May Day
Not many families can claim to have a holiday named after them, let alone a whole month. But we Mays can claim both! We thought that it was only fitting that we should start the month off with a family outing to celebrate our namesake: the month of May.
Oasis Seaworld
Our May Day adventure started out at Oasis Seaworld, a local Thai dolphin rehab center about 2 1/2 hours south of Pattaya in Chanthaburi. The center nurses dolphins that have been injured in fishermen's nets. The dolphins are released back to the wild as soon as possible but those that can't return to the wild are housed here permanently. They are taught a few tricks and perform a show for a small fee, just enough to help the center remain open. The dolphins included the pink bottlenose dolphins and Irawaddy dolphins. This was our first time to see pink dolphins. Lilli had learned about them in first grade and was very excited to see them up close and in person, or in dolphin I guess.
The pink dolphins were really bubble gum pink! Each non-performing dolphin has its own natural pool. The staff would get in the water and play with the dolphins. This area was very "up close" for the viewers.
These performers are actually pink bottlenose but appear blue due to the blue sunscreens above the pool that are in place to keep their sensitive skin from sunburning.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
The next stop on our May Day outing was a beautiful Catholic Cathedral in the heart of a very Thai village. Chonthaburi is not an ex-pat area, English is not spoken here, and Thai culture is still very traditional here. But still a beautiful church is located smack dab in the middle of all this. The church was founded sometime before 1711 by 130 Vietnamese immigrants. Over the years the small chapel grew to a congregation of 8,240 and the current building was built in 1900. It has undergone several renovations since then. All the Masses are in Thai as there is no need for English Masses.
Chanthaburi is known for its jewel and gem mining. This statue of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception is made of white, blue, and yellow sapphires, and rubies all from the local area. The statue was a gift to the church from the Chanthaburi Christian Gem and Goldsmiths Association.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful churches I have ever visited.
Most Unusual Swim Meet
Lilli had another swim meet on a Saturday morning. She swam the 25 and 50 meter backstroke and the 25 and 50 meter freestyle. Her favorite event was a surprise event at the end of the meet...
The Inner Tube Relay!
Lilli in the foreground takes the lead for her team.
After the swim meet Lilli said to me, "I wish I could float down the Buffalo River in an inner tube like I did last summer."
It's not exactly the Buffalo River but we now have an inner tube to use in our pool, a good alternative for now.
Fine Arts Festival
ISE holds a Fine Arts Festival every May. The kids had three days of special classes and then a presentation day for the parents on Friday. Chloe and another American girl taught a dance routine to a Beyonce song. Smyth took Korean and Thai cooking classes. And Lilli took Korean fan dancing.
Smyth is to the right of the director, back row. Just look for the hair.
Beautiful Sunset
Dinner at Infinity overlooking Pattaya Bay
ISE Prom
My handsome baby boy.
Smyth and Kat
Soo Bin, Smyth, and Jenny
Delicacies
May also brings the season of many delicious and some not so delicious Thai fruits. Our favorites are mangos, rambutans, and mangosteens. Some not-so-pleasant fruits that come into season now are the infamous durian and jackfruit. Smyth's thoughts on durian are "Whoever thought of eating it in the first place? It's high in a tree, it's ugly with knobby things all over it, and it smells like rotting gym socks."
Robert's favorite Thai fruit, the mangosteen
Mango
Smyth, Chloe, and Lilli's favorite Thai fruit
Rambutans!
My favorite Thai fruit
This is the infamous durian.
The durian has such a strong odor that you will see stickers with a picture of the fruit crossed out on doors to buses, hotels, taxis, trains, office buildings, and my house. Robert is the only one in the family who has been brave enough to try the fruit, and he did not like it at all. The rest of us can't get past the smell to even put a piece in our mouths. The Thais, however, love this fruit and can't seem to get enough of it when it comes in season. They will smuggle it in to places that are clearly a durian free environment, like the Solvay offices.
Robert returned to work from lunch one day, and as soon as he reached his floor he knew that someone had opened a durian. He went to opening windows to air the place out, a couple of people in the office even took the afternoon off, and Dow Chemical, next door, called and complained about the smell coming from the Solvay offices. A memo was drafted and distributed to everyone about the zero-tolerance policy on durian in the work place.
With the end of May always comes Memorial Day. I have always enjoyed seeing flags flying on this holiday in all the communities where I have lived in the States. This year I was a little sad that I could not drive by a cemetery or a courthouse square and see flags flying in honor of fallen service men and women but I did my part in my little corner of the world.
