After two days of uncomfortable overnight bus rides, being left at waiting stations at 6am two days in a row, more bus trekking and a ferry boat, we finally made our way to Orawan Beach Resort at Thong Sala beach on Ko Phangan. So worth the wait!
Our bungalow is right by the beach. As in... I step outside the front door and can see the ocean. It's way nicer than I expected too! I didn't think we'd have our own shower, or a flushing toilet, or air conditioning, or the ability to connect to wi-fi from the resort next door. Or even 2 separate beds for that matter... So this was a very pleasant surprise to arrive at =)
Every morning we wake up and eat breakfast on the deck with a view of the ocean and a crescent outline of the rest of the island. The waves are gentle, hardly a splash, and water is shallow for quite a distance off of the shore. Days are spent on the beach relaxing, tanning, reading, writing, chatting with our neighbors, listening to music... Although this is supposed to be a party island, we're far from the Southern tip where all the craziness happens. I like it better this way!
Greetings from Khaosan Road in Bangkok. Also known as: backpacker central. Glad we're not staying here long. Street vendors lined up. Crowded. Cars inches away. It's harder to haggle here, I think because there are more tourists, and more people likely to pay the higher price. We bought the cheapest drinks on the menu at this cafe so we could mooch off of the free wi-fi.
Today, at 6am, everyone on our bus got dumped on the road and we were left to wait until 6pm for our next bus to Ko Phangan. It was still dark and the travel agency that we needed to confirm our tickets with wasn't even open yet, so we sat around chatting with 2 German girls who were also waiting. Then we found some comfy chairs and fell asleep for a while.
Observation: There are so many European travelers, and we hardly meet any Americans. The very few Americans we do meet tend to have these stories of escapism from the life that they've fallen into while chasing the "American dream." These stories usually involve the following: working some unfulfilling job and thinking that money will make them happy; being involved in a relationship and losing their own identity in the process; basically, being pressured by society and family to follow this path of what they think they're "supposed to do," even if it's not what they actually want to do.
On the other hand, it seems that a lot of these Europeans we meet just take off for several months at a time, even at a young age, without that American need to explain themselves upon meeting about how they ended up here. Besides asking where we're from, they don't feel that it's necessary to know what we were doing before or what we're going back to doing in America. Traveling for the sake of traveling seems so normal to them.
I realize, too, that as Americans, it can be difficult to travel, especially with a 9-to-5 job. You sometimes still feel guilty asking for your 2 weeks of accrued vacation, worrying about negative vibes from your boss, and then end up spending the last few days of your vacation dreading the time it will take to catch up on hundreds of emails and stacks of paper on your desk upon return.
Money can also be an issue. College educations are also thousands and thousands of dollars more in American than anywhere in Europe. Many Americans get their degrees along with a built-in debt in loans, which creates the need to start working immediately so they can pay them off. If not, they feel like they should work so they can by a car or a house or something. And so the cycle begins...
People are different; countries are different; cultures are different. Everything has its positive and negative aspects, and we can all learn from one another. I just wish it were easier for everyone to get up and go, because there's so much more to see in the world.
Without realizing it, we scheduled to take a cooking class on Thanksgiving Day. They don't really celebrate Thanksgiving here, so it was fitting for us to spend the day cooking and eating. It was soooo gooood... I made 4 dishes: (1) chicken masaman curry; (2) stir-fried chicken with ginger; (3) fried fish salad; (4) fried bananas with ice cream. Ana made chicken with green curry, pad thai, and the same salad and dessert. We ate everything that we cooked, even though we were full after the first two dishes... Just like Thanksgiving =)
Even though I'm still not sick of Thai food, my mouth waters at the thought of a warm, Thanksgiving dinner at home... Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Auntie Lorna's lasagna, and then making sandwiches out of the leftovers and eating them for days! I miss it! I miss my family too. I miss Alicia coming home from New York and getting to catch up with her on the 1 or 2 days out of the year we get to see each other. I miss wearing boots and scarves to keep me warm. I miss hearing holiday songs on the radio and people-watching at the crowded malls. I still haven't felt homesick, but these are definitely things that I miss. I could go on, but I'll stop-- Just know that I miss you and I'm thankful to have you in my life =)
I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe right now. Ana and I are taking advantage of the free wi-fi to catch up on catching up. I just got up to go to the market for a little bit. I fear that my butt is bruised from sitting on this stool for so long. We've been here for over four hours, and still have about 2.5 hours until our bus picks us up. And then we get to sit on the bus for... even more hours. We're heading down South towards the islands and beaches. Wee!! I've been ready for this since the day I was born. Can't wait!
The bus ride to Chiang Mai was as uncomfortable as any other bus ride. I think I've just accepted that bus rides are not luxurious. Even the VIP buses with air conditioning and reclining seats are for some reason still hard to sleep on. I was cold... and someone's plastic bag with a wheel of Laughing Cow cheese from the overhead storage kept falling on me throughout the night. Even when I would put it back up, it would somehow find a way to fall on me again... I don't know who that cheese belonged to.
We shared a tuk-tuk with this guy who lives at a temple in Chiang Mai. He went on about the true nature of ourselves and our relation to the universe... mindfulness... being in the present moment... going to stone circles, where stones are arranged to perfectly align the power within yourself with that in the surrounding galaxies... Part of me was saying, "Get outta here..." and part of me wanted to listen to him. People are so interesting.
Later that evening, we ventured off to watch a Muay Thai fight, which was pretty fun! The first few rounds were younger boys... As the weight classes of the fights got higher, and the international fighters came around, things got more exciting.
This Canadian guy gave the Thai fighter a beat down.
Other random discoveries in Chiang Mai:
* Mango sticky rice! Diana, the hunt is over.
* The Ghost Orchid! (For those of you who've watched Adaptation)
We left Isara on Tuesday. It was a quiet day. Between packing and doing last-minute errands, I was somewhat avoiding contact with people because I was so sad. I already saw this coming, but I found myself crying throughout the day whenever I thought about leaving. Ana and I couldn't stop the tears while saying our goodbyes. I can't really compare the kind of sadness I felt to anything else. I left the people I had been living and working with, the people who I became good friends with over the past 2 months-- my first real friends from somewhere so far away from home.
I am so thankful for the opportunity I've had to contribute to Isara's vision of positive change and progress for youth in the future. The experiences I've had and friendships I've formed are built to last. I won't forget this place!
This was the bittersweet farewell view from our tuk-tuk to the bus station:
It's getting harder and harder for me to look people in the eyes these days... I look at Ming and think about how she's been like our Mom, always taking care of us, taking us out to eat and making sure we're okay. I look at Kirk and think about all the jokes we've shared and long conversations we've had about anything and everything in the scope of our human experience. I look at the kids and wonder if they'll remember me, but moreso look at them hoping that they'll remember all that we've tried to teach them while we were here. I get teary-eyed just thinking about leaving the place that's been "home" for the past 2 months. I'm such a sap.
I've been reminiscing lately about the first few days arriving in Thailand and at Isara, when everything was new and I felt like I would be here for such a long time. As much as time does slow down here, the past few days have been blowing by quickly. The sand seems to drop faster when the hourglass is almost empty.
An email from Kirk over a year ago was one of the first things that sparked big changes in my life. As much as I know he is thankful for the work I've contributed to Isara, I am more than equally as grateful for what this experience has provided for me. Isara has been an opportunity to be involved in something I care about, a chance to travel and open my mind to different people and communities, and a refreshing confirmation that altruism and good-hearted people absolutely exist, and are in abundance if you look in the right places.
I'm soaking in the last few days, enjoying my time with Kirk, Ming, all the volunteers, and of course the precious students. I'm taking pictures to last forever and living with no regrets.
Unforgettable... I hope our paths cross again one day.
This is Dave, a very passionate English teacher at Hasadee School, a little outside of Nong Khai. Ana and I volunteered as assistants in his class last week, and he invited us back this week to do a painting project at the school. He had noticed our artistic talents at the Halloween party when we were painting the kids' faces ;)
The project took up the entire school day! We spent hours stenciling, delegating painting jobs to the kids, re-touching, and outlining... The work was non-stop, but it also went by very quickly. We started at 8:00am and before I knew it, it was 3:30. We painted different healthy foods on the walls in front of the Anuban (Kindergarten) classrooms. I was really tired by the end of the day, but impressed with the work that we got done!
The kids are all about this Doraemon character. He's apparently very popular in Thailand. I have no idea who or what he is, or what his story is about. I just knew that I had to make 3 of him, holding various food items, and the kids were always watching over my shoulder, saying, "Doraemon! Doraemon!" whenever I was drawing or painting him.
We shook the principal's hand as we left and I could see the sincerity of her appreciation as she thanked us for our work. It was a day well-spent, and hopefully something that will last a while for the kids to enjoy.
Ming planned a nice day trip for all of us volunteers this past Saturday. We rented a van, loaded up at 6:00am, and started our trek to Wat A-Hong, Wat Phutok, and the biggest waterfall in Nong Khai.
I don't like waking up early unless it's on my own accord, or in a gentle way, with soothing music or the like. But after I got myself ready and into the van, I was pumped for the trip! This was the nicest van I've ever been in. It had air conditioning, a DVD player, mirrors on the ceiling, and disco lights. It was also very clean, the seats were pretty comfy, and they reclined as well. The DVD player also played karaoke tracks with a wireless mic. I got really excited, but then, the 6am nature of things took over and I fell asleep.
Our first stop was at Wat A-Hong. I was still half asleep, but of course still got up and walked around to see the sights. Aside from the temples, there were huge rocks all over the place!
We lit incense and got our fortunes at one of the temples. This is what mine said:
What this number forecasts is great, wherever you may be, neither poverty nor trouble could happen to you. Seniors will patronize you and lead you to success. You'll never lack fortune, happiness and prosperity. You'll find a good spouse. If you're involved in a lawsuit, don't worry, you'll win the case. Whoever casts this number will be so happy as a baby lulled to sleep by a protective babysitter.
How could I resist believing in that? I always knew I was lucky!
There was also a huge pond with catfish in it. I swear I saw one as big as Ming, but no one else saw it... Or believed me...
Our next stop was to Wat Phutok, or "Mountain Temple." By this time, I was more awake, but had no idea of the strenuous trip we had ahead. The combination of hiking, having to dress properly to enter the temple, and not having ankle socks resulted in me wearing this un-stylish get-up that made me both laugh + shudder every time I looked down. Yikes! I'm definitely in debt to the fashion police...
We hiked up hundreds and hundreds of steps that climbed along the mountainside in order to get to the temple on the 6th level. By the time we got there, we were thirsty, out of breath, and really sweaty.
When we finally got to the top of the temple, there was a great moment of peace as we all sat and rested in front of the buddha statues. Fatigue definitely contributed to everyone's silence. But nonetheless, the aura of accomplishment and serenity in the time spent at the temple was absolutely soothing.
Next stop-- WATERFALL!!!
Since I do love getting in the water, this was the highlight of the trip for me. When we got there, we sat and rested in the shade of a huge rock for a bit. I actually fell asleep... Ming woke me up and to our delight, all other waterfall visitors had left. We had the falls all to ourselves!
Due to it being dry season, the waterfall was rather dry compared to the photos Ming had shown us in her PowerPoint presentation the night before. But I actually think it worked out better-- the falls weren't too strong, so we could sit beneath them without getting washed away.
Here's a video clip of me sliding down the rocks beneath the waterfall. Although this resulted in bruising on my left buttock/ lower back, a major wedgie, and a hole ripped in my shorts, I still had fun!
Thank you, Ming, for planning this day =) What a great trip!
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even if its not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the sliver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me who you are and how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
