Janu Sirsasana C

It has taken me over 2 years to finally get this pose! I didn't even know it happened until I looked down last week and realized my knee was touching the floor while my big toe was still bent in the right direction.
Wow.
I used to loathe this pose and for a time I even skipped it.
I am so entertained by the fact that I'm able to properly get into Janu Sirsasana C that I can't wait to get to this portion of my practice.

Looking at the photo now I can see some places where I need improvement; my back could be straighter, my left foot could be deeper, I could pull in my belly more, but overall I am pleased with my improvement.

It's the little accomplishments my friends.

Look closely at my left foot, see how it's bent, as it should be! 

What is this?

Do you know what this sweet is called? Not the banana fritters, the other one. I know the white part is made from coconut & sugar. The shell is some sort of crepe folded over the coconut mixture.  I can't remember what the orange stuff in the middle is ... I do remember it being absolutely amazing tasting though.

If you know what the sweet is called please comment, I want to make them.

*edited to add*
I found a recipe!
It's a sweet Thai taco or, Khanom bueng--the yellow stuff is egg. 

Street Vendors

Street vendors in Thailand have the most elaborate set ups I've ever seen (in fairness I've only been to Thailand and India so I'm sure there are a few places that put Thailand to shame but I don't know them.) plus they are really efficient and quite clean. If they aren't feeling well they'll cook with a mask on and they clean pans/utensils between each order. I stood and watched this woman work for awhile before I placed my order.
I couldn't understand the commands she shouted at her son in Thai but I could see him work after she gave instructions. The things he was assembling and passing to her were extremely diverse, he covered all aspects of the operation. Sometimes he cut up veg for her, other times he set up containers or sauces, he delivered finished food to waiting patrons, he took phone orders, and other times he just slid a plate under the pan as she was spooning out the finished product. All the while she was slaving away throwing a dash of this and that into the wok, taking money from customers, answering the phone if her son was busy, and setting up her prep for the next item on her list. It was a well oiled machine and great fun to watch operate.
When I came back to Bangkok before heading home I looked for her cart but since it was the new year holiday many of the vendors went on vacation, including her.
These shots were taken on my first day in Bangkok. After the chaos of India I felt super shy when photographing Thais so there are none of the vendor herself and they are all close up.
I never did fully warm up to taking photos of the Thai locals. There is just something about pointing my camera in someone's face (after asking of course) that feels intrusive to me, maybe because I'm not such a fan of having my own photo taken. In India people are clamoring all over themselves to have a photo taken, but people didn't react that way in Thailand. Thai culture is more shy, and reserved. People did say yes when I asked if I could photograph them but they often flashed me a look afterward that I interpreted as them only agreeing to be polite.

Take out set ups

Making my veg fried rice

Front and center are fish balls, and the other bags are ... meat items

Veg Fried Rice
You can drink the ice from the street in Thailand because they use filtered water, major bonus

This isn't the same vendor but at least you can see the set up in its entirety 

Home

I arrived back home yesterday.
Considering all the travel I did, I feel pretty good. I was in bed last night at 9pm EST and woke up this morning at 3am. Not too bad.
I practiced this morning, which felt really nice. My body was aching for some physical exercise. I'm surprised how open my body was after so much travel actually. I was able to get into everything normally and aside from my practice being on the fast side had no real struggles.
Now though I'm feeling the jet-lag, I have speedy brain and can't seem to keep a complete thought in my mind. I'm tossing around ideas about how to make enough money to get back out into the world. The other side of the world. With every moment my destination and agenda for travel changes. Sometimes I think I want to go back to Thailand to teach then I think I want to go to India again, (although my feelings about India are definitely different after having been to Thailand) sometimes I want to go for yoga other times for the destination itself. All these things will work out in time, I understand that. No sense in rushing around in my mind when I have plenty of time to sort out all these decisions.
I heard from one of my friends still in Asia who asked if I felt strange here, "like I belong somewhere else" and that about sums up how I'm feeling. I mean, it's home so there are familiar things that are nice to have but it's so cold and desolate feeling here--people are guarded, not unfriendly just a little rough around the edges--I feel out of place.
As my mind settles down some and I re-acclimate to the USA I'm sure I'll have some insights about my travel. I'll share them here when appropriate and I PROMISE I'll post pictures soon too.

Limbo

I'm at the Mumbai airport for the next 12+ hours. Luckily in typical Indian fashion it took almost 2  hours to let me through security so that killed some time. First there was discussion about who was supposed to deal with me, then I needed a special transfer ticket, then they needed to photocopy my passport, then they had to ask me a bunch of personal questions (because they're interested not because its required "are you married, how many children do you have, what age are you Madam, what country are you from," etc.) then, I was shuffled through security where they did the screening on me, looked through my hand luggage and my special transfer ticket which was missing a necessary stamp. 45 minutes later I get the stamp on my transfer ticket and I'm allowed into the airport. Good grief.

I didn't bring my yoga mat with me, I checked it. I'm half kicking myself and half pleased about that. I'd love to do a short practice but I really don't want to carry another 7lbs around with me so for now, no yoga.

I've already made friends with several of the employees at one restaurant. They are thoroughly amused talking with me, all 6 or 7 of them had their turn asking me questions. They've asked me to come back later and said they'll take good care of me.

I can't recharge minutes on my phone since they don't have a  place to do that in the airport. I can't access the free internet without using a text message so I don't have the wifi either. I'm using one of the free access computers near gate 14 (the 2 computers at gate 10 are broken) which is fine except there is a line behind me and it takes ages to load anything.

My exit from Bangkok was uneventful. I woke up my security guard at 5am and he got me a taxi. I arrived, checked in and we boarded shortly after.

Still feeling the bugs all over my body. Still sick.

Sick Day

I cannot shake the feeling of bugs crawling all over me. It does not seem to matter how many showers I take or what clothes I wear. Just knickers seems to be best but this is obviously not practical. I asked my sister & bf to bring black trash bags and a fresh set of clothes for me when they come to get me at the airport. I really don't think I have bed bugs on me or in my luggage but to settle my mind down I feel it's best to be extra cautions.
I have the a/c cranked and I'm reading in my room. I don't feel well enough to go out and get soaked through again. This morning and afternoon it was okay because it was so hot but now dusk is coming and I really dislike the idea of being wet and cold.
I've taken 1 dose of antibiotics, some probiotics and some ibuprofen. I feel a tiny bit better but the only reason I'm not running a fever is because of the medicine. I haven't practiced in a few days and my body is aching from lack of movement. I know I'm not well enough to do my asana but I keep thinking about being on a plane for over 30 hours and how sore I will be. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I will feel well enough for a few poses, A's and B's at the very least.

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I got into an argument with a Thai woman this afternoon. This is the first time I have had any exchange with someone here where they were so openly rude to me and as you can imagine it was awkward.
I went to her shop to print off my airline tickets. The door had the price posted as 15 Baht minimum charge, 60 Baht an hour. I checked my email quickly, printed off my documents and went to the counter to pay. All in all I was there for less than 15 minutes and much of that time was spent sorting out the fact that the printer was out of paper. When I ask my total she says, 50 Baht. I think that's high and ask her what it's for? I say 15 minutes for internet (generous) and printing. She says printing is 20 baht and 15 Baht minimum internet. I say, 35 Baht? She says no. There is some foot shifting on her part and clear discomfort on mine. She is not pleased with me asking why it's 50 Baht not 35 Baht. I don't understand the issue but I'm okay with letting it go. I dig through my wallet to get her the 50 Baht. I go to hand her the 50 note as she is walking out from behind the counter to show me the sign on the door. She points to the sign where it reads "15 Baht minimum" on the door and says, "Why you don't read? Can you see it? Do you understand?" I was perfectly happy to hand her the money and walk away after I realized we weren't going to have mutual understanding of the price but now I'm pissed. What she is asking me is do I understand what minimum means. I'm polite. I tell her yes, I understand what the word means. I'm trying to make it better with her because she has transitioned so quickly from normal to angry and I don't want to leave her unhappy. I say, "So is the charge 15 Baht minimum plus 1 Baht a minute?" I realize this would make the total 50 Baht if she is charging me for 15 minutes of internet so that makes sense.
She says, "No!"
Hrm. Okay.
Now I am trying to give her my money again. I figure that the price she is charging is based on exactly what I have asked her and she doesn't understand the way I've worded it. I say, "I'm sorry for the confusion, here is the money please be happy." This is useless. She has pegged me as an idiot who doesn't understand English. She says to me again that I don't read and I don't understand the words on her sign, "MIN-I-MUM, you don't understand!" Now she is openly, rudely, taking  my comprehension of the English language--my mother tongue--into question. What the fuck? She is shaking her head and pointing for me to leave her shop. "Go!" I hand her the 50 Baht and go.
(I think about this exchange later and wonder if she has had this conversation many times--based on her reaction, I would say yes--my guess is that she thinks her sign is clear. Of course, it's not clear.)

During the time I was searching through my email for the airline tickets I needed to print an American had come in. He pulled in next to me and started talking. I was not unfriendly but I was not feeling especially chatty. I told him that I was sorry but I wasn't feeling so well and all I wanted to do was print my paperwork and get back to my room. He took that as a sign to continue a conversation with me. Strange. He was asking me lots of questions, most of which I either ignored or just smiled at him as an answer. When he found out I had strep throat he said, "Oh well you know you can't drink the water here, right?" I stopped what I was doing, looked over at him, smiled and said, yes thank you I do know that. I asked how long he was in Thailand. "1 week, and you" I said I'd been in Asia for 4 months. He stopped giving me advice after that. I feel like I stepped into a strange bubble in another world when I went to that internet shop. Thankfully when I walked outside I was back in normal Thailand.

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Since the festival is still going on (albeit minor festivities on my road, when compared to Chiang Mai) there are many vendors on holiday which means my favorite place to get noodles is closed. I'm actually really bummed. I was so looking forward to gorging on street food before I leave tomorrow. I did find one place that had noodles not too far away and they are really good but the portion is small and they're 40 Baht. My favorite vendor charges 30 Baht and her portion fills you. I think maybe I am just sick and a little whiny. Thankfully I have no one to answer to so it's not like I am pissing all over someone's good time. Generally I think I'm pretty cool to be around but today I wish I had some other body and mind to work with as I'm even annoying myself.

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I'm back now from going out for noodles. It's amazing how contagious happiness is. Loud mostly American dance music is bumping, teens and twenty somethings are lined along the street with water guns, buckets, hoses and baby powder. Their splashing and squirting each other and smashing baby powder in each other's faces. They are dancing, bopping their hips, laughing and just generally having a blast. Everyone is wet, and filthy from the festivities but they don't care. Smiles come easily, hand gestures are of silliness and fun. Songkran is honest fun. Although I avoided getting wet I did pick up the happiness and light hearted attitude.

I'm full now, in a better mood and thinking about packing up my bags. Still feels weird that I'm going home tomorrow. But, I'm starting to look forward to it.

I've really got no photos to post since I'm a big baby about bringing my camera out during the festival. I can't afford a new one and it's survived thus far so why chance it, ya?

I tried to upload a few random shots but after 45 minutes 3 error message and only 2 shots successfully  uploaded, (two of the most boring ones I picked) I gave up. But, the effort was there. I had 45 photos selected, obviously I was not using my brain when I did that.

When I get back to the states and have better internet speed I'll post pictures.

24 hours in Thailand

Actually less than 24 hours in Thailand since I go to the airport tomorrow at 5am and it's 10am here in Bangkok.

I have strep throat, no money and a bit of the blues. But, I am also happy. I am blessed. I have had a great adventure. I can't be blue and happy at the same time so although I'm swaying back and forth between those emotions I'm doing my best to stay positive.

My trip has to come to an end, I'm okay with that even if it's not what I prefer.


...photos and a little more once I'm back from the pharmacist and have had a bit of rest. 

Songkran

I'm back in Bangkok for 2 days before my flight home.

I finally got some consecutive hours of sleep last night on the train, (5 hrs) and the night before in my spendy hotel room (6 hrs). However, I'm still having fitful sleep due to the mental strain of the bed bugs incident. Even now I can feel things crawling on me--that aren't there. Last night and today I have been thinking things are crawling into my ears. It's like a bad acid trip.
Beth, (my travel companion for the next 2 days) has rightly suggested we don't talk about them and if we must we have to call it the "BB incident" so as not to conjure images of creepy crawly mites. I posted something on facebook about it and got a slew of comments & messages from fellow travelers who had a BB experience to share. Although commiserating was nice it also fueled my anxiety and ultimately it was better for me to just step away from Facebook & Dr. Google to get back to real life.

Yesterday and the day before in ChiangMai was crazy with the Songkran festival in full swing. People crowded around the mote with buckets and water guns soaking each other in celebration of new year. There were some tourists that wrapped their cameras in plastic so they could get photos but I was not motivated or confident enough to do this. I only have a couple of poor quality photos from the cab ride to the train station. It was full on. The streets were absolutely chaotic, lined with people participating in the festival. The bed of trucks were full of people with buckets to splash on the fellow festival participants and friends. You cannot avoid getting wet. It is not an option. Children, teens, adults, old people, Thai's, tourists, tuk-tuk drivers, shop owners and anyone else you can think of has some water vessel that they are using to soak with. I was squirted with a hose, several water guns, a bucket of water, and had a small bowl of water poured down my back. Everyone looked like they were having a blast but bar my 1 trip to 711 I avoided the mote as much as possible. I know, I'm a party pooper, in my defense just walking around my neighborhood I was soaked 4 times. So, it's not like I was spared.

Look up the festival photos from ChiangMai if you want to see the crazy that is Songkran.

*edited to add some photos* They aren't great but you can get the idea at least.

Right!

Ya part of the reason I couldn't sleep was becuase of the bugs--which I thought were either tics or mosquitos. Nope.
Bed bugs.

I was up until after 4am, freaking out on my room searching through my stuff for tiny mites, showering, and packing up my stuff so that I could be ready to go look for a new place to stay at first light. I slept on the floor in a borrowed sleeping bag on my yoga mat. I've dried all my clothes now, (how to kill them) showered several times today and moved into a much more expensive room, without bugs.

The worst part of the whole thing is that I was starting to think I was crazy because I couldn't find anything in the bed or my room. I kept asking everyone else that stayed there if they are getting bitten at night. They all say yes from mozzies. I changed my sheets, sprayed lethal bug killer, slept with the fan on and doused myself with a ridiculous amount of bug repellent but nothing was working. Finally seeing the bugs and understanding their nature (they are smart fuckers, they hide well and only come out at night) was a relief.

It was not a relief however, when I went to tell them I was leaving and I wanted my money back. They knew about the fucking bed bugs! They KNEW about them.  They said they thought they were gone, that they'd even bought a new mattress, (which is why I couldn't find the nest), and that they were sorry. There is no chance that buying a new bed was going to get rid of the bugs, in fact after reading about them I now think that's an ignorant move. I guess it doesn't matter how they choose to deal with it what burned me most was that they knew they had them and still let me pick that room (which I choose for the comfortable bed, hahaha) when 2 others were open.

I guess it's time to go home.

Thai Massage Course

I'm doing a training for Thai massage and I'm so tired at the end of the day I don't have any energy for much more than class. I have been visiting with new friends and enjoying myself but I am not eager to go to anything special or touristy.
I can't believe a 6 hour day --well, 7 hour day with a 1 hour lunch break--is so exhausting,  but it is. In my defense it's just me and the teacher so I have not one second where I can screw off or disengage because he'll know. First he shows me what to do and I take notes then I practice on him. His wife is also teaching another student but she is further along in the course so they work upstairs. Tomorrow is my final day.
Off to get my photo taken for my certificate then dinner with a friend that I unexpectedly ran into from home. 

1 Week

I really cannot believe I'm heading home soon. I'm so sad to be leaving SEA and Thailand in general.
I'm already planning (mentally) my next trip. But, then I'm also thinking I want to go to Hawaii and work on a farm for accommodation trade and practice yoga. Then I think, no I want to go to China and teach English in a village. Then, I think no! I want to come back to Thailand, teach English to monks and take holidays to travel around Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam. Sigh.
I love my country in so many ways but when I am away from America I think there is no reason (except for Hunnie  & family of course) to go home. Why go home when I am already on the other side of the world. I am already so close to the next place, it's easy to travel on instead of traveling back to my organized western way of life. I'm used to living this way now. I'm adjusted to the heat, I am meeting lovely westerners everyday that are having amazing experiences. I feel blessed at every turn. I have local Thai "friends" (In quotes because they know I am leaving. They are sharing some of themselves with me yes, but they are also working, you have to understand this always--naivete cannot be there.)
I have nothing bad to say about my travels, sure I have had some discomforts and some times when it was difficult or sad but I am alive in Asia. The world feels open to me. I feel blessed and beautiful (inside) here.
Sad. Sad. Sad. to go home.
The flip side of course, there is always the other side, is that I get to kiss and hug my family, reconnect with Hunnie, love my nephew, squeeze & sniff Johnny cat! eat popcorn, watch a movie, drive, make money, take long walks with my girlfriends, COOK (I miss cooking so much), have a bath, stay up late chatting with Sissy, take a HOT shower, go home to the same place with all my things out of bags, every night. Both worlds are good. I can see this. 

Shifting

It turns out the flute people are quite lovely. Go figure. I'm still not a fan of their music but I like them so that helps at least.

I am still in ChiangMai, taking it easy and living with no real plan. Yesterday I went to the day market with 2, kids really, (18 yrs & 19 yrs old) from England for lunch. Afterward we had tea at a posh place that was ridiculously expensive but pleasant and worth splashing out on. (They are teaching me the slang terms in England. We made a game of coming up with the differences in our English. They said Americans use terms their grandparents use. Ha! We are old fashion, I guess.) After that I had a Thai massage and later I went to the cultural center for a night of music and traditional dancing.  I could list all the aspects of my day in a long winding post with philosophical interpretations but it's really hot here, extremely humid (91 F and 44% humidity) and I'd rather get back to sitting around drinking my iced coffee, enjoying my bowl of fresh fruit and wondering where I will head to next.

So again, I will leave you with some photos.

Travel Gripe!

A flute player and a drummer moved into my guest house.
Nap time is now jam time.

100 degrees here.
Grump! Grump! Grumpy! about being woken up to shitty live music.

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I've decided not to go to Laos. Almost definitely.
3 days of uncomfortable traveling with all my crap sounds too unappealing to me, even if it is amazing and I have good people to travel with I think I am better served here, chilling out and staying centered. I have too much pressure on the timing of everything being right to feel patient if things don't go as scheduled. When I have more time and I can be relaxed about the boat trip, I will go. (Met a Canadian girl living in Laos, she did not inspire confidence in the timing of Laos transportation operations.)

I'm not going to lie though my new neighbors, that fancy themselves musicians, have me reconsidering my decision.

Thailand Cooking

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I made; spring rolls, soup, curry, pad thai and pumpkin custard. The pumpkin custard was the only gross one in the bunch (too eggy) but everything else was nice.
I have over 100 pictures and quite honestly I can't be bothered to wait for them all to upload. So, I will leave you with this one of me making spring rolls, clearly enjoying myself.

To Laos or not to Laos

I have 10 days left before my train leaves Chiang Mai for Bangkok--then 2 days there--then, home.

My new friends are heading to Laos on Wed. Their taking the long boat. Which takes 3 days and is supposed to be a visual delight. (Yep, I made that up but I did hear it's a beautiful journey)
I'm having a great time here in Chaing Mai. I'm busy enjoying the freedom to get body treatments, shop, eat, rest and sight see. But, I do want to visit Laos. They invited me to come along with them... I'm going to sort out the particulars and then perhaps go to Luang Prabang for a few days. It's so wonderful to feel the freedom to make these kind of choices.

Today I'm off to Thai cooking school at an organic farm. They pick me up in an hour. It's 900 baht, includes a tour of the market, several dishes and the ride to and from the farm. I'm sure I'll take loads of photos.

Yesterday I had an intense 'chi' cleansing massage. It was strange, because it was new, and powerful. I actually felt some of the emotional stuckness leave my body during the session. I had a lot of tears, not sobbing, but more of a feeling of letting go. He worked with my breath a lot and kept telling me, "it's okay to cry".
A few hours before my massage I went to the dentist for some crown repair and a filling replacement. I have never had a dentist be so gentle with me before. She actually put Vaseline along side my mouth where it was being held open (and chapping) from all the dental work. I never once felt pain, she didn't jerk my head around and she took great care to make sure I was comfortable (even giving me an extra pillow for under my head).

I feel content here. I am happy.

*no asana practice today, I'm resting

Love & Shopping

I've been paling around a bit with a British couple, Laurence & Cara, I met them at my guest house. Well, mostly I’ve been chatting with Laurence here and there, Cara is taking a massage course and is gone during the day. Last night though the 3 of us went to dinner and then the Saturday night market together. I haven’t been much of a shopper while I’ve been traveling, in part because I don’t want to waste my money on crap I won’t use, don’t need and will have to lug around in my pack. But, Thailand is my last stop and even the most reluctant shopper can find joy in the markets here. Frankly, they are fun.

The other part of the night that was fun was to be around a loving couple. It made me a bit homesick for Hunnie to be around Laurence and Cara but it was a joy as well. They are like most couples; they have their own language, private jokes, and sarcastic ways. They are a little different from other couples too; Laurence especially I notice is extremely open about how much he loves Cara. Not in a mushy or delusional way. He is honest about his feelings for her. He doesn’t flinch to talk about raising a family with her or getting married. In fact, he’s quite looking forward to it. It’s refreshing to be around a man who is so masculine but has a soft side he can discuss. It’s hot in Asia, language barriers are there, there is always the bit about directions and finding your way around a new place that’s taxing, these things take a toll on a partnership and friendships as well. They can wear you down. Your partner can bear the brunt of the frustration. With Cara and Laurence, I saw none of this. Mind you, they have been traveling for 7 months so no doubt they have had their disagreements, simply because I wasn’t privy to them in a four hour block doesn’t mean they don’t exist but in general they have a connection which is calming to be around. Cara is beautiful with satin looking caramel skin, fun hair, and a quiet way. Laurence is very masculine, Greek, with big eyes and thick lashes. He’s chatty and eager to discuss topics with me that you don’t often get into with fellow travelers; family, love, religion, politics, poverty, meditation, the drive to earn money. Many of these subjects are forgone for things like; travel itinerary, length of journey, age, job back home, languages known, best travel adventures, and places to find good food. Both types of interaction are warranted, I think, but it’s a pleasant shift to speak about more personal topics.

We spent nearly 4 hours chatting and walking through the streets lined with vendors selling hand made crafts, art work, clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags, trinkets, and so much more I’m not remembering. What made this experience a little different was the presence of traditional Thai musicians and the mass amounts of locals shopping along side us. There were foreigners amongst the crowd as well but unlike the more commercial markets the foreigners were in the minority.

Laurence and Cara got dragged (willingly) to the stage in front of the temple for dancing and I was offered a puppy for purchase. Neither event seems that interesting when you consider them on there own but when you think of the reluctance for many locals to interact with tourists on an individual level these events become more unique. Like any place that is economically driven from tourism there are two versions of the city; one that is understood and appreciated by tourists and one that is understood and appreciated by locals. They intertwine sometimes for sure but I make no mistake that I am an outsider, a visitor. I do believe culturally authentic experiences are possible when traveling so long as you are noticing and aware of subtleties. That being said, there is a great potential to hum along in westerner mode without taking the small indications of custom or social graces into consideration.  I’m curious by nature but I also understand that it is unlikely for me to fully integrate some of the dramatic differences in culture when I don’t speak any of the language and I won’t be here long enough to really get involved in the daily life. It’s special when I am welcomed into the local scene. 

Cara at dinner

Laurence dancing

This is the artist that painted a golden Buddha I purchased. 

Asana Practice--it happens

My practice, it’s happening again. Amongst all the chaos of traveling from down south on and off trains and in limbo I didn’t practice for a few days but Hunnie gave me some advice—rest, he said enjoy it—so I did.

I rested and I didn’t feel guilty about it. Ironically the 5 days coincided with my ladies holiday so it turned out that I took off 5 days from asana 3 of which I would have rested normally anyway.

When I arrived here in Chiang Mai I was still traveling with Beth, who also practices Ashtanga (which she calls ass-tan-ga, it cracks me up every time) and our first morning we both squished our mats out in the hotel room and practiced. It was nice. I felt good after a few days of no practice. Since then we have moved and she is off now on a 10 day silent meditation. I'm on my own again, which I really like. 

At the new guest house I have an amazing practice space. It’s beautiful. Every morning I get up and walk through the small courtyard to the restaurant in the process of being built. It’s 3 floors of gorgeous teak floors, a bar, and open space. The brother (it’s a sister and brother who own the guest house) is building the restaurant and he gave me permission to do my “yogak” –The Thai say it with a ‘K’—he checks on me to ask if I’ve practiced when he sees me but otherwise leaves me alone to do as I wish in the space. I’m not sure if he’s actually the one building the restaurant or if it’s a contractor but since I’ve been here I have seen no improvements nor have I heard anyone working in that area. He has several cardinals in cages hanging all around the balconies so each morning I practice with birds chirping along side me.

I am so happy and blessed to get to experience all that I have been while traveling in Asia. As much as I was disappointed in missing my training with Matthew Sweeney, I can see now that having to practice each day on my own, is teaching me something more than I could ever hope to have from the group environment. I love the Mysore style of practice, I love the energy in the room when others are working along side me but there is a different beauty in a home practice. It’s harder in some ways but also freer.  

Tomorrow after practice I’m going to get some dental work done and Monday I will head to the country for the day to take a Thai cooking class at an organic farm.

Life is really good. 

Island Weather

I just looked up the weather on the island Koh Phangan, it's still raining.

The rainfall on the day I left totaled 16 inches.

*edited to add a video*

it's crap quality but you can hear how loud the rain is at least