Same way you eat an elephant...

Wat Chedi Luang

This entry is part summery of my recent past, part mental-processing, part excuse, part homework-for-you, and always incomplete.  (it is a bit wordy on my part, but your part comes in at the end)

Visakha Bucha Day

"Focus" in your daily life comes easy when you’re on the road since survival instincts are no longer on vacation, yet I feel like a Golden Retreiver that just walked on to the local high school tennis team’s practice court.

My brain has been gobbling it all up in typical ego-maniac fashion, “More, more, more!”  while my logic pleads to pump the breaks. There’s so much information that it becomes overwhelming to the point of paralysis.  I can't even chose a topic for my blog!

One of the Kuti's destroyed in a violent storm - no witches were harmed, only demons

So... Let me try and nutshell my brain’s gluttonous diet in recent past (this part is about me and my nutshell, if not interested, skip to lunch, below):

What I learned about Thailand’s civil struggle and cultural origins were quickly over-shadowed by Burma’s genocides.  Then, just as quickly, those injustices are pushed aside by a demanding mental health crisis (not my own) involving a schizophrenic in the middle of a forest monastery. 

What the schizophrenic also turns out to be, is the gatekeeper of a Noah-sized flood of thoughts, encompassing...

Forest Monastery meditation

-The realization of how thin the line is between sane and insane; 

-A contemplation of a culture’s belief system that has basis on a sane man who fought demons the same way that this schizophrenic did;  

-Comparisons between Western and Eastern religion, 

  -their roles for each society, 

  -their symbiotic relationship within each culture, 

-All along with a new understanding of how the brain works, and how the body and soul can override it, which leads me to developing an already established school of psychological thought that literally changes the way I think. 

*deep breath*

If you left me enough time alone with only this outlined fodder and a giant dictionary and reference book, I feel I could come out with two sociology study journals, a religious-society comparison article, a self help book, a psychology theory-comic book, an autobiography, and a cheap thriller novel.  

  ...intermission…

Yes, we hitch hiked on this through the mountain roads. "It was so reckless, even if we were Thais, Thai people would look as us and go, 'whoa, that's crazy.'" 

...and, back!

Instead of taking my time with these issues, I leave them undeveloped and on pause.  I immediately start interacting and helping to train a Kareni village publication who reports on Burmese refugees and replaces everything in my head, once again, by their struggle.

Road to the Kareni Village

"How can I help out??" I think, as I come down with something that I thought was Dangue Fever, and spend the next few days in the fetal position in my guest house, pondering my own mortality, habits, health, how alone one can be when you travel and where I want to be in life the next time I get this sick (don’t even get me started on health care and America’s view vs. the rest of the world’s view on it)  

Lucky for you, audience! This train of thought is interrupted by a notice that student loans are due, with no more deferments available, a visa application needs chest X-rays from registered doctors in Singapore and the post office has lost my oh so important package…  so when I realize that I’m still putting my blog off, I sit down and ask myself “Where the hell do I start?!

First bite: Processing...

Common lunch for a monk

It’s the same way you eat an elephant: One bite at a time.  I’m finding out processing is one of the most important aspects for self-actualization, wisdom, happiness, grounding, loving, understanding vs. knowing.  I’m not saying that I am much of the above, but am some of the later,  and it does seem to have a huge correlation. 

Studies have been made that show that keeping a journal/diary is in high correlation with people who “tend to be happier with their life.”  It’s because people realize what their day actually consists of and it allows for appreciation and processing.

for further understanding on this point, find time to watch this beautiful documentary, shot by ordinary people from youtube, around the world, all on July 24th:
  

..but keeping a journal is not for everyone. Some people meditate to process.  Some draw, run, walk, bike, make jewelry, drink coffee, make videos, talk to people, talk to themselves…. The amount of ways is vast, and it always speaks to the individual.  My own way contradicts all of my education – which is almost completely visual.  I don’t draw or work on photos to process my thoughts.  I can’t spell, and have never even really trained myself to write, but I’m such an extrovert that I need to be talking to someone to process.  I’m just polite enough to not put others through it (until this blog! Muahahahaha!)

...hahaha...ha

So here’s where you come in and gain. This is where your awareness begins.  

How do you process?  How do you consider your day?  Your relationship?  Your potential relationship? Your political views? That a$$ hole that flipped you off on the highway?  That smirk that the coffee barista gave you when they handed you your latte (ARE you supposed to tip them??) That white hair that keeps popping up (honestly, no one notices who doesn’t already care deeply about you).  The reach of your new facebook cover photo?  Your new homework? How can these sunflowers get so ridiculously tall??

It doesn’t have to be stunning, just personal, and should literally take less than a minute.  Use that answer for your own advantage.  You know what I mean. :)

If you want an offshoot question/s, maybe take a moment to ask what things you actually process.  How long do you take to consider certain issues?  Why is facebook already up on you browser before you finished even answering your question?

Answer for yourself, aware yourself to grow ;)  if you want to share, post down below. 

As the dust settles...

I've traded back and shoulder pains for calf knots. With every step, my calfs scream at me as I wander for miles around town almost every night, but as painful as it is, it is just as rewarding. Plus there's always a Thai masseuse yelling at you from across the street to come sit for a massage. At three dollars an hour, it's quite hard to justify not walking your legs to anguish.  The funny thing is that these pains came when I decided to rest my bags in Chiang Mai for six weeks, catching up with work, sleep, preparing for Songkran the Thai New Year's water festival, and most importantly trying to process everything that has happened since I flew into Phuket.

View Chiang Mai in a larger map

I began traveling Thailand five weeks ago, landing in Phuket airport and immediately heading to Surin Beach. There, I was thrown in with a wild bunch of amazing people from all over the world, all ready to cut loose for our friends' Yui and Richard's wedding. They got married on Surin Beach at sunset, surrounded by friends, tropics, fireworks, traditional Thai sky-lanturns and an unexpended storm that added more to the experience than it dampened the mood. 

A few friends joined me from California to travel 

Thailand, either during the wedding or shortly after. The momentum only gained as we traveled away from Puket with Chiang Mai as our destination, experiencing lightning storms in the water at Koh Lanta, seclusion at Koh Muk, rock climbing at Railay, a smorgasbord of interesting experiences in Bangkok, monkey invasions at Lop Buri, a different life at Phitsannulok (Pizza-Noodle), and ending in my favorite part of Thailand: the hub of northern flavors such as khao soy, eclectic spice, elephant love, hill tribe refugees and a slower and more friendly pace of life.

As my friends departed a week ago, I settled in for the long haul.  Chiang Mai is a cooler climate and one of the cheaper parts of Thailand.  Usually dubbed one of the top favorite places for tourists, the population of Thais are around 175,000 and the number of expats and backpackers can probably push it past 200,000 at any given time. Expecting a quiet place to catch up with photos and videos, I've found that unless you use headphones, most likely someone will invite you over to their table or invite themselves over to yours.  From my experience, I gauge it as the slower, more artistic and happier of the larger cities in Thailand.  The San Francisco of California, but without all the money or trends.

Laos and Myanmar are waiting for me only a bus ride away, but I feel that they can wait for a time.  Yesterday was the first day of summer here, which is not a welcome feeling for the Thais.  The heat mixes with the smoke from the burning fields (best fertilizer there is) and from others' stories, soon after the water festival will be a great time to move further up north.  Until then, I will be posting regular entries, videos and photographs (or at least trying- even a city this large has a lot of internet problems!)
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The Beginning: The End of the Road (part 1)

Taiwanese hospitality is something that can take you aback.  Coming from the train station, unable to pronounce the name of my destination to a taxi driver, a young man on a scooter asks me if he can help.  After asking him to translate to the taxi driver, he shakes his head and tells me to hop on,  he had just finished dropping off his girlfriend and had to go that way anyway.  My first scooter ride in Taiwan was through the rain, with bags, wearing a helmet inlined with Hello Kitty and hanging on to the coat of a young man that seemed to know the same and only rule of driving in Taiwan (see below posting for the rule).

Tanner Coleman and Alexis Gregg are two amazing Americans who have helped make my trip to Taiwan possible because of their Art Residency at Taiwan's Museum of Ceramic Art (posting soon to come).  They befriended Wen-Hung, a worker at the museum and an all around amazing guy who has the the same hospitality trait that seems to run so deep in this culture. He invited us to spend Chinese New Years with him and his family in Chaiyi, a two hour drive south of Taipei.

1/20/12

We depart for Chaiyi, a small village in Taiwan that we're told has never seen foreigners before. Wen-Hung's family lives there and farms everything from crabs to avocados the size of your head.  They do well, and have the traditional housing structure:  Grandfather and 1st son in the main house, 2nd son in the house to the right (if your facing the main house), 3nd son living in the house on the left, the youngest son in the house on the outside to the left.

Some of the family speaks English.  Some very well, some not so well.  English is an international language and therefore taught in their public school system when they are young.  It sticks to some, it's deported by others, but either case is better than my Chinese or Taiwanese.  With one word having  five different meanings depending on how it's said, it takes me days to pronounce "happy new year" correctly and I find non-verbal communication is the bridge over the language gap with other family members.

 

We show up just in time for tea time.  A lot of families have a table specifically for tea time that they can assemble and break down with ease.  It has all the handy convinces you'll ever need, including an area for snacks and a drain for the spillage that comes from pouring.

Cutting into the largest avocados I have ever seen, Wen-Hung tells us they are a different breed of avocado that love the climate in Chaiyi.  The oldest tree they have will produce over 1,000kg (2,200lbs) a season and how they turn them into "avocado milk" as the main way to consume them. Along side our hardly slice of avo, we have dragon eye fruit, purple peanuts and fish flavored chips.

   

                       Soon to post: a tour of the farm and a BBQ of epic proportions and species

The Arrival

Wandering around a district of Taipei my first night/morning to try and get some orientation and energy to fight off jet lag at its greatest. I find my senses and personal space are bombarded by the color, noise, and harsher type of air that vibrates off the buildings and traffic that belittle my sense of self. "Tight" is the first word that comes to mind, during my walk as I see the way people interact and live.  My personal bubble, so used to a western lifestyle feels like it's going to pop from everyone and thing bumping into me. Not only do people invade my space and nip my heels, but so do scooters, bikes and cars.  Traffic signals, signs and lines are more like guidelines than rules for Taiwanese people as they run red lights, go the wrong way down one way lanes and zip in and out of traffic.  The only true rule I have figured out is:  If they can see you, they'll stop.  If not, you will get run over. (GoPro video of biking through traffic soon to come) 

See the rest of the photos at: http://www.cismithphotography.com/Travel/Taiwan/

2 min quick stop

Running late and traffic sounds of worsening congestion, yet we make time for a two min stop off.

Jalama Beach camping

In a last minute ditch effort to escape L.A. and enjoy some fresh air, a few friends (http://www.sargeantphotography.com/) and I headed out to Jalama Beach. Waves, sun and music were a constant throughout our visit to the beautiful central coast.