4.1.13

2 nights in bangkok

the most peaceful version of bangkok is the city of rooftops and windows and views from above.  the street level is hot and heavy with scents good and bad and terrible, polluted with noise and swarming with humanity...

but get some elevation and the whole metropolis opens up like electrified petals on a cyberflower.  it's a different world.

3.31.13

bike trip day 3 - acceptancethis is just a reminder:  when the road twists and turns.... lean into the curves.

3.30.13

bike trip day 2 - adjustmentafter seeing temples and the burmese border and eating lunch in a hut over the river with our feet in the water, after jungling and exploring a forest monestary full of huts, buddhas, banyan trees and boys on their way to becoming little monks, after riding over mountains, along lakes, over bridges, on the highway and through the countryside, after seeing my first elephant; standing peaceful in a sunset field with thailand's strange, dr. suess mountains in the background, after developing a strong love/hate relationship with our bike, we reached our floating hotel made of rafts on the river kwai; sore, exhausted and filthy.  

it was then i drank the best beer i've ever had in my entire life.

3.29.13

bike trip day 1 - agitation

today began a new, completely unique, great adventure.  russ and i are motorcycling with his friend suki, who happens to be a thai-pop-star-biker-celebrity and suki's lovely girlfriend jay, to the burmese border.  our vehicles are ktm 990 adventure bikes and we are not driving them slowly.
we stopped at a meditation center on the way and explored a bit.  they have a very special tree growing there surrounded by yellow ribbon to keep people from getting too close.  on the outside of the ribbon there is a table and on the table, two big gold bowls full of water and flower petals along with many gold cups.  they have constructed an irrigation pipe out of bamboo tubes that leads to the base of the tree from near the table.  you scoop a cup of water out of the bowl, then slowly pour it down the bamboo pipe as you make a wish.  the water flows down the pipe, along with your wish and deposits both at the base of the tree.

i have no problem sharing my wish.  to be free of fear.  and as we continued on our way, whipping through the scorching hot thai countryside at speeds up to 170 kmh (sorry dad!) i repeated it over and over to myself, 'i wish to be free of fear.  i wish to be free of fear.'

it kind of helped.

3.28.13

coffee in bed

3.27.13

cnx -> bkkblue sky!  how i've missed you!  today i reached the point where i'm starting to feel ready to come home...... instead i went to bangkok.  which, just to clarify, is way crazier.

3.26.13

                                                                                                                   playing hooky day

there is such an abundance of chaos.  sometimes you have to find some stillness and rest there.

3.25.13

                                                                                                                    skype date day

3.24.13

nikki's last day

you know what's fun?  scootering around with your buddy.  i love you nikki!  see you very soon. xx

3.23.13

                                                                                                                 fah lanna

3.22.13

plumeria day

 
grouper, the man who died in his boat, vital - look into it.

3.21.13

new home number 30

hanging out at ban kong rao - "make our home your home"

"...the air quality here - never very high - has taken a dramatic and decided turn for the worse.  it is so damn smokey right now.  here are the various rumors we've heard as to why overnight visibility has dropped to less than a kilometer:

    - burma is burning and the smoke has drifted over the border.
    - there is a nearby forest fire.
    - the officials enforcing the "no burn" law have been paid to look the other way and burning has been taken up in earnest.

   what do i mean by burning?  just exactly that; burnable waste is not composted here, it's cremeted.  in the hills the farmers burn brush and plant waste, in the town people burn their trash.  it happens constantly in costa rica as well but when you factor in a population of millions and combine it with cooking smoke and tuk tuk fumes and motorbike exhaust, not to mention cars and trucks and planes and factories... you get the picture.  the air is unbreathable. 
    we spent most of the day in hiding, venturing out briefly but mostly staying in the cool dark of our air-conditioned room.  of course we can't hide forever and i imagine that soon i'll be scootering around in a face mask like a thai ninja.
  oh and yoga classes will now be held indoors at the studio across the street.  no more rooftop sessions.
  luckily our hotel is an amazingly comfortable place to hangout at.  in fact after all our searching it may end up being the location we've been looking for.  i can picture it.... and i like that my first home in thailand may end up being my ultimate home in thailand..."

3.20.13

wat parathat doi suthep

3.19.13

date night with nikki

3.18.13

massages and mexican food

this is just a reminder: you have to experience the village to appreciate the city....  and vice versa.

3.17.13

village day

"...we're in the countryside visiting eugene and big in their village.  they have a farm and albeit small it contains everything you could want; fruit, herbs, veggies, chickens, ducks, coffee, mushrooms, even a fish pond.
russ and i are staying in the guesthouse, which big keeps calling the honeymoon house, made of bamboo and thatch and perched on stilts above the creek that runs through their property.  it is so quiet and calm compared to the hustle and chaos of changmai.  everywhere there are purring cats and relaxing cushions and pillows in the shade.  i hear bird calls again instead of traffic and my soul breathes a bit easier....
...the village is small, sleepy and very poor.  big just returned from the store where everyone sits outside and gambles for prizes.  he's won not one but two giant bottles of whiskey, which was maybe the most exciting event of the day.
while we were there earlier, gambling, we saw a beautiful young boy watching while his mother played.  eugene revealed that the boy wanted to be a ladyboy and his mother supported him, saying he could be whatever he wanted.  this whole thing is more accepted here in general. at the schools they even have three bathrooms; one for girls, one for boys, and one for the undecided....."

3.16.13

going to the village day

3.15.13

the perfect spot

"...i don't think i expected to be back in asia so soon, but here i find myself, less than one year after arriving in bali; riding a scooter down the left side of the road, marveling at the beauty and insanity and smelling the good bad smells of southeast asia.
thailand is magnificent.  i haven't even scratched the surface and i'm already enchanted.  the markets and monks and spirit houses and the glorious food and the ladyboys and the wots and the lanterns and the rooftops and the massages and the mission we're on all blend together to create a most intoxicating atmosphere.

one of my favorite things about this place has to be the graceful formality fo the palms pressed in prayer and the respectful bowing of the head, a movement that every thai makes in greeting, in thanks and in observance of your similar sentiments.  everywhere you go all this palm pressing and bowing - there is something so delightful about it you can't help but be effected and elevated.
no wonder they call it the land of smiles.
today russ and eugene and i are going on a house finding mission.  i can't wait to scooter around with my camera, my love and my new friend in search of our new home in this most magical kingdom..."

3.14.13

                                                                                                                    taking care of business day


 
dengue fever, venus on earth, monsoon of perfume, look into it.

3.13.13

hello chiang mai

happy flower 13th. xx