A Lump of Earth

 There is an old saying, “To build a hill, a lump of earth has its own value.” This can be compared with a traveler. Each step contributes and has its own value. To complete the building of one hill, it has to depend on the first lump of earth. To reach the end of the journey, it has to depend on the first step.

 Every piece of art is priceless. Some have become world treasures and adored by art lovers. They seem to have no nationality, no religion, and no limit in time. Only art has bestowed the refreshing spirit on human beings up to the present day. Therefore, we should give more serious thought and interest in art.

These two excerpts are taken from the “objective” statement for the Muang Boran Thai Cultural Center. Muang Boran is a 320 acre site that has 116 replicas of historic temples and monuments found around Thailand. It was the life passion of a Thai business man. It took around 50 years to complete. It is magnificent. Some of the ancient monuments and temples around Thailand are over 2000 years old and house remnants of Buddha after cremation.

(Don’t) Clean your plate!

There is rarely a meal not accompanied by a traditional Thai sauce. These blends generally consist of generous amounts a fish sauce, chopped garlic, diced chili peppers, sugar, and lime juice. A tasty treat if you like it pungent and spicy.

Likewise, there will always be rice, in some form, served with every meal of the day. There are rice noodles, sticky rice, rice soup, fried rice, rice deserts, and standard white rice. There is always more rice, and food for that matter, than could possibly be consumed.

Of the places I have traveled, Thai’s take the cake when it comes to eating. It seems that most Thai people think of food for most, if not all, of the day. Not only during meal time, but throughout most of the day, conversation generally revolves around future meals or snacks.

So I just didn’t get it…how are Thai people not the fattest people on the planet? Before I could even finish my last bite, there was always food dished on my plate. It seemed my plate was never empty.

“Chan im,” (I full) I would say, over and over and over. But the food just kept coming. It seemed like we always had enough food to feed a small village.

Today I realized I was in jeopardy of having to move the next hole on my belt. I just couldn’t figure it out. So I cracked open my Lonely Planet travel guide, a priceless tool when traveling to any country, to do a little research on eating in Thailand. Ohhhh…now I get it!

Turns out, Thai people will leave food on their plate. And most of the time food is also left on the table. In restaurants - a gracious host always orders more than the party can possibly consume. It is Thai culture; the more food left on the table at the end of the meal, the more generous the host! To clean your plate may be an insult!

And this whole time I was trying my damndest to finish my plate - just like my Mom always told me!

“Clean your plate. There’s starving kids in China you know,” She would say.

Now I know why the dogs always get all the good left-overs!

The Hills

No internet in the hills around Sankampang means my blogging will suffer.

My time has been spent working on the property and eating lots(and lots)of SPICY Thai food. I can already feel one month is too little time to fully absorb the rural culture.

I will cook a pasta dinner tonight, my first home made western food since I arrived.

Again, I am in a room full of boys playing internet games, so I will not let my hosts suffer any more than they have to...

Sawadee

Good Timing

Quick Facts:

The Mekong River is the 12th longest river in the world, and the 10th largest by volume of water. Half of the river winds through China before entering Laos.

The muddy brown river was reaching its lower levels due to the dry season being well under way. During the rainy season the Mekong will swell to 14 km wide near the mouth.

Our four hour trip in the chartered long-boat, approximately 40 feet long by eight feet wide, was a treat. The moutains jut straight up from the river banks. Small terraced farms and huts spatter the mountain-side.

Currently there are no dams across the Mekong, but not for long. Laos has approximately a dozen dams planned, and China a half-dozen in the works. China will build its second largest dam, behind the record breaking Three Rivers Gorge project. Laos hopes to produce enough hydro-energy to supply most of Southeast Asia.

We are lucky to experience one of the last untamed great rivers in the world - good timing.

Bang a Gong

At exactly four (am and pm) the air over Luang Prabong is filled with a rythmic musical pattern which resonates over the town and river valleys. The sound is magical.

There are over 30 temples in the little town, and each has either a large drum, bell, or gong. In the morning, the monks use the symotanious ringing of the instruments as an alarm clock. Chants and prayers can be heard drifting through the streets shortly after followed by the alms rounds. (collecting food and gifts from the lay people) Monks stricly survive on donations.

When exploring one of the many temple grounds I saw a young monk in orange robes, laid back in the shade, gently puffing a smoke. But hey...it may have been a donation.

Today we have hired a river boat for a trip up the Mekong to scope out some rural life only accessable by foot path or water.

Luang Prabong

It's a quick and easy flight from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabong on Laos Airlines. A $200 round-trip flight and a five dollar taxi ride deposits you into the town of about 26,000 surrounded by mountains. If one choses not to fly, you can take a two day boat ride down the Mekong River from Northern Thailand.

Unlike Thailand, which has proudly never been colonized, Laos was controlled by the French around the time of WW II. The French architecture in this quaint town is being restored due to a recent boom in tourism. The town is also filled with beautiful working temples. Monks in orange robes are commonly seen roaming the streets and river banks.

The little town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a gem. The relaxed atmosphere and quiet nights contrast many tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. The communist government does not allow the business owners stay open after midnight.

There is much to see and experience at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers. But today, I am just hanging out at my guesthouse and the Morning Glory Cafe, owned by my friends Jason and Joy. They specialize in good coffee, fresh squeezed juice, American style breakfast, and Thai food.

The pace is slow in Luang Prabong as many travelers use it as a place to recharge before heading to future destinations. I had better go and join the crowd.

Say What?

Sawadee krup,

It was my last night in Bangkok. I carefully packed away all of my belongings to be sure nothing was missed. We were to leave at 8 a.m. Still recovering from jet-lag I tried to get to bed early, even if I could not sleep.

I could hear the city awakening when I rolled my suitcase to the car; it was finally time to head north. But I was a bit surprised that Samrit and Jiemjai were moving slowly, in no real hurry. But this is Thai style, I thought to myself.

"What is this for?" Samrit said looking at my plump suitcase sitting near the car.

"Pai Chiangmai," (go to Chiang Mai) I proudly said in Thai - I was really getting the hang of this.

"No...No...Go to Chiang Mai tomorrow." Samrit said.

Oooops...guess my Thai isn't so good after all.

Turns out we had a great day visiting Muang Boran, an amazing 320 acre cultural site that hosts replicas of the famous Thai temples and ruins. But that's for another post when I get my pictures.

So alas, one day later, we have made it Chiang Mai and the mountains of the north. The weather is perfect, the mountains are green, and the sky is blue, not shades of grey as in Bangkok.

Time is short since I must find the travel agent to get my ticket to Laos. More posts to come...

Sawadee

Look Closely and Bow-Down Stranger

On my first trip to Thailand, my early impression of the local people was - first, they all look alike - and second, they are all so friendly.

In general, most all Thai (and Southeast Asian) people are relatively short, have dark black hair and deep black eyes. To a “farang,” or westerner, the subtle differences in physical appearance from one region to another is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish.

To me, it closely relates to living in the desert Southwest in the United States. Initially, the desert seemed to be a baron wasteland where everything looked the same, brown. But the longer one experiences the unique desert landscape, the more intricate details tend to pop-out of nowhere, exposing a unique beauty unlike other geographical locations.

On my trip to the Palace of the Emerald Buddha the same thing happened, I began to recognize the various faces and languages of tourists from Japan, China, and Vietnam to name a few. And of course when you see a Brett Favre jersey, you can make an educated guess…

Irregardless of appearance, Thai people are known worldwide for their kindness and smiles. Thailand has been coined “The Land of Smiles.” Farangs, or westerners, visiting Thailand quickly learn a polite greeting for successful integration into bustling cities or quiet rural villages.

THAI 101: When greeting, or upon leaving, Thai people put their palms together in a praying position and bow-down, lowering their head to show respect. This gesture is accompanied with the phrase “sawadee.” This same polite gesture is used when meeting close friends, or strangers at the market. So, when visiting Thailand, bow-down stranger.

Long Live the King

Thailand is considered a Constitutional Monarchy, although it seems those two words should be reversed. The King and Queen are sacredly honored in the Thai Kingdom. Around every street corner, on much of the currency, and in nearly every Thai business and home you will find a picture of King, many times larger than life.

On Dec. 5, The King had his 80th birthday party. The celebration was one of the biggest Thailand has seen in over 700 years as a sovereign country. Driving back from the airport with Samrit and Jiemjai, we took a detour past the royal palace, which is decorated and lit with thousands of white lights for the occasion.

Oh...if I could only post my fabulous picture...;)

Consistant Inconsistancy

When I do my trademark skip-trowl drywall texture, I attempt to create a pattern of consistant inconsistancy. If done properly, the drywall texture simply blends together without capturing attention in any one place at any one time. There is a method to the madness that, in the end, works together brilliantly. Such is traffic in Bangkok.

One of the most amazing things about Thailand is the acceptance of imperfection, a Buddhist philosophy. The roads in Bankok, and every other city or village in Thailand, seem to use the same concept. The lines on the roads, street signs, and traffic lights seem to be more of a suggestion than a rule. And if on a scooter, the direction of travel also seems optional. In a city approaching 9 million people, it is one of the most beautful things I have ever seen, heard, smelled or tasted. The pollution, mixed with endless street vendors cooking pungent Asian cuisine, make the experience something very special. A diamond in the rough.

The patience of Thai motorists is simply remarkable. Nothing seems to phaze them, not even the bus drivers. When traveling back home today from the Palace of the Emerald Buddha, I was in awe of my driver. In possibly the worst white-knuckle traffic I had ever seen, the smile never drifted from the bus drivers face while he held down a conversation with a friend hanging on to the handrail beside him as we weaved and bounced down the city street. NASCAR is a Sunday drive in comparison.

My time in Bankok has been again, amazing! I would struggle if I tried to put it all into words, so I would prefer pictures. Unfortunately I took my PC laptop which does not contain the software for downloading photos. So...for the handful of people who may read this blog, my pictures will be uploaded when my software arrives from the U.S. in about 2 weeks, when Jirapat arrives.

Untill then, I am bound to the internet cafes and tapping away while the kids, averaging about 9 years old, scream aloud in excitement while playing online video games. I am simply a drifter passing through there domain!

Journey to Thailand - Day 2

It is day two, thanks to the international dateline, and I am just less than halfway to Bangkok. Currently, I am cruising at 36,000 feet crossing over Siberia which is giving way to the Sea of Okhotsk. The temperature at this altitude is a brisk -67 degrees. Distance traveled, 5378 miles.

Doing around 550 mph out of Atlanta, our Boeing 777 headed over the Great Lakes, through the heart of the Yukon, skirted the polar ice-cap north of Nome, Alaska, over the East Siberian Sea, on its way to the islands of Japan. I tap away at my laptop with four hours left in the 14 hour stint. Luckily, the plane is merely half full and I have been able to sprawl out on three open seats while watching the little TV mounted on the back of the seat ahead of me. I can't imagine a better stoke of luck at this moment.

Next stop - the Tokyo International Airport (Narita)

Journey to Thailand - Day 1

For 70 million years, the continent of India has been shifting towards Asia. The collision of these two land masses has created the highest mountain chain in the world, the Himalayas. They are still growing higher and higher with each passing year. In the heart of these mountains, on the Tibet and Nepal borders, lies the sacred and sought after Mount Everest. Traveling to the east, the mountain chain slowly loses elevation traveling through Bhutan, Bangladesh, Eastern India, and Myanmar. At the eastern tail-end of this massive chain, in Southeast Asia, lies Thailand.

My first visit to Thailand, in 2002, was a life-altering experience on the opposite side of the planet. It was then I experienced a culture only before seen in mesmerizing television documentaries and in the National Geographic magazines, both of which valiently tried to capture the ancient culture. To experience the sights, tastes, smells and sounds of Thailand transports the seeker through remnants of an ancient Buddhist culture clinging to a golden past in the grip of hard-marching westernization.

As I left Thailand in 2002, my mind was quickly consumed with my inevitable return to the "land of smiles." Now, cruising over the Pacific Ocean, five years later, at an altitude slightly higher than the Himalayan peaks themselves, I begin my 27 hour journey back to the Buddhist stronghold.