Lao Festival

I wish I could capture more than just images in my camera. There are 5 senses and my camera doesn't even do justice to what I see. Last night was the most amazing festival celebrating the end of the rainy season; a true feast of the senses. I hope my memory will suffice to remember it always.

Townspeople from distant towns showed up to watch the night parade where handmade boats were shown off down the main street. The boats were of bamboo and tissue paper and many were brilliantly lit up. There was singing and dancing and fire twirling and fireworks going off. The boats were led to a big temple on the edge of the Mekong River. My friends and I joined in the parade as we had a tiny boat to float as well. As tradition, we added our fingernail clippings to the boat to cut off any bad luck. From atop the hill the Mekong seemed to be floating christmas lights down it- hundreds of tiny boats with candles drifting away. Hundreds of us stood on the banks and watched the big boats go in. Some sank, some floated, always to great cheers.

Traveling quote

Today I had lunch with a guy from Utah and some Canadians who are making a film about traveling. They interviewed me on film and I read them a quote Adam wrote in the front of my journal. It says it all so well:

For my part I travel not to go anywhere, but to go: I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly, to come down off this featehrbed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot, and strewn with cutting flints.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Red Sox rock the party that rocks the party!!!

What is the world coming to? I am afraid the Earth may internally combust; I never thought this would happen. The morgues in Boston must be overflowing; so many people would die to see the Red Sox win the World Series, and so many people have been waiting their whole lives.

I am jumping inside. I so wish I were in Boston to share in the merriment. Unfortunately I didn’t even get to see the game! I was in a town with no electricity when the game started then was floating down the Mekong River to get to Luang Prabang. Tried to get here early to see the game, but it was impossible. The town I was in had no roads.

I woke up early and got bananas at the market so I could give Alms to the monks this morning. I did it in honor of the Red Sox. So I think I am at least partially responsible for the World Series win.

Since I am doing Peace Corps and will be in Thailand for so long I decided I wanted to travel now and see what there is to see in SE Asia. So now I am in Laos for a few weeks. Next will be Vietnam, then Cambodia, before back home for New Years. And PC at the beginning of January.

Peace Corps

Hold the phone. Scratch everything. I was planning on setteling in Chiang Mai for at least 6 months. Working at a school, or an NGO. But I wasn't feeling it. I was there for a week and definately felt in a funk. When I was in Pai I did a lot of thinking and decided I want to do the Peace Corps. I was accepted late this summer to a Thailand program, but didn't think it would end up happening. I've realized it's just the thing for me. I am a little nervous about the commitment, but mostly excited. I'm concerned about being away from the states for so long. And about being away from so many people I love for so long. But I hope all my friendships can sustain the distance and time. I should have pretty regular access to email too. A plus and a minus. For I realize it will be really good for me to get out of my western mindset for a little while. To adopt the Thai lifestyle of generousity, and relaxation could only do me good. Stir up things a little anyway. Peace Corps has been a dream of mine- a life goal- for many years. And I don't think i could ever be lucky enough to get Thailand again, if I reapply later. The Thai are so generous and I know I would be welcomed into a community. It is not really rustic by Peace Corps standards, either. I should have a shower wherever I live, not sure if I'll have hot water tho. I'll make about $5 a day to cover all expenses, which shouldn't be too tough either.

Pai Waterfalls

My new Thai friend.

Running

Still loving Pai. I went on an 11 mile jaunt this morning through the lush hills (yes, hills) and wound up at an amazing waterfall. It feels so good to get out and strech my legs. I haven't run this far in months.

And what is better than Thai food for lunch when done with a run? Fun little restraunt where we sat on the floor and leaned against cushions. No walls, just an elevated floor and a roof.

I am off to go to a jazz cafe where I plan to lay in a hammock and read my book. A Prayer for Owen MeanybyJohn Irving. Janet's recommendation and a great one. Probably I'll get my daily Chai Ice Tea there.

This afternoon Yemu and I are treating ourselves to body scrubs. I'll tell you all about it afterwards.

Pai in the sky

Things were not going well in Chiang Mai. I was feeling in a funk. Wasn't finding a job and wasn't meeting the people I was hoping to. There are a lot of people who are in CM for a few days only. There are a bunch of ex-pats who are around longer term, but they are mostly 50 year old men. I don't have enough Thai speaking skills to become great friends with Thais.

So I needed to get out for a bit. I put a change of clothes into my tiny backpack and headed to Pia- a northern city of 3000 people. The 4 hour bus ride took us over very windy roads though the lushest forests. It reminded me of remote Hawaii. Palm trees and so much greenery. The bus was crazy. They packed about 40 of us onto a bus probably meant for 30 max. Rickety fans swirling on the ceiling and windows down the whole way. Luckily I had seat. People in the aisles were fortunate because we were transporting rice bags, so if they could sit they had a little cushoning. The bus was OLD and when we went around steep corners something under me made a serious scraping noise.

Now I am in Pai and LOVING IT! So gorgeous. So relaxed. Cute little bungalows. The people I am traveling with are so much fun, and fascinating to talk to. There is Peter who is from South Africa and is so intelligent. He has no desire for formal education, has taught himself most of what he knows and plans on being a writer. Danielle is from Canada and is quite sweet. Yume is from England and my roommate for the trip. She is very relaxed and lovely to chat with. We have had lots of discussions about how different our upbringings and home culture is, and lots of giggles too. It is interesting to have conversations with all these very different people who I get along with and who have different values from me. Thought provoking.

These are the days I was looking forward to when I imagined myself in Thailand. And we have yet to hit the bar. :)

hot and sweaty

The weather in Chiang Mai is a little cooler than in Bangkok. But it is still hot and humid. We are at the end of the rainy season and the weather is going to get even a little cooler. I don't know the exact temp cuz everything here is in C.

I had my second Thai lesson this morning. It is slow going. The tones are killer.
And I've been walking around the CM University trying to get a job. Nothing so far, but I met a nice guy from California who has been teaching here for 14 years. He says I should just show up on the first day and they almost always need teachers. He also said I will have no problem finding a job somewhere which is encouraging. He also told me I'm going to have major visa problems which is discouraging.

I am hot and sweaty from walking around campus all day. Thais don't walk much. They always drive on their scooters or cars. I've also been traveling in "Sung-tows" which litterally means "two-rows". They are basically pickup trucks with a metal canopy over the back and two rows of benches along the sides. That is their form of taxi in CM. They also have Tuk-tuks which I think I already wrote about. Either way you have to bargin a price with the driver before you get in.

I am going to check out a bar nearby which is supposed to have lots of ex-pats who are teachers and work at NGOs. I hope someone will be able to help with a job. I stumbled across a new language school that is looking for English Teachers. They were very interested in me. Should be good....

Chiang Mai

Was feeling really unproductive in Bangkok so I decided to head on up North. I took an overnight bus ride to Chiang Mai where I plan on settleing for 7 months or so.

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and has about 160,000 people in it. Not nearly as crowded or crazy as Bangkok, but it has all the city ammenities.

I got a used bike and have been exploring the city. Met some other travelers and even a few locals. I think it may be frustrating that so many people come in and out so frequently. A guy from Santa Cruz I met comes for a few months every year and he said the average stay is 2.5 days. Maybe it's just the neighborhood that I'm in though.

I looked into a long term place today, but am not sold on it. I'd like to find a place where I won't have to move out of while I'm here, but I don't know the city well enough to pick an area yet. I'll do some more research tomorrow.

So my first day in the city was grand. I already have a few job leads and plan on making a bunch more calls tomorrow. I found a place that will be showing the Red Sox games! And also stumbled across the meeting pub for the Hash House Harriers (a national running club). And found a gym and massage place, both that come with high recommendations.

Today I had my first Thai lesson from a sweet Thai woman. She taught me a lot in the first half hour, but it is slow going. The word Mai can be said in 5 different tones to mean 5 different things. It is so tough. I am practicing.

Thai dii nit-noy

I forgot to share the hightlight of my market expereince yesterday.

Just after I got to the market I went up to a vendor to get these little fried eggs. They have a grill about the size of a large serving plate with little half-circle divits- about 1.5 in diameter. It looks like a big, black painters pallate. And they crack these little eggs- I'm not really sure from what bird- into each one. One 50 cent order is for about 10 of these eggs, served with vinegar on a bed of cabbage. Yummy ('Alloy' in Thai).

I spoke to the man only in Thai: saying hello, asking how much, ordering, and thanking him. He spoke only in Thai to me too. As I was leaving I heard him tell his partner (in Thai) that i speak Thai well. I turned around and smiled and said 'nit-noy' ('a little bit'). He clearly got a kick out of the whole thing, and i did too.

Thai Massage

I found a few massage parlours that gives swedish massages. It's a little more expensive than a Thai Massage( one hour is $6.10 versus $4.40), but with the Thai massage they twist you all over the place, and it has been troublesome for my knee. Last evening after my hot and sweaty day at the market I got one. So fabulous. My theory on why all the Thais look so young is that they treat their bodies right and they get massages all the time because they are so cheap. Unfortunately that doesn't pan out exactly because the massages are not cheap for the Thais. Things are so cheap compared to the US because they have such a little profit margin, and therefore don't make much money at all.

I found a gym!! I have been slacking on my fitness routine and am so excited to go for a run. I have been able to run a few times when I've been out of Bangkok, but it is not only too hot to run here- there is no room at all. Auto and pedestrian traffic EVERYWHERE. Walking is often a problem. So I am off to the gym for a nice work out....

Market Madness

Spent the day at the big weekend market. They have over 15,000 stalls. I spent 5 hours there and probably saw 30%. There is everything you could imagine. Lots of pets- fish, birds, cats, dogs. Lots of clothing, and lots of bags. Lots of everything. And food everywhere. Since I am still not settled and still have traveling I didn't want to get a lot of stuff to have to schlep around. So I ended up buying lots of food. LOTS!! It is all so good.

I sat at lunch with a honeymooning couple from Sydney. The man was wearing a Yankees hat. I asked him why he would do such a thing, his reply "To keep the sun out of my eyes." I told him I thought he could find many things less embarrasing to wear for that purpose. There is a lot of Yankee paraphanalia. I especially saw a lot of people wearing their gear in Honk Kong.

Red light district

Last night I met up with Travis, a contact Colleen gave me. He is a teacher in Bangkok and was out with a few buddies. We met at a nice pool bar and then went to a dance club. In transit they decided they wanted to stop at a go-go bar and asked if that was ok. There is a big prostitution scene here and I think it's concentrated in one area. It's not very blatent, or maybe I'm just oblivious. But as we walked down the street men stood in doorways, or approached us and invited us to come see a ping-pong show. There are lots of venues that have naked women showing their vaginal talents. We did not take anyone up on a ping-pong show.

We did enter a go-go bar where there were about 20 women in bikinis on stage- each moving, with different degrees of enthusiasm, next to a pole. There was music and it was on the dark side, but it was not an uncomfortable scene. Unless someone had told me I wouldn't have known there were women there who could be taken home for money. I definately felt sad for some of the women. Some actually had small numbers pinned to their outfits so customers could request someone from the stage. Some looked bored silly. Some looked like they were having fun. One girl I spoke to looked about 15. She said she was 20 and had worked there for a year. They were all very friendly. And I don't mean that in a pick-me-up kind of way.

On my own

I am back from Hong Kong. Totally on my own for the first time really. It is good. It is what this trip is about. Yet at the same time I am totally excited to meet people. Where I am staying in Bangkok is a backpackers haven. Everyone is traveling and it is really easy to meet people. I met a nice guy on the bus from the airport. Turns out he is a teacher in Chiang Mai and he gave me loads of advice on getting a job up there.

The past two nights I have been out till past 4 with all the fun people I am meeting. There is a rockin night life here.

Hong Kong Travels

I came to Hong Kong on the 2nd to meet up with Janet, who had been in Indonesia for work. I think 6 days has been long enough to get my lifetimes fill of this city. It only took a few hours of being here to be homesick for Thailand. The Honkers are so fast fast fast, push, push, push. It is a flashy and crowded city.

My first day here Janet and I went to Macau- basically a Portugal Island. As we waited in the customs line a lady of about 75 barged up and pushed me over trying to get in front of me. Quite amusing, but left a bad taste in my mouth for Honkers.

We saw a couple monestaries, saw a HUGE buddah, took a tram ride to the top of the peak, took a hike, walked through a few markets, got our palms and faces read, took a ferry to Hong Kong Island, rode the longest escalator in the world (20 minutes), and ate a lot of dumplings. The highlight of the trip was hanging out with Janet. What a fun chick she is.

The craziest thing I saw was a fish market where they have lots of sea creatures out for purchase. Many are swimming in little pools. I watched one woman pick a big fish; after it was weighted a paid for the supplier took is butcher knife and knocked the fish out (or rather, killed it) with the side of the blade. There were innards flying out.

Also they had cut fish lying in ice. The were cut lengthwise, in a special way that the heart stayed intact. That way the heart could continue to beat and supply blood around the body and keep it fresher. You could actually see the little hearts beating.