Following the wedding, we go back to Bangkok and have a few days there, a few days in Pattaya and then we book our coach to take us to Chiang Mai in the north. Neither of us have been to that part of Thailand before so we're very much looking forward to it.

This is hopefully the start of 3 months travelling, first in the north, then slowly working back to Bangkok before heading West to the coast. We'll be attending Filip and Patty's wedding in Khao Lak on February 20th and then beach bumming for a month or so

But first, a 9-hour coach ride north...

Following the parade to, and the acceptance into, the bride's house the wedding ceremony takes place:

Then, once the ceremony is over, onto the photgraphs:

Some words from the bride and groom:

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and then the feast :

The giving of presents to family and friends:

and then the party:

The parade is a tradition of NE Thailand/Surin and it involves the groom and his relations parading, with offerings of gifts, food and drink to the bride's.

The parade then sing, dance and proceed to the bride's house and offer the gifts to the bride:

These are (it is hoped :-), of course, accepted:

Once all the gifts have been given the wedding ceremony then takes place.

Once the monks arrive we are allowed into the room to observe proceedings and to watch and pray .

And then there is the offering of food to the monks. First it is the giving of rice:

and then it is the actual offering of the alms bowls:

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This then concludes the blessing and the next part is the parade by the groom and his family.

An early rise to be back up at Moo's mother's house for 6 am. Food preparation and cooking has been going on all night and is still in full swing when we arrive:

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The monks are due to arrive at 0630 and it'll hopefully give me enough time to get some coffee inside of me.

The minibus is booked for 1 pm today and it's a full load on the 6 or 7-hour journey to Damm's bride, Moo's, mother's house near Chantaburi.

It's a fairly pleasant journey but the minibus driver (a guy in his early-mid twenties) is obviously more mutton than me as he has to play his music loud. Now I appreciate the whole generation difference thing but when the average age of the people in your van is older thna me you'd think he'd play something a bit more mellower wouldn't you?

Ah well, still moaning Crowley!

Arrived around 8 pm at night and ate food prepared for us by Moo's mother and also a few whisky and coke's before a load more relatives arrived from Bangkok around 11 pm (and then we had a few more whisky and coke's).

Then off to the hotel for some well-deserved kip (and air con for the first time since I arrived :-)

Every year they have Children's Day in Thailand. This is a half-day event run at one of the schools in the district and this year it incorporates 3 schools into one event.

Though it's raining (for the first time since I got here) we head off along the back roads and tracks to the school avoiding the holes, drop, stops and other hazards.

The school event is well attended:

and most of the shows/displays are very good and some are actually quite funny:

At the end, the district MP gives a speech and I find out that I am the first Westerner ever to have visited a Children's Day here.

Out on the moped today and into Prasat. We go the back roads as the main roads can be a little crazy over here, plus it's the first time in over 15 years that I've been on a motorised-two wheeler and the old skills ain't quite recovered yet.

We have noodles in one of Jane's favourite eating places and then go for a short walk into the center of Prasat and do the bank, mini-mart and other things.

It's amazing what you can see when you're walking down the street here:

An early start for all (though not for a lot of the relatives who ahve been up all night preparing and the food for the event) and the sun is shining.

Events such as these always have a meaning in Thai culture and things happening during the day, before and after the ceremony are all a reason. Jane's mum has purchased and prepared a huge amount of food and my initial thoughts of my healthy appetite preceeding me are soon lost when people start arriving and sit down for breakfast.

The cermony for เรียกขวัญ starts around 7 am and the front room of the house is a crowded affair.

I obviously can't follow the cermony but Jane keeps telling me what is happening and it is all very respectful but relaxed.

At the end, everyone gives a gift of money to the groom, this is a wish for wealth during the marriage and is performed by tying notes to the wrist.

Then the blessing:

Then everyone proceeds outside to eat and make merry.

As people leave they are presented with a large bag of food to take home, hence the quantity of food cooked.

่เรียกขวัญ is a cultural ceremony that is performed in the NE of Thailand before a wedding.

Thai people there believe that a marriage can be a worrying event for some people and there is a chance that the bride or groom's spirit may be wandering in the preceeding days.

This ceremony, performed by a person specialising in these matters, calls the spirit back to the person and they can then be comforted and soothed in preparation for the wedding. If the bride and groom live close-by this is often done the day before the wedding, if not, it happens at the closest date before the marriage as determined by astrological signs.

It is attended by family and friends of Damm's family and is my first time at such an event.

The food purchasing and preparation is begun days ahead:

and Jane's mum's family rally around to help prepare and cook:

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