A new place to call home...for a little while anyway

Getting to a new place is always exciting.  But getting to a new place that you may call home for a few months is really exciting. I arrived in Phuket,Thailand two days ago and have begun the job search. Thailand it will be for a bit...

...Maybe...and though i am looking for a job here, I am still on an adventure and on vacation from life and having fun everyday. And here are some reasons why.


1) you can find peace signs everywhere
This one is a bumper on a giant ferry boat off Railay.  There were dozens of them. 



2) The sun setting on boats and big trees never gets old:Clearly.

3) Be aware, there are still hazards: like…drunken fish kissing: always tough to deal with the next day




You know this sign and I hund out for at least five minutes.  I am so impressed with the tenacity of the person here, does he not see how upset the little fish is getting?  

4) Even with hazards, there are always nice animals and flowers to make you smile


I have seen some of the most beautiful orchids and hibiscus and bouganvilla. And ususally in these plants one can spot a cute kitty or two or three.  Cats are everywhere on these islands.  And, apparently one rooster too.   

Aw, silly friends!  I miss you!

I have been transient and loving it for some time now.  I enjoy moving around, going from place to place, making new friends, keeping the old ones and finding new nooks of this world, but until the last few months of my life, these travels and moves have been close to someone who loves me.  
In Thailand, I have made some new friends and the people who love me are still close at heart but, not that close and here, in Phuket, I am on my own.   


After travelling India and wrecking Thai beaches with my ladies, the time is here and near my dear for me to contribute to my growth as a human being and as a contributing member to the growth of my community (where ever that community may be).  At the moment the job market here is swamped and the economy is focused on the floods up north.  We are having food and water shortages even here in the south.  So, I will keep you posted.   

5) And still, no matter what your day brings, there is a rainbow out there waiting for you 

     

Deep Water Solo...and other adventures....

 This is Ao Nang.  And this is the sunset from here, the east of the Thailand mainland, every evening.  Sunsets makes dreams come true, don't they?  They are something you can believe in, something you can count on.  Kind of like having fun on vacation with your ladies.  Fun and colorful and glamorous and quiet, but crazy too.  It just depends what day it is...

We arrived in Railay, Krabi, Thailand a few days ago and have climbed the last two days.  We are climbing with professional climbers who climb  international competitions on 5.14s (which is sick climbing, very intense but they make it look unbelievably easy).  And,  thus, we have been lucky enough to climb on some of the world’s most beautiful rock and today…we deep water solo.  Yup, folks, its true and I am so excited about this adventure.

I love to get up high/go climbing; the last two days, I have learned new technique and new safety processes and I feel strong.  We spoke with, Ananas, our guide and new friend, last night about going deep water solo, and now, Dylan, Lizzie and I are headed out to probably the coolest climbing yet.  Deep water solo: no ropes, just deep ocean below to fall/jump into.  So, yup…super awesome climbing and fairly safe for soloing.

My girl, Lizzie, killing it on a Railay wall

 

The last few days have been amazing.  We’ve gotten into some rad storms, during one of which we were aboard a boat and the rain was coming down in sheets and pelting us as though it wasn’t fond of our water taxi situation.  It was very dangerous and quite comical too.  I liked it. 

In Ao Nang, we went caving in kayaks through mangrove fields.  Our guide was hilarious, very informative and also quite the modern cowboy.  His belt buckle was big and his t-shirt had "Glock Team" written on it and his jeans fit so nice and stylish like. 

Told you; belt buckle=awesome

The food is delicious, the sunsets are spectacular, the people keep getting nicer, the beaches more fun. I took the ladies for their first Indian food experience; we had fried yellow dal with rice, palak paneer and aloo mater.  Lets just say that my girls are now converts to the Indian food deliciousness.  We have been having a blast with the cuisine since.  Yup: a blast.  I freaking love to eat and good thing there are so many active things to partake in or else all we would be doing is eating. 

The fire in the sky at sunset makes one’s heart a light with love.  There has been no sunset in my eyes like these (well, maybe in East Tennessee).  I have made a few Thai friends and I smile when I think of our interactions.  Our cultures colliding suddenly because everything when you are travelling is chill but, also, happens so fast; you only have five days to build a friendship.  It’s interesting when there is so little time.  So, Today, we deep water solo.  Tomorrow, we head to Phi Phi where The Beach was filmed.  Apparently, it  is a big party there so we will see how long we stay…and then off the Phuket where the job hunt begins.  The next adventure awaits…

Big heart for the whole world from Thailand

Some island adventures...

The bungalow we found to stay in on Ko Phangan was fairly secluded and still good and close to the big party scenes and beaches in town. But our little beach was the best.  The twenty minute walk to town allowed us to take in the sky, streams of never ending clouds and the boardwalk under tbright sun and the full moon.

The full moon party was cool and obviously the fire dancers were almost as amazing as the view from our bungalow.  This guy is ten and threw fire like a champ.  Impressive, Thailand, impressive.  We also met a gigantic jump rope of fire and a limbo stick a blaze with kerosene and flames.  Good thing there's so much water around. 

Water taxis get you around to the sweet beaches quick and exotic like.  One afternoon, the ladies and I went full on touristas and visited a much trodded hike to an overlook and a waterfall.  Though we were far from secluded, it was spectacular.  The view revealed torquoise waters and forests of palms.
After our short visit in the trees, we headed to the beach.  Bottle beach, accessible only by trek or the water.  The beach was gorgeous and, of course, we had to enjoy a pina colada.  Yum!

A fun shaped palm

The veiw from our bungalow on Ko Phangan

Hi from Ko Tao!

So, Thailand:  It is beautiful here.  A far cry from India; this is a tourists paradise.  Easy to get around, easy to get into the lifestyle, easy to love.  The food is flavorfull and lovely and the people are smiley and beautiful, the scenes on the islands are epic.  Yup.  Thailand is cool. Palm trees and white beaches.  Bungalows and jungle. 
Now, I sit on Ko Tao.  After four days on Phangan, Tao welcomes us to lay in the shade in the hammock, read on the beach and snorkel.  I saw a fish today dressed fully in day glow colors; he puts most of the body paint jobs of the full moon party to shame.  We will be here for a couple more days, in the seclusion of Tanote Bay, soaking up the sun and living in the water.  Not so bad at all...

Through to Ko Panang...

 An over night bus ride from Bangkok and BOOM!...you wake up to this sunrise.  Off the bus and on to the ferry which lazily takes us to Ko Panang. 

 We clearly were having a great time.  Good thing.  The ferry takes about five hours from the main peninsula to our destination.  But we are together, exhausted, in the sun and happy.

Here we are folks.  At the beach with my ladies and the palm tree jungles and the fruity cocktails and the white sandy stuff.  The water is clear and warm, islands dot the horizon; this is paradise. 

Thailand!

My first day in Bangkok…

And I already love it here. I was the only one on the metro from the airport at 6 for the first train to the city.  The sky just breaking into sunlight, the clouds just  breaking up from their party in the night. The train passes fields, big buildings, shanties, skyscraper construction cranes, track housing, rundown apartments, we are entering the city.  I saw a cool sight in three grouped buildings: all these buildings would eventually have a golden dome atop it but I saw them in three different stages.  I exit the train and get a cab.  My cab driver was so cute. He spoke to me in Thai, I in English thought clearly we couldn't understand eachother, we continued chatting anyway. 

After finding some freshest of fruits for breakfast and with little to no sleep on the flight from Delhi, I found a guesthouse, a siesta and then ventured out in to Bangkok.  I found the water.  The river.  And its long boat taxis/public transport.  I took a ride and gaped at the huge temples gracing the river’s banks.  I love this city already.  I cant wait to explore it more.  

So, to the river boats it is.  The long boats take locals and tourists up and down the river and canals.  The temples tower along the river banks.  The tourists gape and I too, for this is a sight for sore eyes.  Though I have been with temples in India, these are big and dramatic and different; the Temple of the Dawn, the Grand Palace.

These places, these temples in all their golrios Thai Buddhist splendor, so far from the Tibetan Buddhism I've been studying in India, will be seen and loved with my eyes.  But, later.  For now, its time to shop!  I hit up the sky line and go to city center where I find insanely large shopping malls, street vendors for miles and delicious street food.  I am never leaving this city!

Eight million of Thailand's finest right here and now add three American's to the list.  Dylan and Lizzie arehere from California and we are out for a good time.  We will play and shop and hear loud music blarring out of the multitude of clubs on Khoa San Road, listen to sweet guitar on patios of mellow bars, float on river boats, have a Chang beer, and hang out in Bangkok for a few more days and head south for the full moon party on Ko Pangnan...the beach!  Not a bad couple of days.

After the travels here, crazy bus to Delhi, train to Agra, wrong train back to Delhi, flight with all the cliche bad flight extras, this touristy, relaxing girls at the beach time is welcomed.  Love this life. 

Find peace and kindness today.

The Tibetan way...

Street level view,Temple Road,  Dharamsala

So, now I say good bye to Dharamsala.  What a beautiful place.  The last two days, I have had the pleasure of attending the teachings of the Dalai Lama.  A few friends and I sat amongst the monks upstairs in the Buddha Temple, just 30 meters from where His Holiness sits and gives lessons. His Holiness is so amazing, he has quite the presence.  His voice is deep and pure, he is wise and willing to listen and to share his knowledge. I feel very lucky to have been able to attend. 

In addition to these fine teachings, I had a lot of fun.  I hiked to Triund and got amazing views...and got stuck in the rain of the way back down.  But what an awesome hike up there in the sun and then the mist; stopped for, you guessed, Chai! at the half way point of the mountain. Magic view and good chai, can't ask for too much more than that.
Stopping for yoga and to climb a few big knotty trees along the way, the 9 k hike had us gain 1100 m in elevation but I didnt notice the work as the beauty of the surroundings is epic.

Shiva Temple in Bhagsu

I was in Delhi this morning.  Came by bus last night which was an experiance in itself.  The windy mountain roads out of Dharamsala aren't exactly conducive to speeding buses for a 12 hour go.  Ya, people were yaking all around me, I maintained but, whoa, it was a tougher evening than most I have had here in India.  When I arrived in Delhi this morning, I was surprisingly refreshed and per my last visit to Delhi, I was ready for an adventure/ready to get the heck out of Delhi and far from that 12 hour bus ride. 

So, I walked around with some Latvians, took in some sights and some photos and got on a train...to Agra...yup, that's right, I now sit in the shadows of the Taj Mahal.  I will be there for sunrise tomorrow.  And off to Thailand tomorrow night...life ain't bad.