Two days after the official opening of the Rin-Himhual Mahanil Study Centre we were ready and waiting for the bicycle rally to come calling.
CLICK on the images to enlarge them.
We had arranged an exhibition featuring the work of the weaving co-operative in Moo 9. Khun Pitsamai, leading light of the co-op, set up the loom and provided the ingredients for the indigo dying process. Pensri added the explanation of this process in terms of the chemistry, and also set up the microscope and slides showing the indigo being worked on by bacteria.
Also featured was the work of our four researchers, who have been studying Don Chao Poo Forest and the monkey population there.
Our first customers of the day were these people who were staffing the rally checkpoint and information point at the buea baan (lak mueang) on the other side of the road. Also there were the three people who had done most to get the project up and running.
There was quite a long wait before the first of the rally cyclers arrived at the checkpoint opposite us, but when they came they were in several inseparable waves and many of them came into the centre rather than wait in the checkpoint queue, and others cam in once they had checked in and listened to the information from the four staff girls who had been waiting for them in the study centre and practising their English-language speeches with me. They spoke very clearly and precisely though I would not vouch for how much of what they were saying meant anything to them. I guess it must have, because they had also learned the same information in Thai.
They seemed to hold the attention of our four researchers, anyway.
But these competitors didn’t seem greatly interested in the study centre, they were far more concerned with the impression they were making, which was pretty impressive, to be fair.
I was quite sorry not to take part in the bicycle rally this year, especially because I was so insistent last year that it should become an annual event. There were not as many people taking part this year and some of the preparations were very last minute, but people who took part seemed to enjoy it. As well as the short course which was similar to last year’s, there was a ‘professional’ event that was ridden over a 47km route. I have some pictures of that which have been kindly offered to me by my friend Khun Surayuth Singhnak. Thanks, Tong!
I’ll start with the charming young woman in the picture above. Here she is, needing both hands on her bike and so i\unable to make any gestures, rude or otherwise:
And here is someone who may have been expecting an easier ride:
And finally, here is Tong himself. At all these occasions he takes hundreds of photos (he was a photo-journalist based in Bangkok for many years) but he rarely appears himself.
Tong:
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