| Elephant beggars and fishfishfish! October 16, 2001 Six weeks ago, my time in Thailand began with a bus accident. I had just crossed the border from Laos four hours earlier, and the lights of Khon Khaen were just ahead, when we crashed into a car! I was sitting at the back by the open door and had the best view for the scary lights show, sparks, flames and smoke everywhere. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and I got my first dose of Thai culture when another bus pulled up twenty minutes later...we all paid again to get into the city! Three hours later, my friend Roel and I were mesmerized by a street-side dance competition (haven't seen that much glitter since the theatah, dahlings...) and almost got run over by an elephant! By the time we noticed him, there was nothing to do but hold our breath and watch mouths agape as he passed, brushing our noses with his side, and a flashing red light on his tail! Working elephants are not the norm anymore, tragically, more often you see elephant beggars at the market. That's right. Elephants begging for food. Onto Bangkok. It's been interesting to watch the progression of transportation since this trip started. In China everyone is on a bicycle. In Laos, there are scooters. In Bangkok, it's super cool motorocycles, and everyone is wearing a full helmet and screen, or at the least, a cotton mask. Pollution. It's unbelievable, hanging in the air, thick like fog. I've been walking around like a cowboy (or Grace Kelly, depending on my mood) since I arrived! But hey, it's Bangkok! The Grand Palace is right up there with one of the most incredible man-made sights I've ever seen. All the palace buildings and surrounding temples are covered in glass tiles, millions of tiny pieces of ruby, emerald, sapphire making intricate patterns, birds, demons, flowers...Also visited the largest standing Buddha in the world (well, when in Thailand...) I went to a Thai kickboxing match, and you won't be surprised to hear that I was the one who went home injured. First of all, I stopped traffic when I sauntered into my section, which turned out to be the caged-off section for the frenetic betting. I was the only foreigner and the only woman in the place. Whoopsi! Anyway, a few fights into the action, one of the boxers got knocked out and everyone jumped up and grabbed the wire in excitement. Well, when at a Thai kickboxing match...The jade ring I had bought in Laos managed to shatter and suddenly my finger was a magnificent fountain of blood. I think I got a picture of the guy on the stretcher though, so it all worked out...Oh! And I went to the snake farm, where they milk snakes to make anti-venom, and I had a King Cobra around my neck. Hmm. Okay. A snake around my neck. That's cool. This is okay. Wait a minute, he's getting tighter, getthisthingoffmyneck!! And I went to a sex show. Yup. Next I headed to Katchanaburi, home of the infamous River Kwai and the Death Railway. Did I see the River Kwai? I slept on the River Kwai baby! In a fabulous floating bungalow, complete with hammock, for only 50 baht! Beautiful sunsets and riverboats with karaoke! I am home. Next to an orphanage school just north of Katchanaburi, called Moo Baan Dek. It was founded twenty years ago, and now is home to about 150 kids, ages two through seventeen. There are about forty staff, who not only teach, or have an administrative position, but live with the kids in houses of ten to fifteen people. The purpose of this school is to give these kids the chance to overcome the traumas they have already faced in life, provide relevant education, and teach them to become fully independent. The results are empowering, and sometimes hilarious. Every night I had dinner with a different house. Watching five six-year-olds make dinner for ten people...well, hey, when it's made with love... Next, enlightenment at a three day meditation retreat just south of Bangkok. There were about 35 Thai people there, mostly women, three monks, a South African guy (Hi Hans!) and me. You know you're at a meditation retreat when you wake up at 4:30 am and the first thing you say is "Oh shit! I'm late!" Except that you don't say it, because you're not supposed to be speaking. The hardest part about the retreat was the physical aspect. Hours of sitting lotus position, emptying your mind, when your mind is silently screaming "If I don't stretch in the next twenty seconds..." Fortunately at the point of insanity, you could switch to walking meditation...five minutes to walk about fifteen feet. Long story short, I didn't gain enlightenment, but I do have an exhaustive list of shopping to do when I return to Canada... And the highlight of my time in Thailand...paradise that is Koh Tao! I wanted to learn to scuba dive, and learn I did! In fact, I am now an Advanced Open Water Diver! Tadah! This little prairie girl was bug-eyed and mouth agape! You just would not believe the world that is down there, all the time, while we wander around up here in our little land bubble. I can't explain the serenity and peace and magic of being down there! You can't really see much at first, but as you descend five metres, ten metres, shapes begin to emerge, then the colour, then the fish...thousands upon thousands of fish! Beautiful coral, Christmas Tree Worms (they flower on the coral and snap back into themselves when you flash your hand), angel fish, clown fish, little electric blue fish who seemed to find me tasty, parrot fish, stingrays, huuuuge groupers (I mean one metre long huge) angry trigger fish who are territorial and enjoy attacking...And these are the small things. Whale shark season is starting soon, my friends. Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet. They average six to ten METRES long. That's just the diving on Koh Tao! I haven't mentioned the seafood (I ate seafood everyday...it's good to have goals!), the sunsets, my very own private beach (well, okay, there was a girl reading there once), my very own hammock, and the very great group of people at Dive Point who shared their love of diving and Sangsum rum with me. I also headed out to the infamous Full Moon Party, but I have to tell you, I'm getting old. A full moon, a dozen places mixing out their very best beats, beautiful sand, five thousand of my closest friends...and I only managed to dance for six hours. But the Indian feast I had with friends before we started was the stuff of legend. THAT is what slowed me down! Anyway, it was all good, except that my shoes were nabbed within thirty seconds of arriving... I finally pulled myself out of Koh Tao's embrace yesterday. I'm now miserable in Banagkok with a cold and an infected foot. I dream of Koh Tao, where the only job in life is to listen to the sound of falling coconuts and brag about how deep you got. But tomorrow at 7 am is on to new adventures, namely the wonder that is Angkor Wat in Cambodia... I hope every one of you feels a little Koh Tao today! back to pictures home |