What a Dork.

Yes, I really am proud of these here spring rolls. Hate to admit it, but frying them was quite a frightening experience and something I will probably never do at home (without adult supervision).

You may be wondering, "What's that strange contraption with heads sticking out of it?" Well that, my friends, is an herbal sauna. I told you it was funky! The three of us could not stop laughing. It may have also been all of the toxins rapidly leaking out of our bodies. It was pure fun and I'm actually contemplating buying one of these. I've seen single-person ones at Big C Supermarket. I think it would be fun to put it out in the yard and fire it up on these cool Lampang nights. I'm sure that all the hula-hooping and sauna-ing will only cement our neighbors' previous impressions of the weird foreign girls next door. I can't wait.

Pai Pics

Alright, so these are some of the pictures from Pai. Note that lovely girl in the first picture. Her name is Rasheen and she is cute and Scottish and traveling solo even though she's just 18-years old. She is definitely my hero! We had breakfast at the Witching Well... man, that place is magical. The other pics are from the cooking class I took. My teacher Dao (which means "star" in Thai) was amazing. I had her all to myself and she helped me cook green curry (I made my own curry paste!) and som tum which is spicy papaya salad. You can see the ingredients for the som tum in the last picture. You have to put the ingredients in a mortar and grind them with a pestle. My students call this dish Papaya Bop-Bop because that is the sound of mashing the papaya. This is a great way to smash out anxiety or stress! Not that I really had any in Pai...i constantly forgot what time it was as there was nothing really to be doing. Nice : )

A Magical Afternoon

I had a bad yesterday. I had told Nadine to meet me at the movie theater around 5 to see a movie that I won tickets to. Around 4:30 I went out to try to catch a song-taew and for some reason none of them would take me. They told me there was too much traffic. I got denied about 20 times and then I just decided to walk. I'm pretty ambitious about walking and I do it a lot here but it was a looooong walk. It was getting later and later and I stopped to ask for directions. Just as I went to cross the street, I almost got hit by a tuk-tuk. Then, I had one of those supreme culture shock moments. I embarassingly started crying on the street and kept thinking, "I just want things to be easy like at home." There are so many little cultural things that can just build up sometimes. It's so easy to get overwhelmed.

Then today, I arrived in Pai and I remembered why I am here. Talk about synchronicity...there
were 2 girls on my minibus who had been staying at the same guesthouse in Koh Chang as me last week. Since I'm here alone, they have taken me in and we've already had a great time.
I wandered around by myself this afternoon and came upon a quaint little cafe called the Witching Well. They actually sold potions! I had the Vision Potion (it's actually a cool brew of herbal tea) and sat and read for awhile. Then, I went back to my guesthouse which is an amazing herbal garden called Mr. Jan's. The place is gorgeous and I spent some time just reading in the garden. Then I had a Shan massage. The Shan are one of the local hilltribes and their massages are intense and interactive. It was much more yogic and harder than Thai massage but it was just what I needed. After that, I popped into the herbal sauna at our guesthouse. It looks like some sort of torture instrument or magic trick because it's one where you stick your head out of a hole at the top while your body is immersed in the sauna. It was a very strange experience...we were covered in this honey/milk gel and all sweating and laughing our asses off.

Had falafel and ice cream for dinner and walked out of the restaurant to see the night sky littered with a constant stream of Thai lanterns. Next, we're off to the fire show and maybe some live music.

Tomorrow will also be perfect. I'm hitting up yoga in the morning and then taking a half-day Thai cooking course. Around 6 i'm going to a tea ceremony and then the weekend market. I'm so happy that I think I'm shining.

GLEAM!

Jungle Trek

One of the best days in Koh Chang was when we went on the Jungle Trek. It was nothing like I thought it would be but equally amazing. I was disappointed that it wasn't very viney or I guess how you would imagine a rainforest to be. I didn't see any monkeys or civets (which the island is famous for) though I saw a plethora of large, deadly-looking spiders and huge red ants. Yay!

We first hiked through a rubber plantation. I've never been to one of these before and I really didn't expect to see one on my jungle adventure. However, I found it very interesting. The workers have to collect the rubber at night when it's solidified. I shivered imagining what it must be like to wander around there at night (considering the spiders and ants and other suspicious creatures). Also, our guide let us dip our fingers in the fresh rubber and t dried after a few minutes. He called these "finger condoms" which amused us all.

We were all covered in sweat the minute we started hiking because it was quite humid (hence the rainforest label). We stopped at various waterfalls to recoup. The guide pointed out interesting plants...pineapple, rubber, "incense plants." I saw a red and blue bird and heard some monkeys hooting in the distance. They didn't sound at all like monkeys I've ever heard but more like birds. Hoo-oo Hoo-oo. I woke up to that sound every day on the island. It was nice.

We stopped for lunch near a big natural pool. The guide, Raht, casually suggested that some of us might hike up to the waterfall and spring. It was only 15-minutes away and he told us not to worry about our shoes. We began what became a grueling, slightly-dangerous ascent up a stream in the jungle. Little did we know that the guide had only been there one time himself and that we were the first group he actually took to the waterfall. We were horizontally scaling large boulders and walking through water up to our waist. Up until that point I had just been trying to keep up with everyone. Then the French guy stated, "Never have I imagined I would walk through ze jungle barefoot." I started to get a bit freaked out when the gung-ho Sierra club woman from Vancouver started cursing. "If we were doing this at home, you could bet we'd be signing lots of waivers." We got to a large pool which we had to swim across and then scale some more rocks. All of the guys ahead of me started exclaiming about a huge spider on the rock. I reluctantly pushed on but the spider was nowhere to be seen. I said, "Where did it go?" and the guide said, "I will look for its hole...it should be somewhere in the water." You can bet I was not thrilled to go back through that pool with the water-spider. I didn't even know such things existed.

We finally got to one waterfall and enjoyed it for a few minutes. We'd already been gone an hour and worried that the others had left already so we turned back around. I was feeling a strange burning itch on my leg. We were all panting as we retraced our steps down the stream and over jagged rocks. I showed my bite to Raht who said, "Don't worry, it's just a hair." Whose hair? It seems there are some worms that live on the underside of leaves and if you touch them, they eject a hair into your skin. Lovely. Anyway, he put some ointment on it and said the hair would wash out soon which I am happy to report that it did. Crazy jungle creatures.

As we left the rainforest, we found ourselves back in the rubber plantation again. Then they had a little place where we could see how they made the rubber sap into actual sheets of rubber. It was interesting but the stench was awful and there were so many flies that the air had a slight buzzing sound to it. I really don't think I will ever forget that terrible smell but still it was an experience to be had.

And luckily, no one sustained any injuries from our surprising adventure.

Nature Rocks on Lonely Beach

We stayed on Lonely Beach in Koh Chang because it's not as crowded or developed as White Sands Beach. Our guesthouse was called Nature Beach. Every afternoon they played chill music and they had a fire show nearly every night. I stayed in a little bungalow about 2 seconds from the beach. Probably the best thing about this place was that they had a little pavilion full of hammocks and cushions that was perfect for reading, drinking coffee and watching the waves in the early morning. There was also a little massage shop and a used book store right on the beach. It was literally my heaven. I fell into the island routine of waking up very early, sitting on the beach, having breakfast, swimming all morning and afternoon, getting a massage, going out for a nice dinner and watching a fire show then going to bed early. It was the perfect relaxing vacation.

Snorkeling Fun

Tuesday, we went on an all-day snorkeling trip to 4 small islands. I love the initial feeling of swimming with flippers on your feet. Even though it wasn't my first time, I was still amazed to see the bright neon colors and alien shapes of coral and anemone. You have to surrender everything you are sure of on land as you are completely immersed in a different world. I kept diving down deeper and deeper until I could peer into the dark recesses, scared but thrilled by what I might see. I was overcome by a HUGE school of medium-sized fish. Each one had a neon yellow stripe down its side. I would dive down until the only thing I could see were the fish around me. Looking up, I would part the school until I reached the surface. It was exhilarating.
I loitered so long that I was the last one back to the boat!

On the last island, Koh Wai, there were sharks under the pier contained in nets. The fishermen lifted up the boards of the pier and threw down fish as the sharks hungrily fought over them. We went onto the island and decided to swim over near the nets to see the sharks close up. As I was swimming over, the sand turned to rocks and coral. I put my foot down for leverage and caught it on a piece of coral. There was no way I was going to swim over to sharks with a bleeding foot so I limped back to shore. Luckily a Macguyver-like Swede rushed in and made a "jungle bandage" out of a leaf and a piece of a vine. It worked wonderfully until I got back to Koh Chang for a proper bandage. No worries...it's healed already.

Snorkeling is good fun but next time, I hope to go scuba diving.

K-K-K-K-Koh Chang!

After a looong journey (5 modes of transportation) as well as listening to some crazy mutter all night long on the bus, we arrived to gorgeous Koh Chang to find that all the guesthouses were full. Rick and Chan had been here just last year and they said it was much less crowded and developed. We had to look around for a room for a couple of hours but finally found one at a place called Lemon Tree. It actually turned out to be great! I had my own little wooden octagonal hut with a huge bed and mosquito net. The bathroom was attached outside and it was made of pebbles and seashells. Very unique! It wasn't very close to the beach though so we had to keep walking back and forth.

We immediately went for a swim...i can't believe how clear the water is here! It's also a deep turquoise color. No joke..i always thought those ads for tropical islands were exaggerating the colors but no. I have discovered some fish that really enjoy messing with me for some reason. They are small and have zebra stripes. They constantly follow me around and nibble at my feet. One even came to the top of the water and was aiming for my arm. I screamed a bit and the people resting on the beach looked at me like i was a crazy person. Anyways, we had a nice dinner at this restaurant on the beach and they had a fire show. There were fire sticks and one guy used a fire hula-hoop. I aspire to be that cool. We didn't stay too late cause we were all tired. The bed in my hut was amazing and comfortable. I slept really well except for the fact that the door had no way to lock from the inside. Basically you have to shove a stick through the door handles but i can guarantee that someone could get in if they wanted. As I was falling asleep I could hear the pumping house music from all the late-night bars down the way. I was awoken in the middle of the night to the door handles being jiggled. I worried that someone was trying to get in and then i realized it was only the wind. Jeez, i'm so jumpy sometimes.

This morning I moved down to a guesthouse ON the beach! I literally can just walk out the door and be there. The morning was glorious...not too hot but warm enough to swim. After breakfast and a few rounds of frisbee, I hiked up to the nearest "town" though it's more like a strip of a few shops. On the agenda today: a bit of shopping, swimming, eating, and hopefully meeting some cool people. maybe tomorrow we will go snorkelling. this really is the life.

Have it your way

As I was eating lunch today, I was amused by the fact that it took me 10 minutes to perfectly season my food before I even took a bite. Thais take their food seriously hence the copious amount of condiments that can be found on every restaurant table. Most tables have a little wooden rack that holds dried chili powder, sugar, crushed peanuts and vinegar with peppers. Then there are separate bottles of black or white pepper, fish sauce and "sau pet", a red hot sauce that's actually a bit sweet. And then there is also a bowl of fish sauce with sliced peppers in it and sometimes a weird black amalgam that involves some form of chili paste. I can't imagine eating without these things. Sometimes I worry that when I go back to America I won't be able to taste the food. I'm so used to the spicy burn in everything I eat.

My new favorite food crush is "Yam Takrai" which means lemongrass salad. It includes finely chopped lemongrass and ginger, "hom dang" (small red onions), garlic, peppers, cashews and chopped lime. All of this is seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. Even though it's spicy, it's so fragrant and makes my mouth feel very clean. We've been making it ever since we discovered it in Bangkok.

Also, our friends bought us a "moo-kra-ta" cooker for christmas. It's like a little clay stove/grill. You put the charcoals on the bottom and then place a metal dish atop. You make a kind of soup and then you can put whatever ingredients you want in it. They quickly cook in the broth so you have to keep adding things as they're eaten. Tonight we are having people over for yoga and then potluck. We'll see how our first attempt goes but I'm sure it will be wonderful.

p.s. only 4 days until I will be on Koh Chang. YAYAYAYAY!

The Perils of Yellow Shirts and Unstable Governments

Okay, this thing with the yellow shirts has got to stop. It's turned this country into a yellow frenzy. Last year, Thai people started wearing these yellow polo shirts with the king's symbol on them because it was the king's 60th anniversary on the throne. We wore them on Mondays because the king was born on a Monday and Thais have very strong beliefs about wearing certain colors on certain days. That I understood. And then when December rolled around and we were getting ready to celebrate the king's birthday, they told us that we should wear yellow shirts every day in the month of December. I grumbled and somewhat complied by wearing yellow about 3 days a week. I was thinking, "Thank god it's january and we don't have to wear those wretched shirts anymore." Our first day back after New Years I was disturbed to note that everyone was still wearing yellow. When I asked, the Thai teachers explained that the king will turn 80 years old this year so we have to wear yellow shirts every day. EVERY DAY!! 365 days! It's insanity. Pretty soon all colors of clothes will be outlawed and I will be forced to wear yellow shoes and yellow underwear. I rue the day that will happen but I fast see it approaching.

What I don't understand is why the Thai people don't just ask the king to govern them again. Their constitution allows them to defer power to the king in times of turmoil. Most Thais were unhappy with the past government and they seem to think the new government is going nowhere fast. They are utterly disturbed by the bombing that occurred in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The king is the only person who has the power to completely unite this country. I only wish it could be so easy. I honestly don't know what's going to happen in the future here. I thought that it might be better if I could read Thai because maybe then I could gauge how Thai people feel about the political situation. Yet my friend Chan informed me that the Thai news is being censored by the government so even Thai people don't know what's going on. I knew about the bomb in Chiang Mai long before most Thais did because I read foreign newspapers.

The thing that worries me most is the thing that I most admire about Thai people. They are laid-back, slow to anger and rarely worry about anything. Buddhism teaches them that life is fleeting, we have no control over the future and so we don't need to do anything. We just sit back and wait for things to happen. There's so much to be said for this philosophy but I wonder what this does to personal responsibility. Shouldn't we try to prevent future atrocities from happening? When should we actually start to "get worried?" When is "Mai pen rai" not the answer?

Last week I could hear the worry in my mom's voice as I discussed staying here another year. I too have been thinking a lot about the future. Is it worth it to stay somewhere possibly dangerous? Yes because that pretty much covers everywhere nowadays. But of course I will be more cautious and careful about where I stay and who I travel with. Chan told me that Thai people really value the tourism industry and that foreigners would be the first to be evacuated if something serious happened. But I don't think it will come to that. I hope everyday that some sort of solution will come.

The Venice of the East

Well, true to my expectations, I was completely and pleasantly surprised by most things in Bangkok. What everyone describes as a crowded, polluted, traffic-filled blazing hot town was not anywhere near the way I had imagined it. I had pictured headaches, 2-hour traffic jams and cramped shopping malls. Well the last part was true but for the most part I found it a very lovely city. Maybe this was because we didn't stay in a crazy backpacker district. Instead, Hilary's high school friend and Bangkok native (Jin) had recommended that we stay near his house in the Bangrak district. This district near the Chao Phrya river is so interesting and trendy that there's even a Thai TV show called "Bangrak." It was a lively neighborhood full of Muslim and Indian restaurants, gem shops and cute cafes. Our hotel, "The Swan" was new and even featured a pool, which is very high class in Bangkok.

We had slept all night on the train. I have to admit that I got amazing sleep on the sleeper train. The beds were spacious and pod-like. Once I got over the initial claustrophobia, it was nice to let the train lull me to sleep.
In the bright morning we took a cab to Jin's house and then went to get some coffee. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keow. This is the very sparkly, golden, opulent area in which the kings of yore had resided. It was all very beautiful but crowded and hot in the mid-day sun.
We also visited Wat Po which is probably the largest reclining Buddha statue ever. It was huge and golden and looked very relaxed.

After a nap, we had dinner at this chic Thai restaurant called Anna's. Apparently Jin was friends with the owner and he told him it was my birthday. Technically this was not true but it was only 2 days late. They brought me yummy carrot cake and sang happy birthday. Jin also took us to the red light district called Patpong. I had to pass on the local "ping pong" shows. It was all very interesting but Hilary and I didn't want to spend too much time there so we found a quiet little bar where Jin could watch football.

Sunday, New Years Eve, we spent the morning at Chatachuck Market which is the biggest open-air market I've ever seen. We easily got lost a few times. It was nice to see but most of the things could be bought for much cheaper in Chiang Mai or Lampang. There was some great art there, though. Then we went to see a movie at the Siam Paragon shopping plaza. It was a very upscale shopping mall and the cinema was huge. The room we saw the movie in was like a concert venue. It was sooo fancy that it reminded me of Radio City Music Hall. The chairs were fluffy and the sound was amazing. We had a relaxing afternoon and started home on the skytrain . We noticed that there were many soldiers in the skytrain station and were puzzled but we thought it was standard procedure for New Years eve. We'd been planning to go to the Saxophone Bar (a famous place for live jazz and blues) or the World Trade Center (where there is a big countdown party for new years). Once we got to the hotel and saw the news, we quickly realized that we wouldn't be going to either of those places as both of them had been bombed an hour earlier. Nobody was really sure what was going on. There were reports of anywhere from 2-10 bombs and everyone had different information. It was clear that it was a coordinated attack. Luckily, only 3 people were killed and less than 100 were injured. The police are still not sure who is behind the attacks though they suspect it was some of Tachsin's followers.

Hilary and I still decided to go out for new years dinner since the area around our hotel was safe and not very populated. We happened to stumble upon this amazing Indian restaurant which really brightened our spirits. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and played rummy with the hotel workers and drank sparkling wine. One of the hotel workers really started to freak us out as he recounted his recent discussion with a fortuneteller. He said that the bombs did not surprise him at all because this year is supposed to be a terrible year full of distasters and attacks everywhere except Hong Kong and Singapore. He stated matter-of-factly, "But don't worry too much about it. There's nothing we can do." Uhh thanks man. At midnight, tons of fireworks went off near our hotel as we were right by the river. We all ran outside to watch and then went to bed pretty soon thereafter.

Monday, we were up early to go on a private "klong tour" of the city. Bangkok used to be known as the venice of the east because it had so many canals running through the city. Nowadays, many of them have been filled up but people still use the klongs as a system of transportation. It was nice to see the hidden backwaters of the town. We'd seen the skyscrapers and glamorous restaurants so it was nice to see how most people lived. We stopped at Wat Arun (the temple of the dawn) and received our new years blessing. It was nice to be out on the water. The skyline was beautiful and the air was cool. I still think that a ride on a long-tailed boat is the perfect way to spend a morning. We had Muslim food for lunch which was very cheap and very delicous and then Jin's dad drove us to a fancy hotel restaurant called Pepperoni for dinner. I couldn't believe how kind Jin's family were to us. I know that it's Thai style to be generous to your guests but they went above and beyond that. Not only did Jin act as our personal tour guide for two days, but his father constantly drove us around and arranged cool tours and such. I couldn't even begin to express my thanks to them. Especially after the bombs, it was nice to have someone looking after our safety and giving us sound advice about what to do and where to go.
We were so lucky.

So Pepperoni was great. I got to eat truffles for the first time in my life. You know, there is no way I would be able to afford that in America. We had this very rich pasta in cream sauce with truffles, vegetarian pizza and caprese salad, tiramisu and some nice red wine. I felt very grown-up. After dinner we went to a chill bar where the guitarists played "Bakery" music which is a class of Thai music that's half-folk, half-emo. It was very relaxed and the guitarist was quite funny. He played an interesting song called "Genghis Khan" which involved sound effects. It was our last night in Bangkok but I know I'll be back in the future. There's still so much more left to explore.