After leaving Wat Phou, I begin the trek back to Thailand. It was a long trek. It took me 12 hours to go 200 miles. I think I've said this before, but it seems to take a long time to travel in Thailand.My trek started at 8:00am when I waved down the bus back to the city. I arrived in town about an hour and a half later and treated myself to a leasurely breakfast of sum tum and a lovely conversation, in English and Thai, with the young woman who made it. Then I took the smallest tuk-tuk to the bus station (basically it was a motor cycle with a side car, though the "side car" was a double-seater basket thing, rather than the low, 1920s style thing I usually think of -- it would have been sweet for a romantic ride around the city, or attached to a bicycle). At the bus station I waited for an hour or more for my bus to get full enough to justify the ride to the border, but eventually we left and arrived about an hour later . I walked across the border (a strange experience -- it was just a stretch of road, about half a mile long, with very little in the way of signage, and little -- obvious-- security). Then another bus (songtau) to another bus to the train station. Then third class (as usual) to Surin where I had arranged to meet Mook, and some of the other teachers who were at a conference.
I spent then night with Mook, in a very posh hotel -- with real western style mattresses! Thai mattresses are very thin only an inch or two thick. I was often excited to see what I thought was a thick, western mattress, only to find that it was essentially a box spring. Sigh. -- The next day I got to see (and surprise) a bunch of other teachers from the school, one from each department. It was Great to see her, and the other teachers! And funny to go to an education conference in Thai!
After the conference I hoped on a bus and headed back to Prangku. Where, unlike the first time I had tried to visit the teachers there, a month before and at the beginning of the summer, many teachers were on campus and I got to see them and talk with them, and say good-by. A very nice end to my time in Thailand. Full circle.
And I got to continue my Thai dancing career in the very place where it began. In early May, small towns in Thailand celebrate Bang Fie: the rocket festival. In Prangku it is a two day celebration. On the first day there is a parade through town.
All the local neighborhoods make a 
rocket float and drive it through town, accompanied by dancing women. (Can you guess where this is going?) The rockets are HUGE! Nine or ten feel long, with a tail another nine or ten feet long for the fuse. Aew and I went to the parade, wandering around looking at all the rockets and being greeted by former students and fellow teachers and townsfolk everywhere. As we approached the rocket for her neighborhood, an old woman (Aew's aunt?) grabbed me and started teaching me how to dance. As the float started moving down the street she made me walk and dance with her. 
She made me dance down the street -- The whole way! She wouldn't let me stop! (It felt a bit like the story of the girl with the red shoes -- she loved to dance so much that she neglected her family. She was given a pair of beautiful red shoes that wouldn't let her stop dancing which she couldn't take off. Eventually she either danced her self to death, or danced her feet off (depending on the version of the story you know) and lived in misery, and repentance for the rest of her life.) The old woman kept grabbing my hand and making me dance when ever I stopped for a rest, or made signs like I wanted to go watch the rockets go by. So, I didn't get to see any of the parade. However, we did win first prize for our dancing!The next day I scrounged up company to go to the shooting of the rockets. All the teachers were either working or claimed to be afraid of the rockets, so I went with Ju's 14-year-old brother. I can see why, honestly, but was determined to go anyway. 
The way it works is this: anyone can make a rocket that they then enter into the competition to see who's rocket is biggest (and yes, that is a deliberate double meaning -- The purpose of the Bang Fie is to encourage the gods to get busy and make it rain). Then, during the festival, the rockets are shot straight up into the sky. Some of these rockets are incredible. One I saw was up in the air for over 135-seconds. It went so high that it vanished into the clouds! All the gathered spectators watched and scanned the sky for signs for the falling rocket. Eventually, we saw it, falling to the horizon several miles in the distance. Hopefully not on some one's house -- a real danger from the festivities. It was great fun! But definitely a potentially dangerous holiday!
The next day I got on the train to Bangkok. Third class. For 10 hours. Beautiful country and the ride wasn't too bad --I'm getting used to the hot, crowed compartments, and hard seats. I spent one last afternoon in the big city, then off to the airport for the long flight home.
The way it works is this: anyone can make a rocket that they then enter into the competition to see who's rocket is biggest (and yes, that is a deliberate double meaning -- The purpose of the Bang Fie is to encourage the gods to get busy and make it rain). Then, during the festival, the rockets are shot straight up into the sky. Some of these rockets are incredible. One I saw was up in the air for over 135-seconds. It went so high that it vanished into the clouds! All the gathered spectators watched and scanned the sky for signs for the falling rocket. Eventually, we saw it, falling to the horizon several miles in the distance. Hopefully not on some one's house -- a real danger from the festivities. It was great fun! But definitely a potentially dangerous holiday!
The next day I got on the train to Bangkok. Third class. For 10 hours. Beautiful country and the ride wasn't too bad --I'm getting used to the hot, crowed compartments, and hard seats. I spent one last afternoon in the big city, then off to the airport for the long flight home.
