Last trip down Crazy St.

Our last day in Bangkok. Both the girls are laid up in the hotel room sick today.

I set out on another trek afoot thru the city, this time to find an extra suitcase to cart home all our souvenirs and booty in.

This will be my last trip down Kraisi Street.

I have to stop for one last Pad Thai from one of the street vendors.

I have her "super size it" for an extra 10 for a total of 40 bhat (about $1.31).

I cringe as she scoops the raw chicken from a plastic bag just behind her on the hood of a car, but she tosses it into a vat of boiling water. Meh, okay... I eat it anyway: that's how much I love Pad Thai.

To (hopefully) counteract the lack of sanitation I add a generous portion of Prig Bpon (chili pepper), a splash of oyster sauce, and a smidgeon of Farang dust (sugar). Funny thing is: When planning this trip I pictured myself eating Pad Thai for every meal and it being available on every corner. Turns out Thai people don't really eat the stuff and it's usually only found in the really touristy areas catering to the Farang (foreigners).

Mmmm. So good. Gonna miss this.

I hope I have more intestinal fortitude than the girls... (so far so good, knock on wood).

Maybe having it with a large Leo will help...

We leave for the airport at noon tomorrow. I hope the girls are ready to fly by then.

It's been a great trip so far, minus the recent digestive developments.

I think it's safe to say we are ready to come home.

Tasty Legs

Take a gander at the back of my leg. Yummy.

This picture is a few days old now, but somewhere along the way an army of some kind of bugs had a field day on my legs. I'm not sure if it was mosquitoes or what, but I ended up with hundreds of small itchy bites all over my legs. 

Luckily, someone turned me on to this stuff:

called "Poi Sian Balm Oil". It works great to stop the itching, although I was a little skeptical at first to put something called Poi Sen on my skin... but not to worry, is just:

Pim-Saen 30.34% - Menthol 67.41% - Eucalyptus oil 8.5% - Camphor 2.25%

Apparently this is the same stuff you see people sticking up their noses in inhaler form on the streets.

With claims like this that I found online it's no wonder:

"Relief of dizzy, giddy, or in a whirl of your head."

Thai People LOVE Amanda!

Amanda has lots of adoring fans in Thailand. Even the Thai equivalent of the TSA at the airport stopped scanning luggage to check out her hair and adore her!! She is always making friends. She receives gifts and free things shopping. She also gets many deals offered to her when bargaining. If I hand her the money when shopping at a market, it is often a winning strategy because the prices go way lower for her! She's soaking it up, except for one thing: She doesn't like that she's referred to as "baby"! But it does work wonderfully for her independent spirit when she can find new friends and choose to sit with them instead of always mom and dad. 

On our boat ride to Ko Surin, she made new friends. She rode over sitting with them. 

A student visiting the Bangkok Art and Culture Center loved Amanda

Amanda ordering food at a night market, they were delighted that she could do it herself....people would admire her hair, smile at her and if she actually spoke a few words in Thai they would go absolutely nuts!!

More admirers...

Farewell Joy's House Chiang Mai

27 December, 2012

We have had an absolutely wonderful week staying here at Joy's House. By far the pinnacle of our trip. Amanda made a bunch of new friends from around the world and had such a fun time playing with them and the 5 newly adopted kittens that live here. The staff here has been so welcoming and really made us feel like part of the family.

Thanks to Neab and Ruta for being our shopping guides and leading the cooking class, especially fun was making our own curry from scratch. We will miss the after dinner jam sessions with Pee Bee, Pee Akka, and the rest of the boy band crew, Pee Jack for driving us all over the place, Pee Dao and Pee Pah for entertaining and taking good care of Amanda. Pee Do the bartender for keeping the cold Singhas flowing, and the many others who made our stay here pleasant. And of course, Joy and Ulli, who make it all possible.


Being here over Christmas and being included in their celebrations was a uniquely special experience. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all the new friends we have made here, but we must move on to the final phase of our trip: back to Bangkok for a few days before flying home on New Year's Eve. Going back to the big busy city after spending a week in the tranquility and relaxing atmosphere at Joy's House is going to be a bit of a shock but this is the way we planned it.

We would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone visiting Chiang Mai to stay at Joy's House for a unique and fulfilling experience. They are amazing people and the work they are doing with the children is great.

Thai BBQ party

Dec 24, 2012

Tonight is the big party we've been hearing about all week. There's going to be dance and traditional music performances by the kids and a Thai style barbecue. It was described to me several times, but not until I actually saw it did I understand what this was. Each table had a large stone pot full of glowing coals in the middle and on top a large aluminum bowl with a raised section on the middle. The meat is cooked in the middle, then the "moat" is filled with water and vegetables and some noodles. As the meat cooks, the juices drip down onto the water and make it into a broth with the veges. These are occasionally fished out with chopsticks and added to your bowl along with some meat and noodles and gobbled up. The process repeats over and over all night long. Luckily, we are paired up with a couple of the older women who work at joys house and they run the show and keep the food coming. One of them has a 6 pack of Chang beer stashed under the table and keeps me supplied throughout the meal.

 

As we are eating, the performances from the kids entertain and amaze us. The show was awesome. Beautiful costuming and traditional Thai dancing and music entertains as well as educates. Toward the end, a group of kids busts out some street dancing moves to a Justin Beiber song. Most of them are still wearing the shades I handed out earlier today. This puts a smile on my face.

 The music plays on and the guests are invited to join in on the dance party with ABBA's Dancing Queen. I try to use my "photographer" creds to get me out of this, but am forced to join on if only for a moment or two. They wrap up the night with a lottery gift exchange and awards for all the workers and volunteers. We head back to our room bellies full, hearts warmed, and super grateful to have been part of such a wonderful experience.

Sunglass Santa

Dec 24, 2012 So Joy asked me and a few of the other guys staying here to dress up in Santa outfits and pass out treats/gifts to the children from the foundation, who were coming this morning to put on a Christmas performance. At first, I thought it would be utterly humiliating, but then decided to just roll with it and "do it for the kids". So I went against instinct and agreed to put on the felt Santa costume and scratchy beard and hide as instructed, awaiting the signal to appear. The children did their performance, singing carols and such, and the time came for Santa to appear so I came out and proceed to play the part of "sunglass santa from california", carrying my sack of knockoff shades that we purchased yesterday in Chiang Mai. Once I started passing them out to the kids and saw their reactions, all my inhibitions from before disappeared and I got a little into it (ham). The big kids got especially excited as you can see in the second video. It ended up being totally fun. Playing Santa for a bunch of disadvantaged schoolchildren in Northern Thailand on Christmas eve? Priceless. Later on this evening, there is a huge party planned and traditional Thai BBQ. Can't wait.

Shop till you drop.

Dec 23, 2012

We start out the day with our guide Bee from Joy's House taking us to lunch at tue local famous noodle eatery called Kao Soi Sa Mer Jai which turns out to be probably the tastiest meal in Thailand yet.

We pay a visit the temple of the dog, and get some great insight into the Buddhist way of life from Bee, then get down to business with the shopping. Pee Bee navigates us thru endless corridors of indoor/outdoor markets and points out interesting fare to sample along the way.

We walk thru the flower stalls and marvel at heaps of orchids and other exotic flowers.

 One of our missions for the day was to buy some small gifts for the children to give out at the celebration tomorrow, and Bee suggests we stop at a knockoff sunglass stall and we stock up on a variety of trendy shades for 35 baht each (about a buck fifteen).

Later, we visit a hipster coffee shop for a quick break and then commit to 4 more hours of shopping at the famous Chiang Mai walking street / night market. Holy crap. This night market was awesome. They close off several city blocks of downtown old Chiang mai and transform it into the most extensive market we've been to yet. A nice mix of handicrafts from the local hill tribes people as well as more contemporary and trendy stuff, food carts, street performers, etc. It was great fun, and 4 hous was not nearly enough time. Yet another no-show on our ride back to joyshouse, so we have to (totally unprepared) try to explain where we need to go to several tuk-tuk drivers and finally get one willing to make the 5 mile treck. Back safely on our room finally afer a long long day. Tomorrow we have the Christmas celebration with the children which promises to be loads of fun.

The Farm

Dec 22, 2012
An ass-wrenching 45 minute ride in the back of a pickup truck and we arrive at the Children's Shelter Foundation site known as "The Farm" (AKA Lakeland). This is a beautifully kept property on a 20+ acre organic farm and school where disadvantaged children from area hill tribes and nearby Burma come to live.
We are led by one of the older boys on a 1 hr hike around the property where he explains to us many of the crops growing in and around the farm and their variety of food and medicinal uses. We hike up the mountain into a beautiful teak forest.

That evening, we visit a nearby natural hot spring where many of the locals come to bathe on the hot mineral waters. Not exactly what we were picturing...

Dinner is waiting for us when we returned and in the distance we could hear the children practicing their songs for the Christmas recital coming up in a couple days. Afterwards, everyone gathers round a blazing bonfire to sing and dance. The kids are super sweet and seem very happy. What a great thing they have going here. On they way back to the bungalo, I stop and share a couple beers with some of the volunteers who are working here and get to hear some great stories about their experiences. Inspiring for sure. Tomorrow we will go back to Chiang Mai and do some shopping in preparation for the big holiday party at Joy's House.

Hey! Soul sister.....

Wow. You wouldn't beloved what happened last night. I got to play with a band. I played the maraca and sang.

The challenges

This has been a super incredible, wonderful trip and we absolutely LOVE Thailand and have even started plotting our return....but some things have been challenging......here's a shortlist:

1. Mosquitos (we each have about 40 itchy bites....and even 30% DEET doesn't help. They land right on you and bite anyway! I heard about using 100% DEET right on your skin! Didn't try it through.

2. Scary bugs in the jungle ....such as the ginormous Carpenter Bees that clumsily dive-bomb you while you eat dinner in the sala at Koh Ra Ecolodge....and also, Bird-Eating Spiders?!?! I have to question if a spider that big really has to exist. Sorry.

3. The language barrier. I feel like I practiced a lot before coming here, for a few months, but can only say the most basic of phrases. It's true that
Thai people are usually pleased when we speak even a tiny bit of Thai (ESPECIALLY when Amanda speaks Thai.....they go nuts for that!)...but not being able to communicate meaningfully is kinda sad sometimes when there's so much more kind love to know about a person.... to chat and get to know reach other a bit or I need some assistance but cannot explain myself clearly. Another aspect of the language barrier is that I don't know Celsius or the Metric System. This has to be remedied immediately! This Mama will home-school herself. Umm, kinda resentful that US uses different measurements than the rest of the entire world ....(why is that anyway?!?)
But I've finally decided I need to figure it out for myself.

4. Agaat RAWN. The hot and humid weather! This is the "cool" season. But as one Thai friend we met here put it, Thailand has 3 seasons, Hot, Hotter and Hottest! I don't think I could survive here during the rest of the year. In fact, if it weren't for the weather, I'd be scheming to move here, probably!!!
( I must add that add I write this, I've recently arrived in Chiang Mai, in a more mountainous region in the North of Thailand....And both the high temps and humidity are conspicuously absent! Its like San Diego on a warm, sunny day).

5. Instant coffee. This should not exist maybe? Admittedly, it hasn't been hard to find a decent cup, but a few times, instant has been the only coffee available....fortunately, tea was there.

6. No apparent concept or practice of "right of way" in traffic. As a pedestrian,  crossing the street is risking life and limb.  Not only is it hard to remember which way to look for oncoming traffic since they drive on the left here,   but with no concept of right of way,  no one waits for you and when they pass by you or go around you,  they'll barely leave an inch..... I mean, a centimeter,  of space....it feels like you are about to get run over.  And there is usually a constant stream of motor bikes, trucks, buses and cars. Even ambulances don't get right of way with lights and sirens going!

7. Safety Last.  Forget about seatbelts, helmets,  balcony railings....
There is exposed electrical wiring everywhere,  along the sidewalks,  at eye level, touchable by children. Families pile on mopeds, babies, siblings, 4-5 people at once,  no helmets and the babies just holding on somewhere to the motor bike....going fast! in traffic! I suspect some babies learn to ride on a motor bike before they walk or talk. I even went way against my better judgement and allowed us (including Amanda and 2 others) to ride in a side car, no helmets and obviously "exceeding the manufacturers axle weight rating" (according to Rob)

.....when in Rome???

8. Napkins are usually toilet paper, or kleenex if you're lucky.  not too effective.

9. Hoses instead of toilet paper in the bathroom.  I actually like this.... feels so clean!  But Rob and Amanda have complained,  so I've added it to the list.

10. Letting go of control.  This is a blessing and a challenge...many times, from moment to moment,  we aren't certain where we are being driven,  what we are eating, what we are waiting for,  what someone is telling us, etc. etc. Yet,  time and time again,  we are pleased to note that our needs are being met, usually more than met.

We arrived at Joy's House in Chiang Mai today

My first impressions of Joy's House: beautiful, classic "Lanna" style Thai grounds....friendly hosts....peaceful, relaxed environment.

Joy introduced us by saying for the next week, we are like family. She explained that this beautiful place was her mother's estate, given to her and her partner Ulrike 7 years ago for their project. The Children's Shelter Foundation (CSF) gives a home to needy children along with education and job/ life skills. More info here.










Charity-travel sounded like a good way to spend Christmas. There will be a Christmas party complete with Santa, singing, and gift exchange....Amanda is so exited!

Joy was explaining to us an education program supported by the local Thai government that CSF administers....she called it "learning by doing" and "classroom without walls" saying that it is a very effective and fun way of learning outside of the classroom....I think we know a little bit about that!!!

The students here are learning many things involved in running a guest house and an organic farm....hospitality, English, technology, farming, cooking...Some have gone on to university, some got jobs working in hotels, some opt to stay here.

We were hungry when we arrived....no worries because in Thailand food is never far off and always offered before anything else! As our Thai friend Awe from Ko Ra Ecolodge put it, it's "food first, safety second" (actually, it seems like safety in Thailand is way less than second.....78th maybe? But that's another story)...we ate some delicious fried rice, toured the beautiful grounds, got situated in our rooms, played in the pool, met some other guests, then received our welcome massages.

Later, dinner was served and was of course, delicious! Did we mention yet that all our meals have been delicious since we arrived in Thailand?? Anyway, after dinner the music started up. A few acoustic guitars, some rhythm makers and singing. Amanda joined the guys on stage as soon as she heard them begin John Denver...."Take Me Home, Country Roads".  Part of the education here includes music and  guests were encouraged to participate.

Diving Bangsak Wreck

Dec 19, 2012

This was the day I had been waiting for: a scuba trip to Bangsak Wreck off Khao Lak, Thailand. I booked thru Sea Dragon dive center, and the guys there were all real cool and laid back, maybe a bit too much so as the boat was like 2 hours late for our pickup. They call this "Thai Time". But we finally got out on the water around 10:30am and started dive one. I was a little nervous at first, as this was my first "real" dive after certification and deepest to date. We followed the mooring line down to about 18 meters and a whole new world opened up before my eyes. I didn't have my camera with me on the first dive, as I wanted to be focused, but if I hadn't been underwater with a regulator in my mouth, I'm pretty sure my jaw would have dropped open. The number of fish was staggering, and navigating around the wreckage was an underwater playground. I had so much fun on dive 1, I pretty much insisted to my divemaster Axl that I bring the gopro camera on dive 2, as I just HAD to capture some clips of this. The Bangsak Wreck is an old tin mining vessel and is a great dive to see loads of fish, as it is the only reef in a large sandy area. I can't even begin to describe the number of fish hanging out here, let alone name them, but managed to see several lion fish, morays, puffer fish, and cuttlefish just to name a few. It was an amazing experience.

Our Jungle Bungalow (Ko Rah Ecolodge)

At the Jungle's edge, our bungalow stares out at the sand and the sea
the breathing skin of the palm leaf walls do not separate the Jungle from me
The steamy breath of the island air seeps in,
resting hotly on my skin.
Snakes and bugs, frogs and eggs all thrive....
this bungalow moves and breathes on it's own legs
Our Jungle Bungalow is alive

gecko eggs and a visiting reptile on our bathroom ceiling

the view from our bed

another visitor to the gecko eggs on our bathroom ceiling, this time a baby Malayan Bridle snake!

December 18, 2012