Just in time..

So yesterday we finally were able to finish painting the wall. There was threat of rain which would have put us out of luck but we were able to pull it off. We couldn't have done it without my dear friend Maemay, who I titled the best dressed painter in the world. She came in all dressed up and asked what she could do. So I gave her a paint brush and she saved us a ton of time. Thank you so much to her. I also want to thank my friends from Australia who gave a generous donation this week which in turn paid for all the paint and supplies for the wall. Thank you so much and here are the before and after pictures so you can see what your donation paid for.

And last but not least the ever wonderful Maemay.













Love is Life

Steve & Kete

Our recent donators.. Thank you!!

I wanted to post these pics as a thank you to our 3 most recent donors. I figured it would be great to show them exactly where their money has gone. Our goal was to get new benches for one of the play areas at the orphanage because as you can see they weren't very safe. We were able to go out and pick up 4 benches and a table to replace the old broken ones. Pictures of the old and new benches are below.















Thank you again for your generous donations.

Love is Life

Steve

Beauty on a day off..

We took a day off the other day and checked out the temple at the top of Doi Suthep hill. The temple was built in the late 14th century and overlooks Chiang Mai from its lofty perch, some 3,500 feet (1,053 meters) above sea level. On a clear day you can see the whole city and beyond. Unfortunately we are here during the most polluted time of the year and we could barley see a thing. It was still a beautiful site. The drive up to the top was amazing. The 20 minute drive to the top via all the winding roads made the ride most relaxing. All the different smells of the trees and flowers was a change from driving through the city as we're usually smelling exhaust from all the cars and scooters. The temple is said to have a relic of Buddha himself which makes this one of the most popular temples in the area. The statues and architecture were exquisite and pictures do them no justice. I will try to bring my experience of this breathtaking place by my vision of the shots below.



Love is Life

Steve

Is this really allowed here in Thailand?

I'm talking about DISCRIMINATION. Of all the beauty here in Thailand, this way is not so beautiful. I'm talking about the markets, the zoo, the temples, and pretty much every other little thing that a visitor to this paradise would see or want to use while here. We're called Falangs. This word can be heard in a conversation with you just a few steps away. Kete and I have gotten used to this and we're getting better at playing the game. It's very frustrating to say the least. I want everyone to picture themselves buying a car. Now we all know how crazy that can be going back and forth about prices etc etc etc. You are going to be doing just that. but only buying a poster, a lamp, artwork, a shirt, dress, shoes or whatever else you want. There is no prices on them and Thais pay this price and the foreigners get told another. This is the art of shopping here. So be prepared!!

We went to an amazing temple today. I will put pictures up and a blog entry about it tomorrow but here is a sign that would never be allowed in the States. The Thai people get in for free.


Love is Life

Steve

Work to be done...

So today we started to get down to the manual labor. I had a talk with one of the woman in charge of the orphanage the other day. Dr Praneet is a very nice women with a great smile. I'll try to get a picture before we leave. She said it would be ok for Kete and I to do some remodeling around the orphanage so to speak. I will take some pics of before and after to give everyone an idea of the work we are trying to help with. The following pictures are of 1 of the walls in 1 of the outside play areas. We are going to be scrubbing the pealing paint of and repainting the whole wall. We want to add some color to the backdrop of the play area. We had 2 other volunteers (Jon and Magerite) help out as well. They were scrubbing the mold of the bottom of the wall. Here are a couple of us working on the wall and Kete working on her bowl of ice cream.


Love is Life

Steve & Kete

Songkran kids style part 2...

Here are some shots that I took.






































Love is Life

Steve & Kete

Songkran kids style..

We took a ton of photos today at the orphanage. Here are some of Kete's great shots.




Love is Life

Steve & Kete

LiL Foundation Benefit Show in Thailand...

Love is Life Benefit featuring Naia Kete
for Ban Kingkaew Orphanage & cosponsored by Give and Live
Saturday, April 26 from 7pm-11pm
Hosted by Lucky Foo's Restaurant
26 Moon Muang Soi 2, Chiang Mai
200 baht donation at the door

The LiL Foundation is having a benefit on April 26th from 7pm to 11pm to fund many needed renovations at the local Chiang Mai orphanage Ban Kingkaew. Steve the founder of the LiL Foundation and volunteer/musician Naia Kete is currently in Thailand on their 1 month humanitarian mission. The Give and Live organization is also going to be teaming up with The LiL Foundation to help support the cause. The Give and Live is a local Chiang Mai NPO that has done some amazing work at other local orphanages and we are looking forward to having them team up with us. We are also lucky to have an phenomenal new restaurant called Lucky Foo's to host our event. Lucky Foo's is a 1 month old restaraunt/lounge. It has a relaxed atmosphere with a rock star feel. It has a lifetime of chef experience and the food proves it. Amy and Dean (owners) are going to be taking care of the stuff that soothes our stomach while Kete and others supply the stuff that sooth our souls. There will be a fine cast of musicians including Scott Jones, Liverpool Warren, The Hug Bars' Aye and hopefully we can get Dean to also chip in. Kete will be singing for the last time in Thailand for those of you who haven't had the chance to get a taste.

Baan Kingkaew Orphanage is The first charitable foundation in Chiang Mai province
to dedicate itself to the care of needy children. The orphanage was able to open on July 20, 1966, due to the generosity of Miss Kingkaew Wiboolsanti, who donated her home, land and a financial endowment to the foundation. Baan Kingkaew was therefore named in her honor.

The most important thing that is needed right now is new bathrooms at the orphanage. They had it estimated at around 100,000 baht ($3,100). That is our first goal. They do need 20 pairs of training wheels, two nice big toy boxes that can be left outside and also new beds with mesquito nets. We would also like to get new play sets for them as the ones they have are old and need to be replaced.

Please check out our donation page to help out. Every bit helps out a great deal. You can see our blog for these kids that you will be helping. They are amazing children and an incredible staff. Please help us help them. Thank you so much.



Love is Life

Steve

surprise surprise..

We got soaked...

Love is Life

Steve & Kete

The safe haven known as my balcony...

Here are a couple shots of the street outside our guesthouse All In 1.











Love is Life

Steve & Kete

What is Songkran???

Songkran is only the biggest water fight in the world. I would love to have pictures but I refuse to have a waterlogged camera in the process. You absolutely cannot walk down any street without getting buckets and buckets and buckets and oh yeah buckets of water dumped over your head, back, butt and legs. If you escape any one of the million buckets of water being launched at your face close range, then you get soaked by the backup hoses. OK many of you may think that the kids must have the best time ever. Well to tell you the truth its the adults that go the extra mile. Nobody gets spared. If your in a car, you get water flung at you. If your in the taxi's here which have open backs, you get water flung at you. If you walk, ride a bike or run, you are definitely getting water flung at you. The worst part about Songkran is the people on the scooters or motorcycles. Its super dangerous if your riding on one of these water magnets. If you want to get an idea of what Songkran is, just check out YouTube and you will see. I think Kete and I are the only ones not walking around with a water gun.
Well today we had our own little Songkran at the orphanage. These kids are ruthless. They are really good at soaking the crap out of everyone. It was such an amazing time and to see the faces of all the children was the best part. Its the first time we got to see smiles on all their faces at once. Just think tomorrow is a whole new day of Songkran. I almost forgot. Happy Thai New Year.

Love is Life

Steve & Kete

Innocent faces...

Here are more pictures of the precious children that fill our daily adventure at the orphanage...
The flower shot was just taken on the side of the road.












The last shot was taken by Kete.









Love is Life

Steve & Kete