Saturday, 14 January 2012

Friday 13 January 2012 Post from the air!


Well folks we are on our way at last. After all the preparation, all the fundraising and all the hard work by so many people, there are twenty of us in a metal tube 11 km above earth travelling at over 800km/h towards Bangkok. From there we get a short night’s rest and then a relatively short 80 minute hop to Chiang Rai in the far North of Thailand. Then it’s a three hour road journey to Pakpingjai, our home for the next 8 days.

I often wonder how we can help the kids in PPJ when we only visit for such a short time. How can we possibly be of assistance? What do the children get out of our presence? Do we REALLY make a difference?

Possibly these questions shouldn’t be asked on their own. We may never know exactly what we leave in terms of intrinsic value. We may always wonder how we have assisted.

When we look at the bigger picture, the value of our trip becomes more focused. We can understand not only how we affect those who we visit, but how it affects us… how we change and how we see the world differently. The journey becomes one of shared experiences, shared love and shared insights on worlds so far apart.

So… enough of the philosophical stuff!

We are 4 hours into an 12 hour flight as I write, flying over Pauline and Stan’s home country of Australia. All is well, some photos taken and various movies being watched. Herewini has lost his apprehension, Dave the experienced “long hauler” is relaxed, Pauline is trying to sleep and I am typing away trying to be creative… Typical day really!

That’s all for now folks…. Take care and cheers

Your Blogger

Peter Chatteris


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