Goodbye Thailand

I would have been sad that my time in the country I have come to know so well the last 3 months is over, but looking back I realize how lucky I have been. I have had so many authentic relationships and memories that will carry on with me forever, I got to experience life first-hand of a hill-tribe village, celebrate the new year with my host family, spend a month in crazy Bangkok, and about two weeks floating around the islands of the south. The last island I visited, Koh Phi Phi, is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen- It will take some work to try and top that place! Plus what got my mind of leaving the country was when I was at the airport- I went and checked my email for one very important message..... I am happy to announce that I have been accepted to the University of California Berkeley!! My hands were trembling as I went to check the status and as I waited for the page to load I felt like the whole world stopped- so much of my time and energy has been focused on getting into this school. When the page finally loaded it read: Congratulations! I jumped and hollered with excitement and everyone stared- I didn't know how to say in Thai that my life just completely changed.

In Koh Toa I met an Irish guy on the boat over who was doing the scuba course as well- we shared a room which ended up saving both us us alot of money plus we both went out to the bars together at night to meet people. It was such an amazing 4 days! I'd get up early to watch the sunrise and eat breakfast by the water then walk along the beach to my diving school where there we would head out on a boat and dive in some of Thailand's clearest waters. Scuba Diving was everything I thought it would be and more, the feeling of weightlessness was incredible. The marine life displayed every vibrant color of the rainbow and I got to see so many different species of fish and coral and swim through a cave where there I saw a white-eyed eel. We ended up going to 18 meters which is about 55 feet- the pressure of the water that far was very strong but we learned how to keep your body equalized. There were 6 people in our course: Me from America, 1 from Ireland, 1 from Austria, 1 from Holland, and 2 from Germany. Everyone was very friendly and out going. Our instructor was German would say things like, "Puts zthe regulator in your mouse, somesing like dat" haha It was like having Arnold Schwarzenegger as your teacher. I am now certified to dive anywhere in the world up to 18 meters!

After the diving course I took a boat to Koh Samui where I stayed for just one day. I met some Thais at the Full Moon party and I exchanged numbers with Ao, one of the girls I met. We kept in touch and she told me to come visit her because it was her friend's birthday party. We had so much fun! Her and her friend Ita showed me around the island and then we went to the party where there were about 10 other Thais and we ate incredible seafood and drank whisky. It was so much fun trying to communicate with them and take part in one of their celebrations! After the birthday party we went out to one of the clubs until late in the night and ordered hookah.

The next day I was painfully tired but was able to sleep on my way to Koh Phi Phi. When I arrived on the island, my eyes grew wide- I've never seen such a beautiful place than this before! It was paradise and I didn't want to leave. The next morning I work up early and took a day tour that took me around the surrounding island on a boat full of fun people that blasted reggae tones. The sights were amazing and the boat would stop off at points for us to go swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking. One stop was called "Shark Point"- you had to swim about 300 feet to get to it but once there the water was invested with sharks! It was so scary but they said there was no worries about the sharks so I did my best to follow them and take pictures. Then we stopped off at Maya bay-the famous place where they filmed the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio. It was so beautiful but way too many people.

After the tour I sat on the beach and watched the sunset- then I went and got a tattoo! I've been planning it my whole trip but wanted to get it done at the right place- and that place was Koh Phi Phi. There was a variety of places to choose from but I picked this small place that was actually just a bamboo hut and not a big store. I got a traditional bamboo tattoo- it took about 3 hours and I got a basic design but love the way it came out. It was really hard to communicate with Bom, the guy who worked on me but it was a fun process- he was happy that I could speak some Thai because he couldn't speak English. After the tattoo was finished he invited me to hang out with him and his friends. It was such a fun night hanging out with 4 Tattoo-loving Thais. It was a really great end to my time in Thailand and I will remember that experience the rest of my life! As for the tattoo I got "Thailand is Totally Cool" written across my chest.... just kidding- you'll have to wait and see it in person.

My last day in Thailand was spent in Bangkok- I had an early flight the next morning so had to stay near the airport. It was great because I called my neighbor I knew from living here and him and I went out to Lava- a big club on Khoa San Road. It was a really fun night. The next day I was off to Hong Kong. I was arriving on a public holiday so I made sure to book a room well in advance. From the airport I took a but to my hotel and walked my way through the very busy streets with all my luggage. After some looking around I found the place and it was in a very strange building with sketchy security. I got to the front desk and asked to check in. I didn't know what I did wrong but I ended up getting kicked out of the hotel... haha I've never been kicked out of somewhere like that before. I already paid for the room online so I had to wait for a refund which made the owner even more angry. It turns out he was just very stressed out and his place got over booked. That left me to look for a new place with no reservation. The only open room in the city was going for $250 American Dollars!! no way. I ended up finding a cheaper place but couldn't check in till after 10 pm. I had to deal with all my luggage, it was quite a pain. When I booked my ticket to Thailand I was so excited I didn't think much about how visiting an expensive city for 4 days after not working for 3 months might not be such a good idea. haha oh well I am here and my credit card will have to just take one for the team- I have a reason to celebrate, I got in to Berkeley!

I'm off to walk around this crazy huge city and try to avoid spending too much money. At this point I am very excited to go back to Ocean Beach- I have many things to look forward to this summer (like my family visiting! whoop whoop!) and plus I need to get back in the the real world and work alot this summer!

Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan

I have been to many full moon parties on Black's Beach in San Diego but this one was no where near the same experience! There were over 4,000 people on Haad Rin beach and the party did not stop until about noon the next day. There were people from all over the world on this beach all here to party the night away. It was almost confusing as to if I was still in Thailand anymore because no one was actually from this island. The bungalow I was staying at that night was farther away so I had to take a boat to get to the party- once we turned the corner to the bay that the full moon party was my eyes widened- it was one huge carnival! The boat dropped a group of about 20 of us off in the shallow water and the rest of the night was spent wondering around and dancing at one of the many dj stations. They had clubs set up along the beach and I hopped from one to the next, each one having its own style of music and crowd.

The party was very intense and required a day of recovery to get back to the normal pace of life. However, I was so glad I made it to the party- it was something I'll never forget. Southern Thailand is quite a dream- the landscapes and beaches are unreal. Everyone around here is traveling and it is very easy to meet people to travel with because someone is bound to be going to the next place you want to go. I have to say that I think I like the north better. I liked being the only faraang (westerner) around and plus the pace of life was slower. Down south it is all vacationers living large and prices are way higher.

I left Koh Pha Ngan this morning and made it to Koh Tao. I started my PADI open-water certificate to scuba dive this afternoon and start diving tomorrow! I have been looking forward to this point of my journey from before I even booked my plane ticket! The water around this island is very very clear with an abundance of marine life. I'm ready to hit the water!

Here are a few pictures from Cambodia..... I loved Angkor Wat so much- I had the biggest nerd smile on my face the entire time I was there! haha

Happy New Year!

After Mae Hong Song I treaveled to Chiang Khong, a border town between Lao and Thailand. I only had a couple days to be in Lao before I had to be back in Chiang Mai and a visa to get in the country was about $45 so I didn't go to mainland Laos but I did go to an Island that is considered Lao territory (it was incredibly cheaper!) I rented a motorcycle and went to see the Mekong river. I hired a boat driver to take me around the river and to the island of Don Sao (Lao) for a half day. When I got onto the island I was offered a shot of whisky that was aged in King Cobra- whisky seems to be the common theme of this trip. The cobra was supposed to help you with fortune and health so I tried it! The island was cool and I was really glad I got to take a mini trip on the Mekong river. I got to ride along the border of Lao, Myanmar, and Thailand all in one trip. After that I rode along the Mekong river on the Thai side until I came to Mae Sai about 40 miles north of Chiang Khong. With songkran coming up, every little village I passed through would through would trow buckets of water on me- it was refreshing becuase it is extremely hot this time of year in Thailand! I came to Mae Sai to venture into one of the large caves in the area. I came to Tham Lot and there were 13 people there. One person who rented out gas lanterns for 30 baht and 12 monks. I borrowed the gas lamp and headed into the cave- it was huge! After about 15 minutes I was actually freaked out because if that lamp went out I would be stranded, as the cave stretched over a mile into the rock. Then I heard voices coming, it was the monks! They came to show me around the cave. They only spoke Thai and I didn't understand what they were saying but it was such a crazy experience. The walked through the cave with only candle and most of them were barefoot. At points in the cave we had to crawl on our hands and knees to get to the next opening- I felt like Indiana Jones!

I then headed back to Chaing Mai for Songkran. This is the Thai new year and it is on April 13-15 every year. The tradition started off as younger Thais sprinkling water over the older generations hands as well as the monks to refresh them for the new year and wish them luck. Today, however, it has become the world's biggest water fight! You walk around and everyone has a bucket in their hand that they toss at you. There is no way of avoinding the water. When I arrived in Chaing Mai at the bus station I had my bags with me and had to walk to the center of the city to a hotel- on the way I got completely drenched! I was very nervous about my camera and laptop but I wrapped everything several times in plastic. For 4 days you would just walk around the city and get completely soaked. I met up with my host family on the second day and stayed with them another 2 days. It was quite difficult trying to meet up in one agreed destination when there is such a large language gap but I was really happy to see them again.

After the madness of Songkran I started my venture south and visited Khoa Yai national park. It is known as South East Asia's best national parks and I camped out in the wilderness. I got to see two different species of Gibbons (hanging monkeys) and about 6 hornbill birds with wingspans of over 10 feet! The next day I hitch-hiked my way 30 miles out the the park and headed to Cambodia where on the bus I met this cool girl who was ready for an adventure. Instead of taking the bus like tourists we hopped into the back of a pick up truck and made our way 5 hours to Siem Riep to visit Angkor Wat along a rough dirt road. We woke up before sunrise and headed to the temple to watch the amazing lightshow from the sun. I think seeing Angkor Wat may be the most amazing part of my trip so far! It was incredible to see the site where some much history has taken place. Cambodia itself is way less developed than Thailand so I felt as if I was in India at points. We spent the day visiting all the surrounding temples and stayed until sunset. From there we hid in the jungle until they lit up the temple to avoid paying the large entrance fee. I snapped a few photos then we were escorted out by the police.

The next morning (today) I hopped on a bus and met a friend to travel to the islands of Thailand. First stop, Ko Phan Ngang for the notoriously large full moon party. My time in Thailand is going quick so I will update when possible but am trying to soak up every minute! I am of on an overnight bus trip in 2 hours to then take a 3 hour boat ride to the islands. I've worked very hard so far on my trip so now I am on vaction and am going to get some rest and relaxation.

May 1st, I am off to Hong Kong!

Oh the places you will go.....

So I've been absent lately, but it is because I have really been out of city life. Living in the mountains has been wonderful, I loved waking up to roosters before dawn every morning to watch the sun rise over the mountain peaks with the rustling of pots and pans and birds singing in the background. The whole village would be waking up and getting ready to start their business for the day. But first and most importantly, you must have breakfast with your neighbors. "Na mon!" I hear my host mother yell and that means it's time to eat.

The family I lived with really opened up to me and made me feel so comfortable living with them. I guess my volunteer program was to send me to a new village every week and I heard the other villages were larger so I decided to stay in Pha Nok Kok. I found it very interesting to slowly put together how everyone was related and learn more and more everyday about life in a hill tribe. Plus I became really attached to the children I taught every day. I loved to see them around the village and have them run up to me screaming my name. All the parents appreciated that their kids enjoyed me being their teacher. It was a great volunteering experience as it was really up to me what I brought to the community.

I would ask my host family if I could stay another week and they responded (I had to have someone translate this) "You can stay one more week, one more month, one more year, or the rest of your life. We consider you part of our family and want you to learn as much about our Hmong village as you can. We may not have large amounts of money but what we do have are large hearts- you are welcomed to stay." Everyone else in the village would say things to me like, "After you stay here for about 2 months you will be able to speak Hmong fluently", or "When you come back to visit us we'll have to work on building a house". I felt very comfortable staying in the little village up in the mountains. However the 3 weeks was up and it was time to leave and see the rest of Thailand. I ended up up staying longer because I was invited on a road trip with one of the families( see below) The village knew that I would be in Chaing Mai for Songkran (the Thai New Year) and they said, "It would be a shame if you were so close and we didn't get to see each other again" haha so I am going back to visit them in a week. It's cool because now I have friends to celebrate Songkran with- it's supposed to be the world's biggest water fight!

Long story short I kind of went out on a date on the last full moon with Ya, the other teacher at the school. She invited me to the nearby Buddhist temple that was celebrating the new lunar month and they had a mini carnival with games, music, bands, dancing, food, you name it. It ended up just being us two walking around together, it was a lot of fun! Since then I have been eating dinner with the family and even helping out in their garden (farm). She was the one who really pushed me to stay longer and she always was inviting me to new things. She even invited me on her families road trip- I am really glad I went because it ended up being a very unique event!

Her older brother Imbla (the one in the picture) has been married for one year and in the Hmong culture this is a very big deal. The man is to throw a party of honor the event for good luck for his future. The father of the wife is to re-name the husband and give his 2 names instead of just one. We went to Chaing Rai (about 5 hours north of Pha Nok Kok) to pick the wives' family. There the celebration started. We brought 2 chickens from a local farm to offer to the wives family, and then we prepared them for supper. Imbla took one and I had the other and I learned how to kill it, drain the blood, de-feather it, clear out the organs, then cut it up for cooking. It was kind of crazy but it made me feel better about eating meat if I do all the work and not just buy a package at a store. After we prepared the chicken Imbla had to stand up in front of the family that was sitting at the table and they kind of did a "roast" on him where each person would say something about him and he would bow to them. When they all spoke the wive sat next to him and the parents offered them each two small glasses. I asked Ya what it was and she said beer- but it was clear so I knew it was just a miscommunication. Then the family motioned me over and gave me 2 glasses as well. I threw the first one to the back of my throat and no it wasn't beer- it was homemade jungle whisky (thai moonshine)! It burned so bad and then I had to take the next one right away. This was the only drink that I had in the whole 3 weeks of being in the village (well besides the glass of "wine" my host brother gave me that was really just fermented strawberries). After the drink they called me to the table and there I sat with 8 men until late in the night and we finished the jug of whisky that came from a clear plastic bag- not from a bottle bought at a store.

Before going back to Pha Nok Kok we went to the nearby border of Thailand and looked into Lao and the Mekong river, the views were amazing!!

Back in Pha Nok Kok was the big celebration. It started at 6 am Sunday morning with the killing of a cow, which was Imbla's offering to the village. The one who killed it only was aloud 3 hits for moral reasons- they laughed and handed me the ax telling me I had to do it- I told them that I'll get the next one. Any vegetarian would have had a nightmare for sure- I was even shocked. After cleaning the cow the feast began as the first thing cooked was the most important part of the meal: by eating this it is for good luck and cures all you of your sickness. It was the cow's penis. The offered me a piece and it was painfully chewy, it took about 20 minutes to eat. I was grossed out but just went with it, they offered me a beer and a shot of whisky to go with it. By 9 am I already had a buzz going. Being a guest in town they always want me to try everything, haha that becomes painful when whisky is involved. From there we ate the each of the 3 stomachs, the heart, the throat and the tounge. That was followed by a raw meat spicy salad- it was delisous!

The main event was the father offering the new name and it was brought on with a 3 hours ceremony of sitting at a table with 20 other men. The oldest sit on one side and the younger sit on the other to learn the process. It was a celebration that included about 15 half glasses of beer each to cheers and drink as a a group and then each of us had to stand up and give a speak to Imbla. At the end the new name was given, the wives father kept "imbla" but added Va to the beginning. His new name for the rest of his life would be Va Imbla (Fortune Ring). It was a great event and I am so glad I stayed in the town to be a part of it instead of leaving early to travel on my own!


So yeah, in the last post I mentioned that I haven't gotten sick yet. Well I Jinxed myself because 3 days later I got hit- hard. I thought it would only be a 24-hour job but it lasted longer, it was horrible to be so sick with out the comforts of a toilet or bed... haha but that's life in the village. Out of all the crazy things I have eaten I think it was this canned fish I ate for lunch, it didn't taste right going down and hours later was when I got sick. I only ate organic food from the village from that point on. I took the medicine for traveler's sickness and it worked within hours. Thankfully it did because the day I started taking the medication was the day I had to sit on a bus that had no bathroom for 6 hours so that I could make it to the border in time as my visa ran out.

I decided to go into Myanmar (formally known as Burma) when my visa ran out and I ended up staying there for 3 days. About 5 people told me not to go because of what they have read or heard about the country and I think that made me 5 times more excited about going- I was always the "red button" kid. If someone told me I couldn't do something because it wouldn't work out- oh I would put all my energy into proving them wrong. That is what my trip to Myanmar was. I didn't just cross the border and head back, I went 100 miles into the center of the Shan state to a town called Kengtung, it is the capital of the "Golden Triangle" and it was a village that has over 85 different ethnic tribes living in the area. It was a 5-hour bus ride through gorgeous winding mountain roads that followed a river. I was the only foreigner on the bus and was worried everything wouldn't work out but it did. In Myanmar they has a whole different language, currency, government, and way of life- it was such a cultural adventure! I loved it!

Being the only tourist in town it was easy to find a place to stay and I ended up hiring and English-speaking guide to take me to visit a couple of the nearby tribes. I am fascinated by smaller indigenous tribes so my favorite one we went to was an "En" animist society of about 98 people, each family would have typically around 8-9 children (not all of them were expected to live past 10 years old). The shaman lives in the center, or "heart", of the village and makes all the decisions. This society is afraid of water because of the spirits that live within the liquid so they avoid it whenever possible. There was a bamboo water system that ran through the village where in the center was a post where 3 times a year they would sacrifice a chicken or dog to the water spirits. It was an hour ride on a dirt path on the back of a motorcycle followed by a strenuous 2 hour hike up the mountain before we reached the village. This was no tourist hot spot! We walked around the village and was invited into one of the locals huts. The older locals all had black teeth- it is a tradition to blacken the teeth by chewingg tea leaves so that their teeth wouldn't be white like dog's teeth are. The believe dogs are not friendly and eat dog very commonly. They say that it keeps them warm in the winter and they believe it cures them from malaria. The women prepared lunch for me and into the hut I went. After just getting over being sick I was worried about eating the food because of the sanitation, but the medication worked really well so I eat with them. For lunch we ate raw mustard plants and rice noodles mixed with potatoes and peppers. It was such an interesting meal, I couldn't help but just look at everything around me with me jaw almost on the floor. I didn't think that people still lived this way but I was so happy to encounter this village! They were completely self-sustaining and didn't rely on outside help. Hidden in a little nook of a mountain I wondered how much longer this village would last before being taken over.

While in Myanmar I visited a few Akha tribes and one very small "long-neck" Paudang village. I headed to Mae Hong Song to visit larger long-neck villages when I left Pha Nok Kok- the hill tribe I was living with. The bus ride was 8 hours in a very small bus- being tall is a disadvantage in Thailand, I barely fit in a seat that was meant for two! It was well worth the trip because the views were amazing! In Mae Hong Song I rented a motorcycle and went out to visit the nearby Long'necked" tribes. It was so great to sit down and talk to them! The picture with the two women are mother and daughter. They fled Myanmar 14 years ago because of the ethnic conflict that was occurring. They are happy in Thailand but do miss their old village. The mothers coils weigh over ten pounds! Despite what many people say, they will not die if they remove the coils. Their necks are not actually longer, the coils just push down the shoulder blades into the ribs. The practice does not have a large impact of their health but I did notice that most of the women had a lower toned voice.

After living with the hill tribe village I feel comfortable being the only western in town and learned how to try and communicate even if there is a language barrier. Afterwards I road that motorcycle all around the mountains weaving back and forth around windy roads- it was so great!

Ok I have to go catch a bus- I'm heading to Laos today, it's going to take about 12 hours.