buddhist way...without death.

Late last night I decided I had a plan in order. I ventured into town and bought myself a shiney new can of insect killing spray. Knowing he only comes to visit me in the morning, at night I walked up to that dead branch and I doused it with half a can of "Big-Ass-Bee-Be-Gone."

I awaken the next morning feeling smug, start my fresh cup of coffee, and walk outside onto my porch and sit in my white plastic chair. And I relish in watching him hover over the branch, confused and dazed at the odor he must be noticing. He's pissed and I know it. And I'm happy. I even give him a toast to 'good luck' with my cup of java. Then he perches onto another branch and
Bang Muang House ProjectBang Muang House ProjectBang Muang House Project

Steve Ellis and I stand in front of home built for Thai family
stares at me with those pea-sized eyes. I retreat.

Never mess with a jungle insect. They're seasoned and have lived a hard life. They will always win.

Standing Tall



I mentioned earlier in another blog about a man that could not walk. I will give you a brief summmary: He is 70 years old and nearly five months ago he was beginning to lose the motor skills in his legs. Local doctors diagnosed him, but were unable to determine the source of his ailment. I visited him after his wife saw me down the street building a house (see photo) for a family (by Airline Ambassadors and myself) and asked me if I could help her husband. After purchasing a wheelchair so he could at least get outside instead of being bed-ridden, I tried and was successful in finding help for him. An Englishman came to his aid and has taken him to another, more qualified hospital to receive CRT scans and proper medicine. He was correctly diagnosed with cysts on his liver, kidney and spine. The medicines he now receives has allowed swelling to go down in his lower extremities and he has regained some control
Bang Muang House ProjectBang Muang House ProjectBang Muang House Project

I get funky with a local during house dedication party
of his legs. He is scheduled to go in for surgery to remove the cysts and the doctors are confident that the removal will relieve pressure on nerves that are keeping him from being mobile. He surgery is on March 27.

The other night I visited him (as I always do when I pass by his home nearly every day) and he seemed to be in a more cheerful mood. One week ago he laughed while he gave me a foot dance while sitting on the edge of his bed, but this time was even more special. My friends, Steve Ellis and Jim Pollack were with me this time to dedicate the house we built to the family down the street. The three of us sat there in front of him as he grabbed his new cane and stood up under his own power and walked across the room for us. His smile, though stained and in need of dental care, was a sight that made me feel so wonderful inside. He has newfound hope and he has regained some of his existence. We all wish him love and success in his upcoming surgery!

House Party Thai-style


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Tookta and I enjoy dinner at Le Merdian Resort in Khuk Khak, Thailand

The house we built for Jum and her family of nine has been completed and the party to celebrate was a joy. The photo of myself and the crazy man (he's a gas!) dancing was just one of many fun things going on. Thanks so much to Marie Rivard, Nancy Rivard, Steve Ellis, Jim Pollack and all those at Airline Ambassadors (www.airlineamb.org) that helped make this project possible. And thank you for your trust and friendship, too!

Mommy, I Want A Swimming Pool!



And that mommy is none other than Rotjana, the director of the orphanage in Bang Muang, Thailand. These children got a treat today as a donation came in to buy bricks to construct a swimming pool for the kids to cool off in. Perhaps a bit primitive, but it does the trick!

Birthday Dinner With Tooktah



Tookta (prounounced Too'k-tah) is a lovely young woman from Khao Lak. She works in a souvenir shop just down the road from my bungalow and I see and talk to her nearly every day. She sits with the other girls working the shops. Some from Nepal, India, Malaysia and Thailand. They are all very sweet and I
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Tookta and I enjoy dinner at Le Merdian Resort in Khuk Khak, Thailand
have come to know them all. Tookta was educated in Bangkok and comes from southern Thailand where ethnic and sectarian violence is a daily occurance. She was here in Khao Lak during the tsunami and lost her younger brother to the wave. I tease her all the time and we have had some very personal conversations about life, death, and everything in between. Her English is broken, but we still communicate well and have a friendship that is warm and true.

She has asked me many times when I am leaving the area because she wants to take me to dinner. The other girls call her my 'wife' but its all in fun as she and I share no romantic expectations. She has a beautiful smile and a caring heart, and being around her makes me feel good, especially when I've had a hard day. She always has an interest in my daily grind and before I eat a meal in front of her shop, she brings me hand sanitizer and a fresh napkin. She even schools me on good health and insists that I quit eating junk food.

Our night out was to be simple but nice.
What? No diving board??What? No diving board??What? No diving board??

Children at Bang Muang orphanage enjoy a new swimming pool
I found out that it was her birthday in two days and that I wanted to treat her for dinner instead of the other way around. She didn't like the idea, so we agreed to go dutch. She asked me to choose the restaurant we would go to, but I just told her to wear something nice and I would be sure we would enjoy the evening.

At 7 o'clock sharp, I drove down to her shop and found her hiding behind a rack of clothing. She never gets dressed up and she felt a bit embarrassed. Even I felt out of place as I wore slacks, a collared shirt and black dress shoes. I got the 'wooooooos!' from the other girls and as we both walked to the truck we were being teased like two high-school kids. We were both out of our normal routine and we stuck out like Barbie and Ken in a town of shorts, flip-flops and motorbike taxis.

So...where did we go? The 5-Star Le Meridian Hotel Resort for dinner. The finest place in town. Lovely food, atmosphere and company. We ate like the King and Queen of Khao Lak and enjoyed ourselves.
Night View of BangkokNight View of BangkokNight View of Bangkok

Outside my apartment is the tallest building in Bangkok and 10th in the world, Baiyoke Tower
This was the first time Tookta had eaten in a fancy restaurant and she enjoyed every minute. We strolled the resort grounds after dinner and were interrupted a few times by her friends' cell phone calls to be sure she was okay being out with someone alone (usually a woman has a chaperone in Thailand). Everyone looked out for her wellbeing and I found that kinda cute. After all, I was no stranger to any of them, but perhaps our 'date' (though not really a date, but a simple time out together) was the talk of the town.

After our return to Khao Lak, she quickly changed into her shorts and t-shirt and went back to work. I was a wonderful end to my beginning in Bangkok the next day.

Bangkok Skyline



There are three things I don't like about being in Bangkok:

1. Smog
2. Traffic
3. Heat

I have moved up to Bangkok after becoming the Project Manager for the construction of a trade school being built at Wat Arun. My low-rise apartment in the heart of the city gives me a view of...well... high-rises. A far cry from the view I got
View of BangkokView of BangkokView of Bangkok

My view outside my apartment balcony in Bangkok
from my hilltop bungalow in Khao Lak. No Andaman Sea; just cars, motorbikes, noise, pollution and anything else you find in a city of 8 million people. The cause is great and I am grateful to be here, but it doesn't mean it would be my first choice! Photos were taken from my balcony.




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Steve and I in BangkokSteve and I in Bangkok
Steve and I in Bangkok

Doing the Thai smile thingy
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Wat Arun Project Group

(l-r) Head Abbot, Hartanto, myself, Jim Pollack, Steve Ellis and Tiam
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Wat Arun Work Group

Posing with the laborors building the school at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)


20th March 2006

The Buddhist Way
The real Buddhist way in handling a jungle insect, my dear brother, is this: Hate is the act of killing the bee who's come to share your coffee. Tolerance is allowing the bee to hang around because you couldn't find a way to kill him. Love (nonviolence) is sharing your coffee with the bee. Set him out his own cup. Be a Buddhist.
21st March 2006

What's in a Name?
Love your travelblogs and "To Bee or Not to Bee" made me laugh. I think that since that "Bee" is a close neighbor he (it?) should have a name. After all, she (it? he?) likes you enough to visit you everyday. The Bee probably misses you while you are in Bangkok. I remember when you met the man who couldn't walk. It's good to see him doing so well. Bless you and all of the other peaceful volunteers who are helping to make a difference over there.
21st March 2006

Bee Gone
"The block of wood is carved into utensils by carving void into the wood. The Master uses the utensils, yet prefers to keep to the block because of its limitless possibilities. Great works do not involve discarding substance." [Tao Te Ching - Chapter 28] Get a solid piece of wood and carve it into a cup. In the morning, put about a centimeter of your coffee into it with a generous helping of sugar and set it on the balcony. When the bee checks in for a sip (or whatever it is that bees do when they take their coffee in Thailand), quickly cover the top with a piece of cloth and secure it with string. Take the bee in his little motor home with you the next time you visit Khao Lak and set him free.
21st March 2006

The Buddhist Way
It sounds like the Buddhist Way has three choices. Hate, Tolerance, or Love. You have tried two of them; you have definatley tolerated it, you probably unintentionally showed it love because it probably took a sip of your coffee when your back was turned. So the third, hate, don't feel to bad if you choose the third and bring a fly swatter back with you. After all that thing probably has reproduced a million times since you have left for bangkok. Balance, my friend, balance.... Incredible Journey....too bad we all can't find the time to do such unselfish deeds for humanity.
1st April 2006

hilarious
The bee story is hilarious. There is a similar story going on in our room with 'the early morning fruit fly'. Preferably he/she comes hovering right in front of my eyes that are fixed on the computer screen. I can snap at it as much as I want, like the bee, it will always win. Your brother seems to have the same sense of humor as you have. A great sense of humor fyi but without any doubt you knew that already.
3rd April 2006

To Be...
No, no, he didn't practice love by having his back turned when the bee stole a sip of coffee. That was just plain ignorance. He still has love to try.

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