The Lovely South of Thailand

Greetings from the Southern Islands of Thailand!

The warm weather is everything I dreamed it would be, and it feels overdue by a long shot. Since hitting Northern Vietnam in December I have barely broken a weather-induced sweat once. Was I crazy to think that my 6 months in SE Asia would all be warm and sunny? Apparently.

However, now everything is as it should be.

I bussed down to Bangkok on February 8 to meet my dear friend Rishelle, who was flying in to spend 2 weeks of her vacation with me! We made our way South to Hua Hin, a nice seaside town, intent upon visiting The Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, an animal rescue sanctuary reccommended to me by some fellow travelers who had spent some time volunteering there.

It was very cool to visit and see all the different animals there, from lizards, to birds, to monkeys, to bears...and elephants! The animals have each been rescued from different sad scenarios within Thailand. Exotic animals are an effective money-making strategy here. Tourists dont think twice about going to the tiger temple for a selfie with a drugged up wildcat, or riding an elephant that has been abused its whole life. It is really sad, and hearing the stories of the individual rescued aniamls is pretty heartbreaking. It was encouraging that WFFT is really working hard to educate locals and tourists on how damaging this industry is to the wildlife of Thailand (and other imported creatures). Often it is just a matter of not realizing how much the animals suffer.

WFFT works to rehabilitiate and release every animal for whom this is realistic possibility, but others are very human dependent and/or incapable of living in the wild. These animals will spend the rest of their lives in enclosures at the sanctuary, as close to a "normal" life as possible.

Our full-day tour of the center was very enjoyable and a highlight of our to weeks together. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting to get up close to the amazing creatures of Thailand without supporting the sketchy, abusive animal tourism industry.

After Hua Hin, we jetted our way to Koh Phangan for some serious beach time. We stayed on the North end of the island for the first few days in an amazing jungle bungalow just on the end of Thong Nai Pan Yai- super peaceful and quiet, and at a surprisingly reasonable price!


We spent one night in Haad Rin to get a teensy taste of what the Full Moon Party might be like, and then quickly scooted over to Sanctuary; a super hippie resort on a remote stretch of beach along the East coast of the island. The breezy establishment was wreathed in a haze of incense, and populated by tanned, toned, and tattooed waifs either meditating or detoxing (or both), bright green fresh veggie juices in hand. The dress code followed something like, "wear as little as possible, but if you must wear something, make sure it floats in the breeze, and throw some flowers in your hair".  The cheapest accommodation available to us was in the dorm room located above the restraunt, where we camped out on thin mattresses and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the short just outside our window. Naturally I loved it there, and we both enjoyed some yoga, vegetarian food, and of course some top-notch people watching!

After a few days we felt sufficiently zen to move on to face the big island of Koh Samui, staying in the center close to the Chaweng beach. Here we took a moto taxi to see a waterfall (3 of us on one tiny moped!), rented paddleboards (so fun!), and were intiiated into our first Thai massage! I am now addicted. Paying less than $15/hr for a massage is such a good deal, and they really dont go easy on you. It is almost half chiropractic adjustment haha!

Unfortuantely, that was the end of our vacation together, and Rishelle had to head back to Bangkok from Samui. I stuck around another day or two to see Ang Thong National park, and then had a very long day of travel to the other side of the mainland, arrving at Koh Lanta.

Now I am enjoying the soft sandy beaches and roasting hot sunshine for a few more days before I head south again, and enter Malaysia! Im not sure what I will find there, but Im excited to find out! I can feel the end of my journey creepiing up on me. I'm working on a few things for when I return "home", and Im trying to wrap my mind around not being on the road anymore. I still have a little over a month though, so it might be a bit early to mourn the end ;-) 

February is the new New Year

Let's be honest, no one is prepared for New Years when it bursts in right after the chaos of Christmas. After a frenzy of festivities, we havent even had time to process what our goals for the New Year will be.

Hence, I propose that February is the new New Year. Maybe this is convenient for me, because I spent most of December and January eating things I shouldnt and generally being lazy, and I knew that I needed to make a change...but I also needed a little help.

Feeling in a bit of slump post-holidays, I was out for dinner with a friend from my hostel in Chiang Mai, and spotted a flyer for yoga in Pai, my next destination (or so I thought, until my Myanmar visa went through). Knowing Pai to be a bit of a hippie place, I thought it might be fun to do some yoga there, because I like yoga and have really missed it while I have been traveling.

As it turns out, the flyer was for a yoga retreat, which is something I have never done before, and frankly never expcted that I would ever do. I was too late to sign up for the retreat that week, but there was an opening beginning of February, and as I did more research on it and read some reviews, I felt very strongly that this was something I wanted to do! I needed some kind of jumpstart, and the retreat seemed to fit the bill, as well as being a cool new travel experience. Because isnt that what travel is all about? Seeing and trying new things?

Upon arrival I discovered that the theme of the week was "purification". Essentially, we were about to begin a week of detox! It was exactly what I needed, and I couldnt have been more excited about it.

Every morning I woke up at 6:45am to bundle up in thick sweater, hat, and scarf (here in the mountains it can be quite chilly before the sun comes out. And just to prove that I am not completely off my rocker, it is cold enough that you can see your breath- so there!), and trundle down to the kitchen for a mug of hot lemon ginger tea, followed by a mug of vegan chai tea. Did I mention that from the moment we woke up until lunch time at 12pm, we are all in a "silence session"? No one except our instructor spoke during that time, and although the first morning I had to swallow my habitual morning greetings, I actually appreciated the silence. Its amazing how much pressure it takes off when you can just sit with a group without feeling the need to make conversation. It also allows time for introspection and reflection.

Tea time was followed by nasal cleansing- that's right, we used a personal neti pot every morning, and unclogged whatever might be obstructing our breath that morning! After that we moved straight into breathing exercises, which I had done before, but never for so long at a time, and then silent meditation.

I'll confess right now that I suck at meditation. There are WAY too many thoughts going through my head, and I have real trouble trying to slow them down. I struggled through each meditation session, but I did try, and that's the important thing right? The flies and misquitos landing on my face didnt help matters.
I still think the most meditative state I have ever been in was while I was driving my motorbike through Vietnam. There's definitely something wrong with me.

When we finished our meditation, we would eat breakfast, which was usually a scrumptious pureed vegetable soup or bowl of noodles, chased by a vegetable juice. While this was not to everyone's liking, I adored it, and may even consider this an alternative to my usual yogurt and granola when I get home.

A short break for digestion followed breakfast. This was usually spent lolling about in the blissfully warm pools of morning sunshine, until 10am. Then the real work began.

The two hour session of Hatha yoga was always challenging, but I loved it! This was our chance to feel the burn and get the heart rate up. It never took long before we started peeling off the layers we piled on in the morning. Every session would end in at least 15 minutes of shavasana, which is basically a fancy way of saying that you lay down and get so relaxed that you almost fall asleep. It feels SO good after working hard!

At 12pm we ate lunch, which was the largest meal of the day. Everything we ate all week was vegetarian and dairy-free, but I never missed meat or dairy. The food was absolutely fantastic, gourmet stuff. Everything was portioned out for us, so if we were still hungry there was always a basket of fruit and veggies to snack on, and plenty of herbal tea available at all times.

Maybe this is overshare, but I knew the detox was working by the second day! I was visiting the toilet every 5 minutes and had a huge headache. My gut was loudly protesting the abundance of nearly-raw vegetables, complaining that it actually had to work to digest things, rather than quickly absorbing the sugar-laden and greasy foods that unfortunately had become my normal diet. However, my skin began to clear and I was starting to feel more energetic.

At 3pm, after the heat of the day, we would gather in the studio for a Q&A period, followed by a short lecture of yoga philosphy. We could ask any question at all- whether about a certain yoga pose, a question regarding the previous day's talk, something we had experienced during one of the sessions, or about life in general. I was a little hesitant about the yoga philosphy talks, as I am decidedly not into Buddhism. Our teacher assured us it was not "religious" in that sense,  though she spoke on the Yama and Niyama teachings, which I believe are derived from Buddhism. It was basically universally recognized values. Simple in concept, difficult in practice. Nothing earth-shattering, but good reminders. Maybe I'm too cynical :P

Afterwards we started our Yin yoga session. Yin yoga requires holding a pose for a long period of time. We usually worked in 3-5 minute intervals. Something as simple as laying on your back with a bolster underneath you and your arms overhead can honestly become torture after a minute or two. By five minutes, you want to scream. The point is to work at breathing into and relaxing the tension, but this is very difficult. The very worst pose required sitting in a crouch, balancing with only your toes. For. Five. Minutes.
I wanted to die.
Apparently only walking in flip-flops for 4 months can be detrimental to the foot muscles.
While Yin yoga looks easier than Hatha, I much preferred the fast-paced morning session!

Dinner offered welcome warmth as temperatures began to drop when the sun went down, and the sweaters and scarves began to return. This was the time of day when the group began to get chatty, discussing just how painful a certain pose was, or how delicious the food was, or asking get-to-know-you questions. Tea was guzzled, and friendships forged.

In the evening we would gather for a second session of meditation, and once we did an excursion to the hot springs, which was fantastic!

I was usually in bed by 10pm, and never had any trouble falling asleep! I have to say, that this was the first time in 4 months that I have had a regular routine, access to a hot shower, and slept in the same bed for a week. It was a really nice change!

Having completed the retreat yesterday, I have been evaluating how I feel.
For one thing, my stomach feels MUCH happier. I need less sleep, as I have naturally been waking up early and not struggling to get out of bed. My body is not as sore as i thought it would be after 4 hours of intense exercise for 6 days in a row. In fact, its not very sore at all. I think my mind is clearer, and I'm more aware of how I'm feeling and how that affects my body.

Overall it was a restful and rejuvenating week! It was definitely worth the time and money, and I would do another yoga retreat without hesitation, and reccomend it to anyone.

Now I'm headed to Bangkok to meet a very dear friend who is flying in from Canada, and then we will spend 2 weeks in the Southern Islands together! I couldnt be more excited! Koh Phangan, here we come! (No, we will not be there during Full Moon...and I dont think I could throw away my newly-detoxed state on a party anyway!)

Off On An Adventure!

My first action of the day was to check the status of my e-visa application to Myanmar...and I was accepted!

I immediately began researching flights, and I'm happy to announce that I am booked to fly into Yangon tomorrow!

I am SO excited, as everyone that I've met who has been to Myanmar has loved it so much. I'm a little afraid that my expectations might be too high now, but either way I will be staying there for 3 weeks! I think it will be so interesting, and quite different from everything I've seen so far.

Wish me luck!

Past, Present, and Future

This morning I had every intention of catching a bus to Chiang Mai.
I packed up my things, and then left to find a bite of breakfast before going to the bus station to purchase a ticket.
I remembered reading about BaanChivitMai in the Lonely Planet guidebook, and it happened to cross my path, so I stopped in. Its a local bakery whose proceeds support disadvantaged children, and whose coffee and free wifi fuel the tourist types.

Now, here I am, an hour later, having had a wholly unhealthy breakfast of cafe fare, still typing away on my tablet. I just ordered a fruit smoothie to balance things out, and that will probably keep me going for another hour.

The atmosphere in this cafe/bakery is so calm, and so...familiar. I feel like I'm at home, which at the moment is quite comforting! I also have a lot of emailing/interneting to do, so its a convenient place to hunker down. I think I'll stay one more night in Chiang Rai!

PAST

For the last week or so I have completely neglected the blog and my personal journal. I will try to get back on track!

First of all...I have departed Laos! I spent just over 2 weeks there, and while it was very beautiful and I liked it a lot, I just couldn't seem to connect there. I don't know how to explain this. I struggled to decide whether to spend more time there or head back to Thailand, and as soon as I arrived in Chiang Rai, I knew I had made the right choice. I am LOVING this part of Thailand!

That being said, I would love to go back to Laos one day and explore more of the country, but I would go with someone else. I found it a difficult country to travel solo, in part because:

1. 99%* of tourists are French, and don't want to speak English
2. 90%* of tourists are couples and aren't necessarily interested in meeting other travelers
3. Most accommodation is private rooms, not dorms, so its more difficult to meet people
4. Everything is very expensive (roughly same prices as at home, or more), especially if you can't split costs with anyone.
5. Its a country where there isn't necesarily much to do, but its a cool place to hang out. This means good company is essential.

*Highly scientific numbers

I only saw a handful of what Laos has to offer, so in my reasoning, this makes it an excellent location to return to. I think it would be a wonderful place to cycle/motorbike through. One day :)

PRESENT

Now that I'm back in Thailand, I have been enjoying how cheap everything is...especially the food!!! It's so delicious. And its much warmer and sunnier than Laos. After having spent 2 weeks in Hanoi, and 2 weeks in Northern Laos, I was beginning to feel some serious sun deprivation. In Thailand I can wear shorts and tank tops again! It's glorious. (Yes, I realize you are all in the dead of winter and I shouldn't complain about "chilly" 20 degree weather). Best of all, there are so many cheap hostels to stay in and meet other travelers!

FUTURE

My plan now is to visit a few places in Northern Thailand while waiting for my e-Visa for Myanmar to be processed. Fingers crossed it will be accepted, and then I will be heading off to possibly the most interesting and un-touristed country of my trip! I have met a few people that have been there already, and they all loved it! Apparently tourists can only stay in certain registered accommodations, which makes it expensive ($25-35/night for "cheap" places, compared to $7-8/night in Thailand), but on the plus side that means it will be easy to locate other travelers :)

After Myanmar, I wll fly back to Bangkok to meet up with my dear friend Rishelle who is coming to Thailand for a 2 week vacation! I couldn't be more excited! We will bask in the sun of the Southern Islands, and it will be so great to have some quality time together!

When she flies home, I will continue South to Malaysia to eat away my depression noshing on the delicious street food of Penang...and that's about as far as my plans go! I'm halfway through my 6 month travels, but I think the 2016 half will pass much faster than the 2015 half (which has gone by very quickly!).

Happy New Year, Regis readers!

Siem Reap!

Sorry for the long hiatus on blogging! Its been a busy week!
Last Friday I said goodbye to all my new friends at the Fatima Center. It was bittersweet, since I felt like I was beginning to find my place there and could have done more to contribute if I'd planned to stay longer, but I was also excited to say goodbye to Bangkok and begin my travels across the rest of SE Asia!

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Satrday morning I left bright and early and boarded my bus for Siem Reap Cambodia. I was fortunate in my seating partner- a Californian girl the same age as I am, of Cambodian heritage. She has also been doing a fair bit of traveling this year, and we talked for a really long time and really connected. We were booked into different hostels, however, so we parted ways upon arrival.

Backing up a bit...despite being warned of scams at the border, a bunch of us definitely fell for the trickers that lay in wait. Our bus was no help. The driver likely has some kind of deal with the scammers, so he dropped us off at their office which is right outside passport control. We were told this is where we got our visas, so we paid the money, waited 20 minutes, and were given our visas, and then they started to fill out our entry forms for an additional 200 B. (approx $7). Once we realized what theye were doing, we told them we would fill out the forms on our own, and headed for passport control. After completeing that, we stepped out of the office and saw a very official looking sign that said "Visa On Arrival" for about $15 US less than we had paid. Oooooh well. Live and learn.

I stayed at the European Guesthouse in Siem Reap on the advice of my trusty Lonely Planet travel guide. While it doesn't win any awards for cleanliness, it has a nice small pool, a decent bar/restaurant, and it comes at the low, low price of $5 US/night. Having lived in treeplanting camps probably helps me get over a bit of bathroom grime!

My first morning I met  (read: nosily wormed my way into a conversation and introduced myself) a Colombian girl who was also traveling by herself. We hit it off, and decided to take a Khmer cooking class and wander around the city together, and then rent bikes to ride to Angkor Wat the next morning. I am so glad I met her, as we had a great time hanging out over the next few days, and sharing my Siem Reap experience with someone made it so enjoyable!

We got up at 4am on Monday and cycled to the temple, joined by throngs of tourists in tuk-tuks and taxis. I was a bit dismayed by the crowds of selfie-sticks, but we moved to a less-popular and populaced location to watch the sun rise and snap a few photos. It was really beautiful, though I remain a bit jealous of those who had the opportunity to see the magical area before it became such a tourist hotspot.

The rest of the day was spent wandering through the main temples, riding our bikes in the hot sun, and snacking on dried mango and salted cashews we had bought cheaply at the market the day before.

On the way home, we missed a turn and ended up way off track, out towards the airport! It made for a VERY interesting ride back to the hostel as we were obliged to cycle along one of the busiest main roads in the city! It was quite an experience, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for how calm I remained, especially as I have never been much of a bike-riding expert, and helmets literally do not exist here. Traffic patterns in Cambodia are different from anything I have seen before- they seem even more chaotic than what I saw in Cusco, Peru! So there we were, pedalling hard on a mix of pot-holed dirt roads and random brick sidewalks, while cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks are zooming by, occasioinally honking at us to get our of their way (which I would have gladly done, had there been anywhere to go!), and then out of nowhere some random will cut directly across traffic, or just go right against the flow. Literally everyone is just going everywhere and hoping they dont get hit. I just kept my eyes wide open, and kept on pedaling!!! It was actually kind of hilarious. My friend and I were just like...what is even happening right now....

Needless to say, we survived, and it is something I will never forget!

Yesterday we took it easy, swam in the pool, did some skyping and facebooking, went to the market, ate some spicy frog stirfy and then delicious ginger and black sesame ice cream, stuck our feet in a tank of fish that ate our feet, and visited the night market with some new aquaintances! It was a fun, relaxing day, and a nice finale to my Siem Reap visit.

Evidently my feet have more to offer....

This morning I hopped on another bus for my next destination, but that's another story for another day!

Weekend Wonders

Where has the time gone??
I'm on my last week of volunteering/staying in Bangkok, and preparing to strike out on my own come Saturday.  I can't believe how fast the last 3 weeks have flown by!

I've been much busier since the two other volunteers arrived, which has been nice. We have gone out exploring on a few nights, and spent our long weekend (last Friday was a holiday here...what the occason was is still a mystery) about an hours drive outside Bangkok (read: 2 hours for the whole trip, because it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city) at the historic UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ayutthaya. This was a good warm-up to starting the backpacking portion of my trip :)

Checking out some ruins at sunset on my first night in Ayutthaya

I stayed in the cheapest room I could find, which was about 200 Thai Baht ($7.45 CAD). It was a private room, with a shared bathroom. Creaky floorboards, opaque plastic windows, and a small fan sitting on a plastic chair serving as the A/C lent it a rustic charm. The bed was big, fairly comfortable, and clean, so I was satisfied. The bathroom was sketchy as heck, and I spent very limited time there! haha!

I ate the street food served piping hot from the little pushcarts on the corner- delicious! - and drank SO much water, iced drinks, and coke...anything cold. It was ridiculously hot outside. As soon as I took a drink out of the cooler, it began to sweat almost as much as I was, and in a matter of minutes it's lukewarm, and then just plain warm and gross. So I guzzle while its chilly.

And heaven knows I needed hydration. Most people rent bikes or hire tuk tuks to get around Ayutthaya, but one of our party was nervous about riding a bike and tuk tuks get expensive fast, so we decided to walk! And since I was detirmined to get to a certain temple at the far reaches of the town, I continued walking long after the other girls turned back. It was an adventure, as my free tourist map was fairly useless, and I had to stop to ask for directions several times. But it was good. And a nice Thai lady on a motorbike saw me tootling along sweating up a storm, and stopped to offer me a free ride to the temple! I took her up on it, and got my first motorbike ride- what a thrill! I loved it! Once I'm out of Bangkok I think this will become a more regular occurance :)

I visited 3 temples in total, and they were all very beautiful. Wat Phra Mahathat was of special interest to me because it is the location of the intriguing Buddha head that is tangled up in tree roots. Its an image I've seen a few times, and its always appealed to me, so I wanted to see it for myself.
I guess I had never seen a picture with it next to a real person, to get the scale of it. For some reason I imagined it was this massive boulder of a sculture, locked in roots the thickness of a giant's arm. I was slightly taken aback to discover that in fact, the Buddha head is about the same size as mine, if not smaller, and could easily be missed if not for the crowd of tourists snapping selfies with it.

I was a little disappointed, but then realized how ridiculous my expectations were, and snapped my photo. I like it.

Next we visited Wat Pha Si Sanphet, which was cool, but very crowded with tourists, and also caters to the Elephant-riding crowd, which made me sad and a little peeved. I get that its cool and exciting to ride an elephant, but that doesn't make it ok. Especially when you can clearly see that they are being mistreated, ie: scars and marks on their bodies from the hooks the handlers use to control them.

After that point, my friends and I parted ways for the afternoon and I carried on to Wat Chai Wattanaram, which was my favorite! It was a bit further out = less crowded, and very well preserved. While not very large, I spent a fair amount of time wandering and taking photos, cuz that's how I roll. I even took a selfie! Gasp!

Despite sunscreen usage, I burnt to a crisp.
Thanks to frequent application of Burt's Bees After Sun lotion, it turned to a tan. Hooray!

I finished the day with a quick trip to the local floating market, which I'm sure lacked authenticity, but was fun nonetheless. Again, not what I expected, but it was interesting to look around.

On Sunday, back in Bangkok, I visited the Jim Thompson House (pretty, if not really as interesting as I'd hoped), and took a Thai cooking class! We learned about some of the key ingredients while shopping at a local market, prepared each dish separately, cooked, and ate! It was fantastic and we had a lovely chef to guide us. I walked out with a small recipe book I am very excited to use!

Now, I am back to work at the Fatima Center for the rest of the week, and then I carry on to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday! Wish me luck at the hectic Poiphet border crossing!

As always, more photos & anecdotes can be found on my instagram, jllkc79, or #jillgoesbackpacking.

Thailand Sightseeing Weekend #2: Temples and Tuk Tuks

I had big plans to get up early to see Wat Arun, the "Temple of the Dawn" while the sun was rising...but when the alarm went off at 5:45am, I decided that it just wasn't going to happen today, and rolled over for another hour of rest. 

I did eventually drag myself out of bed and caught a taxi to Koa San Road while there was still no traffic. Because it was still early, the infamous street was still slumbering off the hangover from the night before, which doubtless had only come to an end around the time my alarm woke me up. Sometimes I really feel like an oddity among the usual Thailand tourist crowd!

I wanted to get in as much temple sightseeing as possible, including Wat Phrakaew & the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and a few other places further down the river if I had time and energy. 

Though the day started off looking like it might rain, it soon turned to the typical sweltering heat I am still trying to adapt to. It is difficult for this Canadian to accept that 25 degrees celcius is a cool night time temperature. 

Strolling down a main road, I stopped to read a corner street sign to figure out where I needed to make a turn, and was quickly approached by a well-dressed, friendly Thai man, whose English was much better than most. He greeted me, and asked where I was going, and did I need help? I said I was looking for the Grand Palace, and he pointed me in the right direction, and asked if I had a map so he could show me. At this point I was foolishly still thinking that he was just being helpful, and that quickly switched to a realization that he was a typical scam artist that my Lonely Planet guide book had warned me of, when he told me the temple wouldnt open until 1pm, but he could reccommend a few other places where I could spend my time until then! This is a trick where they whisk you away to various overpriced places where they pressure you to buy a lot of things and basically hold you hostage for a couple hours. 

He whipped out a pen and started marking down attractions on the other side of town that were "only free today", and "just free for students," and wasn't I lucky because right now there was a once-a-year festival, "but only today"! I thanked him and said that sounded nice but it was very far away. He quickly stepped in to say that I could take a tuk tuk, one of the colorful go-cart lke mobiles that have infested the city, charging horrendous prices to ignorant tourists. The 'Nice Man' said I should only take a government taxi because it was cheaper, "only 20 Baht for 3 hours! It will take you to all these places!". I may be cheap, but even I know when something is TOO cheap. 20 B. for 3 hours is absolutely ridiculous, and I had spent enough time with this fellow so I began to extricate myself from the situation. His friendly smile soured when I deffered on the waiting tuk tuk, and said I wanted to look around first. "But why dont you want to go now? You hear about that bomb that exploded in Bangkok? Killed many tourists! There is a political demonstration today, very dangerous for walking!" (absolute rubbish). He was quite angry when I insisted on leaving...I walked to the end of the street, crossed to the other side, and then continued on my way to the Grand Palace!

I did eventually find my way there, and surprise surprise...it was open! In fact, it was packed with tourists, mainly big chartered busloads of Chinese tourists, who are undoubtedly the most annoying kind I have ever encountered. I will try not to focus too much on just how much I disliked the swarms of self-stick toting, personal-space invading, culturally-insensitive, and obnoxious tourists, but suffice it to say that I spent a shorter time there than I would have otherwise, and left with a headache that was almost certainly crowd-induced. 

However, the temple was absolutely stunning, and I tried to get some photos that captured some of its magnificence. I tried to imagine how wonderful it must have been when it was a calm, peaceful place for meditation and reflection. 

After reviving myself with some coconut ice cream, I walked down the road to Wat Pho, which was a visit I preferred quite a lot more. While stll touristy, it was not super busy, so it was not difficult to wander and snap photos without waiting for someone to take yet another selfie. I spent quite a lot of time there, enjoying the peace, admiring the huge reclining Buddha, and trying to entice a small orange cat to pay attention to me (I am going through Lokers deprivation). 

After this, I walked a tourist gauntlet of small vendors, tuk tuk drivers, and beggars, to reach the canal of the river, upon which Wat Arun, my original choice of temple, is set opposite. I was dissapointed to find that the beautiful temple is currently under restoration, and almost entirely obscured by scaffolding! 

Disheartened by scams, tourist hordes, and the unrelenting heat, I tried to find a taxi that would bring me home. I was completely unsuccessful, as every single one I approached refused to use the meter, instead asking for 200-300 Baht for the trip, that was probably worth half that. I compromised with myself by instead catching a taxi to the nearest BTS Skytrain station, and then riding that to the stop nearest the guesthouse, and walking the rest. Sometimes I wonder if I am too cheap, but then I remind myself I have more time than money, so if it comes down to one or the other, I should keep the money! 

So that was my day! I got home exhausted, took a cold shower, and had a nap! Looking through my photos, I remind myself that even though there were annoying aspects about today, everythiing was very beautiful, and I knew Bangkok/Thailand would be like this. That is why I have planned to move on after this month :)

I allowed myself one selfie.

I am excited to go to Cambodia, but my tourist time in Thailand is not done yet! Next weekend I am hoping to head out of the city with the new volunteers to explore a Unesco World Heritage Site, and visit a floating market! I'll keep you updated! 

2 weeks In

Hard to believe it, but I am already 14 days into my 6 month adventure, which also means I am halfway through my current volunteering experience.

When I am planning out my trips, one month of volunteering always sounds like a really substantial length of time, but then once I get there I realize how quickly it goes by. Its only now that I feel like I am starting to connect with a few women at the center- there are 3 sisters that speak English, and I have been spending the lunch hour with them. Its been interesting to hear their stories, and learn about what their future holds. They are such warm and generous people, warmly welcoming me to their little circle, and eager to share their food with me (even though as a volunteer I am provided with a large lunch, they keep pushing me to eat more! "Try this! Have you ever had this before? Have more!"), and even insist on washing my dishes (today I told them it was my turn haha!). It is humbling to know they have so little and still share everything with someone who is basically a perfect stranger to them.

Another woman sells cold drinks every day. She keeps a small cooler of ice, which she scoops into disposable plastic cups and tops up with your choice of bottled beverage- I  choose the sweetened coffee, which is delicious and hits the spot on these sweltering afternoons. She speaks a little English and is very friendly (she is the one who taught/tried to teach me how to dance!), so I like to meander over to her corner after lunch, order a coffee, and then use it as an excuse to chat with her. She says her husband speaks English fluently but doesn't like to talk in English with her because she doesn't have the same level of proficiency, and he gets frustrated.  I told her I am happy to help her practice as much as she wants! I have learned a little about her past, and we talk about her little boy who was in my class while I was teaching last week. At first she would charge me 20B. for my drink, but today when I handed over the usual bill, she gave me 10B. change, and then offered me a free refill after. I think I'm making headway on our friendship ;-)

As far as the work goes, I am still working up a sweat in the stockroom, and I actually really like it! I help with filling orders to ship away, go on almost daily trips to the post office to send them off, and lately I have been organizing to my heart's content, and taking inventory. Apparently I am going to learn their computer system next week so that I can enter in the data I am compiling, and on Saturday I am going to help run their booth at a local charity bazaar.

This is not exaclty the type of work I was expecting to do, but I know that this is the help they need right now, and I am enjoying the practical hands-on nature of it. Maybe I'm not on the "front lines", but hopefully this will contribute to the overall success of the project.

In other news- 2 more volunteers are arriving tomorrow! I'm pretty excited to have roommates here at the volunteer guesthouse, and partners in crime for exploring further afield.

On Sunday I am hoping to see some of the sights of Bangkok, so check back for some photos after the weekend :)

Weekend Reflections

Today has been pretty chill for me. Sunday is a quiet day in Bangkok relatively speaking, and for once there is no disruptive orchestra of construction noises outside my bedroom window.

I have been feeling a tickle in my throat the last couple of days that turned into a definite scratch this morning. Combined with a busy week of volunteering, and a day-long sensory overload at the Chatuchak Weekend Market yesterday, I was feeling a little worn out, and decided to spend the day at "home", resting. I did get the chance to chat online with my parents who will be celebrating Thanksgiving with the family tomorrow. I love Thai food, but the thought of a delicious turkey dinner does get my mouth watering!

On Thursday I started my work in the sewing center at the Fatima Center, and got to know a little more about it. This is a Catholic organization run by the Good Shepherd Sisters, which strives to empower local women to gain dignity, respect, and independence. The nuns who run it are really wonderful women who are compassionate, firm, and funny. The eldest is an Irish woman likely in her late 70s or early 80s who probably told old age to go away, she was too busy to put up with it. Evidently it ran away with its tail between its legs, because this woman does not look like she will be stopping anytime soon! She also speaks Thai fluently, and no one messes with her! The other sister that I have worked closely with is a Thai woman who speaks English very well, and she coordinates all the volunteers. I have found her to be friendly, funny, and kind.

The women working at the sewing center come from all kinds of backgrounds. Some are refugees, others are elderly or disabled and have no one to look after them, some are single mothers, and others are seeking an escape from the sex trade.
At Fatima, they are provided with free childcare and an opportunity to learn skills to earn a fair wage from dignified work. They learn to sew many different high quality products, and these are sold at fair trade prices locally and overseas in countries like Australia, Ireland, and the USA.

There are quite a few women, maybe 50-60 or more, and they seem very happy at Fatima. It is quite a community, and its nice to see them laugh and joke around at lunchtime. They are so friendly, and invite me to eat with them and share their food, even though only a few can speak English, and my Thai is as bad as it ever was. After lunch sometimes they play music and do traditional Thai dancing...they even taught me how (or at least I tried to learn. I'm not very coordinated!).

I have been helping out by doing small tasks for the sewing projects like cutting, tagging, hand-sewing, trimming, etc. and I have to admit I much prefer the peaceful repetition and practical tasks to the chaos of the kindergarten classroom! Doing these small things may not seem very important, and in and of themselves they are not. But spending time with the women, having small conversations, getting to know them, and showing them that people care is a small way I can contribute to the project. I may be teaching English later on, I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I would like to, as Ithink it would give them a practical skill and also give me an opportunity to get to know them better.

I always find volunteering abroad to be so humbling. Sometimes I just feel like a guilty white person trying to make myself feel better about being born more privileged. Sometimes I am acutely aware that there is so little I can actually do to help. I am fairly useless. But I try to do what I can, and learn how I can do better. Hopefully this will make a difference to at least one person.

Day 3, and I'm Ready For A Vacation!

I should have learned by now that even when you think you know what you've signed up for when you volunteer abroad, nothing goes to plan!

Monday was my first day at the Fatima Center, a community outreach run by the Good Shepherd Sisters of a local Catholic Church here in Bangkok. It is surprisingly large place, and I'm not even entirely certain if I've seen even half of it. There is a large school, a kindergarten/preschool, and the women's center for women escaping abuse and seeking help with unplanned pregnancies, where I expected to begin helping this week.

I arrived with two staff members from Friends For Asia, the organization that is hosting me. When we met with the sister in charge, she told me that there were some new women settling in, and it would be better for me to start there on Thursday. Until then, could I help out in the kindergarten and teach English to the kids?

One day I'll write a long post about volunteering abroad in general! I have a draft sitting around since last January when I spent 4 weeks volunteering at a home for girls in Peru. But basically, one thing I have learned is that you just have to roll with it, and do whatever you can to help!

I don't spend a lot of time with children, especially really small ones. I find them a bit intimidating, to be honest. They are so loud, and unpredicatable! One minute they're crying, then theye're laughing, then they are hitting someone, and then they're jumping on top of you...

So there I was, suddenly thrust into a classroom of about 20 small children of greatly differing ages (my inexperienced guess would be a range from 3-7), with the teacher looking at me like "now they're your problem".

I am not an ESL teacher. I'm not a teacher of any kind! And I certainly don't know what to do with a rowdy classroom of little kids that speak a different language. However, I never know what little kids are saying to me anyway, so it really did't feel all that different from my usual interactions.

I grabbed some books from the corner, and we practiced the ABC's, and sang Old McDonald Had a Farm, and The Wheels On The Bus...a few old favorites, by the sounds of it. They espcially liked when the Horn On The Bus Goes Beep Beep Beep!

It was chaotic, and loud, and overwhelming. But the kids are funny and cute, and when I got home that night (with a raging headache), I was able to do some preparation for the next day so that I couldd avoid that awkward moment of standing in front of them with my mind drawing complete blanks on what to do about the whole situation!

We praciced opposites (up, down, hot, cold...they love actions and funny faces), and words for emotions, action words, and sang If You're Happy And You Know It (for the following verses I made up whatever came to my head...its amazing to me that I actually don't know these songs beyond the name of it).
Today I prepared a lesson on shapes and colors, and I came armed with 2 different coloring pages for them (personally hand-drawn and then photocopied. Why thank you, yes I am so artistic and teacher-y! Thank you, thank you very much). They LOVE coloring! What a lifesaver.

Usually no activity lasts for more than 10 minutes before they lose interest and its on to the next thing, which I panic to set into motion before total loss of attention!

Luckily, there is more than just lessons. I arrive around 9-ish, after they've already begun, and then take over until about 10:30. Then they have some play time until 11-ish. I help set up lunch by placing the dishes on the table and chasing away pesky pidgeons who would like to eat too. Then I make sure the kids each find a seat (about 70-80 in all, I think) when they come in, and continue pidgeon duty for the remainder of the meal. After the kids are finished, they take their dishes to the back (to be cleaned by hand by one of the teachers) and brush their teeth. Meanwhile I help another teacher to wipe tables and benches, and sweep and mop the floor.
After cleanup, we eat lunch (purchased by another teacher from somewhere outside the compound) in the classrooms, watching over the kids who are supposed to be sleeping on straw mats on the floor. They, of course, do not wish to sleep (I would love to trade places with them!). There is lots of pinching, tickling, whispering, fart noises, coughing, giggling, etc., until the teacher shouts at them to be quiet. Eventually they do fall asleep, and I have spent this hour and a half entertaining one little girl who never naps (the teachers have just accepted it, and let her go about her business), and an older girl who is the daughter of one of the other teachers.
After nap-time, the teachers brush all the little girls hair and re-braid it...those that know me well are probably giggling to themselves picturing me braiding little girls hair. It is another gaping hole in my qualifications as a Thai teacher.
After this, the kids get a snack, and then its back into the classroom for more English lessons with Teacher Jill!

 They do not respect me AT ALL when it comes to discipline. In fact they usually completely ignore me when I tell them to behave, or else they just smile and continue merrily on. Again, not much different than kids at home. I am not a very threatening figure, apparently!

I am ok with this for the most part, mostly because I take it to mean that I am nothing like their teacher, whom I also fear. This woman is terrifying. I am sure differences of what is culturally acceptable account for much of her behaviour (such as physical discipline, ie: hitting children/smacking their palms with a ruler), but she also has done a few things that made me feel sick to watch, such as taunting and humiliating certain children in front of the class. It is hard to know what my place and role are here, so I don't know what to do about it. Its one of the really hard parts of working in a foreign culture. Even when kids piss you off, they are still just kids, and I hate to see authority figures abuse their power.

On a happier note, the kids really seemed to warm up to me today while I was playing with them. It was supposed to be a "sports day", but the rain really picked up right before we were going to head out, so we all played inside. They are really sweet kids, and were so thrilled just to throw a ball, play clapping games, sing songs, or read a familiar storybook. They love being tickled, being captured by a falling "London Bridge", and impressing me with how much English they already know.

There is definitely a part of me that was sad to wave goodbye this afternoon, but another part of me is deeply, deeply, relieved!!! I honestly do not know how I would survive an entire month of what has occured in the past 3 days. I feel like would need a heavier dose of extroversion in my blood to cope.

I am also excited to see what my placement in the women's center will be like. I find it much more enjoyable to interact in smaller groups, and to be able to work with a hopefully longer attention span (rather than struggling to get 20 children to sit in a circle for more than 2 seconds).

I'll report back on the weekend!

The Big Bangkok

The weekend is nearly over...I begin my volunteer placement tomorrow! What have I been up to in the meantime?

1. Thai Language Lessons

It was less than a year ago I started my Spanish lessons with Proyecto Peru in Cusco...what the heck makes me think my brain is capable of learning another language now?? Well, its just part of the curriculum for one thing, but I also really enjoy it. Yes, its a struggle, and I tend to forget things immediately after hearing them, but learning a language really does make a huge impact on being able to absorb a culture and travel experience. Thai is fascinating, because it is a tonal language...one word can have several meanings depending on intonation. I struggled to get my "maa" sound right in order to say "I am from Canada", instead mistakenly saying "my dog is from Canada". The trouble is it all sounds the same to me...Its going to be interesting once I start braving the streets with my new-found vocab!
Fun fact: I blurted out "Gracias!" to my server at the restaurant. Apparently my brain has registered I'm in a foreign country, it just hasn't realized that Spanish is of no use here.

2. Tasting Thai Food

I'm sure you are all well aware of my love of food. Its one of the best reasons to travel! Yesterday the staff took me to a fancy Thai buffet to sample the country's cusine...it was wonderful! I really tried not to eat too much, but it seemed like there was always one more thing to try! How can one resist the tastebud-tempting flavors of coconut, ginger, lemongrass, sweet basil, lime, peanut, spicy chilies, and garlic? What is not to love? I've even gotten adventurous with seafood, sampling squid, mussels, prawns, and various fish. I still don't love it, but I'm giving it a fair chance.
I also tried some interesting beverages...there was a sweet coffee-like iced drink that I really liked, and today my new friends handed me a takeaway cup filled with ominously black liquid and weird jello-y tapioca filling. It wasn't terrible, and it was nice to sip on something cold, but I can't say I'm a fan.
The sweets have been interesting. I tried a warm vanilla-flavored soup with tapioca balls in it (also not a fave), sweetened baked pumpkin covered in a warm cinnamon-spiced coconut milk sauce which was surprisingly delicious, crispy sugar wafers filled with marshmallow and sweetened, deep-fried slivers of egg yolk, and a coconut macaroon-type square. Its nice that most things are prepared with a rice base so I don't have to worry about the gluten issue too much.
Fun fact: the staff were convinced I had told them I was allergic to "weed", not "wheat". It was a pretty hilarious moment when this misunderstanding came to light.

3. City Sight-seeing

Yesterday we visited the Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram Temple (I despair of ever being able to pronounce that), which was really beautiful. We even got really lucky, because it was the last day of a festival there, so it was an extra unique experience!
The 3 saff here at FFA are all locals, and practicing Buddhists (at some level, anyway), so they took part in some interesting rituals, including buying a beautiful bamboo "giftbasket" filled with fruit, rice, and water, attaching banknote, and then writing a prayer on a piece of paper to deceased family members. This prayer and basket are intended as offerings to the family member, and are given to a monk, who reads the prayer on behalf of the the giver, and takes the basket (which is then resold to the next person).

The other ritual was the purchase of some river snakes in a plastic bag, which are released back into the river after reading a specific prayer. The snakes are symbolic of good luck. You can also purchase small turtles on behalf of deceased family, or fish for protection against evil.

The festival also brought food vendors. Since we had just eaten, the most I tried was a free sample of a pork skin puff. Like a pork-flavored styrofoam peanut. Yum.

Today we did a different kind of sight-seeing...we visited some huge shopping malls! The Siam Paragon was massive, high-end, and elaborately designed. We quickly moved on to the smaller, cheaper nearby mall where I purchased some basic shoes that will be appropriate attire for my volunteer placement. I got my first glimpse of typical Thai tourist souveniers, and maybe its a good thing that I have no room in my backpack because I instantly wanted to garb myself in nothing but those infinitely comfortable-looking pants and dresses.

Fun Fact: both Cusco and here in Bangkok, the locals are so proud of their shopping malls and can't wait to show them off. Generally speaking, I try to avoid malls, and they are definitely not something I seek out when I want to experience a new country and culture. No matter where you go, malls all seem pretty much the same.

4. Sweating profusely

It is so hot here. So. Hot. Its like the entire city is a low-setting sauna...sweaty and humid. When I got off the plane and took my first breath of local un-air-conditioned oxygen, it felt like trying to inhale something solid. The heat is like a steaming wool blanket enveloping you at all times.
I am dying. And sticky. And my hair has gone completely feral.
Fun fact: the staff have been complaining of how cold it is, and they are wearing scarves and sweaters. All I want is to stand in the cold shower all day.

5. Getting Over Jetlag

My internal clock is slowly readjusting, but I've still been waking up around 3-4am, and feeling exceptionally weary at 6:30pm. Its going to take time. Jumping ahead 14 hours wreaks a little bit of havoc on a person.

Well, that's all for now! I'll check back after my first day of volunteering :)

Day 1

As those on Facebook have already deduced, I am safely installed at the volunteer guesthouse in Bangkok (unless you count my recent encounter with a very large and nimble-legged cockroach which rapidly approached me from across the kitchen table).
After my lovely parents drove me all the way to Vancouver airport on Wedneday evening, I departed on a 2:20AM flight to Tai Pei, Taiwan, which lasted over 12 hours. By the time we boarded I was so exhausted I literally fell asleep during take-off...yes, the most turbulent part of the flight. I remember nothing of it. Fortunately, my slumber lasted for a good portion of the trip, and I watched Jurassic World and listened to an audiobook for the rest of it.
The wait in Tai Pei was only a few hours, and then it was only another 4 hours flight after that to Bangkok. It was about 12:3pm local time when I arrived and met my contact from the volunteer orgnaization, but I was feeling preeeetttty tired at that point.
The drive from the airport should only have been 45 minutes long, but was nearly twice that due to traffic, and then it started raining....now I know what typhoon season means! The thunder and lightening haven't stopped, and the rain is incredible! Our road is a river of muddy brown swirling water. I'm not sure what my "walking tour" orientation is going to look like, seeing as we are scheduled to leave in a few hours! :P
So far I havent done much, as I unpacked and showered when I got here and then basically fell asleep instantly. I woke up very early local time and listened to the rain coming down.
Today I get some Thai language lessons and hearing more about how things work around here. I am currently the only volunteer (at least until 2 weeks), and I'm not entirely sure what my role will be.
Looking forward to doing and seeing more as the week progresses!

Beginning the Next Adventure...

Today is the day I step into Vancouver Airport once more, and head off into the unknown!
I'm nervous, excited, and...nervous! As per usual.
I never feel very brave when it comes time to actually leave my country (and comfort zone). I haven't slept well for the past week, worrying about things I'm forgetting, thinking about just how long 6 months is, and wondering how all the logistics will come together. I always get like this. I get the stomach willies when I start counting down the days, or hours.
Sometimes, when I start thinking about how I don't know anyone, I don't speak the language, and I don't know the culture, and I'm going to have to do all this learning and adjusting, and its going to be so exhausting, its hard for me to remember that I actually enjoy this!

This old North Face Terra 30 pack has gone with me everywhere...
though technically it is 30L, like Hermione Granger's bag it has magical properties
that allow it a certain "wiggle room". I can't believe how much fits in there. 

Much like my struggle to exercise regularly, getting out the door is the hardest part, and it will feel great once I get out there! I know that I will have a great time, be challenged, meet new friends, and go outside my comfort zone again, and again. I know that I will be glad I did this, and it will be a great adventure!

Bangkok, here I come!

A Last Ditch Attempt to Get the Travel Bug Out of My System

When I planned my South America trip last year, I intended for it to be a productive hiatus from studying, which would also scratch the travel itch that had been worsening. I was supposed to hit the books again come September.
But...you know how it is. When you scratch it, the itch gets worse! By the time I fly back into Canada in April, I was pretty sure my semester-long break was going to be extended.

I worked my usual cooking gig in the treeplanting camp for the spring and summer, visited lots of relatives and roadtripped down to the Oregon Coast in August, and now its September!
What have I been doing? Researching, planning, making lists, and shopping for new gear. What for? Well...

As of today, its official- in just over 2 weeks I'm heading out on another backpacking adventure!
I will fly into Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on October 2, and begin my travels through Southeast Asia that may last as long as 6 months!
Like my trip to South America, I am traveling solo and hoping to do some volunteering, treks, and tasting of the delicious local dishes!

So far my intinerary includes a month of volunteering in Bangkok, hopefully meeting up with some contacts for a local's-eye look at Vietnam, chilling out in Laos, popping over to Myanmar/Burma for a glimpse of the country that has only relatively recently become tourist-friendly, another couple weeks exploring the rest of Thailand, visiting Angkor Watt in Cambodia, tasting the wild variety of street food and outdoor adventures in Malaysia, and flying to the Phillipines for some sweet, sweet beach time! I don't know all the details yet, but I am pretty excited about everything, and I know it will be a crazy and awesome adventure!

While I'm not making any promises, I am hoping that I will maintain the blog a little better than last time seeing as I've purchased a new Samsung tablet which, unlike the last device, is compatible with Blogger (and Skype!!!). I have also ordered a keyboard for it, which will make typing up a blog post much faster and less of a nuisance than tapping away on a touchscreen. I should also be able to upload photos to it, so it will be awesome to share some visual updates on the road! 

Now to figure out which vaccinations to get, how to vote when I'm away, purchase travel equipment without blowing the budget, and all that fun stuff... :)