Gifts for Children of Border Police School Nr Pala-U

[Khundon1975]

Well done Mr and Mrs BB.

[Big Boy]

When we got home, we had a chat with the school trustee. I explained that there was money left over, but I didn't want to hand cash to the school. He checked with the school, and has ordered shoes for the children (not sure how many or cost yet - if it comes to any more than the balance I will fund it). I will post again when the shoes arrive.

Had the phone call today, the order had been placed/shoes were ready for collection.

OK, "How many pairs and how much" was my response?

"80 pairs @ just under 4000 Baht," he said.

"But there are 250 children, and I've still got over 12,000 Baht to spend."

A couple more phone calls, and it was all arranged. Shoes for everybody, and I've still got 500 Baht left.

There's quite a substantial load to deliver on the 29th. Mrs BB will be pleased to get her house back i.e.:

There's quite a substantial load to deliver on the 29th.

Anyway I think it's time for a 'Roll of Honour' for all of those who generously donated to the fund.

Sock Appeal 2014 - Roll of Honour

Hua Hin Ham & Bacon
Mango Home Resort & Bistro
Boz
prcscct
prcscct's daughter, Mary
Ginjaninja
Ginjaninja's family
barrys
migrant
pharvey
JD
huahinjim
huahinjim's grand children
lindosfan1
georgy
sand dancer
Hilux
redzonerocker
caller
daio
Thistle

(I think I've included all benefactors - sincere apologies if I've missed anybody)

A big thank you to each and every one of you. I am sure that I will be able to report the children's gratitude after the 29th.

[Big Boy]

I should have mentioned, the shoes are not for outdoors wear, but it's what they wear in the classroom to ease wear on the socks.

[Big Boy]

Well guys, the deed is done, and I think we all had a fantastic day. I'll try to provide a full report with photos and videos tomorrow. As usual, it was lump in the throat time when they sang the thank you (Kapom) song.

I'll scan this in properly tomorrow, but to whet your appetites, here's the thank you note from the school:

[Ralfredo]

Thanks for your good work and nice to meet you IRŁ!

[BOZ]

Big Boy,

Pla couldn't wait for me to get up and facetime this morning so I could get the "full Report".. She was so happy and glad we got involved and that she went along with the gang on the adventure... Her Dad is a retired Pol Colonel in the boarder Police so this just made it all more meaningful for her. You did a great thing here my friend and you and your wife are awesome people, glad I got to join in with the support!! FYI, I am hitting up some friends of mine stateside for future donations to the cause.. Talk is cheap, but so far a couple of them seem very interested in getting behind this cause... Again, you and Mrs BB are rockstars to these children and that is just AWESOME!!!!!!! Pla and I had a great discussion this morning as she revisited the day for me in her words... Had me feeling happy and sad at the same time as I would like to see them get more... She told me about a little girl and a boy that asked for some chicken for their mothers, saying that their mothers love chicken but they don't ever have any, could they have a piece for her.. Man that just made me well up... They wanted to carrying it in his hat so no one would see it... Wow.. These kids are selfless and caring for their families... You hit the target with your efforts here... Thanks again for letting us help out, and driving this through as you have done!!! I hope to make one of these runs with you all!!!!

[Big Boy]

I've tried to make this a comprehensive report, so I'll post it and videos in several sections.

Visiting Pala-U Border Police School
29 January 2015

Since our last visit, this trip was a long time in the planning.

During our previous visit, my wife and I were very touched by the condition of many of the children’s socks.

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I had stated that on my next visit, I would take a new pair of socks for every child at the school. This statement and photos also caught the heart of many forum members who generously passed me money to help these unfortunate children. Forum members donated 75,000 Baht. My wife and I travelled to Bobae Market in Bangkok to maximise what we purchased for these children, whilst always keeping a close eye on quality. In total we spent 74,500 Baht on:

• 1,008 pairs of socks
• 504 pairs of girls knickers
• 504 pairs of boys underpants
• 252 girls vests/trainer bras
• 260 T-shirts
• 266 pairs of shoes
• 2 sets of underwear for the head girl. I’m not really sure about her role here, but at 17 years old, she is considerably older than the rest of the kids. I can only assume she is in training, because she seems to have a significant managerial role with the kids – and IMHO does a wonderful job with them.

2 sets of underwear for the head girl.

The remaining 500 Baht was put towards soft drinks for the children’s lunch. On our first visit last May, the children were given soft drinks, and they really loved them. There were no soft drinks at the November visit, and I detected a disappointment. So this time I used the money to purchase 60 x 1.5 litres of soft drinks. OK, I accept that it might be harmful to teeth, but as an occasional treat, I considered it OK.

Loading

We would be making a very early start on the day, so the car had to be loaded the night before. I walk my dogs on the beach each evening, so we couldn’t start this task until we got home at about 10pm. The car always gets covered with sand inside, so I was vacuuming the inside at 11pm (the neighbours must have loved me).

This was the first time I’d seen the entire load in the same place, and I started to have (literally) 11th hours doubts about my car’s capacity to carry so much stuff along rough terrain. We’ve all seen videos of Thai vehicles losing their load.

This was the first time I’d seen the entire load in the same place

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This was the first time I’d seen the entire load in the same place

It was a family effort, with me receiving help from my son, daughter and eldest granddaughter and Mrs BB overseeing everything, ‘supervising’ from our raised porch. Like a very exact 3D Tetris puzzle we managed to fit everything in, and I still had minimal visibility using my rear view mirror.

Like a very exact 3D Tetris puzzle we managed to fit everything in

Like a very exact 3D Tetris puzzle we managed to fit everything in

Like a very exact 3D Tetris puzzle we managed to fit everything in

Feeling well chuffed with our efforts, we double sheeted the load, hoping to minimalise the dust from the dirt tracks we’d be travelling on. Now the big test – would the tailgate close? With an almighty upward thrust, there was a very satisfying clunk as it locked into position – the car was ready.

the car was ready

the car was ready

Absolute Chaos

The morning started disastrously. I woke up with the 5am alarm, but I was in a panic. Nereus had asked to come with us, and I’d missed his name off my mailing lists. I immediately jumped onto the forum with a couple of messages in the hope that he was an early riser, but I failed to contact him. This was going upset my day.

The first group of travellers (BOZ’s family) arrived in good time at 6:30, soon followed by georgy. We were due to leave at 7am – No Hilux and family. This was not a problem, being Thailand, we were travelling Thai time . 7:10, I received a phone call from Hilux – he was lost. I had given everybody my location on the Hua Hin Interactive Map. He had taken GPS coordinates from the map (not realising that GPS does not recognise my road). He was in the next Soi, just a few yards from my house, so easily guided to the right location. The forum contingent (minus 2 to pick en-route) was complete.

There were 9 cars assembled to move in convoy. It was agreed that we would travel in two sections. I would lead the forum contingent, and the Thai contingent would follow a few minutes later. I explained this to the ‘forum cars’, and went back to my car, which was still in my car port. And now the Keystone Cops Charade began.

I pulled onto my Soi, and the forum cars had gone . Assuming they would be waiting for me at some point, I set off in pursuit. What I didn’t realise was that the forum cars had seen the ‘chicken’ car set off to pick up 100Kgs of chicken, and followed him assuming it was me.

I was driving, so didn’t want to use my phone, but I knew Mrs BB had BOZ’s wife’s phone number on her phone. This was the first hilarious element. Mrs BOZ had nipped into Chatchai Market for food . They didn’t know where the other 2 cars were.

I drove to the pick-up point for the remaining 2 in our group, and was about to phone Hilux and georgy, when Hilux phoned me. He and georgy were stopped about half a mile behind me (I must have been driving faster than I realised . So we were now 3 out of 4. We drove together to a convenient point and waited for number 4 – they were well lost, and reported crossing the big roundabout at the by-pass junction (which was about a minute behind us) about 6 times.

Time was moving on, and in true Thai style Hilux’s family were getting hungry. I told him and georgy to move on to the next 7-11, while I waited for car number 4. There was only one road, so I would easily spot them en-route. Eventually, car number 4 reached me.

Off we went. I was so relieved at being re-united with BOZ’s family, that I drove oblivious to the fact I was meant to be looking for Hilux and georgy. I drove straight past them. Fortunately, they’d finished their shopping, spotted me and set off in pursuit. We were complete at last, and on our way .

What a fantastic bit of chaos, to make the boring part of the trip interesting – thank you guys, I wouldn’t have missed it .

The Rough Road

It was very misty today, which was a shame because the scenery is usually quite breathtaking on the Thai/Burmese border. I have made a video of this section of the journey as requested by Ginjaninja, which I will post later.

Depending upon the time of year you make this journey, the road can be very rough. Back in November, just as the wet season was ending, the road was very rough, with new rubble deposited in many places to repair this dirt track. Today was the smoothest ride I’ve had so far. However, my car was kicking up quite a dust cloud behind, forcing the other cars to drop back a considerable distance, so much so that I could rarely see more than the second car through the red dust. My car which started the journey as a shiny blue, was turning a blue shade of brown.

While I’m sure the rest of my mini convoy were wondering where on Earth we were going, this was quite a routine ride for me.

Eventually, we turned left into the rubber plantation, which leads to the school. As we pulled onto the school grounds the reception from the kids who saw us was as warm as ever. Even if you don’t watch the full video, it’s worth loading the last couple of minutes, just to see the kids greeting us. These kids are lovely, and come across as being very genuine.

............... More to follow soon

[pharvey]

Love the report BB and glad to hear everyone actually got there in the end!! Look forward to seeing the vids and photo's and as always, a BIG BIG hand to yourself, your family and all who took part.

[Big Boy]

Visiting Pala-U Border Police School Part 2

Upon Arrival

The other cars parked up outside of the school dining hall, which would be our base for the day. Assuming that they wouldn’t want a ton of clothes deposited in the dining room, I asked Mrs BB to ask one of the teachers where best to unload. He directed me to an office at the far side of the gravel playground. I reversed up to the office, and by the time I’d un-sheeted the load, there was a team of kids ready to unload my vehicle.

NB: None of the clothes would be distributed to the kids for a few days. It all had to be sorted by sizes/type, and would be handed out next week.

unload my vehicle

unload my vehicle

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Once unloaded, I parked my car for the day. I looked around at the various classrooms, and was very pleased to see the rest of the forum crew making themselves at home wandering around the various classrooms to see what was going on (I’d done this on previous visits, so left them to take it all in).

I went back to the dining hall, where my neighbours were preparing a feast of gigantic proportions for the kids.

a feast of gigantic proportions

a feast of gigantic proportions

a feast of gigantic proportions

a feast of gigantic proportions

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Mrs BB was on coffee/ovaltine duty at this stage.

coffee/ovaltine duty

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There were 3 jumbo woks on the go, cooking 100Kg of chicken. Neighbours had been cooking sticky rice since the early hours, and the pot of sticky rice was the largest I’ve ever seen – so large that I had to take a photograph.

the pot of sticky rice was the largest I’ve ever seen

There was quite a mountain of ‘treats’ for the kids, and one neighbour had taken a sack of old toys for distribution. I even saw a couple of old computers for the kids.

a mountain of ‘treats’

a mountain of ‘treats’

3 JUMBO tubs of ice-cream

Everything was progressing nicely, so I went for a wander around the school’s own organic gardens, which were in much better condition than on my previous visit. I wandered across the school playing field (bordered by a corn field and a pineapple plantation, and was surprised to find quite a substantial playground at the back of the school.

a substantial playground

I had a chat with georgy, who said that while he was in the gardens, kids were talking while working down there, and that he didn’t hear a single word of Thai. He surmised the kids that he had heard were talking Burmese.

The Infants Class

I wandered back to the dining hall to await the arrival of the Infants Class – the first sitting.

Eventually, I heard the excited voices of these youngsters forming an orderly queue behind me. As with previous visits, they were queuing up to wash their hands in a bucket of water.

queuing up to wash their hands in a bucket of water

queuing up to wash their hands in a bucket of water

queuing up to wash their hands in a bucket of water

Hands washed, they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables. They were led through the Thai version of grace, and ate their food/drank their pop, which had been served to them.

they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

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they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

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they all proceeded to sit very quietly at 2 dining tables

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When they’d finished eating, they all formed an orderly queue (or as orderly as a bunch of 4/5 year olds can manage), and received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits. Some came around a second time, thinking we wouldn’t notice. Of course we were totally outsmarted, and didn’t notice a thing .

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

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received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

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received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

received an ice cream, plus 2 packets of crisps or biscuits

Then probably the first time I’ve ever seen these kids get a little disorderly. Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out. The kids were very shy to approach her initially, but when they realised what was on offer, and probably not enough for everybody, they grew in confidence, and there was mayhem for about a minute .

One by one, the dining hall cleared of the younger element.

.............................. Part 3 to follow soon.

[Big Boy]

OK, here's the video requested by Ginjaninja - driving along the dirt tracks. Fortunately, they were in pretty good condition. The best bit is the last 2 minutes, where you can see the kid's reaction as we arrive at the school.

[BOZ]

Big Boy awesome trip report!!!! Thanks again for being the ringleader of this circus... Sounds like a fun day for sure!!!

[Big Boy]

Visiting Pala-U Border Police School Part 3

Before I start, I didn't include photos of the kids with the old toys yesterday, so here they are now (notice how numbers increase as they gain confidence ):

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

Mrs Hilux opened the bag of old toys, and started handing them out.

The Senior Classes

Unfortunately, one complete class had to miss the meal – the reason was not really explained to me.

One thing that never fails to amaze me are the rows of shoes neatly lined up outside the dining hall at lunch time. Boys on the left and girls on the right.

Boys on the left

girls on the right

These kids being more mature, collected their own food, but sat at the table with their food in front of them, but their hands were firmly behind their backs, while waiting for permission to start. Grace was said in a very regimental fashion with clapping and hand movements that would have put the 3rd Reich to shame.

sat at the table with their food in front

sat at the table with their food in front

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sat at the table with their food in front

sat at the table with their food in front

sat at the table with their food in front

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sat at the table with their food in front

Food was consumed and enjoyed. There was plenty left over for those who wanted more. The volunteer helpers were wandering around the tables with additional portions, which is where BOZ’s report of ‘chicken for mum’ came from. At the end of the day, I’m sure there was a load left to take home for those with parents.

Food was consumed and enjoyed.

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Food was consumed and enjoyed.

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Food finished, the older kids now queued up for treats. As usual, there was plenty of ice cream. The next queue was for crisps. Another queue for biscuits and a final queue for orange or pineapple drinks. Again several kids went around several times – we know this for definite because one kiddie was wearing a minions hat, and came through 3 times. Yes, you’ve guessed it, we were totally outsmarted again.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

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the older kids now queued up for treats.

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the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

the older kids now queued up for treats.

As the big kid queues cleared, the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more.

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

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the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

the Infant Class had by now digested their ice creams, and were invited back for more

All of the kids loved it. Nobody was going home hungry that day

.................................... Final Installment soon......... watch this space.

[Big Boy]

Visiting Pala-U Border Police School Part 4 and Final

Finale

All visitors had to endure the tear jerker. The Kapom Song (Thank You) is sung with such sincerity and passion that I never fail to well up. I challenge anybody not to feel the same way. This is the bit that sticks in everybody’s memory.

Soon after the Kapom Song, the whole school sang Happy Birthday to one of our party – another video.



The visitors were asked to pose for some photographs, and then everybody dispersed.

The visitors were asked to pose for some photographs

The visitors were asked to pose for some photographs

The visitors were asked to pose for some photographs

The visitors were asked to pose for some photographs

If everybody felt like me, we had achieved our goal. I was feeling very pleased that we’d brought a little happiness to these unfortunate kids, and the forum members who I had spoken to, said they felt the same way.

Before I left, the school gave me a certificate thanking my neighbours and the members of Hua Hin Forum for their generosity.

a certificate thanking my neighbours and the members of Hua Hin Forum for their generosity

a certificate thanking my neighbours and the members of Hua Hin Forum for their generosity

Finally, my car was parked away from the others. As we walked to it, we received quite a few wais from the kids. As I turned the final corner to exit the school, there were about 12 kids congregated on a wall waving goodbye – this included waves, wais and blowing kisses.

Conclusion

These children (don’t get me wrong, I love every one of them) were very dirty today. When I say dirty, some clothes looked as if they had been worn for several days, and the appearance of some kid’s skin was dirty. Maybe previous visits had seen us come earlier in the week (closer to laundry day/bath day). I don’t know the reason, and to me, the main thing was the children seemed very happy.

The sock problem was not as prevalent today, but a lot were simply not wearing socks.

The sock problem was not as prevalent today, but a lot were simply not wearing socks.

The sock problem was not as prevalent today, but a lot were simply not wearing socks.

The sock problem was not as prevalent today, but a lot were simply not wearing socks.

I did still manage to spot some pretty big holes. Hopefully, this time next week, they’ll all be wearing warm, fit for purpose socks, thanks to the efforts of forum members.

A lovely day

Please accept my sincere thanks to everybody who helped make this day possible,

[sand_dancer]

Brilliant pics and video as always BB......

Bring tears to a glass een.......

The sincere thanks goes to you and your good lady...... For bringing this cause to the table...... And for the time and effort that you both put into it......

[Hilux]

Fantistic write up Big Boy, and thank you for lettining my family and I participate. You guys did a tremendous job arranging everything. If we can help sponsoring another time please let us know.

Hilux.