Things We Do For Fun in Baray

Baray isn't the most exciting place to be if you think about it in terms of going out or leisure activities. There is no cinema, no bowling alley, no ice skating, no paintball, no shopping mall, no park, no swimming pools (but you know that one already of course). What we do have is lots of trees, mud, sticks, random insects and animals. So what do the kiddies do here for fun?

1. Dragon-fly on a leash - this involves catch dragon flies and tying a string around them, this in effect gives you a dragon-fly on a leash. This is quite a nice thing to have, I remember my dad doing this for me in the park when I was young. It's a bit fiddly, and more often than not the poor dragon-fly is decapitated during the string tying.

2. Digging holes - this involves finding whatever "tool" you can and digging a hole, then maybe filling it back up again or planting something in it. On some occasions during the excavation you may come across a worm which leads me to the next activity.

3. Worm Whacking - on finding the worm, whack it so that it is stunned and not wriggling as much. The black worms here are poisonous so killing them is a good thing, as they could kill your chickens/ducks. This activity is linked to number 4.

4. Roadkill - once the worm is half dead, carefully place it on the highway and wait for a moto/car/lorry/coach to run it over. Cheer when there is contact between the worm and any sort of vehicle.

5. Snakes - catch it if you can, somehow get it tangled in a net. Tease it a bit with a long stick. When bored revert to the Roadkill game....this one was just plain cruel, at least last time the snake was eaten.

6. Play with Luca - Luca is bags of fun, here he is flirting with the camera.

7. Bamboo shooters - kind of like a potato gun. Hard to explain how they make it, but when it's ready you can stuff wet paper in one end and fire it at things/animals/people.

8. Baby animals - there are many kittens and puppies around, just grab one to play with when it walks past.

9. The Flip Flop game - not sure exactly how it works but it involves kicking one of your flip flops at your opponents flip flops. It sounds like nothing, but there is real skill involved with curving a flip flop.

10. Skipping - a universal activity I think, so far I have declined to actually jump as it's just too hot, but I did turn the skipping rope for them. Actually, it's not even a rope, more like a very long vine, or vines twisted together.