Mira – more on our car

Here is a picture of our little Mira. Mira-6-9-06smJust got back from a trip to Lampang for Ed’s (Tasanai’s cousin) Spirit Ceremony. 200 Km trip. I have to admit that if we are going to go on long trips I will need to rent a larger car. This one is really too small for me for anything over a 200–300 Km trip. It got about 45 M/Gal – converted – we use only metric over here, but it really sucked up the water – must be a leak in the cooling system somewhere – although I can’t see it. It’s a real pain to make sure to check it after every 150 Km or so, just to make sure it doesn’t over-heat. I have to take it back to the shop and see if they can stop it from leaking. But, so far that’s all the problems we have had with the little beauty. Besides the SHORT leg-room. Definitely wasn’t made for farangs, most Thais, when I pass them, just smile when they see me in such a little car. – haha –

We went to Lampang for Ed’s yearly changing of the Lana Culture Spirit Altars. Each year he has to replace the khantokes (special bowels), flowers and altar setups he has at his house. Tasanai’s house has a similar setup for the Spirits for their family. Ed is one of the special people ( Yok Khan Kru ) who the ancient spirits use to speak in this world. This custom is part of the old Lana Culture and not in Buddhism or Hindu beliefs. In Thailand all three beliefs are intertwined – Buddha, Brahman, and Spirit – in that order.

Tasanai, because he is a relative, was invited to participate in the service and was also hired to take video and digital photos. As one of the services offered by AsianCoOp.com, Tasanai will record special events and then supply a DVD and photos in a portfolio form. I think I mentioned this before – so he was really busy the whole time we were there.

I have more pictures of the car and trip later.

Ciao for now

Frank