Five months ago, to the day, I left home (completely terrified, I might add). Before leaving, my parents gave me a letter to be opened only after arriving in Israel. I was homesick as soon as I arrived and quickly opened the envelope to find a card filled with small pieces of home; some wax from our Shabbat candles, a few berries from the bush in our yard, a rock from the garden, one bead from a dream catcher, and a stray button found in the attic. The card was to act as a portal home whenever I needed, as well as each item representing something I could be proud of in myself. The first week was the hardest and I read that card several times. At the same time my sister, Noa, suggested I write myself two lists: one with reasons why I wanted to travel, and one with everything I liked about myself. I followed her instruction and after that point didn't look at either list or the card until...now. I can't believe it's been five months. I can't believe I did everything I set out to do. I can't believe what an amazing time I had.
Along the way I've been keeping a list of all the things I'd like to do once I got home. The final list looks a little like this:
-Cook
-Play the piano again
-Learn Hebrew
-Learn
-Grow tomatoes!
-Run
-Dance
-Make art
-Learn Spanish?
-Meditate
-Drink tea
-Be extraordinary
I can't say that I'll accomplish everything on the list, and it's subject to change and grow, but the point is that I'm home now and have a choice: I can slip into old habits or I can take what I've learned over the past five months and apply it to my life in Bangor. Just because I'm home doesn't mean the adventure has to end. Someone read me a quote in Thailand that went something like, "Instead of trying to change the world to fit our needs, perhaps we should try to change ourselves to fit the needs of the world." I admit that I don't know if I've had any impact in the world, but I can see the impact the world has had on me.
This is the end of Maineless&Aimless...for now.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Boulder to Bangor
Today was the last day of this five month adventure, and what a wonderful last day it was. I've been in Boulder, Colorado since Sunday staying with my sister's best friend, Hannah, and her fiance, Yoni. I hadn't met Yoni before but Hannah is so kind and caring and Yoni isn't far behind. They're really lovely people to stay with. I originally planned on coming here to visit the Naropa University campus but that only took about 30 minutes out of the two days I've spent here; the remaining time was used for hikes, goats, chickens, pizza, cooking, and Harry Potter. Quite possibly the best way to end this trip.
On my flight from Tucson to Denver I sat next to a pilot (not the pilot) which ended up being quite interesting because, after being on about 20 flights, I had accumulated a couple of airplane-related questions which he answered as well as telling me all sorts of interesting flight stories from his 40 year career. Since I hadn't been to Denver Airport before and it's a bit confusing he offered to guide me to the bus I had to catch to Boulder. Thanks to him I just made my bus and would have otherwise had to wait another hour. Sometimes people are just really generous and helpful. By the time I got to Hannah and Yoni's apartment it was dark and rainy; they say Colorado has been short on rainfall this year so that was good for the state but not the most pleasant time to arrive. Still, it made the warm, dry apartment and dinner seem that much more welcoming.
Monday morning followed in Sunday's footsteps with grey skies and rain. Hannah and Yoni are part of a farm co-op where they do Monday morning shifts from about 7-9am feeding chickens and milking goats. I got up (not so) bright and early and went to work with them. It had its moments of being slightly miserable with the rain and the cold but it had some really nice moments as well when we drank fresh goat milk and played with new baby chicks and collected chicken eggs. Then when we got back to their apartment we had those eggs for breakfast and they were so delicious. There's something really satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and, better yet, collecting it yourself. I think I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon napping and reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. With some encouragement from Hannah and Yoni, for dinner I put my new Thai cooking skills to test and we made a variation of green curry that was really good despite not having most of the authentic ingredients. Having that success with all the improvisations makes me excited to try again at home.
Today was lovely and sunny and warm at last! I think Monday was possibly the only day Maine has had nicer weather than wherever I've been. Of course I hear it's supposed to rain when I get home. We took advantage of the weather and went for a hike in the neighboring mountains. I never really think I'm going to like hiking but I always do, and today was rewarded with a better-than-usual view of surrounding mountains. Hannah and I perched on top of a peak with our picnic lunch and were joined by a lone hiker who, coincidentally, also comes from Maine. He left before we did and we took our time going back down the slope. Our actual plan had been to walk or hitch hike up to the top of Flagstaff where there's an even better view but we got a little misguided by the hiking map and ended up on a different mountain, but when we walked back down we found ourselves near the base of the road going up to Flagstaff. It was still early so we figured we might as well try to hitch a ride to the top. Pretty quickly we were picked up by a very kind older man named Arnold who took us all the way to the viewpoint. From up there you could see much farther, all the way to snow-topped mountains in the distance. On our way down we were picked up by Megan, Sarah, and their dog, Theo, who were really cool and took us almost all the way back to the apartment. I know you have to be careful hitch hiking, but I really like it and you can meet some very cool people. We finished off the day with pizza and a movie; such a lovely way to end this trip.
Tomorrow I fly home! How crazy is that? I'm really excited but I also can't believe it's been five months since I left. It doesn't feel that long. It often doesn't feel like one connected trip, either. When I flip through my camera or journals I remember all the things that have happened within the past months and it seems so amazing to me the amount one can see in a not-so-long amount of time. It always makes me wonder how much there is to see in a lifetime. Now it's time for me to go to sleep because I have to get up not unreasonably early to catch the last bus to the last airport for the last two flights home.
On my flight from Tucson to Denver I sat next to a pilot (not the pilot) which ended up being quite interesting because, after being on about 20 flights, I had accumulated a couple of airplane-related questions which he answered as well as telling me all sorts of interesting flight stories from his 40 year career. Since I hadn't been to Denver Airport before and it's a bit confusing he offered to guide me to the bus I had to catch to Boulder. Thanks to him I just made my bus and would have otherwise had to wait another hour. Sometimes people are just really generous and helpful. By the time I got to Hannah and Yoni's apartment it was dark and rainy; they say Colorado has been short on rainfall this year so that was good for the state but not the most pleasant time to arrive. Still, it made the warm, dry apartment and dinner seem that much more welcoming.
Monday morning followed in Sunday's footsteps with grey skies and rain. Hannah and Yoni are part of a farm co-op where they do Monday morning shifts from about 7-9am feeding chickens and milking goats. I got up (not so) bright and early and went to work with them. It had its moments of being slightly miserable with the rain and the cold but it had some really nice moments as well when we drank fresh goat milk and played with new baby chicks and collected chicken eggs. Then when we got back to their apartment we had those eggs for breakfast and they were so delicious. There's something really satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and, better yet, collecting it yourself. I think I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon napping and reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. With some encouragement from Hannah and Yoni, for dinner I put my new Thai cooking skills to test and we made a variation of green curry that was really good despite not having most of the authentic ingredients. Having that success with all the improvisations makes me excited to try again at home.
Today was lovely and sunny and warm at last! I think Monday was possibly the only day Maine has had nicer weather than wherever I've been. Of course I hear it's supposed to rain when I get home. We took advantage of the weather and went for a hike in the neighboring mountains. I never really think I'm going to like hiking but I always do, and today was rewarded with a better-than-usual view of surrounding mountains. Hannah and I perched on top of a peak with our picnic lunch and were joined by a lone hiker who, coincidentally, also comes from Maine. He left before we did and we took our time going back down the slope. Our actual plan had been to walk or hitch hike up to the top of Flagstaff where there's an even better view but we got a little misguided by the hiking map and ended up on a different mountain, but when we walked back down we found ourselves near the base of the road going up to Flagstaff. It was still early so we figured we might as well try to hitch a ride to the top. Pretty quickly we were picked up by a very kind older man named Arnold who took us all the way to the viewpoint. From up there you could see much farther, all the way to snow-topped mountains in the distance. On our way down we were picked up by Megan, Sarah, and their dog, Theo, who were really cool and took us almost all the way back to the apartment. I know you have to be careful hitch hiking, but I really like it and you can meet some very cool people. We finished off the day with pizza and a movie; such a lovely way to end this trip.
Tomorrow I fly home! How crazy is that? I'm really excited but I also can't believe it's been five months since I left. It doesn't feel that long. It often doesn't feel like one connected trip, either. When I flip through my camera or journals I remember all the things that have happened within the past months and it seems so amazing to me the amount one can see in a not-so-long amount of time. It always makes me wonder how much there is to see in a lifetime. Now it's time for me to go to sleep because I have to get up not unreasonably early to catch the last bus to the last airport for the last two flights home.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
North, South, East, Left?
Tomorrow I head from Arizona to Colorado, my last stop on this insane journey. Also a chance to start thinking about re-entering society and all that good stuff because part of the reason I'm going there is to look at a college I might consider transfering to should University of Maine prove itself disappointing. I'm feeling pretty happy with UMaine at this point; all that superficial college drama has sort of faded out of my mind because I know what I'm interested in studying and also any experience is going to be what I make of it so why put an unnecessary negative twist on something I haven't even tried yet? I filled out my class selection form while I was in California with a pretty positive attitude despite the strangeness I felt thinking about university while my body was still in Thailand's time zone. Upon returning home I have still to look forward to scholarship applications and a math placement exam (I don't remember any math!), just in case the contrast between travel and home wasn't seemingly big enough already.
Okay that's enough about college and things I have to do...allow me to enlighten you on Tucson, Arizona within the extent of my experiences. First of all, left and right do not exist here. If you want to describe where something is or even what side of the road it's on you use north, south, east, and west. I can't tell if people here truly feel what direction they are facing in or if they just are familiar with the orientations written on street signs. I was reading about a language that functions this way, without any left or right, and those who spoke it could automatically orient themselves no matter where you put them in the world. Wouldn't that be a good skill for hikers and campers! Tucson itself is geographically interesting because it is surrounded on all four sides by mountains. Today we went towards the southwestern ones, yesterday it was east (and maybe north?) to Mt. Lemmon. However my first day, Thursday, was mountain-free. Carol, Richard, their grandson, Quinn, and his partner, Chris, took me to a few museums where I got a good cultural history of this area and especially the Native American tribes who lived here first. The five of us went up Mt. Lemmon together on Friday as well. At the base of this mountain you are surrounded by desert shrubs and cacti, but by the time your 9000 feet up you find yourself in a Maine-like, pine forest complete with snow in the winter and a stream. How cool is that? Feeling too hot one day? No problem! Just drive an hour or so out and up and you'll find yourself in an entirely different temperature zone. That's my kind of winter. Really, this forest was so reminiscent of Acadia National Park back home that I kept expecting to see the ocean around every turn. Today we drove southwest to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and by museum they really mean outdoor, environment, nature park, zoo, desert wonderland. It's set up with exhibits of animals native to this area and as you follow the path you are surrounded on either side with all the native plants and there are volunteers wandering around who stop to point out an otherwise invisible caterpillar or an owl that mimics the sound of a rattlesnake. It's really a very nice place to explore and learn all about Arizona's habitat. They have these animals that look like pigs but aren't remotely related called Javelinas and I really like them. I might have been sold at the way the name feels to say, but watching them was mesmerizing. I have definitely gotten my immersion in Arizona and Southwest culture in the past few days.
In between learning about Native American origin stories and the way a rattlesnake's rattle works, I've been learning a lot about my Dad from Carol. My Dad has no siblings or any family that knew him when he was younger that we could hear embarassing or interesting stories from, but he and Carol have been friends since the 60's and she's painted a very different image of him in my mind. When my Dad tells us stories about his life they are often in disconnected snippets with no way of forming any chronological order, no way to understand what inspired what. Besides hearing about my Dad's past as a cat lover, as someone who helped build the still standing wall in their backyard, as a man who swam in their pool (but he can't swim!?), Carol also has her own versions of his stories that create a time and context to each event. Putting the pieces together brings an altered image of my Dad to mind and it's so interesting for me because his life was far from typical and yet, besides what anecdotes and stories he shares in the unorganized fashion, I don't know if there's anyone but Carol who can give them greater validity or strength.
What with all the talk concerning my Dad and going to go look at a college, it feels as if I'm being eased back into some ideas of home. I don't think I would have handled Bangkok to Bangor very gracefully but this way of meandering home is transitioning well. To be honest I still miss Thailand a lot and think of it often. I've sort of given up my hopes of adopting an animal at this moment since I don't really have the money and it seems a bit selfish to bring an animal across continents when there are so many local animals that are in need right now; not that I'm really in a position to save any of those at this moment either, I've got a couple of cats and a dog to go home to as is. Besides loving some of the animals at the shelter greatly, to shock one with a move to Maine and completely different environment would possibly be more for my benefit and want of a reminder of Thailand than for their own well being. Anyways, I am really looking forward to coming home. I'm also bouncing between that and apprehensions about coming home. While there are certain things I know I can rely on, I still find my mind working itself up now and then with thoughts about whether or not I'll still have friends or if it's going to be like last summer or if, or what if, or will it, or....excessively. But what control do I have over those things, especially from where I am now? The adventure isn't over yet, it's too soon to worry.
Okay that's enough about college and things I have to do...allow me to enlighten you on Tucson, Arizona within the extent of my experiences. First of all, left and right do not exist here. If you want to describe where something is or even what side of the road it's on you use north, south, east, and west. I can't tell if people here truly feel what direction they are facing in or if they just are familiar with the orientations written on street signs. I was reading about a language that functions this way, without any left or right, and those who spoke it could automatically orient themselves no matter where you put them in the world. Wouldn't that be a good skill for hikers and campers! Tucson itself is geographically interesting because it is surrounded on all four sides by mountains. Today we went towards the southwestern ones, yesterday it was east (and maybe north?) to Mt. Lemmon. However my first day, Thursday, was mountain-free. Carol, Richard, their grandson, Quinn, and his partner, Chris, took me to a few museums where I got a good cultural history of this area and especially the Native American tribes who lived here first. The five of us went up Mt. Lemmon together on Friday as well. At the base of this mountain you are surrounded by desert shrubs and cacti, but by the time your 9000 feet up you find yourself in a Maine-like, pine forest complete with snow in the winter and a stream. How cool is that? Feeling too hot one day? No problem! Just drive an hour or so out and up and you'll find yourself in an entirely different temperature zone. That's my kind of winter. Really, this forest was so reminiscent of Acadia National Park back home that I kept expecting to see the ocean around every turn. Today we drove southwest to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and by museum they really mean outdoor, environment, nature park, zoo, desert wonderland. It's set up with exhibits of animals native to this area and as you follow the path you are surrounded on either side with all the native plants and there are volunteers wandering around who stop to point out an otherwise invisible caterpillar or an owl that mimics the sound of a rattlesnake. It's really a very nice place to explore and learn all about Arizona's habitat. They have these animals that look like pigs but aren't remotely related called Javelinas and I really like them. I might have been sold at the way the name feels to say, but watching them was mesmerizing. I have definitely gotten my immersion in Arizona and Southwest culture in the past few days.
In between learning about Native American origin stories and the way a rattlesnake's rattle works, I've been learning a lot about my Dad from Carol. My Dad has no siblings or any family that knew him when he was younger that we could hear embarassing or interesting stories from, but he and Carol have been friends since the 60's and she's painted a very different image of him in my mind. When my Dad tells us stories about his life they are often in disconnected snippets with no way of forming any chronological order, no way to understand what inspired what. Besides hearing about my Dad's past as a cat lover, as someone who helped build the still standing wall in their backyard, as a man who swam in their pool (but he can't swim!?), Carol also has her own versions of his stories that create a time and context to each event. Putting the pieces together brings an altered image of my Dad to mind and it's so interesting for me because his life was far from typical and yet, besides what anecdotes and stories he shares in the unorganized fashion, I don't know if there's anyone but Carol who can give them greater validity or strength.
What with all the talk concerning my Dad and going to go look at a college, it feels as if I'm being eased back into some ideas of home. I don't think I would have handled Bangkok to Bangor very gracefully but this way of meandering home is transitioning well. To be honest I still miss Thailand a lot and think of it often. I've sort of given up my hopes of adopting an animal at this moment since I don't really have the money and it seems a bit selfish to bring an animal across continents when there are so many local animals that are in need right now; not that I'm really in a position to save any of those at this moment either, I've got a couple of cats and a dog to go home to as is. Besides loving some of the animals at the shelter greatly, to shock one with a move to Maine and completely different environment would possibly be more for my benefit and want of a reminder of Thailand than for their own well being. Anyways, I am really looking forward to coming home. I'm also bouncing between that and apprehensions about coming home. While there are certain things I know I can rely on, I still find my mind working itself up now and then with thoughts about whether or not I'll still have friends or if it's going to be like last summer or if, or what if, or will it, or....excessively. But what control do I have over those things, especially from where I am now? The adventure isn't over yet, it's too soon to worry.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
CA-AZ-CO-ME...GO!
Hello from Arizona! I've just arrived today to spend four days with my Dad's old friends, Carol and Richard who are both extremely cool and incredibly welcoming. Also they have a massive poodle who is doing his best to fill in the absence I still feel after leaving behind 30 dogs in Thailand. Arizona seems beautiful from what little I've seen of it. We're in Tucson and it's wonderful seeing mountains in every direction and cacti lining the streets. Carol and Richard's house is really lovely and filled with art, of which the majority is Carol's, as well as being furnished with a chicken coop filled with 10 chickens, a pool converted into a Koi pond, and several fruit trees and vegetable plants we use for dinner purposes. I've only met Carol and Richard once before when they came to visit us in Maine but I liked them then and I like them now; I think it's going to be really nice spending the next few days here.
As for the second half of my time in California, it was much nicer than my first half. With some help from melatonin I was roughly able to fix my sleep schedule. Noa came home Sunday afternoon and we had some good time together, but it wasn't until Tuesday, my last night there, that we were able to hang out just the two of us. We cooked and watched movies and talked and it's nice knowing she'll come visit Maine in August unlike the typical scenario of, "Well I'm sure I'll see you again and hopefully sooner rather than later." I really do love getting to see my sister and it's not often enough. It's funny because for most of my childhood I have very little recollection of her but then we suddenly became friends, and now she's someone I confide in a lot. After we said goodbye and I left for the airport I felt a bit like I could just go straight home, but now that I'm here in Arizona I'm really happy to be here and do all the cool things Carol and Richard have been describing.
But I am also getting excited to come home. It'll be so nice just to be in my space in my house with my family and my friends and my animals and my neighborhood. Is it any wonder my first word as a baby was "mine?" So I'll be here until Sunday, and then it's off to Colorado, and then I'll be home next Wednesday night. What's that? Yes, a week from today, precisely. Get ready, Bangor.
As for the second half of my time in California, it was much nicer than my first half. With some help from melatonin I was roughly able to fix my sleep schedule. Noa came home Sunday afternoon and we had some good time together, but it wasn't until Tuesday, my last night there, that we were able to hang out just the two of us. We cooked and watched movies and talked and it's nice knowing she'll come visit Maine in August unlike the typical scenario of, "Well I'm sure I'll see you again and hopefully sooner rather than later." I really do love getting to see my sister and it's not often enough. It's funny because for most of my childhood I have very little recollection of her but then we suddenly became friends, and now she's someone I confide in a lot. After we said goodbye and I left for the airport I felt a bit like I could just go straight home, but now that I'm here in Arizona I'm really happy to be here and do all the cool things Carol and Richard have been describing.
But I am also getting excited to come home. It'll be so nice just to be in my space in my house with my family and my friends and my animals and my neighborhood. Is it any wonder my first word as a baby was "mine?" So I'll be here until Sunday, and then it's off to Colorado, and then I'll be home next Wednesday night. What's that? Yes, a week from today, precisely. Get ready, Bangor.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
A Traveler's Nemesis: Jetlag
Thanks to my dear friend, Jetlag, day is officially night and vice versa. So while it's 3:43am and sleep is nowhere in sight I feel I might as well write a little. When I wrote last time I said that I felt like I was waiting for a real shock that had yet to hit...well today it hit. While it probably doesn't help that my sleep pattern is beyond messed up, I feel so disoriented and so out of place here in California. Also, my sister is away this weekend which may also contribute because I'm alone in her bedroom in her apartment with her roommates. This is difficult for me to explain because I don't want to come across as if I'm not looking forward to returning home in a week and a half, but I just really miss Thailand right now. I'm still talking to all my friends from there and going through pictures and answering questions in a way that might make others understand what it was like there as well as trying to process the whole experience myself. I realize I don't have to accomplish that in the two or three days since I've left, but I am so wrapped around those memories that whenever someone talks to me about going home I want to tell them that they're mistaken, I'm not going home soon, I've just left it. I feel so torn in the directions of Maine, where I'm headed, and Thailand, where I've been, that I feel like I'm nowhere at all at the moment. I'm turning my head from side to side across the globe; what direction should I be facing in?
Whenever I do sleep I dream of Thailand. It's more of playing back memories than actually dreaming. I lay in bed today in an unmotivated heap and rose only to go through photos of the past two months. I haven't even changed my travel clock to the correct time zone yet because I like knowing what time it is there so I might imagine what's going on at the shelter. I guess I just don't want to make it a past event yet; I loved what it felt like to be there. There were so many times I'd be riding around with someone, just looking up or out, and begin thinking, "I love..." and have no need to attempt to finish the sentence because the love wasn't attached to one specific piece of the moment but everything about where I was and who I was and what I was doing right then in that beautiful, beautiful place. Without a doubt there were days when I'd be fed up with someone or something but those were overall the most brilliant two months.
It's not that I'm not looking forward to going home. I'm just not able to look forward to it right now because I'm still so caught up in where I just was. Whenever I try to explain this feeling to anyone I meet the responses of, "You'll be fine;" "You'll travel again and fall in love with other places;" "But isn't it nice how you have so many contacts around the world now?" All are true and I'm aware of each, but right now I would trade this comfortable bed, flushing toilet, and hot shower for an immeasurably sweaty day walking dogs along the beach, cuddling with my cat, Julia, and burning my mouth on spicy Thai food with my friends at dinner. It should be noted that I am extremely jetlagged.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thailand Says, "Not So Fast!"
As if "my last day on Lanta" didn't carry enough negative connotation, the day was filled almost entirely with unpleasantries. I suppose I should first mention that for about three days at this point I'd had a painfully swollen ankle that I didn't think much of. Come Tuesday I was meant to work my last shift from 1-7pm, but by noon I had a fever and was panicking that I was leaving the next day for a solid 45 hours of travel. Then the vet saw my ankle and told me it looked infected. Great, I thought, obviously this had to happen my last day. My best friend at the shelter, Miriam, took me to the clinic where they confirmed that it was infected because I had scratched a mosquito bite and, being on my foot, dirt had gotten in. That was why I had a fever and, just to make me feel worse, several other bites were starting to become infected. The first one was clearly the worst and had formed an abscess which she said they ought to open today or it would just become worse over the next few days. So here I am in Thailand, my last day, lying in a hospital with my foot numbed up so they can squeeze out all the pus...awesome. Not exactly my hopes for the day, but after they cleaned it out and gave me some antibiotics I felt so much better and decided to work the last half of my shift. I wasn't allowed to walk so I was doing chores around the shelter when in came another volunteer and we got into an unintentional argument. Unintentional on my half at least, but as she's been very disrespectful to myself and several other volunteers over the past weeks I wasn't afraid to defend myself or give her a piece of my mind once she had a go at me. Later that evening Batman the cat chewed apart my headphones right before I'm supposed to spend a good 16 hours getting to Bangkok across land. The day ended off with a nice dinner with all of the people I like, but these antibiotics I'm taking four times a day take away my appetite so I wasn't really able to enjoy my last meal on Lanta. Let's just pretend Thailand was trying to slow me down so that it might hold me in its arms a while longer.
The journey from Koh Lanta to San Francisco encompassed almost every form of transportation: from pick-up truck to mini van to ferries to overnight bus to taxi to airplanes to subway to Noa's house. For such an intensely long journey it wasn't as difficult as I was expecting and I met some very nice people along the way. I left at 2pm and got to Bangkok at about 5am. The overnight bus might well be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever experienced, and the bus employee kept asking me if I was going to Bangkok. Yes, I am going to Bangkok...that is why I am on the bus labeled "to Bangkok." I thought I'd be able to get a bus from the station to the airport, but the Bangkok bus station is really just a humongous parking lot filled with buses and lacking any signs or information booths that I could see. But it's very possible they were there and I just couldn't see them because I couldn't even see where or how to get out. By the time I made my way to the road a taxi seemed like a better choice and I got to the airport at 6am for a 12:20pm flight. Still, with my ankle it would have been impossible to run for my connection in the previous game plan. I met a nice, older French-Chinese man here who was also alone. The suitcase I borrowed from my Mom has a French flag for an ID tag and he thought I might also be from France. After I explained that I didn't he hopefully asked, "Well do you speak French anyways?" and I pulled out what rusty French skills I contain from high school and we had a lovely, grammatically incorrect conversation which ended with him inviting me to Paris and giving me his name, address, phone number, and e-mail...I think he means it.
The flight was fine; I got to watch my first movie in two months! I arrived in Taipei with a four hour layover and within the first hour met Felix. After we found out we were both flying to San Francisco we were instantly friends and spent hours laughing and exploring the Taipei airport, making use of its free massage chairs in the relaxation room, free cake samples, free internet, art gallery and small museum. It was undoubtedly the most fun I've had in an airport. The 11 hour flight to San Francisco stretched on and on and I was so happy to arrive and see my sister. I feel like I'm waiting for a major shock to hit about leaving Thailand but so far it's just been little surprises, like traffic and hot showers. I did feel a bit out of place on the BART subway in my brightly colored Thai pants which seemed even brighter against a background of denim jeans, but they're where I've been and what I've done and who I am and I'm going to wear them regardless.
It's a good thing I've already been to Berkeley and done a fair bit of exploring here because I'm not supposed to walk on my foot for a week. By the time I head to Arizona it should be fine. It's really bizarre to me that I'm going to be home in less than two weeks. It feels so close and that makes me feel so far away from Thailand and the home I created there. I do and I will miss all my pets there, but it was hardest saying good bye to the people. I know it won't be the last time I see some of them, though. Meagan from Canada invited me there this July to volunteer at a music festival with her and I plan on going. I feel sure that I'll see Miriam again whether it be in New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Maine or somewhere completely new and unexplored. And I know if I'm ever in the UK, Sweden, or Australia I have people to visit. Now I just need to begin convincing my parents to let me adopt Julia, my cat, or Michael, my dog, from Thailand (please?).
The journey from Koh Lanta to San Francisco encompassed almost every form of transportation: from pick-up truck to mini van to ferries to overnight bus to taxi to airplanes to subway to Noa's house. For such an intensely long journey it wasn't as difficult as I was expecting and I met some very nice people along the way. I left at 2pm and got to Bangkok at about 5am. The overnight bus might well be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever experienced, and the bus employee kept asking me if I was going to Bangkok. Yes, I am going to Bangkok...that is why I am on the bus labeled "to Bangkok." I thought I'd be able to get a bus from the station to the airport, but the Bangkok bus station is really just a humongous parking lot filled with buses and lacking any signs or information booths that I could see. But it's very possible they were there and I just couldn't see them because I couldn't even see where or how to get out. By the time I made my way to the road a taxi seemed like a better choice and I got to the airport at 6am for a 12:20pm flight. Still, with my ankle it would have been impossible to run for my connection in the previous game plan. I met a nice, older French-Chinese man here who was also alone. The suitcase I borrowed from my Mom has a French flag for an ID tag and he thought I might also be from France. After I explained that I didn't he hopefully asked, "Well do you speak French anyways?" and I pulled out what rusty French skills I contain from high school and we had a lovely, grammatically incorrect conversation which ended with him inviting me to Paris and giving me his name, address, phone number, and e-mail...I think he means it.
The flight was fine; I got to watch my first movie in two months! I arrived in Taipei with a four hour layover and within the first hour met Felix. After we found out we were both flying to San Francisco we were instantly friends and spent hours laughing and exploring the Taipei airport, making use of its free massage chairs in the relaxation room, free cake samples, free internet, art gallery and small museum. It was undoubtedly the most fun I've had in an airport. The 11 hour flight to San Francisco stretched on and on and I was so happy to arrive and see my sister. I feel like I'm waiting for a major shock to hit about leaving Thailand but so far it's just been little surprises, like traffic and hot showers. I did feel a bit out of place on the BART subway in my brightly colored Thai pants which seemed even brighter against a background of denim jeans, but they're where I've been and what I've done and who I am and I'm going to wear them regardless.
It's a good thing I've already been to Berkeley and done a fair bit of exploring here because I'm not supposed to walk on my foot for a week. By the time I head to Arizona it should be fine. It's really bizarre to me that I'm going to be home in less than two weeks. It feels so close and that makes me feel so far away from Thailand and the home I created there. I do and I will miss all my pets there, but it was hardest saying good bye to the people. I know it won't be the last time I see some of them, though. Meagan from Canada invited me there this July to volunteer at a music festival with her and I plan on going. I feel sure that I'll see Miriam again whether it be in New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Maine or somewhere completely new and unexplored. And I know if I'm ever in the UK, Sweden, or Australia I have people to visit. Now I just need to begin convincing my parents to let me adopt Julia, my cat, or Michael, my dog, from Thailand (please?).
Monday, April 23, 2012
BKK to SFO
I'm in disbelief that two months have passed since I've arrived in Thailand. Clearly someone is playing a practical joke here and has fiddled with all the calendars because eight weeks couldn't possibly have passed that quickly. Do I really have to leave tomorrow?
After the whole flight fiasco in which all my flights had to change to a day earlier I realized that my new flight from Krabi to Bangkok left me under two hours to get my luggage and re-check in. My last time in Bangkok I had 2 1/2 hours and cut every line, ran like mad, and still only just made my flight. I got the last seat on the last available flight towards California for about a week and I'm not really prepared to chance missing it, so I'm blowing off my flight from Krabi to Bangkok and taking the ever-glamorous overnight bus straight to Bangkok. I am not terribly excited to sit on a bus for 16+ hours, but I'd be less excited to stress and run around Bangkok Airport and maybe miss my flight.
In between re-arranging trip details I've been trying to enjoy my last few days on Lanta as much as possible, but I've been working a lot and it's been alternating very hot or very rainy so nothing of too much excitement has gone on since I last wrote. I did my free cooking class at Time For Lime restaurant on Friday with Tilly (with delicious results). I've been collecting souvenirs for people back home. I've been drying off cats when the isolation room floods. I've been sweeping kennels and walking dogs on the beach. I've been avoiding spiders, snakes, and frogs unsuccessfully. I've been eating nothing but Greek and Thai food. I've been hanging out with some very wonderful people. How am I supposed to leave this island? What will I do without dozens of eagles flying overhead and a selection of cats constantly filtering in and out of my room? Granted, now that we've transitioned into low season the island is much quieter but there's nothing wrong with that. Needless to say, I'm going to miss this place.
It so happens that our manager, Jon, is resigning mid-May and we are currently looking for a replacement. If you know anyone that might be interested please pass this along: http://www.lantaanimalwelfare.com/
I expect this will be the last post from Thailand. I'll be home in just over two weeks! But first it's back to California to see my sister one more time.
After the whole flight fiasco in which all my flights had to change to a day earlier I realized that my new flight from Krabi to Bangkok left me under two hours to get my luggage and re-check in. My last time in Bangkok I had 2 1/2 hours and cut every line, ran like mad, and still only just made my flight. I got the last seat on the last available flight towards California for about a week and I'm not really prepared to chance missing it, so I'm blowing off my flight from Krabi to Bangkok and taking the ever-glamorous overnight bus straight to Bangkok. I am not terribly excited to sit on a bus for 16+ hours, but I'd be less excited to stress and run around Bangkok Airport and maybe miss my flight.
In between re-arranging trip details I've been trying to enjoy my last few days on Lanta as much as possible, but I've been working a lot and it's been alternating very hot or very rainy so nothing of too much excitement has gone on since I last wrote. I did my free cooking class at Time For Lime restaurant on Friday with Tilly (with delicious results). I've been collecting souvenirs for people back home. I've been drying off cats when the isolation room floods. I've been sweeping kennels and walking dogs on the beach. I've been avoiding spiders, snakes, and frogs unsuccessfully. I've been eating nothing but Greek and Thai food. I've been hanging out with some very wonderful people. How am I supposed to leave this island? What will I do without dozens of eagles flying overhead and a selection of cats constantly filtering in and out of my room? Granted, now that we've transitioned into low season the island is much quieter but there's nothing wrong with that. Needless to say, I'm going to miss this place.
It so happens that our manager, Jon, is resigning mid-May and we are currently looking for a replacement. If you know anyone that might be interested please pass this along: http://www.lantaanimalwelfare.com/
I expect this will be the last post from Thailand. I'll be home in just over two weeks! But first it's back to California to see my sister one more time.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Fish Are Friends
Where do I start with the past few days? They have been so busy in the most wonderful ways. Now that my time on Koh Lanta is coming to an end I've got to do all the things I thought I still had time for. One of my flights changed and it turned into a bit of a fiasco where everything had to change and I could either fly home a week later or the day before. I took the last seat on the plane for the day before so I'm leaving Lanta next Wednesday now. I have eight more nights here and it's freaking me out how much I know I'm going to miss this place.
Since I last wrote I've experienced Songkran, the Thai new year, gone kayaking in the mangroves (which isn't as cool as it sounds), went snorkeling for the first time, and had the last proper Why Not Bar night before a few band members left, among other things. Friday was Songkran and it was brilliant. Imagine an island-wide water fight where everyone participates. For this one day kids and adults are equally armed with plastic water guns. We are merciless but with no hard feelings; we wish you well, we wish you a happy new year, that's why we're soaking you in freezing cold water, obviously. About 10 of us clambered into the back of the shelter's van with water guns ready. I think we were all imagining spraying innocent pedestrians but it was an entirely different battle scene that we faced. Jon, our manager, was driving and outside most stores and restaurants were gangs of friends and families armed with buckets of water. We'd be spraying them with all our might and they simply would pour an entire bucket of water over us - slightly more effective than our cheap guns. By the time we got to Saladan, a normally 10 minute drive that took at least 30 minutes, we were completely soaked. Here we all got out an engaged in intensely friendly warfare. People just coming off the ferry were not spared; with a happy, "Welcome to Lanta! Happy New Year!" they were drenched in our icy water. Besides spraying people with water, it's also typical to make a paste of talcum powder, water, and food dye and smear this lovingly across your enemies' faces. We went from simply wet to practically tie-dyed and then back again as more water was dumped on us. I had to work part of the morning shift so I got a little bit of a late start but I was still involved for a solid 7 or 8 hours. By the end, though, once the sun went down, a little of the fun wore off. Then you're left just freezing cold; that was the first night my shower actually felt warm in comparison to my body temperature. It was probably the most fun holiday I've ever experienced, but one day was enough unlike the five days in bigger cities like Bangkok.
Today was my day off and Tilly and I went snorkeling. We were supposed to do that last Thursday but the people we booked our day trip with never showed up for us so instead we went to the east side of the island and went kayaking through the mangroves. Essentially this guy put us in a kayak, gave us each a paddle, and said, "Okay, well have fun!" There's no route, you just paddle as far as you like and then turn and paddle back but the current makes it quite difficult. It was cool for the first five minutes but then the landscape is exactly the same. We did an hour or so and both our shoulders were aching by the end. Definitely today was a much better day off. We went on a one day tour to four islands. I've never snorkeled before but it was unbelievable. The first island was alright and had a fair amount of fish but nothing extraordinary. The second island had Emerald Cave where you swim through a dark tunnel and come into a small but beautiful beach with massive cliffs rising up around us. Emerald Cave is the only way in and out of that beach. The third island was where we had lunch and hung out on the beach. Picture white sand and clear, turquoise water. This was a place out of a paradise brochure. Finally the fourth island was for snorkeling again and it was truly unbelievable. It was just like Finding Nemo; I was in the middle of hundreds of fish of all different kinds. It's like a highway for all the different schools. I was the last one back on the boat; I didn't want to leave my fish friends.
As for the Why Not Bar and band, since high season is pretty much over now a few of the members are leaving Koh Lanta. A couple of us from the shelter went to enjoy their last night and it was such fun. I keep using the word "fun" to describe things but, really, that's what Thailand has been like: a lot of fun. That was Sunday night and coincided with the last night of a few of the volunteers. The vets and two volunteers, Sam and Mitch, are over in Phi Phi right now doing a massive sterlization of every cat on the island. None of the other islands have shelters like this and it shows in the population of animals and their overall health. Sam and Mitch won't be coming back after Phi Phi and Julia, one of the vets, is also flying home to Brazil from there. It's quite a different atmosphere with those three gone. And tonight is the last night for Justin and Meagan. The worst thing about saying goodbye to all these wonderful people is that I may never see any of them again. It's like graduation but with people I like.
So what's left in the next week before I go? I'm doing a cooking class on Friday. The owner of the animal shelter is also the owner of Time For Lime restaurant and cooking school and volunteers who stay at least a month get one free class. I also want to get souvenirs for some people with whatever money remains. I still haven't got a bike but I may rent one just for a day or so that I might do some last minute exploring perhaps in the Old Town.
In truth I'm also really excited that I'll be home in three weeks.
Since I last wrote I've experienced Songkran, the Thai new year, gone kayaking in the mangroves (which isn't as cool as it sounds), went snorkeling for the first time, and had the last proper Why Not Bar night before a few band members left, among other things. Friday was Songkran and it was brilliant. Imagine an island-wide water fight where everyone participates. For this one day kids and adults are equally armed with plastic water guns. We are merciless but with no hard feelings; we wish you well, we wish you a happy new year, that's why we're soaking you in freezing cold water, obviously. About 10 of us clambered into the back of the shelter's van with water guns ready. I think we were all imagining spraying innocent pedestrians but it was an entirely different battle scene that we faced. Jon, our manager, was driving and outside most stores and restaurants were gangs of friends and families armed with buckets of water. We'd be spraying them with all our might and they simply would pour an entire bucket of water over us - slightly more effective than our cheap guns. By the time we got to Saladan, a normally 10 minute drive that took at least 30 minutes, we were completely soaked. Here we all got out an engaged in intensely friendly warfare. People just coming off the ferry were not spared; with a happy, "Welcome to Lanta! Happy New Year!" they were drenched in our icy water. Besides spraying people with water, it's also typical to make a paste of talcum powder, water, and food dye and smear this lovingly across your enemies' faces. We went from simply wet to practically tie-dyed and then back again as more water was dumped on us. I had to work part of the morning shift so I got a little bit of a late start but I was still involved for a solid 7 or 8 hours. By the end, though, once the sun went down, a little of the fun wore off. Then you're left just freezing cold; that was the first night my shower actually felt warm in comparison to my body temperature. It was probably the most fun holiday I've ever experienced, but one day was enough unlike the five days in bigger cities like Bangkok.
Today was my day off and Tilly and I went snorkeling. We were supposed to do that last Thursday but the people we booked our day trip with never showed up for us so instead we went to the east side of the island and went kayaking through the mangroves. Essentially this guy put us in a kayak, gave us each a paddle, and said, "Okay, well have fun!" There's no route, you just paddle as far as you like and then turn and paddle back but the current makes it quite difficult. It was cool for the first five minutes but then the landscape is exactly the same. We did an hour or so and both our shoulders were aching by the end. Definitely today was a much better day off. We went on a one day tour to four islands. I've never snorkeled before but it was unbelievable. The first island was alright and had a fair amount of fish but nothing extraordinary. The second island had Emerald Cave where you swim through a dark tunnel and come into a small but beautiful beach with massive cliffs rising up around us. Emerald Cave is the only way in and out of that beach. The third island was where we had lunch and hung out on the beach. Picture white sand and clear, turquoise water. This was a place out of a paradise brochure. Finally the fourth island was for snorkeling again and it was truly unbelievable. It was just like Finding Nemo; I was in the middle of hundreds of fish of all different kinds. It's like a highway for all the different schools. I was the last one back on the boat; I didn't want to leave my fish friends.
As for the Why Not Bar and band, since high season is pretty much over now a few of the members are leaving Koh Lanta. A couple of us from the shelter went to enjoy their last night and it was such fun. I keep using the word "fun" to describe things but, really, that's what Thailand has been like: a lot of fun. That was Sunday night and coincided with the last night of a few of the volunteers. The vets and two volunteers, Sam and Mitch, are over in Phi Phi right now doing a massive sterlization of every cat on the island. None of the other islands have shelters like this and it shows in the population of animals and their overall health. Sam and Mitch won't be coming back after Phi Phi and Julia, one of the vets, is also flying home to Brazil from there. It's quite a different atmosphere with those three gone. And tonight is the last night for Justin and Meagan. The worst thing about saying goodbye to all these wonderful people is that I may never see any of them again. It's like graduation but with people I like.
So what's left in the next week before I go? I'm doing a cooking class on Friday. The owner of the animal shelter is also the owner of Time For Lime restaurant and cooking school and volunteers who stay at least a month get one free class. I also want to get souvenirs for some people with whatever money remains. I still haven't got a bike but I may rent one just for a day or so that I might do some last minute exploring perhaps in the Old Town.
In truth I'm also really excited that I'll be home in three weeks.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tsunami
"There's a tsunami warning. We have to leave right now."
Up to our wrists in the fish we were deboning, our faces all reflected the same word, "What?" Followed by, "Really?" Followed by "Oh my God." We knew nothing except that we had to get to high ground. We had minutes to pack a backpack with valuables and leave. It was heartbreaking but we had to leave the animals in their enclosures; despite our protests it was insisted that we get ourselves somewhere safe, find our more facts, and then see what can be done.
"There's been an 8.7 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, roughly the same spot that destroyed this island years ago."
Images of Japan were flashing through my head and for several moments I really thought we were goners. Mimmi, our 11-year old volunteer, was in tears and I would have been close behind her if it wasn't for the worry about the animals and how we could save them. High ground for us was only about a five minute walk up hill and we could see the shelter.
"We have two hours before it's supposed to hit us."
Should I be writing a will? Should I be calling my parents? It was too early to call them and I didn't want to cause unnecessary panic because we still didn't know what would happen or what the effects on this island would be so I settled for an e-mail. But two hours meant we had time to focus our energies on the animals. We took all the sick cats out of isolation and put them in the van and drove that to the top of the hill. We took the little puppy, Tey, because he's quite small and inable. We took Denver because he's been sick and hooked up to fluids and is on the weak side. We took Shao Lee because she's in quarantine and doesn't go out with the other dogs. We took Vinny because he's scared and acts aggressively as such. All our sweet, wonderful, healthy animals were left in their enclosures but every one of us was prepared to run back down to the shelter and release them should waves be seen. Up on our hill we had a view of the ocean and every eye was glued to it. Our eyes played tricks on us and every shadow was a growing wave headed our way.
"I just looked online and we're supposed to be hit at 6:49."
"What time is it now?"
"6:44"
Five minutes...until what? It was the not knowing that kept us on edge. Straining our eyes, we searched the horizon for some indicator of damage coming for us but the ocean seemed quite calm. 6:49 came and went and we began wondering if we could head back down. We could hear dogs howling from up on the hill and the cats were surely wondering why their dinner was almost two hours late.
"There may be after shocks that could be worse. You shouldn't leave yet."
We waited a while longer before giving our phone number to some people on the hill with the instruction to call us should any waves come along. We had hurried up the hill full of fear, but we trooped back down with gratitude, as well as a truck full of sick cats and a motley crew of dogs. Denver was fast asleep in my arms, poor dog. He really got unlucky and besides having a blood parasite, he now also has an infected bite wound and an abcess. It's hard being the runt of the pack.
Every volunteer pulled their weight getting the animals in their kennels and fed that evening. For an anti-climactic ending we couldn't have been more relieved. There hasn't been a tsunami warning here in years so it really took everyone by surprise. I've never been in a situation before where I had minutes to pack a bag with my most important belongings - everything else I was prepared to lose, really. I took my phone and charger, iPod, journals, camera, money, passport/important documents, and water. While it ended up not affecting us at all (except for a 10 centimeter wave that the island handled very well), in those moments we had no idea - that was what was hardest, we just had no clue what was going on when we left. People died last time; this island was wrecked last time. We got extremely lucky and I think we're all very grateful and so so happy that the animals are okay and only suffered a bit of hunger. The thought of leaving them behind, trapped, was what was hardest. Forget clothes, forget belongings, but for the lives of all those dogs we were prepared to return at the smallest indicator of danger to free them.
I wish I could say all's well that end's well, but after the tsunami warning was removed we had a dog brought to us that had been killed on the road, a dog we had adopted out from here. Immediately following was a cat hit by a motorbike that we had to put down. Today a dog was intentionally shot and died as our vet was trying to save it. I know we're seeing the worst of it here, but lately it just feels like we're losing more lives than we save. We had a batch of kittens dropped off yesterday as well that I've been told are very sick. I'm not even planning on looking at them because I know they're going to be put down. It's difficult here. You work hard, physically, and then you work even harder, emotionally. In the end you just have to train yourself to remain as unattached as possible. Of course when there are happy endings it's wonderful, and whenever one needs a reminder of why we put ourselves through this you need only enter one of the dog areas and be greeted by several wagging tails and happy faces.
Up to our wrists in the fish we were deboning, our faces all reflected the same word, "What?" Followed by, "Really?" Followed by "Oh my God." We knew nothing except that we had to get to high ground. We had minutes to pack a backpack with valuables and leave. It was heartbreaking but we had to leave the animals in their enclosures; despite our protests it was insisted that we get ourselves somewhere safe, find our more facts, and then see what can be done.
"There's been an 8.7 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, roughly the same spot that destroyed this island years ago."
Images of Japan were flashing through my head and for several moments I really thought we were goners. Mimmi, our 11-year old volunteer, was in tears and I would have been close behind her if it wasn't for the worry about the animals and how we could save them. High ground for us was only about a five minute walk up hill and we could see the shelter.
"We have two hours before it's supposed to hit us."
Should I be writing a will? Should I be calling my parents? It was too early to call them and I didn't want to cause unnecessary panic because we still didn't know what would happen or what the effects on this island would be so I settled for an e-mail. But two hours meant we had time to focus our energies on the animals. We took all the sick cats out of isolation and put them in the van and drove that to the top of the hill. We took the little puppy, Tey, because he's quite small and inable. We took Denver because he's been sick and hooked up to fluids and is on the weak side. We took Shao Lee because she's in quarantine and doesn't go out with the other dogs. We took Vinny because he's scared and acts aggressively as such. All our sweet, wonderful, healthy animals were left in their enclosures but every one of us was prepared to run back down to the shelter and release them should waves be seen. Up on our hill we had a view of the ocean and every eye was glued to it. Our eyes played tricks on us and every shadow was a growing wave headed our way.
"I just looked online and we're supposed to be hit at 6:49."
"What time is it now?"
"6:44"
Five minutes...until what? It was the not knowing that kept us on edge. Straining our eyes, we searched the horizon for some indicator of damage coming for us but the ocean seemed quite calm. 6:49 came and went and we began wondering if we could head back down. We could hear dogs howling from up on the hill and the cats were surely wondering why their dinner was almost two hours late.
"There may be after shocks that could be worse. You shouldn't leave yet."
We waited a while longer before giving our phone number to some people on the hill with the instruction to call us should any waves come along. We had hurried up the hill full of fear, but we trooped back down with gratitude, as well as a truck full of sick cats and a motley crew of dogs. Denver was fast asleep in my arms, poor dog. He really got unlucky and besides having a blood parasite, he now also has an infected bite wound and an abcess. It's hard being the runt of the pack.
Every volunteer pulled their weight getting the animals in their kennels and fed that evening. For an anti-climactic ending we couldn't have been more relieved. There hasn't been a tsunami warning here in years so it really took everyone by surprise. I've never been in a situation before where I had minutes to pack a bag with my most important belongings - everything else I was prepared to lose, really. I took my phone and charger, iPod, journals, camera, money, passport/important documents, and water. While it ended up not affecting us at all (except for a 10 centimeter wave that the island handled very well), in those moments we had no idea - that was what was hardest, we just had no clue what was going on when we left. People died last time; this island was wrecked last time. We got extremely lucky and I think we're all very grateful and so so happy that the animals are okay and only suffered a bit of hunger. The thought of leaving them behind, trapped, was what was hardest. Forget clothes, forget belongings, but for the lives of all those dogs we were prepared to return at the smallest indicator of danger to free them.
I wish I could say all's well that end's well, but after the tsunami warning was removed we had a dog brought to us that had been killed on the road, a dog we had adopted out from here. Immediately following was a cat hit by a motorbike that we had to put down. Today a dog was intentionally shot and died as our vet was trying to save it. I know we're seeing the worst of it here, but lately it just feels like we're losing more lives than we save. We had a batch of kittens dropped off yesterday as well that I've been told are very sick. I'm not even planning on looking at them because I know they're going to be put down. It's difficult here. You work hard, physically, and then you work even harder, emotionally. In the end you just have to train yourself to remain as unattached as possible. Of course when there are happy endings it's wonderful, and whenever one needs a reminder of why we put ourselves through this you need only enter one of the dog areas and be greeted by several wagging tails and happy faces.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Unsuccess and Laughter (Four Months Abroad)
April 10
On March 10 I was in Thailand.
On February 10 I was in Scotland.
On January 10 I was in Israel.
On December 10 I was in transit - it's my four month anniversary abroad!
Hmm, how should I celebrate? Maybe a nice night spent sleeping in the shelter with the dogs. At least it can't be worse than last week's.
Just a quick update for today:
-I'm not going to Nepal I've decided. It would be extraordinarily tight with money and the timing doesn't work so well for me. But the idea is there and with any luck I will, one day, go to Nepal.
-I'm going to Arizona! Instead of spending a week and a half in California without a lot to do I'm dividing the time between there and with some old friends' of my dad who live in Arizona. I really like the woman, Carol, and she's a horse lady as well. I haven't actually told her or anyone that I've decided to do this so if you're reading this, Carol (and also my parents), I hope it's still alright for me to come.
-I have the worst shorts tan ever. It's really embarrassing going to the beach, and yet that's my only chance of fixing it.
-I almost had pizza the other day at what I've been told is the one decent pizza place on the island but it was closed. As much as I love Thai food I'd really like some pizza.
-I'd also really like to watch Harry Potter. And I am aware how dorky that may be, but the other night at dinner the tv within sight played a commercial with Harry Potter clips and it was more exciting than it should have been.
-The cat I've been helping force feed with a syringe five times a day was just put down after close to a month of fighting cat flu. I'm quite upset about this; I really believed she was going to get better.
-Someone brought us a one-eyed, white dog named Blackie. We used to have a black dog here called Blackie but he went to Manchester.
-My favorite cat here is Julia. She was attacked by a dog (or hit by a motorbike, depending on who you ask) and one of her back legs suffered some nerve damage so she limps and skitters around, seemingly unaware of any disability that might prevent her from rough housing with the other cats or chasing small creatures - she has a brilliant attitude on life. She was attempting to mutilate my books the other day (how dare she) so I gave her a roll of toilet paper and she had the time of her life.
-I am still bikeless and enjoying the benefits of not paying for petrol and being able to properly gaze at my surroundings frpm the back of others' bikes.
-I'm not celebrating Pesach (Passover) this year. It's just not really something I can do here. I also ate my first Easter egg a few days ago.
-I'm going snorkeling this Thursday with Tilly who is also also attempting to teach me a Welsh accent to great unsuccess and great laughter.
-This Friday is Songkran, the Thai new year. It's mainly celebrated by dumping water on anyone and everyone which seems a bit wasteful to me but who am I to go against customs and traditions?
-I finished Eat, Pray, Love and loved it and now need to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia. I also now need to find another book, but if that's the biggest problem I'm faced with then that's just fine by me.
-I filled up my first journal which I have never done before, but I've also never travelled and had things I really wanted to write down. Luckily I brought a second journal for just the occasion and christened it with a Thai bumper sticker and my broken anklet.
-I'm really dirty most of the time and it doesn't matter how many (cold) showers you take. Clearly if I think I smell much better after putting on bugspray we have a problem. Also my bag is falling apart and my hair looks like it's on the verge of dreadlocking itself. I haven't brushed it in...months? And now I'm both too afraid to and also curious about what its state will be at the end of the journey.
-Which brings me to...I'll be home in less than a month. I can never decide whether to use "only" or "already" when I say I've been gone four months.
This feels like home. Even, or especially, my impatience with it makes it feel like home just because that is the result of familiarity. It's like when you get to know someone and they may seem really cool and ideal at first but the more you get to know them the more you become aware of the insecurities and personality traits that weren't apparent at first glance, but without those you wouldn't truly know the person.
It also feels like home because of the people. It's like being in a family, what with all the various ages and experiences and stages of life. The age range is 18-39 and we all get on quite lovingly. It will be sad to see a few people go next week but I'm also leaving the week after which is absolute madness. I think I'm out of words for today but chances are there'll be more in a few days. Cheers (the English have gotten to me)
On March 10 I was in Thailand.
On February 10 I was in Scotland.
On January 10 I was in Israel.
On December 10 I was in transit - it's my four month anniversary abroad!
Hmm, how should I celebrate? Maybe a nice night spent sleeping in the shelter with the dogs. At least it can't be worse than last week's.
Just a quick update for today:
-I'm not going to Nepal I've decided. It would be extraordinarily tight with money and the timing doesn't work so well for me. But the idea is there and with any luck I will, one day, go to Nepal.
-I'm going to Arizona! Instead of spending a week and a half in California without a lot to do I'm dividing the time between there and with some old friends' of my dad who live in Arizona. I really like the woman, Carol, and she's a horse lady as well. I haven't actually told her or anyone that I've decided to do this so if you're reading this, Carol (and also my parents), I hope it's still alright for me to come.
-I have the worst shorts tan ever. It's really embarrassing going to the beach, and yet that's my only chance of fixing it.
-I almost had pizza the other day at what I've been told is the one decent pizza place on the island but it was closed. As much as I love Thai food I'd really like some pizza.
-I'd also really like to watch Harry Potter. And I am aware how dorky that may be, but the other night at dinner the tv within sight played a commercial with Harry Potter clips and it was more exciting than it should have been.
-The cat I've been helping force feed with a syringe five times a day was just put down after close to a month of fighting cat flu. I'm quite upset about this; I really believed she was going to get better.
-Someone brought us a one-eyed, white dog named Blackie. We used to have a black dog here called Blackie but he went to Manchester.
-My favorite cat here is Julia. She was attacked by a dog (or hit by a motorbike, depending on who you ask) and one of her back legs suffered some nerve damage so she limps and skitters around, seemingly unaware of any disability that might prevent her from rough housing with the other cats or chasing small creatures - she has a brilliant attitude on life. She was attempting to mutilate my books the other day (how dare she) so I gave her a roll of toilet paper and she had the time of her life.
-I am still bikeless and enjoying the benefits of not paying for petrol and being able to properly gaze at my surroundings frpm the back of others' bikes.
-I'm not celebrating Pesach (Passover) this year. It's just not really something I can do here. I also ate my first Easter egg a few days ago.
-I'm going snorkeling this Thursday with Tilly who is also also attempting to teach me a Welsh accent to great unsuccess and great laughter.
-This Friday is Songkran, the Thai new year. It's mainly celebrated by dumping water on anyone and everyone which seems a bit wasteful to me but who am I to go against customs and traditions?
-I finished Eat, Pray, Love and loved it and now need to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia. I also now need to find another book, but if that's the biggest problem I'm faced with then that's just fine by me.
-I filled up my first journal which I have never done before, but I've also never travelled and had things I really wanted to write down. Luckily I brought a second journal for just the occasion and christened it with a Thai bumper sticker and my broken anklet.
-I'm really dirty most of the time and it doesn't matter how many (cold) showers you take. Clearly if I think I smell much better after putting on bugspray we have a problem. Also my bag is falling apart and my hair looks like it's on the verge of dreadlocking itself. I haven't brushed it in...months? And now I'm both too afraid to and also curious about what its state will be at the end of the journey.
-Which brings me to...I'll be home in less than a month. I can never decide whether to use "only" or "already" when I say I've been gone four months.
This feels like home. Even, or especially, my impatience with it makes it feel like home just because that is the result of familiarity. It's like when you get to know someone and they may seem really cool and ideal at first but the more you get to know them the more you become aware of the insecurities and personality traits that weren't apparent at first glance, but without those you wouldn't truly know the person.
It also feels like home because of the people. It's like being in a family, what with all the various ages and experiences and stages of life. The age range is 18-39 and we all get on quite lovingly. It will be sad to see a few people go next week but I'm also leaving the week after which is absolute madness. I think I'm out of words for today but chances are there'll be more in a few days. Cheers (the English have gotten to me)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Pre-Dinner Post
I know I constantly remark on this...but I can't believe how fast time is going by. We're already one week into April. I'm supposed to fly back to the US in less than three weeks. I'm due to be home in just over one month. I remember at the 2 1/2 month point thinking, "Really? I'm only half way through?" with a tone of exasperation. Before I got on my flight to Thailand I spent the entire day brooding over the fact that I was flying in the wrong direction of home. And now it's not that I resent the idea of going home and seeing all the wonderful people and familiarity of Bangor, it's just that I feel like I have so many more places I want to go right now and possibly I am a little bit resenting the idea of the familiarity of Bangor. I spent so long planning my get away and now I'm living that adventure, but what will I do once it's over? I don't want to slip back into that bored, predictable way of life where I'm probably one of three places or with one of three people. However I remember writing back in December or January, prompted by a conversation with Danny (Hi Danny!), that I hoped I'd be able to keep the same sense of excitement and interest and curiosity and adventure with me even when back home and surrounded by that which I know so well. I suppose there's only one way to put this theory into practice and that is by returning home, and yet that argument is sounding weaker and weaker.
Actually I've been putting that into practice here on Lanta to a degree. After a month here I know this place quite well. It's a rather small island that has gained some predictability the more time I spend here. I loved getting to know it, but now I feel so comfortable with it that, if I had the flexibility, I would consider it time to move on. I don't mean to be restless or hard to please, but there's just so much more I want to see and it all seems so close and completely unattainable all at once. Sometimes I feel a little bit like a faker amongst some truer travellers; the kind of travellers who show up at a destination with no accomodations set up or plans for where to go or any contacts of any sort. So impulsive! Though after flipping back through some of my earlier journal entries, if I hadn't had my flights booked I definitely would have attempted to chicken out a few months back. This is what was best for me and my first real adventure.
As for what's been going on since I last wrote it doesn't feel like too much. Poison dog lived and went home to her very happy family. They even brought the shelter a huge bucket of candy as an extra thank you. We still have the cutest puppy in the world, Tey, and it appears no one will be claiming him. However, our vet, Dr. Tey (puppy Tey's namesake) is considering adopting him. I do believe that would require a name change. Justin and Meagan returned from Penang with my money! So I can happily live out my remaining weeks on Lanta with more than what I had last month. I am prepared to blow off my remaining Baht in Saladan during my last week here. Unless I go to Nepal in which case I will save save save. Nepal! Nothing is planned but also nothing is totally out of the picture. I don't really think I can afford it but I might possibily have enough to scrape by and come home dirt poor (which wouldn't be the worst thing ever. And I'm already half way around the world, right?).
I also had the worst sleep-in ever on Wednesday night. I guess I can't even call it a sleep in since I didn't get any sleep all night. It started with the biggest rain storm I've seen on Lanta. Miriam, Tilly and I were sitting outside watching it when we realized the kitchen might be leaking a bit and maybe we should move a few appliances. It wasn't leaking a bit - it was all out flooding. The pull out bed for sleep-ins was soaked, all our food was drowning, and the toaster was suspiciously filling up with water which caused a few tense moments when someone had to unplug it. We were helpless but to put every bucket, pail, pot, pan, and mug about to catch the water and mop out what was spilling across the floor. By 11:30 the rain stopped and we sighed a breath of relief. Tilly and Miriam headed to bed and I began putting things back in order. Bad idea. The rain started again and I was by myself trying to fight the water until 1am, unable to do anything but mop out water until the rain should cease. At this point I put two benches together under the mosquito net and tried to make myself comfortable since the bed was soaked. If you know me, you know that I am absolutely petrified of just about every insect. It's slightly ridiculous. Obviously Thailand wasn't the best choice in those regards. All the rain drove in hoards of these horrible flying ants that are the size or bigger than bumble bees. They found their way into my mosquito net and it was with not a little screaming that I fumbled my way out and left the room. I decided I might sleep in the surgery room since it has a door that keeps out bugs. That worked for all of 15 minutes except for the bugs that were already in the surgery room. After three strange insects falling on my from the ceiling I was out of there. By now it's maybe 2am and I decided I'd clean up the kitchen a bit. I washed all the dishes and put everything back in order and realized it was about 4:30am. Between 5am and 5:30am the call to prayer sounds which generally sets the dogs off howling so I figured that I might as well just stay awake until that was over and then curl up until the 7am shift volunteers arrived. A fine idea, except that the prayer call did not happen that morning and so I stood (swayed) in the kennel alley until 5:45am at which point I collapsed upon a bench and fell fast asleep. For twenty minutes. Because twenty minutes later I was awoken to a massive cockroach crawling on me. Seriously? I couldn't handle it. I sat outside on a plastic chair, doubled over my pillow that I had on my lap, in and out of sleep until 7am. I've officially nominated it for worst sleep in of the week. It most likely will receive worst sleep in of the month as well. It has a good chance at winning worst sleep in of the year. Might even make worst sleep in ever.
Onto better things. Friday, my first day off, I went exploring on Lanta Noi (the north island, the place where we went to meet the sea gypsy who took us caving) with Miriam who also had the day off. That morning also marked one month since I leased my bike and it was with no regrets that I returned the Death Mobile. This meant that I went on the back of Miriam's for the whole day and it was probably better that way considering the amount of times we turned around or pointed at something saying, "Is that a road?" "No, no, never mind, keep driving!" Essentially there are two roads on this island. On the map it seems much larger than Lanta Yai but in places to go and things to do it is considerably smaller. We spent about four hours driving around which is really an impressive amount of time for these two roads. What makes me wonder most is the people living there in these very small huts. What do they do all day? What do their futures look like? Will they live here forever? I almost feel a bit guilty that I can travel around as I am when they will most likely never get those same opportunities. And all the small children are so unbelievably excited to see you. They wave and shout, "Hello!!" and run, grinning, after us. Why are they so happy to see us?
Today was also my day off and it was a lovely, beautiful, hot hot day spent with a few people at lunch and at the beach. Such a perfect beach day, really. Most of the people here are Europeans and we're all getting a kick out of how their phrases are working themselves into my vocabulary. I had a "proper cuddle" with Stripey the cat yesterday. I was completely "knackered" after my sleepless sleep-in. I say "banana" like "banawnah" and "sauce" like "sawhs." It's well entertaining. Also I'm two-thirds of the way through Eat, Pray, Love now and quite enjoying it. After reading the section on India it made me want to meditate which I haven't done since that time in Israel when I went to Danny's cousin, James', meditation class. Not to be a hippie-yoga-vegetarian-tea drinker...but I think I want to do it more often. We shall see I suppose. It's just about time for dinner here so perhaps this is a good stopping point. Hopefully I can steal Miriam's laptop again soon for writing (what would I do without her). And she's just knocked on my door...bye!
Actually I've been putting that into practice here on Lanta to a degree. After a month here I know this place quite well. It's a rather small island that has gained some predictability the more time I spend here. I loved getting to know it, but now I feel so comfortable with it that, if I had the flexibility, I would consider it time to move on. I don't mean to be restless or hard to please, but there's just so much more I want to see and it all seems so close and completely unattainable all at once. Sometimes I feel a little bit like a faker amongst some truer travellers; the kind of travellers who show up at a destination with no accomodations set up or plans for where to go or any contacts of any sort. So impulsive! Though after flipping back through some of my earlier journal entries, if I hadn't had my flights booked I definitely would have attempted to chicken out a few months back. This is what was best for me and my first real adventure.
As for what's been going on since I last wrote it doesn't feel like too much. Poison dog lived and went home to her very happy family. They even brought the shelter a huge bucket of candy as an extra thank you. We still have the cutest puppy in the world, Tey, and it appears no one will be claiming him. However, our vet, Dr. Tey (puppy Tey's namesake) is considering adopting him. I do believe that would require a name change. Justin and Meagan returned from Penang with my money! So I can happily live out my remaining weeks on Lanta with more than what I had last month. I am prepared to blow off my remaining Baht in Saladan during my last week here. Unless I go to Nepal in which case I will save save save. Nepal! Nothing is planned but also nothing is totally out of the picture. I don't really think I can afford it but I might possibily have enough to scrape by and come home dirt poor (which wouldn't be the worst thing ever. And I'm already half way around the world, right?).
I also had the worst sleep-in ever on Wednesday night. I guess I can't even call it a sleep in since I didn't get any sleep all night. It started with the biggest rain storm I've seen on Lanta. Miriam, Tilly and I were sitting outside watching it when we realized the kitchen might be leaking a bit and maybe we should move a few appliances. It wasn't leaking a bit - it was all out flooding. The pull out bed for sleep-ins was soaked, all our food was drowning, and the toaster was suspiciously filling up with water which caused a few tense moments when someone had to unplug it. We were helpless but to put every bucket, pail, pot, pan, and mug about to catch the water and mop out what was spilling across the floor. By 11:30 the rain stopped and we sighed a breath of relief. Tilly and Miriam headed to bed and I began putting things back in order. Bad idea. The rain started again and I was by myself trying to fight the water until 1am, unable to do anything but mop out water until the rain should cease. At this point I put two benches together under the mosquito net and tried to make myself comfortable since the bed was soaked. If you know me, you know that I am absolutely petrified of just about every insect. It's slightly ridiculous. Obviously Thailand wasn't the best choice in those regards. All the rain drove in hoards of these horrible flying ants that are the size or bigger than bumble bees. They found their way into my mosquito net and it was with not a little screaming that I fumbled my way out and left the room. I decided I might sleep in the surgery room since it has a door that keeps out bugs. That worked for all of 15 minutes except for the bugs that were already in the surgery room. After three strange insects falling on my from the ceiling I was out of there. By now it's maybe 2am and I decided I'd clean up the kitchen a bit. I washed all the dishes and put everything back in order and realized it was about 4:30am. Between 5am and 5:30am the call to prayer sounds which generally sets the dogs off howling so I figured that I might as well just stay awake until that was over and then curl up until the 7am shift volunteers arrived. A fine idea, except that the prayer call did not happen that morning and so I stood (swayed) in the kennel alley until 5:45am at which point I collapsed upon a bench and fell fast asleep. For twenty minutes. Because twenty minutes later I was awoken to a massive cockroach crawling on me. Seriously? I couldn't handle it. I sat outside on a plastic chair, doubled over my pillow that I had on my lap, in and out of sleep until 7am. I've officially nominated it for worst sleep in of the week. It most likely will receive worst sleep in of the month as well. It has a good chance at winning worst sleep in of the year. Might even make worst sleep in ever.
Onto better things. Friday, my first day off, I went exploring on Lanta Noi (the north island, the place where we went to meet the sea gypsy who took us caving) with Miriam who also had the day off. That morning also marked one month since I leased my bike and it was with no regrets that I returned the Death Mobile. This meant that I went on the back of Miriam's for the whole day and it was probably better that way considering the amount of times we turned around or pointed at something saying, "Is that a road?" "No, no, never mind, keep driving!" Essentially there are two roads on this island. On the map it seems much larger than Lanta Yai but in places to go and things to do it is considerably smaller. We spent about four hours driving around which is really an impressive amount of time for these two roads. What makes me wonder most is the people living there in these very small huts. What do they do all day? What do their futures look like? Will they live here forever? I almost feel a bit guilty that I can travel around as I am when they will most likely never get those same opportunities. And all the small children are so unbelievably excited to see you. They wave and shout, "Hello!!" and run, grinning, after us. Why are they so happy to see us?
Today was also my day off and it was a lovely, beautiful, hot hot day spent with a few people at lunch and at the beach. Such a perfect beach day, really. Most of the people here are Europeans and we're all getting a kick out of how their phrases are working themselves into my vocabulary. I had a "proper cuddle" with Stripey the cat yesterday. I was completely "knackered" after my sleepless sleep-in. I say "banana" like "banawnah" and "sauce" like "sawhs." It's well entertaining. Also I'm two-thirds of the way through Eat, Pray, Love now and quite enjoying it. After reading the section on India it made me want to meditate which I haven't done since that time in Israel when I went to Danny's cousin, James', meditation class. Not to be a hippie-yoga-vegetarian-tea drinker...but I think I want to do it more often. We shall see I suppose. It's just about time for dinner here so perhaps this is a good stopping point. Hopefully I can steal Miriam's laptop again soon for writing (what would I do without her). And she's just knocked on my door...bye!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Money? Poison? Nepal?
After a few weeks that positively flew by it only makes sense that time would have to slow down at some point, and so it did this past week. Between all the trouble with my bike, feeling sick part of the time, and a lot of hellos and goodbyes I found myself a bit stressed out and then it had to get even more sticky with some money problems. I went to change some money from Scotland (British Pounds) at the bank on Friday and was told by multiple banks that they don't accept that here because they don't recognize it as legitimate British Pounds. What with the language barrier they wouldn't accept my explanation that it is real and valid and the same, just from Scotland. Luckily I still had 200 dollars in travellers cheques which I changed, but that roughly equates to half the amount of money I just spent during the past four weeks and I've got another four weeks to go (shit). Not that it's an impossible amount to live on, it just means that I wouldn't be able to rent another bike once my lease on the Death Mobile runs out and I'd have to be a bit more frugal in general. However, when I told this to people back at the shelter one of the guys, Justin, offered to take some of my money with him on his visa run to Penang which is quite a bit larger than Koh Lanta and has a higher chance of changing my money. So he'll return this Thursday and until then I'm just being very conservative with my money but crossing my fingers all the same. Also this week I managed to break off half my toenail on two separate toes through entirely different events; needless to say it hasn't been my best week here.
Not to be a negative nancy but one other quite sad thing happened this week which brought to light some of the reasons a place like Lanta Animal Welfare is necessary: a poisoned dog was brought in. Around the beginning and end of high season (we're coming to the end) cases of dog poisoning become quite regular I've been told. People put pieces of poisoned chicken inside coconut shells which the dogs proceed to eat and die a rapid, but horribly painful, death. The poison makes the heart speed up until the whole system just shuts down. The owner of the dog brought in saw the dog eat the poisoned chicken and brought her in immediately; that's the only reason this dog stood a chance. And the volunteers watched helplessly as the seizing dog was held by the vets and its sobbing owner; the vets are deperately trying to make it vomit up the poison as well as hold its leg still enough to put an IV in and giving it injections to slow the heart rate. It was too much for me to watch the entire procedure, but after a tense night the vets were able to save the dog by putting her on fluids and flushing it out. What is really maddening about this case is that this wasn't just a stray dog wandering loose, not that it's alright to abuse those dogs either, but this is someone's family pet whose had her since she was a puppy and loves her dearly. Three other recorded dogs died that day from the same poison and they weren't the first and they won't be the last. I can vouch for every person here that we work our hardest everyday to make sure all our animals are well cared for and in clean environments, and then there are people out there purposely laying out poison just because they don't like the dogs. How can we educate these people when they consider the animals pests rather than pets?
Okay time for good things for the rest of this post. We have the sweetest puppy ever! Our full time vet, Dr. Tey, found a very young puppy wandering around by himself and brough him to the shelter. He had a collar on so we put up posters around the island and waited for someone to claim him but it's been a few days and no one has yet. While it would be really great for him to have a home and a family we're all secretly delighted that he's here because honestly he is the cutest puppy ever. Dr. Tey told us not to name him because he didn't want us thinking we could keep him, so naturally we named him Tey.
I really like both of the new volunteers. Both come from the UK. Tilly has a few horses so we talk about that a lot and we're planning on visiting the horse rescue tomorrow afternoon. We also plan on going snorkeling together in the next few weeks providing I have money. I also really like Sarah and am possibly thinking about considering going to Nepal with her for a few weeks. I don't know that I have money to do that because I'd have to change my flight back to California by about a week and also pay for a roundtrip from Bangkok to Nepal that costs I have no idea how much. BUT if I have I'm going to do it! I feel too boxed in with my flights all planned out - it's too rigid. I want to travel more and at my leisure. To be honest, after a month on Koh Lanta I sometimes feel like I've had enough of it and would like to just move around a bit but because I've got my flight booked out of Krabi, the nearest mainland, and all my flights home already planned out there's not much wiggle room. Unless I just blow off my Krabi flight and go to Nepal! Most of the people here are in some stage of their travels around South East Asia and that's what I'd really like to do - just travel about as I see fit. If not this trip then the next one, and I assure you there will be a next one.
This week is an exciting one in that I have TWO days off work, Friday and Saturday. I don't even know what to do with all that free time. Possibly Friday I'll go jungle trekking with Miriam who also has that day off. Friday I return my bike and by then I'll know if Justin was successful and if I have money or not to rent a different bike. Can I include a quick books update? I've finished my last book from home, Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger and have begun my raid of the shelter's book collection. I settled on Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which seems fitting in the context of what I'm doing right now. Hard for me to believe I arrived here one month ago today. I still sometimes feel like I've just arrived but I'm realizing how well I know the island as compared to those first few days when the only frame of reference was before or after 7/11. Passover starts at the end of this week but I don't know that I'm really in a position to practice that while I'm here. Definitely can't get any matza on Koh Lanta. I hope all is well wherever you are and with any luck I'll be able to write again soon.
Not to be a negative nancy but one other quite sad thing happened this week which brought to light some of the reasons a place like Lanta Animal Welfare is necessary: a poisoned dog was brought in. Around the beginning and end of high season (we're coming to the end) cases of dog poisoning become quite regular I've been told. People put pieces of poisoned chicken inside coconut shells which the dogs proceed to eat and die a rapid, but horribly painful, death. The poison makes the heart speed up until the whole system just shuts down. The owner of the dog brought in saw the dog eat the poisoned chicken and brought her in immediately; that's the only reason this dog stood a chance. And the volunteers watched helplessly as the seizing dog was held by the vets and its sobbing owner; the vets are deperately trying to make it vomit up the poison as well as hold its leg still enough to put an IV in and giving it injections to slow the heart rate. It was too much for me to watch the entire procedure, but after a tense night the vets were able to save the dog by putting her on fluids and flushing it out. What is really maddening about this case is that this wasn't just a stray dog wandering loose, not that it's alright to abuse those dogs either, but this is someone's family pet whose had her since she was a puppy and loves her dearly. Three other recorded dogs died that day from the same poison and they weren't the first and they won't be the last. I can vouch for every person here that we work our hardest everyday to make sure all our animals are well cared for and in clean environments, and then there are people out there purposely laying out poison just because they don't like the dogs. How can we educate these people when they consider the animals pests rather than pets?
Okay time for good things for the rest of this post. We have the sweetest puppy ever! Our full time vet, Dr. Tey, found a very young puppy wandering around by himself and brough him to the shelter. He had a collar on so we put up posters around the island and waited for someone to claim him but it's been a few days and no one has yet. While it would be really great for him to have a home and a family we're all secretly delighted that he's here because honestly he is the cutest puppy ever. Dr. Tey told us not to name him because he didn't want us thinking we could keep him, so naturally we named him Tey.
I really like both of the new volunteers. Both come from the UK. Tilly has a few horses so we talk about that a lot and we're planning on visiting the horse rescue tomorrow afternoon. We also plan on going snorkeling together in the next few weeks providing I have money. I also really like Sarah and am possibly thinking about considering going to Nepal with her for a few weeks. I don't know that I have money to do that because I'd have to change my flight back to California by about a week and also pay for a roundtrip from Bangkok to Nepal that costs I have no idea how much. BUT if I have I'm going to do it! I feel too boxed in with my flights all planned out - it's too rigid. I want to travel more and at my leisure. To be honest, after a month on Koh Lanta I sometimes feel like I've had enough of it and would like to just move around a bit but because I've got my flight booked out of Krabi, the nearest mainland, and all my flights home already planned out there's not much wiggle room. Unless I just blow off my Krabi flight and go to Nepal! Most of the people here are in some stage of their travels around South East Asia and that's what I'd really like to do - just travel about as I see fit. If not this trip then the next one, and I assure you there will be a next one.
This week is an exciting one in that I have TWO days off work, Friday and Saturday. I don't even know what to do with all that free time. Possibly Friday I'll go jungle trekking with Miriam who also has that day off. Friday I return my bike and by then I'll know if Justin was successful and if I have money or not to rent a different bike. Can I include a quick books update? I've finished my last book from home, Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger and have begun my raid of the shelter's book collection. I settled on Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which seems fitting in the context of what I'm doing right now. Hard for me to believe I arrived here one month ago today. I still sometimes feel like I've just arrived but I'm realizing how well I know the island as compared to those first few days when the only frame of reference was before or after 7/11. Passover starts at the end of this week but I don't know that I'm really in a position to practice that while I'm here. Definitely can't get any matza on Koh Lanta. I hope all is well wherever you are and with any luck I'll be able to write again soon.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Bikeless in Koh Lanta
This week has been marked by the coming and going of many people, which loosely translates to several late nights of indulging in island life. Camilla, Miriam, and Camilla's friend Ash who was visiting left on Tuesday for Bangkok where Camilla is, today, flying to Australia and Miriam is sorting out medical information for her New Zealand visa application. Miriam will be back today but I'm quite sad to see Camilla go; we'd been hanging out a lot in her last few days. Also on Tuesday we had two new volunteers arive. There's one girl, Sarah, from Manchester who has been rooming with me since her arrival and another girl, Tilly, from England and both seem like nice people. Today the two Polish vets, Sylvia and Eva, after several attempts to extend their stay, are sadly departing for home. With Miriam in Bangkok for these few days I hold the title of longest volunteer which is strange since I still feel like I've just arrived here, but no, tomorrow is four weeks - my half way point. Am I half way through all the things I'd like to do here?
As usual I have to comment on my bike once again and our deteriorating relationship. While I first thought of it as cute and quirky in a broken down kind of way, I'm now realizing a few more of its dangers and attitude problems. I say attitude problems because clearly my bike has a mind of its own and will try to kill anyone who rides it besides me. The time I let Terezia ride it she fell over and cut her elbow. Then I let Miriam ride it the other day when I was on the back of Sylvia's bike and while she was driving the kickstand somehow came down and sent sparks flying behind it, almost causing a really dangerous accident. We continued driving out to Kantiang Bay, about half an hour's drive, to go to Why Not Bar for Camilla's last night. Such a fun night, but when Miriam and I went to get on my bike and drive home we discovered it had taken some angry revenge out on us by having a flat tire. I need a bike therapist.
It would have been too dangerous to ride the bike home in that condition with two of us on it and a terrible road, and suddenly we found ourselves stranded far away from the shelter. But then to our rescue came a Thai man from the bar who immediately offered us a ride home and to bring me back the next day to get my bike fixed. What is this kindness? A complete stranger is going to go out of his way for our sake? But that's kind of what people are like here. This island is small enough that you routinely run into people you've met before and they're all generally kind and with good intentions. As I was working the next day this guy, Pey, offered to take my keys and money and get it fixed so, trustingly or perhaps naively, I did just that. And he did what he said he would and I got my bike back the next day, but not without becoming aware of some alterior motives. While I'm beyond grateful for the help I would be more than happy not to run into this fellow again...and therein lies the problem of living on an island.
When Miriam left I didn't have my bike back yet and the lovely person that she is left me her bike keys as well as her laptop. It's so strange having unlimited time on a computer as opposed to counting minutes because I'm paying for them. I find myself just staring at the screen, fixated by nothing. I saw a television in a store a couple of weeks ago and found it really bizarre to watch the moving picture - it started giving me a bit of a headache. Oh I hope it's not so easy to fall back into habits of tv and electronics as it has been to fall out of them. I really spend most of my free time reading and it's beyond wonderful. That's by far been one of the best things about having this time away without commitment. I've read so many wonderful books and I just want to keep reading. Actually I really wish I had someone to talk about these books with, but I lent Sarah a few of mine so perhaps that wish will be fulfilled. Fittingly for Thailand I've read a few Buddhist-oriented books such as Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh which was a perfect lead in for Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. I flew through Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) and found myself entirely engrossed in Viktor E Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning. All I've got left is some short stories by J.D. Salinger and then I'll have to prowl some more out of the shelter's left behind book collection. In some ways I'm really looking forward to college and reading lists just to have good books and other people to talk about them with which is so not the attitude I had before I left. I just figured I'd skim through books or use online summaries in typical high school fashion but that would be such a waste of good literature. Maybe that's enough on my love affair with libraries (for today).
Also, Maine, I'm sorry it's snowing but don't feel too bad because it's also only 30 degrees or so here...celsius. Thanks to Miriam's laptop I was able to skype with my parents for the first time in maybe a month today and it was so lovely. It's always a bit strange arranging times to speak because I'm 11 hours ahead (it used to be 12 but Thailand doesn't have a time change) and so it was bright morning sunshine on my end and nightly darkness at home. I suppose that's all I have time for right now - it's time to work the afternoon shift, and then I'm also doing the sleep in tonight. First sleep in without Rufus!
As usual I have to comment on my bike once again and our deteriorating relationship. While I first thought of it as cute and quirky in a broken down kind of way, I'm now realizing a few more of its dangers and attitude problems. I say attitude problems because clearly my bike has a mind of its own and will try to kill anyone who rides it besides me. The time I let Terezia ride it she fell over and cut her elbow. Then I let Miriam ride it the other day when I was on the back of Sylvia's bike and while she was driving the kickstand somehow came down and sent sparks flying behind it, almost causing a really dangerous accident. We continued driving out to Kantiang Bay, about half an hour's drive, to go to Why Not Bar for Camilla's last night. Such a fun night, but when Miriam and I went to get on my bike and drive home we discovered it had taken some angry revenge out on us by having a flat tire. I need a bike therapist.
It would have been too dangerous to ride the bike home in that condition with two of us on it and a terrible road, and suddenly we found ourselves stranded far away from the shelter. But then to our rescue came a Thai man from the bar who immediately offered us a ride home and to bring me back the next day to get my bike fixed. What is this kindness? A complete stranger is going to go out of his way for our sake? But that's kind of what people are like here. This island is small enough that you routinely run into people you've met before and they're all generally kind and with good intentions. As I was working the next day this guy, Pey, offered to take my keys and money and get it fixed so, trustingly or perhaps naively, I did just that. And he did what he said he would and I got my bike back the next day, but not without becoming aware of some alterior motives. While I'm beyond grateful for the help I would be more than happy not to run into this fellow again...and therein lies the problem of living on an island.
When Miriam left I didn't have my bike back yet and the lovely person that she is left me her bike keys as well as her laptop. It's so strange having unlimited time on a computer as opposed to counting minutes because I'm paying for them. I find myself just staring at the screen, fixated by nothing. I saw a television in a store a couple of weeks ago and found it really bizarre to watch the moving picture - it started giving me a bit of a headache. Oh I hope it's not so easy to fall back into habits of tv and electronics as it has been to fall out of them. I really spend most of my free time reading and it's beyond wonderful. That's by far been one of the best things about having this time away without commitment. I've read so many wonderful books and I just want to keep reading. Actually I really wish I had someone to talk about these books with, but I lent Sarah a few of mine so perhaps that wish will be fulfilled. Fittingly for Thailand I've read a few Buddhist-oriented books such as Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh which was a perfect lead in for Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. I flew through Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) and found myself entirely engrossed in Viktor E Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning. All I've got left is some short stories by J.D. Salinger and then I'll have to prowl some more out of the shelter's left behind book collection. In some ways I'm really looking forward to college and reading lists just to have good books and other people to talk about them with which is so not the attitude I had before I left. I just figured I'd skim through books or use online summaries in typical high school fashion but that would be such a waste of good literature. Maybe that's enough on my love affair with libraries (for today).
Also, Maine, I'm sorry it's snowing but don't feel too bad because it's also only 30 degrees or so here...celsius. Thanks to Miriam's laptop I was able to skype with my parents for the first time in maybe a month today and it was so lovely. It's always a bit strange arranging times to speak because I'm 11 hours ahead (it used to be 12 but Thailand doesn't have a time change) and so it was bright morning sunshine on my end and nightly darkness at home. I suppose that's all I have time for right now - it's time to work the afternoon shift, and then I'm also doing the sleep in tonight. First sleep in without Rufus!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Adventures With Sea Gypsies
I feel like I haven't stopped moving since I last wrote, but for good, adventurous reasons generally. For such a small island I am ever amazed at the amount of things there are to do and places to see. Wednesday night happened to be the 1 year anniversary of the Funky Monkey, Koh Lanta's closest thing to a night club - though it always seems empty when I drive by. The Why Not band (from the Why Not Bar) was performing and they're quite good so I went out with Sylvia, one of the Polish vets. Almost immediately we ran into a few people we'd both met previously through different circumstances and hung out with them for the majority of the night, but first we danced enthusiastically for hours until the band stopped playing. Then we left with the others to go to one of the beach bars, Klappa Klum. Inevitably if you build a bar alongside the ocean people are going to want to go swimming at some point, and so a crew of us ran into the ocean and swam under the stars until we felt a rarely experienced sensation: cold, and called it a night in respect of next day working shifts.
Dutifully I worked the Thursday night sleep-in and was so given the honor of Rufus' last night before he left for the UK with two other dogs; Punk and Blackie. This was the first time he didn't howl the entire night and it was with a tinge of sadness that we said our goodbyes to him in the morning. I was a bit misled when I wrote my last post, and it turns out that Rufus, Punk, and Blackie are to be followed this week by Camilla who is heading impulsively to Australia, and Sylvia and Eva who couldn't extend their trip and are returning to Poland. One new volunteer is arriving on Tuesday but I don't know anything about her.
Friday was such a crazy adventure day! A friend of the shelter, Rob, is friends with a sea gypsy who lives on Koh Lanta Noi. We're on Koh Lanta Yai which is farther from the mainland but just a short ferry ride to Noi. Seven of us hopped on our bikes in the afternoon and rode across on the ferry to Noi and drove around to the other side of the island where our guide awaited us at the end of a concrete pier facing several small islands and, in the distance, the mainland. He took us in his wooden boat to one of the nearest islands and stopped at a lovely strip of beach that looked like the kind of place on those paradise commercials. He then drove us around the perimeter of the island and it was unbelievable. Essentially the island rises directly out of the water in a sheer cliff. The rock walls are covered in twisted trees and greenery, but where the rock shines through it looks like it's been watercolored because of the different colored strains of earth coating the cliff walls. This island is home to eagles and heron-like birds that soar above us as they feel displaced by our boat. Monkeys paced the shoreline and fish leapt out of the water as we circled their home. After doing this loop we entered a cave mouth that can only be accessed at low tide and the real adventure began.
Inside the cave is a large sandy chamber with one massive chandelier-like stalactite in the center. At first glance this appears to be the entire cave, but if you look up towards the top of the back wall there is an entrance into unknowing darkness. A rope hangs down from here and we began the ascent up the increasingly sloping, slippery wall. By the time you reach the last 20 feet you are essentially pulling yourself up entirely by upper body strength since the ground offers no support. Our lovely guide quite likely saved my life more than once on this journey upward; as Rob stressed emphatically beforehand, this is not a tourist destination - this is dangerous and if you fall you could easily break your back/die. The second chamber is much larger than the first, pitch black, full of bats, and, therefore, covered in dry bat feces as those of us in barefeet were only too aware of. We whipped out our flashlights and ventured through this great hall until we supposedly came to the end. But wait, whats that hole above our heads? I'm sorry Mr. Sea Gypsy Guide, you want us to climb into that hole? (Did I mention that our guide spoke no English and none of us know Thai?) About here is where claustrophobia sunk in and I announced that I would be waiting here for their return. It quickly become aware that this wasn't an option as everyone cajoled me into going and the guide beckoned me towards the hole. Once through the hole it was possible to stand up and you're in an upward bound tunnel with a rope hanging down. Again, pull yourself up the rope and suddenly eight of us were cramped together looking at a hole descending downwards into darkness with a rope hanging down. Nearly in tears, I propelled myself down the rope into nothingness and found myself alive in a small "room." Not obvious at first glance was the tall but narrow opening at one side that we slipped into and then had to lower ourself onto the ground to squeeze through an opening that was so narrow you couldn't go through on your stomach, you had to rotate yourself onto your shoulders and pull yourself through that way. And then it became worth it. We were in another room not much bigger than the one before filled with a small pool of cold, clear, spring water. The clearest water I've ever seen; it reflected the dark ceiling and didn't even look at water at first. Our guide lit candles around the edge and, sweaty from our trek, we gratefully got into the water and paddled around, slightly giddy with our success since Rob warned us that not everyone would make it this far. He was almost right, but we proved him wrong. The way back out seemed much easier and we emerged just as the sun began to set. Our guide drove us back to shore on his boat and we quickly got on our bikes to try to make it home before it got too dark. We returned in complete darkness, but we all returned alive and having made it through all the caves' chambers.
Friday also marked my three week mark on Koh Lanta. I realized that I haven't been in one place for as long as three weeks in over three months, since I left home. I'm loving getting to know this island and all it has to offer. I've never been in this kind of situation before where I've become part of a community in that I have my favorite restaurants and I know where to get the things that I need and I have means to get around by myself and I have friends to go out with or I can go out by myself and it's wonderful. Will I be able to leave in five weeks? I know I'm not even half way through my time here but the days are just melting away - kind of like I am in the constant sun.
Camilla has a friend, Ash, visiting right now so on Saturday she took him down to the sourthern most tip of the island to see the lighthouse and national park and I tagged along. It's amazing riding alongside the ocean with the palm trees providing shade and the only breeze being that which you create with your bike. However the farther south you go the more interesting the road becomes. Remember how my bike is...finicky? Besides not starting well, not braking well, being a gas guzzler, etc it is also terrifying when it comes to sharp turns and there's always a moment of "am I going to make it?" That road is crazy; it goes up and down and left and right all at the same time. You'll be going around one turn and up hill so that you can't see what's coming next and then there'll be a sign pointing the opposite direction and suddenly you're going downhill and the opposite direction that you just were. Happily my bike and I survived okay and were rewarded with a beautiful beach and dozens of monkeys running around. These monkeys are so funny. They're not very big, maybe the size of a small dog on average, but they're used to being fed by people so they're not afraid at all and climb all over bikes and cars and try to come up to you. One tried to steal my backpack when we sat down but ran off when we spotted her. The three of us wandered around for a while before doing a loop of the island - my first time going up the east side of the island. Up north, back in Saladan, we stopped at a Buddhist Temple for a short while and looked around a little under the gaze of a watchful monk. We returned home in time for the dark to set in.
Today's been a quiet day where I slept in between working the morning shift. I was feeling a little sick yesterday but I feel much better now. Unfortunately Meagan, one of the volunteers from Canada, came in feeling sick yesterday and she has all the symptoms of Dengue Fever. It's too early to test for it but that's what everyone suspects. I've heard that where she's staying at the Chill Out House there's been a few recent cases so I hope it's not something I'm as at risk of getting while I stay here at the shelter. Though if it's not going to be Dengue Fever I still have to be on the lookout for cobras and falling out of caves. This reminds me that I'm just about out of bugspray so it's off to the ever popular and super classy 7/11 in search of some more.
Dutifully I worked the Thursday night sleep-in and was so given the honor of Rufus' last night before he left for the UK with two other dogs; Punk and Blackie. This was the first time he didn't howl the entire night and it was with a tinge of sadness that we said our goodbyes to him in the morning. I was a bit misled when I wrote my last post, and it turns out that Rufus, Punk, and Blackie are to be followed this week by Camilla who is heading impulsively to Australia, and Sylvia and Eva who couldn't extend their trip and are returning to Poland. One new volunteer is arriving on Tuesday but I don't know anything about her.
Friday was such a crazy adventure day! A friend of the shelter, Rob, is friends with a sea gypsy who lives on Koh Lanta Noi. We're on Koh Lanta Yai which is farther from the mainland but just a short ferry ride to Noi. Seven of us hopped on our bikes in the afternoon and rode across on the ferry to Noi and drove around to the other side of the island where our guide awaited us at the end of a concrete pier facing several small islands and, in the distance, the mainland. He took us in his wooden boat to one of the nearest islands and stopped at a lovely strip of beach that looked like the kind of place on those paradise commercials. He then drove us around the perimeter of the island and it was unbelievable. Essentially the island rises directly out of the water in a sheer cliff. The rock walls are covered in twisted trees and greenery, but where the rock shines through it looks like it's been watercolored because of the different colored strains of earth coating the cliff walls. This island is home to eagles and heron-like birds that soar above us as they feel displaced by our boat. Monkeys paced the shoreline and fish leapt out of the water as we circled their home. After doing this loop we entered a cave mouth that can only be accessed at low tide and the real adventure began.
Inside the cave is a large sandy chamber with one massive chandelier-like stalactite in the center. At first glance this appears to be the entire cave, but if you look up towards the top of the back wall there is an entrance into unknowing darkness. A rope hangs down from here and we began the ascent up the increasingly sloping, slippery wall. By the time you reach the last 20 feet you are essentially pulling yourself up entirely by upper body strength since the ground offers no support. Our lovely guide quite likely saved my life more than once on this journey upward; as Rob stressed emphatically beforehand, this is not a tourist destination - this is dangerous and if you fall you could easily break your back/die. The second chamber is much larger than the first, pitch black, full of bats, and, therefore, covered in dry bat feces as those of us in barefeet were only too aware of. We whipped out our flashlights and ventured through this great hall until we supposedly came to the end. But wait, whats that hole above our heads? I'm sorry Mr. Sea Gypsy Guide, you want us to climb into that hole? (Did I mention that our guide spoke no English and none of us know Thai?) About here is where claustrophobia sunk in and I announced that I would be waiting here for their return. It quickly become aware that this wasn't an option as everyone cajoled me into going and the guide beckoned me towards the hole. Once through the hole it was possible to stand up and you're in an upward bound tunnel with a rope hanging down. Again, pull yourself up the rope and suddenly eight of us were cramped together looking at a hole descending downwards into darkness with a rope hanging down. Nearly in tears, I propelled myself down the rope into nothingness and found myself alive in a small "room." Not obvious at first glance was the tall but narrow opening at one side that we slipped into and then had to lower ourself onto the ground to squeeze through an opening that was so narrow you couldn't go through on your stomach, you had to rotate yourself onto your shoulders and pull yourself through that way. And then it became worth it. We were in another room not much bigger than the one before filled with a small pool of cold, clear, spring water. The clearest water I've ever seen; it reflected the dark ceiling and didn't even look at water at first. Our guide lit candles around the edge and, sweaty from our trek, we gratefully got into the water and paddled around, slightly giddy with our success since Rob warned us that not everyone would make it this far. He was almost right, but we proved him wrong. The way back out seemed much easier and we emerged just as the sun began to set. Our guide drove us back to shore on his boat and we quickly got on our bikes to try to make it home before it got too dark. We returned in complete darkness, but we all returned alive and having made it through all the caves' chambers.
Friday also marked my three week mark on Koh Lanta. I realized that I haven't been in one place for as long as three weeks in over three months, since I left home. I'm loving getting to know this island and all it has to offer. I've never been in this kind of situation before where I've become part of a community in that I have my favorite restaurants and I know where to get the things that I need and I have means to get around by myself and I have friends to go out with or I can go out by myself and it's wonderful. Will I be able to leave in five weeks? I know I'm not even half way through my time here but the days are just melting away - kind of like I am in the constant sun.
Camilla has a friend, Ash, visiting right now so on Saturday she took him down to the sourthern most tip of the island to see the lighthouse and national park and I tagged along. It's amazing riding alongside the ocean with the palm trees providing shade and the only breeze being that which you create with your bike. However the farther south you go the more interesting the road becomes. Remember how my bike is...finicky? Besides not starting well, not braking well, being a gas guzzler, etc it is also terrifying when it comes to sharp turns and there's always a moment of "am I going to make it?" That road is crazy; it goes up and down and left and right all at the same time. You'll be going around one turn and up hill so that you can't see what's coming next and then there'll be a sign pointing the opposite direction and suddenly you're going downhill and the opposite direction that you just were. Happily my bike and I survived okay and were rewarded with a beautiful beach and dozens of monkeys running around. These monkeys are so funny. They're not very big, maybe the size of a small dog on average, but they're used to being fed by people so they're not afraid at all and climb all over bikes and cars and try to come up to you. One tried to steal my backpack when we sat down but ran off when we spotted her. The three of us wandered around for a while before doing a loop of the island - my first time going up the east side of the island. Up north, back in Saladan, we stopped at a Buddhist Temple for a short while and looked around a little under the gaze of a watchful monk. We returned home in time for the dark to set in.
Today's been a quiet day where I slept in between working the morning shift. I was feeling a little sick yesterday but I feel much better now. Unfortunately Meagan, one of the volunteers from Canada, came in feeling sick yesterday and she has all the symptoms of Dengue Fever. It's too early to test for it but that's what everyone suspects. I've heard that where she's staying at the Chill Out House there's been a few recent cases so I hope it's not something I'm as at risk of getting while I stay here at the shelter. Though if it's not going to be Dengue Fever I still have to be on the lookout for cobras and falling out of caves. This reminds me that I'm just about out of bugspray so it's off to the ever popular and super classy 7/11 in search of some more.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Everyone's Staying!
The past few days have really made me aware of some of the huge differences between life in Thailand vs. life in Maine. Not that I haven't been aware of the insane incomparabilities since I got here, but a few new things popped up that just reiterated this thought. Most noticably was my Monday. I was working in the afternoon and it kicked right off with my first real dog fight. It's easy to forget that these dogs weren't born into a life of pethood and many spent the first portion of their life surviving in packs on the island, trying to find food and competing over resources. One of our newest dogs, Bones (named because she came in with absolutely no meat on her), is still not completely adjusted to the fact that she will have meals everyday and went nuts on Michael, the dog I wrote about last time, in a fit to eat first. Don't let this put you off though, if anyone wants a dog right now I can hook you up. Following this incident I took the two older puppies, Beijoqueiro ("kisser" in Portugese) and Rocket for a walk to the river. Along the way they were sniffing in the grass just off the side of the road when they both lunged after what I assumed would be a frog or gecko. But no, a King Cobra rose out of the grass and towered over the puppies, hood up and fangs ready. I yanked them away as swiftly as possible, though the two were all for playing with the cobra. No harm, no foul, but beyond what I was expecting. Of course everyone else is quite jealous that I should see a Cobra after 2 1/2 weeks, when some volunteers have been here months, but I could have done without.
More excitement the next day on a walk to the river. I was with another volunteer, Sam, and we had three dogs altogether. A bike was coming towards us with a dog chasing the bike. Upon seeing our dogs, this other fellow tried to cross in front of the bike and come over to us but he collided with the bike which sent the driver into a ditch and the second guy flew off into the road. Luckily both were okay and the dog seemed to be as well, but one of our dogs, Chilli, slipped her harness and ran off with Sam chasing. In the end she just went home and once again, all's well that ends well.
For the most part I really enjoy Thai people. They're friendly and kind and have a wonderful sense of humor where they poke fun at you when you get rained on or sunburnt but in such a cheerful way that you don't feel upset or made fun of. Although when it comes to driving it's every man for himself. It doesn't matter how good or safe a driver you are, your life is dependent on how well you pay attention to what everyone around you is doing becuase usually it's something stupid. Between the few pedestrians, the fewer pedal bikes, motorbikes driven by all levels of experienced riders, tuk-tuks (essentially a taxi; a cart attached to a bike), and cars there isn't always a lot of room on the roads and people drive quite fast for the most part and a bit recklessly. These guys on their bikes must feel invincible based on their behavior, that or they like feeling especially vulnerable and surviving. I always feel so out in the open and unprotected, but it's a nice, liberating feeling. Especially on these hot-hot days where the breeze might be the main purpose for going for a ride.
In between shifts I've probably been spending most of my time at the beach. I don't know what I'll make of Sand Beach when I get home. Come to think of it, I also don't know what I'll think of flushing toilets, hot showers, and driving on the right side of the road (hopefully I adjust to that one quickly!). One of the best things about the beaches, and the island in general, in my opinion, are the massive eagles that fly everywhere. We had one at the shelter last week because it was injured but we just released it the other day. Speaking of birds, all I hear in my head when riding my bike is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY .
You know how I said everyone was leaving at the end of the month? They're not anymore! Sylvia and Eva, the Polish vets, are trying to extend their stay by two weeks; Camilla and Miriam were leaving next week to Australia/New Zealand but their visa's haven't gone through so they'll be here up to another month; Sam and Mitch decided to stay at least a month instead of the original two week plan; and Justin and Meaghan also decided to stay an extra two weeks or so. Only Marcus is leaving as planned but that's not nearly as bad as I was prepared for. Hooooray!
I don't have too much more to report. My cobra story is my claim to fame around here so that's really what I wanted to write down. I did find out that there is a horse rescue on this island (how did I manage that?) that I intend to check out as soon as possible. Also, this Friday, a bunch of us from the shelter are going in a boat to a series of cavernous, chambered caves. The way it was described to me by the organizer sounds amazing and possibly a little terrifying. I am having flashbacks to the descent into the crater in Israel; from what I've been told, to enter the third chamber you have to crawl through a tunnel so small that anyone on the larger side of a bit wide of shoulders wouldn't fit. I'm pretty claustrophobic but I will hopefully be able to persuade myself through it. There are your highlight of the past few days; I'll write again in not too long providing I don't get stuck in a cave tunnel and can no longer make it to a computer screen.
More excitement the next day on a walk to the river. I was with another volunteer, Sam, and we had three dogs altogether. A bike was coming towards us with a dog chasing the bike. Upon seeing our dogs, this other fellow tried to cross in front of the bike and come over to us but he collided with the bike which sent the driver into a ditch and the second guy flew off into the road. Luckily both were okay and the dog seemed to be as well, but one of our dogs, Chilli, slipped her harness and ran off with Sam chasing. In the end she just went home and once again, all's well that ends well.
For the most part I really enjoy Thai people. They're friendly and kind and have a wonderful sense of humor where they poke fun at you when you get rained on or sunburnt but in such a cheerful way that you don't feel upset or made fun of. Although when it comes to driving it's every man for himself. It doesn't matter how good or safe a driver you are, your life is dependent on how well you pay attention to what everyone around you is doing becuase usually it's something stupid. Between the few pedestrians, the fewer pedal bikes, motorbikes driven by all levels of experienced riders, tuk-tuks (essentially a taxi; a cart attached to a bike), and cars there isn't always a lot of room on the roads and people drive quite fast for the most part and a bit recklessly. These guys on their bikes must feel invincible based on their behavior, that or they like feeling especially vulnerable and surviving. I always feel so out in the open and unprotected, but it's a nice, liberating feeling. Especially on these hot-hot days where the breeze might be the main purpose for going for a ride.
In between shifts I've probably been spending most of my time at the beach. I don't know what I'll make of Sand Beach when I get home. Come to think of it, I also don't know what I'll think of flushing toilets, hot showers, and driving on the right side of the road (hopefully I adjust to that one quickly!). One of the best things about the beaches, and the island in general, in my opinion, are the massive eagles that fly everywhere. We had one at the shelter last week because it was injured but we just released it the other day. Speaking of birds, all I hear in my head when riding my bike is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY .
You know how I said everyone was leaving at the end of the month? They're not anymore! Sylvia and Eva, the Polish vets, are trying to extend their stay by two weeks; Camilla and Miriam were leaving next week to Australia/New Zealand but their visa's haven't gone through so they'll be here up to another month; Sam and Mitch decided to stay at least a month instead of the original two week plan; and Justin and Meaghan also decided to stay an extra two weeks or so. Only Marcus is leaving as planned but that's not nearly as bad as I was prepared for. Hooooray!
I don't have too much more to report. My cobra story is my claim to fame around here so that's really what I wanted to write down. I did find out that there is a horse rescue on this island (how did I manage that?) that I intend to check out as soon as possible. Also, this Friday, a bunch of us from the shelter are going in a boat to a series of cavernous, chambered caves. The way it was described to me by the organizer sounds amazing and possibly a little terrifying. I am having flashbacks to the descent into the crater in Israel; from what I've been told, to enter the third chamber you have to crawl through a tunnel so small that anyone on the larger side of a bit wide of shoulders wouldn't fit. I'm pretty claustrophobic but I will hopefully be able to persuade myself through it. There are your highlight of the past few days; I'll write again in not too long providing I don't get stuck in a cave tunnel and can no longer make it to a computer screen.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Two Weeks - Dengue Free
Sawadee Ka!
I left off last Tuesday so let me catch you up on what's being going on since then. It's been a really great past few days that are just racing by. I'm over two weeks into my stay here; a quarter of the way finished my stay in Thailand. I know six weeks is still a long time but it feels like not enough. One of the things that's been on my mind a lot the past few days is that this trip feels too planned out and pre-booked. I'm wishing partly that I could extend my travels for a bit longer. I don't necessarily want to stay in Koh Lanta for much longer than two months but I don't know that I particularly want to go home. Though two months is still a good amount of time so I'm sure I'll feel different towards the end and just be ready to go home and see my friends and family, but at this moment I don't want to stop.
Anyways, back to what I've actually been doing, Tuesday was Jon, the volunteer coordinator/shelter manager's birthday and we threw him a surprise party at the center. All the volunteers came and we put up balloons and his girlfriend and fellow volunteer, Julia, ordered cake (which is a true rarity here) and it was just a really nice time. We spent a few hours there and then went to Pangea, the same bar where the full moon party was last week. I'm coming to look forward to Tuesday's very much because of Pangea dance party nights. Not to mention that I had Wednesday off work so I stayed out until 5am with a few other volunteers. All in all it was a good night and I think Jon was happily surprised.
The mission of Wednesday was to locate new shoes since mine broke the day before. Anywhere close by only sells cheap, plastic ones that I really don't like so I drove to Saladan, the town at the north of the island and most touristy place. That's one of the most interesting things about this island; it's not very big and yet it has a huge range of cultures and languages and financial backgrounds. It's not a main tourist spot so it's not crowded or dirty, but it's touristy enough that most store owners speak a little english and you can get what you need generally. I'm staying about 15ish minutes south of Saladan on a road off the main one. If I drive to the main road there are restaurants and minimarts and if I drive north there are an increasing amount of stores and tourist attractions. However, if I walk 10 minutes down my road away from the main street there are small woven houses and children bathing in the river. Back on the topic of Saladan, I was finally able to locate some cool, locally made shoes for about $3. I did a bit of shopping for food and other things as well and felt like I was spending a lot of money, but then I did the math and realized I'd spent less than $15. It's easy to forget that $1 is about 40 baht so you're really not spending much money ever.
Thursday was my first day working with one of the new couples, Sam and Mitch. They're from London and I really like them so it's nice that they're staying for a month or so. We worked in the morning and spent the rest of the day at the beach - such a difficult life it is here. It's completely beautiful and insanely different than anywhere I've ever been but I still don't think I could spend an indefinite amount of time here. I love it but I think I would go a bit crazy on an island if I was there for too long. Friday was the last day for Rebecka before her return to Sweden. I made shakshuka for the first time for a few of us and it remarkably turned out edible. It's interesting shopping for groceries here, and probably this is part of the reason we eat out so much, but you can't just go to a supermarket with a produce section. You have to go to fruit or vegetable stands or the market which is in a different location everyday (on Thursday's it's right by the shelter). I also kind of like this, though. I really want to cook more, as in at all, when I get back home.
At night we went to Chill Out House which is a bar/restaurant/tree house sort of establishment. The owner built it himself and it is the coolest building I've ever been in. There aren't really walls, there are branches that create an enclosure with seats built in and around the branches and hammocks hanging from the "ceiling," if I can call it that. They're starting an organic farm there and sadly my roommate was asked to leave today because they don't think she's putting enough work in so she's gone to stay there and work at the farm. I have a room to myself again but I liked staying with her and we were leaving on the same day but now she might leave earlier. It's a bit of a shame. Suddenly it feels like everyone is leaving. She and Rebecka are gone, and two volunteers are leaving next week, and then four or five are leaving at the end of the month. I know I kept saying that I didn't really feel like part of the group but now I do, just in time for that group to disperse. I'm hoping there'll be more volunteers coming but it's also getting towards the end of the high season so there may not be so many.
I wrote about a few dogs I didn't like last time so I thought I'd write about my two favorites today. They are Michael and Denver. Michael has an expression and built a bit like my dog, Gulliver, but he has golden eyes and a tail as curly as a pig's. He's a bit shy but really sweet. Then there's Denver who is between 6months and a year, I'm not sure, and his paws and ears are way too big for the rest of him. He's a bit of a floppy puppy but very cute and you can just carry him around and he sits on your lap like a cat. I had a scare this morning when I walked into his kennel to feed him and found him lying on his side whimpering in pain. The vets checked him out (hooray for attached clinic) and think he has a blood parasite which makes him very tired and sore. It takes about a month of treatment for him to get better, but he might not be so easy to carry around or willing to sit quietly on my lap once he feels better. There's also 15-20 cats who wander the premises, free to come and go. No one is going to stop you from letting one (or six) sleep in your room at night which I love. There's one cat, Batman, who sleeps with me and he's so good at night but as soon as my alarm goes off he's up and begins attacking my feet. I guess it's good in that it makes me get up, but I can only reason that out later in the day.
I'm just about out of time. The volunteers are going to Time For Lime tonight, the restaurant owned by the woman who started the shelter and we're supposed to leave in less than 15 minutes. Tonight is my night sleeping in the shelter with the dogs which ought to be fun (does sarcasm come through in writing?). Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
I left off last Tuesday so let me catch you up on what's being going on since then. It's been a really great past few days that are just racing by. I'm over two weeks into my stay here; a quarter of the way finished my stay in Thailand. I know six weeks is still a long time but it feels like not enough. One of the things that's been on my mind a lot the past few days is that this trip feels too planned out and pre-booked. I'm wishing partly that I could extend my travels for a bit longer. I don't necessarily want to stay in Koh Lanta for much longer than two months but I don't know that I particularly want to go home. Though two months is still a good amount of time so I'm sure I'll feel different towards the end and just be ready to go home and see my friends and family, but at this moment I don't want to stop.
Anyways, back to what I've actually been doing, Tuesday was Jon, the volunteer coordinator/shelter manager's birthday and we threw him a surprise party at the center. All the volunteers came and we put up balloons and his girlfriend and fellow volunteer, Julia, ordered cake (which is a true rarity here) and it was just a really nice time. We spent a few hours there and then went to Pangea, the same bar where the full moon party was last week. I'm coming to look forward to Tuesday's very much because of Pangea dance party nights. Not to mention that I had Wednesday off work so I stayed out until 5am with a few other volunteers. All in all it was a good night and I think Jon was happily surprised.
The mission of Wednesday was to locate new shoes since mine broke the day before. Anywhere close by only sells cheap, plastic ones that I really don't like so I drove to Saladan, the town at the north of the island and most touristy place. That's one of the most interesting things about this island; it's not very big and yet it has a huge range of cultures and languages and financial backgrounds. It's not a main tourist spot so it's not crowded or dirty, but it's touristy enough that most store owners speak a little english and you can get what you need generally. I'm staying about 15ish minutes south of Saladan on a road off the main one. If I drive to the main road there are restaurants and minimarts and if I drive north there are an increasing amount of stores and tourist attractions. However, if I walk 10 minutes down my road away from the main street there are small woven houses and children bathing in the river. Back on the topic of Saladan, I was finally able to locate some cool, locally made shoes for about $3. I did a bit of shopping for food and other things as well and felt like I was spending a lot of money, but then I did the math and realized I'd spent less than $15. It's easy to forget that $1 is about 40 baht so you're really not spending much money ever.
Thursday was my first day working with one of the new couples, Sam and Mitch. They're from London and I really like them so it's nice that they're staying for a month or so. We worked in the morning and spent the rest of the day at the beach - such a difficult life it is here. It's completely beautiful and insanely different than anywhere I've ever been but I still don't think I could spend an indefinite amount of time here. I love it but I think I would go a bit crazy on an island if I was there for too long. Friday was the last day for Rebecka before her return to Sweden. I made shakshuka for the first time for a few of us and it remarkably turned out edible. It's interesting shopping for groceries here, and probably this is part of the reason we eat out so much, but you can't just go to a supermarket with a produce section. You have to go to fruit or vegetable stands or the market which is in a different location everyday (on Thursday's it's right by the shelter). I also kind of like this, though. I really want to cook more, as in at all, when I get back home.
At night we went to Chill Out House which is a bar/restaurant/tree house sort of establishment. The owner built it himself and it is the coolest building I've ever been in. There aren't really walls, there are branches that create an enclosure with seats built in and around the branches and hammocks hanging from the "ceiling," if I can call it that. They're starting an organic farm there and sadly my roommate was asked to leave today because they don't think she's putting enough work in so she's gone to stay there and work at the farm. I have a room to myself again but I liked staying with her and we were leaving on the same day but now she might leave earlier. It's a bit of a shame. Suddenly it feels like everyone is leaving. She and Rebecka are gone, and two volunteers are leaving next week, and then four or five are leaving at the end of the month. I know I kept saying that I didn't really feel like part of the group but now I do, just in time for that group to disperse. I'm hoping there'll be more volunteers coming but it's also getting towards the end of the high season so there may not be so many.
I wrote about a few dogs I didn't like last time so I thought I'd write about my two favorites today. They are Michael and Denver. Michael has an expression and built a bit like my dog, Gulliver, but he has golden eyes and a tail as curly as a pig's. He's a bit shy but really sweet. Then there's Denver who is between 6months and a year, I'm not sure, and his paws and ears are way too big for the rest of him. He's a bit of a floppy puppy but very cute and you can just carry him around and he sits on your lap like a cat. I had a scare this morning when I walked into his kennel to feed him and found him lying on his side whimpering in pain. The vets checked him out (hooray for attached clinic) and think he has a blood parasite which makes him very tired and sore. It takes about a month of treatment for him to get better, but he might not be so easy to carry around or willing to sit quietly on my lap once he feels better. There's also 15-20 cats who wander the premises, free to come and go. No one is going to stop you from letting one (or six) sleep in your room at night which I love. There's one cat, Batman, who sleeps with me and he's so good at night but as soon as my alarm goes off he's up and begins attacking my feet. I guess it's good in that it makes me get up, but I can only reason that out later in the day.
I'm just about out of time. The volunteers are going to Time For Lime tonight, the restaurant owned by the woman who started the shelter and we're supposed to leave in less than 15 minutes. Tonight is my night sleeping in the shelter with the dogs which ought to be fun (does sarcasm come through in writing?). Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Rain and Rufus
Immediately after I finished writing my last post the storm clouds rolled in with a final warning and I hopped on my bike to head home. That's the thing about bike as transportation - when it rains you really don't want to be going anywhere. It rained all of Thursday so my day off was spent divided between my bed and a sheltered hammock. I suppose there are worse ways to spend a day. It was still raining in the evening when we went to the Laanta Lanta Festival so it wasn't such fun, but we got good food and had a quick look in some nice booths before giving up and returning to the truck.
Friday night was my first night sleeping in the kennel and it was just about everything it's cracked up to be. The evening begun with Sanchez, a tough looking dog covered in battle scars, whining fearfully at things moving in the night. To quiet him down I brought him into the kitchen where I was sleeping and let him curl up with me, but then Rufus the Terrible figured that if Sanchez got to be in the kitchen then he ought to be as well. And so he begun howling loudly, and Rufus is the kind of dog who enjoys being yelled at and punished so it's really hard to shut him up once he gets going. He became the greater of two evils so Sanchez had to return to face the night demons (frogs and kittens) and Rufus took his rightful place in the kitchen. Have I mentioned that I really dislike Rufus? He's this huge dog who isn't aware of his size or the fact that he's no longer a puppy. I took him for a walk the other day and he wanted to play with some strange dogs but I wouldn't let him so he turned and bounded at me. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Anyways, with Rufus in the kitchen I was able to get a few hours of sleep before they started barking at 3, howling at 4, and getting up at 5 to prevent them barking during the Muslim prayer. It was a less than enjoyable night, but only 7 more of those to deal with.
In the past few days there have been a lot of volunteers coming and going, and more are leaving in the next few. Toni left for Australia, Rebecka is about to leave for Sweden, and Josh is going...wherever Josh lives. A new couple came on Saturday from Canada and another couple came just last night from London. They all seem like good people but it meant I lost my single bedroom. I moved in with Terezia yesterday but she's cool and we get along so it should be fine, but so much for settling in a bit these two months. I feel like I'm getting to know all the volunteers a bit better. We all get along well but it's not like when I volunteered at the farm in Israel when we were all tight after a week. I think part of the reason is that I'm so much younger (over twice my age in some cases), and also a lot of people came with a friend or as a couple so there's automatically some division. But no worries, when we do hang it's great and I also really enjoy doing my own thing.
So my bike...is kind of a piece of shit. I say that affectionately but honestly. It's old. It's a gas guzzler. The brakes suck. It often refuses to start for several minutes. The motor doesn't start well so it kicks and almost throws you off the backseat everytime you get it going. I thought I was just a really bad driver but I let someone else drive it yesterday and they fell off when it kicked so I feel a bit better about myself, but slightly concerned that I'll now have to pay for a cracked mirror. Regardless, it gets me around though I'm eternally teased about my slow driving speeds.
Not much else has been new at the shelter. There's the income of animals for treatments, the daily walking of dogs, the routine chores. None of its hard but my most common phrase might just be, "This is probably the grossest thing I've ever done." Still I'm glad for something to fill part of my time and to meet people through volunteering. The beaches are great and the parties are fun, but I think I'd be a bit bored if I didn't have anything else to do during the day. I suppose a lot of tourists feel that way because everyday we have dozens who visit and walk a few dogs for us.
I guess that's all for now. Tomorrow's my day off and since I worked a morning shift today I'm officially free. I'll write again soon, hope all is well with everyone.
Friday night was my first night sleeping in the kennel and it was just about everything it's cracked up to be. The evening begun with Sanchez, a tough looking dog covered in battle scars, whining fearfully at things moving in the night. To quiet him down I brought him into the kitchen where I was sleeping and let him curl up with me, but then Rufus the Terrible figured that if Sanchez got to be in the kitchen then he ought to be as well. And so he begun howling loudly, and Rufus is the kind of dog who enjoys being yelled at and punished so it's really hard to shut him up once he gets going. He became the greater of two evils so Sanchez had to return to face the night demons (frogs and kittens) and Rufus took his rightful place in the kitchen. Have I mentioned that I really dislike Rufus? He's this huge dog who isn't aware of his size or the fact that he's no longer a puppy. I took him for a walk the other day and he wanted to play with some strange dogs but I wouldn't let him so he turned and bounded at me. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Anyways, with Rufus in the kitchen I was able to get a few hours of sleep before they started barking at 3, howling at 4, and getting up at 5 to prevent them barking during the Muslim prayer. It was a less than enjoyable night, but only 7 more of those to deal with.
In the past few days there have been a lot of volunteers coming and going, and more are leaving in the next few. Toni left for Australia, Rebecka is about to leave for Sweden, and Josh is going...wherever Josh lives. A new couple came on Saturday from Canada and another couple came just last night from London. They all seem like good people but it meant I lost my single bedroom. I moved in with Terezia yesterday but she's cool and we get along so it should be fine, but so much for settling in a bit these two months. I feel like I'm getting to know all the volunteers a bit better. We all get along well but it's not like when I volunteered at the farm in Israel when we were all tight after a week. I think part of the reason is that I'm so much younger (over twice my age in some cases), and also a lot of people came with a friend or as a couple so there's automatically some division. But no worries, when we do hang it's great and I also really enjoy doing my own thing.
So my bike...is kind of a piece of shit. I say that affectionately but honestly. It's old. It's a gas guzzler. The brakes suck. It often refuses to start for several minutes. The motor doesn't start well so it kicks and almost throws you off the backseat everytime you get it going. I thought I was just a really bad driver but I let someone else drive it yesterday and they fell off when it kicked so I feel a bit better about myself, but slightly concerned that I'll now have to pay for a cracked mirror. Regardless, it gets me around though I'm eternally teased about my slow driving speeds.
Not much else has been new at the shelter. There's the income of animals for treatments, the daily walking of dogs, the routine chores. None of its hard but my most common phrase might just be, "This is probably the grossest thing I've ever done." Still I'm glad for something to fill part of my time and to meet people through volunteering. The beaches are great and the parties are fun, but I think I'd be a bit bored if I didn't have anything else to do during the day. I suppose a lot of tourists feel that way because everyday we have dozens who visit and walk a few dogs for us.
I guess that's all for now. Tomorrow's my day off and since I worked a morning shift today I'm officially free. I'll write again soon, hope all is well with everyone.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Letter From A Hammock
I'm beginning to fall in love with my island. I love how none of the restaurants have walls. I love taking naps in the hammock outside my room after work. I love the parties on the beach, the fruits I've never seen before, the delicious food, taking off your shoes before entering buildings (though I rarely wear shoes to begin with). I even love the thirty minute thunderstorms every afternoon that completely soak you in seconds, and the heat that presses down on you 24 hours a day, and I even don't mind that my toilet doesn't flush - you pour a bucket of water after you go to flush it. The more I see of Koh Lanta the more I like it.
Time moves differently here. The days drift into one another lazily and it feels live I've been here longer than almost one week. The only things punctuating my days are work, meals, and the reapplication of bugspray. The work at the shelter isn't hard; it's a little gross at times between keeping the dog and cat areas clean but I knew what I was getting myself into. I've been mostly working the morning 7am-1pm shift since I got here but for the next few days I'm doing the afternoon 1pm-7pm shift. Also tomorrow night is my turn to sleep in the shelter to keep the dogs quiet during the night. Someone sleeps there every night because the neighbors complain a lot about noise. Today is my day off! It couldn't have come sooner. I've been out pretty late the last few nights and really needed the 13 1/2 hours of sleep I was able to get last night. It's still early though, not even 12. I've already been to the beach for a while and went swimming. It's so strange swimming in an ocean that's warm. I'm so used to freezing in the Atlantic, but the Indian is practically bath water. The rest of the afternoon is unplanned but tonight is the second night of the three day Lanta Laanta Festival on the other side of the island. I didn't go last night because I was sleeping, and like I said tomorrow I have to stay in the shelter from 7pm onwards so tonight is my only chance.
During the day when we're not working most of the volunteers are at the beach, and then almost every night we go out for dinner and then there's usually a party at some bar along the beach. I've never lived like this before. I hardly ever eat out at home but here it's so affordable and so delicious that it's worth it. And while the other volunteers are quite a bit older than me and seem to be regular partiers I rarely stay out so late so many nights in a row. On Tuesday night there was a full moon party on the beach (and the moon wasn't even full) and that was really fun. I met a lot of cool people from all over including Greg from Australia who I hung out with yesterday after work for a few hours.
A couple of days ago I rented my motorbike which I am still getting comfortable driving but I love it. It's purple. And it means I'm independent. Here you drive on the left side of the road which I still have to consciously remember but it's getting easier.
So that's me up to date I believe. Island life is good, though very different than anything I've experienced before. Good thing I have a long time to get used to it. Tomorrow marks one week down. I can't believe it; sometimes it feels like I've been here forever and sometimes it's like I just got here yesterday. Like I said, time moves differently here. And for some good news to wrap up with there have been no new cases of Dengue Fever in about a week which means the threat might be over, and there have been no more creatures in my bathroom since the gecko.
Time moves differently here. The days drift into one another lazily and it feels live I've been here longer than almost one week. The only things punctuating my days are work, meals, and the reapplication of bugspray. The work at the shelter isn't hard; it's a little gross at times between keeping the dog and cat areas clean but I knew what I was getting myself into. I've been mostly working the morning 7am-1pm shift since I got here but for the next few days I'm doing the afternoon 1pm-7pm shift. Also tomorrow night is my turn to sleep in the shelter to keep the dogs quiet during the night. Someone sleeps there every night because the neighbors complain a lot about noise. Today is my day off! It couldn't have come sooner. I've been out pretty late the last few nights and really needed the 13 1/2 hours of sleep I was able to get last night. It's still early though, not even 12. I've already been to the beach for a while and went swimming. It's so strange swimming in an ocean that's warm. I'm so used to freezing in the Atlantic, but the Indian is practically bath water. The rest of the afternoon is unplanned but tonight is the second night of the three day Lanta Laanta Festival on the other side of the island. I didn't go last night because I was sleeping, and like I said tomorrow I have to stay in the shelter from 7pm onwards so tonight is my only chance.
During the day when we're not working most of the volunteers are at the beach, and then almost every night we go out for dinner and then there's usually a party at some bar along the beach. I've never lived like this before. I hardly ever eat out at home but here it's so affordable and so delicious that it's worth it. And while the other volunteers are quite a bit older than me and seem to be regular partiers I rarely stay out so late so many nights in a row. On Tuesday night there was a full moon party on the beach (and the moon wasn't even full) and that was really fun. I met a lot of cool people from all over including Greg from Australia who I hung out with yesterday after work for a few hours.
A couple of days ago I rented my motorbike which I am still getting comfortable driving but I love it. It's purple. And it means I'm independent. Here you drive on the left side of the road which I still have to consciously remember but it's getting easier.
So that's me up to date I believe. Island life is good, though very different than anything I've experienced before. Good thing I have a long time to get used to it. Tomorrow marks one week down. I can't believe it; sometimes it feels like I've been here forever and sometimes it's like I just got here yesterday. Like I said, time moves differently here. And for some good news to wrap up with there have been no new cases of Dengue Fever in about a week which means the threat might be over, and there have been no more creatures in my bathroom since the gecko.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Creatures In My Bathroom
Three plane rides, two ferry boats, and one taxi later I've arrived on Koh Lanta. What a disorienting trip. I got on a plane Wednesday night and arrived in Taiwan 14 hours later. Then there was a 4 hour flight to Bangkok and a 1 and a half hour flight to Krabi. From there a 2 and a half hour taxi ride that encompassed the two ferry boat rides. By the time I arrived at the Lanta Animal Welfare shelter it was about 7pm on Friday. On the ferry ride over I saw my island for the first time and smiled as I thought of my home for the next two months. It seemed so surreal...and then reality hit.
In my state of exhaustion and confusion I had a pretty pessimistic outlook upon arriving and viewing my surroundings for the first time. I could only focus on the negative, such as the cockroach in my bathroom, the cobwebs on my bed frame, and the fact that five recent volunteers came down with Dengue Fever. I also couldn't get my Thai cell phone to work so that I might call home, and there isn't actually an onsite communal computer as I was led to believe. In that moment, sitting in my room, I felt the most alone and scared I have this entire trip. That was the first time I really thought to myself, "I don't know if I can do this."
But that's not the right attitude to have. So I killed the cockroach in the bathroom, swept the cobwebs off my bed, and gave myself a good coating of bugspray. After much frustration my parents and I were able to talk on the phone, but I was still feeling pretty discouraged by the time I fell asleep. However when I woke up I was able to see things in a new light. Yes, these are some of roughest living conditions I've experienced, but they're not bad at all. I have an attached bathroom with running water (it's cold water only, but with the temperatures here that's all you want). There's electricity. I have a fan. I have a bed and clean sheets and a room to myself. It could be infinitely worse. And the living situation isn't the reason I came. I came to volunteer at the animal shelter. Priorities.
After my first shift yesterday morning from 7-1 I feel like I'm really putting my time to good use. The shelter is a bit understaffed right now and there are a lot of animals that need to be taken care of. There are about 20 cats and 30 dogs. I'm sad to say that I've never seen so many animals missing limbs or eyes or tails; it's heartbreaking. This place and these people work so hard to make these animals comfortable and keep their environment clean; it's really a wonderful effort. After my morning shift with Marcus from Germany and Fon from Thailand I went out to lunch with Fon, which meant I got my first motorbike ride! I haven't rented one yet but I think I have to. There just isn't any other form of transportation and things are too spread out to walk. That also means I need to learn how to ride one, but how hard can it be? The lunch we got was so delicious and cost less than $2. That's the amazing thing about Thailand - things are cheap. Really cheap. Afterwards we went to the beach and lay there for hours under our covered rest place, drinking beer and watching a thunderstorm rage around us as the afternoon progressed. This is undoubtedly the wildest place I've ever been.
As far as food goes, it seems that the volunteers typically buy lunch and dinner out and pick up a few groceries for breakfast. I haven't figured out exactly if I'm going to follow that same guideline but we'll see as time progresses. Yesterday for dinner I went out with all the volunteers to a market in Saladan, the main town on the island, and ate fried food off a stick. I kid you not that everything was on a stick and fried. Vegetarian options are limited but available and I found some battered quail eggs (fried and on a stick) which was weird but not too bad. The rest of the volunteers went out to a bar later at night but jetlag insisted I go to bed. Seeing as they didn't get back until 5am I think my decision was a good one. I'm trying to fit in and be part of the group but everyone is considerably older than I am and much more alcohol-oriented than me. Everyone seems really nice though and there's always an invitation somewhere.
I think I can do this. It's had its ups and downs in the time since I got here, and I'm sure it will have more, but I think I'll be okay. And the island itself does seem pretty cool. From my drive-by's there look to be a lot of cool stores and there's a huge amount of delicious food. We'll see how it continues, but for now that's all I have time for since I'm in an internet cafe and being charged by the minute (though cheaply, since this is Thailand). Also, this morning, I found a gecko in my bathroom. I don't know how he got in there since it is sealed everywhere as far as I can tell. He and the cockroach are in cahoots.
In my state of exhaustion and confusion I had a pretty pessimistic outlook upon arriving and viewing my surroundings for the first time. I could only focus on the negative, such as the cockroach in my bathroom, the cobwebs on my bed frame, and the fact that five recent volunteers came down with Dengue Fever. I also couldn't get my Thai cell phone to work so that I might call home, and there isn't actually an onsite communal computer as I was led to believe. In that moment, sitting in my room, I felt the most alone and scared I have this entire trip. That was the first time I really thought to myself, "I don't know if I can do this."
But that's not the right attitude to have. So I killed the cockroach in the bathroom, swept the cobwebs off my bed, and gave myself a good coating of bugspray. After much frustration my parents and I were able to talk on the phone, but I was still feeling pretty discouraged by the time I fell asleep. However when I woke up I was able to see things in a new light. Yes, these are some of roughest living conditions I've experienced, but they're not bad at all. I have an attached bathroom with running water (it's cold water only, but with the temperatures here that's all you want). There's electricity. I have a fan. I have a bed and clean sheets and a room to myself. It could be infinitely worse. And the living situation isn't the reason I came. I came to volunteer at the animal shelter. Priorities.
After my first shift yesterday morning from 7-1 I feel like I'm really putting my time to good use. The shelter is a bit understaffed right now and there are a lot of animals that need to be taken care of. There are about 20 cats and 30 dogs. I'm sad to say that I've never seen so many animals missing limbs or eyes or tails; it's heartbreaking. This place and these people work so hard to make these animals comfortable and keep their environment clean; it's really a wonderful effort. After my morning shift with Marcus from Germany and Fon from Thailand I went out to lunch with Fon, which meant I got my first motorbike ride! I haven't rented one yet but I think I have to. There just isn't any other form of transportation and things are too spread out to walk. That also means I need to learn how to ride one, but how hard can it be? The lunch we got was so delicious and cost less than $2. That's the amazing thing about Thailand - things are cheap. Really cheap. Afterwards we went to the beach and lay there for hours under our covered rest place, drinking beer and watching a thunderstorm rage around us as the afternoon progressed. This is undoubtedly the wildest place I've ever been.
As far as food goes, it seems that the volunteers typically buy lunch and dinner out and pick up a few groceries for breakfast. I haven't figured out exactly if I'm going to follow that same guideline but we'll see as time progresses. Yesterday for dinner I went out with all the volunteers to a market in Saladan, the main town on the island, and ate fried food off a stick. I kid you not that everything was on a stick and fried. Vegetarian options are limited but available and I found some battered quail eggs (fried and on a stick) which was weird but not too bad. The rest of the volunteers went out to a bar later at night but jetlag insisted I go to bed. Seeing as they didn't get back until 5am I think my decision was a good one. I'm trying to fit in and be part of the group but everyone is considerably older than I am and much more alcohol-oriented than me. Everyone seems really nice though and there's always an invitation somewhere.
I think I can do this. It's had its ups and downs in the time since I got here, and I'm sure it will have more, but I think I'll be okay. And the island itself does seem pretty cool. From my drive-by's there look to be a lot of cool stores and there's a huge amount of delicious food. We'll see how it continues, but for now that's all I have time for since I'm in an internet cafe and being charged by the minute (though cheaply, since this is Thailand). Also, this morning, I found a gecko in my bathroom. I don't know how he got in there since it is sealed everywhere as far as I can tell. He and the cockroach are in cahoots.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Redwoods and Sea Lions
One of the nicest things about being back in the US is that I've been able to talk to all my friends back home. Just knowing they're there and that I have their support is so wonderful. When I was in Scotland I was feeling especially distanced and homeless, but talking to everyone just reminded me that everyone is still there. I feel content to go off to Thailand for two months knowing that will still be true when I get home. I wrote about loneliness during that same patch of doubt in Scotland, but I also really love being alone. I love waking up and going out at my own pace. No need to confer with anyone else on where to go or what they want to see or if they need food or anything else. Just me and my own wants and needs; it's incredibly freeing.
Ironically while everyone began their spring break, I spent my first few days here on college campuses. My first day wandering around Berkeley was beautiful and warm and sunny. These neighborhoods are gardens; every yard is filled with flowers and bushes and, in some cases, lemon trees. My sister's apartment is in a really wonderful location close to Downtown Berkeley and the UC Berkeley campus, of which I explored both my first day. The college campus is very beautiful. After walking through neighborhoods filled with houses and stores the campus feels quite removed. It's got trees and grassy areas and wooden bridges; all in all a good place to sit and relax - especially since there are no places to sit in Berkeley except for bus stop benches.
On Friday, my second day, Jack had a meeting at Stanford so I went with him to bond and meander the campus grounds. Another really beautiful campus in a completely different way than UC Berkeley. It's almost like a medieval castle. There are stone archways and a courtyard and just really beautiful architecture. Give me that, a hidden bench in a small wooded section, a book, and 70+ degrees and what could be better? By the time we got back it was the start of Shabbat and Noa invited over a few friends. One of whom was the girlfriend of Jack's older brother, Benj, who we are having dinner with tonight. That will bring my total of Cohens met in person to 3 out of 5. So it was a really good dinner with good people and good food.
Saturday was a relaxed day. I walked around Berkeley a bit and hung out with Noa and Jack. Sunday was an awesome day. Noa and I were invited hiking by one of Jack's roommates, Yosef. One of the other hikers, Dan, picked us up early to go to a farmer's market to get some lunch. Not only was it a really nice farmer's market, but we got very delicious cheese from our new friend Jessie, and bread and apples. We picked up Yosef and another girl, Shlayma, and headed to the Oakland redwoods. What a lovely hike! And I got to see my first redwood trees! Yosef, keeper of the map, got us a little lost but no one minded. It was too beautiful out for us to want the hike to end. But of course it did end, and we all went home happily sore. Noa and I then proceeded to make the best lentil vegetable soup ever and roasted brussel sprouts. We popped in a movie around 8 (to which I promptly fell asleep) and that was our day!
Yesterday, Monday, Noa's roommate from college, Nikki, drove down to see us. While Noa worked during the day Nikki and I went into San Francisco. We walked along the ocean front and went to Pier 39 for a while. Did you know there are sea lions routinely chilling at Pier 39? Me neither. Then we wandered into the hills, which are appropriately named, and climbed through the neighborhoods until we reached Coit Tower and were rewarded with a view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We met up with Noa not so much later in Downtown Berkeley at a cafe and hung out there until Nikki had to go home. By the way, if you need a photographer Nikki is your girl. http://www.sorella-muse.com/
That brings us up to present moment. I'm still chilling in Noa's apartment with no defined plans at the moment, but later tonight Jack, Noa, and I are having dinner with Jack's brother, Benj, and girlfriend, Amanda. Should be good! And did I mention this is my last full day in California? I leave tomorrow night for Thailand! Crazy. I can remember last summer when I first found out about Lanta Animal Welfare and e-mailed them with a "might as well" mindset. After receiving an e-mail and application within 24 hours I called my Mom, who was away that week, and declared that I was going to Thailand. Of course that was when I was still in the trip planning process and often declared I was going to New Zealand, Argentina, Jupiter, etc so I wasn't taken too seriously. But now...it's tomorrow. And I'm actually going. I keep flip flopping between elation and jitters but overall I can't wait to get there and start volunteering. Also, I miss my cats and dog so I'm really excited to play with the ones there. If all goes well I'll arrive there on Friday. Got to love 14 hour flights, layovers, and a 15 hour time difference!
Also, there are more pictures here which you might be able to look at even if you don't have Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150664255149680.455198.773189679&type=1
Ironically while everyone began their spring break, I spent my first few days here on college campuses. My first day wandering around Berkeley was beautiful and warm and sunny. These neighborhoods are gardens; every yard is filled with flowers and bushes and, in some cases, lemon trees. My sister's apartment is in a really wonderful location close to Downtown Berkeley and the UC Berkeley campus, of which I explored both my first day. The college campus is very beautiful. After walking through neighborhoods filled with houses and stores the campus feels quite removed. It's got trees and grassy areas and wooden bridges; all in all a good place to sit and relax - especially since there are no places to sit in Berkeley except for bus stop benches.
On Friday, my second day, Jack had a meeting at Stanford so I went with him to bond and meander the campus grounds. Another really beautiful campus in a completely different way than UC Berkeley. It's almost like a medieval castle. There are stone archways and a courtyard and just really beautiful architecture. Give me that, a hidden bench in a small wooded section, a book, and 70+ degrees and what could be better? By the time we got back it was the start of Shabbat and Noa invited over a few friends. One of whom was the girlfriend of Jack's older brother, Benj, who we are having dinner with tonight. That will bring my total of Cohens met in person to 3 out of 5. So it was a really good dinner with good people and good food.
Saturday was a relaxed day. I walked around Berkeley a bit and hung out with Noa and Jack. Sunday was an awesome day. Noa and I were invited hiking by one of Jack's roommates, Yosef. One of the other hikers, Dan, picked us up early to go to a farmer's market to get some lunch. Not only was it a really nice farmer's market, but we got very delicious cheese from our new friend Jessie, and bread and apples. We picked up Yosef and another girl, Shlayma, and headed to the Oakland redwoods. What a lovely hike! And I got to see my first redwood trees! Yosef, keeper of the map, got us a little lost but no one minded. It was too beautiful out for us to want the hike to end. But of course it did end, and we all went home happily sore. Noa and I then proceeded to make the best lentil vegetable soup ever and roasted brussel sprouts. We popped in a movie around 8 (to which I promptly fell asleep) and that was our day!
Yesterday, Monday, Noa's roommate from college, Nikki, drove down to see us. While Noa worked during the day Nikki and I went into San Francisco. We walked along the ocean front and went to Pier 39 for a while. Did you know there are sea lions routinely chilling at Pier 39? Me neither. Then we wandered into the hills, which are appropriately named, and climbed through the neighborhoods until we reached Coit Tower and were rewarded with a view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We met up with Noa not so much later in Downtown Berkeley at a cafe and hung out there until Nikki had to go home. By the way, if you need a photographer Nikki is your girl. http://www.sorella-muse.com/
That brings us up to present moment. I'm still chilling in Noa's apartment with no defined plans at the moment, but later tonight Jack, Noa, and I are having dinner with Jack's brother, Benj, and girlfriend, Amanda. Should be good! And did I mention this is my last full day in California? I leave tomorrow night for Thailand! Crazy. I can remember last summer when I first found out about Lanta Animal Welfare and e-mailed them with a "might as well" mindset. After receiving an e-mail and application within 24 hours I called my Mom, who was away that week, and declared that I was going to Thailand. Of course that was when I was still in the trip planning process and often declared I was going to New Zealand, Argentina, Jupiter, etc so I wasn't taken too seriously. But now...it's tomorrow. And I'm actually going. I keep flip flopping between elation and jitters but overall I can't wait to get there and start volunteering. Also, I miss my cats and dog so I'm really excited to play with the ones there. If all goes well I'll arrive there on Friday. Got to love 14 hour flights, layovers, and a 15 hour time difference!
Also, there are more pictures here which you might be able to look at even if you don't have Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150664255149680.455198.773189679&type=1
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