Last Days in Thailand

Once again, I'm behind my computer in a hostel in Bangkok staring at a blank page pondering a way to condense my scattered thoughts into a legible blog post. There is no way I can recount all the details of this deeply personal and transformational trip, but a few more photos and some text should aid in the thought organization process. Here we go!

Since the time of my last blog post I've eaten more food, I've seen more mountains and open road, I made friends with some wild dogs, I slowly backed away from some other wild dogs, I almost fell into the Chiang Mai mote but was saved by a tree that decided to give me a hug, I got really sunburned while hitchhiking, I saw my first wild manta ray, and I learned the importance of silence and self-reflection.

This first picture might be the only photo I have of myself from the entire two months. Thank you Rich. I'm grateful for this capture of my candidly curious and dazed expression that led me through Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Unlike the caving I'm accustomed to in the US, we didn't do any crawling in this cave. There was more aimless gazing at the ceiling. Picture a heavenly light passing through a collapsed roof about 200-feet above, with sparkling dust particles that seem to swirl in the excitement of the continuous rays. The illuminated concave rock faces and stalagtite-stalagmite pairs seem to take you back in time, imagining when the cave was actively flowing with water.

Caves really make me aware of the insignificance of human-time, though I am grateful to be alive and able to explore them as they are today.

The hike up to the cave was about 500-meters in elevation that rose nearly vertical from from sea level. Thankfully, a slightly less vertical winding stairway was cut into the rock to allow access to the cave entrance. The views of the bay were absolutely stunning!

At the bottom of the trail head we encountered a large family of monkeys. I think watching monkeys has become a favorite past time. They are intelligent, curious, and have the funniest range of facial expressions. I captured one here, but I have no idea what she is looking at! Though this monkey was shy and a tad fearful of humans, my first experience with a monkey in Thailand demonstrated the cheeky nature of these child-like creatures. Just a week earlier I was enjoying a cup of tea when out of nowhere a monkey dropped from the sky. onto the roof of the truck parked next to me. Without warning the monkey flipped up the left windshield wiper and proceeded to brake it in half. Sort of stunned, I quietly shewed it away, but five minutes later, I turned around just in time to see the monkey brake the right one! An interesting movable contraption had succumbed to monkey mischief. 

Below are some photos from one of the many open-air markets of Thailand. I love that most of the meat and seafood that you buy here comes from local sources. This particular area had a small fishing community and it was common to see tables of fish out drying in the sun. I'm not really sure, but I think these kind of fish are used for soups and fish sauces. Most of the fish for sale at this market were actually still alive and occasionally flopping on ice. Super fresh.

Here are some pig heads, I don't know what people do with pig heads... I tried to ask, but I didn't want to seem too interested because I think my inquisition sounded more like I was attempting to buy them. Possibly the heads were just to indicate that what you were buying was actually pork. I don't eat meat frequently, but when it comes to the street food here you aren't really ever sure what you are getting. Pork seems to be a staple, beef is much harder to come across, which ironically contrasts with the number of cows I've seen physically in the road in Thailand. My first time driving a motorbike involved me carefully avoiding a stray cow, free range indeed.

One of the things that I really like about the markets here are the large number of vendors that sell various ready-to-eat soups and curries. It would be an interesting twist if our farmers markets were open daily and had more fully prepared local meals to choose from.

Ayutthaya ruins...

More of what Thailand has to offer...Mindfulness Project, Mountains, and DIVING!

My last post ended with a brief intro to my stay at the Mindfulness Project in the rural outskirts of Khon Kaen. Enjoy some more photos of our laid back, yet ever-mindful, community living and life learning experience. We jokingly called ourselves a "bunch of hippies," but to really describe this dynamic group of people I would use descriptors like genuine, curious, intellectual, open, and kind. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by people passionate about travel and the natural environment, and words truly cannot articulate the humble and loving energy that emanated from each worldly individual. Thank you everyone for your contagious positivity and willingness to converse on a metaphysical level. The Earth could really benefit from more people dedicated to self reflectance and awareness of the interconnected nature of the world we live in. To bring in one of my long-time favorite quotes, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir. 

Love these two! <3

Our natural building project (we hand made all these bricks from clay, sand, and rice husks). Then we mixed and laid the cement and are now in the process of building!

Half of the team is making more bricks while the others stay busy building the home.

Guess how many different countries are represented by the people in this photo... At the whole Project we had 18 at one point!

A better photo of the powerline madness throughout Thailand

After the most heartfelt goodbye to those of the Project, I moved on to visit a friend of a friend that lived nearby. The local Thai girls were so accommodating and I can never thank them enough for introducing me to the sugary wonders of Thai tea (cha yen). Red Thai tea is served over ice and sweetened with palm sugar and condensed milk, a typical accompaniment to various spicy meals. I, however, manage to fit in this delightful treat as often as I can, regardless of the number of chilies in my breakfast or dinner. Once you try it, I promise all judgments to my addictive indulgences will instantly disintegrate.

Speaking of food, Thai people know how to eat. My love for burning lips and a tongue that constantly reminds you what you're eating, as well as your level of insanity, is exceedingly appreciated by locals. The girls that I stayed with were grateful that they didn't have to order 'special' dishes when we went out at night. The range of food here is also incredible. Even a Costco-sized supermarket had an astoundingly diverse array of locally caught seafood. Though I'm not big on eating seafood because most of it can be traced back to overharvesting of vulnerable species, I liked trying the random species of clams and snails. If I have a place to cook in the next couple weeks I want to try snakehead, or any of the other 40-50 different kinds of obscure fish readily available. Americans need to expand their tastebuds a bit, there is more to seafood than salmon, cod, and tuna! Perhaps eating out of our comfort zone will lessen pressures on the more popular species and lead to a more balanced relationship between humans and the ocean.