Earlier this week there was a big story in The Bangkok Post about Americans voting in Thailand. "Hundreds of US expatriates exercised their voting rights at polling stations Feb 5 in Thailand that had been set up to allow Americans abroad direct participation in the Democratic primary for the first time. There are about 20,000+ US residents living throughout Thailand. US overseas voters will be represented at the Democratic Party Convenstion in August by 22 delegates." [To my knowledge there has not been any kind of similar action by Republicans here. Although it seems as though any Americans we meet over here are more likely to be Democratic in the issues they support.]I took the photo above of Jim when we were staying in the small town of Creel at the Copper Canyon in Mexico in 2002. One evening after dinner, we heard fireworks and music outside our guesthouse and ventured out to see what was happening. It looked like the whole town had converged on the square where there was a big rally. There were "candidates" speaking urging everyone to make a commitment and VOTE - but about what, we weren't sure. Of course, the speeches were all in Spanish. Folks seemed happy to have us there and generously handed us ballots with which to vote. We were able to figure out that the activity was some kind of fund-raiser for computers for kids in the schools. I took this shot of Jim as he dropped his ballot in. [Wish I'd thought to take a matching photo this week when he voted on the temple grounds in Chiang Mai.] We decided to vote in different boxes just to keep everyone happy.
Here are a few more photos from our trip to the Copper Canyon.
"Regarding travel? The more time you have, the less money it takes."
Your road is everything that a road ought to be...and yet you will not stay in it half a mile, for the reason that little, seductive, mysterious roads are always branching out from it on either hand, and as these curve sharply and hide what is beyond, you cannot resist the temptation to desert your own chosen road and explore them. -- Mark Twain
