Luang Prabang, an enchanting song

Luang Prabang is so very nice. Every day is both relaxing and exciting. We were surprised by how very different Laos is from Thailand (still tons of temples to visit by day and unavoidable sprawling street markets at night). While Thailand received a lot of help from Japan, the U.S. and Europe in terms of technological and infrastructural development, Laos had sanctions against it by the U.S. and others for being a communist state, which just added insult to injury after the awful firebombings from the Vietnam War, after the U.S. found out that Laos was helping the Viet Kong. So outside of the cities Laos villages are quite rustic.

We arrived via the slow-boat down the mighty Mekong River, the lifeforce of Lao, with maybe 40 other intrepid adventurers; for a slow-boat it sure went by fast. We spent the two day trip mingling with fellow tourists ("farang") from the world over and having a jolly good time jamming and singing with a Frenchman named Rich, who brought a ukulele in tow.

Making our way back up the Mekong for an afternoon, we visited a cave absolutely filled with Buddha statues of varying size and design (over 4,000, I'm told). The temples here are incredible. Two days ago we ascended the hundreds of stairs to the top of Mount Phusi, where we looked out over the beautiful river valley of Luang Prabang at sunset. It was from this spectacular vista that we saw Wat Nam Pow, a beautiful golden temple reaching towards the sky on the far side of the city. We decided yesterday to rent bicycles (truly awful machines but undoubtedly fun nonetheless) and bike to this temple, where a bouncing old nun, shaved head and crooked teeth, tittered and muttered quite welcomingly and gave us bright orange bracelets, to match the monk's explosive Day-Glo orange attire.

Also, the waterfalls are incredible. We went to Kuang Si Waterfall today...and I cannot possibly describe to you just how incredibly blue it was. Not a mere clear but a radiant turquoise brilliant kind-eyed glowing blue, I tell you! We climbed a little waterfall and enjoyed a private little wading pool in the cool waters. Then, ascending the hill, we reached a spectacular site: a waterfall 15 meters tall absolutely crAwling with farang ("tourists"). But they were all fun people, by my estimation, and we all had jolly good kicks taking turns flinging ourselves wildly over the water on the rope swing or simply jumping off the cascading torrent itself into the deep waters below (screaming, "Woooooooooooo!" all the way down, you understand). Then climbed up to the top of a far bigger waterfall and explored the jungle paths through the beautiful thick foliage, accompanied by some fine fun folks we met in the great city of Luang Prabang.

On the way back from the waterfalls we stopped in a tourist trap of a village, where all the little girls would plead in the exact same moaning intonation, "You buy one from me five thousaaaaand..." but I wandered off the path and ended up helping some villagers hoe the hard soil of their fields. They were laughing at me as I inexpertly swung the hoe, hitting rocks and all manner of impediment, dreads swinging in my face. But we had a good time. I felt it was a really authentic experience in a place where it's easy to walk the beaten path. But this is a very popular tourist destination and in Laos there are many places where the electric grid does not reach and printed books are a rare commodity, so Sarah bought a Laos book to help a child learn to read.

From here we're headed up to Luang Nam Tha, a nearly unheard of little city up north, where there is much beautiful trekking to be had and eco-tourism is all the rage. Language is hard but still we connect with people and are learning and growing and having so much fun. Thank you all for being part of our lives. Let's keep it up!

Adventures in Pai-land, Thailand

My my my, PAI!
Gone are the days of the Panya Project, with its gardens and fruit trees, mud plastering and compost-heated shower experiments, communal meals and beautiful friends. Now we reign in an era of Pai, a hippie paradise set in the mountains of North Thailand about 100km from the Burmese boarder, where the sun is always shining (in the dry season, which it is) and the smiles extend late into the night, when you can hear live music (especially the ubiquitous reggae) emanating from nearly every one of the plethora of bars that line the streets. It's hard to really capture the awesome essence of Pai, but lots of tourists feel so captivated by it that they decide to simply plant roots and kick it permanent-style (but fear not, for we have already sadly departed Pai's mountain peaks and reggae-filled streets). And yes, Pai is where we rode the mighty elephant! (Chang in Thai---named Noy.)

It's been said before: it's a small world; but this particular idiom, capitalized upon by the evil Disney Corp., really comes into focus when nearly every day we run into one of the few people we know from this vast country. Despite being 3 hours from the city of Chiang Mai (present location), where Panya is located and therefore where we met most of the beautiful people we've encountered here, we still managed to run into friends, with whom we enjoyed smoothies at street-side tiki bars in the afternoons and fine Thai brews (donning pictures of elephants and lepoards!) by riverside bonfires at night.

So everyone here calls handheld flashlights "torches" if they're speaking in English (fai chai in Thai), for which I blame the copious Brits & Aussies here. And I think that "torch" sounds way more badass than "flashlight." But using an actual torch is far more badass. And that is how I started the day last Wednesday: cave exploring with a native Hilltribe (Ka-ren tribe) woman near her village in the mountainous jungle (or is it junglous mountains?).


The hilltribe way of life is a testament to sustainability and tradition: they grow their own food, or harvest it from the jungle, make their own clothes in explosive Day-Glo patterns, and live in tight-knit tribal communities, everyone supporting everyone else. They also make a bangin' jug o' moonshine---so I'm told. So we hired a guide from a Karen tribe named Cha, who is quite knowledgeable about the flora (showing us wild tiger balm and wild bananas chock full of seeds) and, thankfully, also about the many twisting trails in the junglountains. Cha was a funny guy and a prankster for sure, jumping out from behind bushes to scare Sarah and telling us it was another 2 hours up hill as we finally neared our destination village. A 48- & 49-year-old brother and sister from the Czech Republic also powered along on the steep trails, rarely teetering alarmingly close to the edge.

We saw the biggest bamboo ever there in the jungle valley. Giant bamboo, a foot in diameter and a hundred feet tall, growing in tight clusters like clumps of grass, which, in fact, it is. We hiked to a magnificent towering waterfall and ate delicious bagged tofu and rice off of banana leaves serving as picnic blankets. And WATER BUFFALO! Yes, we saw them too, wallowing in the cool waters of the winding river that guided us through the valley. Other strange things too: ants in an ant super-highway, apparently paved black by all the ant-traffic. Then, immediately afterwards, a huge bumbling, bristling, writhing pile of daddy long legs (yeah!?) apparently orgying in a ditch and up the bushes and trees; crAzy! And then the destination Karen village was obscured to my experience by an unrelenting illness that plagued me throughout the night. But I got better.

So here we are back in Chiang Mai, headed to Laos the day after tomorrow! Goin' up the river!

Hope all is super-splendid, exciting and fun!



Wow, so many Pai pictures!: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.812375635735.2379791.18403674&l=89f615266b

Elephant Riding

Hello to all of you from Pai! Today my dream came true: I rode an elephant through the jungle in Thailand! Yesterday on our tour of the Pai area we made a stop at Karen's Elephant camp. We walked up to the elephant pavillion and there were three elephants just hangin out right there eating huge grass stalks being fed to them. As I approached my excitement grew...they are really huge! I met the elephant right then that I knew would fulfill my pachydermal desires. We stayed with them for a while, feeding them grass and petting thier leathery wrinkled skin. We knew we would be back.

Later that night we decided we would ride the elephants the next day, so we called Karen's Elephant camp (with some difficulty, stupid foriegn payphones) and asked them to pick us up at 9 AM.
We woke up bright and early, 7AM  this morning full of excitement and vigor ready to ride. We eat a Thai breakfast (tofu curry all around) and make it back just in time for our ride. Oh happy day, there she was, ready to take us.

We arrive at the camp that morning bearing gifts of small bananas and love for the elephant, Noi, that was to take us. We hop up onto her back using a 1 story tall staircase. We could have ridden in a chair-saddle type thing, but we wanted to go Au Naturale. So with only blankets on Noi's back and a rope to hang onto, Travis, Sarah and Chai (the elephant trainer) set off. As we walk I realize (1) How amazing life is that I get to have an experience like this, and (2) how similar an elephant is to  horse. Why is this? Horses love to stop and eat. It is not hard to nudge a horse onward, having reins and a bit, but an elephant on the other hand takes some more convincing not to stop and gorge on delicious leaves.

So we continue, with frequent snack breaks, up the mountain. We plod through the jungle, singing "In the jungle" joined by our Thai guide who knows the "shape" of the English words and the tune but not the actual words. Made for quite an interesting rendition. Plodding through the jungle, elephants. My life had reached a high point.

We countinue on, spirits high, down the mountain again. We walk along the road for a few meters, feeling like celebrities. Everyone on thier motorbikes waving, smiling and taking photos. We walk further and through a neighborhood of guesthouses and beautiful gardens with brilliant pink flowers. It seemed like we were passing hot pink and peach coloered bogenvillia bushes forever.

We arrive at the river. Just before, we pass a restaurant where the smiling waiter gives the elephant a bowl full of pineapple peelings and takes a photo of us. The Pai river lies shining before us, villagers fishing and washing clothes, little birds and big butterflies flutter past. Splish splash, the river is shallow and up it we walk. Soon we reach a point where the river gets deeper.

Noi wades out, and, at the instruction of Chai, proceeds to dive into the river and dump us full on into the water. Luckily we had left the camera and sunglasses onshore, it was quite a surprise to be deposited into the water after just being on an elephant! The water was cool and felt nice, as it was very warm out. Chai lets us get back onto her back and then has her dump us again! Then he says "OK OK no more water" Then again! You know what they say, Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice,.....Can't get fooled again!" I was tricked a total of three times. Then we get back on, and the elephant takes us in our soaked clothes back to the camp. We feed the rest of the bananas to Noi, rewarding her for a pleasant and wonderful ride. What an adventure!!

This really was a day I will never forget and a total dream come true. Much love to everyone, and HORAY FOR ELEPHANTS!!!!

Check out all our elephant pictures from Pai: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.812375635735.2379791.18403674&l=89f615266b

Panya Project

Hope all is right in the world from your vantage point, as it appears here at the Panya Project permaculture organic farm in sunny-warm northern Thailand. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more, but a collectively run experiment in sustainable living, which extend to food, buildings and modes of communication & communal living, sounds pretty good.

Our first day here we got to learn about natural building techniques, using mud and straw to put doors on the compost toilets, previously donning curtains. We employed a bit of the scientific method to determine the precisely perfect porportions: throwing clay and water into a pit and stompin' around in it! The feeling of fresh mud squishing up between my toes really makes me wonder why one would want to ever grow up. Then Christian, a kind and tall fellow from Seattle who started the Panya Project w/ 11 other people 6 years ago, told us to take a bundle of straw and mix mud into it ''until it's like a muddy dreadlock.'' Then we used it to attach a doorframe, yielding the ultimate in restroom privacy that mud and straw has to offer.

The next day we set to work in the food forest, 4 acres that are home to 35 species of fruit trees (and bushes, like the pineapple: not a tree). Fertilizing with ''humanure'' from an old compost toilet, two years out of use (totally composted: no smell!). Straw technology again comes into play, now as mulch to prevent weed growth, trap moisture and maintain temperature. Speaking of temperature: it was nice to go from freezing rain in NYC, hop a couple of planes for 24 hours, and hop out to 85 degree weather.

The duties on the farm are nearly as many and varied as the many fantastically interesting far out friends that occupy this veritable paradise. We've learned about everything from native Thai hilltribe people to photography, from the traveling minstrel newsmen of Nepal to the frantic manic daily dancing of Zimbabwae tribespeople---and also loads of farm stuff---from the many beautiful people here, heralding from all over the world (Britain, Belguim, Sweeden, Holland, New Zealand, and, not surprisingly, Thailand).

Bounty of the Harvest

But it hasn't been all work and learning: we've certainly had some fun and leisure (which I now pronounce ''LEHjur'' in my head on account of all the Brits here). Every day the whole team gets together for communal lunch and dinner, prepared by different people each day; tomorrow is Sarah's day to cook! Yesterday we walked to a beautiful, still lake surrounded by tropical plants, a group of 7 of us, and swam clear across to the other side (and back again!). Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt (except the ubiquitous cuts on hands & feet from farmwork). But I figure no paradise would be complete without some work. I think you would dig it here, all of you.
Our hearts go out to all of you, for you are our home no matter where we all are.

Travis playing with Ping

Sa wat dee Thailand!

We made it! As of Wednesday, January 20th, we are on the continent of Asia, in the beautiful Land of Thai. Our flight was alright, they gave us plenty of food, and didn`t charge us any extra for baggage. Note to self...saying you are on your honeymoon gets you treated nicely in the airports. Also, on our layover in Tokoyo (3 hours) we ate rice balls with vegetables wrapped in seaweed, and I reaffirmed my belief that the People of Japan love cute things.

Upon arriving in Bangkok at 12 AM a day after we left, we took a long taxi ride to Teresa`s lovely apartment. What a place! Very spacious, luxurious, on the 21st floor with a great view of Bangkok. We awoke the next day very early, our bodies a bit confused as to what hour it was (its 12 hours ahead here) and headed out for our first day of sightseeing. We hopped in a neon orange taxi (taxis in Bangkok come in dayglow pink, yellow, blue and orange) and went to the old quarter to see Wat Pho (P-ho, not Fo). We walk in the gate and pick up a tour guide, Krishna. We walk into a temple and I see something, I say `What is that huge gold pillar?` and I look a little more and Oh my Gosh it`s his arm. I was staring right at a 150 foot long gold plated reclining Buddha. Amazing. We continue on and explore more of the grounds, with huge spires jutting up and statues of buddhas, chinese dogs, and guards littering the grounds. Really like no place I have ever been.

We finish our tour and cross over the river on a ferry boat (only 10 cents!) to Wat Arun, also known as Temple of the Dawn. This temple was magnificent, ornately decorated with dancing buddhas and intricate tilework. We climbed up to the top and looked out over Bangkok. It looked like a modern city skyscape but with stupas and gleaming gold temples dotted around. We climbed down and went to a monk chant back in Wat Pho. We stayed for 1\2 hour listening to the voices resonating off of the huge gold buddha in front of us, and being still.

The next day, we went to the zoo. After 2 taxi drivers in a row told us it was closed (they were trying to trick us into taking another tour) we found a skyrail station. The kind Thai woman in the information booth told us that no, it was not closed but it was small. We wanted to go anyway. So we took the rail there, and found that the zoo was not small. Right as we walk in, we find the giraffes. They were feeling frisky, and Travis nearly got to pet one! It was a dream come true for him.We walk through the zoo encountering many familiar animals, and some not-so. One of these was a binturong. I identified him immediately and found that he was available to hold for a small fee. Of course I did it! and now I have a photo of us with a Binturong and a sleepy skunk. That was pretty much the highlight of my day.

One thing about Thailand- the food here is SO good. I love Thai food we get at home, especially the coconut curries and pad thai. But there is so much more! And it`so so spicy. And cheap! You can get a meal from a food stall, like a curry or a bunch of spring rolls for around 20-30 baht. That`s only 0.70-$1!! It`s actually cheaper to eat out here than it is to cook yourself if you eat the street food. Some days we will just eat our way down a street, buying 3 or 4 dishes and sharing them all, and still costs us less than $2 per meal. Most of the time I have no idea what I`m even eating. The fruit here is to die for. It`s pineapple, watermelon and papaya season here right now.

For the past few days we have been at a community run farm called the Panya Project near Chiang Mai up North, attending a Nonviolent Communication workshop hosted by Jack Lehnon. Highly recommended if you ever get a chance to go to one of his workshops. It really has helped me realize how to improve my relationships through present awareness during conversation and using a non-victim based communication style.  It`s been wonderful to be able to take this course with Travis, kind of like marriage counselling before any problems even arise.

Everyone at Panya has been so friendly and accepting, and from all different countries, Thailand, New Zealand, Belgium, Australia, England, USA, Netherlands, Japan, etc. We are fed amazing homecooked Thai food and have plenty of down time to relax and talk to people. Tomorrow we begin work on the farm, as we are staying on an extra 10 days to volunteer here, to learn about sustainable living.

So, here it is, the first of many updates! Feel free to pass this along to anyone you would like, and write back if you feel so inclined! I will try to answer any emails I get, but I may not due to time. But I promise to read them and think of you! I hope all is well in your lives, dear friends and family. Please keep in touch!








Check out all our photos from the first step of our trip in Bangkok: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.800529011465.2373895.18403674&l=28e7d20205