A Day in Trang

Today we spent time in and around the city of Trang with members of our host families. We started out at a large city park featuring the statue of one of the provincial governors of Trang. This governor was responsible for bringing rubber trees to Trang which revolutionized the economy of the province. His statue is surrounded by rubber trees in his honor.
After visiting a few other historical and scenic sites in Trang, were were hosted for lunch at high school in the Kantung district of Trang.

Following lunch, we headed to Le KhaoKob Cave a few kilometers north of Trang city. The cave can only be accessed via boat. The entrance, exit, and certain other parts of the cave are so low, we had to lay down on the boats. It was quite a sensation to see the ceiling just an inch from your face as you float along. As one of the students commented, “That was a great experience I never want to repeat!”

There were parts of the cave where we were able to exit the boats and walk around to see some of the amazing formations inside the cave. Some cool features – stalagmites you could play as musical instruments, a formation which looked like two roasted ducks, and some formations of spiritual significance to the Thai people.

After the cave, most of the students were taken by their host families to the Trang version of Wal Mart. Here students loaded up on familiar munchies, and picked up cell phones, and grabbed a couple of Dunkin Donuts on the way out the door.

As the day progressed, it was rewarding to see the relationships students are already starting to develop with their host families, and vice versa. Our students proudly introduced members of their host families to the other students. We are continually amazed at the graciousness of hosts, and feel such an honor to be living in their homes.

Tomorrow (Sunday), students are on their own with their host families, and to rest before they begin teaching on Monday. We’ve been having a wonderful time, but now we are ready to do what we came here for and get to work.