Tuesday 8 Jan

This morning we went with Big to pick up the children for the Special School. The houses didn't seem as run down as the homes from yesterday. On the way we dropped off some meat at the orphanage, which they do once a week. Three were sick today so we had 10 in the truck.
We then visited the clinic where the Burmese attend. Maternity, eye clinic (where Big's wife works), mental health, prosthetics, chronic disease, pediatrics, birth registry, child health nurse, outpatient and HIV, so they cover everyone. They had 3000 births last year and dealt with 500 abortions that women had performed on themselves. They provided about 30 prosthetics in December that were for people who had lost limbs from the land mines and were due for replacements. We saw several babies that had been born yesterday with the whole family on the bed with the mother. They also had a play area for children who were waiting for operations or to see the Dr.
After lunch we went to the dump where 300 families live. They go through the rubbish to gather plastic...they get 2 baht per kg (30 baht =$1 Aus). There is what looks like a beautiful lake in front of the dump but when it rains all the runoff from the dump goes into the water. We also stopped at the school near there and sang head, shoulders, knees and toes in English with the children...Andrew and I had a competition to see which class could sing the loudest. Two of the classes had no teacher, no idea what was happening...as we left the headmaster was having lunch with the ladies at the tuck shop!
Some prices we have paid: plate of fried rice 30 baht, 200ml fruit juice 20 baht, room at the guesthouse we are staying 750 baht per double per night, breakfast was 295 baht for a fruit platter, two bowls of oatmeal with bananas, one cheese omelette and two fried eggs and toast (for four of us).
The photo of the jars of Lollies was at the "tuck shop" at the front of one of the schools...I was horrified but I guess it is the same everywhere!