Kenneth describes how the Landons learned to use durian (which the Siamese called "the king of the fruits") in ice cream. It was a delicious fruit though it smelled terribly awful. Both Kenneth and Margaret comment on their living conditions in…
Kenneth and Margaret once had the whole church over to their home "for a frolic." They had a fun time playing American games with the Siamese. They intended to do that often, but were not able to do so the way the Dunlaps did: a frolic at every full…
Margaret reads about Kaw Su Chiang, a Chinese immigrant who became extremely successful, having started from insignificant beginnings. He lived to be 96 after a very successful career. His son Phya Ratsida was more interesting for Margaret (Margaret…
Kenneth tells how Mr. Snyder suddenly died in Nakhon from a stroke. Kenneth and Dr. McDaniels made the coffin and shipped the body to Bangkok where it was burried. The Landons remember Mrs. Snyder as a bitter woman and how she failed to crush…
Margaret and Kenneth tell the story of a group of lepers who found a king cobra asleep (it had just enjoyed a full meal and was digesting). The lepers got a heavy box and forked sticks and coordinated their action to take the snake by surprise and…
Kenneth went on a tour with Paul Fuller while Margaret and baby Peggy went to Nong Khae where there was some sort of resort hotel and stayed in a cottage owned by the mission. Margaret tells the story behind the property. Kenneth tells also the story…
Peggy was still a baby when she had a near death experience with a king cobra. Kenneth tells how one day he was coming back home from church when he noticed Peggy laying in front of the house, with a king cobra rearing up, getting ready to strike.…
Margaret tells about the move from Nakhon to Trang. She remembers the old cars they rode in. She describes the land, the homes, and the people they first met. she worked to improve the look of the house they lived in and recall the enormous and…
Margaret recalls her visit to the prison with Kenneth. She describes the inside of the prison, the people they saw and the conditions in which the prisonners lived.
Kenneth tells of shipping his car to Nakhon and the terrible burning he experienced because of the heat. Margaret managed to drive safely and recalls the only time he nearly had an accident.
Miss McCague, who ran the school in the basement at the house where the Landons lived, was apparently suffering from colitis and appendicitis. Dr. McDaniel was away, so she had to go to Bangkok.
Insane people in Siam were not confined; they freely wandered in the town. There was a woman who had gone insane and used to dress at times like a Siamese and at other times like a foreigner. She insisted Margaret was her daughter and she would come…
Margaret reads a letter giving her first impressions of Nakhon. She recalls the temples, the prison, and returns to their first morning in the town, spending time with all the missionaries. In many ways the area reminded the Landons of Michigan.…
The McDaniels began to care for a large number of lepers at a leprosy asylum outside the town of Nakhon. Lepers were excluded from society and so he could not get a piece of land close by. Dr. McCain, another missionary, had successfully done a…
Margaret describes their arrival in Nakon Sri Tamarat, how the missionaries welcomed them, and tells about the history behind the name of the town. The Landons describe the city, its religious culture, and the beginning of the desire of the Siamese…
The Landons rode the train to the Nakhon Sri Tamarat station, where they planned to serve for three years. Margaret describes details about the train and the trip, how they met Dr. McDaniel from Nakhon Sri Tamarat, and their arrival in the town. They…
The climate in Bangkok was hard on the Landons, causing their blood pressure to decrease. Kenneth comments that even today if he were to go back to Bangkok he would lose about one pound a day until he levels off at about 130 pounds after about twenty…
After the vacation the Landons returned to Bangkok and began to prepare to move. Everybody started to entertain them, having in mind that they would soon be gone. There was quite a "confab" as to where they were going to go, but the Landons did not…
The Landons began to attend school commencements. Once they attended a commencement ceremony and were so exhausted that they had to leave before it was done. They were told later that the ceremony did not end until 1:30 a.m.
The whole year in Siam was filled with holidays, to the amazement of the Landons. The Thai enjoyed holidays and had incorporated foreign holidays into their calendar. They could stop working and have a wonderful time. They just loved Christmas, not…
Margaret and Kenneth witnessed a cremation ceremony. The actual cremation usually took place only after a couple of months or a year or several years. It was costly to afford the cremation, so many families could not get enough money for it until a…
There were several New Year celebration in Siam. First the foreign New Year on January 1, then the Chinese New Year in February, and finally the Indian New Year celebration in March. The Indians had a grand time with their celebration. It lasted two…
Margaret finds her record of the story of McKenzie wanting to serve Prince Damrong the # 1 tea. She gives the exact prices for each kind of tea that McKenzie's boy had found. In the end McKenzie bought a half pound of the best tea that was available.…
Margaret reads a letter in which she tells about Ah Chuan's baby, who seemed ill at the time when a baby in the same home had just died. Ah Chuan was concerned that his own baby might die of the same illness as the other baby. She also tells of Ah…