Planes, trains, etc. etc.

As I sat on the plane from Bangkok to Seoul (yes, I have left Thailand...) I reflected on my public transportation adventures the previous 48 hours. For those of you who have traveled, you know that a great deal of your time can be spent transferring here and there. So, it started with a taxi ride to the pier on Koh Phangnan (30 min), then a Ferry boat to Surat Thani (3.5 hours), then a bus to the train station (1.5 hours), an overnight train to Bangkok (12 hours), a public bus to Koh San Road in Bangkok (one of the best hour city tours ever for about $.20), a public bus back to teh train station, a subway ride for 3 stops, then another subway ride back 1 stop b/c I was actually supposed to be on teh Skytrain (yes, they have both in Bangkok), and finally an hour taxi to the airport! Phew! On my last evening in Thailand, I was able to meet up with friends I met at the Yoga Immersion and have dinner and take a shower at their guesthouse room. It was very nice to close out my time sealing in a connection I hope to have in the future...not to mention that the couple lives in Greece and extended an open invitation...hmmm...

Split the Sack

Why does the soul not fly when it hears the call?

Why does a fish, gasping on land, but near the water, not move back into the sea?

What keeps us from joining the dance the dust particles do?

Look at their subtle motions in sunlight.

We are out of our cages with our wings spread, yet we do not lift off.

We keep collecting rocks and broken bits of pottery like children pretending they are merchants.

We should split the sack of this culture and stick our heads out.

Look around. Leave your childhood.

Reach your right hand up and take this book from the air. You do know your right from your left, don't you?

A voice speaks to your clarity. Move into the moment of your death. Consider what you truly want.

Now call out commands yourself. You are the king. Phrase your question, and expect the grace of an answer.

~Rumi

And the next stop is...who knows!

Yesterday afternoon I sat sipping a lovely Singha in Shark Bay on Koh Tao. You may recall my last post that I was headed to Koh Phangnan...or so I thought. After deciding to leave Tonsai for sure and making arrangements to head to Koh Phagnan for the rest of my trip I had two interesting things happen that redirected me once again. I had arranged for a bus/ferry combo to leave Ao Nang at 12:30 pm on Wed. The woman who owned the little travel center was really great and we were equally annoyed when the company failed to actually pick me up despite repeated calls to the man and their insisting they were on the way. So that's ok, we arranged for me to get a later bus and take the night ferry to KPN. After a harrowing bus ride back to Surat Thani where I was supposed to catch the night ferry, I was informed by a woman that there is no boat to Koh Phagnan. No Boat...what do you mean no boat? This is a daily ferry trip and it just happened not to be there on this day? And so it is sometimes here...Anyways, after a long discussion that led virtually nowhere, I jumped on the night ferry to Koh Tao.

If Tonsai/Railay was not all I expected, Koh Tao is so much more!! It is so beautiful, and has great vibe (the main attraction here is scuba diving), and not so much exploitation. People here seem to be more aware, which makes sense since they are here to explore the natural resource in the sea! I considered and actually signed up to do my open water dive certification, but dropped out at the last minute and am spending a couple days volunteering at the Koh Tao Animal Clinic. I have spent my whole trip watching the stray animals around Thailand and Lao, and now I am excited to give back to them a little! I am very happy to have ended up here, no matter how circuitous the route!

New photos posted! http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vEjgORaAew-pjltt40HSCA?feat=directlink

Getting crabby with Krabi

Most everything on my trip so far has been not exactly what I expected, and usually something much better than what I expected. Tonsai Beach/Railay is the one exception to that. This was my first stop to explore Thailands beaches/ocean, and I wonder now if my previous post was less about me being a bit too spacey, and more about the Universe guiding me off my planned path to Krabi! As soon as I got there I knew it wasn't where I wanted to be. Don't get me wrong, it is gorgeous-stunning really. Tonsai and the whole area are one of the world's rock climbing meccas and it's got a fun vibe for sure. That said, the longtail boats coming in and out of the bay NONSTOP (and these are definitely not 4-stroke engines!) are so noisy and dirty that there is actually a haze in the air. It is a closed area, so all electricity for the tourism industry is by huge generators, also very noisy. It made me sad, really...such a beautiful place taking such a big hit-and that's only the resources you can see/hear, let alone what's going on underwater and to the natural resources in the area. It reminds me of some of our major controversies, like snowmobiles in Yellowstone for example....but there is definitely no limit on anything here, and no real move towards that. Anyways, I changed paths this morning and headed out...now on my way to Koh Phangan via bus and night ferry. Hasta la vista Krabi!

Finding balance...off the yoga mat

One thing I learned after a couple years whitewater kayaking was that when negotiating rapids, you have to find a balance between effort and surrender to the power of the river. If you put in too much effort when it's not necessary you will exhaust yourself, or perhaps tense up too much and be more prone to tipping over when you encounter an obstacle, and you just end up working way harder than you need to. But if you "go with the flow" too much, you'll also just get knocked around. So there's balance between the two, just like on the yoga mat, rock wall, and life in general. During my yoga immersion, my focus was to really surrender and let go to whatever might happen or come up, and to let go of needing to know who, what, when, how, and why. I felt great about my progress and left after practice today with this trance-like feeling of ease. But then I promptly missed my plane out of Bangkok, decided to take the train to Krabi instead and missed that too. Ok then...guess I need to bring 'er on back down and find a better balance between effort and surrender before I float away!

So, now I'm booked on an overnight train to Surat Thani (wasn't planning to go there, but it's in the right general direction). I leave Bangkok at 11 pm tonight and arrive there around 8 am.

Saying Goodbye to Chiang Mai

Tonight is my last night here in Chiang Mai. It is with some sadness that I start packing and think of moving on, but I'm also looking forward to spending some time exploring Thailand's famous beaches and smelling the fresh ocean air. We are having a 5 rhythms dance and chakra yoga this evening, so we'll be raising our vibration for sure! I leave tomorrow right after our final yoga session and fly to Bangkok and then on to Krabi. I don't have much of a plan from there, and I'm looking forward to floating around a bit and seeing where I end up.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all...I hope you find yourself filled up and surrounded with love!

And Happy Birthday Dad! Love you!

Magha Puja Day

In the buddhist cultures of Lao, Thailand and Cambodia, the 3rd full moon of the lunar calendar is a holy day full of celebration, and a national holiday in Thailand and Lao. The day is called the Magha Puja Day, and it happened yesterday here. I was blessed to participate in the Thai ceremony at a local temple to honor the Buddha, so I wanted to share a little about this auspicious day.

About 2500 years ago in a city called Rajagaha in the Bihar state of India, 1,250 disciples of the Buddha gathered spontaneously on the 3rd full moon of the lunar calendar. At this spontaneous gathering, the Buddha gave a teaching which became the basic principles and foundation of Buddhism. This fundamental teaching is called the Ovadha Patimokkha and has 3 principle components: to do no bad action (speech or act), to do and maintain good in all action, and to purify the mind through meditation. Lord Buddha further described the ways to a peaceful life. His disciples were to take and teach this fundamental principles.

The ceremony began with a blessing by the monk at the local temple (not a tourist place at all). It was in Thai, but it was beautiful to hear nonetheless. Then the whole temple took flowers, candles and incense and walked clockwise outside around the Stupa (a shrine of sorts) 3 times then said our own blessing and offered the flowers and candles. It was stunning and very powerful and I am so honored to have been able to participate, not to mention the full moon energy that had flowed with us all during the day (there were many tears shed and a fair amount of chaos all around!). Our teacher talked to the head monk at the temple, and he is going to teach a meditation session for us tomorrow evening. Straight from the source...I am thrilled!

New photos

I posted some new photos, but put all my energy into those so this won't be much of a post. A few of the yoga space and the class, and a few from a day in the treetops of the jungle where I did a Gibbon zipline experience trip. It was incredibly beautiful and a great way to see the jungle! They harvest forest/wild coffee beans and make really good hill tribe coffee in the little village nearby. Great experience!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Nm7Hb8u8jlM0SUSQXgQ9Vw?feat=directlink

Yoga part 1-wrappin' up

I have one more session tomorrow to complete Immersion 1 and the first week of the yoga portion of my journey here. I can't really explain how this week has shifted my yoga practice and my perspective in general, but I'm truly amazed! More than anything I really appreciate having the time and ability to practice everyday and really be fully present for every moment...it's invigorating and a great honor.

After practice tomorrow we have the weekend off and come back for week 2 on Sunday. The place we're at now is a bit outside Chiang Mai, so we're moving into town for the weekend. It's the Flower Festival this weekend here, which should be incredible. I'm not sure what else I might do, but a Thai cooking course, massage(s) (yes, plural), shopping, a visit to the post office to ship some things home so I don't have to carry them anymore, and a visit to the elephant veterinary park and sactuary are up there on the list!

Yogic musings

If you're not much into yoga this post might be a bit boring, or abstract, or crazy so read on at your own risk! For those of you who do practice, we had a huge, expansive backbending practice today, so my musings come from that place....perhaps.

We start each practice by chanting the Anusara yoga invocation:

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave
Saccidananda Murtaye
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Niralambaya Tejase

Translation:

I bow to the true teacher within and without
Who embodies the forms of reality, consciousness and bliss
Who is never absent and full of Peace
And the radiant Spirit keeps shining, regardless of worldly circumstances

We offer this chant to ourselves and to each other as we step onto our mats to practice together. This is truly an offering, as we are so blessed to be here and to share the experience of yoga together. We talk much about the paradox of things, like a yoga asana maybe...where every pose is both complete and not complete at the same time. Where every moment is wholly perfect, but the next is more perfect. In sanskrit, Upasana means "to sit with the teacher". And this is something that has been illuminated with others I know recently (M&M-you guys rock!). When we sit with ourselves, we sit with the teacher: Om Namah Shivaya Gurave - I bow to that true teacher within me, and send infinite gratitude to all the people in my life for you are all teachers (and students..yes?).

Anyways, something else profound to me is the idea of always having a "beginner's mind". When we think we already know something, or someone, we have already limited the potential for a new perspective...we have put it neatly into the box we already know. When we approach a situation, or a yoga pose, or anything else with a beginner's mind, perhaps we can find some new, undiscovered space within it, and open to limitless possibility. I love that concept.

I am sharing these random thoughts, but I certainly did not make them up. Jonas is truly wonderful and my practice and frame of reference has already shifted immensely. You all are sharing my ride here, so thanks for reading my philosophical rant...it's sent with much love and many blessings! : )

Yoga in Chiang Mai...Part 1

I had mixed feelings as I flew out and over Luang Prabang on my way to Chiang Mai, not the least of which was a bit of anxiousness about flying on Lao Airlines...let's just say they don't have the best reputation for their attention to safety. They serve free Beerlao though, so there's that. I also had a tinge of sadness leaving this country that I have so enjoyed, although it was not what I had expected, somehow that added to the magic of my experience there. As my introduction to Asia, I must say that it had me at Sabaidee!

So I have safely arrived in Chiang Mai at the location of my yoga training. It will be an interesting shift to settle in for a couple weeks to the completely different experience of daily yoga, meditation, study, and reflection. There are 30 people here, again from all over the world. The yoga shala, or practice space is unbelievably gorgeous and built of locals wood (teakwood I think). The instructor, Jonas (pronounced Yonas) seems really great and I am looking forward to whatever happens next. You would think that the excitement as I turn to such a focused time would be less pronounced than traveling around, but I think it could be just the opposite...my personal adventure might just get really exciting about now.

Luang Prabang

Today is my third day in Luang Prabang. I had planned to leave after one day and take the slow boat ride up the Mekong River and around to the Thailand border...I kept feeling though that I should stay here instead. I have not been disappointed with my decision. There is so much to share about this place that I'm not sure where to start, so I'll describe a day from my experience so far. I've posted more photos too...I have many more but they take forever to upload: http://picasaweb.google.com/klwomack/LuangPrabang?feat=directlink

Mornings are early, I have been up by 5 am everyday, sometimes earlier. The monks who live and study at the numerous Wats around the city do their morning alms rounds between 5:30 and 6:30. The contrast of darkness and mist, with bright orange robes and glistening gold sashes is moving, to say the least. Each procession is led by an older monk, the teacher, and followed by the young men. Getting food from the local people is how they eat, other than the occasional candy, etc. (some of these monks are 12 years old!). Next (for me anyways) is a Lao Coffee, which is grown in southern Laos and served with sweet milk. It's very strong and very delicious, and about $0.20. I am less than impressed with the breakfast here, unfortunately they try to cater to perceived western/traveler tastes, so you get a menu with "American breakfast, European Breakfast, etc." as your options. I much prefer the sticky rice with mango and coconut milk myself! Note about sticky rice...there are many different ethnic groups in Lao and all around SE Asia, and the kind of rice they prefer is a major thing. The highland tribes here eat regular rice, but many Lao eat sticky rice, which is served in a bamboo container, and you can actually pick up and eat with your fingers. It's very good and I hope to learn how to make it!

Okay, so then a stroll through the local morning market. This is where people bring vegetables, fruit, meat and other goods to sell, mostly to other local people. They do not shop at grocery stores, they buy things daily to eat and cook. As you can see from the photos, there are peppers, veggies, rice, noodles, and other things that are very familiar. There are also things that are not so familiar, such as fish (I mean just caught from the Mekong and still alive), Python (see the photo), roasted rat, squirrel, frogs, bats, and yes, dog. I also saw a live crocodile (very small) that they were trying to kill, and songbirds tied by the leg to buy live to eat. I admit that this was one of the harder parts of the culture for me to appreciate...but it is very real and it works for them. The fact that they have food makes them rich compared to many people in the world, so who am I to judge, eh. I did have a friend ask if I was going to try the rat...I think I'll pass this time around.

I have toured the many Wats (monasteries), which are very beautiful. Most of the statues are of Buddha at various life stages and with various hand gestures. The hand held up and facing out means "blessing"...and I feel very blessed here. I also did a mountain bike trip yesterday to a waterfall, a weaving village, Lao Whiskey making village, and a Hmong village. There are a few photos...the tour company I went with does eco tours and our guide was Hmong -- they contribute back to the villages with books and educational materials. We played with the children and showed them our cameras and photos, which was great fun for all I think. They were very gracious, and although I'm still torn about the photos, they will be precious to me forever. A note about the Hmong People...they come from China originally and are highland dwellers. They speak a different language from Lao, and they are not buddhist, but animists...they believe in spirits and have a village Shaman. This village was relatively new, b/c the Lao government has been forcibly moving Hmong people from the highlands nearer to the cities. This is happening not only in Lao, but all around SE Asia, and has been most pronounced here since Poppy cultivation and opium production was banned in 2000. The trip was fantastic, and our guide Kai was wonderful...my only complaint is the bike had to have been the single most uncomfortable bike I've ever ridden and it was a 25 mile day...I literally rode much of the afternoon standing up ...to no avail. Not to worry, at $4/hour I can afford to have a few massages to work out the kinks ; )

Evenings start with Beerlao at a riverside restaurant and watching the stunning sunset. Then a stroll through the evening craft market where you can buy amazing silks and textiles, etc. for a great price. And finally, socializing with people from all over the world! I have met very few americans, but have met and had various meals, beers, and strolls with travlers from every continent except Antarctica! That has to be one of my favorite parts of this experience so far-a reminder that we are truly part of a global society...a very beautiful thing indeed.

Vang Vieng

This must be one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever seen. The limestone karst walls rise up out of the valley floor, which is covered with rice fields and bisected by the Nam Song (River Song). Incredible, inspirational beauty!

I met a British traveler from Oxford who I've been bumming around here with. There is a typical route that many backpackers do and neither of us were all that interested, so we rented scooters for the day today and rode out to see some less-visited caves and Hmong Villages. I did not take many pictures of the people because I feel that it's disrespectful in a way...many people gawk and use them as a tourist attraction and I don't want to be like that. I couldn't help but take a few though when two little girls near my guest house saw me with my poi and played with them though...I gave them a mini lesson and some gum...fair fair, same same! They are beautiful, happy people, and extremely gracious. Apparantly one of their national sayings is "too much work is bad for the brain"...I buy that! It was a wonderful experience! I will say this, though...those scooters are a bit trickier than you would think, especially with the way people drive around here! No injuries, but a bit o' broken plastic on the fender...oopsy!

On another note, I feel totally at ease traveling here...you're always haggling a bit, but when you realize you're haggling over .25 or so it takes on a new meaning, not quite so serious. The bungalow I'm staying at is $9/day and my meal last night was ~$2.50, including beer. The weather is beautiful, warm during the day, but it cools way down at night-to the point where I needed my jacket and extra pants. Obviously, internet is readily available and very cheap...I wondered if this is how I should be spending some of my time, but my days are full and being here alone I love connecting with all of you out there! I have a 7 hour bus ride tomorrow to Luang Prabang, so plenty of time to reflect : )

Also, I hope that this album link works with a few photos...obviously I have tons more, but it's a time suck at the internet cafe to get them uploaded so I'll keep picking a few!

http://picasaweb.google.com/klwomack/Vientiane?feat=directlink

Photos

I am struggling to upload photos. I'll keep working on it, but the connections here are not very fast and I'm out of time! Stay tuned...

Vientiane

Sparing details of additional travel, I successfully landed myself in Vientiane, the capital city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The only thing I will say is that the driving here puts to shame pretty much any other experience I've had...they drive fast and agressively, and have 2 speeds, full throttle and full breaks! I hear that's pretty par for the course in Asia overall though. Anyways, Lao PDR is the official name, and I have no idea why it's usually referred to (and spelled) as Laos. Regardless...it's an incredible place not far across the border with Thailand, along the Mekong River. It is the dry season here, and as you might see from the photos (assuming I can make that whole thing work), you'll note that the river is indeed pretty dry. Lots of restaurants and roadside stands and many people shouting "tuk-tuk??" as you walk by. The tuk-tuks are ubiquitous throughout SE Asia, but I think most places put their own spin on it.

I was trying to find my way to a buddhist temple and befriended a young monk (maybe 15 years old). I will not be able to reproduce his name, as his english was not good and my Lao pretty much sucks! Anyway, he showed me their prayer room and monastary and another of the city sites...The village where he is from in Southern Laos does not have a school (at all), and the only way that he could afford to attend school was to enter the monkhood. Apparantly this is very common here as in other parts of the world where basic education and literacy are considered luxury. He was lovely and kept asking when I was coming back to Vientiane. He pointed me vaguely in the direction of another temple and then departed and I promptly got lost, realizing that I had been concentrating too hard on communicating with him and not nearly enough paying attention to where we were! Ah, but thank goodness then for the passing Tuk tuk and the address card for my guest house : ) Tomorrow, on to Vang Vieng.

Time traveling

When I was making preparations for this trip and thinking about the travel to Thailand, my friend Allyson told me not to even bother trying to figure out how long each flight segment would be, what time it would be in which location, etc. I did not appreciate how accurate that was until now!! I have arrived in Bangkok (and so did my backpack-bless the baggage gods!!)...now some undeterminable number of hours from when I started out. I rented a room for 6 hours to shower and regroup until 4:30 this morning, and then back at it. It is difficult to convey my sense of displacement and the lack of sense of "time" that I have right now. I am in a hotel in Bangkok, but really could be anywhere. In between reading and laps around the Seoul airport past an endless stream of the same "duty free" stores, I found Facebook to be a welcome distraction (just like home?), and was able to chat with a few folks. It was a fascinating thing to contemplate our construction of "time zones" as I chatted real-time (literally) with someone across the world...

If all goes as planned, I will be in Lao People's Republic this time tomorrow evening!

Going with the flow (aka Plan B)

A relatively loose itinerary was one of my main goals for this trip. The importance of that, and of not holding closely to expectations of doing any particular thing at a particular time, became evident before I even left Boise! Fog in Seattle led to delayed flights out of Boise, and ultimately to an entirely new flight itinerary and 21 more hours of travel! I sit now in the Seoul Airport (7:24 am, Thursday Jan. 22) until 5:30 this evening, so good thing I had nowhere in particular to be!

As for the travel, well I must say that I am so glad I was not traveling on an American air carrier (I was on Korean Air). Even economy seats are roomy, and you're greeted by a bottle of water, blanket, pillow, and get this...slippers!! You have your own tv screen, movies, and they feed you 2 entire meals! Don't get me wrong, 12 hours is still a long time on a plane, but bearable at least.

So...bound for Bangkok next, but really, who knows!?

Pre-departure...

Passport...check. Blessed wonderful dogsitters...check. Huge pile of stuff to fit into one not-so-huge bag...check. Moments of sheer excitement mixed with flashes of anxiety...check. I guess I'm all set for SE Asia!!

I leave Jan. 20 en route to Bangkok, Thailand (the irony of leaving the country on an inauguration day that I have been waiting years for is definitely not lost on me!). Stopping briefly in Seattle and Seoul, I arrive in Bangkok around 12:30 am on January 22!! It is 20 hours of flight time plus a 14 hour time difference (Bangkok is 14 hours AHEAD of MST). There I hope to catch a few hours sleep and a shower and then fly to Udon Thani in NE Thailand in the morning. From there my travel plans are open, but I know I want to travel across the border into Laos, visiting Vientiane and spending a few days in Luang Prabang. Then a 2-day slow boat ride up the Mekong River and back into Thailand at Huay Xai. I'm giving the names so if anyone is so inclined to search a map...there you have it! Although I know these places I tentatively plan to visit...I have no idea yet how I will get around between them (no bus tickets, schedules, car rentals, etc.) or what i'll do, where I'll stay when I get there! It's a very strange feeling to be flying alone to another continent and have a few names of a few places in a whole country, and that's IT!!! For those of you who know me well, you can imagine the internal battle I'm having as I try to suppress Ms. Type A as she scolds me incessantly for my irresponsible behavior. Calm down dear Kendra, all is well.

Anyways...next up is travel to Chiang Mai (NW Thailand), where I am fortunate enough to have 16 days to practice and study yoga (www.shantaya.org). I am ecstatic about this opportunity, and I anticipate radical expansion of my practice and knowledge, with plenty of time to reflect, meditate, and just be in that glorious place. From there (around Feb. 15), all I know is that I'm headed SOUTH, to the glorious Thai beaches and islands. Don't know which ones, where, or how...but all in good time.

This planet is teaming with unbelievable places and people...I can't wait to see and meet a few more of them!