Happy Birthday Mom......

So today (Feb. 7th) is my mother’s birthday…again…seems like just a few months ago I was celebrating her special day here in Thailand last year….

Where does the time fly ?!.....

It is already the 3rd birthday I have spent with her now being in her new special home- I miss her terribly but also feel her love deep within my heart. She is always near.

Her birthday is a great reminder of what a legacy love can leave behind….she has touched not only my life but also so many people who were fortunate to cross her bright path. ….

In her honor, I bicycled 10 miles to a Buddhist temple and lit 7 candles…..(7 was her lucky number)….Purple was also her favorite color and I was so happy to see that there were purple orchids in the vases next to the candles…these were the flowers I always “leid” her with when she visited Hawaii…I was happy to see them here for I sense she also saw them as well …and smiled…..



I also was reminded of how I would always see and follow my mom as a child into churches where she would inevitably light candles for her mother and father…she was consistent in this habit wherever she traveled and I was witness to many a candle-lighting ritual…I didn’t quite understand the profundity in this ritual while growing up yet I would always mimic her, cross myself and say a prayer to my relatives who had passed on- it just seemed the “proper” thing to do.

As I got older, the ritual of lighting candles became more meaningful for me…

and now, it seems like I have come full circle with this process for today I lit candles for my mom ….and it felt right….to the core of my heart.

I do not think my tears will ever stop shedding my sadness of her being gone; but I do know my love for her and all that she gave to me in her lifetime will forever grow….

This, I know for sure….

Happy Birthday Mom……you are missed and loved.

It's all Greek to me...

So it has been almost two weeks since I have last wrote you all……I had a sense this would happen…..my life has settled into a nice routine…..no major news to report, no major travels or journeys to share, no earth-shattering stories to break to you.

I have just been spending wonderful days and nights both on my own and with friends….working (a bit), resting, swimming, snorkeling, walking and doing chi gong on ‘my beach’, spending countless hours in my hammock reading and writing, and having great moments meeting new and old friends.

It is a good life ….and I am constantly finding myself just pausing and giving great thanks for this life that I have created for myself….it really is a dream come true. And I don’t think I will ever take it forgranted.

I feel so blessed to be calm, rested, alert, aware…..and surrounded by great beauty and wonderful friends….


Friends….this is a word I will focus on here for a moment…for it seems when you are on a ‘working holiday’ such as I am , you have so much more time to focus on conversations with people on a daily basis….it is just part of my day now…I go and visit my friends for coffee, conversation, walks, and dinners almost on a daily basis. These moments are never rushed….everyone is relaxed, rested- no office to rush to, no shopping mall to run off to- no appointment book to keep checking…..it is an ideal life, I know, and I am fully aware that not everyone can always enjoy such liberties in their life…..

I am truly enjoying the chance to really have the time to focus on being as ‘present’ as I can with every person I talk to….these moments seem so filled with quality talk- and the laughter shared feels so heartfelt…..like we are all old friends reuniting after a long break of separation.

This, for me, is the greatest joy of traveling …it is the priceless souvenir of connecting with other kindred spirits and creating both momentary and lifetime connections….both types of connections are as profound…..the ripple effect of connecting from your heart is what always takes effect, whether or not you are even aware of this…..it is what will continue to help heal this often not-so-friendly world….it is what will continue to open peoples’ eyes and hearts to each others thoughts, feelings and cultures…it is what will make us all a more tolerant people in a hopefully more tolerant world.

Last night I was wonderfully reminded how much I enjoy being in the presence of so many cultures….I walked next door to one of my favorite places to lounge/eat/converse, only to be greeted by several large groups of people all seated throughout the restaurant. One group was filled with Austrians and Germans, another table, a large group of French. The Swedes were also well represented as were the Canadians , Americans, and Thai…. and yes, lo and behold, there was also a table of Greeks, smiles and all, waiting for me to join them.

Yes, it seems that I can never travel for long without meeting more fellow Greek gypsies on the road- it is like we are all family just waiting to be reunited- it is an instant bond, I have found- It never fails….Once you tell another Greek you are Greek, you become family….I have never felt otherwise ….ever.


I had heard about this particular group of Greeks being on the island a couple of days ago and was hoping I would meet them before they left. I figured if I walked around long enough on this rather small and intimate island, we would eventually meet !
And sure enough, while taking a ‘random’ morning walk yesterday to my local 7-11 store (which, incidentally, has become my local “COSTCO” here..;) ), I heard a couple of people speaking Greek.

I ,of course, immediately said hello in my broken Greek and knew it was probably “THEM”. Sure enough, after a few quick questions and a momentary “oh –my-goodness, how-did-she-know-it -was-us?” look from them, I knew these were the people from Mykonos I wanted to meet. Within minutes, we were making plans to meet for dinner.!

And what a night it was…Norman, our host at the restaurant/bungalow, bought us all Metaxa to drink and continued to play Greek music for us throughout the evening….we laughed a lot, talked a lot, shared stories, family photos, and even managed a few Greek dances after our meal….

Needless to say, I have new friends in Mykonos now ….they have all invited me to stay with them when I visit Greece in future trips and of course, they want to come visit me in Hawaii….alas, another friendship born !....and all because of synchronicity taking its wonderful effect, once again…

OPA !

p.s.I have included here photos of not only my greek friends but also others who have befriended me on this magical island


hope you are all doing well….

love, melina ☺



My friends Govindas amd Radha, yoga instructors and professional musicians from Los Angeles...the dog is a local dog who would also show up whenever they started to play music, both at sunrise and sunset.



A group of French friends gathering for a nightly meal...They are from many French-speaking nations , including France, Switzerland and Canada (Quebec)



My friends Ralf (from Denmark) and his girlfriend Gong (from Thailand). Ralf runs one of the more sucessful internet cafes and dive shops here on Koh Lanta...check out his website at www.flipflop.com !



Me and my very good freind Mona, a yoga instructor here on Koh Lanta. She is originally from Los Angeles and has lived here on Lanta for seven years. Like me, she knew this was "home" for her just minutes after she landed here by ferry..



Just a recent photo of me form my bungalow window....I hope you can see how happy and relaxed I am here.....

bye for now...

a picture tells a thousand words...

I think we all have had dreams of what our perfect beach would look like..maybe while looking through a travel magazine, we gasp at the sight of something that takes our breath away; or maybe while watching a movie, we see a scene on a deserted beach and say to ourselves, "if only..."

Well, I stumbled across one such beach this past weekend when a freind of mine and I were riding a motorcycle down the coast of Koh Lanta...I had a first quick peak of this magical secluded stretch of sand from over a shady cliff... and my breath was literally taken away....

suffice it to say, it will be a beach I will return to many times again...

thank you, Mother Nature.....

just a few photos

Just thought I would add a few pictures here taken in the last couple of days. I know I have talked about my infamous 20$/nite bungalow so much yet I have not shared a picture of my current home...I've also included the view from my hammock , a couple of shots taken from my bike ride and my new French freind Gaetan, who heads all the activities at our bungalow. We are having a lot of fun learning each other's languages...I am his 'official' English teacher now and he teaches me french words and phrases every day....I am also learning a great deal of Thai here as I try and learn new phrases from the locals on a daily basis....There is nothing like connecting with the native people with their own language...just makes me feel a lot more close to all of them...

Okay,that's all for now...

melina :)

A Labor of Love

So yesterday was a day that I often crave as a traveler- it was one of those days when I truly felt out of the “tourist bubble” ; a day when I felt I was neither the observer nor the observed…..

A group of us from my bungalow (3 Germans, 2 French, 1 Dutch, and me, the sole American) got on our bicycles and rode a 40km trek across our island of Koh Lanta….it was my first time on a bicycle here so I was excited to leave the tourists and 7-11’s for a few hours and enter a part of the island that was still truly connected to its past.

The beauty of this whole ride was that we were delivering a box of money that was raised at a fundraiser at our bungalow for 2 sea gypsy families whose homes had been devastated by the tsunami 2 years ago. However, when the families were first asked what they needed to help them get through this difficult time, they humbly responded that they didn’t need a new home- just some equipment to help them fix their 2 fishing boats – so they could catch fish, start their family business and eat again….

So a free dinner was set up at our bungalow and people donated anonymously into a homemade wooded box with the phrase “Help me float again”……and the gypsy families were also there to enjoy the meal and festivities.

The picture of the family that I included here shows the moment they realized that we had brought them the money for their boats….a moment of both sheer joy and humble gratitude….A little over $1000.00 (US) dollars had been raised for the families- this is equivalent to about a half year’s salary for the average Thai so needless to say, they will now be able to fix their boats and become self-sufficient again.

It will be a moment that I will not soon forget….it was yet another reminder how the “little things in life” can literally change people’s lives in a moment….a great lesson to remember on a daily basis.



The bike ride itself was both beautiful and a bit grueling in the 90+ degree heat and rolling hills that soon felt like mountains after the first hour ! But I felt a bit like I was on my own “Tour de Lanta” as every house I passed, the children and families would cheer a big “HELOOO !” to me and smile and wave . I am sure they must have thought that we were all just a bit mad to be riding on such a hot day….

And, oh yes, I would like to report that I represented the U.S. well in this ‘race’ ….I finished first amongst all the nations represented….and “No, I did not take steroids”..:)

Hope you are well….

Sawatdee ka for now…

Sawatdee Pimai ! (Happy New year !)..back at last....

So it has been just over a week now since I boarded a plane from Honolulu…..it seems like months ago, really…it is amazing how some weeks just seem so much “fuller” than others and this sure was one of them….

Of course just the anticipation of leaving for this trip and the long days and nights of packing weeks before left me exhausted as I said goodbye to Hawaii for the next 3 ½ months- this factor alone made just the last few days before I left seem to drag on forever…

…. But there was a pleasant calm and a child-like excitement that overcame me the moment my China Airlines 747 jumbo jet took off the coral reef tarmac of Honolulu airport…..I knew my next adventure was about to begin….and all exhaustion seemed to vanish almost immediately.

And what a beginning it was ! A little over 12 hours after I settled into my Bangkok apartment, there was news of a rash of bombs going off in and around the city, several quite close to where I was staying….all a bit too eerie, as well, for I had a strong “hunch” just hours earlier that something like this was going to happen…..and in exactly the same spot where I thought….(the shopping center where I had this feeling used to be called “the world trade center” (name was changed after 9/11) – I felt that if anyone had a political statement to be made, it would be here)

I was glued to my laptop for most of New Years Eve as all major celebrations were cancelled by the Thai government- we were told to stay off the streets if possible so ,of course, I took the safe course and just stayed indoors the entire evening- I just wasn’t in the mood to be doing much celebrating after all this….I was just feeling very sad for the city and of course for the families of those who lost loved ones from the bombs..

Throughout the evening, I was constantly logging on to CNN.com and the Bangkok Post just to get hourly updates of what was happening in the city….there was no TV where I was staying so I am most thankful that I had a connection to the “outer world.” The irony is that a friend of mine on the east coast of the US actually emailed me the moment he heard about this news…otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a clue (at least for a short while anyway..) so thank you, Frederic, for being the first to give me the “breaking news”….it is also a bit strange when you read about your situation as a “top headline story” on the eve of a major holiday…it is always fascinating to me to see how such stories are ‘presented’ to the world, when you, yourself, are right there “where the action is”…..but I am thankful I had any news at all just to keep me informed and , of course, out of danger….

So I left Bangkok January 2nd and took a very short flight south to the city of Krabi….then after a 2 hour ferry ride (filled with Swedes, Brits, and Italians), I arrived on my favorite little island of Koh Lanta…..

I had tears of joys in my eyes as my boat got closer and closer to this magical little island that had provided me so many wonderful memories on my last trip here. I was so looking forward to seeing my old friends here and getting back to my simple beachside bungalow lifestyle.

However, after just a few minutes of being in my “tuk-tuk” (thai taxi) to my bungalow, I came to the stark realization that in just the short period of 8 months since I was last here, this island had grown and expanded in ways I never thought could happen is such a small span of time….Granted, it is high season right now and the tourists are “en masse” here right, but what has shocked me even more is the amount of construction that has taken place since I was last year….quite sad ,really, as I had hoped this island would remain forever quaint and calm…

But alas, when there is money to be made, there will be “progress”….and I have to make peace with this worldwide notion as I don’t think there is really much possibility of escape from this on the planet right now…

But I have my bungalow by the beach and I am happy…..it is relatively quiet here throughout the day though nighttimes have provided me a bit of a challenge as of late…it seems that music with loud strong bass lines( from nearby bars) still can penetrate my trusty ol’ earphones so I probably am going to have to get used to not getting some real sleep until about 2 am every night….nevermind, though…..I don’t have an office to report to every morning so I know I will be fine..

I plan on being here in Lanta a month now…..I will be enjoying my time with friends, start teaching my online course in a couple of weeks, and work on a couple of creative projects that I have been in my ‘back burner’ for awhile…..Of course, I will have my daily walks and swims on the beach and my nightly gatherings with friends here….a wonderfully calm and relaxed routine. I am very grateful for this and have worked hard for 8 months to come back to this.

Then in February I will go north to Chaing Mai to visit friends there and explore more of the hillside tribe areas of Pai and Mae Hong Son. Then at the end of February, I will go to Malaysia for a week or so to enjoy some of the beautiful islands in and around Penang. That is all the plans I have so far. I did just meet up with a friend just now and there was talk of us doing some traveling to Vietnam together so we will see….

I must divert a bit and say how great it has been having my laptop here. I have never traveled with one before but decided that since my chances of finding wireless networks will be pretty good, I would bring it…and , of course, since I am teaching an online course here, it will make it all that easier to get organized and carry out my job in the next few months.

IT has also been great to have my little white MAC as I can write whenever I want now and find I am already keeping a pretty thorough personal journal of my travels. This makes my days feel much more creative and purposeful at times….I also forgot how much I love to write !

Laptops also make great photo albums so it has been fun to be sharing photos with friends here- so many others travelers have also done the same- this makes for a nice community of sharing stories whenever the opportunity arises….….Photos also provide such a nice sense of background and history for others to enjoy…it is like more dimensions of oneself come to life when friends see pictures of your own home, family, and friends; it brings us all closer, I think…

Oh yes, I even get wireless connection from my bungalow, 20meters from the ocean ! ah, gotta love progress….:)

Okay, I think that is all for now…..I know this entry has been a bit long-winded but I felt I just needed to share with you my initial feelings and reactions to being back here….It is not often that I return to the same place when I travel so I have been intrigued with the whole “honeymoon is over” notion as I settle in to a more local day-to day lifestyle.

Because of this, I will probably not be doing a lot of entries on this site (at least not as often as my last trip). I am going to be on one island for a month now so the variety of pictures and stories might be a bit less than last years’ entries..l.but who knows…..my last few days have already been so full of amazing gatherings with friends…I could write several short stories just from those meetings alone !

I hope you are all well and are enjoying a nice calm start to your new year. Personally, I am very glad the holidays are over and am most happy to be out of traffic and shopping malls !

Will write soon…and thank you for keeping in touch with me…it really does mean a lot.

And , oh yes, I do have a Thai cell # here so if any of you wants to text me and/or say hi , here is the number : from US dial: 011-66-81-029-7677
I have used the calling card program from www.pingo.com Check it out…calls to Thailand are about 2 cents a minute….I also use Skype (www.skype.com) and my log-in name is : lavalife007 We can literally talk free from our computers if you sign up (free sign up as well). I truly believe that Skype is the best bargain on the planet !

p.s. as of last night, my trusty ol camera has broken…so it may be a few days before I can get it fixed….could be a bit of a project on this very small island !

Okay, that’s all for now.

Sawatdee ka !

have a wonderful day…

melina ☺

a dedication....

So my 3 month journey has come to an end and I am back here in Honolulu reminiscing on my amazing journey. It is a bit surreal coming back to a world where I must drive and face traffic and see large tall skycrapers in my daily viewing distance but I am also so blessed that I still have ocean and palm trees and warm waters beckoning me in a not so distance realm - a funny but very real dichotomy that has really hit me since I have been back.

When looking back at all my pictures, I so much want to share with you all the wonderful people that I have met along the way- those who have been with me through tough times and those who have made me laugh in the most joyous and memorable of times.... but then I stop and ponder the importance of all this to you...for I know you would be happy for me in the fact that I met wonderful people; however, these are people who made a significant impact on me and would probably just feel like "nice happy faces" to you.....so, in light of this desire to not "bore you with "more faces", I decided to just dedicate this last entry to an all important item that has been with me these past few months.

This all important, "sole-saving friend" has been : my shoes...my "slippers" as we would call it here in Hawaii..."flip flops" as they call them in Thailand.

These are by far the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned. They have been on my feet daily for the past 2 and half years...on this trip alone, they have walked literally dozens of miles, up vast, green hills to austere temples and mountaintops. They have walked down lonesome streets filled with the occasional monk at dawn and have wrestled through the most bustling of markets in downtown Bangkok and Chiang Mai. And of course, they have been in my arms as I walked down many a long stretch of white sandy beach as I pondered for the "umpteenth time" the meaning of life and my place in it.

But perhaps most importantly, I dedicate my last entry to my shoes because these shoes once belonged to my mother. She wore these shoes every day while she was living here in Hawaii for the past ten years before she departed to other brighther , more spectacular realms. She was with me every day, in every adventure that I undertook in this journey. For this, I am forever grateful as I always felt safe in these shoes, knowing she was always near, smiling her ever-so-toothy smile, enjoying vicariously, every beautiful sunset I watched. For you see, I am a gypsy at heart because of my Mom and I feel like by wearing these shoes, I will continue to always be one; for I have truly realized from this adventure that home is truly where the heart is and as long as you carry those you love in you, you are never alone, wherever you are on this great big beautiful planet that we live on.

So thanks, Mom, for coming on this adventure with me....and thanks to all of you, who have supported me this whole way. I am forever grateful for your love and support.


Until we meet again......

melina

Lanta luminescence....

fire dancers set the night aflame at Koh Lanta annual's cultural festival. (koh lanta lost 1,000 of its own just a little over a year ago from the tsunami. There are only 7,000 people on the island. These people truly know how to perservere and continue to live life with love and the remembrance of their lost friends in their hearts.)

through the eyes of children come the reminders of the joy of life....

and through the eyes of the elderly comes only wisdom....

the view from my bungalow....

my little bungalow in the sun....I am very happy here.

it is wonderful to see a sunset every night....a reminder of the inevitability that time passes, things change, and a new day always begins...

Lanta lullabies...

Hello again..I am here on the island of Koh Lanta, a 2 hour ferry ride from Koh Phi Phi. I have been welcomed by amazingly freindly people where I am staying at...this, of all places in Thailand, truly feels like home for me.I wish I could explain to you all how wonderful it is here....Most of the island is populated by Muslims and northern European tourists...this makes for a wonderfully colorful combination of people....everyone smiles and waves to me everywhere I go...it is amazing....I have never felt as happy and relaxed (and safe !) as I do here.

The other night I went to a local festival where I swear the entire island had come to ( all 7,000 people....) and every single person who walked by me that night (including very young children ) gave me a big smile and/or hello.....the warmth of the local people just really permeates the air here. So much of our news is filled with such terrible commments about a few extremists from the Muslim world . I so wish more people could understand that the majority of these people are truly kind and peaceful. I have been blown away by the love they have shown me.

I am staying in a wonderful bungalow (for 10$/nite) a few meters from the ocean. I have bought my own hammock and have it on my balcony, where I spend much of my afternoons reading, doing work, and just watching the ocean. There is a small outdoor private shower and toilet and I am blessed with air conditioning as well- a true luxury here as the average temperatures are in the mid to high 90's.....I jump into the ocean often throughout the day......another great luxury.

The Swedes rule here, it seems...There is a large group of Swedish students, teachers, and families staying where I am. They are all going to a nearby school this semester as a cultural exchange program. I have been befriended already by one very special Swedish family here- we are already discussing plans on where we will meet next !. They even met me at the ferry boat when I first arrived on the island(based on a phone call from another travelling friend) and took me to the hotel - they didn't even know who I was but just out of the kindess of their hearts, they rode 20 minutes on their motorbikes to come get me, with luggage and all......Once again, I feel so blessed to have made such good friends so quickly.

Downloading pictures is slow, tedious, and a bit more expensive here so I will try to send photos when I find a quick connection. I really want to try and share with you the beauty of where I am staying....I think a few pictures will help.

p.s. I read on Yahoo (!!) today that Thailand was preparing for evacuations yesterday because of an earthquake 500 km from where I am....I didnt even know about this until today ! I guess the evacuation plans were eventually called off. Just wanted to let you know I am okay, in case you did read this in the news. I know how sometimes "news" gets a bit blown out of proportion in other parts of the world.

I am really happy here and already know it is going to be very hard to leave here. I feel like I have a wonderful village where I am safe and supported by everyone around me. It is a wonderful feeling. I think I may just stay here for the remainder of my time in Thailand. I feel at peace here and dont have the desire to move much anymore.

I hope you are well.

hugs from the south of Thailand.

more Phi Phi Pics...

My hostesses at my bungalow.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

The reconstruction begins.....

Yellow ribbons are everywhere....a sign of hope for all.

An elephant's view...

Enjoying a jungle safari with my freind Andrew...

Approaching Phi Phi Bay......

"Phi Phi perseverance"

(pronounced "Pee Pee")......so I am back in the south of Thailand again near the beautiful warm waters that I have not seen for over a month. It has been wonderful to be greeted by such balmy peaceful waters- again, I am reminded how much happier I am when I am near/in ocean water. Must be the Greek/Brazilian spirit in me..

Today I took a 2 hour ferry ride to Phi Phi Island. Many of you probably saw this island over and over again in the news last year during the tsunami as it was one of the hardest hit areas- mainly, because it has such a high tourist population and the island is so thin and unprotected from big waves.

I felt I needed to return here to see for myself what Mother Nature truly did to this island. I think one never gets the "real" picture from TV and news. As I approached the bay, there was a mixture of tears and joy as I approach. Tears for the fact that the devastation was obvious. Rows of bungalows that I remembered seeing 5 years ago were just completely gone. GONE. Nothing there but a few sparse trees with yellow ribbons tied around them.

But I have mostly felt joy being here as the perserverance of these peoples' spirit really prevails the island. I laughed today as I swam and heard a loud drill and some hammering in the background. Normally, (as many of you know), I would have become a bit irritated (okay, a lot irritated) that these man-made sounds were interrupting my afternoon swim. But wonderfully enough, I smiled for quite a long time, as I knew those sounds to be representative of "going on"- a sound of people not giving up and rebuilding, both their spirits and the homes/hotels around them.

I also found the waters to be amazingly welcoming here. I was a bit afraid that I would feel frightened or affected by being in the same waters that took so many lives away. However,wonbderfully enough, I just felt very calm and at peace when I went in. It was actually very difficult for me to get out of the ocean here, as I felt I was being cradled in a warm bath by a very loving spirit.

I have also been visited by my freind Andrew from Miami. He has been working in New Orleans with the reconstruction of THE hurricane. He has been operating a roofing company there and hadn't had a day off for 8 months so I suggested he come out for a week to get some rest. It has been interesting to hear his perspective of the reconstruction here after having spent so much time in New Orleans. And yes, he is getting rest at last. We even enjoyed a nice elephant ride yesterday in Phuket- always a fun experience and a reminder of how mighty yet graceful these creatures are.

I am off tomorrow to Aonang/Railay Beach, another spectacularly beautiful place that I visited 5 years ago. It felt like a dream when I was last there so I am very excited to have a chance to return to this magical place for a few days. I will, of course, send pics as soon as I can !

I hope this message finds you well. My journey here ends in about a month. It is hard to believe the end is already near. Yet I feel there is much more adventure ahead of me. I do look forward to getting home to my own bed again, kissing my cat and having her wait for me when I get home, hugging my Dad, talking to freinds and family and seeing them in person, playing the piano, eating a good Greek meal again, shopping at my favorite health food store, and just not having to live out of a small suitcase and zip loc bags for awhile.

I will see you soon.

just a few more pics....

Hawaii comes to Chiang Mai ! John, Roz, me, and the rest of the Hawaii "Ohana" enjoy a night of song and dance at the Chiang Mai Culture Center. John stole the show by showing us all how Thai dancing is really done !

Back in Bangkok at the famous temple of Wat Po. A stone carving greets us as we enter.

Yet another magnificent Buddha (in Wat Po). One can see from the massiveness and ornateness of this statue that the Thai people truly love their Buddha.

The lake in Chiang Mai where I practiced Chi Gong every morning at 8am. No doubt, one can see why I was so at peace doing my exercises here. Incredibly beautiful and peaceful.

"You know you have been in Thailand a long time when..."

.....the first words out of your mouth when you see a local is "Sawasdee Ka" and not hello.

....you walk down the left side of a stairway instead of the right (and inevitably walk into Western tourists who havent adjusted yet)

...you automatically throw your toilet paper in the bin NEXT to the toliet, not in the toilet, as doing so could cause the next great flood in Thailand.

...you get a bit stressed when you pay more than 2 dollars for a meal, and 4 dollars for an hour massage.

...you refuse to step into a Starbucks, even when craving a Tall Iced Chai with Soymilk.

...a local person tells you that you have a "very good Thai accent." (this was pretty special.)

...you just dont care anymore that you are twice as tall and twice as dark as 99.99% of the population around you.

...you feel a bit out of sorts if you haven't seen a Buddha or a 7-Eleven in your day's journey.

...you are always calm as you cross a incredibly busy street as thre are no pedestrians crossways in most towns. The key is to just keep consistent with your walking speed and the cars and bikes adjust accordingly. I always try to walk near a monk as I feel safer this way. :)

....you can walk through a massive night bazaar/marketplace and not be tempted to but one thing.

.... you walk into a shop, cafe, or internet shop and the local people know you by your first name. You are no longer a "farang" (foreigner) but just a local person going about her daily business....this really makes me feel at home.

...and finally, you know you have been in Thailand a long time when you do not even flinch at the sight of a man walking by you trying to sell you deep-fried cockroaches ("crisps) from his well-lit cart on wheels.


that's all for now...

"Khop Khon Ka" for listening...:)

ALOHA Chiang Mai....

Having a delicious Italian meal with my freinds Sai, Nok, and her Swiss boyfreind Tommy. The owner, Georgio, comes from the Italian town of Vincenza and was kind enough to serve us wine from his home city !
Molto bene !!!






Some beautiful traditional Thai dancers and the Chiang Mai Cultural Center. Those are gold finger attachments that they put on the ends of their fingers to give the appearance of length in their dance.












The Pool where I swim every day ..gym is inside..what a view !



Well it has been two weeks since I last wrote..my apologies for not keeping better contact but I have been quite busy with classes and teaching and spending time with freinds. I guess I just needed to detach from the computer for awhile.

I am leaving Chiang Mai tonight, at last.After 6 weeks full of wonderful experiences, new freinds made, and a time for much personal reflection, it is time for me to go. I am saddened to leave my freinds and this wonderful city but I know deep in my heart, that I will back soon. I am especially thankful for the many people I have met here that have really become such good freinds to me. I have had some rough moments at times here and it seems like there has always been someone close by that could lend me an ear. Friendships like this are priceless, especially when one is so far from home.

I am also very thankful for the Chi Gong class that I have been taking for the past week. For those of you unfamiliar with this form of exercise, it is an very ancient form of martial arts and tai chi, all in one....This is a very broad way of describing it but I must say it has been one of the best forms of exercise I have done in my life. I truly feel like my body, mind, and spirit has gone through a major balancing act and I feel so much more calm and focused in my dialy activities. I hope to continue this practice when I return to Hawaii. The fellow students in this class were wonderful as well as our enthusiastice teacher who got us motivated every morning at 8am. WE practiced for 2 hours every day by a most beautiful lake near Chiang Mai University. I felt like I was somewhere in the alps. It was beautiful.

I was also blessed last week with the visit of my good freinds Roz and John from Hawaii. They brought a wonderful Hawaiian "ohana" with them as well and we all enjoyed each others company for a couple of days. They are now sailing their own boat in Phuket for 10 days. It was so wonderful to have them around. They were a reminder of how blessed I am to have such beautiful people in my life.

I am off to Bangkok tonight and then will head south again to Phuket again on Thursday to explore a few more islands. I am looking forward to see the ocean again. I am also looking forward to explore some pretty unihabited islands and enjoy some peace. I will have friends visiting with me as well so I will not be all alone the whole time. Having good company while travelling really is a comforting thing. It is nice to share thoughts and sights with other kindred spirits around you.

I will say good bye to you all for now....I will make one more attempt right now to enter more pictures....IT really is so hard to share everything I am going through here with just a few pictures and words but I hope you do get the feeling that I have had some very powerful and wonderful experiences.

I pray you are well. Thank you for your thoughts. I am touched that you are following my journey here. Makes my adventures feel more "purposeful", in a way.

take good care.