So i'm writing this from the front desk of a shwanky, glorious huge hotel at the city outside of Ankor Wat. The kind with very friendly staff to pull out your chair for you at the internet booth. And i rode up to its circular drive, in the dark, on my bicycle, with a headlamp, passed a strech limo. I am looking for Katie Greene, my cousin, who is staying in the very hotel! We both independetly planned new years at Angkor! (and only found out a few days before we both left) but now, we can't find eachother. So close and so far! Katie!!! where are you!?
Love, Gigi
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Chistmas
I can even get over how fantastic Christmas dinner with my host family was.
If I had to sum up Thailand with only one photograph this one might be it:
Rew standing on a chair at the dinner table. He is wearing a red Santa had with light up plastic red stars around the rim. He is taking a huge bite of a fried chiken leg, as he poses next to the decorated table tree. The only food you can see on the table is bottle of Coke (spelled in Thai), a plate of sausages, the plate of friend chicken, and a huge grilled fish. Leap is in the back ground grinning over a bowl of rice.
The original plan was for me to make American food for the family for chirstmas dinner, so I went to Tops (the American grocery store) and bought tons of delicious ingredients for the traditional dinner feast:
-Hamburgers
-Mashed potatoes
-my favorite honey/lemon salad
-nachos
(actually just foods I miss and know how to make esp. without an oven)
Also, while at the mall (seeing Avatar Oh-My-God-I-Love-Enough-Said), I was inspired to get a Christmas tree as well! This was pretty much the best idea I’ve ever had. It’s no Christmas without a tree (in my family?) and it was a huge hit. It –made- it Christmas, which made it the perfect gift. I bought one of those kind of junky (7 Dollar) table tree at the mall. It was pre “decorated” with glued on gold beads and plastic apples that had mostly fallen off in the box, and bought garlands for it. Next went on a bunch of gold wrapped candies and chocolate with twist ties and rubber bands from our room. I set it up all nice and put it in a big red plastic tote.
Dinner planes changed when Mae left her phone at work and Paw and I got confused over the phone, and I ended up getting picked up an hour and a half late. So she just went ahead and made diner while they were picking me up.
Oh yeah, by the way while waiting for Paw ourside our apartment, I almost got hit by a motorcycle. I was sitting on the front steps of the building and he came roaring towards the driveway to pull into the building and hit a pole and then hit the motorcycles parked right in front of my legs knocking the down like dominos, before dragging up his bike and going down the drive. (I was fine, no worries, I’m surprised something like this hasn’t happened sooner). I wish I could say I used my rapid survivor instincts to whip my legs out of the path of danger, but actually I just stared at the guy and thought “huh, hes going really fast. those breaks are really loud. he just hit that pole. If those bikes had fallen on my legs it would probably have hurt alot”
Anyway, when Paw and the boys pulled up I held up the tree and they went nuts in the car which was just the beginning of a crazy fun night. Rew gave me my hat then (with gold moons and stars and santa and his reindeer lights on the front (<3 <3 <3 ). We sang chouses of Christmas carols for the drive home.
When we came in with the tree everyone was singing and running around and taking nuts pictures, and Mae was just bringin in the Christmas feast to put under the table: Tom yum Gung, cook cucumber-egg-ish mix, sausage, fish, chicken, fries, coke, all of which delicious especially Maes famous tom yum gung, (shrimp soup). Everyone adored the tree and Mae brought out gold wrapped cookies for it. I can’t remember any moments really just great feelings. We sang a lot of them coming in for famous lines. Paw and Mae were flirting, and playing with the kids, and the kids and I were having a ball and I even got the boys to wait to eat any candy off the tree until they had finished all their rice. There was general chaos of getting ready and a happy happy quiet of the first few bites of delicious food. We gave cheers to Christmas and just joked and I think I was one of my very favorite moments in Thailand. At dinner Mae said “we have so many Quam Suk (good things)”. It certainly made me miss my Christmas back home less because I could share the wonderful joy of the holiday with my Thai family who have been so generous to me for this whole journey.
I guess one moment I can remember is when I took off my hat for the first time (the first time I had looked at it since it got stuffed on my head when I jumped in the car) and I saw how Rew had picked out such a nice one, and thought was a great festive touch they were. (something I would never have though of as being necessary to Christmas, but may always be necessary for me, for chirstmas, for the rest of my life) and I leaned over and fave him a Thai kiss on the cheek. This means leaning right over like your going to kiss their cheek and giving them a big sniff. Mae saw and told him to give me one back, which he definaly wouldn’t do, but I felt I had truly passed into a being a real thai-integrated-family-member that the first reaction I had to my cute little brother was to give him a sniff-kiss he wouldn’t dream of returning even when mom told him to.
Namwng May was grinning and part of the festivities too, although she disappeared for actually eating dinner as well and wouldn’t take any candies off the tree afterwords (too many calories!) even when I stuck my pack of sugar free tooth cleaning gum up there. We’ll be hanging out tomorrow, cooking the American food I bought and doing art (I think/hope).
After dinner the family took a big paper lantern out into the drive way and lit it together. Nawng Leap took some amazing pictures of the flame (way better than any pictures I’d been taking!) and I chased him around and complimented his photography and his dad beamed proudly. (leap actually camptured dad with his true, glorious, smile). Paw told Leap to take a pictures of him with his daughter, and Rew ran to be in the picture and Paw and I had a laugh about that. The lantern was proablby four feet tall and when it fills with hot air: its so wonderful. We all let it go when it gets too hot and boyant to hold on to and Rew lit the rocked on the bottom and it lifted into the sky with a shower of silver sparks.
I can now understand almost every thing that’s said amongst the family around me and with Mae there to understand when I don’t know a word in Thai and I communicate anything I want to.
After the landtern the boys wanted to watch zombie t.v. so I went upstairs to find Mae and she wasn’t in her study or her room, but the TV was on in the hall so I stopped of a second to watch and …
“Hello?”
Oh My God! Tok Jai! Gave me a freight.
Mae has this big silver insulated box in the hall which Rew told me ‘she uses to make her skin white” it looks like spaceship kind of and has a little wooden chair inside and she was inside it, a foot from me, with her head sticking out of the hole in the top (its got a hood on the sides so I didn’t see her when I came up the stairs) and steam is sneaking out around her head. Omg. It was the most startling hilarious thing I have ever seen. We laughed and laughed about that for a long time too. I guess it’s a portable house steamer/sauna, (I gave it a try and, indeed, it was quite warm and humid).
Rew kept biting me that night and it was hurting so I laid down the law and snapped at him when he did it, and he got upset and left before bed so I thought I might actualys leep alone …but he came back a bit later.
Since Mae is leaving for a business meeting the next two days, they told me to make my hamburgers for breakfast. However, that was too much culture shock for me. I couldn’t make my whole big “Christmas dinner’ for breakfast. (+ that would have meant getting up at like 5 in the morning) But hwne I work up at 6:00 and Rew went to take his shower I was inspired to make American breakfast so I went down and made eggs-in-a-basket.
The only problem is the only cooking imstruments they have are pots and woks. I tired a pot, but it burned and I couldn’t flip it so I tired a wok, and Nawng May (who was helping me) said not enough oil! And dumped in the usual amout of cooking oil (about half a cup) and so they were fried, very very crispy, eggs in a basket. Which we ate with soy sauce. Which were actually better with soy sauce, than salt and pepper on account of the oil.
It was really funny, Leap (if you remember very picky) wouldn’t eat them. (I got to overhear this whole thing in Thai) And said “where are the hamburgers’ and Mae said “no hambugers today, but no no try these, you will like them, their delicious!” and simultaneously dad said “they are hamburgers!”. Leap stopped (he is five) and looked at them very carefully. And said “hamburgers have this shape” and made a hamburger shape with his hands, and Paw said “they are omelete-fried-egg-and-bread-hamburgers” and Leap still wouldn’t try them. But once Mae and Paw were looking the other way he reached out with his fork and tried to stab one of the center circles. It fell off his fork back onto the plate and he looked quickly around and Mae was still looking the other way and I grinned and covered my eyes and looked the other way really obviously so he stabbed it again and stuck the whole thing in his mouth really quick before Mae turned back around.
It was great.
Today I got dropped off again, and Cody and I went out and went to the cultural center in chiang mai wehre a delightful, kind, generous man named Ajaan Lek (Professor small) taught us how to paint umbrellas and fans. (Cody is learning crafts for her ICRP) The little room was full of colorful mobiles, and paitnints and umbrellas and fans. And Ajaan Lek patiently and infinitely supportively taught us to paint a scene with birds on a flowery branch first on paper and then on the fan. Every time we would do anything (particularly good or bad) he would say things like “perfect! Very good! Oh beautiful! Oh wouln’t this be even more beautiful?” and he was so undyingly patient and wonderful. We had no idea until we checked the time, but we were there for four hours. So plans to kayak the river through town were delayed.
How nice Thai people are example # 2:
I had a coughing fit in the middle and went and stood in the hall/balcony area and when I came back him he had gotten me a mug of hot water from his thrermous and some herbal medicine throat numbing seeds (like mustard seed sized) that were absoluly fabulous. I’ve never had hot water after a coughing fit but it was perfect!
How nice my friends are example # 2:
Erin bought me some blackcurrent super nice coughdrops from like sweeden or somewhere which are delicious.
Together my medicines did the trick for the rest of the afternoon.
Now I’m just typing away, waiting for Khun Paw and thinking we probably miscommunicated again. I should really go back to my original rule of never saying OK if I don’t understand everything…. Hum…
Merry Christmas everyone! If not “home” sick I’ve been fighting the “people” sick. I think this weekend it’s off to see my Host families extended family in some town outside Chaing Mai and after that me and some people are going to Angkor Wat for a 5? days (half travel). It should be super fun as I don’t know the people going as well yet, and it will be quite a different kind of adventuring than we’ve been doing. (traveling alone to a world famous (maybe touristy) sight). Then my ICRP starts which will go for 4 weeks, part in the mountain villages in the north and part in chiang mai.
P.S. Grandma, the leaves you ironed for me are taped all over our walls (in cool patterns) along with colorful lanterns, elephant wall hangings, my watercolors from on course, a paper tree with paper presents, little tiny stockings, and photographs from our trip so far. They are lovely! People often comment on our walls when they come in. (we have a great room, wonderful mood lighting, pretty clean).
Merry Christmas / Holidays,
Love. Gigi
p.s.s.
What else can I type about since Paw hasn’t come yet?
Did I ever tell you’all about Tuk Tuks? Tuk Tuks are great. They are motorcycles turned into passenger vehicles. They have a little roof and a bench. I just saw one go by that was decked out with lights. Hillarious. Tons of blue and red and yellow flashing blinking lights. Tuk tusk are the way you get home from the bars at the end of the night because they run later than the Rot Dangs (pick-ups turned taxies), and they are also what tourists ride because they are much more expensive but they are so. fun. Especially when your coming home from the bars at night.
If I had to sum up Thailand with only one photograph this one might be it:
Rew standing on a chair at the dinner table. He is wearing a red Santa had with light up plastic red stars around the rim. He is taking a huge bite of a fried chiken leg, as he poses next to the decorated table tree. The only food you can see on the table is bottle of Coke (spelled in Thai), a plate of sausages, the plate of friend chicken, and a huge grilled fish. Leap is in the back ground grinning over a bowl of rice.
The original plan was for me to make American food for the family for chirstmas dinner, so I went to Tops (the American grocery store) and bought tons of delicious ingredients for the traditional dinner feast:
-Hamburgers
-Mashed potatoes
-my favorite honey/lemon salad
-nachos
(actually just foods I miss and know how to make esp. without an oven)
Also, while at the mall (seeing Avatar Oh-My-God-I-Love-Enough-Said), I was inspired to get a Christmas tree as well! This was pretty much the best idea I’ve ever had. It’s no Christmas without a tree (in my family?) and it was a huge hit. It –made- it Christmas, which made it the perfect gift. I bought one of those kind of junky (7 Dollar) table tree at the mall. It was pre “decorated” with glued on gold beads and plastic apples that had mostly fallen off in the box, and bought garlands for it. Next went on a bunch of gold wrapped candies and chocolate with twist ties and rubber bands from our room. I set it up all nice and put it in a big red plastic tote.
Dinner planes changed when Mae left her phone at work and Paw and I got confused over the phone, and I ended up getting picked up an hour and a half late. So she just went ahead and made diner while they were picking me up.
Oh yeah, by the way while waiting for Paw ourside our apartment, I almost got hit by a motorcycle. I was sitting on the front steps of the building and he came roaring towards the driveway to pull into the building and hit a pole and then hit the motorcycles parked right in front of my legs knocking the down like dominos, before dragging up his bike and going down the drive. (I was fine, no worries, I’m surprised something like this hasn’t happened sooner). I wish I could say I used my rapid survivor instincts to whip my legs out of the path of danger, but actually I just stared at the guy and thought “huh, hes going really fast. those breaks are really loud. he just hit that pole. If those bikes had fallen on my legs it would probably have hurt alot”
Anyway, when Paw and the boys pulled up I held up the tree and they went nuts in the car which was just the beginning of a crazy fun night. Rew gave me my hat then (with gold moons and stars and santa and his reindeer lights on the front (<3 <3 <3 ). We sang chouses of Christmas carols for the drive home.
When we came in with the tree everyone was singing and running around and taking nuts pictures, and Mae was just bringin in the Christmas feast to put under the table: Tom yum Gung, cook cucumber-egg-ish mix, sausage, fish, chicken, fries, coke, all of which delicious especially Maes famous tom yum gung, (shrimp soup). Everyone adored the tree and Mae brought out gold wrapped cookies for it. I can’t remember any moments really just great feelings. We sang a lot of them coming in for famous lines. Paw and Mae were flirting, and playing with the kids, and the kids and I were having a ball and I even got the boys to wait to eat any candy off the tree until they had finished all their rice. There was general chaos of getting ready and a happy happy quiet of the first few bites of delicious food. We gave cheers to Christmas and just joked and I think I was one of my very favorite moments in Thailand. At dinner Mae said “we have so many Quam Suk (good things)”. It certainly made me miss my Christmas back home less because I could share the wonderful joy of the holiday with my Thai family who have been so generous to me for this whole journey.
I guess one moment I can remember is when I took off my hat for the first time (the first time I had looked at it since it got stuffed on my head when I jumped in the car) and I saw how Rew had picked out such a nice one, and thought was a great festive touch they were. (something I would never have though of as being necessary to Christmas, but may always be necessary for me, for chirstmas, for the rest of my life) and I leaned over and fave him a Thai kiss on the cheek. This means leaning right over like your going to kiss their cheek and giving them a big sniff. Mae saw and told him to give me one back, which he definaly wouldn’t do, but I felt I had truly passed into a being a real thai-integrated-family-member that the first reaction I had to my cute little brother was to give him a sniff-kiss he wouldn’t dream of returning even when mom told him to.
Namwng May was grinning and part of the festivities too, although she disappeared for actually eating dinner as well and wouldn’t take any candies off the tree afterwords (too many calories!) even when I stuck my pack of sugar free tooth cleaning gum up there. We’ll be hanging out tomorrow, cooking the American food I bought and doing art (I think/hope).
After dinner the family took a big paper lantern out into the drive way and lit it together. Nawng Leap took some amazing pictures of the flame (way better than any pictures I’d been taking!) and I chased him around and complimented his photography and his dad beamed proudly. (leap actually camptured dad with his true, glorious, smile). Paw told Leap to take a pictures of him with his daughter, and Rew ran to be in the picture and Paw and I had a laugh about that. The lantern was proablby four feet tall and when it fills with hot air: its so wonderful. We all let it go when it gets too hot and boyant to hold on to and Rew lit the rocked on the bottom and it lifted into the sky with a shower of silver sparks.
I can now understand almost every thing that’s said amongst the family around me and with Mae there to understand when I don’t know a word in Thai and I communicate anything I want to.
After the landtern the boys wanted to watch zombie t.v. so I went upstairs to find Mae and she wasn’t in her study or her room, but the TV was on in the hall so I stopped of a second to watch and …
“Hello?”
Oh My God! Tok Jai! Gave me a freight.
Mae has this big silver insulated box in the hall which Rew told me ‘she uses to make her skin white” it looks like spaceship kind of and has a little wooden chair inside and she was inside it, a foot from me, with her head sticking out of the hole in the top (its got a hood on the sides so I didn’t see her when I came up the stairs) and steam is sneaking out around her head. Omg. It was the most startling hilarious thing I have ever seen. We laughed and laughed about that for a long time too. I guess it’s a portable house steamer/sauna, (I gave it a try and, indeed, it was quite warm and humid).
Rew kept biting me that night and it was hurting so I laid down the law and snapped at him when he did it, and he got upset and left before bed so I thought I might actualys leep alone …but he came back a bit later.
Since Mae is leaving for a business meeting the next two days, they told me to make my hamburgers for breakfast. However, that was too much culture shock for me. I couldn’t make my whole big “Christmas dinner’ for breakfast. (+ that would have meant getting up at like 5 in the morning) But hwne I work up at 6:00 and Rew went to take his shower I was inspired to make American breakfast so I went down and made eggs-in-a-basket.
The only problem is the only cooking imstruments they have are pots and woks. I tired a pot, but it burned and I couldn’t flip it so I tired a wok, and Nawng May (who was helping me) said not enough oil! And dumped in the usual amout of cooking oil (about half a cup) and so they were fried, very very crispy, eggs in a basket. Which we ate with soy sauce. Which were actually better with soy sauce, than salt and pepper on account of the oil.
It was really funny, Leap (if you remember very picky) wouldn’t eat them. (I got to overhear this whole thing in Thai) And said “where are the hamburgers’ and Mae said “no hambugers today, but no no try these, you will like them, their delicious!” and simultaneously dad said “they are hamburgers!”. Leap stopped (he is five) and looked at them very carefully. And said “hamburgers have this shape” and made a hamburger shape with his hands, and Paw said “they are omelete-fried-egg-and-bread-hamburgers” and Leap still wouldn’t try them. But once Mae and Paw were looking the other way he reached out with his fork and tried to stab one of the center circles. It fell off his fork back onto the plate and he looked quickly around and Mae was still looking the other way and I grinned and covered my eyes and looked the other way really obviously so he stabbed it again and stuck the whole thing in his mouth really quick before Mae turned back around.
It was great.
Today I got dropped off again, and Cody and I went out and went to the cultural center in chiang mai wehre a delightful, kind, generous man named Ajaan Lek (Professor small) taught us how to paint umbrellas and fans. (Cody is learning crafts for her ICRP) The little room was full of colorful mobiles, and paitnints and umbrellas and fans. And Ajaan Lek patiently and infinitely supportively taught us to paint a scene with birds on a flowery branch first on paper and then on the fan. Every time we would do anything (particularly good or bad) he would say things like “perfect! Very good! Oh beautiful! Oh wouln’t this be even more beautiful?” and he was so undyingly patient and wonderful. We had no idea until we checked the time, but we were there for four hours. So plans to kayak the river through town were delayed.
How nice Thai people are example # 2:
I had a coughing fit in the middle and went and stood in the hall/balcony area and when I came back him he had gotten me a mug of hot water from his thrermous and some herbal medicine throat numbing seeds (like mustard seed sized) that were absoluly fabulous. I’ve never had hot water after a coughing fit but it was perfect!
How nice my friends are example # 2:
Erin bought me some blackcurrent super nice coughdrops from like sweeden or somewhere which are delicious.
Together my medicines did the trick for the rest of the afternoon.
Now I’m just typing away, waiting for Khun Paw and thinking we probably miscommunicated again. I should really go back to my original rule of never saying OK if I don’t understand everything…. Hum…
Merry Christmas everyone! If not “home” sick I’ve been fighting the “people” sick. I think this weekend it’s off to see my Host families extended family in some town outside Chaing Mai and after that me and some people are going to Angkor Wat for a 5? days (half travel). It should be super fun as I don’t know the people going as well yet, and it will be quite a different kind of adventuring than we’ve been doing. (traveling alone to a world famous (maybe touristy) sight). Then my ICRP starts which will go for 4 weeks, part in the mountain villages in the north and part in chiang mai.
P.S. Grandma, the leaves you ironed for me are taped all over our walls (in cool patterns) along with colorful lanterns, elephant wall hangings, my watercolors from on course, a paper tree with paper presents, little tiny stockings, and photographs from our trip so far. They are lovely! People often comment on our walls when they come in. (we have a great room, wonderful mood lighting, pretty clean).
Merry Christmas / Holidays,
Love. Gigi
p.s.s.
What else can I type about since Paw hasn’t come yet?
Did I ever tell you’all about Tuk Tuks? Tuk Tuks are great. They are motorcycles turned into passenger vehicles. They have a little roof and a bench. I just saw one go by that was decked out with lights. Hillarious. Tons of blue and red and yellow flashing blinking lights. Tuk tusk are the way you get home from the bars at the end of the night because they run later than the Rot Dangs (pick-ups turned taxies), and they are also what tourists ride because they are much more expensive but they are so. fun. Especially when your coming home from the bars at night.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Museum of World Insects
12-23-09
So my favorite part of my day / whole life in Thailand is when Khun Paw drops me off on his motorcycle. Today was “cold!” (probably like 65 degrees) when zoomed off into the late sunrise. The air rushes by my legs and hands and cheek. He always gives me the helmet. We zoom down the street, whizzing by other cars. When there’s a red light he just makes a left turn, crosses the street and makes another left turn to keep going. When the cars are stopped we weave between them snaking towards the light to meet up with the pack of motorcycles that accumulates at the front of the line.
Yesterday Erin and I went on an adventure to the Museum of World Insects. This really should go with accompanying hilarious pictures, but my card reader is broke… The place is just this old house turned museum. The guy who runs it is crazy. Like, he’s seriously had malaria one too many times. (apparently he’s had every kind of malaria there is… probably because his wife is a mosquito researcher and he is a malaria researcher). You would think being a malaria researcher would make you a mosquito’s enemy, but this guy is the biggest mosquito advocate ever. He wears a t-shirt with a hundred holes cut in it, which he called “mosquito feeding stations”. He has signs everywhere like “get to know them and you will understand” and “every creature is part of a natural cycle of nature made by God’ confusingly right next to people with horrible disfiguring tumors from mosquito born disease…??? I tried to start some conversations with him about what should be done to control disease and he had some decent points like when they fog for mosquitos they are killing the wrong species where they fog, and that people don’t finish their meds and make super strains of the disease, but he wouldn’t answer how malaria has been mostly gotten rid of in Thailand (my killing tons of mosquitos). Mostly he got side tracked telling me about he manager of my body (presumably brain?) that could take me on trips to the moon, and get rid of head aches, and he knew a man who researched headaches who’s manager showed him a three-faced girl and the girl could make his migraines go away.
The whole place was a hoot. He had paintings of women in the forest holding body-sized mosquitos, and huge idealistic painings of mosquitos tenderly touching arms together while poised on flowers with the sunset behind ect. He also had a present from the first visitor to his musueam (an elephant off the street when the place was under construction) which was a pile of elephant dung in a case. Upstairs he had the most extensive insect collection (he found them all dead (didn’t kill any) by following trails of ants through the jungle to find where the bugs went to die and the ants went to eat them….) and signs that said stuff flike ‘I, the insect, donate my life to science to educate people”.
We are all becoming regulars at a café/coffee shop/internet place called Zane’s café. Its cool, we are getting to know al the people there. Theres an amazing ramen shop right in front, and a garden with tables, and many couches ect inside. Its pretty near the dorms.
That night at home, Paw and I lay on the floor and watched TV while the boys played GTA (Grand Theft Auto) on the computer. Paw and I watched a show about stunt drivers, and played balloon games with Rew. Rew and I drew some before bed.
Today I’m going to go see Avatar and then go grocery shopping at the foreigner grocery store. I’m making American food for my host family for Christmas dinner tonight (a day early cause my Mae has to work tomorrow). I think it will be hamburgers and mashed potatoes… (there are no ovens in Thailand).
So my favorite part of my day / whole life in Thailand is when Khun Paw drops me off on his motorcycle. Today was “cold!” (probably like 65 degrees) when zoomed off into the late sunrise. The air rushes by my legs and hands and cheek. He always gives me the helmet. We zoom down the street, whizzing by other cars. When there’s a red light he just makes a left turn, crosses the street and makes another left turn to keep going. When the cars are stopped we weave between them snaking towards the light to meet up with the pack of motorcycles that accumulates at the front of the line.
Yesterday Erin and I went on an adventure to the Museum of World Insects. This really should go with accompanying hilarious pictures, but my card reader is broke… The place is just this old house turned museum. The guy who runs it is crazy. Like, he’s seriously had malaria one too many times. (apparently he’s had every kind of malaria there is… probably because his wife is a mosquito researcher and he is a malaria researcher). You would think being a malaria researcher would make you a mosquito’s enemy, but this guy is the biggest mosquito advocate ever. He wears a t-shirt with a hundred holes cut in it, which he called “mosquito feeding stations”. He has signs everywhere like “get to know them and you will understand” and “every creature is part of a natural cycle of nature made by God’ confusingly right next to people with horrible disfiguring tumors from mosquito born disease…??? I tried to start some conversations with him about what should be done to control disease and he had some decent points like when they fog for mosquitos they are killing the wrong species where they fog, and that people don’t finish their meds and make super strains of the disease, but he wouldn’t answer how malaria has been mostly gotten rid of in Thailand (my killing tons of mosquitos). Mostly he got side tracked telling me about he manager of my body (presumably brain?) that could take me on trips to the moon, and get rid of head aches, and he knew a man who researched headaches who’s manager showed him a three-faced girl and the girl could make his migraines go away.
The whole place was a hoot. He had paintings of women in the forest holding body-sized mosquitos, and huge idealistic painings of mosquitos tenderly touching arms together while poised on flowers with the sunset behind ect. He also had a present from the first visitor to his musueam (an elephant off the street when the place was under construction) which was a pile of elephant dung in a case. Upstairs he had the most extensive insect collection (he found them all dead (didn’t kill any) by following trails of ants through the jungle to find where the bugs went to die and the ants went to eat them….) and signs that said stuff flike ‘I, the insect, donate my life to science to educate people”.
We are all becoming regulars at a café/coffee shop/internet place called Zane’s café. Its cool, we are getting to know al the people there. Theres an amazing ramen shop right in front, and a garden with tables, and many couches ect inside. Its pretty near the dorms.
That night at home, Paw and I lay on the floor and watched TV while the boys played GTA (Grand Theft Auto) on the computer. Paw and I watched a show about stunt drivers, and played balloon games with Rew. Rew and I drew some before bed.
Today I’m going to go see Avatar and then go grocery shopping at the foreigner grocery store. I’m making American food for my host family for Christmas dinner tonight (a day early cause my Mae has to work tomorrow). I think it will be hamburgers and mashed potatoes… (there are no ovens in Thailand).
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Waterfall Playing and Balloon Popping
12- 22 -09
The day before yesterday I discovered my favorite place in Chiang Mai. It isjust up the street from our apartments (about a 40 munite walk, or a not too long Rot Dang Ride). Im starting to think my Chur Len (Nick name) in Thai should just be Nam (water) because I am so fascinatedand enthralled with all things water on this trip. Water falls, snorkeling, kayaking, fountains, rivers, but really… mostly waterfalls. This is the Huey Gaow waterfall (we live at Huey Gaow place on Huey Gaow Road).
We got off the Rot dang and there were tons of little food stalls, and we walked up the path towards the falls. It turns out the falls are a tumbling river running over rocks, in little pools, little falls, running rivelts you can slide down like a waterslide. The whole park, on a hill side, is nesteled among trees with grassy nooks, and little stone brides over the water. We climbed up along the river/falls and there was a view out over the Chiang Mai Valley, the high rises emerging out of the green trees and haze. Tons of Thai families picnicked next to the water, or splashed their feet in it.
Near what we originally thought was the top, three thai boys about our age were sitting, dancing and splashing in the falls – one giggled and shrieked in a voice Ihigher pitched than I though it was possible for any guy to make. They splashed around in tiny underwear, and a large older Farang man sat on the rock next to them watching (Sex tourism much?).
We ate tiny hard boiled quail eggs and soy sauce next to the falls and climbed on. Past a really steep waterfall like spot we found a pool swimmable deep and overlooking the city. It was so cold! I forgot what it feels like to get into the water and be barly able to swim because you muscles are cramping up! It was almost like lake mi in august!!! Haha.
Up and up the woodland “trail” we went, crossing the waterfall here and there over rocks. And far far up, after navigating some brush and briary spots.
Wow.
We came out into a secrete garden of a dream tean hangout area. A few groups of young thai friends chilled next to a glorious stony sweap of water slides. A group had started a campfire on the rocks next to the water. A boy was playing the guitar. A twisted figtree watched down over the spot. Boys were zooming down the slipper rocks into pools. One maybe 6-8 foot fall rushed down into a tiny but very deep pool (next to the guitar players), which we soon learned was a natural waterslide and dunk pool! We made friends a bit with the Thai kids there and they told us how was best to slide of the waterfall….
It was so awesome.
The rock was slippery, and the water just wisked us off free fall and splash! Into the deep freezing water. The Khon Thai (Thai people ) laughed when we went off ‘Now mai?” they asked. “Cold?” It was over our heads deep, and toes barely touched bottom, before we popped up again. There were rocks (so close it seemed) but they stayed well out of the way. I don’t think you could possibly design anything more fun. The Thai boys showed us up by summersalting and flipping off the jump. The whole place was so romantic and gorgeous. And exciting. I can’t wait to go back.
The only catch was the littering / circle of concern thing I talked about earlier. There was trash and broken glass scattered all around and we had to be very careful of that. When we left I filled a trashbag with bottles and loads of broken glass but there was still much more. When the guitarplayers group left they left their food wrappers, bottles, plastic bags, and they left the camp fire still burning.
Philip and I each got a little glass bite on our hands and Erin bruised her heal. But, I’m kind of surprised we escaped the spot with as few injuries as we did considering all the glass, and going off waterfalls, and sliding down slippery rocks into pools…
Our time there was cut short a bit because I was getting picked up to go home to my host family. I spent the last two days there. It was so great to see them again, and it made me miss home much less. That night Rew and Leap taught me a great game where we tie a balloon to our ankle and then put our other foot touching in the center, count to three, and go! Try to stomp-pop the other peoples balloons> it was insanely hilarious. We went nuts, screaming and jumping and tussling. Three kids and many balloons = very loud and very happy. We had the hot pot for dinner where you add tons of stuff to boiling soup.
Nawng May seems to be living with them now. She is 17 and I think she quit school. She has a shy, beautiful smile. She helped Bah May Pen at her restaurant, but now she cleans house for us. It’s a little awkward for me because I want to help her clean but she says oh no no I can do it myself. She doesn’t eat with Rew and Leap and Me....
Yesterday I went to work with Mae. I also came down with a cold and I could barely focus. As an aside for what good care the host families take of us, I had a sore throat so my host mom sent her staff out to get me medicine, which ended up being amoxycillan (can’t spell). Then I awkwardly had to explain why I wouldn’t take it…. Um that’s way too strong, I have only a little sick. That’s antibacterial and this is a virus.” But then her doctors friend stopped by so he could explain better.
Anyway, I got to go to work with Mae. I felt really bad because after a bit Mae said “you look like you not enjoy being here”. Really I was super happy to be there, but I felt very awkward. I wasn’t dressed nice (baggy boy pants and a yello t shirt, flip flops) and everyone was dressed so nice. Also I didn’t realize exactly what it meant to be the director of such a big foundation in Thai culture. Everyone stood and wai-ed to us when she went anywhere, and stooped down to walk by her, and she just carried herself with such poise and grace. Then we ran into her boss and I got all tongue tied again. Oh. She delivered me to the big open sided warehouse room where they make the prosthetic legs, so I could see how it was done. I was so shy at first, and I just watched and didn’t say anthing because I couldn’t think of questions that didn’t involve complex vocab, but eventually I got talking a bit and made friends with the workers and felt much much better. Pi Boon and Pi La both dropped by for lunch and seeing them was great. Pi Churn (new, met him there) let me help add the plaster to a prosthetic leg!!! It was so cool!!
It was so interesting to be in such an international space. The visitied people from Africa were going back tomorrow (they are ready to start their own clinic there) but one guy was in there trying to respray paint his prosthetic hand (it was too dark) but kept making it look worse and worse (patchy pale and dark) and the Pi Churn was poking fun at him. Also Mrs. Idon’trememberhername next door neighbor from Japan was popping around talking with everyone an dhelping (they both speak English and some Thai). Then I was there, and all the Thai workers… it was just really really neat. I hope to go back when I am less exhausted and without sore throat to make a better impression. We all had lunch together out back from a long table with stick rice and lots of dishes.
After than I went home and slept the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. We ate dinenr together (they bought a pizza for a snack and it was great comfort food) then Paw and the boys and Nawng May and I watched a movie (day after tomorrow) in Thai and Paw and I talked about it as it went along and he taught me a few more Thai words, ant the boys played balloons in front of the TV and paw went to bed and Rew started another movie about “gangs” of boys who have park wars and it looked like the dream childhood (the main character was three years old but the size a of 17 year old because he ate mushrooms as a baby, that had a chemical in them explained Rew) and he wached with his head resting on my legs so although I was tired I didn’t have the heart to go to bed. And when it was done he kept trying to wake up Nawng (his Pi) May to tell her to turn off the lights, and I kept trying to keep him from watking her/knocking on the door. (fun)
and I clean up and we went upstairs and crawled in bed and did our ritural of him trying to tickle me while I’m trying to fall asleep, which melted me heart, then he fell asleep with our bodies curled up like two spirals facing eachother, my hand on his shoulder, and I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time and just lay there thinking about life and feeling fortunate, and alive, and trying not to cough because it might wake him up, and loving basically everything and everyone I know.
The day before yesterday I discovered my favorite place in Chiang Mai. It isjust up the street from our apartments (about a 40 munite walk, or a not too long Rot Dang Ride). Im starting to think my Chur Len (Nick name) in Thai should just be Nam (water) because I am so fascinatedand enthralled with all things water on this trip. Water falls, snorkeling, kayaking, fountains, rivers, but really… mostly waterfalls. This is the Huey Gaow waterfall (we live at Huey Gaow place on Huey Gaow Road).
We got off the Rot dang and there were tons of little food stalls, and we walked up the path towards the falls. It turns out the falls are a tumbling river running over rocks, in little pools, little falls, running rivelts you can slide down like a waterslide. The whole park, on a hill side, is nesteled among trees with grassy nooks, and little stone brides over the water. We climbed up along the river/falls and there was a view out over the Chiang Mai Valley, the high rises emerging out of the green trees and haze. Tons of Thai families picnicked next to the water, or splashed their feet in it.
Near what we originally thought was the top, three thai boys about our age were sitting, dancing and splashing in the falls – one giggled and shrieked in a voice Ihigher pitched than I though it was possible for any guy to make. They splashed around in tiny underwear, and a large older Farang man sat on the rock next to them watching (Sex tourism much?).
We ate tiny hard boiled quail eggs and soy sauce next to the falls and climbed on. Past a really steep waterfall like spot we found a pool swimmable deep and overlooking the city. It was so cold! I forgot what it feels like to get into the water and be barly able to swim because you muscles are cramping up! It was almost like lake mi in august!!! Haha.
Up and up the woodland “trail” we went, crossing the waterfall here and there over rocks. And far far up, after navigating some brush and briary spots.
Wow.
We came out into a secrete garden of a dream tean hangout area. A few groups of young thai friends chilled next to a glorious stony sweap of water slides. A group had started a campfire on the rocks next to the water. A boy was playing the guitar. A twisted figtree watched down over the spot. Boys were zooming down the slipper rocks into pools. One maybe 6-8 foot fall rushed down into a tiny but very deep pool (next to the guitar players), which we soon learned was a natural waterslide and dunk pool! We made friends a bit with the Thai kids there and they told us how was best to slide of the waterfall….
It was so awesome.
The rock was slippery, and the water just wisked us off free fall and splash! Into the deep freezing water. The Khon Thai (Thai people ) laughed when we went off ‘Now mai?” they asked. “Cold?” It was over our heads deep, and toes barely touched bottom, before we popped up again. There were rocks (so close it seemed) but they stayed well out of the way. I don’t think you could possibly design anything more fun. The Thai boys showed us up by summersalting and flipping off the jump. The whole place was so romantic and gorgeous. And exciting. I can’t wait to go back.
The only catch was the littering / circle of concern thing I talked about earlier. There was trash and broken glass scattered all around and we had to be very careful of that. When we left I filled a trashbag with bottles and loads of broken glass but there was still much more. When the guitarplayers group left they left their food wrappers, bottles, plastic bags, and they left the camp fire still burning.
Philip and I each got a little glass bite on our hands and Erin bruised her heal. But, I’m kind of surprised we escaped the spot with as few injuries as we did considering all the glass, and going off waterfalls, and sliding down slippery rocks into pools…
Our time there was cut short a bit because I was getting picked up to go home to my host family. I spent the last two days there. It was so great to see them again, and it made me miss home much less. That night Rew and Leap taught me a great game where we tie a balloon to our ankle and then put our other foot touching in the center, count to three, and go! Try to stomp-pop the other peoples balloons> it was insanely hilarious. We went nuts, screaming and jumping and tussling. Three kids and many balloons = very loud and very happy. We had the hot pot for dinner where you add tons of stuff to boiling soup.
Nawng May seems to be living with them now. She is 17 and I think she quit school. She has a shy, beautiful smile. She helped Bah May Pen at her restaurant, but now she cleans house for us. It’s a little awkward for me because I want to help her clean but she says oh no no I can do it myself. She doesn’t eat with Rew and Leap and Me....
Yesterday I went to work with Mae. I also came down with a cold and I could barely focus. As an aside for what good care the host families take of us, I had a sore throat so my host mom sent her staff out to get me medicine, which ended up being amoxycillan (can’t spell). Then I awkwardly had to explain why I wouldn’t take it…. Um that’s way too strong, I have only a little sick. That’s antibacterial and this is a virus.” But then her doctors friend stopped by so he could explain better.
Anyway, I got to go to work with Mae. I felt really bad because after a bit Mae said “you look like you not enjoy being here”. Really I was super happy to be there, but I felt very awkward. I wasn’t dressed nice (baggy boy pants and a yello t shirt, flip flops) and everyone was dressed so nice. Also I didn’t realize exactly what it meant to be the director of such a big foundation in Thai culture. Everyone stood and wai-ed to us when she went anywhere, and stooped down to walk by her, and she just carried herself with such poise and grace. Then we ran into her boss and I got all tongue tied again. Oh. She delivered me to the big open sided warehouse room where they make the prosthetic legs, so I could see how it was done. I was so shy at first, and I just watched and didn’t say anthing because I couldn’t think of questions that didn’t involve complex vocab, but eventually I got talking a bit and made friends with the workers and felt much much better. Pi Boon and Pi La both dropped by for lunch and seeing them was great. Pi Churn (new, met him there) let me help add the plaster to a prosthetic leg!!! It was so cool!!
It was so interesting to be in such an international space. The visitied people from Africa were going back tomorrow (they are ready to start their own clinic there) but one guy was in there trying to respray paint his prosthetic hand (it was too dark) but kept making it look worse and worse (patchy pale and dark) and the Pi Churn was poking fun at him. Also Mrs. Idon’trememberhername next door neighbor from Japan was popping around talking with everyone an dhelping (they both speak English and some Thai). Then I was there, and all the Thai workers… it was just really really neat. I hope to go back when I am less exhausted and without sore throat to make a better impression. We all had lunch together out back from a long table with stick rice and lots of dishes.
After than I went home and slept the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. We ate dinenr together (they bought a pizza for a snack and it was great comfort food) then Paw and the boys and Nawng May and I watched a movie (day after tomorrow) in Thai and Paw and I talked about it as it went along and he taught me a few more Thai words, ant the boys played balloons in front of the TV and paw went to bed and Rew started another movie about “gangs” of boys who have park wars and it looked like the dream childhood (the main character was three years old but the size a of 17 year old because he ate mushrooms as a baby, that had a chemical in them explained Rew) and he wached with his head resting on my legs so although I was tired I didn’t have the heart to go to bed. And when it was done he kept trying to wake up Nawng (his Pi) May to tell her to turn off the lights, and I kept trying to keep him from watking her/knocking on the door. (fun)
and I clean up and we went upstairs and crawled in bed and did our ritural of him trying to tickle me while I’m trying to fall asleep, which melted me heart, then he fell asleep with our bodies curled up like two spirals facing eachother, my hand on his shoulder, and I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time and just lay there thinking about life and feeling fortunate, and alive, and trying not to cough because it might wake him up, and loving basically everything and everyone I know.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Islands part III - In which I go night diving
Ok. So guess where I am as I am writing this….
I’m at a second story spa, looking out over a busy Chiang Mai street…. and my feet are being nibbled by hundreds of tiny fish!!! Erin and I just found this crazy place. You sit with your feet hanging in cool tanks of water and the tiny cleaning fish suck, and nibble and TICKLE you toes. At first I just died laughing, it was way too tickly but now I’m doing pretty good… except when they go in between my toes… The info sheet says it is called: “Fish Spa Skin Pampering and Nibbling Treatment” ! who knew!?
The whole thing was only for 6 dollars (we got a special discount for being adorable and speaking thai) we get to stay as long as we want (provided too many other customers don’t come, and then need to switch us out.) Apparently this is the popular thing for Thai and Chiang Mai people. Its great.
Also it has free wifi.
Overfishing, global warming, tourist and anchor damage, and even more over fishing have left the reefs missing most of their best sea creatures. Although each of us 30 students snorkled for maybe 10-20+ hours on the program (hundreds of total observation hours) all over the archipelago no a single one of us ever saw a shark. But I was very lucky.
One morning on the Lipe part of the islands course Marica and I got up early to do a dawn snorkel by ourselves. We went down to the beach right off the resort, and swam out. The reef as patchy and more sandy than other reefs, but still in surprisingly OK condition considering its proximity to all the development. We had just reached the big reef shelf (pretty far out into the channel) and I was looking around, and suddenly I see a very familiar shape right there below me. A sea turtle!
I couldn’t believe it, their basically ecologically extinct from the area. Island fisherman have gone years without seeing them, and there he way! The siz of a trash can lid. I was so startled I shouted into my snorkel, and threw my head out of the water to call marica over. As I did so he started booking it over the reef, and the moment I put my face back in the water he was gone.
My best guess was he was the sponge-eating hawkbill sea turtle, wandering around looking for a new home. It was such a special moment, I felt so lucky to have seen him. It also made me feel conflicted and sad. There used to be many tutles breading in the archipelago but people at all the eggs, and trawlers and fisher nets caught but the adults. I’d make me so sad to think this was a tutle “sink” a place roving turtles went to and didn’t come back from, drawing down the total world population. On the other hand maybe it’s a good sign he was there at all.
The night dive:
It was late on the last night on Lipe, when Marica and I went out for our night dive. We were armed with two half broken underwater flashlights. The night was perfectly clear, zillions of tiny stars in the sky. There were the lights from Mountain Resort on the hill overlooking the water. Across the channel Adang island was tall and dark. To make it all the more mysterious and amazing heat lightning cracked in the clouds over the ocean. The dark water sloshed up on the beach, and hiss back across the sand. It was so scary, and so amazing. Marica and I put on our gear and turned on the lights; from the surface they illuminated bright teal patches in the dark water, underwater they opened up halos in the darkness. We kicked out towards the reef. Dark patches of coral glowered under us. It was truly just like flying in a lucid dream. When the heat lightning flashed we could see it from under the water. Horror movie flashes of errie grey light. We got way out, the dark surface rolling beneath us. We flicked off the lights. I stuck my head under the water, and shouted with shock and with glee! The water was filled with bioluminescence – tiny marine organisms that glow when you bump into them. Tiny sparks of light glittered in oras around bodies and kicking fins. For all the stars above there were dancing stars under the water. We splashed and summer salted and shook around under water. If Marcia was a little ways off and I couldn’t see her in the dark, I could just see the glow of her phantom ghost. Trembling and tumbling through the water. When she dived to check out the coral with the light her front half of her body swam ahead and shadow legs trailing stars followed.
The reef was a sleep. It was dark grey, not the rich brown of day time. There were a few ragged and sleepy fish hiding inbetween the corals, urchins empty annenomies. A few red red fish scurried over the reef with buggy black eyes. It was like going forward in time 10 or 20 years, to see what the reefs will be like when they are empty and degraded.
But we did see one creature of interest: one of the floating nearly clear rocketship of a things that I don’t remember what their called. You could just make out the neon lines of is cone shapped body and trailing fins. I cupped it in an underwater hand, it felt like jelly.
Our lights started running out of juice so we made our way back. When we got in they were basically dead.
I notice that most of the memories I want to lock into writing are diving ones. I’ll try to record some others, too.
The wait staff at the Mounton resort (where we were staying) were all super friendly. They came from the mailland to work there half the year. Several of them were lady-boys “Pu Ching” (men become women), which was cool to have to opportunity to meet them. Every evening if I walked through the restaurant to get to the beach we would stop and all chat together, or when I walked down for breakfast there would be a chorous of hellos. It was such a small island that it was cool to make relationships over the week we were there. Restaurant owners waved and smiled asking “by nai crahp?” where are you going? All the time.
The area where the trash was sorted was in the center of the island, hidden by a patch of forest. We walked passed it so many times before we were shown the secret path in. Once we started paying attention, when we walked the road to town during the day we could see smoke wafting out of the trees from the burning. So there is at least one patch of woods that will remain s tanding on Koh Lipe (Lipe Island)… the one that hids the trash pit.
On our first visit to the trash area they were burning what looked like a refrigerator sized plastic crate, it smoldered toxicly. Five urak lawoi women sorted heaps and heaps of rubagge into packs of cardboard, cans, glass, burnables ect. One interesting thing we learned was that the tourists (mostly western European) are conditioned to sort their rubbage, but that the Khon Thai (Thai people) don’t do this. Pi Pooh wanted to hire Urak Lawoi for his projects to give them an opportunity at employment, and so maybe if they sorted at work they would bring that home to their resident families, too.
The same applies for littering… in Thailand throwing you trash on the side of the road is super common if there isn’t a trash can right there… or even if there is. This comes back to the circle of concern: things are much more relationship based, things outside the circle are disregarded however huge amounts of consideration and respect and generosity for those in the circle is accorded. Every thai house I’ve been inside is spotless. It makes me have appreciation for our common courtesy, but the importance put on relationships and greng jai (respect and consideration for others and social harmony) is something I’d like to take back to the states.
...
I'd like to thank you all for reading, and for you e-mails ect. Sorry if this is way too much information, and that is rather choppy. (Its easiest for me to just post my journal up in big chunks.) I hope you are all having wonderful holidays, and Merry Christmas to my family back home! The holidays seem very bizarre here; the only hit to the season is the coffee shops, and airports are all hosting fake Christmas trees. You are in my thoughts.
Love, Gigi
I’m at a second story spa, looking out over a busy Chiang Mai street…. and my feet are being nibbled by hundreds of tiny fish!!! Erin and I just found this crazy place. You sit with your feet hanging in cool tanks of water and the tiny cleaning fish suck, and nibble and TICKLE you toes. At first I just died laughing, it was way too tickly but now I’m doing pretty good… except when they go in between my toes… The info sheet says it is called: “Fish Spa Skin Pampering and Nibbling Treatment” ! who knew!?
The whole thing was only for 6 dollars (we got a special discount for being adorable and speaking thai) we get to stay as long as we want (provided too many other customers don’t come, and then need to switch us out.) Apparently this is the popular thing for Thai and Chiang Mai people. Its great.
Also it has free wifi.
Overfishing, global warming, tourist and anchor damage, and even more over fishing have left the reefs missing most of their best sea creatures. Although each of us 30 students snorkled for maybe 10-20+ hours on the program (hundreds of total observation hours) all over the archipelago no a single one of us ever saw a shark. But I was very lucky.
One morning on the Lipe part of the islands course Marica and I got up early to do a dawn snorkel by ourselves. We went down to the beach right off the resort, and swam out. The reef as patchy and more sandy than other reefs, but still in surprisingly OK condition considering its proximity to all the development. We had just reached the big reef shelf (pretty far out into the channel) and I was looking around, and suddenly I see a very familiar shape right there below me. A sea turtle!
I couldn’t believe it, their basically ecologically extinct from the area. Island fisherman have gone years without seeing them, and there he way! The siz of a trash can lid. I was so startled I shouted into my snorkel, and threw my head out of the water to call marica over. As I did so he started booking it over the reef, and the moment I put my face back in the water he was gone.
My best guess was he was the sponge-eating hawkbill sea turtle, wandering around looking for a new home. It was such a special moment, I felt so lucky to have seen him. It also made me feel conflicted and sad. There used to be many tutles breading in the archipelago but people at all the eggs, and trawlers and fisher nets caught but the adults. I’d make me so sad to think this was a tutle “sink” a place roving turtles went to and didn’t come back from, drawing down the total world population. On the other hand maybe it’s a good sign he was there at all.
The night dive:
It was late on the last night on Lipe, when Marica and I went out for our night dive. We were armed with two half broken underwater flashlights. The night was perfectly clear, zillions of tiny stars in the sky. There were the lights from Mountain Resort on the hill overlooking the water. Across the channel Adang island was tall and dark. To make it all the more mysterious and amazing heat lightning cracked in the clouds over the ocean. The dark water sloshed up on the beach, and hiss back across the sand. It was so scary, and so amazing. Marica and I put on our gear and turned on the lights; from the surface they illuminated bright teal patches in the dark water, underwater they opened up halos in the darkness. We kicked out towards the reef. Dark patches of coral glowered under us. It was truly just like flying in a lucid dream. When the heat lightning flashed we could see it from under the water. Horror movie flashes of errie grey light. We got way out, the dark surface rolling beneath us. We flicked off the lights. I stuck my head under the water, and shouted with shock and with glee! The water was filled with bioluminescence – tiny marine organisms that glow when you bump into them. Tiny sparks of light glittered in oras around bodies and kicking fins. For all the stars above there were dancing stars under the water. We splashed and summer salted and shook around under water. If Marcia was a little ways off and I couldn’t see her in the dark, I could just see the glow of her phantom ghost. Trembling and tumbling through the water. When she dived to check out the coral with the light her front half of her body swam ahead and shadow legs trailing stars followed.
The reef was a sleep. It was dark grey, not the rich brown of day time. There were a few ragged and sleepy fish hiding inbetween the corals, urchins empty annenomies. A few red red fish scurried over the reef with buggy black eyes. It was like going forward in time 10 or 20 years, to see what the reefs will be like when they are empty and degraded.
But we did see one creature of interest: one of the floating nearly clear rocketship of a things that I don’t remember what their called. You could just make out the neon lines of is cone shapped body and trailing fins. I cupped it in an underwater hand, it felt like jelly.
Our lights started running out of juice so we made our way back. When we got in they were basically dead.
I notice that most of the memories I want to lock into writing are diving ones. I’ll try to record some others, too.
The wait staff at the Mounton resort (where we were staying) were all super friendly. They came from the mailland to work there half the year. Several of them were lady-boys “Pu Ching” (men become women), which was cool to have to opportunity to meet them. Every evening if I walked through the restaurant to get to the beach we would stop and all chat together, or when I walked down for breakfast there would be a chorous of hellos. It was such a small island that it was cool to make relationships over the week we were there. Restaurant owners waved and smiled asking “by nai crahp?” where are you going? All the time.
The area where the trash was sorted was in the center of the island, hidden by a patch of forest. We walked passed it so many times before we were shown the secret path in. Once we started paying attention, when we walked the road to town during the day we could see smoke wafting out of the trees from the burning. So there is at least one patch of woods that will remain s tanding on Koh Lipe (Lipe Island)… the one that hids the trash pit.
On our first visit to the trash area they were burning what looked like a refrigerator sized plastic crate, it smoldered toxicly. Five urak lawoi women sorted heaps and heaps of rubagge into packs of cardboard, cans, glass, burnables ect. One interesting thing we learned was that the tourists (mostly western European) are conditioned to sort their rubbage, but that the Khon Thai (Thai people) don’t do this. Pi Pooh wanted to hire Urak Lawoi for his projects to give them an opportunity at employment, and so maybe if they sorted at work they would bring that home to their resident families, too.
The same applies for littering… in Thailand throwing you trash on the side of the road is super common if there isn’t a trash can right there… or even if there is. This comes back to the circle of concern: things are much more relationship based, things outside the circle are disregarded however huge amounts of consideration and respect and generosity for those in the circle is accorded. Every thai house I’ve been inside is spotless. It makes me have appreciation for our common courtesy, but the importance put on relationships and greng jai (respect and consideration for others and social harmony) is something I’d like to take back to the states.
...
I'd like to thank you all for reading, and for you e-mails ect. Sorry if this is way too much information, and that is rather choppy. (Its easiest for me to just post my journal up in big chunks.) I hope you are all having wonderful holidays, and Merry Christmas to my family back home! The holidays seem very bizarre here; the only hit to the season is the coffee shops, and airports are all hosting fake Christmas trees. You are in my thoughts.
Love, Gigi
Islands part II - The last frogs of Lipe
The second half of our trip was to Lipe island.
This half was was most spent doing an indepth research project, in thai, about development on the island! My group studied waste management on the island. (which turned out to be a really amazing thing to study because it was at a pivotal point in the islands history). The island is about a mile long, and it has 1,800 bungalos on it for starters (2/3 of those have been put up in the last three years). Its flat, used to be forested, has patches of gorgeous white sand beach, and has a village where the Urak Lawoi people live. There are also many Urak Lawoi who sold their land years and years ago and now the new owners want to develop it and are kicking them off the land, so they live in squatter towns. There is a walking street with tons of restaurants, dive shops, internet cafes ect.
Until a couple years ago all the waste on the island was burned, buried, or left on the beach for the tide to take out to sea. But waste has become a huge problem. The island produces 2.2 metric tons of waste a day!!! Just in the last year, a waste management / collection system was started and a lot is now shipped off the island. Finding out alla bout it was fascinating, and we interviewed people from all parts of the process… its was like solving a mystery!! Sometime we would think we heard something but not believe it- like once we though we were miscommunicating because some people were telling us they fed the trash to ducks, then we found out there were ducks that were bought to eat some of the food waste (only there were 20, then ten choked on trash and died).
In two weeks, when we get our learning journals back I’ll type up some of the short essays I wrote in the island.
One evening I made friends with a bunch of Thai girls, who were spinning poi on the beach in front of the massage place they worked for. I tried, and failed terribly, at teaching them the 5 beat weave, but it was tons of fun. (Poi is what I did for circus club, were you spin (traditionally flaming) balls at the ends of strings around your body in complex patterns) We stayed up late hanging out at their place, and they invited me to sleep over, but I didn’t thinkt hat would be ISDSI protocol so they walked me across the island home.
Development on the island was so sad. It happened so unbelievably fast. Even as we visited trees fell, and resorts went up. We saw several restaurants go from frames to open in a week. Bulldozers worked all night. The night we arrived the islands only wetland (in the middle of the island, between us and town ) was a light with massive bonfires burning the fallen trees. As we found our way down the rutted dirt road hundreds of frogs fled the swamp, knocking into our legs. Their shinny bodies glistening in the moonlight, and fire light. For days they hopped aimlessly around the resort. The last frogs of Lipe island. The super ironic thing was our resort had about a hundred frog shapped trash cans
This half was was most spent doing an indepth research project, in thai, about development on the island! My group studied waste management on the island. (which turned out to be a really amazing thing to study because it was at a pivotal point in the islands history). The island is about a mile long, and it has 1,800 bungalos on it for starters (2/3 of those have been put up in the last three years). Its flat, used to be forested, has patches of gorgeous white sand beach, and has a village where the Urak Lawoi people live. There are also many Urak Lawoi who sold their land years and years ago and now the new owners want to develop it and are kicking them off the land, so they live in squatter towns. There is a walking street with tons of restaurants, dive shops, internet cafes ect.
Until a couple years ago all the waste on the island was burned, buried, or left on the beach for the tide to take out to sea. But waste has become a huge problem. The island produces 2.2 metric tons of waste a day!!! Just in the last year, a waste management / collection system was started and a lot is now shipped off the island. Finding out alla bout it was fascinating, and we interviewed people from all parts of the process… its was like solving a mystery!! Sometime we would think we heard something but not believe it- like once we though we were miscommunicating because some people were telling us they fed the trash to ducks, then we found out there were ducks that were bought to eat some of the food waste (only there were 20, then ten choked on trash and died).
In two weeks, when we get our learning journals back I’ll type up some of the short essays I wrote in the island.
One evening I made friends with a bunch of Thai girls, who were spinning poi on the beach in front of the massage place they worked for. I tried, and failed terribly, at teaching them the 5 beat weave, but it was tons of fun. (Poi is what I did for circus club, were you spin (traditionally flaming) balls at the ends of strings around your body in complex patterns) We stayed up late hanging out at their place, and they invited me to sleep over, but I didn’t thinkt hat would be ISDSI protocol so they walked me across the island home.
Development on the island was so sad. It happened so unbelievably fast. Even as we visited trees fell, and resorts went up. We saw several restaurants go from frames to open in a week. Bulldozers worked all night. The night we arrived the islands only wetland (in the middle of the island, between us and town ) was a light with massive bonfires burning the fallen trees. As we found our way down the rutted dirt road hundreds of frogs fled the swamp, knocking into our legs. Their shinny bodies glistening in the moonlight, and fire light. For days they hopped aimlessly around the resort. The last frogs of Lipe island. The super ironic thing was our resort had about a hundred frog shapped trash cans
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Islands part I
I guess the place to begin with for islands is that it was a course cobinding two of my greatest interests: Environment in relation to Tourism, and Reef ecology / aventure sports.
I Loved it. The first time I saw a reef it almost stopped my heart again. I thought “I could do this for the rest of my life”. We had just arrived on course. Our 24 hour bus ride had ended in reaching a small port town, with a marina tucked into mangroves (which remineded me of Florida, shout out to Alli, Q, Beth, and Glenn!). At the small town I went out on my own for lunch and found a busy little Thai restaurant, and sat at at table with several Chow Lay (sea people) fisherman and chatted with them. It was exciting to be speaking to Thai strangers on my own, especially with their souther accents which were hard to decifer at first. Later we boarded a speed boat and took a four hour ride through patchy islands, and expanses of blue and teal water.
The park we arrived in had three islands, Rawi (where we landed) and Adang which were both part of the national park, and a thirld smaller, flat island: Lipe. This island had been allocated to the native Urak Lawoi people as their land when the park was formed. Many/most of the Urak Lawoi sold their land there, and now it is being absolutely consumed by development (much more later). There are many little islands to, and each are ringed by coral reefs.
We arrived at Rawi to a swath of white sand beach, with a few coconut trees, and a low moutian of jungle/forest rising behind it. We had a camp of tents just inside some trees, and there was a national park station, which was a square house where our guides lived for the time. The amazing thing about the bay in which we were camped was the extreme fluctuation of the tides. At high tide, water lapped up right a the base of our campsite beach area, at low tide the whole bay turned into a intertidal flat land. Sand, chunks of dead corals, little rivulets of running water, muck.
It was pretty low tide when I first went out. I remember walking out the grey mud soft on my feet until I saw my first sea cucumber in the ankle deep water. I crouched down, put on my mask and stuck my face in the water. It was neet, I poked its stiff body, watched it do absolutely nothing, and was fascinated. Next I saw an urchin, spines gently waving in the pressure in of in flowing water. Next it was my first tiny fish – black and neo blue stipped diving under a rock. Then an annenomy! Then a field of staghorn coral as far as I could see (brown branching coral alike a bazillions buck’s antlers all packed togheter) the water level was so low (I was swimming in waist deep water) that I couldn’t flaot over them. I remember trying to tip toe thorugh and a tip breaking off with a crunch and a dusting of sand. I back tracked around. That’s when the reef started to open up.
Its so hard to describe a reef to anyone – you fly over it, floating and with skin diving (fancy way of saying diving without oxygen tanks) you can swoop and prowl through the bulkheads. Lumy masses of coral with fish meandering this way and that, waving annenomies, splashes of color, the glissening surface when you come back up, the sandy batches on the bottom…. I was euphoric at first, being there. As me and the other students swam around I saw a sting ray hiding in a sandy patch on the bottom, eventually he lifted lazily out of the sand and flapped off over the reef, his long purple barb trailing after him.
The reefs never got old for me. I barely ever wanted to go in, and whenever I would go in on my own even if I ahd been doing something fun like hanging on the beach or whatever, as soon as I saw the reef I got this great feeling like why wasn’t I doing this every second. Durring the trip Philip was my enduring partner is adoration and fascination with the biology around us and Marica was my parner in crime for being the last (annoying, sorry guys) ones for coming in off the reef. Both bio peopleinterested in art, we spend one night laying under the stars planning our secret career ambitions to be marine biologists by day and artists (her music and food me painting and poetry) by night.
We sea kayaked to several reefs in the area. Some had big rocks going into the water, other were flat and rolling off of beaches. I loved kayaking, as always, and felt at home in the boats. Unlike forests, where I was challenged by the hiking, I could make up for a lack of brust strength with good form. Also I love working my abs and arms hard.
Manuvering a boat through the water is such an art and joy. One day we went out there were crazy winds and currents (it was the strongest cycle of the tides – the day of the full moon) and to round one point we had to thow every ounce of our strength into the paddles. Surging forward as furiously as I could manage I barly crawled forward along the shore. It was amazing. I could feel the tiniest adjustments in improving my form tip the balance between being swept backwards by the wind of waves.
The waves were wonderful. Sometimes there were swells that would rock the boat (a few feet high (?), or they would break over your bow and roll down the spray skirt. One of the most fantastic moments of my whole time in Thailand was coming back from this same windy day ( we had to turn around there was no way we could keep going in the winds) and we were coming back in to the bay. The shallowness over the reef formed great waves, but it was low tide so we couldn’t make it in over the coral just below the surface. We paddled along the endge of the reef looking for a way in. I followed Pi Aaron far left to find a way through on that side and it was looking good, until all of a sudden huge waves came in behind us and swept into the area of light blue/green (shallow) water. Corals tips broke out of the surface. Aaron realized it was too shallow “well have to go back!” he yells but the waves were sweeping us forwads towards the reef! A big coral head broke the surface, swirling yellow. “no good” he yelles. “Should I go forward or back” I shout back as a huge wave sends my boat tremmorring, launched towards/through the shallows “Get backwards!” I look back and the biggest wave I have seen in Thailand is right behind me, I can see it has seconds before it breaks. I whip my paddle around and thrust my kayak backwards, climb the swell moments before it breaks on me….I make it!! The monster rushes forwards, surgin my kayak on it sback. Pi aaron, nearly below me… woosh! My paddle scrapes agaist cora for a brief moment but I manuvour past and we are flying, blackpaddeling back out into the deeper swells. It was so quick and so epic. I wrote in my journal “it was such a perfec tmis of adrenaline and exuberance, challenge na adventure, physical, technical, teamwork, peaceful. The sea”
We back around the reef, and I glided over the sweels and we came in by the high and dry mangroces with their arched roots. It was really hella far to carry the boats over the tidal flats, so some of us tied up on the mangrove tip of the peninsula and walked in. before dinner (which was pasts and pesto!!!) Philip and I expored the intertidal zone, after we had to go back to get our boats.
But the full moon had already carried in several meters of water into the bay. We hiked the beach to the mangroces and sloshed out into the thight deep water. It was awesome! To our left the moon rose over the mangrove, casting silvery and shadows over the sweet trees. The warm ocean swirled gently at our waists, our headlamps bobbed like stars out ahead. The bay was gently pulsing with waves. For the first time on the trip, a few stars poked out from the cloudy sky. We got out to our boats, kocking restlessly about eachother like teathered horses. We untied the kayaks, prepared them for eh rde back and paddle out into the glittering water. Night kayaking under the full moon, the perfect soft water, glassy, a live reef sleeping and a sandy bottom a few meters below our boats. We laghed grinned, trailed our fingertips in the water, Frenchi snapped pictures, a cicade hummed, more stars came out. Our pod slowly paddled in the still water together, maybe we were whales not horses.
It was like the wind was breathing us towards shore. “you gave me goosebumbs!” said frenchi when I told her, she said the ocean breaths yesterday – watching the annenomies wave in the current.
When the tide goes out, the long tail boats tied up near camp are left high and dry. That night, the water high, I carried my stuff out over my head and climbed aboard the deck. The waves rocked and knocked on the boat. I wrote the journal I just copied from by moon light. The wind was humid and warm. I slept on the boat, and when I woke up the next morning I was high and dry again.
Gosh, there are just so many moments to recount.
Some other activites we did on the first half of the course were:
- hiking around in a mangrove and walking about on the roots. Later we went back snorkeling. It was kinda spooky, but it made me feel like I was inside the mangrove tank at the Shed Aquarium. I actually got that feeling a lot, on the reef, like I was inside an aquarium and it always made the whole thing a little bit more exciting.
- Pi Aaron told us we could touch the annenomies without getting stung because our skin was thicker than a fish’s and we were so large. I dove down and did this, and it feel cool – “just like you would imagine” and also some tips sort of stuck to you fingers. Then I thought “hey, you know what would be really cool to be able to say I did / do. Something most people don’t do…. I could put my face in one.” So I swam closer…closter… OUCH!!AHGJSSOGI! The annenomie stings on my lips felt like I had just eaten something really really spicy and then got punched in the mouth. For the rest of the day I had “spicy” lips.
- Philip and I went out on a rough day, at the end of the day. It was low tide and we had to walk about past the mangroves to get to the reef. The water was murky and brown. When there was no coral it was pretty scary because you couldn’t see anything at all. When there was coral it rose mysteriously out of the murky water. We were about to go back in when suddenly, right in front of me, the size of a basket ball is a LIONFISH!!! (go look up a picture if you don’t know what I mean) its fans of long fins waved ominously, as it hovered over the reef. I got Philip over as quickly as possible and we just watched it as it watched us. I swear it started to stare us down and slowly advance on us. Lionfish are very poisonous, so we keep a careful distance. Then on the way back we saw two more!!
- We kept getting ticks, some in ears or on backs. Their not so gross as the bits just ache for weeks. We think they were hanging out in our hammocks. (don’t
- Worry no lime disease in Thailand)
- We had a fire on the beach and waited until the tide came and a big wave put it out with a rush of steam.
- The beach was covered with little hermit crabs.
- Sun rise over the tide flats.
- On our long kayak day where we moved to a new island, Emily got sea sick in her kayak as we were crossing a channel between two islands and puked off the side of her boat. the hilarious thing was the first thing she thought was “nutrient cycling!”.
- We did an pilot study research project on one reef. We got two days to make observations, come up with a research question, then design the study and do it. It was super fun! I explored a possible correlation between Harold’s angel fish and staghorn coral (i think the coral causes them to school because of the density of hiding spots).
- I had the thought at one point: Some time in my life I want to have a job that gives me pruned fingers.
more later,
Love love love, Gigi
I Loved it. The first time I saw a reef it almost stopped my heart again. I thought “I could do this for the rest of my life”. We had just arrived on course. Our 24 hour bus ride had ended in reaching a small port town, with a marina tucked into mangroves (which remineded me of Florida, shout out to Alli, Q, Beth, and Glenn!). At the small town I went out on my own for lunch and found a busy little Thai restaurant, and sat at at table with several Chow Lay (sea people) fisherman and chatted with them. It was exciting to be speaking to Thai strangers on my own, especially with their souther accents which were hard to decifer at first. Later we boarded a speed boat and took a four hour ride through patchy islands, and expanses of blue and teal water.
The park we arrived in had three islands, Rawi (where we landed) and Adang which were both part of the national park, and a thirld smaller, flat island: Lipe. This island had been allocated to the native Urak Lawoi people as their land when the park was formed. Many/most of the Urak Lawoi sold their land there, and now it is being absolutely consumed by development (much more later). There are many little islands to, and each are ringed by coral reefs.
We arrived at Rawi to a swath of white sand beach, with a few coconut trees, and a low moutian of jungle/forest rising behind it. We had a camp of tents just inside some trees, and there was a national park station, which was a square house where our guides lived for the time. The amazing thing about the bay in which we were camped was the extreme fluctuation of the tides. At high tide, water lapped up right a the base of our campsite beach area, at low tide the whole bay turned into a intertidal flat land. Sand, chunks of dead corals, little rivulets of running water, muck.
It was pretty low tide when I first went out. I remember walking out the grey mud soft on my feet until I saw my first sea cucumber in the ankle deep water. I crouched down, put on my mask and stuck my face in the water. It was neet, I poked its stiff body, watched it do absolutely nothing, and was fascinated. Next I saw an urchin, spines gently waving in the pressure in of in flowing water. Next it was my first tiny fish – black and neo blue stipped diving under a rock. Then an annenomy! Then a field of staghorn coral as far as I could see (brown branching coral alike a bazillions buck’s antlers all packed togheter) the water level was so low (I was swimming in waist deep water) that I couldn’t flaot over them. I remember trying to tip toe thorugh and a tip breaking off with a crunch and a dusting of sand. I back tracked around. That’s when the reef started to open up.
Its so hard to describe a reef to anyone – you fly over it, floating and with skin diving (fancy way of saying diving without oxygen tanks) you can swoop and prowl through the bulkheads. Lumy masses of coral with fish meandering this way and that, waving annenomies, splashes of color, the glissening surface when you come back up, the sandy batches on the bottom…. I was euphoric at first, being there. As me and the other students swam around I saw a sting ray hiding in a sandy patch on the bottom, eventually he lifted lazily out of the sand and flapped off over the reef, his long purple barb trailing after him.
The reefs never got old for me. I barely ever wanted to go in, and whenever I would go in on my own even if I ahd been doing something fun like hanging on the beach or whatever, as soon as I saw the reef I got this great feeling like why wasn’t I doing this every second. Durring the trip Philip was my enduring partner is adoration and fascination with the biology around us and Marica was my parner in crime for being the last (annoying, sorry guys) ones for coming in off the reef. Both bio peopleinterested in art, we spend one night laying under the stars planning our secret career ambitions to be marine biologists by day and artists (her music and food me painting and poetry) by night.
We sea kayaked to several reefs in the area. Some had big rocks going into the water, other were flat and rolling off of beaches. I loved kayaking, as always, and felt at home in the boats. Unlike forests, where I was challenged by the hiking, I could make up for a lack of brust strength with good form. Also I love working my abs and arms hard.
Manuvering a boat through the water is such an art and joy. One day we went out there were crazy winds and currents (it was the strongest cycle of the tides – the day of the full moon) and to round one point we had to thow every ounce of our strength into the paddles. Surging forward as furiously as I could manage I barly crawled forward along the shore. It was amazing. I could feel the tiniest adjustments in improving my form tip the balance between being swept backwards by the wind of waves.
The waves were wonderful. Sometimes there were swells that would rock the boat (a few feet high (?), or they would break over your bow and roll down the spray skirt. One of the most fantastic moments of my whole time in Thailand was coming back from this same windy day ( we had to turn around there was no way we could keep going in the winds) and we were coming back in to the bay. The shallowness over the reef formed great waves, but it was low tide so we couldn’t make it in over the coral just below the surface. We paddled along the endge of the reef looking for a way in. I followed Pi Aaron far left to find a way through on that side and it was looking good, until all of a sudden huge waves came in behind us and swept into the area of light blue/green (shallow) water. Corals tips broke out of the surface. Aaron realized it was too shallow “well have to go back!” he yells but the waves were sweeping us forwads towards the reef! A big coral head broke the surface, swirling yellow. “no good” he yelles. “Should I go forward or back” I shout back as a huge wave sends my boat tremmorring, launched towards/through the shallows “Get backwards!” I look back and the biggest wave I have seen in Thailand is right behind me, I can see it has seconds before it breaks. I whip my paddle around and thrust my kayak backwards, climb the swell moments before it breaks on me….I make it!! The monster rushes forwards, surgin my kayak on it sback. Pi aaron, nearly below me… woosh! My paddle scrapes agaist cora for a brief moment but I manuvour past and we are flying, blackpaddeling back out into the deeper swells. It was so quick and so epic. I wrote in my journal “it was such a perfec tmis of adrenaline and exuberance, challenge na adventure, physical, technical, teamwork, peaceful. The sea”
We back around the reef, and I glided over the sweels and we came in by the high and dry mangroces with their arched roots. It was really hella far to carry the boats over the tidal flats, so some of us tied up on the mangrove tip of the peninsula and walked in. before dinner (which was pasts and pesto!!!) Philip and I expored the intertidal zone, after we had to go back to get our boats.
But the full moon had already carried in several meters of water into the bay. We hiked the beach to the mangroces and sloshed out into the thight deep water. It was awesome! To our left the moon rose over the mangrove, casting silvery and shadows over the sweet trees. The warm ocean swirled gently at our waists, our headlamps bobbed like stars out ahead. The bay was gently pulsing with waves. For the first time on the trip, a few stars poked out from the cloudy sky. We got out to our boats, kocking restlessly about eachother like teathered horses. We untied the kayaks, prepared them for eh rde back and paddle out into the glittering water. Night kayaking under the full moon, the perfect soft water, glassy, a live reef sleeping and a sandy bottom a few meters below our boats. We laghed grinned, trailed our fingertips in the water, Frenchi snapped pictures, a cicade hummed, more stars came out. Our pod slowly paddled in the still water together, maybe we were whales not horses.
It was like the wind was breathing us towards shore. “you gave me goosebumbs!” said frenchi when I told her, she said the ocean breaths yesterday – watching the annenomies wave in the current.
When the tide goes out, the long tail boats tied up near camp are left high and dry. That night, the water high, I carried my stuff out over my head and climbed aboard the deck. The waves rocked and knocked on the boat. I wrote the journal I just copied from by moon light. The wind was humid and warm. I slept on the boat, and when I woke up the next morning I was high and dry again.
Gosh, there are just so many moments to recount.
Some other activites we did on the first half of the course were:
- hiking around in a mangrove and walking about on the roots. Later we went back snorkeling. It was kinda spooky, but it made me feel like I was inside the mangrove tank at the Shed Aquarium. I actually got that feeling a lot, on the reef, like I was inside an aquarium and it always made the whole thing a little bit more exciting.
- Pi Aaron told us we could touch the annenomies without getting stung because our skin was thicker than a fish’s and we were so large. I dove down and did this, and it feel cool – “just like you would imagine” and also some tips sort of stuck to you fingers. Then I thought “hey, you know what would be really cool to be able to say I did / do. Something most people don’t do…. I could put my face in one.” So I swam closer…closter… OUCH!!AHGJSSOGI! The annenomie stings on my lips felt like I had just eaten something really really spicy and then got punched in the mouth. For the rest of the day I had “spicy” lips.
- Philip and I went out on a rough day, at the end of the day. It was low tide and we had to walk about past the mangroves to get to the reef. The water was murky and brown. When there was no coral it was pretty scary because you couldn’t see anything at all. When there was coral it rose mysteriously out of the murky water. We were about to go back in when suddenly, right in front of me, the size of a basket ball is a LIONFISH!!! (go look up a picture if you don’t know what I mean) its fans of long fins waved ominously, as it hovered over the reef. I got Philip over as quickly as possible and we just watched it as it watched us. I swear it started to stare us down and slowly advance on us. Lionfish are very poisonous, so we keep a careful distance. Then on the way back we saw two more!!
- We kept getting ticks, some in ears or on backs. Their not so gross as the bits just ache for weeks. We think they were hanging out in our hammocks. (don’t
- Worry no lime disease in Thailand)
- We had a fire on the beach and waited until the tide came and a big wave put it out with a rush of steam.
- The beach was covered with little hermit crabs.
- Sun rise over the tide flats.
- On our long kayak day where we moved to a new island, Emily got sea sick in her kayak as we were crossing a channel between two islands and puked off the side of her boat. the hilarious thing was the first thing she thought was “nutrient cycling!”.
- We did an pilot study research project on one reef. We got two days to make observations, come up with a research question, then design the study and do it. It was super fun! I explored a possible correlation between Harold’s angel fish and staghorn coral (i think the coral causes them to school because of the density of hiding spots).
- I had the thought at one point: Some time in my life I want to have a job that gives me pruned fingers.
more later,
Love love love, Gigi
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