Becca & I camp at Doi Inthanon

A series of mass transit stints puts us in Chom Thong, more than half way to our destination. There, I ask various local folks with pick-ups if they are going up to the park, hoping to avoid the 300 baht price tag from songtaus that ply the route. I track down a piece of cardboard & buy a marker. Stooped over my sign I feel a tap on my shoulder, looking up I recognize a local man, perhaps a hill-tribe member, one that I had propositioned earlier. Smiling at me he asks, "Doi Inthanon?"
"Yes." I sputter & run to find Becca. Minutes later we are piling into the back of the pick-up with uncle, two young boys, a spare tire, various food provisions & a live rooster, mom & dad in the cab. There are stops along the way, one is to pack the back with 14 boxes of milk, which changes the seating dynamics. Our ride takes us to the park entrance where we get another back of a pick-up ride to HQ; here we rent a tent. It rains at night & the next day.
Next day in the rain, we pack into a gracious family from Bangkok's small vehicle (Becca soon loses all feeling in her right leg)& we head up to the summit of Thailand's tallest mountain. The peak of Doi Inthanon is part of the same mountain range running up into Tibet where it rises as the Himalayan range & Mt.Everest. The summit is cold, windy, rainy & socked in with fog. Great, no panoramic views, no far-off horizon, no expansive sky above. The same thing happened to me on N.America's highest point, Mt.Whitney. At the nature center we hook up our next ride down the fog shrouded mountain out of the wet cold. As we make our way back to Chiang Mai the sun & humidity makes it hard to imagine our butts were freezing a couple hours ago. -TLC

Oct. 29

On our camping trip to Doi Inthanon (the highest peak in Thailand). We shared the back of a pick up with the two boys in the photo.

FREE 2 B Hair-free!

What I like about Thailand

I like the thunder & lightening storms which are accompanied by heavy downpours. I like how it's possible to turn a skeptical look into an accepting one with a nod & a smile. I like how young & old alike acknowledge you with a wai (pronounced why) which is a slight bow of the head with hands in a prayer position just below the chin. Here, I like the easy-going atmosphere of "mai pehn rai" which means no worries. I like the International Insect Museum, in Chiang Mai, maintained in person by the small gregarious Thai man, who is the founder, & how he makes a point of greeting you to tell you something of his life's work in Malaria research. I like the elephants, who's spirits are the soul of this land. I like getting around the city on a motorbike, as crazy as that can be at times. I like how the value of a commodity is based on what you're willing to pay buoyed by the lively exchange of acceptability set by the merchant's bottom line. I like the noodle stands on the street because I can get a meal for under a dollar. And I like looking around me & seeing the distinct characteristics of a new land that tell me I'm not in Kansas. -- TLC

Ocotber 21, June Bing's Birthday!

My mom is a champion camel rider. In Thailand, it's all about elephants. Here's to ya, Mom! Thanks for the inspiration!

some Chiang Mai wat (temple) photos

Here are some temples (wats) in the Chiang Mai area where we are living.

Tony & his spice, Reclining Buddha, riding a tuktuk

October 12 brief update

Yippee! We have been unable to blog at our place of residence, and I have finally arrived at an internet cafe in the "Old City" (the oldest part of Chiang Mai that is surrounded by a moat)to make this attempt. Tony and I are doing well and are starting to feel adjusted. We were NOT big fans of Bangkok, where we stayed for the first four days--too huge, dirty, crowded. We are not cityfolk in general, and Bangkok is ALL city! We did take in some sites, but were happy to leave for the north. Our room at A-Nine Boutique Guest House (sounds fancier than the reality of it) is our first place together & we have established routines of attempting internet use, washing clothes, making oatmeal for breakfast, catching world news on TV, reading, sketching (Tony)& writing, and boning up on how to teach English as a second language. Class is way kick-back, as we are the only students & our instructor, Stephen, is a gentle, easy-going soul. There may be teaching positions open for us in one school here, otherwise we may be located just outside of Bangkok for a few months before a possible university gig in China. We'll see!
During the last few days I have enjoyed some discoveries in the area, which makes me excited for more. We can use the guest house bicycles to get into town which is great. My first Thai friend is a monk named Sanan, who approached me at a temple eager to speak in English. We had a wonderful chat (for and hour & a half), and it's possible that we may exchange language lessons. Yesterday, while Tony spent 8 hours sketching native Thai animals at the zoo, I road up a big mountain to check out a large temple, Wat Doi Suthep. I enjoyed taking it all in: the rituals, all the gold buddhas, the bells, the many houses of prayer (that's what I am calling them until I know otherwise). People flock from all over to climb the 300+ steps to the temple grounds. If we stay here, I may sign myself up for a meditation retreat there.
Yes, the temp is rather steamy hot here, and so is the food (feelin' proud of myself as I have already graduated from "no spice" to "a little bit"--I don't want to try to write that in Thai, as I will butcher it). Tony is a stud with the spice! Thailand does not seem to be a hard adjustment, and we are eager to see & do more.
I DO have photos to load onto this blog space, but they're on my computer & that has been challenging! So, hopefully soon!... Just wanted to let you know how it's starting out for us, and to wish you all well. Hope you are all enjoying your own life adventures! Oh, and here's to our next president, Obam-aahhhhh!yah!
I send my love . . . Becca