#ubonratchathanithailand

Runaway Gibbon - 1980 Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand 
I spent half a year in 1980 as a volunteer at a refugee camp for Laotians in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. That’s me on the motorcycle. The project was sponsored by a religious charity so we were put up in a rundown house next to where a missionary was living. The place had no glass in the windows so we slept under mosquito nets. The property had 2 primates, a macaque and a gibbon, each tethered with a very long rope to their own tree. The gibbon and the macaque were actually guards and raised an unbelievable racket when any unknown person or animal, like a water buffalo, came onto the grounds. They were wonderful and friendly and I am sad I didn’t see them returned to the wild or a sanctuary but this was 41 years ago and attitudes were different.
One day the rope with the gibbon got tangled so I was trying to fix it when he decided this was his chance. Now I would have preferred him to be free but I would then have been in even more trouble. So I started chasing the gibbon. The odds were not in my favor. Gibbons are excellent climbers and live their lives in trees. So I was outclassed but I did my best; clambering over rooftops, across roads and up and down trees. The chase came to a conclusion when the gibbon ended up on the grounds of the nearby Wat (Buddhist Temple). A friendly monk caught our runaway and, with a big smile and a laugh, he was returned to the tree. I had seen wild gibbons when on Borneo so I already admired them but this increased my admiration. I have become an advocate for these amazing primates and am so glad sanctuaries are now there for monkeys and apes. I also gained a whole new appreciation for gibbons after my chase up and down a neighborhood in Ubon Ratchathani!
#Story #RunawayGibbon #1980 #UbonRatchathani #Thailand #Wat #Gibbon #GuardianPrimates #Ape #GibbonApe #Macaque #VolunteerExperience #UbonRatchathaniThailand 
The 2 photo on the left are mine the gibbon is a stock photo from Pixabay and is a photo of a wild gibbon. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKswaH0laZ5/?igshid=2t7gsprpfweu

Bonus Photo - Girls outside a small shop in the Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand Refugee Camp serving Laotian Refugees in 1980. I volunteered in the camp from June until December of 1980. A wonderful and emotional experience I treasure. #Refugees #LaotianRefugees #RefugeeCamp #RefugeeCampLife #UbonRatchathaniThailand #RefugeeChildrenn #1980 (at Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfbWO-GgO5N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In 1980 I lived In Ubon Ratchathani in Northeast Thailand. I worked at the Laotian Refugee Camp just on the outskirts of town. One of my favorite memories was the annual Candle Festival, held in July to mark the beginning of the rainy season retreat for Buddhists, Wan Khao Phansa, also called Buddhist Lent. One day prior, candles are taken to Thung Si Mueang, the central park in the middle of the city, to be decorated and then exhibited in the evening. On the same evening, there are many smaller processions to bring candles to practically all Buddhist temples in Thailand. The main procession in Ubon takes place early the following morning. I will repost a few photos so you get the experience This is a #repost @dan_1104 via @PhotoAroundApp #uboncandlefestival #UbonRatchathani #Thailand #UbonRatchathaniThailand #CandleFestival https://www.instagram.com/p/B7z4on6AN1V/?igshid=e210lgp4hz02

The last of the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival Posts. Thanks for letting me share my nearly 38 year old memories of attending this event in July of 1980. If you’re interested in seeing more check some of the hashtags and look up videos on YouTube. This is a #repost from @mild_life via @PhotoAroundApp #buddhistlent #candlefestival #uboncandlefestival #UbonRatchathani #Thailand #UbonRatchathaniThailand #CandleFestival

In 1980 I lived In Ubon Ratchathani in Northeast Thailand. I worked at the Laotian Refugee Camp just on the outskirts of town. One of my favorite memories was the annual Candle Festival, held in July to mark the beginning of the rainy season retreat for Buddhists, Wan Khao Phansa, also called Buddhist Lent. One day prior, candles are taken to Thung Si Mueang, the central park in the middle of the city, to be decorated and then exhibited in the evening. On the same evening, there are many smaller processions to bring candles to practically all Buddhist temples in Thailand. The main procession in Ubon takes place early the following morning. I will repost a few photos so you get the experience This is a #repost @dan_1104 via @PhotoAroundApp #uboncandlefestival #UbonRatchathani #Thailand #UbonRatchathaniThailand #CandleFestival

In 1980 I lived In Ubon Ratchathani in Northeast Thailand. I worked at the Laotian Refugee Camp just on the outskirts of town. One of my favorite memories was the annual Candle Festival, held in July to mark the beginning of the rainy season retreat for Buddhists, Wan Khao Phansa, also called Buddhist Lent. One day prior, candles are taken to Thung Si Mueang, the central park in the middle of the city, to be decorated and then exhibited in the evening. On the same evening, there are many smaller processions to bring candles to practically all Buddhist temples in Thailand. The main procession in Ubon takes place early the following morning. I will repost a few photos so you get the experience This is a #repost from @panarat1974 via @PhotoAroundApp #candlefestival2014 #uboncandlefestival #UbonRatchathani #Thailand #UbonRatchathaniThailand #CandleFestival