So I was able to go out and spend some time researching culture. A big part of the culture here is running away to get married, by big part I mean that it's a messy situation with steps to be taken. 

People selling food on the side of the street, owners of small food stalls, police officers and a village leader all helped me in understanding what itmeans to get hitched in this culture. So here are some insights. If the bride price is too high, one might run away with the girl instead of waiting until there is enough money. If the boy isn't approved by the girl's family, he would be forbidden to marry her. Usually this happens because of the social level of the family. There are three social castes and if the highest one (nobility) would marry with one of the lower ones, you'll have to do a run away marriage.

The couple that runs away aren't allowed to come back home because of the shame that they caused the bride's family. If they're planning on going back home without fulfilling the requirements of the bride price, they might as well write their obituary first, that's how serious this is. So many young ones run off to get married and don't ever go back home to see their family. Brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles of the bride are all forbidden to meet with her. 

But, there is hope, in the situations where the family misses their daughter and wants to see her again there is a way back. They usually get officially married first, without any of the bride's family attending. Then they pay the bride price, which depending on the status of the woman, can range anywhere from $150 to $1,000+ and that's before the several hundred pounds of rice are included. After that, the price has been paid, the shame is gone, and after the initial tears and hitting the couple that ran off, they're one big happy family again. I tried finding out if there would be hard feelings but they all sounded like it was ok, the price was paid and they just carried on like regular life.

The whole culture is so intricate and that just touches the surface of all the cogs at work in this situation but like one man said, who got hitched and has been married for 30+ years, "It's what happens when your young and fall in love."

So I was able to go see an elephant show after my course finished. Her name is Suda and she is quite a talented creature. She could play soccer, paint a picture and even help you with your wardrobe. And apparently she likes to give kisses. My entire cheek almost got sucked off in the process. It was kind of a gross experience. Let's just say, it was a wet one. It was all fun and games until the next day. I woke up with a fever and had stomach issues for about 24 hours. My feverish dreams with the multicolor dancing elephants from Dumbo. Suda got her vengeance for having to live in a tourist trap.

 

So this sport is played with a wicker ball and is setup similar to volleyball. And just like volleyball there are two sides to this sport, the competetive side and the 'let's just bump around the ball and laugh' side. Up until now I've seen the 'let's just bump the ball and laugh' side, it kind of looked like intense hacky sack. Even that was already past my skill limit. But the other night I saw these guys going at it and it was intense! They were playing on this dark little basketball court on a side road. I kept looking for strings being attached to them like some modern martial arts film but I couldn't see any. The guy in blue is a heavier set guy than the rest, so before I saw him play I thought he was going to just sit in the back playing a defensive role. His 'one handed, cartwheel, spike it over the net without breaking a sweat' move made me think I have to reevaluate my opinion. I also couldn't believe that these guys had the precision to block hits (the second pic).

So who wants to play takraw when I get back? (make sure to do some stretches first)

 

I was enjoying the fresh air, birds singing and the bumble bees buzzing..."vvvvvvvVVV". It wasn't a bumble bee but this segway gang coming up from behind. Really, do we need this to enjoy a park now? You have to understand the context. There are no parks where I'm at. If there is an empty lot, it'll be used for farming, housing or something 'useful'. So I've become a bit of an old man when it comes to the value of a park. And if we get down to it, I'm pretty sure it's just my jealousy speaking because I think it would kind of be fun to try this out. Have any of you done this before?