Catching up with Tui - and 'Super Harry'

Due to the ongoing hospitality of Tui, who we met several weeks ago in Trang, we were introduced to Harry ( the local radio announcer ) and his lovely wife Yieow. They invested much time and energy in showing us the sights of Trang and surrounds. We enjoyed their company immensely, as they share a fun loving and generous spirit

Often we had no clear idea of where we were off to, but would pile into the back of Harry's 4WD, along with friends, relatives and/or locals hitching a ride from off the street. We were taken out to one of the local waterfalls for a dip and to varied locations for a feed. We enjoyed meals at the Chinese temple, local shopping centre and at places well off the beaten track, including a restaurant a couple of hours drive from town, overlooking the ocean.

We gained another perspective on the Vegetarian Festival (see LAM Bits, 3 Pigs) when we arrived at a beautiful temple, set in a landscape of limestone cliffs and jungle, outside of Trang. The extended family we were with, gave donations of rice and other useful cooking ingredients to the temple. Then we discovered that Tui's girlfriend Seow was to stay out there for the duration of the festival, along with many other women from town. These women spend the days fasting, praying and avoiding the temptations prohibited under the rites of the festival. Some also choose to have their hair shaved off - as Seow did. Afterwards, the boys dubbed her ' Demi Moore'.

The main building is surrounded by 3 large caves and Tui and Harry guided us through each of them. The caves are actually places of worship, with beautiful gold Buddhas and images of other gods throughout. A large 'canteen' and prayer hall are housed within the cave structures.

After an eventful time in Trang, we were treated to a send off at the train station, as we primed up for a 16 hr, 3rd class trip to Bangkok ( another story!). We were provided with snacks for the journey - enough to last for a good week after. We're looking forward to a visit to Trang next year - there's rumoured to be a wedding on the cards!