Pam Holland Designs and Productions

I'm in the 'shed'

What a nice warm feeling to be home.
But I arrive home with somewhat different ideas to those I left with.

Experience while you are in a another place provides that state of mind. This trip even more so than others.

I was greeted by two gorgeous granddaughters one, almost three, and one eighteen. We spent the afternoon together and it was an absolute delight.

Home.

The bags are packed... I've put the bling back on.

I anticipate a good trip home.... and I have a few hours before I need to leave the hotel so I'm about to spend an hour by the pool to relax.

There are a few problems having a large family... PRESENTS and remembering everyone...... I need to buy around 20.+

Oh, I don't buy each person a gift every time I travel... just once or twice a year and somehow T/shirts just don't come up to scratch.  "my Mother traveled to Thailand and all she bought back was this lousy T/shirt"
I don't buy stuff for my quilt group anymore either, no one else does when they go to work!!!!

So yesterday was the gift buying day.

Pandora bracelets for $15, I have a real one and can't tell the difference. Just about $1000.

Silver bracelets for the girls and baby Savannah. Leather covers for the iphone at 1/8th price.  Beautiful fabrics, cards all for a fraction of the price elsewhere....
I think I have it stitched. !!!!

I was in a state of relaxation, when suddenly the vision of  money I had in the safe popped into my brain.... did I put it back, or did I leave it on the side table....?
My heart thudded. I tried to think. I packed the case carefully, I know I hid the bling!!!! but what about the money.
Visions of reporting to police, going home with no remuneration.....OOOH.

I had to catch 2 trains and walk a short distance... so I calmed myself by putting on my ipod and clearing my mind. Could people tell by my face that my brain was scrambling.?

I walked calmly through the hotel door, the friendly porter giving me a wai (Thai greeting)

The lift took ages to arrive... I even got out on the right floor. Key in the door, It banged behind me, I dropped my bag, checked the side board.....NO MONEY. My heart jumped a beat. I fumbled the lock on the bag,  rumbled through until I felt the crackle of a paper packet....It was there..... I slumped on the bed, laughed at my stupidity, and thanked myself for being thorough.

So I watched reality TV for an hour and marveled at Jamie Oliver trying to make a difference to the British pallet.  "Get out there and help him all you Brits"

I have eaten healthy and the food of the countries I've been in.... even curry for breakfast here in Thailand.... I love it..... but I celebrated with a Cheeseburger at Dairy Queen and smugly washed it down with a diet coke.

The day finished with my favorite dish of Mango and sticky rice and watching a Thai boxing match on the plaza of the shopping Mall.....

What a day.

Down memory lane.

34 years ago when I was as young Mum, Keith and I made our first trip to Thailand.

We were naive, nervous and just young people on a mission. we came to adopt our Son Joshua.

We arrived at 2.00 am. It was in the middle of July, it was 5 deg at home and 32 deg when we landed.
We were met by soldiers with guns and stern looks. I was absolutely terrified.

We drove to the city in a shuttle bus with 3 inebriated Aussie males who embarrassed the heck out of us with their crude comments to two Thai ladies seated near them.
The traffic sped past at alarming speed, the lights were bright and the horns blew constantly. I'll never forget the smell either.

Our accommodation was arranged by the adoption agency.....a pokey little hotel called the Maya Guest House. (after a week, I realized there was a brothel upstairs.... I was fascinated) I wondered why there was a constant stream of men in the dining area... I thought they were students !!!!! duh.

The walls were made of bamboo, and there were holes drilled into them... I found the holes the next day and plugged them with wet toilet paper.

We sank exhausted into bed, which was as hard as a rock. When we woke the next morning... I put my foot to the ground and there was 8" of water in our room..... outside, they were filming a cheap movie and flooded the place for effect....!!!
Oh, and there was only cold water in the less than sanitary bathroom.

Mid morning a taxi arrived and a lady got out with this little bundle of humanity. Our Son Joshua Amnauy. She handed him to me cautiously, "sorry we have given you a green baby Maam" she said.... Josh, was indeed a nice shade of green.... he had jaundice. He was very feeble and weighed just 3 lb even though he was 3 weeks old.
He was dehydrated and when you picked up the skin on his scrawny little leg, it stayed elevated....
Over the next 12 hours I graduated him from boiled sweet water to formular and he never looked back...
Babies are never taken out for the first 3 months in Thailand, so I covered him a crochet shawl made by my Mum and we carted hime everywhere...
He slept all day in the smelly Bangkok Taxi's and cried all night when he was still.

we had some amazing adventures during our 3 week adoption process... Josh grew healthy and quickly and was just beautiful when our time to leave arrived. I just couldn't wait to get on the plane, but we had a car crash on the way to the airport which added to our anxiety.....but I felt Josh was truly ours when I we took off.....
What excitement there was when we arrived home and introduced him to his siblings...

We've been to Thailand about 20 times since....
No, we don't stay in a brothel any more, we've graduated to nothing less than 5 star.
I know Bangkok well and I've traveled all over the city. I can talk enough to surprise the taxi drivers and bargain well.!!!
But we've sure had some adventures....
We have two other children from Thailand too, Susie, 43 and jinda 23. Both have wonderful stories too.

So today, with those memories behind me I visited the ancient city of Ayuthaya. We went up by bus and then floated down the river on our return.... just fabulous. I hope you enjoy the slide show....

Sea Shepherd.

For my friends in Australia, you may have seen the drama unfold on Television as the sea shepherd docked in Hobart.

For those of you who live overseas, Australian security forces boarded the ship when it docked and seized the film and all documents used by the team..... it is reported they will give them to the Japanese Govt!!!!

Smacks of political bribery. I wrote a letter to Mr Rudd, but seems he doesn't answer to "ordinary people"

All I can say is that I don't have much respect for our Govt.

Has Mr Rudd has sold out to the Japanese?

At least my boy is home safe....!!!!

What an experience.

The past few weeks have been an experience of a life time.

I began with no preconceived ideas.... and I leave with new friends, new ideas and a wealth of knowledge.

Quilting in Dubai is in it's infancy but with the expert help of Shanker and Mala Ramakrishnan, they have made a difference in this part of the world. People who "tell your people" are taking notice of the talents in the UAE.

It's an honor to be part of the process, just as it was in Mexico city.

I'm a quilter, A Teacher and I take the responsibly of being so very seriously.  I hope to stimulate the creative ideas of my students, I think I was able to achieve that in this case.

I don't look at teaching quilting as a financial bonus, in fact.... weeks on the road, the money disappears at an alarming rate...!!!!

Of course, along the way there were many adventures. Camel races, visit to the fiords of Musandarm, I sampled wonderful food, met new friends, bought priceless antique fabric and my mind is full of amazing images.

 

On the last day in Dubai, my Sister Jan, her husband Ron and I decided to visit the new Dubai Mall

I just can't explain how amazing it is....but I hope the photos do it justice.

We finished the day with afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab hotel, which characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 meters (590 ft) tall.
It is the world's tallest structure with a membrane facade and the world's tallest hotel. 

On booking we were directed how to dress.... so I had to do a little fancy work in the carpark of the  Dubai mall and change..... It was rather funny.... I got changed out of the fancy clothes ready for the plane on the road leading from the hotel.... at least it was dark then.

A few friends...... with Libby and I.



I'm in Bangkok, I can't believe that I slept for 14 hours straight and I'm still a little tired.

It's 11.00 am and I'm about to go visit a quilting group in the city.....
I've so much to catch up on the blog....
Now I have the time.....
so after the day's work, I'll get to it.

A teaching day.

 

The class project for the day....  this is the work of one of the students..... everyone achieved the goal.

A new technique was learned.

Monet's garden

Dubai

I left Ras Al Khaimah yesterday afternoon.

We drove through red sandy desert punctuated by small shrub trees. Many people still have tents set up as recreation homes, some maybe even permanent. Camels wander freely, goats are corralled and there is the occasional small town with flat roofed houses made of sand and cement.
It's 100 kms to Dubai and for most of that time there was a steady stream of trucks going in the same direction.
No, not like home, bumper to bumper trucks, 1000's.
Building sites of gigantic proportion have sprung up in the red sandy desert.

As we got closer to Dubai, the "A" frame power poles appeared, until there were so many it looked like lace on the horizon.
Towns with huge complexes of living accommodation to rival the best of houses are built, some standing without residents until the  economic crises passes....!

The trucks were a continuous line, moving in unison like a caterpillar on wheels.

Dubai is clean, modern and the best that money can buy. The streets are lined with petunias at the moment, red, white and yellow....

The bus stops are interesting, air conditioned cocoons  one could say.

 

In the afternoon escorted by my aussie host Janina, we visited the fabric district.... mainly Indian, but they do have quite a bit of quilting fabric... at about $3.50 a yard.Trust me, it makes your mouth water, you can buy just about everything there from rotary cutters to the most gaudy bling and even a wig.

 

 

Musandarm - Oman

Whoops I spelt it incorrectly "Musandarm"

I wanted to write more about some of the experiences I've had, but somehow the time is passing rather quickly.

Yesterdays trip was wonderful as you can probably tell by my photos.

Most of you who are reading this blog are quilters... and if you know my work you will understand the reason why I took some of those photos.
The reflections would make wonderful quilts.... I want to make one just with reflections... I've been taking photos of reflections in water for years....After yesterday I think I have enough.

Our dhow was painted bright mid blue. The deck was a patchwork of carpets and the cushions around the edge of the deck were blue tapestry. Against the water she looked outstanding.
Days of sandstorms resulted in unusual formations in the sky and at times it looked as if we were in fog.... but it was actually sand in the sky.

We traveled for about an hour before we came to the border of Oman and UAE. Strict customs and immigration forms took some time to complete and be stamped with a flourish and a thump.

Oman is just beginning to open its doors to tourism.  Musandam, is otherwise known as Roo'uoss Al Jibal in Arabic.

Located on the north, eastern point of the Gulf, a peninsula separated from the rest of Oman by the Emirates. It is a place where the Arabian Gulf meets the Indian Ocean, whose waters are called the Gulf of Oman. This is the Straights of Hormuz, separating the Gulf from Iran.

The legendary Straights of Hormuz was once a home to ancient civilizations even before Alexander the Great passed this way. It was pure luxury. I really didn't want to talk to anyone... I just sat and watched the water, the dolphins, maybe a dozen pods. The mountain formations and the reflections in the still water.

I listened to classical music on my ipod and was oblivious to all that was going on around me.

Once I had an an acquaintance tell me "Your strange doing that"

Well "walk a mile in my shoes honey"

Our captain served us a delicious meal of king fish, curry, rice and bread.... what more could you ask for. It was a photographers paradise.

It took a long time at the border on the way home. I got to view the passing scenery. Herds of goats, contraband on trucks headed to the smugglers from Iran. Children playing soccer, and women with metal face masks, such a contrast to the snow of Minneapolis and the desert of Arizona.

A day of spectacular beauty.

Today, I viewed scenery I'd never experienced before.
I sat on the deck of a dhow, listened to classical music on my ipod, relished the sun and took in spectacular scenery for 10 hours...!!! i will add a slide show tomorrow.

 The Musandam Peninsula is the northernmost part of Oman jutting out into the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. The province, or governorate of Musandam as it is officially known, is separated from the rest of Oman by various of the United Arab Emirates - Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah. Musandam more or less begins where the mountains rise from the plains of Ras al Khaimah. The mountains have isolated communities for centuries. Coastal villages can be reached only by boat rather than by road. Pockets of flat land support meagre agriculture.