Chillin in Chiang Mai....

We're here! After a very long 10.5hrs from Amsterdam to Bangkok, we arrived this morning, or was it this afternoon? Very confusing. I think it's 6pm Thai time and 12 noon UK time as I write. We were all very spaced out by the journey. Maybe that's why all 4 of us got into the hotel lift, 3 of us got out and the lift shut and took Irvine away, shouting, "Where am I going?"

We all went off to our rooms in the Amari Rincome (lovely hotel, as you promised Murray and Stewart) for a wee sleep. Irvine tell us he only slept for 30 mins when a woman knocked on teh door of his hotel room to give him the Washington Post. He leapt into his football shorts and hoodie with the hood up because he didn't want to alarm her! Can you imagine the sight, poor woman. Apparently both she and Irvine were bowing to each other saying, 'Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!' I can hear you chuckling Gail.

3 hours later, after the rest of us slept too long but Irvine had read the Washington Post, we head off to the shopping mall. Irvine needs a bag because his water cooler bag won't suffice. He now has a man bag that says 'Camp Inn'! He's very excited because it has lots and lots of pockets but states he will never take it to Easter Road (the football).

We're catching up with you and then off to catch a tuk tuk back to the hotel. Here are Irvine and Fiona on the tuk tuk.

We rang Bobo and we're delighted to know the Pirniehall teachers have arrived safely and have delivered the etchings to Bobo. He is now framing them for OUR BURMA BBOK EXHIBITION, which starts in Mae Sot next week.

It is so so lovely to be back in Thailand.

Here we go!

It's 5am on Tuesday 7 July 2009 and Fiona, Irvine, Geoff and I are ready to go. Our accommodation is sorted though we do fear a communal toilet! Pirniehall are already there in Chiang Mai. Scotland is pouring with rain so not much will change except the rain will be hotter and we'll steam. Getting our cases down to 20 Kg has been fun, with many emails saying, 'Have you got room for jigsaws, 400 toothbrushes, reading books and other unmentionables?' So as Jackie said in her comment on our last post, 'It's bound to be a happening time!' Keep your eye here for July's entertainment.....

Sheila

It's time to go to Mae Sot again.

On Tuesday 7 July, Fiona Vacher and Irvine Wright, 2 Forthview teachers are travelling to Hle Bee School in Mae Sot under the auspices of DfID Global Schools Partnership. They will be visiting Dr Thein Lwin's Teacher Training Centre on the way. This year the learning projects will include Toothbrushing, Games, Governance, Early Years education, and Our Burma Book. Here you can see Fiona and Irvine telling Forthview all about their coming visit to Hle Bee.

Sheila Laing and Geoff Hart will also be travelling to Chaing Mai and Mae Sot with Fiona and Irvine. Sheila is going to be working with Dr Thein Lwin to be training Burmese teachers in Emotional Literacy Education.

Mary Ryan Gillespie, Headteacher of Pirniehall Primary School, is also heading to Mae Sot. On Sunday Mary and 2 of her teachers travel to work in Say Ta Nar school for a week. You can read her blog on http://www.pirniehall.blogspot.com/.

Life in Mae Sot is never quite what one expects however and so it was not a total shock when our friend, Guardian Angel, emailed today to say DK Hotel is being refurbished so they can't give you your rooms!! Many shrieks and screeches of laughter from Scotland later, Guardian Angel set out to fix up new accommodation for the 7 of us travelling ..... we'll phone tomorrow to see how it's going!!

Life's always interesting in Mae Sot....

Heart stoppingly breathtaking...

Forthview Gardening Club have entered the Royal Highland Show's Pallet competition this year for the first time. When they looked round all the other pallets, they were thinking of ideas for next year's entry. Mr Stobie and Miss Campbell were with them and told me that,

"Cameron suggested we do a miniature of Aung San Suu Kyi's house. How heart stoppingly tear jerking is that? "

Which just shows how deep Forthview children's understanding of Burma is. It's never far from their minds - even at the Royal Highland Show. Very proud of you Cameron.

They won a bronze medal too. Here is their entry. It's a replica of Forthview's Environmental Garden.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and OUR BURMA BOOK

Alastair Greig from Edinburgh's Amnesty Burma Group gave a copy of OUR BURMA BOOK to Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he attended the Church of Scotland General Assembly this week. Archbishop Tutu has often spoken out in support of Aung San Suu Kyi.

If you want to speak a message to Aung San Suu Kyi, you can do. Speak 64 words to her on a new website set up to give messages of support to Aung San Suu Kyi on her 64th birthday on 19 June 2009.

http://www.64forsuu.org/

OUR BURMA etchings

Our new exhibition at Ocean Terminal

Balgreen, Forthview, Pirniehall, St Mary's Leith, Tollcross Primary Schools in Edinburgh.

Say Ta Nar and Hle Bee Schools in Mae Sot, Thailand.

Shan Schools near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

OUR BURMA BOOK AND EXHIBITION

in

OCEAN TERMINAL, LEITH, EDINBURGH

from

18 May - 14 June 2009.

Here you can see Councillor David Becket, Mark Lazarowicz MP and Sarah Boyack MSP presenting 150 Scottish children with their very own copy of OUR BURMA BOOK.

This work will continue in Mae Sot, Thailand in July 2009.

Watch this space...