Half a day of survey/mapping work today. We take some more points on the road - near the little shop which has been providing me with my daily nescafe iced coffee shots - to ensure we don't get any errors when we start mapping in the rice fields/moat behind Belinda's site.
As we only have half a day today we're trying to do this as fast as we can, so that we can get all the points we need. All seems to be going well and we record quite a few points, and redo the area which did not record properly on Friday. Before noon we return to Mrs Voi's place and download the data to the computer... ahhhhh.... the same error is recorded and alas all the work has been for nothing again! Sadly Caitlin will need to return on Sunday with Nigel, to find out what the fault is and will have to record all points all over again ;o(
As a side note: we did have some fun the last half hour of mapping, where we tried to map/record/spell out NIGEL on the moat. So hopefully he gets to see that before the data gets wiped!
Everyone returns from their tasks and freshens up at Mrs Voi's home. Simming trunks and sunnies are donned and before we know it we're off in our Songtaos to the river, where we will be boarding our floating raft. It's about a 45mins drive before we arrive at our beautiful departure point.
After purchasing the necessary beverages we board the very spacious raft for a beautfily luncheon. Lunch is cleared, and we're off to drift down the beautiful river, for some drinks, swimming and of course karoake! (see photos to the right)
After a couple of hours of great fun we return to shore, and back in the Songtaos to our hotel. As this is our last day, we decide we need to do something fun. So, Michael, Flash, Nathan, Caitlin, Jen, Angela and Moi decide to take a Songtao to Karat (45mins - 1hr drive) this evening post dinner, and have a few drinks and dance to a local band at Bar Nana. A great time is had by all, and we return to Phimai a little worse for wear... Michael and I will need to get up early, and start the travel back to Bangkok with the other Earthwatchers .. the others however will need to get up early and get to work...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Pointypointy..
More survey work on Friday. This time around defining the moat in a particular area, and extra points to be added on the roads in and out of the village. Today it's Canada Club Jen, Caitlin, Aew, Michael and Moi doing the surveying work.
Today however things don't go as smoothly as they did on Thursday. It takes us quite some time to calibrate the machine and to actually find two initial points to set the machine up from. Everything seems to be up and running around morning tea, and we are finally able to record a number of points up to lunchtime.
Following lunch we move into the rice fields near the road and moat, as to survey/map the area we weren't able to get to on Thursday. We again have quite some trouble getting our set up points right (pointypointy) and struggle through the afternoon. The last hour we frantically try and get all our points recorded, only to return to headquarters to download these and find there is an 'error' in the file; and therefore we will need to reshoot the same area on Saturday morning...arrgghh..
At dinner Nigel informs us that we will only be working half a day on Saturday, as he has organised for us to have lunch on this floating raft/boat followed by a scoot down the river...very exciting.. Following dinner Jen, the bone girl, gives a lecture on the work she does, and how her work really starts when a burial is found (tagging, identification etc etc). She also does quite some work at the 'bone house' (where the remains are housed), where Angela seems to be based most of the time as well. They are involved in the daily cleaning, recording and assessment of the human bone remains.
See below a short video on our surveying work:
Today however things don't go as smoothly as they did on Thursday. It takes us quite some time to calibrate the machine and to actually find two initial points to set the machine up from. Everything seems to be up and running around morning tea, and we are finally able to record a number of points up to lunchtime.
Following lunch we move into the rice fields near the road and moat, as to survey/map the area we weren't able to get to on Thursday. We again have quite some trouble getting our set up points right (pointypointy) and struggle through the afternoon. The last hour we frantically try and get all our points recorded, only to return to headquarters to download these and find there is an 'error' in the file; and therefore we will need to reshoot the same area on Saturday morning...arrgghh..
At dinner Nigel informs us that we will only be working half a day on Saturday, as he has organised for us to have lunch on this floating raft/boat followed by a scoot down the river...very exciting.. Following dinner Jen, the bone girl, gives a lecture on the work she does, and how her work really starts when a burial is found (tagging, identification etc etc). She also does quite some work at the 'bone house' (where the remains are housed), where Angela seems to be based most of the time as well. They are involved in the daily cleaning, recording and assessment of the human bone remains.
See below a short video on our surveying work:
Rice field angel..
Thursday is a tough day. Now that the celebrations are over, today is tightly packed with work that needs to be done around site. All Eartwatch volunteers are allocated tasks for the day, and we all get busy.
Today I'm out surveying all day with Wilbert, Aew and Caitlin. We've got got quite an area to survey, with the main objective of today to survey/map a very large rice field (and moats) around the village of Ban Non Wat, and extend to the back of Belinda's trench.
This means we we will need quite a bit of water today, sturdy walking shoes and a great imagination to be able to summon up images of pretend shade in our minds! It is unbelievably hot and sticky.. By lunchtime we're all drenched in sweat and definitely up for some cool water, lunch and a rest in the shade.
Following lunch we return to the rice fields and continue what we set out to do. We set up the machine in the middle of the rice field, and Wilbert and I take the 'stick' this afternoon and walk out and back whilst the positions are locked in on the machine. Judging by the amount of sweat we're producing, I'm sure we've created a well nurtured/watered rice field in our wake and that I'll finally be able to fit into those new shorts tomorrow.
Finally the end of the working day, and we return to headquarters to upload all the points we've taken into the computer and have a look at the area we've mapped. We joke around that the area we've mapped will now forever be know as 'rice field angel', as you'll see from the photos of the map on the right that we seem to have created the shape of a snow angel. Wilbert and I are very proud.
Others today have tagged, rebagged and catalogued jewellery at headquarters, as well as washed and dried pottery pieces. The buffalo hoof prints at Grodon's site are being plastered (not working so well today), a furness is being dug out at Nathan's trench, and further exploratory work at Belinda's site.
More great food this evening and a lecture. Following the lecture we gather for drinks as this is Wilbert's last evening with us. He will surely be missed by all, a terrific guy. He was so thoughtful today, having printed out copies of photos he'd taken during the governor's visit (group photos etc) and went around the village handing these out to the individuals (local villagers) in the photos; which they appreciated immensely.
Tonight Jen arrives back from Canada. Jen is part of Nigel's team as well, and this is her 3rd season with this project. She went to attend a wedding in Canada for 2 weeks, and is now back on site. I think we've gained one more social animal ;o)
Today I'm out surveying all day with Wilbert, Aew and Caitlin. We've got got quite an area to survey, with the main objective of today to survey/map a very large rice field (and moats) around the village of Ban Non Wat, and extend to the back of Belinda's trench.
This means we we will need quite a bit of water today, sturdy walking shoes and a great imagination to be able to summon up images of pretend shade in our minds! It is unbelievably hot and sticky.. By lunchtime we're all drenched in sweat and definitely up for some cool water, lunch and a rest in the shade.
Following lunch we return to the rice fields and continue what we set out to do. We set up the machine in the middle of the rice field, and Wilbert and I take the 'stick' this afternoon and walk out and back whilst the positions are locked in on the machine. Judging by the amount of sweat we're producing, I'm sure we've created a well nurtured/watered rice field in our wake and that I'll finally be able to fit into those new shorts tomorrow.
Finally the end of the working day, and we return to headquarters to upload all the points we've taken into the computer and have a look at the area we've mapped. We joke around that the area we've mapped will now forever be know as 'rice field angel', as you'll see from the photos of the map on the right that we seem to have created the shape of a snow angel. Wilbert and I are very proud.
Others today have tagged, rebagged and catalogued jewellery at headquarters, as well as washed and dried pottery pieces. The buffalo hoof prints at Grodon's site are being plastered (not working so well today), a furness is being dug out at Nathan's trench, and further exploratory work at Belinda's site.
More great food this evening and a lecture. Following the lecture we gather for drinks as this is Wilbert's last evening with us. He will surely be missed by all, a terrific guy. He was so thoughtful today, having printed out copies of photos he'd taken during the governor's visit (group photos etc) and went around the village handing these out to the individuals (local villagers) in the photos; which they appreciated immensely.
Tonight Jen arrives back from Canada. Jen is part of Nigel's team as well, and this is her 3rd season with this project. She went to attend a wedding in Canada for 2 weeks, and is now back on site. I think we've gained one more social animal ;o)
Friday, February 11, 2011
He's here...
Today, Wednesday, an early start in matching t-shirts.. The governor is expected today and as we get to the site everything is in full swing. All the locals (incl the ones normally working on site) are wearing the matching t-shirts and are running around getting everything ready. Set ups are being completed, food is being cooked and everyone is beaming. The governor is expected at 11am and the team helps straighten out our headquarters as this is also where the governor will be having lunch.
We head out with Caitlin for a short stint at surveying before returning to help with the set up, take photos and generally stand in the way. As expected the governor arrives an hour late, but brings along his whole entourage. He visits the learning centre and seems to be genuinely interested in the project and the area's history. He settles in for lunch and around 2pm leaves the area. Below you'll see a short video of his arrival and to the right some photos as well.
We get an early mark today and Nigel organises for a songtao to takes us into town so that we can visit the open air museum of a previous excavation site, followed by a museum visit and finally the Angkor temple in town. Photos can all be found on the right hand side.
In the eve we have a group dinner where Nigel tells us the governor's visit went really well, and he is very keen to ensure that the the learning centre/museum which will be built on site actually happens, and of course he had a thing or two to say about what the actual size etc should be ;o)
A couple of drinks and an early night in tonight, as everyone's quite exhausted ...
We head out with Caitlin for a short stint at surveying before returning to help with the set up, take photos and generally stand in the way. As expected the governor arrives an hour late, but brings along his whole entourage. He visits the learning centre and seems to be genuinely interested in the project and the area's history. He settles in for lunch and around 2pm leaves the area. Below you'll see a short video of his arrival and to the right some photos as well.
We get an early mark today and Nigel organises for a songtao to takes us into town so that we can visit the open air museum of a previous excavation site, followed by a museum visit and finally the Angkor temple in town. Photos can all be found on the right hand side.
In the eve we have a group dinner where Nigel tells us the governor's visit went really well, and he is very keen to ensure that the the learning centre/museum which will be built on site actually happens, and of course he had a thing or two to say about what the actual size etc should be ;o)
A couple of drinks and an early night in tonight, as everyone's quite exhausted ...
Topography..
Tuesday I start my new task of the week and it's to help survey/map the area around Ban Non Wat. We can then establish a topographic map, which can be overlayed with an existing map of the area. This can then also be used to potentially identify future sites for excavations.
Today, Aew and myself are working with Caitlin to fo some of the mapping. This involves the setting up of the machine at a certain point and then using a reflector stick (I'm sure it's not the right naming convention for it) at a certain point, and have the machine read the data off of it and so on and so forth. Not a great explanation, but one you need to live with. It is a hot day out on the rice fields where most of these points need to be taken, so I finally get to work on my tan and I'm delighted we get to play with Walkie Talkies!
Tonight another beautiful dinner, followed by drinks at the pool with the team as we get ready to farewell Cristina and Tip. Cristina is off to two more excavation sites in the south of Thailand. This is also the eve that Maz (Marion) and Sulia join us. M and S were also part of the Nigel's excavation team in Laos and are here for a few days to look at the Ban Non Wat site. Maz is into conservation and works at the museum in Laos and Sulia a budding archaeologist. We heard so much about them from the others in the team, and are very happy to have them here for a few days. They are certainly a fun addition!
Today, Aew and myself are working with Caitlin to fo some of the mapping. This involves the setting up of the machine at a certain point and then using a reflector stick (I'm sure it's not the right naming convention for it) at a certain point, and have the machine read the data off of it and so on and so forth. Not a great explanation, but one you need to live with. It is a hot day out on the rice fields where most of these points need to be taken, so I finally get to work on my tan and I'm delighted we get to play with Walkie Talkies!
Tonight another beautiful dinner, followed by drinks at the pool with the team as we get ready to farewell Cristina and Tip. Cristina is off to two more excavation sites in the south of Thailand. This is also the eve that Maz (Marion) and Sulia join us. M and S were also part of the Nigel's excavation team in Laos and are here for a few days to look at the Ban Non Wat site. Maz is into conservation and works at the museum in Laos and Sulia a budding archaeologist. We heard so much about them from the others in the team, and are very happy to have them here for a few days. They are certainly a fun addition!
Fun tour...
Monday morning we gather early and leave the hotel at 8.30am in a minivan for some sightseeing. Gordon comes along to day to supervise us (Jack, John, Charles, Innes, Denyse, Michael, Faycal). We first drive out to see the stone quarry (about an hour and a half ride), where most of the sandstone was cut and collected from for the build of the temples of the khmer empire. It is right off of a highway and it's incredible to still be able to see the cuts in the stone. Great views and a group photo opportunity..click click
We then drive to a beautiful bush sanctuary which houses great rock paintings. We hike through the bushland, view the rock paintings and other interesting pieces throughout. We all have a little fright when we discover an actual stillborn foetus which is kept in a jar on an offering table (it is indeed real). The table is filled with little child gifts and the like as an offering.
Third and fourth stops are at some beautiful temples from the khmer empire, as well as a sandstone reclining buddha. We take many photos along the way, some of which you can admire in the right hand column.
Following our fourth site visit we start driving back to the hotel, with some foodstops and the like in between. At the hotel people who've had enough have a chance to leave the vehicle, with the rest going on to the last stop; which is a silk factory not to far out of town.
We have another yummy dinner in the evening and are off the bed as we're exhausted and need to get ready for a hard day's work on site, and continue to prepare for the governor's visit on Wednesday.
We then drive to a beautiful bush sanctuary which houses great rock paintings. We hike through the bushland, view the rock paintings and other interesting pieces throughout. We all have a little fright when we discover an actual stillborn foetus which is kept in a jar on an offering table (it is indeed real). The table is filled with little child gifts and the like as an offering.
Third and fourth stops are at some beautiful temples from the khmer empire, as well as a sandstone reclining buddha. We take many photos along the way, some of which you can admire in the right hand column.
Following our fourth site visit we start driving back to the hotel, with some foodstops and the like in between. At the hotel people who've had enough have a chance to leave the vehicle, with the rest going on to the last stop; which is a silk factory not to far out of town.
We have another yummy dinner in the evening and are off the bed as we're exhausted and need to get ready for a hard day's work on site, and continue to prepare for the governor's visit on Wednesday.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bone excavation and hoofs
On Sunday I return to Belinda's trench for one last day of digging. Today we remove the bone we found on Saturday and start cleaning the rest of the trench. We also have one final attempt at digging at the western end of the site. This is where two burials were found last year, so we want to see if anything else can still be found.
An hour in we discover another feature filled with shreds of pottery. This is most likely one of the featurs which are normally found around burials. We dig for the entire day and don't find anythhing else.
Over at Gordon's site where my colleague Michael, and Denyse have been digging there is an incredible find today. A whole floor of buffalo hoof prints is found as well as buffalo bone; all suppoeting the theory of them being domesticated animals.
We return to the hotel, and tonight we get to fend for ourselves for dinner; which is great. A small group of us, with some of the researchers, decide to go into town tonight and have some dinner from the stalls at the night markets. Yummy pad thai and seafood skewers follow. We drop by the supermarket to pick up some drinks, and head back to the hotel to have some late night drinks to cap off a great week. Tomorrow we have e day off and we've organised a tour of the region. We will be visiting a stone quarry, where standstone was cut and transported for use at the Angkor temples here in Thailand and Cambodia. We will then see some rock paintings, khmer temples and as a last stop a silk factory. All within a 2hr drive from here. Should be great fun...
An hour in we discover another feature filled with shreds of pottery. This is most likely one of the featurs which are normally found around burials. We dig for the entire day and don't find anythhing else.
Over at Gordon's site where my colleague Michael, and Denyse have been digging there is an incredible find today. A whole floor of buffalo hoof prints is found as well as buffalo bone; all suppoeting the theory of them being domesticated animals.
We return to the hotel, and tonight we get to fend for ourselves for dinner; which is great. A small group of us, with some of the researchers, decide to go into town tonight and have some dinner from the stalls at the night markets. Yummy pad thai and seafood skewers follow. We drop by the supermarket to pick up some drinks, and head back to the hotel to have some late night drinks to cap off a great week. Tomorrow we have e day off and we've organised a tour of the region. We will be visiting a stone quarry, where standstone was cut and transported for use at the Angkor temples here in Thailand and Cambodia. We will then see some rock paintings, khmer temples and as a last stop a silk factory. All within a 2hr drive from here. Should be great fun...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Bone find..
On Saturday we get up early and leave for the site after breakfast. Today we get to stop off midway for a visit to the local Saturday markets. The locals are fascinated by the foreigners. We pick up some yummy food and iced coffee and continue on to the site.
I was in Belinda's square today as we are trying to get it clean and proper, and as we were starting to remove the pottery late afternoon I discover a large bone, which was hiding underneath the pottery. It looks like a large buffalo bone, but we will find out more about it tomorrow, and if there's more to find around the area. Below is a short summary video of today.
Tonight we head out for dinner to Riverside restaurant, a nice pontoon seafood restaurant. The teM heads out for dinner on saturday eve's. After the beautiful dinner we had back to the hotel where we have a nightcap, before turning in for a hard day's work on Sunday.
I was in Belinda's square today as we are trying to get it clean and proper, and as we were starting to remove the pottery late afternoon I discover a large bone, which was hiding underneath the pottery. It looks like a large buffalo bone, but we will find out more about it tomorrow, and if there's more to find around the area. Below is a short summary video of today.
Tonight we head out for dinner to Riverside restaurant, a nice pontoon seafood restaurant. The teM heads out for dinner on saturday eve's. After the beautiful dinner we had back to the hotel where we have a nightcap, before turning in for a hard day's work on Sunday.
First days on site..
Tuesday 1 Feb
Our day starts off with brekkie and then leaving in two waiting Songthaews to our site at Ban Non Wat. It will be a 40mins drive to the town, with a quick stop at Nigel's home (and storage area) to collect a few boxes full of artifacts for the researchers to identify and tag on site.
We arrive at our headquarters, which is at Mrs Voi's home and also the first area excavated in Charles Higham's days. Operation gets in full swing with the researchers leaving for their various sites and jobs. The Earthwatchlings wait for Nigel as he will spend the morning informing us about the history of the area, and taking us along to the three squares which are being excavated this season. We visit the squares (see video of Nigel in Gordon's square to the right) and meet some of the locals who are helping with the excavations and have been doing so for years. The excavations have been good for the township as it has helped with much needed employment/funds at this time of year. Nigel tells us there are 3 types of employment really during the year, rice fields work, weaving of mats and the excavations. A lot of the younger folk travel to Bangkok for gainful employment and send paychecks home.
The locals are really wonderful. They know the team quite well, and they are very welcoming and friendly (as are the many roaming dogs (including Jiang, Lady Sophia, Archer, Bygone and Leo), to my delight).
Morning and afternoon teas, as well as lunch are all held at Mrs Voi's (our headquarters) with an incredible variety of food available daily.
Following lunch it is time to get our hands dirty, and we are all assigned tasks for the afternoon. Today I'm helping Miph with pottery. Tons of bags full of pottery fragments from the excavation areas make their way here for us to sort through, and hold on to samples. Where there are complete pots they are excavated and pieced together in entirety. Where the fragments come from the 'pit' floor (olden day garbage dumps ;o)) samples are kept, with the rest discarded. Once an area has been completely excavated it gets filled back up at the end. Most pottery fragments are from Iron and Bronze age.
Nigel tells us that the approval of a culural centre has come through, with the start of the building to take place some time in February. The site of the building will be next door to Mrs Voi's (where the 1st excavations took place). This is great as it will be a building where the locals can learn more about their history and culture, and hopefully see some artifacts on display. The added news today is that the governor of the province will be visiting the site on 9 February, which is a great deal! This also means that over the next week all the villagers are making the area look 'tip top' and a number of government officials are around to ensure everything is set up right.
We finish work at 4pm everyday with two waiting Songtaews, one directly back to hotel and the other dropping off in town center (1.5kms from the hotel). Today I opt for town drop off, as to visit the daily night market and stroll back as the sun is setting.
Back at the hotel just enough time for a shower, change of clothes and a 'slop slap' session with the Deet. Dinner is at 7pm every evening with the the full team and usually followed by a lecture by one of the researchers. Following another wonderful meal it is Nigel's turn for a lecture tonight. Nigel's lecture today is about the Ban Non Wat area and the excavations which have been taking place since 2000. He shows photo's of the incredible finds in the area and talks through the aims of the project then (2000-2007; burial excavations, one main site and a couple of satellite sites) and now (2007-current; six satellite excavation squares over the time period and surveying/mapping of the area, and looking for other potential sites to compare finds). He also explains how you work backwards through the layers when digging (early history, iron age, bronze age to neolithic; between 3500-4500 years ago).
Following the lecture we all hang out pool side and have a few drinks, as Cristina and Kelly will be leaving us the following day. Cristina was a previous Earthwatcher who took up archaeological studies and was here to study some previous finds for her thesis. Soon enough it is time to head to bed and rest our aching bodies...
Wed 3, Thu 4 & Fri 5 Feb
Wednesday to Friday we follow the same routine of having breakfast and leaving at 7.45am for the 40mins drive to the site. Everyone disperses to their sites, coming back together for morning and afternoon teas, and lunch.
During our breaks we wander to the various sites to see what everyone is upto and to catch up with people. I spend these days working at Belinda's site which is turning really interesting. We have dug to almost natural ground level (bronze age) and have found a large buffalo horn, what seems like a rice field of sort and quite a bit of pottery. Nigel informs me that when they dug in the area last year, a couple of burials were excavated near the buffalo horn. He also mentions that the find of the buffalo horn where it is could be quite significant, as it would signify that the buffalo was already domesticated in the Bronze age; potentially for farming rice (meaning rice was already domesticated instead of wild).
During these days we have quite a few visits on site from curious government officials, which is great. We also try to fly the little camera plane Wayne leaves behind for the research team.
The best for me is saved to Friday, as on the way in I ask Miph if schoolchildren visit the site as well, and she mentions it usually happens on Saturdays. On Friday afternoon as I'm digging I can hear some murmurs from 4 metres above ground, as I tilt my head up I see about 60 schoolkids all looking into the pit with beaming eyes! Be careful what you wish for.. I come out of the square and the kids all want to take a photo with Belinda and I. The school kids eventually leave, and the group is replaced by an even larger group of curious, and younger, school kids. They hang around for a bit and as we walk back for our afternoon tea break, I look around and find that all the kids, sans teachers, follow us back to Mrs Wu's! They think it's heaven here, as this is also Miph's base and they all get to see how all those bits and pieces of pottery are put back together. These days are followed by a trip either directly back to the hotel, or a drop off in town to buy some supplies and wander the markets.
From Wednesday to Friday evening we also have a couple more lectures. On Wednesday it's Gordon's turn. He presents his thesis on jewellery through the ages in Ban Non Wat. On Thursday it's Caitlin's turn and her topic on osteoarthritis and is quite fascinating. Friday it's Nigel's turn again and he takes us through the project he's been running in Laos over the past 3 years.
All evenings are followed by a nightcap poolside, before retiring early for another hard day's work...
Our day starts off with brekkie and then leaving in two waiting Songthaews to our site at Ban Non Wat. It will be a 40mins drive to the town, with a quick stop at Nigel's home (and storage area) to collect a few boxes full of artifacts for the researchers to identify and tag on site.
We arrive at our headquarters, which is at Mrs Voi's home and also the first area excavated in Charles Higham's days. Operation gets in full swing with the researchers leaving for their various sites and jobs. The Earthwatchlings wait for Nigel as he will spend the morning informing us about the history of the area, and taking us along to the three squares which are being excavated this season. We visit the squares (see video of Nigel in Gordon's square to the right) and meet some of the locals who are helping with the excavations and have been doing so for years. The excavations have been good for the township as it has helped with much needed employment/funds at this time of year. Nigel tells us there are 3 types of employment really during the year, rice fields work, weaving of mats and the excavations. A lot of the younger folk travel to Bangkok for gainful employment and send paychecks home.
The locals are really wonderful. They know the team quite well, and they are very welcoming and friendly (as are the many roaming dogs (including Jiang, Lady Sophia, Archer, Bygone and Leo), to my delight).
Morning and afternoon teas, as well as lunch are all held at Mrs Voi's (our headquarters) with an incredible variety of food available daily.
Following lunch it is time to get our hands dirty, and we are all assigned tasks for the afternoon. Today I'm helping Miph with pottery. Tons of bags full of pottery fragments from the excavation areas make their way here for us to sort through, and hold on to samples. Where there are complete pots they are excavated and pieced together in entirety. Where the fragments come from the 'pit' floor (olden day garbage dumps ;o)) samples are kept, with the rest discarded. Once an area has been completely excavated it gets filled back up at the end. Most pottery fragments are from Iron and Bronze age.
Nigel tells us that the approval of a culural centre has come through, with the start of the building to take place some time in February. The site of the building will be next door to Mrs Voi's (where the 1st excavations took place). This is great as it will be a building where the locals can learn more about their history and culture, and hopefully see some artifacts on display. The added news today is that the governor of the province will be visiting the site on 9 February, which is a great deal! This also means that over the next week all the villagers are making the area look 'tip top' and a number of government officials are around to ensure everything is set up right.
We finish work at 4pm everyday with two waiting Songtaews, one directly back to hotel and the other dropping off in town center (1.5kms from the hotel). Today I opt for town drop off, as to visit the daily night market and stroll back as the sun is setting.
Back at the hotel just enough time for a shower, change of clothes and a 'slop slap' session with the Deet. Dinner is at 7pm every evening with the the full team and usually followed by a lecture by one of the researchers. Following another wonderful meal it is Nigel's turn for a lecture tonight. Nigel's lecture today is about the Ban Non Wat area and the excavations which have been taking place since 2000. He shows photo's of the incredible finds in the area and talks through the aims of the project then (2000-2007; burial excavations, one main site and a couple of satellite sites) and now (2007-current; six satellite excavation squares over the time period and surveying/mapping of the area, and looking for other potential sites to compare finds). He also explains how you work backwards through the layers when digging (early history, iron age, bronze age to neolithic; between 3500-4500 years ago).
Following the lecture we all hang out pool side and have a few drinks, as Cristina and Kelly will be leaving us the following day. Cristina was a previous Earthwatcher who took up archaeological studies and was here to study some previous finds for her thesis. Soon enough it is time to head to bed and rest our aching bodies...
Wed 3, Thu 4 & Fri 5 Feb
Wednesday to Friday we follow the same routine of having breakfast and leaving at 7.45am for the 40mins drive to the site. Everyone disperses to their sites, coming back together for morning and afternoon teas, and lunch.
During our breaks we wander to the various sites to see what everyone is upto and to catch up with people. I spend these days working at Belinda's site which is turning really interesting. We have dug to almost natural ground level (bronze age) and have found a large buffalo horn, what seems like a rice field of sort and quite a bit of pottery. Nigel informs me that when they dug in the area last year, a couple of burials were excavated near the buffalo horn. He also mentions that the find of the buffalo horn where it is could be quite significant, as it would signify that the buffalo was already domesticated in the Bronze age; potentially for farming rice (meaning rice was already domesticated instead of wild).
During these days we have quite a few visits on site from curious government officials, which is great. We also try to fly the little camera plane Wayne leaves behind for the research team.
The best for me is saved to Friday, as on the way in I ask Miph if schoolchildren visit the site as well, and she mentions it usually happens on Saturdays. On Friday afternoon as I'm digging I can hear some murmurs from 4 metres above ground, as I tilt my head up I see about 60 schoolkids all looking into the pit with beaming eyes! Be careful what you wish for.. I come out of the square and the kids all want to take a photo with Belinda and I. The school kids eventually leave, and the group is replaced by an even larger group of curious, and younger, school kids. They hang around for a bit and as we walk back for our afternoon tea break, I look around and find that all the kids, sans teachers, follow us back to Mrs Wu's! They think it's heaven here, as this is also Miph's base and they all get to see how all those bits and pieces of pottery are put back together. These days are followed by a trip either directly back to the hotel, or a drop off in town to buy some supplies and wander the markets.
From Wednesday to Friday evening we also have a couple more lectures. On Wednesday it's Gordon's turn. He presents his thesis on jewellery through the ages in Ban Non Wat. On Thursday it's Caitlin's turn and her topic on osteoarthritis and is quite fascinating. Friday it's Nigel's turn again and he takes us through the project he's been running in Laos over the past 3 years.
All evenings are followed by a nightcap poolside, before retiring early for another hard day's work...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Fellow Earthwatchlings
Up early and excited to meet my fellow Earthwatchlings on the Monday, so got up, finished packing, had a great breakfast and left to meet up with my team members. Our meeting point was Mauray Gardens hotel, up from Chatuchak and on outskirts of the city. This would be a perfect meeting point as to be able to get out of the city right away, avoiding traffic. Getting to the hotel was going to be easy enough, because of the great skytrain connection followed by a short cab ride. The 20kg backpack and my daypack on the other hand ... well.. serves me right for packing everything but the fridge, and adding additional purchases to the equation. Made it to the skytrain and for a split second thought about paying the guy seated next to me to carry the load for me.
Arrived at the hotel an hour early and settled in at our meeting point; the lobby cafe. Before long realised that the guy sitting a table up was a fellow Earthwatchling, my colleague Michael Hunt from MLC. He quickly realised the same thing, given I was wearing my Earthwatch t-shirt. We chat over coffee and a danish waiting for the rest to arrive. Over the next half hour or so more team members arrived; John, Jack and Charles from the US and Denys from Scotland. Our last team member, Earthwatch addict Wilbert had already made his way to Phimai. We are met by one of the expedition staff members Gordon, who is going to escort us back to Phimai.
All team members accounted for our bags are loaded up on top of our minivan, we pick our seats and get underway on this 4hrs drive. We establish great rapport right away and are talking and laughing right away. A great time was had and you know you have a great bunch when everyone becomes the butt of the jokes, including Gordon (aka Flash).
Jack has been on this expedition four times before, so had some great insight to share and gave us an idea of what to expect. Michael it turned out had already clocked up over 200 days on archaeological sites over the past couple of years, and would also have an edge. Charles was involved in a previous expedition in Italy. Denys had no previous site experience, however had been on quite a few Earthwatch adventures spanning the world and was clearly going to be our social butterfly (she's doing the Scots proud). At this point Jack tells us Wilbert has been on this particular expedition 6 times, and has been involved in a large number of other Earthwatch adventures spanning the world! For John this is the first Earthwatch adventure (as it is for me).
The group thinks it's amazing that Michael and I have been granted this great opportunity by our employer NAB. We take some time to explain how the partnership works, and that we were 2 out of 20 selected to be part of an incredible Eartwatch adventure this year.
A couple of pit stops and 4hrs driving later we arrive at the wonderful Phimai Inn (1.5kms from town centre). There we are met by Dr Nigel Chang and Belinda, quick introductions are made and room allocations take place. Being the prima donna that I am, I opt for the non-shared VIP room option! Great choice.
The guy at the check in counter decides to drag my bag to the room for me, and of course I am not going to stop him. Even though I think he regretted it the moment he tried to lift the bag. After familiarising myself with my room, slapping on some pants and rubbing the exposed parts with Deet, I meet Michael downstairs prior to dinner to quickly tour the Monday night markets conveniently across the street. The markets are always an experience here in Thailand with everything from baby clothes, fake prada handbags, drills and grinders, to grubs and crickets on a skewer for sale.
At 7pm we meet for dinner with the rest of the Angkor Expedition team, with full-time staff members including Miph, Nigel, Gordon, Caitlin, Camille, Nathan and Belinda. Other off and on researchers include Cristina and Ally. There are a number of other local (Ajan Tip, Tip, Mon, Aew and Gam) and international research staff and Phd university students (Cristina, Cristina and Kelly) who are visiting the site. All in all there are about 30 of us around the table. A great thai feast is on display and we all quickly tuck in, with chatter across the tables. Following dinner Nigel officially welcomes us and introduces everyone around the table. He gives us a short overview of what to expect and what we will be doing over the next 2 weeks.
Afterwards people stay around for drinks around the table, in the breakfast area and around the swimming pool and get acquainted. Off to bed it is following all of this, to be ready for an early start in the morning. Breakfast available from around 6.30am with a departure time of 7.45am sharp for the site. Excitement reigns...
Arrived at the hotel an hour early and settled in at our meeting point; the lobby cafe. Before long realised that the guy sitting a table up was a fellow Earthwatchling, my colleague Michael Hunt from MLC. He quickly realised the same thing, given I was wearing my Earthwatch t-shirt. We chat over coffee and a danish waiting for the rest to arrive. Over the next half hour or so more team members arrived; John, Jack and Charles from the US and Denys from Scotland. Our last team member, Earthwatch addict Wilbert had already made his way to Phimai. We are met by one of the expedition staff members Gordon, who is going to escort us back to Phimai.
All team members accounted for our bags are loaded up on top of our minivan, we pick our seats and get underway on this 4hrs drive. We establish great rapport right away and are talking and laughing right away. A great time was had and you know you have a great bunch when everyone becomes the butt of the jokes, including Gordon (aka Flash).
Jack has been on this expedition four times before, so had some great insight to share and gave us an idea of what to expect. Michael it turned out had already clocked up over 200 days on archaeological sites over the past couple of years, and would also have an edge. Charles was involved in a previous expedition in Italy. Denys had no previous site experience, however had been on quite a few Earthwatch adventures spanning the world and was clearly going to be our social butterfly (she's doing the Scots proud). At this point Jack tells us Wilbert has been on this particular expedition 6 times, and has been involved in a large number of other Earthwatch adventures spanning the world! For John this is the first Earthwatch adventure (as it is for me).
The group thinks it's amazing that Michael and I have been granted this great opportunity by our employer NAB. We take some time to explain how the partnership works, and that we were 2 out of 20 selected to be part of an incredible Eartwatch adventure this year.
A couple of pit stops and 4hrs driving later we arrive at the wonderful Phimai Inn (1.5kms from town centre). There we are met by Dr Nigel Chang and Belinda, quick introductions are made and room allocations take place. Being the prima donna that I am, I opt for the non-shared VIP room option! Great choice.
The guy at the check in counter decides to drag my bag to the room for me, and of course I am not going to stop him. Even though I think he regretted it the moment he tried to lift the bag. After familiarising myself with my room, slapping on some pants and rubbing the exposed parts with Deet, I meet Michael downstairs prior to dinner to quickly tour the Monday night markets conveniently across the street. The markets are always an experience here in Thailand with everything from baby clothes, fake prada handbags, drills and grinders, to grubs and crickets on a skewer for sale.
At 7pm we meet for dinner with the rest of the Angkor Expedition team, with full-time staff members including Miph, Nigel, Gordon, Caitlin, Camille, Nathan and Belinda. Other off and on researchers include Cristina and Ally. There are a number of other local (Ajan Tip, Tip, Mon, Aew and Gam) and international research staff and Phd university students (Cristina, Cristina and Kelly) who are visiting the site. All in all there are about 30 of us around the table. A great thai feast is on display and we all quickly tuck in, with chatter across the tables. Following dinner Nigel officially welcomes us and introduces everyone around the table. He gives us a short overview of what to expect and what we will be doing over the next 2 weeks.
Afterwards people stay around for drinks around the table, in the breakfast area and around the swimming pool and get acquainted. Off to bed it is following all of this, to be ready for an early start in the morning. Breakfast available from around 6.30am with a departure time of 7.45am sharp for the site. Excitement reigns...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Pattipongpong
Ok.. Trip to patpong on first eve for some shopping and a drink was very insightful. If you ever want to teach your kids about the birds and bees, send them on over to patpong markets. Never seen so many sex devices, porn movies, photos and sex shows thrust my way ... No escaping it and not aimed at any particular age category either. Everyone, no matter your age gets something pushed under their nose...bad marketing strategy really lol..
Day 2 got up and had a good morning feed, with the aim of visiting some of the temples and the grand palace. Took the metro into town and was going to walk to the riverside and grab a ferry to the grand palace. Even though we'd been there before the temples and palace remain mesmerising. The metro ride went off without a hitch, but then, as usual, my internal GPS malfunctioned and the 1 block walk turned into a few and on my last turn found myself in Chinatown instead. Go with the flow as they say, and ended up strolling through the markets and back lanes taking in all the beautiful preparations taking place for Chinese New Year.
From Chinatown into a Tuk Tuk and on my way to Wat Po I was. Arrived just in time to meet all the tourist laden buses unloading as well .. Jippie what a treat .. Not!
Decided to skip the reclining buddha and take in the grounds and many temples instead, however not before dropping by the massage place on the grounds to make sure I got in before the rest of the tourists. Number in hand and many pics later it was my turn for my long awaited massage. Bliss..
My masseur took me to the building next door where they have about 40 to 50 people being massaged at any given time. As I was getting ready to flop on the mattress a gentleman comes out of the changing room without a shirt on, beer belly out, and wearing the obligatory fishermen pants ... Sans undies.. Yes they can be revealing.. His poor old masseuse trying to remain tactful tells him it might be better to put his shirt back on, to which he replies 'he's more comfortable this way'.. The room went quiet at the double faux pas this gentleman was committing and massages got underway. About 30 mins into the massage we suddenly hear the masseuse in question ask 'can you move one thing so I can apply pressure'.. Well as you can imagine the room broke out into laughter as we all had an idea of what thing needed to be moved for the masseuse to be able to apply pressure near the groin area! Gold!
After the relaxing massage I made my way down to the port and caught a ferry to Bang Lumpu and had lunch at Roti Mataba, and Indian Thai fusion place; recommended on various sites and in my pocket guide. The place certainly didn't disappoint! From here on to Khao San road for a quick glance, a drink and back to the hotel. It's a shame really what the Khao San area is turning into.. You surely can't miss finding it.. Just look out for venues offering pizza,pasta and schnitzels as only options on the menu and you're there..ohh and of course the loud, rude and abnoxious people that go with it. You know.. the ones expecting 5star service on a $2 budget.
The evening was a short stroll over sukhumvit markets, a quick dinner and early turn in as the Earthwatch expedition was set to begin. More about that later..
Day 2 got up and had a good morning feed, with the aim of visiting some of the temples and the grand palace. Took the metro into town and was going to walk to the riverside and grab a ferry to the grand palace. Even though we'd been there before the temples and palace remain mesmerising. The metro ride went off without a hitch, but then, as usual, my internal GPS malfunctioned and the 1 block walk turned into a few and on my last turn found myself in Chinatown instead. Go with the flow as they say, and ended up strolling through the markets and back lanes taking in all the beautiful preparations taking place for Chinese New Year.
From Chinatown into a Tuk Tuk and on my way to Wat Po I was. Arrived just in time to meet all the tourist laden buses unloading as well .. Jippie what a treat .. Not!
Decided to skip the reclining buddha and take in the grounds and many temples instead, however not before dropping by the massage place on the grounds to make sure I got in before the rest of the tourists. Number in hand and many pics later it was my turn for my long awaited massage. Bliss..
My masseur took me to the building next door where they have about 40 to 50 people being massaged at any given time. As I was getting ready to flop on the mattress a gentleman comes out of the changing room without a shirt on, beer belly out, and wearing the obligatory fishermen pants ... Sans undies.. Yes they can be revealing.. His poor old masseuse trying to remain tactful tells him it might be better to put his shirt back on, to which he replies 'he's more comfortable this way'.. The room went quiet at the double faux pas this gentleman was committing and massages got underway. About 30 mins into the massage we suddenly hear the masseuse in question ask 'can you move one thing so I can apply pressure'.. Well as you can imagine the room broke out into laughter as we all had an idea of what thing needed to be moved for the masseuse to be able to apply pressure near the groin area! Gold!
After the relaxing massage I made my way down to the port and caught a ferry to Bang Lumpu and had lunch at Roti Mataba, and Indian Thai fusion place; recommended on various sites and in my pocket guide. The place certainly didn't disappoint! From here on to Khao San road for a quick glance, a drink and back to the hotel. It's a shame really what the Khao San area is turning into.. You surely can't miss finding it.. Just look out for venues offering pizza,pasta and schnitzels as only options on the menu and you're there..ohh and of course the loud, rude and abnoxious people that go with it. You know.. the ones expecting 5star service on a $2 budget.
The evening was a short stroll over sukhumvit markets, a quick dinner and early turn in as the Earthwatch expedition was set to begin. More about that later..
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Up in the air and Chatuchak
Friday late afternoon on a flight to Bangkok. Flight was nice and smooth. Seated in premium economy with nice wide seats and semi-business service, which was just perfect. Got to catch up on all new movie releases, and my favourite trashy tv shows; such as my guilty pleasure The Kardashians.
Got in to Bangkok 20mins early, with easy customs clearance and my luggage already waiting on the carousel. Too good to be true... Let's hope all goes so well for the rest of trip! Caught myself a cab into Sukhumvit seeing that i'm lapping it up for my first 3 days at the Westin Grand before kicking off the official part of my expedition. It helps when your hubby can arrange these ridiculous rates. Huge room, incredible views and fantastic service.
Checked in and walked over Sukhumvit road to the night markets for a late night feed at one of the many food stalls and a night cap.
Decided to crawl into bed around midnight and as to have early start on Saturday.
Started off Saturday morning with a great buffet breakfast, as I knew from previous trips I was going to have quite the hike in front of me today. I'd set my sights on Chatuchak markets, which you could easily spend a whole day exploring. Caught the skytrain (great public transport system in this country. Sydney, you could learn a thing or two) to the markets, an easy 20mins trip with a huge crowd as I clearly wasn't the only one looking to spend some dough today. I spent 5 hours strolling this market city, filled with everything you can desire. I promised I wasn't going to buy so much as I'm obviously on this trip for a completely different reason; and I don't have enough space in this damn backpack for that beautiful daybed, sofa and painting I wanted to drag along. I did end up buying a thing or two, as I convinced myself they were must haves. I spent an hour resting my feet at yet anothef market stall with some fried rice and curry of some sorts and a cold ice tea; whilst soaking in the hot sun. It's amazing how many burnt whities are walking around thinking they've got this golden tan. Give it up, it's not in your genes ;).
On the way back I stopped by Siam square and MBK, which are the luxurious shopping mall heavens here in Bangkok. I managed to score myself a local micro sim for my ipad which enables me to keep the blog going, and post all those pics and movies during the expedition. Back at Sukhumvit now to freshen up and a get ready hit patpong markets for a feed and stroll tonight. Let's see how many ping pong ball shows and sex movies they will try to flog tonight! I'll keep you posted ;)
Got in to Bangkok 20mins early, with easy customs clearance and my luggage already waiting on the carousel. Too good to be true... Let's hope all goes so well for the rest of trip! Caught myself a cab into Sukhumvit seeing that i'm lapping it up for my first 3 days at the Westin Grand before kicking off the official part of my expedition. It helps when your hubby can arrange these ridiculous rates. Huge room, incredible views and fantastic service.
Checked in and walked over Sukhumvit road to the night markets for a late night feed at one of the many food stalls and a night cap.
Decided to crawl into bed around midnight and as to have early start on Saturday.
Started off Saturday morning with a great buffet breakfast, as I knew from previous trips I was going to have quite the hike in front of me today. I'd set my sights on Chatuchak markets, which you could easily spend a whole day exploring. Caught the skytrain (great public transport system in this country. Sydney, you could learn a thing or two) to the markets, an easy 20mins trip with a huge crowd as I clearly wasn't the only one looking to spend some dough today. I spent 5 hours strolling this market city, filled with everything you can desire. I promised I wasn't going to buy so much as I'm obviously on this trip for a completely different reason; and I don't have enough space in this damn backpack for that beautiful daybed, sofa and painting I wanted to drag along. I did end up buying a thing or two, as I convinced myself they were must haves. I spent an hour resting my feet at yet anothef market stall with some fried rice and curry of some sorts and a cold ice tea; whilst soaking in the hot sun. It's amazing how many burnt whities are walking around thinking they've got this golden tan. Give it up, it's not in your genes ;).
On the way back I stopped by Siam square and MBK, which are the luxurious shopping mall heavens here in Bangkok. I managed to score myself a local micro sim for my ipad which enables me to keep the blog going, and post all those pics and movies during the expedition. Back at Sukhumvit now to freshen up and a get ready hit patpong markets for a feed and stroll tonight. Let's see how many ping pong ball shows and sex movies they will try to flog tonight! I'll keep you posted ;)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
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