Hide yo wives, hide yo kids!

There be giant lizards here! They have free roam around inner city parks, it would seem.

Today was the last full day of Thailand. A really good day; finally feel affirmed that I know my way around the area and customs well enough to not embarrass myself. At least not every day.

Chinatown at sunset.

In a city of strangers, strange sights, and strange smells, this empty bike path is oddly comforting on the walk home.

Not too much left to say here. Really grateful for the chance to come and visit. Thankful for the kindness and patience of strangers. Planning on waking up early for a run tomorrow and perhaps checking out the big art museum before heading to the airport.

Thanks Thailand. Until next time. 

(I'm coming for ya, Kiwis!)

Back to Bangkok.

In two days I fly to New Zealand. Well, technically, I fly to Australia for a day and THEN New Zealand. Same same.

Tonsai and Railay were fun, but not what I expected. I finally made it out climbing yesterday after 2 days of being ill and another of heavy rain. Paid to go with a guide who was supposed to lead routes; figured it was a chance to meet others who would want to go out on their own. The guide was really kind, but took us to an overly crowded wall and most of the group were brand new climbers. However, there was another guy in the group who had brought all his gear and didn't have a partner, so we warmed up with the group and then broke off and went and did some harder routes on our own. Super sweet and funny gent from South Africa (Kevin) who had been vacationing in Thailand for a few weeks with his family and broke away for the day to try and climb. We ended up running into his wife and family on the walk to one of the climbing areas.

Definitely pushed my skill set and fitness level by following some of his leads. It's been a few months since I've climbed outdoors and was worried about the grip strength required for some of the holds and the overhangs. Kevin was a patient belay and a great coach. Really proud of the routes I completed and how far I made it on an especially challenging one that we finished with.

The day before when it poured, I rented a kayak for a few hours and explored the coastline. Absolutely stunning. The limestone drips off the hillside in impressive cliffs and creates cozy overhangs to rest under. As I paddled out to one of the islands, I saw a school of fish jump out of the water. After an initial moment of "OH SHIT SHARK", because that obviously was the reason why they were jumping, I realized it was a school of flying fish. They divided into 2 groups and leaped around my boat for a few minutes before a bird swooped in and chased them off. I ended up paddling back in a warm, light rain with the sun sinking into the storm clouds behind me.

Tonsai bungalow. 

Yeah, totally safe.

Oh! I hiked around the entire peninsula on the rainy day and ran into tons of monkeys. There are some adorable black ones with big, white raccoon eyes in the jungle but they were too far away to get a good picture. Instead, I offer you the sea-diving ones who lived near the resorts and beaches. 

And now I'm waiting in the airport to head back to Bangkok. There's more rain in the forecast here and I wanted another full day to wander around before leaving. 

I hope to return to Tonsai one day, but next time I would definitely go with a climbing partner. There are climbers everywhere, but they seem to be so into their ego. Just listening to a group in a cafe this morning made me want to laugh. I'm sure they are very kind people, but better for confidence and piece of mind to go with people on a similar level.

On another note, Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi is hilarious. It drips with sarcasm and goes into detail about trivial points that he knows are trivial, just to prove a point. One day, I hope to be clever enough to swear like a boatman and have the memory of a steamer pilot.

Rainy Tonsai

I am currently curled up with a light blanket, sitting under a giant mosquito net waiting for either the electricity to cut out for the day or for it to stop raining. Tonsai has the ability to oscillate between tourist trap and rugged beach spot. I should have checked the weather before heading down because rain or overcast is predicted for the rest of my time here. So much for a tan! I didn't need the extra freckles anyways.

On the boat ride over from Krabi City to Railay, three Brits were kind enough to invite me to hang with them for the forsee able future. That future turns out to be about 24 hours long. After hanging around the tattoo parlor all afternoon and evening, I was ready to switch locations when it looked like another day of loitering. I did the short hike through the jungle and found a bungalow on the other side of the peninsula. I am scared that I will start a fire anytime I plug something into the outlet and walk gingerly on the plank floor because I worry about falling through (saw a BASE jumper fall through the main deck last night), but it's a good home for the next few days!

Walked up to a girl scanning the Partners Wanted on the climbing info board yesterday and asked if she was in need of one. Traded email addresses and I talked to one of the gear shops about renting a rope and draws. So hopefully that plays out when I find some Internet to set a time with her. In the meantime, yoga! (There's a studio just up the hill from me.) Reading! (Devoured Tina Fey's book Bossypants in a day. Recommended.) And maybe some beach time. (You can get massages on the beach here. And a pedicure. Which the Thai woman who kept grabbing my feet as I was trying to read kept pointing out. Apparently my feet look a bit rough.)

Had a decent case of the homesick when I woke up this morning. To be expected when I start thinking about everyone back home and the holidays. Can be tough to see all the young couples, friends, and families traveling together and celebrating with a new experience. While it's easy to be outgoing and open back home, I am sensitive to how Americans are portrayed when they travel and tend to retreat into silence and questions about others. You learn more when you listen, but man, I could use a hug or a belly laugh some days. Glad that there will be familiar faces in New Zealand to share a beer with.

Oh. And the electricity turns off at 7:30. For the record.

Railay Tattoo

I am currently the only one in a group of young British ladies and one lad who is not getting a tattoo. However! To make me feel like part of the group, the artist gave me a personal sketch. I present: my Thailand Tattoo!

The American just is not hip enough to handle this.

Also. Yes. Those are mosquito bites. And I will definitely die of plague. 

Elephant Nature Park

Be warned. This is a picture heavy post. If you don't agree with photos of cute dogs, turn back now. 

SO. I just finished my week of volunteer work and I can whole heartedly say that it's been one of my best overseas experiences. I will also say that I am glad that I went with the dog shelter side of the park rather than the elephants.

But first! Pictures of elephants. (And fellow tourists from Davis! Because the world is a small place!)

And baby elephants eating watermelon.

And elephant family groups under a shade structure.

And cows eating bananas. Because Thailand? 

Might as well start with some back story about the park. It was founded awhile back by a Thai woman called Leik who was trying to educate locals and tourists about the torture involved with training an elephant. For every elephant that you ride, it has had to go through various beatings and assaults in order to get it to obey its trainer (called a mahout, pronounced ma-hoot). Mahouts traditionally use sticks with nails and bull hooks to stab the elephant's sensitive feet, ears, and eyes as punishment. The training is long and meant to break their spirit. You can't ride an elephant that hasn't gone through this; it's too dangerous because there is no control over the animal.

As fun as it may seem, if you're concerned with animal well-being, don't ride an elephant if you're in Southeast Asia (or anywhere). For that matter, don't encourage street vendors that parade elephants through cities for people to feed or take photos with.

So Leik started rescuing elephants that were too old, battered, or emotionally unstable to perform and taking them out to areas where they could roam relatively free. Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is a big open space next to a river where the elephants wander during the day. At night, most are put into large open shelters so that they don't go onto neighbors property; some of the locals are not as excited when an elephant comes into their yard and eats their fruit or garden. Leik and her western husband also have more than a dozen water buffalo, cows, monkeys, pigs, cats, and multitudes of dogs that were rescued when Bangkok flooded. Except for the monkeys and 75% of the dogs, the rest roam the property.

They host paying volunteers to come work for the elephants, the dog shelter, or the animal clinics. For your payment, you get a bed, 3 vegetarian buffet-style meals a day, and some special cultural presentations from the Thai neighbors. The presentations can be quite cheesy, but at the end of the day, everybody would just gather on the feeding platforms and hang out with a cup of tea or a beer. The conversation flows freely after dark when the kittens crawl in your lap and the sound of elephants and the howls of dogs come across the fields.

The typical dog volunteer schedule is as follows:

0500  Wake up to all four hundred dogs howling.

0600  Curse dogs and the fact that the volunteer quarters are right next to the dog runs.

0630  Climb out of bed, be followed by free roaming dogs to the feeding platform, enjoy a cup of tea and watch the sunrise. 

0700  Breakfast. Hope for banana bread fritters.

0800  Go to the dog clinic and start walking injured dogs. Also, clean cages, morning feed, bleach & rinse floors, cuddle dogs, take care of any injured cats, help with morning medications, clean up puppy area, and walk all special behavior dogs like...

THE MOUNTAIN DOGS

The cutest and fiercest teddy bears around.

Around 0930  Special chores like walking entire runs of dogs with multiple people, deticking, grooming, cuddling, etc

1100  Break & lunch

1230  Midday clinic dogs' walk

1300  More random chores or projects. Dog cuddles.

1500  Afternoon feeding and walk.

1600  Second round of meds, rinse floors, clean food bowls, put on nighttime doggie jackets.

Done around 1630 but cuddle dogs until closer to 1700. Dinner at 1800.

It's not a bad life. And if you didn't get your fill during the day, we lived with about ten dogs. Dog fights are frequent, although most don't end with physical injury and only hurt feelings. We all became pretty adept at throwing ourselves in when necessary and hanging back most of the time. The dynamics are incredibly complicated. Most of the runs have formed into a pack and some of the larger ones even have small break off groups that rival one another. With the exception of maybe one dog, all were so sweet towards people. You were covered in kisses the whole time and the shy ones never made any trouble.

There was one who resembled a corgi, so of course, I had to snap a photo. This handsome boy was so tolerant when it was his turn to have ticks pulled off with tweezers from between his toes and on his belly.

Meet Tito. All he wants is to be chewing on your fingers. Or your shoelaces. Or another dog.

This is Gladius. She fully embraced her cone of shame as a privacy shield. 

And Mae Nam! Overall volunteer favorite to walk. As Brian said, "an oversized hamster!"

My roommate Morten posing with one of the mountain dogs.

Morten getting a coveted job: putting the little pig jacket on one of the itty bitty puppies. Curse you, Morten!

Kitten snuggles with you whenever she wants. Even mid-meal.

And of course, the whole dirty group of us for this week! Brian, Becca, Morten, and myself right before leaving.

But there is some news. I am a weak willed person given to impulse which does not go well when I meet a wonderful dog. She's the one on the left. The shelter calls her Mate (like the tea, ma-teh). But Kermit is much more fitting.

The adoption program has agreed to ship her over to the US in the spring after I finish my travels and job training.

So, uh. Yeah. I agreed to adopt a dog. And she's amazing. (And Mom, I think she's ok with cats.)

In Hiding

There are some screwed up people who have come here to escape their problems. Maybe it's the fact that I'm alone that makes them feel comfortable enough to approach me and dump their problems. But sweet Jesus, Chiang Mai therapists must make a killing.

Makes one take a long, hard look at oneself and wonder why we've ended up in the same place in a similar position. Kids, the lesson is don't beat your wife and stay in good health.

One Week In

Officially past the first week mark. Honestly, it feels like it's been longer but time can be a funny thing. Chiang Mai has been good, although eye opening.

Aside from the cooking course, I've mostly walked around town and just hung out. Setting out in a different cardinal direction, I try to walk a large circle and see a different neighborhood each day. Went and checked out the local climbing gym one day, spent a few hours at a beautiful temple nearer the university another. 

Came across a large group of mostly men after going to the climbing gym who were participating in goofy relays. Witnessed a ten legged race and one where you had to hit a tennis ball with a water bottle dangling between your legs. Usually everyone seems so serious here, it was great to see all the families just horsing around.

The Ping River is east of the old city and is beautiful day or night. Trying to walk along the riverside path though, I quickly discovered it is used only by fishermen who hide in the shade along the bank. Received many stone faced stares when I tried to escape the street hustle. Definitely not welcome there.

The Wats here are awe inspiring and breathtaking in their detail. The energy that fills the space is special and everyone, both patrons and tourists, are compelled to silence. One of the larger Wats in town has some creepily lifelike wax figures of monks. 

There is a movement in markets to not buy Buddha trinkets. The image is sacred and not to be used as simple decoration. When walking into some businesses, they will have a small shrine next to the door and you pay your respects whenever passing by.

Forester nerd moment: all of the trees in this meditation garden were harshly topped. Made for an eerie effect; kinda Dr. Seuss style. Took away some of the natural grace from the space, but curious if it is common practice and keeping an eye out for more.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was finding out that one of my past coworkers lives here for the moment. He and a longtime friend of his, who also spends a lot of time in Asia and Thailand specifically, have been kind enough to meet up the last 2 nights for drinks and dinner. Just having someone young to talk to has been refreshing, but they also have a lot to share about the language and culture. It makes you take a step back, to say the least. A lot lies beneath the surface, as with anywhere else, and leaves much to think about. After talking last night, I've taken notice of the military presence around. Starts to weigh heavy on my chest to think of all the everyday violence that is accepted and ignored to an extent. We spoke of awareness and how people choose what world they see. Really shakes me up to realize that I'm in a place where everything I think I know is wrong.  

So, uh yeah. Heavy stuff. Figuring out what path you want to walk in life is difficult enough and it's harder still to understand and respect others who are going a different direction.

I'm wicked excited to get out of town tomorrow and leave for a week of volunteer work. I am looking forward to the structure and chance to spend time with the animals. 

Until next time.

Check out the tasty food I made!

Went to a full day cooking course today and personally made 5 dishes and watched several others come together. I present to you!

Pad thai!

Panang curry! (Eggplant and chicken)

Spring rolls! With a super fancy rose made out of tomato. Cause the teacher decided to get crafty in the afternoon after the other students left. 

I also made Tom yum soup and a noodle curry dish. Even with skipping dinner last night and a light breakfast, I couldn't eat everything. Lots of leftovers, including the coconut sticky rice another student made. Because who says no to free (not really because I paid for the lesson) food? Going to the class also helped me discover the closest market to my guesthouse. 

Super cheeky instructor and awesome fellow cooks in the course. Three travelers from Switzerland. We had some great laughs trying to get produce at the market and keep up with the master chef, Mr. Sut. About to go meet them on the river for dinner and music. Might help me beat my record of staying up past 9:30! I should also note that I have not socialized with anyone under the age of 40 since I got off the plane. Apparently staying at quieter lodging attracts young couples and an older crowd.

Mr. Sut in the kitchen

Setting the table for tasting

Definitely digging Chiang Mai. 

Things for later contemplation: am I time traveling?, why does the body react so strongly to mosquito bites?, why are the dogs and cats here so damn uninterested in getting pets?, should I have packed my water filter for NZ?, how much of a tourist would it make me to buy some thin cotton pants with elephants on them?

And with that, time for one of these.

Bangkok

I present to you, the city of Bangkok. Joke for many, awesome city for all. 

After +24 hours of travel, I made it to the city around 6 pm on Friday. At least, I think it was Friday after all the time changes, delays, and general jet lag. I took a taxi to WH Hostel, an oasis made of shipping containers in the middle of a red light district. Managed to stay awake until 7:30 and then promptly passed out. I had one roommate, a swell gal from Germany named Heike who came in minutes before I closed my eyes. Woke up around 3 am and after walking around and reading, managed to fall back asleep for a few hours.

My first day consisted mainly of wandering around on foot and seeing what I could run into. Found a really sweet park, awesome food stalls, one of the largest malls I've ever been in, and figured out the metro. Lumphini Park reminds me a bit of Central Park in NY. It has a long running and biking loop as well as a beautifully manicured landscape. All ages and backgrounds were out enjoying it. They have some goofy exercise machines that I first thought was a playground, but has a wide array of body movement strength trainers. Essentially an adult playground. 

Today, Heike and I tootled around town together. She showed me how the water taxis work and we went to the Grand Palace. It's the King's birthday this week, so a lot of the grounds are closed including the Emerald Buddha. We stopped into the Heritage Linen Museum on the way out. Back in the 60's, the King and Queen wanted to make the country more self-sufficient so the King encouraged stronger agriculture while the Queen worked at the silk and weaving industry. She also went on to create the 8 Thai outfits that are now "traditional dress" even though they have a heavy western influence and were designed by the French.

Who can resist a sassy statue? 

After the temple, we took public transport up to the weekend market. Uh. Wow. It's freakin huge. Aisles and aisles of anything and everything you could think of. Including puppies, kittens, and sugar gliders! Bargained for a water bottle purse for Heike and a shoulder bag for myself. Ate more tasty food. Got lost and did a bunch of people watching. 

And now I'm sitting in the train station and about to catch a night train up to Chiang Mai. In fact, the big screen at the station is showing the royal ceremony back at the Palace. 

Overall impressions thus far: locals have no shame when it comes to nose picking, all the stereotypes about old white men coming to the city are true, tourists are herded very efficiently, Yellowstone hasn't seen the worst of HUGE tourist groups (old ladies throw elbows), the royal guard are pretty casual about marching in step, and shipping container living is badass. Later gators.