A dig in progress

While we were at the Huay Umong Nature Trail, we stumbled upon an archeological dig in progress. It was just like what you read about. 10x10 sections were marked off with pegs (sticks) in the ground. Long white pieces of string marked pathways where they were excavating. There were Thai laborers everywhere, digging and hauling off dirt. It was easy to identify the head architect onsite: She had her head glued to the cell phone, and (the clincher) she carried the clipboard. This is what we came upon:



I'm not sure what this is. It's a huge mound built around trees using small, flat bricks. There were at least three entrances into the heart of the mound; note the hole on the right side. On the very top were two Buddha statues; you can just see one of them in this picture.

When we first arrived, we stood on the periphery, not certain if we were welcome. But a bit of charades from one of the workers let us know we were welcome to explore, so we gingerly walked all around and looked at everything. There were a variety of signs posted, but my Thai being what it is (or isn't), they didn't help much.

Seeing my camera with a rather large lens--I had the telephoto on--one playful worker indicated that I should sneakily take a picture of his (her?) co-worker. Here's the shot I took. In some other part of the world, I suppose this outfit might be cause for fear and alarm, but not here in Thailand. Long sleeves and the head covering are protection from the sun, and the mouth covering is protection from the dust.