We visited Doi Inthanon twice --once on our own and once with a tour group. Sounds odd, but there was very little overlap, and both trips were good.
First we went on our own. It is a good example of independent travel. Some things work out well, some don't. You miss a few things that the tour guide would point out, and you find a few that he wouldn't. You take more time, partly so that you can spend more time on things you particularly like, and partly because you are less efficient than the guide.
We arrived at the park in the afternoon. To enter a National Park costs a foreigner 200 Baht, and a Thai 20 Baht. The Pass is supposed to be good for five days. When we entered the Park, the ranger insisted that we will have to pay 200 Baht for each day we are in the park. That means camping in the tent will be several times more expensive than our typical hotels! We pay for the first day, and will pay the rest when we exit.
Next, we spent several hours trying to find the campground. The park officials were not very helpful, and directed us to pitch our tent behind the food vendors, along with the park workers who didn't get cabins. The guidebooks, the Thai website, and everything previously seemed to say there was a campground at the Park Headquarters at milepost 31. We spent the night behind the food vendors with the park workers.
The next morning, we resumed the search for the proper campground. The fifth park official that we asked told us where it was (just one kilometer away, off a side road). We headed over and found a great place to camp. Flat tent sites, toilets, and showers. In fact, the Thais sweep the campground, removing every pine needle!
It rained most of the day, so we pretty much stayed around camp. We were told that the rain was artificial-induced to help during the dry weather. But since the temperature also dropped below 50 F (10 C), we are pretty sure it was just an un-seasonal weather storm. We got an extra blanket from the park service (we left most of our stuff in Chiang Mai and made this an ultra-light backpacking trip).
Near the end of the day, we ventured out to see the hill tribe villages. We were very hesitant to just barge in. This is their village, and we do not know the customs. Since there is an English sign "Silk Weaving" we know that they welcome foreign visitors, but with no common language, we just walked through the village, smiling and nodding but with no real contact, and do not find the silk store. One man, eating rice in a group of men, might have motioned to us to join him, but we weren't really sure and just smiled and continued. We were a bit bummed, since we expected to find at least a few places we could connect. Then we ran into Noom, a Thai working in the village. He had lived in Seattle during high school, and had flawless English. He quickly became our "guide" and we headed off to his place.
Noom and five Thai students (all girls) are working with the government to assist the villagers, and conduct research. For example, in the evening, they go visit the households and interview them to understand them better. The day is getting late, so we arrange to meet tomorrow for a hike. The students have the day off. Noom thinks he might be able to get a villager to guide us on a short trek.
The next morning, the cousin of the headman is ready to take us into the jungle. He speaks Thai, and Noom serves as a translator.
I had tried previously to find detailed maps of the area so that we could hike it. We figured we would probably hire a guide anyway, but I like to have a map. Once we were in the jungle, I could see why there aren't any maps. The jungle is full of trails, all heading out in different directions. The villagers have fields of rice or vegetables in many different areas and trails connect them. There are also trails to other villages. With so many different trails, it would be impossible to navigate without a guide.
The guide explains many of the plants and trees along the way, showing which are used to relieve headache, upset stomach, etc. Some are used to neutralize poisons. We also see some that we know, such as ginger!
The most amazing part is when the guide hears a bird. He immediately pulls out his thick book "Birds of Thailand", flips to the index, zips to the correct page, and shows us the picture. Rufus bulbot. Greater Bulbot. He is able to identify birds precisely from their call. In fact, we never actually see any of them! But the pictures in the book were of remarkable colorful birds! We had a great day, hiked with a bunch of new friends, and had a guide who knew more about the jungle than any from a package tour.
Next we visited the peak of the mountain. It is the highest place in Thailand at about 2600 meters (8000 feet), if I recall correctly. Near the top is a rain forest, below that a pine forest, and below that a monsoon (deciduous) rain forest. Each zone has quite a variety of plants and trees, except for the pine forest, which is a bit plainer. Given the hot weather, the higher zones are more pleasant both because they are cooler and shadier.
We would have just stayed in Doi Inthanon on our own for a few more days, except that we were due to leave Thailand. So, we headed back to Chiang Mai, extended the visa and deferred the airplane travel. We planned to return to Doi Inthanon on our own, and then take a guided tour to other areas that are more difficult to reach on your own. But when we started looking at the tours, we found that the tour to Doi Inthanon hit many areas that hadn't, and didn't duplicate anything we had done. We found a tour that was mostly hiking (ten hours over three days), with just a touch of the tourist stuff (an hour elephant ride, two hour bamboo raft ride) so that we could experience it.
The tour group of eight people included us, two Canadian women (Sophie and Sheree), a couple from London (Ben and Zara), a Japanese woman (Erico) and an Israeli-French woman (Nathalie), along with the guide (Wijak). We were able to swap many stories, since several of us were on extended trips.
Hiking in jungle was both enjoyable and frustrating. The National Parks are still evolving for Thailand, and are not very well protected. In particular, the Thai seem to burn everything in February and March. In the cities, every pile of leaves is raked up and burned. In rural areas, the fields are all burned. In the forest, the crop areas are burned. New areas are cleared and burned. The thick smoke blankets the entire north country. It is so strong that even though this is the peak of the tourist season (due to dry weather before the highest heat of April-June), I would recommend against visiting the north at this time of year. It would be better to come in November-January.
The frustrating part was seeing the forest burn. Thailand continues to lose jungle rapidly, and is down to just 25% at this point. The culture of both the hill tribes and the Thais is to burn everything, so change is not happening. We could hike through enough really beautiful jungle to know what it used to be like, but also through so much cleared land that it was a bit depressing. It is not like India, where the land is cleared to support a billion people, and the land is used efficiently. Here, there are large areas just used for a year or two and then abandoned while another is cleared. Sad.
The elephant ride is fun. I didn't realize how slow they are! They are quite powerful, and were important in logging, but they are very lumbering (pun). I think we might have gone 500 meters (0.3 mile) in an hour! Well, now we can say we rode on elephants. And we are glad we didn't pick a tour with several hours on top of one!
The bamboo rafts are quite fun also. They are just assembled from bamboo poles, and poled down the stream. At the bottom, the raft is cut apart and the poles hauled back to the top. Our group included three rafts, of which two hold together. One (not ours) began to loosen, and soon a few key poles were really just floating along with the others, no longer part of the raft. When the people step down on the loose poles, they just step down into the river. Slowly, the whole raft begins to get lower in the water. By the time they finish, they seem to come from it as if they are walking on water!
We didn't expect to get into the touristy bamboo raft and elephant ride, so we selected a trek that was mostly hiking (10 hours), and briefly did the other things so that we could experience them. It was just right.
The trek logistics were okay, but not great. The guide does this trek over and over again, and seemed more interested in getting it done that in enjoying it. One woman in the group went at a quite slow pace, due to short legs and poor shoes. Rather than trying to help her, he just marched the group onward. We fell back, helped fix her broken pack strap, offload some weight, and give her better traction on the downhill stretches. Fran twisted her ankle on the second day, and the guide didn't even notice. She hiked on it for 2.5 hours in to camp. I'd highly recommend the trek, but not the guide.
We finished the visit to the park at some beautiful waterfalls, resting our feet in the cool stream. Ahh...
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Friday, March 29, 2002
Baan Thai Cooking
Although we have been losing weight, we still love to eat. And the spicier the food, the better. So to improve the choice of cuisine when we return home, Fran took a one-day Thai cooking course. And the results were quite tasty
Baan Thai Cooking Course is held in a home on a quiet side street in Chang Mai. The dishes are prepared in cooking stations in an outdoor kitchen and tested while sitting around a large table in the living area. Each participant prepares (and eats) 6 dishes during the day.
The class started with a tour of the market to purchase the food for the course. If you have never been to a Thai outdoor market (as I imagine many of you haven't) it is quite an experience. First there is the meat section, with live eels escaping from their barrels onto the pavement...dried fish of every imaginable kind...forest grubs and beetles with their feet neatly tied with grass...the smell of fish and meat mingling in the air with the aroma of cooked foods. The colorful fruits, vegetables and greens neatly stacked in baskets. Vibrant flowers in bunches or strung into garlands to place on shrines are nearby. The sweets vendors...preparing pancakes filled with coconut custards...stacking the packets of sweets wrapped in banana leaves...displaying the sweet dried fruits. Endless rows of baskets filled with rice, nuts, seeds and spices occupy other corners.
Fran had been looking forward to being able to identify the nameless vegetables, fruits and sauces. She was not disappointed...she learned to identify three types of eggplant and two types of ginger and various greens and fruits. The class participants returned to the home with baskets filled with a sampling of sweets as well as ingredients for Pad Thai, spring rolls, sweet and sour vegetable soup and curry pastes...and the piece de resistance...deep fried bananas.
Fran happily spent the day chopping vegetables, grinding ingredients with mortar and pestle and cooking dishes in a wok. She did share some of the food with Rod when he met her at the end of the day. The bananas soon became one of his favorite foods. And she was so excited about what she saw at the market that she had to take Rod on a tour before they returned to the guesthouse.
Baan Thai Cooking Course is held in a home on a quiet side street in Chang Mai. The dishes are prepared in cooking stations in an outdoor kitchen and tested while sitting around a large table in the living area. Each participant prepares (and eats) 6 dishes during the day.
The class started with a tour of the market to purchase the food for the course. If you have never been to a Thai outdoor market (as I imagine many of you haven't) it is quite an experience. First there is the meat section, with live eels escaping from their barrels onto the pavement...dried fish of every imaginable kind...forest grubs and beetles with their feet neatly tied with grass...the smell of fish and meat mingling in the air with the aroma of cooked foods. The colorful fruits, vegetables and greens neatly stacked in baskets. Vibrant flowers in bunches or strung into garlands to place on shrines are nearby. The sweets vendors...preparing pancakes filled with coconut custards...stacking the packets of sweets wrapped in banana leaves...displaying the sweet dried fruits. Endless rows of baskets filled with rice, nuts, seeds and spices occupy other corners.
Fran had been looking forward to being able to identify the nameless vegetables, fruits and sauces. She was not disappointed...she learned to identify three types of eggplant and two types of ginger and various greens and fruits. The class participants returned to the home with baskets filled with a sampling of sweets as well as ingredients for Pad Thai, spring rolls, sweet and sour vegetable soup and curry pastes...and the piece de resistance...deep fried bananas.
Fran happily spent the day chopping vegetables, grinding ingredients with mortar and pestle and cooking dishes in a wok. She did share some of the food with Rod when he met her at the end of the day. The bananas soon became one of his favorite foods. And she was so excited about what she saw at the market that she had to take Rod on a tour before they returned to the guesthouse.
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Hill Tribes
Thailand has been a destination for refugees for a long time. In fact, the origins of Thai culture can be traced to people in southern China who fled the invasion of the northern Mongols. In the past hundred years, Thailand has been the destination for Burmese, Chinese (including one division of the KMT army, the other of which is in Taiwan), Nepal, Laos and Cambodian. Currently, about one million refugees live in 50 refuge camps along the borders.
In the northern country, many hill tribes have lived for decades or even hundreds of years in Thailand’s mountains, refuges from nearby countries. Until recently, these villages were very isolated and remote, with the most primitive of living conditions. They spoke their own languages, and practiced animistic religions. While Thailand was generally quite tolerant and accepting of these peoples, there were difficulties. Many of the tribes, especially the Hmong, grew opium. Initially this was encouraged during WWII, to produce morphine. However, after the war it was learned how to make heroin instead, and Thailand was one of the three members of the Golden Triangle that produced the vast majority of the world's opium. Also, the agricultural practices of most of the tribes were very destructive to the forest. Each year, a new area was cut and burned for crops and opium. The tribes moved as each area was exhausted.
In the 1950's, Thailand began formulating a plan to deal with the hill tribes. They brought in an Australian to help set it up. He identified many important steps, including education and medical efforts. He also includes some steps that fortunately were not acted upon (including improving the "morality" of the tribes, reminiscent of Australian treatment of Aborigines or American treatment of Native Americans). Opium production was declared illegal, and enforcement and education efforts begun.
Initial progress was very slow. In the 1970's, Thailand made a very serious effort to eradicate opium growing, using vast funding from the US. The corrupt politicians and police were stopped, the drug warlords ousted, and the opium fields destroyed. Unlike so many efforts elsewhere in the world, it had the funding and the perseverance to succeed. Essentially no opium is grown in Thailand today, even though Laos and Burma are still very active. Part of the reason tourists need to stay back a bit from the borders is that warlords with private armies still exist across the borders, and occasionally will cross a few kilometers into Thailand.
Lacking opium, the hill tribes need some source of income. They are largely self sufficient, growing rice and vegetables and hunting, but they are unimaginably poor. The government subsidizes education and medical treatment for the hill tribes, but the long-term solution requires developing a replacement source of income.
The King and Queen have taken a strong interest in the plight of the hill tribes. As one Thai told us, most Thais have never seen the King or Queen in person. However, most of the hill tribe villagers have. There are extensive Royal Projects, funded and managed by the King separately from the Thai government. The King can be seen checking in on trial agricultural projects, such as coffee, flowers, and vegetables. The Queen is involved in reforestation efforts and education.
A key goal is to get the villagers to settle in one place, and limit the destruction of forest. This is a huge issue --Thailand had 45% of its forest intact a couple of decades ago, and it is just 25% now and still shrinking. To do this, schools and clinics have been put in the villages, along with other government services. Roads, phones, and electricity are reaching the villages.
The result is really quite impressive. Thailand is largely free from the racial divides of the US. The Thais are trying to help the hill tribes preserve their cultures, while also joining into the modern world. So far, there seems to be a good balance.
In the northern country, many hill tribes have lived for decades or even hundreds of years in Thailand’s mountains, refuges from nearby countries. Until recently, these villages were very isolated and remote, with the most primitive of living conditions. They spoke their own languages, and practiced animistic religions. While Thailand was generally quite tolerant and accepting of these peoples, there were difficulties. Many of the tribes, especially the Hmong, grew opium. Initially this was encouraged during WWII, to produce morphine. However, after the war it was learned how to make heroin instead, and Thailand was one of the three members of the Golden Triangle that produced the vast majority of the world's opium. Also, the agricultural practices of most of the tribes were very destructive to the forest. Each year, a new area was cut and burned for crops and opium. The tribes moved as each area was exhausted.
In the 1950's, Thailand began formulating a plan to deal with the hill tribes. They brought in an Australian to help set it up. He identified many important steps, including education and medical efforts. He also includes some steps that fortunately were not acted upon (including improving the "morality" of the tribes, reminiscent of Australian treatment of Aborigines or American treatment of Native Americans). Opium production was declared illegal, and enforcement and education efforts begun.
Initial progress was very slow. In the 1970's, Thailand made a very serious effort to eradicate opium growing, using vast funding from the US. The corrupt politicians and police were stopped, the drug warlords ousted, and the opium fields destroyed. Unlike so many efforts elsewhere in the world, it had the funding and the perseverance to succeed. Essentially no opium is grown in Thailand today, even though Laos and Burma are still very active. Part of the reason tourists need to stay back a bit from the borders is that warlords with private armies still exist across the borders, and occasionally will cross a few kilometers into Thailand.
Lacking opium, the hill tribes need some source of income. They are largely self sufficient, growing rice and vegetables and hunting, but they are unimaginably poor. The government subsidizes education and medical treatment for the hill tribes, but the long-term solution requires developing a replacement source of income.
The King and Queen have taken a strong interest in the plight of the hill tribes. As one Thai told us, most Thais have never seen the King or Queen in person. However, most of the hill tribe villagers have. There are extensive Royal Projects, funded and managed by the King separately from the Thai government. The King can be seen checking in on trial agricultural projects, such as coffee, flowers, and vegetables. The Queen is involved in reforestation efforts and education.
A key goal is to get the villagers to settle in one place, and limit the destruction of forest. This is a huge issue --Thailand had 45% of its forest intact a couple of decades ago, and it is just 25% now and still shrinking. To do this, schools and clinics have been put in the villages, along with other government services. Roads, phones, and electricity are reaching the villages.
The result is really quite impressive. Thailand is largely free from the racial divides of the US. The Thais are trying to help the hill tribes preserve their cultures, while also joining into the modern world. So far, there seems to be a good balance.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Pace of Change
I have mentioned several times about the fast pace of change. Whole areas are "discovered" and then converted to wall-to-wall guesthouses and services in just a few years. The entire flavor and economy of an area changes that fast.
We experienced that again when stopping in Bangkok on our way from the south to the north. We re-entered Banglampu only a few weeks after we had left it. One construction site was now a four-story hotel --with guests in the lobby! Two new 7-11 stores were crammed into the fray of the main backpacker area --we can only imagine what was there before, but we sure don't remember the construction or gaps!
Things change very fast! Tourism is quite an experiment for Thailand, and is being pursued at full speed!
We have also been able to visit some of the National Parks, in both the north and the south. First, you must understand that Thailand only started declaring areas to be National Parks a few decades ago. Second, you must realize that Thailand has about one million refuges from Burma, Laos, China and Cambodia and that many of these live in secluded villages in the mountains. Add to that the Golden Triangle, which was the leading supplier of opium in the world. Add to that the jungle poachers for both animals and forest products. Add to that the historical agricultural practice of burning the forest to clear land for a couple of crops, and then moving on to a new area. The net result is that Thailand didn't get to preserve its parks a priori. Instead it is now reversing the current situations, which is much harder. Thailand has largely succeeded in stopping the opium growing and has settled most of the hill tribes that practiced forest slash and burn. They have also done a good (though incomplete) job of slowing poaching. The Queen has sponsored large-scale reforestation projects.
Anyway, the point is that Thailand is a land of immense change.
Yesterday, we hired a hill tribe guide to take us hiking through Doi Inthanon National Park. He was very much a hill tribe native, and told us about the various forest spirits and water spirits as we crossed streams. There were offerings to the spirits to keep the villagers safe. But he was also wearing a great Reebok jacket with USA in huge block letters on the back, and was using Carson binoculars to sight the birds. Next year, his village gets electricity. With that comes television. You can only imagine the culture shock that will bring!
We experienced that again when stopping in Bangkok on our way from the south to the north. We re-entered Banglampu only a few weeks after we had left it. One construction site was now a four-story hotel --with guests in the lobby! Two new 7-11 stores were crammed into the fray of the main backpacker area --we can only imagine what was there before, but we sure don't remember the construction or gaps!
Things change very fast! Tourism is quite an experiment for Thailand, and is being pursued at full speed!
We have also been able to visit some of the National Parks, in both the north and the south. First, you must understand that Thailand only started declaring areas to be National Parks a few decades ago. Second, you must realize that Thailand has about one million refuges from Burma, Laos, China and Cambodia and that many of these live in secluded villages in the mountains. Add to that the Golden Triangle, which was the leading supplier of opium in the world. Add to that the jungle poachers for both animals and forest products. Add to that the historical agricultural practice of burning the forest to clear land for a couple of crops, and then moving on to a new area. The net result is that Thailand didn't get to preserve its parks a priori. Instead it is now reversing the current situations, which is much harder. Thailand has largely succeeded in stopping the opium growing and has settled most of the hill tribes that practiced forest slash and burn. They have also done a good (though incomplete) job of slowing poaching. The Queen has sponsored large-scale reforestation projects.
Anyway, the point is that Thailand is a land of immense change.
Yesterday, we hired a hill tribe guide to take us hiking through Doi Inthanon National Park. He was very much a hill tribe native, and told us about the various forest spirits and water spirits as we crossed streams. There were offerings to the spirits to keep the villagers safe. But he was also wearing a great Reebok jacket with USA in huge block letters on the back, and was using Carson binoculars to sight the birds. Next year, his village gets electricity. With that comes television. You can only imagine the culture shock that will bring!
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Ferry
Generally, our transportation has not been too exciting. That is as it should be. But then, there was the ferry ride from Champoun to Koh Tao...
We had just left the meditation retreat, and were headed to scuba dive on an island. There were two choices --take the slower all night ferry, or sleep in a hotel and take the faster express boat in the morning. We opted for the easy way, and waited for the morning.
The ferry ride varies considerably with the seas. When the weather is calm, the waves are zilch and the ride quite boring. There weren't any storms recently, so we were expecting a nice ride. Turns out there must have been a storm somewhere...
The boat is a wooden boat, in a reasonable state of repair. In Thailand, that means that the engine is running at this point, and no water is leaking. This is reasonably large --the main cabin has maybe a dozen rows of seats, six across. I'd guess the length at about 20 meters (60-70 feet) in the water.
The ride was smooth out of the harbor, which is on a river. But a small rain did start in. An excellent boat attendant encouraged everyone to come in off the deck and take a seat. We had seen rain before, and you dry off quickly. It might feel good to get cooled off. But he insisted that he had been working on these boats for twenty years, and we would want to go inside. We did. A few others didn't. Big mistake!
Inside the cabin was a bit stuffy. The air conditioning was not working; so a few windows were open to provide some relief.
It was only a few minutes before the rain changed into a downpour. By now everyone was inside the cabin, although a few were totally soaked to the skin, laughing at themselves.
As we exited the harbor and entered the ocean the boat began to rock a bit. No problem, Fran and I have both been on rocky boats before and neither of us is prone to being seasick.
When a boat begins to pitch, there are a few basic strategies to minimize the chance of getting sick. The first is to look out the window to the horizon --the stable distance helps. Another is to get lots of clean, fresh air.
The baby in its mother’s arms next to Fran fell quickly to sleep --the rocking was exactly perfect! The couple next to Rod began to turn a bit too white. Since by now the waves were crashing into the windows, they were closed and the air was getting a bit stale.
When the first wave broke over the bow instead of just tossing the boat, we learned a bit more about the boat construction. The front of the cabin had a hatch up to the deck that didn't seal very well. Actually, it didn't seal at all. When the wave crashed over the deck there was a pretty good gush through the hatch door into the cabin.
Those who began to get worried about the boat then did exactly the wrong thing. Systematically, about a third of the passengers dropped their heads into their laps and closed their eyes. Bad idea.
The wind shifted to come from behind the boat. That ensured that we pretty much traveled in the smell of our diesel engine. Without any ventilation, the cabin air was getting pretty challenging. We got the cabin attendants to turn on the fans to help a bit.
The cabin attendants began taking precautions, handing out bags to everyone. They had some magic smelling stuff that people sniffed to calm their stomachs. I don't know if it helped or not. They were also attending to the whitest individuals, trying to calm or comfort them. But the seasickness began in full earnest. Every row seemed to have at least one person sick, and new people joined in once their neighbors did. It was a bit contagious!
Fran and I were both doing pretty well. But Fran is more than just a bit susceptible to diesel smell. I got one of the attendants to stay by the front hatch, opening it between waves to let in fresh air and then slamming it shut as it gushed over the deck. It helped. Some. Not enough. Fran joined the merriment, which now included about two thirds of the passengers.
The other side effect of rough seas is that it takes longer to get anywhere. The slow night ferry takes six hours, but the express boat is normally just three and a half. The captain did his best to maintain a fast pace, racing up each wave and only slowing on the very biggest crashes down. We couldn't really tell how far we were, since the view out the window was somewhat obscured by the waves. But we appreciated that he was pushing the speed hard to shorten the ride, even though it left our stomachs at the top of each wave.
After about four hours, the waves subsided enough that the water no longer crashed over the deck. I went topside to get a view. (Fran remained sitting motionless in the cabin, trying not to disturb the temporary calm in her stomach.) The good news was that the visibility was opening up, so I could see where we were. The bad news was that there was no land visible anywhere.
After about five hours, I sighted the island. By then the waves had calmed down and we were steaming along pretty much normally. The cabin was restored back to normal order; people had some color in their faces. Everyone was still pretty quiet, but at least stable. We docked after about five and a half hours.
Side note: We took the same boat back a week later. The water was calm --even flat. The air conditioning was working, and they served free water and sandwiches. There was even a movie playing on a large TV at the front of the cabin. A very pleasant journey.
We had just left the meditation retreat, and were headed to scuba dive on an island. There were two choices --take the slower all night ferry, or sleep in a hotel and take the faster express boat in the morning. We opted for the easy way, and waited for the morning.
The ferry ride varies considerably with the seas. When the weather is calm, the waves are zilch and the ride quite boring. There weren't any storms recently, so we were expecting a nice ride. Turns out there must have been a storm somewhere...
The boat is a wooden boat, in a reasonable state of repair. In Thailand, that means that the engine is running at this point, and no water is leaking. This is reasonably large --the main cabin has maybe a dozen rows of seats, six across. I'd guess the length at about 20 meters (60-70 feet) in the water.
The ride was smooth out of the harbor, which is on a river. But a small rain did start in. An excellent boat attendant encouraged everyone to come in off the deck and take a seat. We had seen rain before, and you dry off quickly. It might feel good to get cooled off. But he insisted that he had been working on these boats for twenty years, and we would want to go inside. We did. A few others didn't. Big mistake!
Inside the cabin was a bit stuffy. The air conditioning was not working; so a few windows were open to provide some relief.
It was only a few minutes before the rain changed into a downpour. By now everyone was inside the cabin, although a few were totally soaked to the skin, laughing at themselves.
As we exited the harbor and entered the ocean the boat began to rock a bit. No problem, Fran and I have both been on rocky boats before and neither of us is prone to being seasick.
When a boat begins to pitch, there are a few basic strategies to minimize the chance of getting sick. The first is to look out the window to the horizon --the stable distance helps. Another is to get lots of clean, fresh air.
The baby in its mother’s arms next to Fran fell quickly to sleep --the rocking was exactly perfect! The couple next to Rod began to turn a bit too white. Since by now the waves were crashing into the windows, they were closed and the air was getting a bit stale.
When the first wave broke over the bow instead of just tossing the boat, we learned a bit more about the boat construction. The front of the cabin had a hatch up to the deck that didn't seal very well. Actually, it didn't seal at all. When the wave crashed over the deck there was a pretty good gush through the hatch door into the cabin.
Those who began to get worried about the boat then did exactly the wrong thing. Systematically, about a third of the passengers dropped their heads into their laps and closed their eyes. Bad idea.
The wind shifted to come from behind the boat. That ensured that we pretty much traveled in the smell of our diesel engine. Without any ventilation, the cabin air was getting pretty challenging. We got the cabin attendants to turn on the fans to help a bit.
The cabin attendants began taking precautions, handing out bags to everyone. They had some magic smelling stuff that people sniffed to calm their stomachs. I don't know if it helped or not. They were also attending to the whitest individuals, trying to calm or comfort them. But the seasickness began in full earnest. Every row seemed to have at least one person sick, and new people joined in once their neighbors did. It was a bit contagious!
Fran and I were both doing pretty well. But Fran is more than just a bit susceptible to diesel smell. I got one of the attendants to stay by the front hatch, opening it between waves to let in fresh air and then slamming it shut as it gushed over the deck. It helped. Some. Not enough. Fran joined the merriment, which now included about two thirds of the passengers.
The other side effect of rough seas is that it takes longer to get anywhere. The slow night ferry takes six hours, but the express boat is normally just three and a half. The captain did his best to maintain a fast pace, racing up each wave and only slowing on the very biggest crashes down. We couldn't really tell how far we were, since the view out the window was somewhat obscured by the waves. But we appreciated that he was pushing the speed hard to shorten the ride, even though it left our stomachs at the top of each wave.
After about four hours, the waves subsided enough that the water no longer crashed over the deck. I went topside to get a view. (Fran remained sitting motionless in the cabin, trying not to disturb the temporary calm in her stomach.) The good news was that the visibility was opening up, so I could see where we were. The bad news was that there was no land visible anywhere.
After about five hours, I sighted the island. By then the waves had calmed down and we were steaming along pretty much normally. The cabin was restored back to normal order; people had some color in their faces. Everyone was still pretty quiet, but at least stable. We docked after about five and a half hours.
Side note: We took the same boat back a week later. The water was calm --even flat. The air conditioning was working, and they served free water and sandwiches. There was even a movie playing on a large TV at the front of the cabin. A very pleasant journey.
Monday, March 18, 2002
Logistics
We had initially thought that travel in Thailand would be difficult for English-only speakers. That just isn't the case anymore. In fact, we hear more English and German that Thai.
Thailand is a great experiment in tourism. For forty years, Thailand has grown and developed based upon it. Huge sections of land and coastline have been set aside as National Parks. Zillions of little operations have been set up to support tourism, including the street vendors, bus companies, and guest houses. It is still an experiment, but the government is very serious. Legal and illegal logging has been stopped. Crackdowns on animal poaching are ongoing. Thailand was once a major source of opium for the world, but that has been largely halted. The economy and way of life for people has undergone a major transformation, and is not yet complete. But the Kingdom is continuing forward.
One example of the effect of rapid change is the elephants. Just a decade ago, thousands of elephants were employed in the logging industry. That has been stopped, and the elephants (which were bred in captivity and trained to work) have nothing to do. The mahouts (owners) of the elephants are in a very difficult position. It is very expensive to keep an elephant, and they have a very long lifetime, but there is no economic way to support them. Elephants are revered here, appearing on the currency and many signs and product labels. We read about (but didn't see) mahouts taking their elephants into downtown Bangkok and selling bags of peanuts to tourists to feed to the elephants. This is an example of the impact of rapid change, and one item that is not yet sorted out.
Most travelers to Thailand do not come to cover the whole country and see all of the sites. Instead it is a place to relax. People slowly roam around, staying in one spot as long as they like, and then drifting along to the next. Many stay longer than they originally planned. Most go to the south for a tropical beach vacation. Few seem to really care what country they are in, with little interest in learning local customs. There aren't any cultural centers in the south. A smaller number of people go north for trekking and to experience Thailand a bit more. The north has several cultural centers, as well as treks to visit Hill Tribes. Folks going to the north seem to have far more interest in Thailand itself, not just a tropical paradise vacation, and there are plenty of ways to experience it. There are also all of other tourist attractions: elephant rides, river rafting, etc.
Thailand is a simple place to go on a vacation of many weeks or months. The prices are very low. For just $10 a day, two people can eat well and stay at a bungalow or guesthouse. This will mean sharing bathroom facilities, and eating from open-air restaurants and street vendors. That style is working great for us but might not be for everyone. However, to stay at air-conditioned places and eat at proper restaurants, you still can have a great bargain. Allow $20 a night for the guesthouse and $10 for food for two and you will be quite comfortable. Except for drinks --expect to pay the same for a beer or drink here as you would in the states! That certainly cut down on my beer drinking!
Prices of transportation make little sense. Very long distances (1000km) can be traveled in comfortable air-conditioned buses for just $10-12, or double that for a comfortable train. (This isn't Japan or Germany --don't expect everything to run on time.) However, short local travel can be relatively expensive --it may cost a couple of dollars just to ride in the back of a pickup truck for a couple of miles. Inexpensive local travel does exist in most of the larger cities, but the bus schedules and routes are not discernable except for locals, so you instead rely on the so-called taxis.
Thailand is a safe country. There are the usual scams, but nothing too threatening. It is certainly safer than the US. The scams include overpriced low-quality gems, or touts that "help" you to find hotels or shops, and are receiving a kickback. They are easy to spot and avoid, and are much less annoying than in other places such as India. There is little bodily injury threat except for the transportation. Thai driving, while slow speed, is a bit reckless and accidents are common. Also many tourists rent small motorbikes, and minor accidents with them are quite common.
Health worries are real, but generally avoidable. The big scares are not really too bad --for example there is no malaria in any of the large cities or any of south Thailand. If traveling to the north, then you need to take medication (Lariam). The water is not safe to drink, but there are vendors selling bottled water on every street corner. Guidebooks say to be careful with food from street vendors, but most street vendors are quite good. You just need to look and make sure they are keeping the ingredients on ice, and using good sanitation in the food handling. Most are, and the different treats are quite fun to sample.
However, the temperature and humidity is a great environment for germs. Infection or fungus is pretty common, and you don't want to let anything get started. Expect to get a rash or two, and diarrhea once in a while. Be very quick to treat any infection --just dab some 3 in 1 ointment like Neosporin on any simple abrasion or rash you notice, and that is all it takes.
Regardless of health precautions, there still are risks. It is worth reading through the US Center for Disease Control website to be informed. (the link is on our Links page).
All in all, I don't understand why there are so few Americans here. Perhaps one percent of the tourists are Americans. Maybe less. We've ask if it is just since September 11, but it isn't. Americans just haven't discovered Thailand yet. Pity. The Thailand Office of Tourism describes it pretty accurately: "Amazing Thailand".
Thailand is a great experiment in tourism. For forty years, Thailand has grown and developed based upon it. Huge sections of land and coastline have been set aside as National Parks. Zillions of little operations have been set up to support tourism, including the street vendors, bus companies, and guest houses. It is still an experiment, but the government is very serious. Legal and illegal logging has been stopped. Crackdowns on animal poaching are ongoing. Thailand was once a major source of opium for the world, but that has been largely halted. The economy and way of life for people has undergone a major transformation, and is not yet complete. But the Kingdom is continuing forward.
One example of the effect of rapid change is the elephants. Just a decade ago, thousands of elephants were employed in the logging industry. That has been stopped, and the elephants (which were bred in captivity and trained to work) have nothing to do. The mahouts (owners) of the elephants are in a very difficult position. It is very expensive to keep an elephant, and they have a very long lifetime, but there is no economic way to support them. Elephants are revered here, appearing on the currency and many signs and product labels. We read about (but didn't see) mahouts taking their elephants into downtown Bangkok and selling bags of peanuts to tourists to feed to the elephants. This is an example of the impact of rapid change, and one item that is not yet sorted out.
Most travelers to Thailand do not come to cover the whole country and see all of the sites. Instead it is a place to relax. People slowly roam around, staying in one spot as long as they like, and then drifting along to the next. Many stay longer than they originally planned. Most go to the south for a tropical beach vacation. Few seem to really care what country they are in, with little interest in learning local customs. There aren't any cultural centers in the south. A smaller number of people go north for trekking and to experience Thailand a bit more. The north has several cultural centers, as well as treks to visit Hill Tribes. Folks going to the north seem to have far more interest in Thailand itself, not just a tropical paradise vacation, and there are plenty of ways to experience it. There are also all of other tourist attractions: elephant rides, river rafting, etc.
Thailand is a simple place to go on a vacation of many weeks or months. The prices are very low. For just $10 a day, two people can eat well and stay at a bungalow or guesthouse. This will mean sharing bathroom facilities, and eating from open-air restaurants and street vendors. That style is working great for us but might not be for everyone. However, to stay at air-conditioned places and eat at proper restaurants, you still can have a great bargain. Allow $20 a night for the guesthouse and $10 for food for two and you will be quite comfortable. Except for drinks --expect to pay the same for a beer or drink here as you would in the states! That certainly cut down on my beer drinking!
Prices of transportation make little sense. Very long distances (1000km) can be traveled in comfortable air-conditioned buses for just $10-12, or double that for a comfortable train. (This isn't Japan or Germany --don't expect everything to run on time.) However, short local travel can be relatively expensive --it may cost a couple of dollars just to ride in the back of a pickup truck for a couple of miles. Inexpensive local travel does exist in most of the larger cities, but the bus schedules and routes are not discernable except for locals, so you instead rely on the so-called taxis.
Thailand is a safe country. There are the usual scams, but nothing too threatening. It is certainly safer than the US. The scams include overpriced low-quality gems, or touts that "help" you to find hotels or shops, and are receiving a kickback. They are easy to spot and avoid, and are much less annoying than in other places such as India. There is little bodily injury threat except for the transportation. Thai driving, while slow speed, is a bit reckless and accidents are common. Also many tourists rent small motorbikes, and minor accidents with them are quite common.
Health worries are real, but generally avoidable. The big scares are not really too bad --for example there is no malaria in any of the large cities or any of south Thailand. If traveling to the north, then you need to take medication (Lariam). The water is not safe to drink, but there are vendors selling bottled water on every street corner. Guidebooks say to be careful with food from street vendors, but most street vendors are quite good. You just need to look and make sure they are keeping the ingredients on ice, and using good sanitation in the food handling. Most are, and the different treats are quite fun to sample.
However, the temperature and humidity is a great environment for germs. Infection or fungus is pretty common, and you don't want to let anything get started. Expect to get a rash or two, and diarrhea once in a while. Be very quick to treat any infection --just dab some 3 in 1 ointment like Neosporin on any simple abrasion or rash you notice, and that is all it takes.
Regardless of health precautions, there still are risks. It is worth reading through the US Center for Disease Control website to be informed. (the link is on our Links page).
All in all, I don't understand why there are so few Americans here. Perhaps one percent of the tourists are Americans. Maybe less. We've ask if it is just since September 11, but it isn't. Americans just haven't discovered Thailand yet. Pity. The Thailand Office of Tourism describes it pretty accurately: "Amazing Thailand".
Sunday, March 17, 2002
Koh Tao
Rod spent a while researching the best place to learn to scuba dive. There are many world-class dive sites in Thailand, but many of the sights are deeper than beginners will go. So after searching based on beauty, water depth, dive centers, PADI certification and price, we headed off to Koh Tao. Here's a good description of the place: http://www.archipelago.nu/SKARGARD/ENGELSKA/THAILAND/koh_tao.htm
It turns out that many other people must use the same criteria. Koh Tao is a small island --just a couple of miles long --but more people learn to scuba dive there than anywhere else in the entire world. Several percent of the total worldwide PADI certifications are done in Koh Tao.
The entire island is based on diving. Many of the bungalows are owned by dive shops and the pricing is simple --free if you are diving and not available otherwise.
We signed up with Big Blue, the second largest operation on the island. www.bigbluediving.com . They start several courses every day, have several dive sites, and are quite flexible. We also signed up because of Paul! Paul is an instructor who is temporarily out of the water with a health problem, and is stuck in the Big Blue office in Kampong. We met him there, and figured that if the other instructors were as good as Paul, we were in great shape.
Our class started with seven people. One failed the medical check the first day (history of asthma), and two others dropped quickly due to the work load (there is a lot of reading, study, and exams). Most everyone stayed together however, and snorkeled on the surface while the others went diving.
Big Blue is an interesting operation. They are big, and it shows. At first you feel a bit like a number getting processed. However that doesn't last long, and soon the size has advantages. For example, there are enough enthusiastic instructors that when someone falls behind, private arrangements are made to help them out. There is an amazing amount of logistics getting everyone fitted properly, assigned to the right boats, tanks filled, etc. And yet Big Blue was also quite flexible, to handle changes. It seemed to always be right on the edge of chaos, but never quite spinning out of control. A great group of people.
Our instructor was Keith. Hi Keith! He is highly experienced (was that 200 dives?), and very easy going. He was quite helpful. Sometimes you got the feeling that he was a bit laid back ("Oh, that will work out okay tomorrow."), but he always seemed to get things figured out behind the scenes and keep it moving.
The diving was not particularly good. The visibility of the water was poor --often under 5 meters. Of the four dives for the Open Water Scuba certification, only one was really great. The visibility was just good enough that with Keith knowing the way very well, he was able to take us to see lots of cools stuff: rays, parrot fish, butterfly fish, brain coral, lettuce coral, stag horn coral, and a zillion other fish I didn't know.
We stayed on the island one extra day and went snorkeling on the far side. It turned out to be the clearest water we encountered and was wonderful. It was a bit ironic that we saw more when snorkeling that we had diving! The only problem was that Fran forgot to put sunscreen on the back of her legs, and got nasty sunburn. That was particularly annoying since we took pains to grease up before going in --we just forgot that her legs would be floating up there too! Oh well, eight ounces of Aloe Vera and a couple of days later she is doing fine.
Koh Tao is another example of the rapid development of tourism in Thailand. (Again there were few Americans --Thailand seems to be a vacation paradise that only Europeans know about.) Just a decade ago, there was essentially no tourism on the island, and the only residents were some coconut farmers. Today it has a paved street the length of the island, much of it with bungalows, shops and dive centers. An entire new street is being added next to the pier, with several blocks of buildings all at once. Where we stayed further north on the island, the sound of construction saws was constant.
The first bungalows were the usual bamboo huts, but the most recent construction is concrete base, tile floor, and wood panel sides. There are aluminum frame windows instead of just loose shutters. It is rapidly moving upscale. Near the dive centers is now a mix of less expensive (300-400 Baht, $8-$10) bungalows along with places several times more expensive. Unless you are staying with a dive package, accommodations are quite expensive by Thailand standards.
The pace of construction exceeds the learning curve of the locals. While wiring a building, one local was short on wire --no problem; instead of going within the walls around the room he just strung the wire directly through the room to the other side! You see water pipe that is dangling from one building through the air and along the ground going to the next building. It is also a bit scary to see people running backhoes and bulldozers when you know they hadn't even heard of one just a few years ago.
It is hard to imagine the pace of change for the locals, who lived in quiet family coconut plantations ten years ago and now are serving foreigners at restaurants, driving pickup trucks as taxis, hauling diving gear, or loading and unloading the beer and supplies from the boats. Unfortunately, the famous image of smiling Thais is not preserved in Koh Tao, or most of the other heavily touristed areas. You can view development as good, and see the economic progress of the people. Many now have electricity, running water, even a motorbike or TV. But you can't help but feel like they are instead quite downtrodden and unhappy. They work long and hard. They do not have the happy faces of the people we saw in the fishing village of Koh Lanta --well away from the tourists.
It turns out that many other people must use the same criteria. Koh Tao is a small island --just a couple of miles long --but more people learn to scuba dive there than anywhere else in the entire world. Several percent of the total worldwide PADI certifications are done in Koh Tao.
The entire island is based on diving. Many of the bungalows are owned by dive shops and the pricing is simple --free if you are diving and not available otherwise.
We signed up with Big Blue, the second largest operation on the island. www.bigbluediving.com . They start several courses every day, have several dive sites, and are quite flexible. We also signed up because of Paul! Paul is an instructor who is temporarily out of the water with a health problem, and is stuck in the Big Blue office in Kampong. We met him there, and figured that if the other instructors were as good as Paul, we were in great shape.
Our class started with seven people. One failed the medical check the first day (history of asthma), and two others dropped quickly due to the work load (there is a lot of reading, study, and exams). Most everyone stayed together however, and snorkeled on the surface while the others went diving.
Big Blue is an interesting operation. They are big, and it shows. At first you feel a bit like a number getting processed. However that doesn't last long, and soon the size has advantages. For example, there are enough enthusiastic instructors that when someone falls behind, private arrangements are made to help them out. There is an amazing amount of logistics getting everyone fitted properly, assigned to the right boats, tanks filled, etc. And yet Big Blue was also quite flexible, to handle changes. It seemed to always be right on the edge of chaos, but never quite spinning out of control. A great group of people.
Our instructor was Keith. Hi Keith! He is highly experienced (was that 200 dives?), and very easy going. He was quite helpful. Sometimes you got the feeling that he was a bit laid back ("Oh, that will work out okay tomorrow."), but he always seemed to get things figured out behind the scenes and keep it moving.
The diving was not particularly good. The visibility of the water was poor --often under 5 meters. Of the four dives for the Open Water Scuba certification, only one was really great. The visibility was just good enough that with Keith knowing the way very well, he was able to take us to see lots of cools stuff: rays, parrot fish, butterfly fish, brain coral, lettuce coral, stag horn coral, and a zillion other fish I didn't know.
We stayed on the island one extra day and went snorkeling on the far side. It turned out to be the clearest water we encountered and was wonderful. It was a bit ironic that we saw more when snorkeling that we had diving! The only problem was that Fran forgot to put sunscreen on the back of her legs, and got nasty sunburn. That was particularly annoying since we took pains to grease up before going in --we just forgot that her legs would be floating up there too! Oh well, eight ounces of Aloe Vera and a couple of days later she is doing fine.
Koh Tao is another example of the rapid development of tourism in Thailand. (Again there were few Americans --Thailand seems to be a vacation paradise that only Europeans know about.) Just a decade ago, there was essentially no tourism on the island, and the only residents were some coconut farmers. Today it has a paved street the length of the island, much of it with bungalows, shops and dive centers. An entire new street is being added next to the pier, with several blocks of buildings all at once. Where we stayed further north on the island, the sound of construction saws was constant.
The first bungalows were the usual bamboo huts, but the most recent construction is concrete base, tile floor, and wood panel sides. There are aluminum frame windows instead of just loose shutters. It is rapidly moving upscale. Near the dive centers is now a mix of less expensive (300-400 Baht, $8-$10) bungalows along with places several times more expensive. Unless you are staying with a dive package, accommodations are quite expensive by Thailand standards.
The pace of construction exceeds the learning curve of the locals. While wiring a building, one local was short on wire --no problem; instead of going within the walls around the room he just strung the wire directly through the room to the other side! You see water pipe that is dangling from one building through the air and along the ground going to the next building. It is also a bit scary to see people running backhoes and bulldozers when you know they hadn't even heard of one just a few years ago.
It is hard to imagine the pace of change for the locals, who lived in quiet family coconut plantations ten years ago and now are serving foreigners at restaurants, driving pickup trucks as taxis, hauling diving gear, or loading and unloading the beer and supplies from the boats. Unfortunately, the famous image of smiling Thais is not preserved in Koh Tao, or most of the other heavily touristed areas. You can view development as good, and see the economic progress of the people. Many now have electricity, running water, even a motorbike or TV. But you can't help but feel like they are instead quite downtrodden and unhappy. They work long and hard. They do not have the happy faces of the people we saw in the fishing village of Koh Lanta --well away from the tourists.
Saturday, March 16, 2002
Wat Suan Mokkh
We embarked upon this trip to grow and change, increasing our knowledge and satisfaction, helping to set the compass for the second half of our lives.
In Japan, we visited many temples and shrines, but it seems that the much of the religion is just that --the shrines and temples, and not particularly visible or important in the daily life. In Thailand, Buddhism is much more important. We wanted to experience it. After a quick search through the Internet, we found a monastery that accepts foreigners, teaches in English, and doesn't attempt to replace Judeo-Christian beliefs, but just adds to them. The ten-day retreat is held at the beginning of each month. We were off to the Wat Suan Mokkh.
The monk at the Buddhist temple Wat Suan Mokkh is an unusual Monk. He is thoroughly schooled in all of the world's religions (he even startles Judeo-Christian theologians by knowing more of those traditions than many western religious leaders at world conferences). He has a strong passion to bring people together, believing that diverse religions can unite instead of divide people.
He founded Wat Suan Mokkh many decades ago to help bring people together. Today, this has spawned the International Dhamma Hermitage, which holds a monthly meditation retreat for 120 westerners every month. The focus of the retreat is meditation practice. The Buddhist belief is people must experience their religion, not just read it in a book or hear it in a sermon. Buddhists experience their religion through meditation.
The daily schedule at the retreat is to rise at 4 AM and intersperse five hours of meditation with lectures, chores and exercise. The cement dormitory is designed to resemble sleeping in a cave (the best place for monks), with a mat on a cement bed and a wooden pillow. Attendees keep silence the entire ten days. Only breakfast and lunch are served, with fasting all afternoon and night. For younger people fasting was a challenge, but we have only been eating two meals a day anyway, so it just moved our mid-afternoon meal a couple of hours earlier.
The attendees include people in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. There are people from every walk of life. The sitting and exercise was more of a challenge for our older bodies. They don't flex like they used to! The meditation sessions are sitting or kneeling without a chair back. It is important to have a very straight back when meditating, and the sitting postures are quite difficult for westerners. The yoga helped loosen up the old bodies and felt quite refreshing. (We might continue yoga after the retreat.) Our bodies were sore the whole time, but got better at the end. (A Thai Nun quipped that with the increase in the use of chairs in Asia, within twenty years the Thais will not be able to sit and meditate comfortably either.)
The timing is good. We have spent two years simplifying our lives. We feel much better without all of the stuff, both the possession and the daily torrent of tasks.
The meditation technique taught is the anapanasati meditation, which is concentration on the breath. By focusing on the breath exclusively, you learn to concentrate your full mind. Meditation, at least at the beginning, is mostly about clearing the mind and retaining focus. Western minds are so cluttered. We are accustomed to a constant storm of noise and interruptions. We have created a world that is very difficult for many to live in --I wonder if the number of children on Ritalin is more an indication that our environments are over stimulating rather than that the child is hyperactive. It took several days for us just to slow the mind down and concentrate.
The basic technique is to initially capture the mind's attention on the breath by making it exaggerated, and to eventually reduce it to a very subtle level. The mind initially wanders so easily it is quite difficult to corral it. The first stage is to breathe in and breathe out in long breaths, and to focus the mind on chasing the breath as if there were a long pipe from the nostril to the navel. With each breath in, the mind follows the breath from the nostril to the navel, and with the breath out it traverses back. With practice, you can capture the mind and stop it from wandering. Then you can reduce the breath to shorter breaths, and eventually just focus on the air coming and going at the nostrils. With 10-20 hours of practice we were able to capture the mind and cease most of the wanderings. At that point, the mediators begin insight meditation. Once concentration meditation has quieted the mind, insight meditation is possible. Insight meditation is simply focusing the entire mind on one thought completely. It is a fundamental part of Buddhism.
Another form of meditation is walking meditation. The concept is to completely focus the mind on walking, such as by moving slowly and observing and controlling every lifting, moving, and dropping of the foot. Rod had just partial success with walking meditation, but can relate it to swimming. For weeks, he has been swimming in the ocean. Rather than swimming for exercise, it has become instead a discipline of swimming for form. Swimming properly requires full concentration, shutting everything else out of the mind. Swimming form (at least mine) is never perfect, so the mind is constantly observing and tuning. I have gotten so I can swim several miles without feeling any tiring, since my emphasis is on making the form better. The downside is that swimming is no longer a very good exercise, since it neither makes me breathe hard nor works the muscles hard. But if I step up the pace, I lose the form, and I have found the concentration on the form to be the most enjoyable part. It's kind of like dance I suppose. Anyway, that is what walking meditation is supposed to be like
Here comes a one-minute synopsis of Buddhism for those of you not familiar with it (I apologize to those who are --this oversimplification is pretty horrible).
Buddhists believe that change and impermance are the laws of Nature, and that humans suffer because we resist it. We attach ourselves to possessions, and are troubled when they disappoint. We also resist the fact that our bodies age, become sick, and die. A fundamental Buddhist truth is that everything is in fact impermanent, and we will only suffer if we attach ourselves to it. Fortunately, we can overcome this cycle of cause and effect. The key point is that whenever we take the natural ebb and flow of the natural world and attempt to define it as "mine" or even "me", then we are attaching ourselves to things that will change and perish, and we will suffer. Instead, we need to transcend that thinking to be more universal, beyond just "me", and accept the entire world as a natural, changing process.
So what is a Buddhist supposed to do? A key point is to achieve purity and develop concentration of the mind, to be ready for action when needed. The vast majority of our daily lives is just distractions and should be ignored. The key is to keep the mind very alert and concentrated on what is right, and take actions accordingly.
An example? When our bodies sense something, we quickly develop a reaction. For example, a foul smell may cause us to judge something or someone bad. But since we are all one connected entity, it makes no sense to judge another bad. Instead, there is simply a smell. That's it. Now, if the smell tells us we should take action, such as empty the garbage, then we do it. We do not think about who made it dirty, why we have to clean it, how horribly unsanitary it is. We focus the mind to filter out many thoughts and perceptions before they develop, allowing us to concentrate the mind on what matters. Especially, we filter out those thoughts that divide the world into "me" and other objects, and all of the resulting judgments about good and bad.
Another way to understand Buddhism is to look at Westerners through Buddhist's eyes. Buddhists avoid over stimulation, which cloud the mind. Clear concentration is critical to right living. Westerners, on the other hand, do not seem comfortable to be quiet. We avoid facing the true nature of the world, including aging, sickness and death, by over stimulating our minds, seeking constant entertainment and pleasure. But since the objects of our attention are changing and impermanent, we unavoidably are disappointed and want more. We get caught in a cycle, refusing to recognize the basic laws of nature, spending our time in denial seeking new experiences to replace the ones that have disappointed us. A monk described Consumerism as the religion of the west. When we have an unsatisfied need or want, we buy something. We overeat and are obese. We think we can run away from unpleasant things, and keep pleasant things. Neither is true. We have such noisy, chaotic lives that we cannot see the simple truths, and are caught in a vicious cycle of becoming attached to our possessions and our thoughts and beliefs. Instead, we need to purify our mind, concentrate our mind, and see that such things will never be satisfying.
Thai Buddhists also view the Westerners as using competition to define how people interact with each other, with disastrous results. Competition is alienating and dividing. This further increases our feelings of "self" versus everything else, preventing us from being at peace.
Buddhism is 2500 years old, while competition and consumerism is just 100 or 200. The west is an extreme example of the excesses that the Buddha warned against, and is suffering from those excesses.
Regardless of whether you agree with Buddhism, on a practical level there is some wisdom to be gleaned. It is certainly the case that much of the world's problems (and our own) comes from worrying too much about "me" and "mine". We get our feelings hurt, we protect our egos, and we defend our pride. Nothing good comes of this. Learning to disassociate ourselves with the initial instances that give rise to such feelings allows us to live much more peaceful lives, both internally and externally. Maybe you cannot accept the Buddhist notion that in fact there is no "self", but on a practical level we certainly can all live much better if we develop the skill to remove our "self" concerns from our actions and reactions to the world around us.
"An effort to reform society which is not coupled with an equal effort to develop one's spiritual self cannot bring about lasting results. It is like trying to cool a pot of boiling soup by merely stirring it, while ignoring the blazing fuel underneath." --Buddhist parable.
In Japan, we visited many temples and shrines, but it seems that the much of the religion is just that --the shrines and temples, and not particularly visible or important in the daily life. In Thailand, Buddhism is much more important. We wanted to experience it. After a quick search through the Internet, we found a monastery that accepts foreigners, teaches in English, and doesn't attempt to replace Judeo-Christian beliefs, but just adds to them. The ten-day retreat is held at the beginning of each month. We were off to the Wat Suan Mokkh.
The monk at the Buddhist temple Wat Suan Mokkh is an unusual Monk. He is thoroughly schooled in all of the world's religions (he even startles Judeo-Christian theologians by knowing more of those traditions than many western religious leaders at world conferences). He has a strong passion to bring people together, believing that diverse religions can unite instead of divide people.
He founded Wat Suan Mokkh many decades ago to help bring people together. Today, this has spawned the International Dhamma Hermitage, which holds a monthly meditation retreat for 120 westerners every month. The focus of the retreat is meditation practice. The Buddhist belief is people must experience their religion, not just read it in a book or hear it in a sermon. Buddhists experience their religion through meditation.
The daily schedule at the retreat is to rise at 4 AM and intersperse five hours of meditation with lectures, chores and exercise. The cement dormitory is designed to resemble sleeping in a cave (the best place for monks), with a mat on a cement bed and a wooden pillow. Attendees keep silence the entire ten days. Only breakfast and lunch are served, with fasting all afternoon and night. For younger people fasting was a challenge, but we have only been eating two meals a day anyway, so it just moved our mid-afternoon meal a couple of hours earlier.
The attendees include people in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. There are people from every walk of life. The sitting and exercise was more of a challenge for our older bodies. They don't flex like they used to! The meditation sessions are sitting or kneeling without a chair back. It is important to have a very straight back when meditating, and the sitting postures are quite difficult for westerners. The yoga helped loosen up the old bodies and felt quite refreshing. (We might continue yoga after the retreat.) Our bodies were sore the whole time, but got better at the end. (A Thai Nun quipped that with the increase in the use of chairs in Asia, within twenty years the Thais will not be able to sit and meditate comfortably either.)
The timing is good. We have spent two years simplifying our lives. We feel much better without all of the stuff, both the possession and the daily torrent of tasks.
The meditation technique taught is the anapanasati meditation, which is concentration on the breath. By focusing on the breath exclusively, you learn to concentrate your full mind. Meditation, at least at the beginning, is mostly about clearing the mind and retaining focus. Western minds are so cluttered. We are accustomed to a constant storm of noise and interruptions. We have created a world that is very difficult for many to live in --I wonder if the number of children on Ritalin is more an indication that our environments are over stimulating rather than that the child is hyperactive. It took several days for us just to slow the mind down and concentrate.
The basic technique is to initially capture the mind's attention on the breath by making it exaggerated, and to eventually reduce it to a very subtle level. The mind initially wanders so easily it is quite difficult to corral it. The first stage is to breathe in and breathe out in long breaths, and to focus the mind on chasing the breath as if there were a long pipe from the nostril to the navel. With each breath in, the mind follows the breath from the nostril to the navel, and with the breath out it traverses back. With practice, you can capture the mind and stop it from wandering. Then you can reduce the breath to shorter breaths, and eventually just focus on the air coming and going at the nostrils. With 10-20 hours of practice we were able to capture the mind and cease most of the wanderings. At that point, the mediators begin insight meditation. Once concentration meditation has quieted the mind, insight meditation is possible. Insight meditation is simply focusing the entire mind on one thought completely. It is a fundamental part of Buddhism.
Another form of meditation is walking meditation. The concept is to completely focus the mind on walking, such as by moving slowly and observing and controlling every lifting, moving, and dropping of the foot. Rod had just partial success with walking meditation, but can relate it to swimming. For weeks, he has been swimming in the ocean. Rather than swimming for exercise, it has become instead a discipline of swimming for form. Swimming properly requires full concentration, shutting everything else out of the mind. Swimming form (at least mine) is never perfect, so the mind is constantly observing and tuning. I have gotten so I can swim several miles without feeling any tiring, since my emphasis is on making the form better. The downside is that swimming is no longer a very good exercise, since it neither makes me breathe hard nor works the muscles hard. But if I step up the pace, I lose the form, and I have found the concentration on the form to be the most enjoyable part. It's kind of like dance I suppose. Anyway, that is what walking meditation is supposed to be like
Here comes a one-minute synopsis of Buddhism for those of you not familiar with it (I apologize to those who are --this oversimplification is pretty horrible).
Buddhists believe that change and impermance are the laws of Nature, and that humans suffer because we resist it. We attach ourselves to possessions, and are troubled when they disappoint. We also resist the fact that our bodies age, become sick, and die. A fundamental Buddhist truth is that everything is in fact impermanent, and we will only suffer if we attach ourselves to it. Fortunately, we can overcome this cycle of cause and effect. The key point is that whenever we take the natural ebb and flow of the natural world and attempt to define it as "mine" or even "me", then we are attaching ourselves to things that will change and perish, and we will suffer. Instead, we need to transcend that thinking to be more universal, beyond just "me", and accept the entire world as a natural, changing process.
So what is a Buddhist supposed to do? A key point is to achieve purity and develop concentration of the mind, to be ready for action when needed. The vast majority of our daily lives is just distractions and should be ignored. The key is to keep the mind very alert and concentrated on what is right, and take actions accordingly.
An example? When our bodies sense something, we quickly develop a reaction. For example, a foul smell may cause us to judge something or someone bad. But since we are all one connected entity, it makes no sense to judge another bad. Instead, there is simply a smell. That's it. Now, if the smell tells us we should take action, such as empty the garbage, then we do it. We do not think about who made it dirty, why we have to clean it, how horribly unsanitary it is. We focus the mind to filter out many thoughts and perceptions before they develop, allowing us to concentrate the mind on what matters. Especially, we filter out those thoughts that divide the world into "me" and other objects, and all of the resulting judgments about good and bad.
Another way to understand Buddhism is to look at Westerners through Buddhist's eyes. Buddhists avoid over stimulation, which cloud the mind. Clear concentration is critical to right living. Westerners, on the other hand, do not seem comfortable to be quiet. We avoid facing the true nature of the world, including aging, sickness and death, by over stimulating our minds, seeking constant entertainment and pleasure. But since the objects of our attention are changing and impermanent, we unavoidably are disappointed and want more. We get caught in a cycle, refusing to recognize the basic laws of nature, spending our time in denial seeking new experiences to replace the ones that have disappointed us. A monk described Consumerism as the religion of the west. When we have an unsatisfied need or want, we buy something. We overeat and are obese. We think we can run away from unpleasant things, and keep pleasant things. Neither is true. We have such noisy, chaotic lives that we cannot see the simple truths, and are caught in a vicious cycle of becoming attached to our possessions and our thoughts and beliefs. Instead, we need to purify our mind, concentrate our mind, and see that such things will never be satisfying.
Thai Buddhists also view the Westerners as using competition to define how people interact with each other, with disastrous results. Competition is alienating and dividing. This further increases our feelings of "self" versus everything else, preventing us from being at peace.
Buddhism is 2500 years old, while competition and consumerism is just 100 or 200. The west is an extreme example of the excesses that the Buddha warned against, and is suffering from those excesses.
Regardless of whether you agree with Buddhism, on a practical level there is some wisdom to be gleaned. It is certainly the case that much of the world's problems (and our own) comes from worrying too much about "me" and "mine". We get our feelings hurt, we protect our egos, and we defend our pride. Nothing good comes of this. Learning to disassociate ourselves with the initial instances that give rise to such feelings allows us to live much more peaceful lives, both internally and externally. Maybe you cannot accept the Buddhist notion that in fact there is no "self", but on a practical level we certainly can all live much better if we develop the skill to remove our "self" concerns from our actions and reactions to the world around us.
"An effort to reform society which is not coupled with an equal effort to develop one's spiritual self cannot bring about lasting results. It is like trying to cool a pot of boiling soup by merely stirring it, while ignoring the blazing fuel underneath." --Buddhist parable.
Friday, March 15, 2002
Ao Nang and Khao Sok
Ao Nang is a well-traveled beach on the Andaman Coast near Krabi. If Thailand is shaped somewhat like a tennis racket, Ao Nang is half way down the handle, on the left side. Ao Nang was once a beautiful place, with white sand beach and limestone cliffs. Today it is wall-to-wall tourist facilities. The buildings obscure the view of the cliffs and hills, and the water is so full of boats that swimming is restricted to one small area.
The pace of development in Thailand is fast and visible here. There is a mix of the original cheap guesthouses, along with several larger resorts, which are gradually replacing them. The tourists include more older or out-of-shape people than other places. The new up-scale rooms cost $15-25 (600-1000 Baht), instead of the $4-10 (150-400 Baht) typical of places earlier in their development, and are great facilities with balconies, air conditioning, TV, and other amenities.
Development is a mixed blessing. One Thai tells us that people used to grow their own food, drink rainwater, and fish the streams. Industrialization dammed and polluted the rivers and the fish are gone. Now Thai must buy things they previously could supply themselves. The cost of living is higher, but not the quality of living. People now need jobs and money, but they didn't before. The country has spent billions on large projects such as dams, and now owes the west these loans. But the debts are a huge burden, and the money must come from the people. This Thai wonders if it really is any better, after all.
There is a Wat (Buddhist monastery and temple) in Krabi, at the base of Karst (limestone) mountains. The original monastery is built into caves in the mountain, and is fascinating itself. But then there is the vertical hike... At the top of the mountain is a temple, and there is a simple staircase up to it. Well, more like a set of staircases. Actually, a whole bunch. 1274 stairs in all! And these are not just your average stairs. Many have a tread of only a few inches, with a rise of 10-12 inches! In parts it is more like climbing a ladder! It was a good test for Fran's fear of heights, and she passed with flying colors. Actually, she neither flew nor turned colors, which we considered a great success. We stayed on the top as the light passed to late afternoon, and shown in angled streaks through the clouds. It was quite impressive.
On the way up the stairs, we try to talk with a Thai Buddhist nun. Her English is limited. All she manages is "America is at war with Muslims". That is probably a common belief here. In the States, we believe that we have separated the issue of terrorism from religious persecution. I was thrilled when Bush started from day one to emphasize tolerance of Muslim people, at home and abroad. But these nuances get lost abroad. Sadly, it is likely a common impression that America is at war with Muslims, and that belief will feed into the cycle that breeds terrorism.
In this area of Thailand are some Mangrove forests along the tidal flats. The roots and the branches grow dense and intertwine, holding together tiny islands, with tiny passageways in between them. As luck would have it, we timed it wrong and were there at low tide, so it was difficult to get around in the kayak. It was beautiful nonetheless. The Mangroves are home to Macaques (monkeys), and we were fortunate to see them twice. The first monkey came down to meet us, looking for a handout. They can be quite feisty when they want your banana! The second group included a mother with a baby hanging on around her neck. We also saw Kingfishers and other birds.
We had the good fortune of a wonderful guide, Mr. Deans. He leads groups of sea kayakers, and for this trip the entire group was just him and us! Our own personal guide! Mr. Deans' family lives on an island further out, past Ko Hong. Thai culture is strong on supporting your family, so he sends his money back to his parents, and helps support the education of his younger sister. His employer gives him a free room, and $5 and meals on days that he works. Mr. Deans is a great guy --any of you who go to Thailand should get him! He is Muslim, and we had a number of interesting conversations.
Next, we headed off to the Khoa Sok National Park, which has one of the best-preserved rainforests in Southeast Asia. The forest is a transition forest, between the tropical rainforests and the monsoon (seasonal) rainforests. Tropical forests are evergreen, while the monsoon forests are deciduous. Khoa Sok includes some of each. Rod was surprised that the tropical forest is not particularly dense --there is considerably less total biomass that the forests in the northwestern US. Instead it is very diverse. In the northwestern US, a forest usually has just a 2-3 varieties of trees in a given spot. In Khoa Sok, there are 30-40 varieties interspersed together. We usually get plant id books when we hike, but they are not very useful here --there are just too many. Instead, you are satisfied being able to simply classify them as "another type of Palm", or "another bamboo".
There are many stories to the forest. The upper canopy provides the shade for many layers underneath. Overall, the forest is not tall --the whole thing is shorter than the northwestern forest. However, it is much richer. In fact many of the animals and even plants never come down to the forest floor. The soil itself is very poor. In the northwestern US forest, 80-90% of all moisture and nutrition comes from the soil, but in the tropical forest only 10-20% does --most is captured up in the canopy. There is even one type of vine that grows around a tree, slowly (20-30 years) enveloping it. Eventually, the tree dies and the vine remains as a hollow cylinder climbing up into the canopy. The vine also tangles itself into many other adjacent trees, so that it does not fall with the tree. It continually hooks rides with fast growing, new trees and stays in the canopy.
It is difficult to see wildlife in the rainforest. We could hear birds no more than 3 meters (10 feet) above us, but couldn't find them, even with binoculars. But the sounds were astonishing. Of special note were the gibbons’ calls. In the mornings, the female gibbons climb to the top of the canopy and issue their calls for about two hours, to stake their territory. We could hear quite a symphony as the gibbons called back and forth to each other on the hill just across the creek. With the birds, gibbons and cicadas, the rainforest is loud! The various species of cicada have even divided up the day to take turns with their noisemaking --some locals can tell the time of day by which type of cicada is making noise! There is also another noise that takes some getting used to --stuff crashing down! At first we thought the sounds were some large animal, but it turns out that there is a fairly constant barrage of junk falling from the sky!
We had a great hike along the stream to a waterfall and swam in the cool pool. A nice day!
The pace of development in Thailand is fast and visible here. There is a mix of the original cheap guesthouses, along with several larger resorts, which are gradually replacing them. The tourists include more older or out-of-shape people than other places. The new up-scale rooms cost $15-25 (600-1000 Baht), instead of the $4-10 (150-400 Baht) typical of places earlier in their development, and are great facilities with balconies, air conditioning, TV, and other amenities.
Development is a mixed blessing. One Thai tells us that people used to grow their own food, drink rainwater, and fish the streams. Industrialization dammed and polluted the rivers and the fish are gone. Now Thai must buy things they previously could supply themselves. The cost of living is higher, but not the quality of living. People now need jobs and money, but they didn't before. The country has spent billions on large projects such as dams, and now owes the west these loans. But the debts are a huge burden, and the money must come from the people. This Thai wonders if it really is any better, after all.
There is a Wat (Buddhist monastery and temple) in Krabi, at the base of Karst (limestone) mountains. The original monastery is built into caves in the mountain, and is fascinating itself. But then there is the vertical hike... At the top of the mountain is a temple, and there is a simple staircase up to it. Well, more like a set of staircases. Actually, a whole bunch. 1274 stairs in all! And these are not just your average stairs. Many have a tread of only a few inches, with a rise of 10-12 inches! In parts it is more like climbing a ladder! It was a good test for Fran's fear of heights, and she passed with flying colors. Actually, she neither flew nor turned colors, which we considered a great success. We stayed on the top as the light passed to late afternoon, and shown in angled streaks through the clouds. It was quite impressive.
On the way up the stairs, we try to talk with a Thai Buddhist nun. Her English is limited. All she manages is "America is at war with Muslims". That is probably a common belief here. In the States, we believe that we have separated the issue of terrorism from religious persecution. I was thrilled when Bush started from day one to emphasize tolerance of Muslim people, at home and abroad. But these nuances get lost abroad. Sadly, it is likely a common impression that America is at war with Muslims, and that belief will feed into the cycle that breeds terrorism.
In this area of Thailand are some Mangrove forests along the tidal flats. The roots and the branches grow dense and intertwine, holding together tiny islands, with tiny passageways in between them. As luck would have it, we timed it wrong and were there at low tide, so it was difficult to get around in the kayak. It was beautiful nonetheless. The Mangroves are home to Macaques (monkeys), and we were fortunate to see them twice. The first monkey came down to meet us, looking for a handout. They can be quite feisty when they want your banana! The second group included a mother with a baby hanging on around her neck. We also saw Kingfishers and other birds.
We had the good fortune of a wonderful guide, Mr. Deans. He leads groups of sea kayakers, and for this trip the entire group was just him and us! Our own personal guide! Mr. Deans' family lives on an island further out, past Ko Hong. Thai culture is strong on supporting your family, so he sends his money back to his parents, and helps support the education of his younger sister. His employer gives him a free room, and $5 and meals on days that he works. Mr. Deans is a great guy --any of you who go to Thailand should get him! He is Muslim, and we had a number of interesting conversations.
Next, we headed off to the Khoa Sok National Park, which has one of the best-preserved rainforests in Southeast Asia. The forest is a transition forest, between the tropical rainforests and the monsoon (seasonal) rainforests. Tropical forests are evergreen, while the monsoon forests are deciduous. Khoa Sok includes some of each. Rod was surprised that the tropical forest is not particularly dense --there is considerably less total biomass that the forests in the northwestern US. Instead it is very diverse. In the northwestern US, a forest usually has just a 2-3 varieties of trees in a given spot. In Khoa Sok, there are 30-40 varieties interspersed together. We usually get plant id books when we hike, but they are not very useful here --there are just too many. Instead, you are satisfied being able to simply classify them as "another type of Palm", or "another bamboo".
There are many stories to the forest. The upper canopy provides the shade for many layers underneath. Overall, the forest is not tall --the whole thing is shorter than the northwestern forest. However, it is much richer. In fact many of the animals and even plants never come down to the forest floor. The soil itself is very poor. In the northwestern US forest, 80-90% of all moisture and nutrition comes from the soil, but in the tropical forest only 10-20% does --most is captured up in the canopy. There is even one type of vine that grows around a tree, slowly (20-30 years) enveloping it. Eventually, the tree dies and the vine remains as a hollow cylinder climbing up into the canopy. The vine also tangles itself into many other adjacent trees, so that it does not fall with the tree. It continually hooks rides with fast growing, new trees and stays in the canopy.
It is difficult to see wildlife in the rainforest. We could hear birds no more than 3 meters (10 feet) above us, but couldn't find them, even with binoculars. But the sounds were astonishing. Of special note were the gibbons’ calls. In the mornings, the female gibbons climb to the top of the canopy and issue their calls for about two hours, to stake their territory. We could hear quite a symphony as the gibbons called back and forth to each other on the hill just across the creek. With the birds, gibbons and cicadas, the rainforest is loud! The various species of cicada have even divided up the day to take turns with their noisemaking --some locals can tell the time of day by which type of cicada is making noise! There is also another noise that takes some getting used to --stuff crashing down! At first we thought the sounds were some large animal, but it turns out that there is a fairly constant barrage of junk falling from the sky!
We had a great hike along the stream to a waterfall and swam in the cool pool. A nice day!
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