With the Nation in mourning for the death of their King, and low water levels in most of the rivers, the Water Festival this year was almost none existent. Usually this time of year brings millions of tourist to see the colorful long boat races but this year there were few.
We usually try to get the kids out of Wat Opot on holidays but the places we are familiar with were not having any activities and so we were going to just spend the holidays at home. Then Mr. Channa, our director, heard of a boat race at one of the Wats about an hour’s drive from us and so we rented a bus and had it drive us out to Wat Ang Chum.
We were a bit early and not many people were there, so I told the kids to go and enjoy themselves.
The Wat was large and had many beautiful gardens with benches and tables to sit down at and relax.
Or places to pose for facebook pictures.
There were rides for the kids,
And things to buy,
And plenty of food to eat.
By the time the boat races started,
the crowd had grown to several thousand people and I lost track of all of the children.
I had told them all that we would leave exactly at three o-clock
and started rounding them up to return to the bus… which, unknown to us,
had had to be moved into a new parking place because of the crowds.
We did a head count and all were there… except for Mr. Chay who had gotten separated from his group.
I sent some kids out to look for him but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. Then, just as I was about to get worried, a motor cycle drove up and Mr. Chay jumped off from the back. He had hailed the motor-taxi down on his own, thinking he had missed the bus, and simply told the driver to take him to Wat Opot. Fortunately the driver asked for some information and when Mr. Chay told him he had come on a bus with a group, the driver decided to check all of the parking lots first.
We were back by four o-clock in the afternoon, tired but happy for the chance to get away for the day.
The Watopotians