#10 Asia Update - Safe arrival to Bangkok Airport

You will be relieved to hear (certainly we were relieved ourselves) that we are at the Bangkok airport, checked in and through security, marking time at the gate - due to depart for Seoul in just over an hour. The day played out very smoothly, due in part no doubt to the highly visible cadres of police and military folks. Demonstrations continue, but thankfully not at the airport.

So it's home again, home again, this time for sure - at least for 18 of our original 33 total participants. Rowan was the first to leave us, heading home a week or so before the rest of us -- and we said goodbye to Colin and Jared and Janine in Dharamsala. Fortunately, we did NOT have to say goodbye to Brittaney and Alex in Delhi, except temporarily. It got much more difficult to continue the parting of ways tonight at the Shanti Lodge, saying goodbye to 10 of our college group and John (who will catch up to us tomorrow in the US, along with Alissa and Sophie). The groups have become family, and it was a scene full of hugs and a few tears as we separated, even for the short time before we run into each other again on that side.

We look forward to seeing those who'll be there at Seatac to welcome us home - and we'll be looking for future re-connections with our extended tribe, I'm certain.

Blessings and gratitude to you all,

Peg

#9 Returning To Home and Family

And hello again

All is relatively quiet, and we are sticking close to home, but not expecting any difficulties getting to the airport tonight. Staff have made a few forays to check out the scenes of the protest firsthand, and also the situation with traffic in general -- and with extensive police presence, all appears calm and under control. We will of course continue to monitor the situation, and report any difficulties (at this point, no news from here on will be good news!).

It's hard for all of us to digest the reality of our imminent return -- and I know we'll all work at processing the wealth of input we've taken in these last 2 months, for some time to come. With limited time before I need to take another action step, I'm going to cheat a bit and copy below a good portion of the "last email" I sent to parents and friends at the end of last year's trip. The end-of-the-trip reminders and recommendations remain pretty constant from year to year, though I promise to read through the pasted in portion and edit to make sure it applies this year. Time is just racing by now, yet I do know it's helpful for some to hear about what's below. So apologies to those parents of HS students on their second trip; some of this will seem pretty familiar:

Here are a few tips from past experience about helping the travelers re-adjust to what's "over there," perhaps a bit more relevant to the high schoolers' processing, though hopefully also helpful for others:

1. Communication. You will all, I'm sure, want to hear lots of detail about your dear ones' experiences. Some students will want to chatter away immediately; others will find it hard to put so much they have been through in words. It's impossible to predict who will handle this how - but the best advice I can give you is to be patient with them, whether they choose to talk right away or not. And to ask specific questions - not the oft-heard from those who aren't as close to them as you-all are, "How was your trip?" or even "How was India?" etc., but better, things like: "Tell me about Shivaratri;" "What did you like best about your time in Dharamsala?" "What did you think about what the Karmapa Lama had to say?" and so forth. Use some of the specifics I've given in my updates to home in on specific questions. You may still get brief, "It was fine" kinds of answers, but over time, I'm sure they will be increasingly able to elaborate. They all need time to process the incredible amount of input they've received - remember, one of the intentional goals of the trip is to so over-stimulate them that they can't possibly process it all, something that leads to a necessary re-ordering of their thinking, a new framework within which to locate a wealth of powerful and diverse experiences. This takes reflection, and time - many of the most meaningful lessons the trip has to serve up won't be grasped until weeks, or months, or in some cases years after they return.

2. Health. We've had the usual number of minor illnesses this trip, mostly upper respiratory and of course gastrointestinal. The air quality through the plains of northern India is always poor and challenging to the respiratory system, something initially exacerbated by the shift to the mountains and breathing the relatively thinner, though much cleaner, air there while moving more vertically than horizontally through town and its surrounds. In any case, most everyone has had at least one bout of stomach distress, and almost everyone has had at least a cold. All seem recovered now, though all will still need rest and simple, healthy food before they are feeling themselves again. None of the illnesses have been serious. If you would like more specific input about your child, please feel free to call me after I am home (360-378-5829).

3. Diet. Most everyone will want to dig into foods they are used to at home that they haven't been able to eat here - especially dairy foods and red meat. But because they haven't been eating these things for a long time, and they are challenging to the digestive system in any case, PLEASE help them resume eating this stuff SLOWLY. If they go for a big hunk of beef, or a lot of cheese and ice cream, etc, they will, I promise you, suffer for it. Another major goal for many will be fresh salads - and again, these can be harder to process, so help them see the value of working that back in to their diets slowly. As much as they would all like to take a break from rice and other soft foods, they need to make a transition, and should continue eating at least some of what they are now sick of, while slowly adding what they have been missing.

4. Sleep. They will all take a while to get back on West Coast time. They will be wide awake in the middle of the night, at least for a while, and unable to keep their eyes open at odd times of day. A while back, someone told me that a good rule of thumb for jet lag recovery (always worse, by the way, coming from West to East, against the sun, rather than the reverse) is that it will take approximately one day per time zone crossed to get back to sleeping and waking at the "usual" times - and my own experience has verified this many times. We cross 9 or 10 time zones coming home, and it usually takes me that many days to recover. Young people may snap back more quickly, but as with other things above, there really is no predicting how your particular child will work through this. Exercise helps - but again, a slow resumption of activities they may be used to performing with ease at home, things that may be frustratingly difficult for a while after return.

5. Reverse culture shock. Just as adjusting to Asian cultures has been challenging at many points along the way for all, adjusting to the "same ole, same ole" of home has its challenges. Insights and appreciations gained during the trip take time to find a place in a new way of seeing old things at home. Many will be overwhelmed by several aspects of American culture - a common experience is disgust at our overly-consumptive, wasteful society. A trip to the grocery store, and the confrontation of the amazing amount of what's available, over-packaged, and in multiple varieties/choices, can be hard to take early after returning. Sometimes assessments of our way of life get terribly judgmental. These experiences can be depressing. In some cases, even more depressing will be the resumption of old habits - kids find themselves buying back in to ways of being they now see as greedy and insensitive, and then get down on themselves for doing so. The pendulum swings - but it will find it's balance point eventually.

6. New-found independence. This one is particularly relevant to the highschoolers' experiences. They have in fact experienced themselves as capable, independent operators in the world - they know they can handle a wide variety of challenges, because they have managed themselves through so much. So it can be hard to accept old limits - curfews, communication about where they go, who they're with, when they expect to return, etc. This does NOT mean that you should exempt them from all those reasonable expectations - just realize that they will want to be credited with how much they have gained and grown through all they've achieved during this trip. They have, in fact, "grown up" a good deal during the course of this trip, and they've all begun to think of themselves as more mature than they were. Find a way, if you can, to grant them additional freedom - as long, of course, as they continue to demonstrate the concurrent and necessary responsibility we all (though not always teenagers) understand must go hand in hand with freedoms and privileges.

Obviously, if there is one common thread to all of the above, it's the importance of being patient - with them, and by them. Realize that if and when they get cranky and frustrated, it will be a temporary thing. So many good things have been achieved by each and every one of them, and they need to be given, and to give themselves, credit for what they've achieved. And for the high school parents: know that there will be individual conferences with each of you, during which we will go into much more detail about your child's performance on the trip. In the meantime, and for parents and friends of the college kids, do feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

It's been a great privilege to accompany your loved ones on this most profound and transformative of journeys. Thank you again for all that you have done to make it possible.

Most gratefully - and Sawadee-ka,

Peg

#8 Asia Trip Reassurances

Greetings - and reassurances

Both groups are now safely out of India and nestled in to the Shanti Lodge in Bangkok. I plan to send a last email update later today -- but am sending this now, in case any of you are monitoring the situation with the "red shirt" protests in Bangkok. Please know that we are paying close attention, sticking to home base, and planning for using alternative paths to the flight tonight that most of us will be taking home. The college students planning to stay a bit longer are in a strong position to simply ride out what may unfold in the next day or two. We will certainly let you all know if there is any cause for concern. At this point, after consultation with many local friends, it looks like our departing group will be fine given careful selection of our route to the airport tonight.

To be continued,
Peg

#7 Asia Update

Just so you know...

All trekkers have now returned, safe and happy about their accomplishments. Weather cooperated, though served up some drama as well. Most students are either just returning from or going off to homestays today - reports from those who have been out for at least one night are excellent. Another great "immersive" experience for all.

Today's focus has been on Tibetan Uprising Day - a stirring talk by HH the Dalai Lama at the temple this morning, followed by a peace march to Lower Dharamsala that many of our students participated in. The photos will be remarkable - lots of beautiful Tibetan flags - in hand, draped on shoulders, on t-shirts, painted on faces, everywhere.

It's hard for us all to accept that we just have two days left here in Dharamsala. It will be tough to start down the mountain Friday afternoon, on our way to Delhi and then to Kolkata and then to Bangkok and then home again... for most of us. But as Ted always tells the trekkers as they depart for the high places -- once you start down the mountain, you're really on the way home. (as in "it's all downhill from here" :>)

Students are wrapping up work on their projects, helping with our slum improvements and other service projects, getting those last minute gifts for friends and family, eating one last time at a favorite restaurant, etc. Doing what they can to maximize the time remaining. All are healthy. We've certainly come a long way, all of us, in so many respects. We remain grateful for this amazing opportunity, and for the contributions our students have made to the people and projects we've developed connections with over the years. You can be proud of your friend/son/daughter - we certainly are!

Thanks as always for your support!

Blessings and gratitude,
Peg

#6 Asia Update

And again, Greetings

I've got just a few minutes before a meeting, but wanted to let all know that we continue to do quite well -- all are happy and healthy, enjoying the cleaner air and wide variety of healthy eating available here in Dharamsala. Students have been engaging in different service projects - teaching English to newly-arrived refugees and ex-political prisoners, painting walls and tables for the preschool "school" in the slum project our monk friend Jamyang and his Tong-len organzation helps (we also designed some latrines that the students will be building for them next week when the college group picks up where the HS students left off), picking up garbage with an early morning group that goes out daily. And they've been hearing different perspectives on the Tibetan situation - from the Tibetan Youth Congress, HH's Govt-in-Exile's Department of International Relations, and from GuChuSum, the organization that helps escaped political prisoners adjust to life in exile. And they've each been on various trails in pursuit of their individual research projects - learning tons, making friends, exploring and growing.

The college group left yesterday morning on their trek - a gorgeously beautiful, sunny and clear morning that was preceded by a day of hard rain that gave them all pause as they considered the trek to come. But that day ended with the most amazing double rainbow, centered right above their trek destination spot, Triund, another couple of thousand feet above Dharamsala -- a great omen, as we all agreed at the time. After seeing the group off on the roof of a restaurant with a view of the entire Dhualadhar Range where they had a hearty breakfast to sustain them through the morning, Ted and I traveled to Lower Dharamsala with the highschoolers, who spent the day working at the slum. It was a great privilege to be bringing Jamyang's group a substantial donation to help with their work, and to be sharing the earnest intentions and hard work of our Spring Streeter with them. For us, one of those most amazing of days -- I'd guess it felt that way to all of our students as well.

So all continues to be well - we are all learning, growing, contributing -- and so grateful for the opportunity to do so. Thank you all for your support!

Best wishes,
Peg

#5 Asia Update

Tashi Delek!

I haven't much time before a student meeting, but wanted to catch you up to our groups' respective whereabouts, and reassure you that we are all quite well -- thriving, in fact.

The college group arrived in Dharamsala yesterday, after a universally-enjoyed stay in Amritsar, heart of Sikh culture and its amazing Golden Temple. This morning they all rose early in order to get a good seat at the Dalai Lama's temple courtyard to hear His Holiness' teachings on the Jataka Tales (teaching stories/parables of Buddha's past lives). They are settled in to their rooms, and beginning the planning for pursuing their research projects in earnest tomorrow.

The high school group had a truly incredible experience in the Thar desert on their camel safari. 28 k's the first day. (Our host, Vikram, had said: "10 k's easy, by 20 k's it gets a little hard."). Camping out in tents or under the stars in the dunes, after a day spent in the brutal sun (only just tolerably mitigated by hats and layers of sunscreen) that began with a visit to the Rat Temple, and breakfast in the desert while watching the steady arrival of the camels. Wonderful to observe the students as the reality of what was coming sank in. I hope family and friends get the stories direct, as there are plenty to tell.

After that first day, Ted and I returned to Bikaner, to deal with some ridiculous paperwork, and prepare to join the college group in Amritsar to help bring them up to Dharamsala. Everyone has had their odysseys lately -- and all will be settling in to new rhythms as they settle in to this most magical of places. (The highschoolers arrive tomorrow, after a brief stop in Amritsar and some time along the way to celebrate Holi, Hindu festival of colors in celebration of Krishna. More stories to tell, no doubt.)

So the days ahead will fill with a variety of group activities and individual pursuits of research projects -- coming up for all: a trek into the Himalayas we gaze upon from our perch on the foothills below, a Long Life Ceremony in two days again at the temple for HH, a likely audience with the Karmapa Lama, service projects of a wide variety including for all work at the slum in Lower Dharamsala our monk friend Jamyang's Tonglen organization provides medical services and educational support for, and.... well, there will be more, but time is getting short and I must close for now.

Blessings, happiness and health to all of you,
Peg

4th Asia Update

Greetings, friends and family!

I see from the previous update that it has only been just under a week since I last reported on our happenings, though once again, it seems like so much longer. We have again been in pretty constant motion, with internet access very intermittent, and rarely available at the few times I had time to do anything other than keep up with day-to-day activities.

Which is to say, we are busy, and almost constantly engaged. I'm currently with the high school group, and we've just arrived in Bikaner, after quite another odyssey, from Varanasi to here. The college group arrived in Agra this morning, and is currently touring the Taj, with plans to visit Agra Fort later today. They will move on to Delhi tomorrow and catch a night train to Amritsar, arriving there the next morning. They had a few days to explore Varanasi after their time in the village and Sarnath, working with Dr. Jain.

Our group went directly from Sarnath to a night train (after a fabulous group dinner at an upscale hotel restaurant near the train station - much appreciated after days of all-veg food), and arrived in Agra the morning of Feb 22. We spent that first day resting, enjoying the view of the Taj from our rooftop restaurant, enjoying a (very expensive) Pizza Hut dinner, and working on restoring health to our ones still affected with one bug or another (there have been a few, in both groups, but all have been rebounding after a couple of days). Early in the morning yesterday the group went to the Taj at sunrise, then packed and got on an 18-passenger coach to Jaipur later in the morning. We had a pleasant but extended trip to Jaipur, arriving in enough time for just one more group dinner before boarding the night train to Bikaner.

That's it to date in a nutshell, and I'm afraid I don't have time to include more details. I msut get back to our "castle" hotel for lunch and check in with the group again. We are taking it easy today, with a 7 AM departure for our camel safari tomorrow morning. Rajasthan is quite different - DRY, cool at night and hot in the day, clean air, and plenty of camels here and there, giving us all pause as we contemplate getting on top of one in the morning!

John reports that all is well with the college group. I know they enjoyed their time in Varanasi, and are now enjoying Agra, hoping to stop in Madhura (Krishna's birthplace) on the way to Delhi tomorrow.

Must go - if not before, there will be a significant update coming, once we have arrived in Dharamsala (Feb 27 for the college group; March 1 for the high school group).

As always, we are grateful for your support!

Namaste,
Peg

3rd update from Peg and Ted

Greetings

And apologies for the lag time since the last group update. As you will see, both John and I have been either quite busy or not able to access email for some time. He, Jared, Alex and the college group will be returning to Mae Sot tonight from their week in E Wi Jo working on the micro-hydro project, so I imagine you will hear from him in the next few days. I am excited to hear about their experiences on the project as well. From talking to Ted, who re-joined me and the high school group after two days in E Wi Jo, I know that where they have been is about as remote as one can get -- several hours by jeep on first roads and then something more like cow paths until the last few kilometers with multiple river crossings that all have to be made on foot. And I know that our college students are working hard, and doing great service to the village, while learning about Karen culture and challenges.

Now the rest of this may get a bit confusing, since what I can report on at this point is the sequence of events for the high school group, from bringing them up to Chiang Mai after their time already spent at Wan Pen's (and covered nicely in Colin's note), until yesterday -- and since that sequence is quite similar to the one our college group went through before heading to Mae Sot, I'll try not to repeat things John or Colin have already covered.

One thing Colin didn't mention about our group's night train to Chiang Mai was that it was an AIRCON ride, something that was actually not intentional (and for which I as ticket purchaser received a little grief from the big boss budget man). But something which made the ride quite lovely and relaxing. Which was a good thing, since we had only the one day and night in Chiang Mai before leaving for this group's time at Malee's in Chiang Dao. We gave the group a scavenger hunt oriented around the 7 elements of culture (language, religion, economy, politics, arts, etc) to inquire and learn about as they wandered around the city during the day -- and assigned a response paper to be written about their experiences in the night market that night, after reading a short ethnography about the market and its culture.

The next morning we were packed and headed to Chiang Dao by late morning, arriving in time for some relaxing, a meeting, and a reunion with Ted, who filled them in on some of the history of the place, including the monastery on the mountain referred to below. I'll close with a piece Ted wrote about taking the high school group up for sunrise the next morning - but just to finish up first with the time I shared with the group: Later in the day that started at sunrise, the students visited Ban Mitratorn, the same orphanage we had been to with the college group - and all reports of their time with the same kindergarten class are terrific. I think Colin has posted a picture of our group with the kids on the Institute Facebook page (did everyone know we have one?), at least I hope so, as it was really precious. Yesterday they hiked, and again, reports were that the experience was "epic" for several, with Alex and Marta earning "seriously sturdy" points for their hiking. And today the group is in transit, having left Chiang Dao and the relaxation of Malee's to visit both the Panya Project (a perma-culture farm which we first visited last year) and Pun Pun (a sustainable living center) to learn about their efforts and undertaking, and with a plan to move on and into their homestays by late afternoon. I'll be joining them tomorrow, and should have another update about how that goes by the next day.

And now, the piece Ted wrote about the monastery, certainly one of our most favorites places in the world:

Remote, little-visited, and wondrous, Luang Poosim's monastery is tucked into a steep ravine on the side of Thailand's third tallest mountain. It's a bit over a kilometer from our forest bungalows outside Chiang Dao. At first light we arrive at the entrance and climb the 510 steps between jagged limestone boulders that loom like guardians over the stairs. At the top the monastery emerges suddenly from the dense foliage. The temple's golden spires rise from the hillside. Carved stone dragons with colored inlaid glass form the railings of the last flight of stairs, leading to the cave which the great spiritual teacher used as his seasonal meditation retreat. Now the floor of the cave is marble. At its back are gold and translucent green jadite statues of Buddha and Luang Poosim. The elegant art, like the monastery itself, was created by gifts from his devotees, who included many of Thailand's most wealthy and powerful. It's a stunning combination of refined civilization and natural beauty.

From a walkway atop the cave we watch the daylight ripple softly over the surrounding mountains. Gradually the forest becomes green, the bouganvilla and orchids take on color, the day begins as the students watch in silent awe. The change is subtle and constant; it always looks a little different. Each time the students glance in a different direction, they see a slightly different beauty; Luang Poosim chose his spot well.

Watching them, I'm reminded of a Buddhist fable in which the master asks his student, "What color is a leaf?" The student replies that it depends. At night black, in daylight green, in dry season brown. "Yes," the master says, "it depends on you the perceiver. The mind creates the color." The students create their colors in silence. As full light comes we float back down the steps. The walk back is quiet, reflective, and joyous.

"Sit and listen, do not even listen; simply wait. Do not even wait, be still and solitary. The world will offer itself to you unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." - Franz Kafka

For Peg and me, sharing Luang Poosim's monastery with your children is one of our great privileges in life. We thank you for the trust and support that affords us such an opportunity.

Blessings from both of us,
Ted and Peg

2nd Asia update from college group

30 January 2010, Mae Sot, Thailand

Chiang Mai, well we were there twice. Let me pick up where Colin left off.

Chiang Mai: little alleys with gates and gardens and guest houses of all levels of comfort. There are many varieties of dogs as pets, lots of them, which is a growing phenomenon. Perhaps pets are a measure of affluence which should be considered by social scientists. Street dogs are expected in much of Asia, but the collared and groomed lot was not. Starbucks and street food vendors with a ten fold difference in the price of a satisfying meal. A German beer hall with Thai servers in Bavarian garb. Huge outdoor food courts equally visited by Thai and foreign tourists. Funky, dark, overgrown cafes spilling out onto the sidewalk. Bookstores and more around the corner making up a book district of books new and used to serve the sparked interests in the region, religion, arts, etc. It took some time getting used to the strong foreigner presence and then realizing we were a part of it. As we were getting more comfortable we departed for Chiang Dao to the north by bus.


Chiang Dao is a literal breath of fresh air, smaller and surrounded by agriculture. We were quickly transported to the west to Malee's Nature Lovers Bungalows. For those returning it was a shock to see how much work and improvement Malee and Kurt have done. By any measure it is a comfortable place.

Malee's sits below the steep Doi Chiang Dao. It is one impressive chunk of limestone which some of us took on. From Malee's one can see two set of flags above a cliff. Consulting with Kurt we learn the route of a trail that circles around the east side of the mountain.
As one of the intrepid students said, "Thais are not into switchbacks, are they?" Those of you who hike will know that what this means. It was a steep trail. The forest was marvelous with the creaking of huge columns of bamboo in the breeze, a breeze that was most welcome in the humid heat and hard climbing. The last of our persevering party made it to the flags in 2 1/2 hours. I was glad to bring along a altimeter watch which although not calibrated showed a elevation gain of 3000 feet! The exposed limestone by the flags was eroded into near lifelike forms and covered with what appeared to be orchids, although not in bloom. The view down was breathtaking and so was the view up as we were not quite half way up the mountain.

Nestled below us farther up the valley from Malee's sits the more popular draw in the area, Wat Tham Pha Phlong, a temple and monastery complex. each morning before dawn some of many of us gathered around the spired chedi. Some, like Peg are practiced in meditation. Others are learning. Some are there for the view. Some are there for the sounds. Some are there for the whole package. The birds of Doi Chiand Dao are world renowned. Hearing them announce the day one species at a time from an intact forest is hard to described. Few of the calls reminded of home, rather one was easily and pleasantly lost into tropical canopy.

In the valley around Chiang Dao we visited Baan Mitrtorn an orphange from children with or affected by HIV and its associated school Princess Ubolratana School. The school includes the children from the orphanage but the majority are girls from regional hill tribe villages. Both institutions were full of smiling faces. The kindergarten kids really enjoyed getting wound up with our students. The 9th grade girls took to them as well practicing their English and giggling. Max and Molly returned the next morning for a more in depth look with our host, Neng.

Jessica, Janine and I visited an organization which Peg had only heard about, Makhampom, which a theater group about social change. When we arrived the volunteers were making large paper mache masks around mud molds. Two volunteer put on a two person costume which with their hand gestures was wondrous and scary.

I've gotta get going and I know this is a lot but a lot has happened. We also stopped at the perma-culture focused Panya Project en route to our second stay in Chiang Mai. Opinions about that among the staff and students were mixed. A lot of good stuff happened during our second stay in Chiang Mai but that will be for another posting.

Ted parted ways with the high school group in Bangkok and was in Mae Sot before us and greeted us with a smile and hugs. It was evident that he is glad to be here.

Now on to the Karen village...

John Calogero

1st Asia Update from Peg and College Group

Greetings friends and parents

I'm forwarding an update that Colin wrote and sent out already to a good number of his friends, since we have all been busy and haven't had the chance yet to send a group mail that covers all the ground we have so far. I know John is planning another update soon, and he will catch you all up to where he and the college group are now, spending a couple more days in Chiang Mai pursuing individual projects, before leaving Friday for E Wi Jo and the microhydro project. And I promise to send one myself in two days, after the high school group is here, at least to confirm their safe arrival. Colin and I returned to Bangkok just now, to be here to welcome them and get their adventures going. For those who didn't get the first email John sent, it's below the one I am forwarding of Colin's. I hope you find some time to read all of this, as you will certainly see that we are off to an incredibly good start with this year's sojourn.

Love and peace,
Peg

And now from Colin:

Good day, Sawadee Kap, Buenos Dias, Whats Happenin?

I'm back on the road with the Institute for Village Studies once again. For about a week and a half now a handful of the most talented people I know have been introducing the ins and outs of the culture, history, cuisine, and countryside of Thailand to another group of eager students from WWU. We arrived on the 15th into Bangkok pumped to get things going. We were in Thailand after all; who wants to wait around for things to happen?

My initial experience with this group was back on San Juan Island watching them begin the formative process of becoming a tribe through a two day orientation in the cold damp beauty of our northwest home. There is a Russian word, samochustvie, used to describe the initial impression of someone's physical, mental, and emotional state. I use it almost as a scale with groups and the students whose education, safety, and health become our staff's prerogative for the months we are with them. And this group from the beginning had an impressively strong samochustvie.

On our first day in Bangkok we took them down to The Royal Palace, Wat Phra Quew, and Wat Po, three of the largest and most spectacular temple complexes in all of Thailand. It was a Saturday, so there were people swarming everywhere as we made our way around seeking out every nook and cranny to see the elegant craftsmanship that went into the construction of marvelously inlaid towering chedis, pillars, statues, and railings. Almost every inch of these temples is adorned with art, be it gold, mirrors, and colored glass composing the outer shell of sacred temples, or the intricate paintings describing the Ramayana that line the entirety of the wall surrounding Wat Phra Quew. A centerpiece of this temple is the Emerald Buddha; a two foot tall jade figure of a seated Buddha that wears immaculate golden robes atop a mountain of golden statues, pillars, flowers, and incense. The building that houses it is likewise painted from floor to ceiling with historical scenes from the life of the Buddha and surrounded on its exterior by an army of golden deities that perch below a rainbow spectrum of colored glass that forms the scaley armor around this precious piece of Thai culture and history.

The long day pounding through the boiling streets of Bangkok had little noticeable effect on our group, aside from building their enthusiasm for what lay ahead. The next day we made a quick escape from the metropolis of Bangkok to Ban Phra Tat and the home of our dear friends Wan Pen and Mr. He. There are a hundred different ways to get about in this country, from bicycles, tuk-tuks, taxis, vans, buses, trains and planes; we decided to use the local train to Kanchanaburi. We were told that it ran every hour, so we made a leisurely departure from the Shanti Lodge and got to the Thonburi train station with plenty of time to get snacks and board the train. We found out however that the train only ran three times a day, once at 7:45 am, then at 1:55 pm and sometime later in the evening. It didn't soak in as I was peeling my jaw off the ticket counter, but suddenly we had four hours to kill. With an authentic Thai market nearby and no other traveler or tourist in sight a cultural experience was born.

We boarded the train and were off through the rice paddies and jungles of Thailand at a steady chug that only a small diesel passenger train can provide. With the windows open and the balmy wind the only way to cool our skin from the burning tropical sun, we were on our way to what I know as some of the best home cooking and peaceful surrounds on the face of this earth.

For three nights I finally found that little bit of peace I have been looking forward to from the couches of my generous friends back in Bellingham. I felt like I had come home once again. We filled our first day with a trip to Phra Tat Cave, admiring the beauty of the bamboo forest that borders the winding staircase to the mouth of the cave where a gallery of limestone and quartz art, ever-changing and growing in a world of complete darkness, awaited the curious caress of our headlamps twitching to and fro so as to see all that the small beams of light would allow. We returned to Wan Pen's, growing ever more excited for the picnic lunch of her famous Pad Thai at the even more famous Erawan Waterfalls. We crammed into song taews and carefully plodded down the mountain to the falls, where we left our drivers and dove headfirst into spicy food and crystal blue waters.

The falls at Erawan are one of a kind. Seven steps, as they call the series of waterfalls, strewn along a kilometer and a half of earth part carved by the water and part built by the calcium rich sediment that encases everything in its path. Sticks, rocks, and trees rather quickly turn to stone, building these falls and constantly changing the path of the water as it pours down the hillside. Some are gradual steps, leading from pool to pool, creating terraces of stone and water, while others of the seven steps are gargantuan cascading falls that pour down 60 ft or across a wide swath of stone, concealing caves and hidden pools behind their solid facade of pounding water. Always worthy of note are the fish that inhabit the pools who happily encircle anyone who enters their home to clean all the dead skin off their body. Usually people allow them to nibble on their toes as long as they can stand the tickle of a dozen fish upon their feet. This year I found a pool all to myself where i could submerge myself up to my neck and let them clean my entire body. As if my skin wasn't already responding well enough to the moist Thai air after such cold dry back in Washington, getting the full exfoliating fish treatment made me feel like a bazillion dollars.

When it came time to leave Erawan we called our friendly song taew driver, Mr. Taum, and got a ride back down to Kanchanaburi to board, instead of the slow train, a bus bound for Bangkok. Our timing couldn't have been better; literally as we stepped out of the song taews, we walked directly onto a bus bound for Bangkok, and as soon as we were aboard, off we went.

When we reached Bangkok we had to deal with one of the oldest tricks in the book: meter taxis not turning on their meters. I really don't care myself; I'll still pay what the meter says even if it says zero. Jared, in his cab, turned on the meter himself only to have the cabbie turn it off again. Their loss. We had agreed on meters and they didn't use them, so I paid half the outrageous price they wanted and proceeded to eat a fantastic lunch at the Shanti.

That night we departed via train for Chiang Mai -- Thailand's third largest city and, as John put it, a remarkably bustling international hub tucked away in what looks from afar like an obscure point on a map that should be lush with jungle and mountains, not oozing with culture and swirling with activity the way only Chiang Mai does.

But, even though that's where i am now as I write this, it's not where I've been for the last few days and there is much to tell still about climbing mountains, sitting and meditating on the sunrise at temples, and so much yet to come... but this computer I am using is off to bigger and better things than I need it for.

Until next time -- very much love and best wishes to all who read this.
Colin

On Sun, Jan 17, 2010
We're here, and well!

The Pacific Northwest sent us off with typical weather for the time of year. Those with window seats enjoyed some of the views offered by chasing the sun into the west, the Bering Sea, the Kamchatka peninsula, the Sea of Okhotsk, .... Others had fascinating conversations with passengers beginning their own adventures, or caught some of the many films offered. Before the sun finally set on our very long day, about an 11 hour flight, we could see that the ground at Incheon Airport near Seoul was covered with a few inches, centimeters, of snow. For a couple of hours of wandering the mall like airport, some email, some push-ups, some yoga, we continued on towards Bangkok. Although it was dark we could see on the flight track map that we did not take a direct route but stayed out over the sea avoiding mainland China. We flew over Taiwan and into Southeast Asia over Danang, Vietnam.

The relatively new Sunvarnabhumi Airport north of Bangkok is quite enormous yet was a fairly easy transition from plane to ground transportation, which was good for our glassy eyed group. We arrived at the Shanti Lodge around 1 AM Bangkok time. There we met up with Alex Martin, our Thailand based staff member. Some of the group headed to bed immediately, others were fairly wired and excited to chat and explore a bit with Alex until the early hours.

Those of us who have been to the Shanti before all dream of the delicious food. After the group finished breakfast withe expected smiles on their faces we headed through the nearby market with various meats, live fish, eels, toads, and less exotic kitchen wares, to cross the canal and out to the stop for the water taxi along the Chao Phraya River to head South to the Grand Palace complex. Much of it is administrative and reserved for the royal family, but the northeast corner is an assortment of temples and stupas, including the central temple housing the Emerald Buddha surrounded by galleries depicting the Ramayana and early Thai history. Many of the gallery paintings were being restored. Seeing the artists and conservationists at work added to the sense of continuity of the culture here. It is a lot to take in and the masses of tourists, monks, nuns, and devotees were all contributions to the experience.

Next, we walked to south to the temple complex, Wat Po. This is a small compound where many of the ornate roofs were were being restored. The elaborate shapes of wood were mostly installed and were then being smeared with adhesive into which mosaics of mirrors were being pieced together. All of the crew on the ground pushing wheel barrows or up on staging were in common blue jacket uniforms, and the majority doing the delicate mosaic work were women. Wat Po is home to an enormous gilded statue of the Buddha reclining. The awe on the students faces was a delight to see as well as the Buddha itself. There was an odd sound of metal on metal which when rounding to Buddha's back side we saw was many people depositing small coins into a series of 40 or so large, say two gallons, metal bowls. The necessary change was available there and supposedly goes to the up keep of the big guy while offering the devoted an opportunity to give.

In the hot sun and still dragging a bit from the flights that was enough to lead us back to the Shanti for lunch and rest, followed by the first assignment in reflection.

Today we head for Erawan to the west of Bangkok where we will stay with long time friends of the Institute Wan Pen and Mr. Hai. They grow organic food the Shanti Lodge.

Hope all of you are well. We appreciate your support of this adventure.

John Calogero