Chang Mai to Ko Chang

Bon Voyage

It has been over two weeks since my last blog entry. We have been mostly out of easy internet access so please excuse my delay. Our family has been traveling for about  weeks now. I'm sure you have noticed how when traveling time gets warped in strange ways? Kind of like that star trek episode where Sean Luke has a second life in a French village one day? Thats how I feel. Lots has happened, feels like forever. Today is Friday. If I was home I would be all packed and heading to Burning man with my camp, the French Maids.I want to wish them all an epic Burn and a safe return to our default world, with plenty of stories to tell. Bon Voyage!

After Lampang we headed North to Chaing Mai. I dont know if I am getting used to the long bus rides but it didn't seem as bad as the last one. Chaing Mai is often described as peoples favorite city in Thailand, the shopping, the temples, food, etc. I guess I'm just not that much of a city guy. Our accomodations were fine, the Gulare guest house. The shopping was amazing at the night market. Ethnic ware and clothing from all over. I bought 6 pairs of pants mostly for dance and Burningman(already shipped home,said a prayer and let go).We bought a cheap unlocked cell phone which has proven invaluable. We will be able to use it everywhere we go. We buy minutes at any convenience store. Local calls are dirt cheap and calling the states is only 10 cents a minute.

     I have had several massages now from low end to high and can relate some of my experiences. Just a caution, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR,(you just might get it). Friends suggested going to a temple for a massage as they might be your most consistent bet. OK, Lysa and I found our nearest temple offering massage, walked into a large hall of activity and made our request for an hour each,me on the floor and Lysa in the chair. Picture a huge hall with rows of mats and dozens of people receiving massages. As no oil is used in thai massage you stay dressed in loose fitting clothing. I found my place on an empty mat and waited to begin. I am guessing a number of people came in at the same time as there was a bit of confusion and hustle to get going. I think my massuese was the boss lady(figures I would get her). While she was getting me settled she was on her cell phone and also directing traffic. Picture one hand Kneading my leg ,one hand directing traffic ,and a phone in the shoulder going constantly. Not what I would call personal attention. OK I'm only paying $4.00 but still. I was doing my best Buddha effort to not get pissed, and then she actually left me for 15 minutes, coming back occasionally to rub a muscle here and there. Well the hour went by and I did use the time to practice loving kindness and compassion so it wasn't a complete waste. Lysa's was somewhat better but she also was on the phone a lot(a common practice I'm discovering). We had been told of a high end spa called Oasis, so the family made reservations there. This place was amazing! The décor and the grounds were stunningly maintained and the customer service and courtesy were perfect. Lysa and I booked 2 hour treatments together and Anika got a facial and milk bath. The staff had obviously been trained in catering to the western clientle. Everything about this experience(save one) was perfect. Our treatments were a combination of Thai and western massage techniques. As such they were done on a typical massage table not the floor. The room was amazing, wood paneled,flowers ,soft lights and music. We were directed to put on these funny spa panties and lie face down on the table. Unlike at home since it is thai and western the practitioner is standing on the floor and also actually on the table for parts of the work. My massuese was attentive and well trained, but the massage table itself looked homemade and had no padding on the front edge where my western style adam's apple settled. I tried various ways to relieve the pressure but try as I might I couldn't find a comfortable position. Every time she applied pressure to my back or shoulders my neck was crushed into the edge causing extreme discomfort. Seeing my unease she attempted to remedy the situation with a towel as a cushion with limited success. Of course when I flipped over that problem was resolved and the rest of the massage was fantastic. Both Lysa and Anika had a fantastic experience. I resolved that somewhere in Thailand I would have a fully satisfying massage experience. To that end I went to the local shop in the food court where we ate many of our meals while in Chaing Mai. This spa was a small storefront with chairs out front and massage space inside, partitioned with curtains. I made my request and received the most satisfying treatment yet. At $7.00 per hour it was mid price and worth the extra 3 bucks. While on the phone occasionally and talking to other workers sometimes ,my person was attentive and offered a proffesional ,satisfying experience. Now let me tell you briefly about the last massage I received in Chiang Mai. The family had trip business to attend to and after as a reward we treated ourselves to another spa experience(why not?). We stepped into another of the ubiquitous storefront spas and made our requests known. Lysa and Anika mani/pedicures, Dave a 2 hour massage. After a bit of phone work my massage person arrived. While lying comfortably on the mat my therapist asked in a gentle voice “sir would you like light medium or firm massage”? Being a pro with an ego I replied “firm please”. My first warning should have been when she said “Its OK you can ask for change later”. Without going into every excruciating detail let me just say that it was the most intense 2 hour physical experience of my life(by far). I saw all kinds of colored lights as I tried to breathe through the pain.I was crying like a baby on the inside wondering why I didn't tell her to ease up. I survived, barely, but for over a week my body was so sensitive that a mere touch would evoke painfull flashbacks. Another lesson in keeping the ego in check, thank you very much. I have since had other massage work and I am learning what to say and ask for. I will say however that I even more appreciate all the excellent staff members at Well Within. Thank you for the thousands of great massages I have received there.

Doi Suthep

One of the highlights of Chaing Mai was our excursion up the mountain to the temple at Doi Suthep. Lysa and I did this one without Anika who by this time was pretty much templed out. Doi Suthep sits outside of the city on a rocky promutary. Its a bit of a schlep,but by far my favorite. Its hard to describe why, perhaps its location ,possibly the fact that it seemed to be a more vital active temple with dharma talks ,meditation retreats, and a Mothers day celebration. Maybe it was the misty rainy environment or the young boy with the smile beyond his years begging for money at the temple steps. I purchased a Buddha amulet from the concession stand and it was given a blessing from the monk before being presented to me. I wear it every day now.

    As I type slowly(about one word per minute) this blog entry is going to take all day. After Chaing Mai our next destination was a village homestay in the North east of Thailand. Lysa had made this reservation in advance of our ttrip from research she had done online. We took another long bus to get there from Chiang Mai. Lamai guesthouse is run by Lamai and her Scottish husband Jimmy. We had some arrival communication issues and we weren't at our best upon arrival after a long day. I was wondering if this might have been a mistake as my first impression of Jimmy was not favorable. I have learned however that first impression can be misleading esp. after a long day of travel. I will say that one good thing was that most of our stay required very little decision making on our part and that was a nice respite. Jimmy was a retired playboy type with all sorts of facts and opinions of Thailand and the world. He mostly regaled us with travel horror stories and his impressions of Thai culture(not always favorable). He took us touring to the local ruins, the zoo and other nearby attractions. This part of Thailand recieves only 2% of the tourism and Jimmy has his own theory about why. The touring part was all good but the real pleasure was experiencing the local village scene with Lamai. Lamai has lived in her village her whole life and unlike most has chosen to stay. Those still living here lead a very simple life much unchanged from their ancestors(save the TV and cell phone). They still farm rice for local consumption and augment their diets with foraging for frogs ,snakes, rodents and bugs.(really). We visited the local school which i'm sure Lysa will describe in greater detail. I introduced the kids to frisbee which they took to immediately and they showed me a game they play with stones similar to Jacks. We also spent a day with the local basket weaver, learning to make a basket. This man may be the last of a dying breed in his village as no one is learning from him. He weaves mostly from split bamboo. We made a simple basket, but he showed us many utilitarian objects he creates. The most impressive to me were these intricate long(4 feet) tubular baskets used to trap fish when draining the rice fields. Each basket takes about 4 days to complete. He sells them for 280 bat(thats only$9.00) You can understand why no one is learning his craft when they can move to the city and make $1.00 an hour. Lamai pointed out the houses where it was apparent that a family child had left and was sending money home. The housed were well constructed and acted as a nest egg for when the children would return for their own retirement. Other highlights included a day in the silk weaving village learning the process of silk production and weaving. We(mostly Lysa) wove our own silk scarf. It took us 2 days on this old loom set in the side of the weaver lady's house. She patiently set us to work and fixed our problems as they appeared. Apparently we were a little strong on the loom and kept breaking threads, but over time we got the knack for it and produced a lovely scarf.

    After a week of village life we were faced with the decision of where next.Weary of rain we longed for a sunny beach environment but were unsure where to go. We chose Ko Chang in the gulf of Thailand hoping for the best. After another long bus and a night in the coastal town of Trat we took the ferry to Ko Chang. Since we are here in the off season we made advance reservations for only one night, figuring we could look around a bit the next day. We picked a seaside spot recommended by the book, Blue Lagoon, more like blue swamp. Run down mosquitoe infested with a rat on the front porch. Lovely. Good food in the restaurant though. I was starting to get that sagging feeling that we had made a tremendous mistake but kept it at bay with a large bottle of Chang beer. The next day we wandered about and happened into KB resort. While twice as expensive($40.00 per night)it was worlds better. Clean cottages ,a swimming pool ,close to the beach,friendly staff etc. Everything I need to have a relaxing time. And this is where we stay. Plenty of fun things to do interspersed with hours of lounging.We visited the local waterfall which is part of the interior national park. Ko Chang is mountainess with most of it within the park boundries. Chang means elephant in Thai so an elephant excursion was part of our itinerary. Lysa in particular has an affinity for these grand animals. Once again she was in heaven during our 2 hour trek through the jungle. After trekking we had a chance to swim with the animals(yes,swim!). We went down to the stream where 2 of them were bathing in the water and we could jump in and on with the elephants. Great fun.

   We plan to be here for several more days then we will take 3 days to go to cambodia and visit the ruins at Ankor Wat. From there its back to Bangkok where Anika wants to buy a Ukulele.After that its on to Bali.

I finished reading the book on Buddhism by Lama Surya Das. Awakening the Buddha Within. I would recommend it to any one interested in Buddhism or interested in personal reflection. I have tried to incorporate some of what I have read into my life and have found it helpful esp. with my relationships with others, Anika being the most immediate benefactor.

   I have been typing for hours, my back is tired and its time for lunch. I wish for you all peace and good health. Sawadee , David

Lampang to Chiang Mai

Lysa and Dave getting worked Thai style

I am writing this blog entry From Chiang Mai in northern Thailand,but want to first describe our experiences of Langpang to the South. Langpang is a small city approx 2 hours by bus south of Chiang Mai and due to its proximity is usually no more than a day stop for most people going north. We spent 4 days here and could have stayed longer. Langpang has alot going for it not the least is the slower pace and not yet tourited feel. The people are genuinely happy and curious to see you in their town. We were one of very few Americans there. We stayed at a very comfortable guesthouse situated on the river,run by an Italian lady we never saw. Our daily routine usually included eating breakfast there then off to tour the city or surrounding countryside. One day was spent visiting the nearby elephant sanctuary. We saw a performance where the elephants demonstrated their skills including how they move big logs with instruction from their mahout who sits atop their neck and gently prods them with his feet while barking orders. I got the impression that there was a real bond between trainer and elephant. I understand that there is a one man one elephant relationship which can last a lifetime. The show ended with 3 elephants demonstrating their painting skills! Very impressive if somewhat gimmicky. We wandered the grounds and eventually took a 30 min. ride through the forest. Lysa and Anika on one and me on another. Lysa esp. was in heaven. She has always wanted to ride an elephant so it was a lifelong dream fulfilled. There are only 2,000 elephants left in the wild in Thailand due to habitat destruction. Elephants require large expanses of uninterupted habitat and unfortunately that has been compromised. Seeing them up close is a highlight. Looking into the eyes of a beast so majestic was humbling.
      Another day was spent investigating the local massage culture. Massage services are provided everywhere so choosing where to go is the biggest challenge. We read about one place that seemed interesting. From the description it sounded like it was affiliated with an herbal health clinic and it also offerd herbal sauna treatments so we were off on an adventure. I was picturing a somewhat medical looking clinic but had no idea what we would find. Thats part of the fun of not knowing. We were dropped off by our tuk tuk and seeing the confused look a local assumed we must be there for massage because there wasn't much else around that I could see. He pointed us in the direction of a very dilapidated wooden building which did not look like a business. We finally saw a sign amongst the rubble indicating we were at the right place. Following a corridor back we reached a large room strewn with misc. stuff and an older women(mid 60's?) working on another woman. She saw us and with hand gestures understood we were here for massage. Without interupting her work she phoned another woman who showed up within minutes. We both wanted hour massages while Anika preferred to watch. No english was spoken but we were able to communicate none the less. We both lay down on mats fully clothed and the treatments began. Thai massage is a vigorous style of pressure point kneading, joint stretching and limb manipulation. While working the women were having a polite conversation between themselves. I was trying to guess what they might be talking about, Us? the weather? their children? While not what I am used to it wasn't bothersome. Since we are on a mat not on a table the massage person uses her body in an entirely different way.Often her leg would be used as a prop while working. Some of the moves were very intense bordering on painful but I trusted her and never felt threatened. One move in particular invoved a spinal stretch akin to a yoga pose only with the assistence of the therapist. My spine released in a series of pops in both directions!
      After our massage we were given a wrap and led to the herbal steam rooms, Lysa and in separate small enclosures.  She mixed up a batch of herbs and dumped them into a bubbling cauldrin of water. The room was very small and funky but the effect of the heat and herbs was intoxicating esp. after the massage. While we were in our rooms Anika was being attended to with a mini traetment of her own.After about 3 rounds of heat lysa and I were both blissfully ready to go. One last treatment was provided to us where the older woman who worked on Lysa used  balm of some sort and did some work that made me jump from the effect it had on my nerves. @ plus hours and a total of $12.00 later and we were on our way. I attempted to explain that i owned a spa and gave her a card. I think they understood.  Can I just say that in general the Thai people are gentle, kind and helpful. It must be the Buddhist influence. After our massage we visited an old teak mansion filled with antiques ate lunch and went home.
      I need to say again, the food here is FANTASTIC!(and cheap) Lunch for 3 costs about $6.00 and dinner about $10.00.
   Another highlight esp. for Anika was the night market. They close the street and all the vendors come out. Anika was nearly delirious with pleasure. All variety off goods were offered from clothes to toys,  crafts, food etc.
   People back home who have been to Thailand tryed to describe the experience but of course only a visit will truly suffice. I had no idea how many temples one country could have, all magnificent in their own way,most in some state of renovation.
    Lastly before I cant type any more i will describe our tour up into the mountains to visit a national park known for it's waterfalls and hotsprings! We hired a private driver to take us there and along the way stopped for pictures and to tour a wat(temple) and visit a weaving studio. Both interesting but the park was fantastic. Being out of the city gave us another perspective on this land. The mountains are forever green and flowing with water. We took a short hike to a series of waterfalls. On our way we met a man who was once the helicopter pilot for the royal family. He explained how he used to fly them to this park when it was the private domain  of the royalty. The queen bequeathed the park to the people only 20 years ago. After the hike we meandered through the hot springs. Picture a mini Yellowstone. The locals buy a basket of eggs and cook them in the pools. We opted for the soaking experience and had the entire outdoor pools to ourselves. AHhh.

entering the temple

    Well, thats all the energy i have for blogging today. Lysa and Anika are at a cooking class then we will all go to a high end spa for treatments. This will give me the yin yang experience of Thaii massage Until next time, Sawadee(hello, goodbye) Hotwater

Thailand, 1st and 2nd Impressions

The Kings Palace

I was somewhat sad to leave the garden isle behind with its lush familiariy,but alas we have. Our plane left @ 6:oo am to Honolulu so we woke at 4:00 in the morning. Leaving so early does have certain benefits,most importantly the potential for flights to be on time. The downside of course is the lack of sleep and delerium. After a short layover we boarded the 10 hourflight to Manilla, waited 5 hours and dragged ourselves onto the 3 hour flight to Bangkok. Pretty much one full day of traveling. No real hassles, except Anika's dipleasure at not finding wi fi access in Manilla. Huge for her. Bangkok customs was a breeze, everyone very helpful and kind. We found the Taxi and made it to the "uber chic" hostel at 10:00 PM
local time(about 6 Am on our clocks). We promptly found our beds and fell asleep. The next day we had grand ambitions to take the local transit into Bangkok proper(takes about an hour) and visit the Kings Palace, eat some local cuisine and behave like the seasoned travelers we imagine we are(not). First BIG mistake. We made it OK via tuk tuk and canal canal boat to our presumed destination near the Palace. Being in a state of near exhaustion we were at the mercy of the seemingly helpful locals to make our way. A kind seeming man seeing our confusion approached us and offered assistence. We told him we neede to make our way to the Palace and he responded by informing us tha the palace was closed until 2PM because the Kings sister had died and he recomended we take a tuk tuk(small 3 wheeled motorcycle thing) to some of his favorite spots nearby,"only 10 bat". Having not read or competely forgotten the guidebook section on common scams we agreed. First stop was the "lucky Buddha statue(who's luck?) OK not so bad, then off to the garment factory to see real Thai taylors make clothing (starting to be suspicious) Thankfully Anika nearly blew a gasket when the man offered to make her a shirt for only $280.00 and we sped out the door. The tuk tuk guy looked concerned and offered to take us to the "gasoline factory"?! He spoke little English and when we protested he promised "just look, no  buy". We finally reached our limit and told him to take us back which he pretended not to understand. At that stage we paid the man and hailed a taxi to take us back where we started. Fixed price no meter. Another guidebook error. We paid twice as much as we should have and anded up where we starte 3 hours later. Of course by then we were exhausted hungry confused and the rain started coming down in buckets. Thanks to the guidebook and Lysa's navigation skills we found a restaurant and had a great meal. Somewhat revived we took the multifaceted transit system back. Our 2nd day was much more sucessful. We toured the Kings palace which was like a trip to Oz. We also visited the temple adjacent where the largest reclining Buddha resides. After strolling the amulet market we made our way home and ate another fantastic meal on the street in our neighborhood. We navigate the language barrier with pointing, shrugs, smiles, and naivete.

A Kindred Spirit

  The last day in Bangkok was consumed with figuring out how to get out. Our initial plan was to take the sleeper train north to Lampang. We went to the ticket office and were told with a shrug that the train wasn't running. We later found out that the rain we experienced caused flooding in the north. Oh well,adjusting our plans we went to the bus station and booked a 1st class sleeper there. One more great meal and we were on our way north. Lampang is a much smaller town known for it's temples and it's elephant conservation and rehab program which we will visit tomorrow. Our spirits and energy are starting to return,mostly(mine and Lysa's). Anika I think still wishes she was at home with her friends. She claims Bangkok was among the worst days of her life. She would prefer a wi fi connection and unlimited computer time. I keep reminding myself she is 13 and in a culture completely new to her. I am given many opportunities to practice Compassion, sometimes I succeed, sometimes I succumb.
    Lessons Learned: First impressions are just that , nothing more. Dont take the sleeper bus or train and expect to be functional the next day. Remain flexible and willing to change plans when circumstances require. Stay off the tuk-tuk to the lucky Buddha. Strangers approaching you have their own agenda, stay calm, smile, keep breathing.
 I am sending my Love home to you all, hotwater