A Year of Being Homeless

Koh Mak, Thailand (Wed. 12.21.06)

Maybe even more momentous than our last day at work was this day, 2005. It was late morning by the time we turned off the lights and locked the door of 199 Valmar for the last time. It was not without some sadness that we pulled out of the driveway and headed South, though the larger sentiment was one of relief at finally GETTING out, and still greater, the exhilaration of all the countries + adventures that lay ahead.

I sit and write this now, toes in the sand, gazing out at the clear, turquoise Gulf of Thailand. We dragged ourselves out of bed this morning while it was still dark, palms silhouetted against a backdrop of stars that were quickly fading to light. We headed to the island monastery overlooking the eastern shore and watched the brilliant red orb of the sun ascend, casting it's rose-tinted blush on the face of a walking Buddha. That serene smile is now not too dissimilar from my own. A year on the road, and certainly a week at a little-developed beach have worked their magic to de-stress me. Do we look relaxed or what?! We've got several viable scenarios for work here now bouncing around in our heads and the weather is fine.

But what about this past year? What are the things that have impressed themselves upon me?

Most certainly our winter drive across the American Southwest - Crawling out of our frost-sealed truck to make hot Peet's coffee while we watched the sun rise over Monument Valley; Parking in the middle of nowhere off a two-lane highway and making a tasty dinner on a two-burner stove while snow fell down and we alternately warmed ourselves in the cab with heater cranking + a tasty glass of zin; Warm welcomes into the homes of friends + family... Then there was Europe - Mind blowing architectural masterpieces of Gaudi, Calatrava + the Moors; The MUST experience it to believe it "Las Fallas" festival in Valencia; Biking through tulip fields in Holland; Parisian breads, cheeses, croissants + wine; Home-cooked dinners + chatting for hours with good friends now living abroad + others that came to visit. India - The colors; The chaos; The evening puja in Haridwar; The awe I felt in such an ancient + holy place as Tabo Monastery; Gazing down a river valley from my precarious perch at Dangkar Monastery by the light of the full moon; My solo sojourn in Ladakh, gazing at the fantastic Buddhas in Likir, Alchi + Basgo; Cruising around Nageen Lake in a shikara past floating gardens; Burningman in Varanasi. Getting my eyes fixed! Nepal's gift of the Annapurna Circuit will forever remain one of the most amazing experiences of my life. And that's not even it!

There are so many moments I would neither change nor relinquish, so I find it impossible to distill the year down to a "Top 5". This coming year will certainly feel like a different chapter with the inevitability of work. We're ready and excited for it though. It's going to be a whole new kind of adventure... May I hope to face it still with this serenity.

As the calendar New Year is approaching too, I'm wishing you all the best in the coming year and a little serenity of your own. Keep sending your updates from the home front as well. It means so much to stay connected halfway 'round the globe :)

Here's a "link" to current photos

Bangkok Burbs

After a week in noisy Bangkok we were ready for a change and headed out to see some UNESCO ruins + floating markets in nearby cities. A couple days in Ayuthaya were well spent cycling around this sleepy burb and seeing mind-blowing temples and massive Buddhas sitting, standing + reclining. We really hit our stride though in the little-visited town of Samut Songkhram. The evening we arrived, our first mission was to fill our starving bellies. Just down the street, a food cart with tables was set up on railroad tracks and a man was frying up tasty-smelling Phad Thai. This proved to be the first in Thailand that really "wowed" us. We followed this up with a couple bags of delicious marinated tofu. This woman even gave us a bag of rice for free after all our exclamations of "Alloy"(tasty). Grand total for dinner - $1.65. That night we also met a nice teen as we were strolling through town who not only spoke great English, but gave us good info about the current markets + festivals - When to go + what to see. This ended up setting the course for the rest of our adventures in the area. (Photo: 55 Foot Buddha)

The next day was epic, starting with some jet fuel from a neighborhood coffee vendor before hopping on the bus to Damnoen Saduak floating market. We were expecting this to be touristy and so tried to arrive before the crowds. We didn't avoid them altogether, but we were still treated with watching local women paddle around cooking food right in their boats and serving it up via paddle to hungry passers'-by. Soon, we headed over a footbridge and away from the market down a walkway raised above the main khlong (canal) which extends from east to west as far as the eye can see. Immediately we were enjoying old, teak homes raised over the water with potted flowers + smiling Thais to complete the picture. We could've walked all day, but hunger for more coconut-fried bananas eventually drew us back. A savvy businesswoman offered us up a plate of various fruits to taste as the market was winding down - Delicious durian, rambutans, longans + mangosteens. I had forgotten how rich + delicious durian are and Darin was equally impressed as a first-timer. Why this infamous fruit gets such a bad rap for it's smell we'll never know! Her strategy worked and she made a sale off a tasty chunk before finishing packing up and then paddled away with the rest. That evening, we went to the floating market at Amphawa. This market was packed with locals chowing down on all manner tasty treats and we followed suit. Glutinous peanut balls, amok wrapped in banana leaf, roasted corn, phad thai, baked winter squash stuffed with coconut custard - All delicious! We took a break from the throng and headed to an adjacent park to sit and enjoy a chilly beer Chang (our favorite here so far). Amphawa Wat (temple) was right there and Darin suggested we check it out before heading back in. What a delight! What an artist it was who adorned the entire interior with highly-detailed scenes which included many architectural vignettes + thousands of detailed figures. Much was accented with metallic gold so that as you slowly walked past, each scene came to life in all it's shimmering beauty. One after the next, all the way to the high ceiling, and the rear wall behind the Buddha was covered full length with what appeared to be an ancient perspective of the town itself surrounding by the klongs. When we had sated ourselves on this visual treat, a young monk beckoned us to follow him to another building where, to our surprise, lay a large reclining Buddha. He instructed us to kneel + lit incense for us. We both offered thanks for a long while... So much to be thankful for! He then placed several small, folded pieces of paper in each of our hands. Not sure what to do, we opened one and found a small square of gold leaf. A-Ha! We rubbed them on vacant patches of a smaller Buddha, thanked him and left with a Wai (Bow of respect with hands in prayer position) to our young monk guide. Leaving, we were initially worried upon hearing we'd missed the last bus back to Samut Songkhram, but not for long. The roadside vendor we'd asked immediately began chatting up two Thai girls who'd stopped at his shop and arranged us a speedy, A/C ride back with them. How sweet + charming they ended up being too! We just HAD to have a nightcap to celebrate our good fortune :)

The next morning we were again having coffee + tasty sweet bean-coconut-banana sticky rice that we'd bought the prior evening. We were walking back through the bustling main market when we heard a train whistle. All of a sudden there was a flurry of activity - Vendors were moving goods + pulling in awnings with the efficiency of having done this many times. Lo + behold, a train comes cruising right through, squishing a few cilantro sprigs + jostling a pile of ginger, but otherwise moving smoothly through. The moment it had passed, another flurry as everyone propped awnings back up + a few carts are wheeled back onto the tracks, and business resumes. Crazy! (Photo: Business as usual again) Next, we rehearsed our Thai pronunciation and were correctly directed to a bus to visit Wat Satthaatham, about 6K outside of town, famous for it's 1.7 Million dollar restoration, which included completely inlaying the old, golden teak interior with mother-of-pearl. Before entering the Wat we put a coin into a flashing Vegas-style Buddha at the entry, curious what it would do and received a portentous fortune which was translated to us that we need to begin work soon and our lives will be much better (Not bad considering we're currently looking for a place to work!). Back outside, we heard music coming from an adjacent building and walked over to investigate. A group of men were playing one of the most beautiful musical instruments Khaw-Ng Wong Yai I've ever seen. We sat down to listen and soon a small boy brought us over glasses of cold water and a woman came to say "Hello" and ask where we were from. The musicians had been hired for a funeral that was just beginning and they welcomed us to stay, but we had to be on our way back to Bangkok.

Just a short time away and SO many memorable experiences. We're LOVING Thailand. We don't know which is warmer, the weather or the people. Guess we'll just have to keep exploring to figure it out :) BTW, we leave today for a week or two on some island beaches, so we'll be out of touch. Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays!

Here's a "link" to current photos

Things that Never Happen at Home #2

Being out here traveling is so fundamentally different from my day-to-day at home that I often find myself pondering these differences. There's the obvious - Not sitting behind a desk + computer all day; Not having neck cramps from holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I multi-task; No stress; No set routine. Now, in contrast - We brave the hot sun + freezing cold outside; My cramps are now in my legs from walking all day long; We ARE free to do as we like, but we're not out here with endless time or money to burn so we ARE judicious in our spending + in making each day count. When I reflect back at the end of each day, week, month... What are the things that seem worthwhile or even important??? It's the experiences of meeting memorable local characters or other like-minded travelers that you can picture yourself being friends with at home; Of tasting some delicious + unique food that you never even knew existed that you'll try to replicate for friends; A wonderous, soul-inspiring sight that burns itself into your memory and which you revisit later in your dreams; AND those rare moments when the big, bright lightbulb in your head goes off and you gain a new insight. THIS will be my ongoing attempt to capture + relate some of the latter. Here goes...

Being a True Slave to Your Work

Before you disagree with me outright, listen to this! MANY people in the developing world, especially employees in the hotel or restaurant business, work LONG hours. By long I mean that they're up + working as early as you are (this may mean even waking up from their cot at the door to let you out/in early in the morning) and up + working as late as you are (ditto for letting you in/out). From what I've seen they're lucky if they get a day off, but usually just take breaks at random points in the day. "Yes", the work is performed at a slower pace, and "Yes", it's not all that challenging, but would YOU honestly trade what you've got? I can glamorize the more relaxed work that people here APPEAR to have, but "I" wouldn't have traded my 9-6. And those are just some of the minority who have PAYING jobs. The MAJORITY farm for survival + sell their excess produce, make tea or street snacks, or sell some other cheap, random bit of merchandise just to put food in their mouths from one day to the next. Now THAT'S work!