Episode43

Part 43	The View from Nongkhai	Published
		04 January
		2007

Arising from Episode 42

I think that it is highly likely that the people who seek to deny evolution today, would have been denying that the Earth went round the sun in Galileo's time. When he was alive, Galileo was condemned for suggesting heliocentricity when the Bible states that the solar system is geocentric. Today even creationists accept that Earth goes around the sun, not vice versa, and nobody denies that Galileo was right and the Bible was wrong. Galileo said 'I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect intended us to forgo their use.'

I visited the two websites mentioned at the start of the last episode, and was very disappointed by both of them. A lot of rhetoric, hiding a paucity of solid argument. Here is an example:- "Can anyone, viewing a hummingbird in action and knowing that all its hundreds of organs are packed inside something the size of a marble, believe the myth that, way back, it originated when a lightning bolt hit some dirty seawater?

Come now, not even a four-year-old would believe that one.

Not evolution, but a creative act of God brought everything into existence."

So does 'everything' include God, Him, Her or Itself? If it does not, then the first question is 'Who or what 'created' God?' Swiftly followed by 'Why did God create so much evidence in support of evolution?'

Leave aside the hundreds? of organs possessed by a humming bird and the facts that those same organs are packed a lot smaller in (for example) an aphid. Leave aside that no scientist has ever said that life originated when a lightning bolt hit some dirty seawater, - that is a creationist myth.

Let Nobel prize winner His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 'The Way to Freedom' explain the problem with God. 'If you accept that the universe was created by God, there will be a lot of contradictions, such as the necessity that suffering and evil must also have been created by God. This is not logical.'

In 'The Extended Phenotype', Richard Dawkins highlights a similar contradiction, "In passing the creationist might pause to wonder at a God who goes to great trouble to provide predators with beautiful adaptations to catch prey, while with the other hand giving prey beautiful adaptations to thwart them. Perhaps God enjoys the spectator sport."
It seems that many creationists either ignore, or deliberately misunderstand the body of scientific evidence in order to promote the idea that a mythical being, with undreamt of power, brought everything into existence, including suffering and evil, sickness and disease, prey and predator.
Come now, only a four-year-old would believe that one.

Ché's story (continued)
	Thank you to everyone who wrote to say how much they had enjoyed the last episode. As my Grandfather has been very unwell, I have been asked to continue with my story, at least until he is well enough to resume writing on his own.
	Before leaving Nongkhai, we went to visit Wat Sala Geaw Gou. I know that Barry has been nagging Granddad to include some pictures, so here are just a few. For anyone visiting Nongkhai, it is signposted on the eastern outskirts, and well worth a visit.

Mummy, Granddad, Manao, Farng and I used the car to get to the temple, but my sisters Anisa and Chandi insisted on going there on Kim's motorbike.
Some of the statues at the temple are enormous. Below left, we posed at the base of this one, but Farng was more interested in his ice cream. Then Mummy took a photo from further away, but she couldn't get far enough away to show us and all the statue. Later she took the photo below right of the same statue from a long way away.


Below left Granddad and I pose in front of a very tall 8 armed male statue, while below right a better photo of us in front of an elephant statue.

In between, but still with ice cream, Farng poses for a photo. You have to bend and walk through this tunnel to see the images inside. They include these skeletons embracing, with my sisters pretending to look scared, but still eating their ice creams, and this wheel of life. I'm not sure whether or not this is more of the same symbolism from the last episode, but Mummy looks happy posing with it.

Above Mummy wanted to join the fun and climbed on the back of Kim's bike. I think she is a spoilsport because she wouldn't take me too! One of our last trips was to the fitness park on the western side of Nongkhai. We went there with Dott, and my sisters painted some pottery statues which they gave to Granddad. We all had a lovely time in Nongkhai, and were very sad to leave all the new friends we had made. Special thanks and best wishes for the New Year, to Dott, Manao, Farng, Kim, Giulio and Eileen.

We left Nongkhai and drove south all day reaching Bangkok late afternoon. The main reason for going was to meet my Uncle Chris and Aunt Gemma (below right), who were stopping there for a couple of days on their way to Australia. The King's birthday falls in December, and the decorations in Bangkok are absolutely amazing. Below left is just one tiny part.

Getting around Bangkok was fun with Uncle Chris, he certainly seemed to know his way around. Above Anisa is waving from a 'tuk-tuk' as they are known here. It was very easy to fall asleep on Granddad's shoulder, and I could often be found there, on this occasion while everyone else was eating and drinking.

Left, fun in Bangkok, Uncle Chris demonstrates the correct way to drink German beer (with beer moustache and beer nose) while Mummy demonstrates the correct way to share the Quality St. chocolates that Chris and Gemma brought with them from UK.

	Aunt Gemma was quite keen to feed me, and didn't seem to notice that I already had a spoon in my mouth.
	When Uncle Chris and Aunt Gemma left for Australia, we left for Pattaya, taking with us Aunty Wan (right).

One of the best things we did in Pattaya was to visit Mini Siam. As well as large detailed models of many of Thailand's most famous buildings there are also large models of some famous international structures, which is how Aunty Wan and my sisters appear to be standing in front of London's Tower Bridge, and Aunty Wan appears to be supporting the Leaning Tower of Pisa. More importantly, Mummy was supporting me!

Mummy had her hair dyed a mahogany red, as part of making a new start, and the sun was catching the colour and showing it off beautifully.

Funny use of English Language

The ticket room is to be found at Mini Siam, and is just a direct translation of the Thai script above it, but after writing about 'unique' in part 39 Granddad nearly flipped when he saw in Pattaya "only one amongst the only ones". What on Earth does it mean? Who dreams up this stuff?

One of the stranger sights at Mini Siam was this temple model complete with all these miniature monks lined up outside. I have no idea where the real temple is, or why all the monks are there.

I am tempted to make a link by saying that one of the stranger sights in Pattaya .... but I shall resist, and just note that currently resident in Pattaya is Paul (centre) the husband of 'verging on virgin pram-racer Eileen' who with Giulio is currently running the Meeting Place. Paul does not share Eileen's fear of holding me or of posing with me, although I would have preferred it if he had had a shave that week. BTW it is just co-incidence that Paul's photo ended up where it did.

A genuine link is that Anisa and Chandi did race their trolleys in this supermarket in Pattaya, while Mummy filmed them. The teddies did the steering while my sisters provided the motive power.

Mummy wanted to take Granddad for a special meal on our last evening, so Granddad suggested that we spend our last full day at Rayong.

The day in Rayong

To the east of Rayong is this beautiful unspoilt beach. My sisters Mummy and I had lots of fun and had a lovely day there.

While we played on the beach, went swimming, and made sand castles, Granddad and Aunty Wan missed all the fun.

They did however wake up in time for Mummy's special dinner. This was a lovely fresh seafood meal a little further along the beach. The prawns were enormous. They looked fine on the plate, but when Aunty Wan picked one up, my sisters found them a bit scary.

	Left Mummy and Granddad drink a toast. I didn't have any of the delicious food, but I know that Granddad and Aunty Wan enjoyed the meal very much, and have asked me to repeat their thanks to Mummy.
	In turn Mummy has asked me to repeat her thanks to everyone in Thailand for making our stay so enjoyable, especially her Dad.

I finished the last episode with a picture of Ning, and the comment 'one very sexy lady. Granddad if you want to marry again, she has the makings of a Grandmother!' But now I've seen Granddad and Aunty Wan together I've realised that Granddad may have his own ideas. He and Aunty Wan certainly seemed quite happy together, as this picture from our last evening reflects.
Aunty Wan went to the trouble of getting this caricature of Granddad made and framed for his birthday. There is a mixture of Scotland and Thailand there with the kilt and vest on one hand, and the musical instrument and sticky rice holder on the other. It now hangs in a prominent place in Granddad's house in Nongkhai.
Before leaving Rayong, we went to the evening market, where we met Aunty Wan's own Aunt Bok. Granddad often writes about the nature of co-incidence.

	The picture on the left was taken nine years ago in front of the same snake headed statue at Wat Sala Geaw Gou pictured above. Granddad is easily recognisable. The couple on the left are Granddad's lifelong friend Dan, with his arm around the love of his life, none other than Aunty Wan's Aunt Bok!
	Sadly, Mummy, Anisa, Chandi and I had to leave Thailand to start our new lives in England, while Granddad returned to Nongkhai. He has been quite ill for a couple of weeks, but is now getting better, so he will be writing the next episode. It will include stories and pictures from Xmas Eve at Dr José's, and from Xmas Day and New Year's Eve at the Meeting Place. Granddad is going to Bangkok to meet Uncle Chris and Aunt Gemma on their way back to UK from Aus., and I bet he will be seeing Aunty Wan again!
Best Wishes to you all Ché (with a little help from Granddad)

If you want copies of any of the photos, or want to write, but you don't know my personal email address, you can send email to : mail@nongkhai.co.uk

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