Blk-Tea

My friends at Uni are working hard on their senior project, a four part miniseries that premiers April 22! Follow their Facebook page for more updates!

Location: Siam Park, Bangkok, Thailand Date: October 18th, 2014 Notes: During a short break from school, some friends of mine from Uni had set up a group trip to a local theme park called Siam Park. Once we lined up for the rides I enjoyed seeing who among our group were first timers, or generally nervous about riding roller coasters and elevator drops. I found the rides to be pretty tame, although living in the US I had plenty of prior practice. Overall it was a great day to get away from thinking of overwhelming piles of work, and school projects. I can't wait for this semester to be over (sigh).

Location: Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Thailand Date: July 3rd, 2014 Notes: After climbing up a small mountain path, we found the cave entrance. The cave is home to a special pavilion, raised in honor of Thai Kings who have visited the site. Placed on a tiny hill in the centre of the hollowed out mountain. The afternoon light pours into the cave, creating a sort of 'heavenly glow' around the pavilion. Inside the cave there are little pockets of growth densely packed together, growing tall and thin, grasping for the short hours of afternoon light. After we, explored the cave for a bit, we struck out back the way we came to take a quick dip on the white sand beach, that was absolutely deserted, besides a couple of small boats. We had a small lunch, took a nap, and spent the rest of the day riding around the park, before going home the next morning.

Location: Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Thailand Date: July 3rd, 2014 Notes: Energized by youthful excitement we ate a fast breakfast Helen, Vish and I launched our motorbikes into the park! The long winding roads lack of traffic provokes my buddy Vish into testing out the hi-speed capabilities of his motorbike (which we later learned had a leaky tire that went flat). I being much too cautious (read as: nervous) took a steady pace and enjoyed riding through the mountains. Passing through a small village on the way to the beach, it was obvious that time wasn't as important here, no hour counting or time maximising like in the city. Our first stop of the day was a famous cavern nearby our camp site that had been visited by many of Thailand's royalty. As we parked our bikes by the beachside, we had the option of taking a water taxi for a pretty costly fee, or the cheap walking fee. We chose to walk, climbing up a rocky path following the shore. The view was great. The exercise was welcomed and it gave us something to jokingly complain about.

Location: Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Thailand Date: July 2nd, 2014 Notes: After returning from India, I intended to go back to work straight away, but seeing as July 4th was fast approaching and the fact that work didn't expect me back until the end of July anyway, I arranged a quick camping trip with my friends Helen and Vish ( a lovely couple who I study with at Uni). The first day on site was exciting, the flat winding road into the park was surrounded by many sudden mountains that just burst from the ground. Completely without any gentle hilly grading upward. Just flat land, mountain, no in middle ground. We had found and made camp in the last hours of daylight and we scrambled to collect firewood and start a fire before it became dark. Cooking campfire meal of baked beans, baked potatoes, vegetarian chilli while looking up at the stars really helped unwind after my previous trip. The only downside, and it was a terrible downside, was the tent. Having borrowed the tent from Helen and Vish's friend the tent was insulated for colder weather environments, which we didn't know until we decided to go to bed for the night. After 5 mins the tent was a sweat lodge! Thailand's summer nights cooked the inside of that tent. None of us slept well, trying a variety of methods, such as opening the tent flaps (mosquitos were a slightly lessor evil to us) and even sleeping outside in our sleeping bags (mosquitos forcing us back inside). It took us collectively about 4 hours to fall asleep and collectively woke up a bit before day break. We didn't waste any time getting up, showering and then working out the cramps in our bodies whilst enjoying a perfect sunrise on the beach!

Location: Dharmasala, India Date: June 24th, 2014 Notes:  This is my last image from India, a single Himalayan peak off in the distance. The mountains and wilderness had been the original reason I wanted to visit India and Nepal, but by the time I had left Dharmasala on a bus back to Delhi I found myself not wanting to continue, nor did I feel I had the energy. So upon arrival in Delhi I booked myself a flight from India back home to Thailand. Many people asked me why I had returned to so soon, after departing, speculating a whole range of reasons. And for each person I gave a variety of half answers partly because I didn't know why, and the part I did know I didn't want to accept. To clarify, it wasn't anything to do with India itself or the act of travelling in any way. The problem was a sort of mental dark cloud that I had been fighting off successfully before, due to work and school had successfully stuck itself to floating above me for months afterwords, and still reappears from time to time. Having recently become interested in Philosophy and within that domain concerned deeply with ethics, I began to deeply question my own lifestyle and values, and the lives of others. Questions of material wealth, environmental destruction, how best to be part of a society or at least how best to survive in my own in modern society bogged me down... Lately I've been feeling better not cured, but more willing to pursue the lifestyle I want to live, less willing to compromise or fall in with societies norms for the sake of refusal to challenge systems I was raised to believe in from youth. Anyway this entry is a bit more personal (emotional) than previous entries. My initial goal when starting this blog was to avoid being overtly personal and to focus on the bright side of travel. The mountain in the photo above is perhaps one of my favorite photo's, because I will travel back to India and Nepal and climb its mountains and visit its wilderness, its kinda a mental promise. A person should not only have positive associations with travelling. In fact if a well travelled person told me that they had loved every adventure they embarked upon I would doubt their honesty, towards themselves or me. Secondly I would doubt the type of travelling they do and would suggest they seek a greater challenge when travelling.

Location: Dharmasala, India Date: June 21st, 2014 Notes: Snapshops of passersby whilst eating in Momo Cafe

Location: Dharmasala, India Date: June 20th, 2014 Notes:  To escape the heat I went northward into the mountains to discover a bit of wilderness and see a bit of village life. I was directed to go north to Dharmasala where a friend could set me up with a nice room that had a view directly overlooking the valley. Dharmasala although a small village definitely shows signs of become a tourist trap with hotels and bars and clubs springing forth from the earth to house backpacking hippies looking for soul inspiring moments and Indian families looking to escape the summer heat. Underneath that current lies the slower current of village locals (Indian and Tibetan) trying to make a living. My hotel was directly behind the Tibetan children school and it was great to spend an afternoon watching them run around or studying, trying to preserve their cultural identity. The village is filled with posters and signs part propaganda part plea to passersby to side with a free Tibet. By the way, anyone who has been to Dharmsala should recognise Momo Cafe. If your looking for good food,  look no further. Its cozy, and the posted hours are reliable either in summer or in winter.

Location: "Streetshots", India Date: June, 2014 Notes: This post will be light on words, heavy in images. Before the journey moved northward towards Dharmasala  I wanted to share some intimate details of daily life in India that I observed while walking around.

Location: Taj Mahal, Agra, India Date: June 15th, 2014 Notes: Woke up at 5am to catch a last minute bus from Delhi to Agra for a day trip to visit the Taj.  It was a  beautiful ride through countryside, passing small villages with mud / clay huts and dry farmers fields. I was impacted greatly by how dry the area was and I came to realise how important access to water is. How frustrating and worrisome it must be to forced to dig out a well and hope for safe drinking water. It was a forceful reminder of how many things I and many others take for more than granted, but think is a universal law that water will be around and provided for us. On a another note, arriving in Agra, and more importantly at the Taj was a great treat for myself. A wonder of the world, presented grandly once you walked through the inner gateway. As was typical with this style of architecture, proportions, size and scale are distorted through design. The Taj looks minuscule from the entrance, and then quickly rises before you as you walk 5 mins later to the base of the building. Inside there are no pictures allowed of the tomb, and though many people choose to ignore the rule, I did witness an (unlucky) local man try to snap a photo get caught by security staff. He was then grabbed by his shirt collar and bodily pushed out of the building. I took some mental snap-shots and headed out to look for some grub and a place to relax while waiting for my bus ride home.

Location: Red Fort, New Delhi, India Date: June 13th, 2014 Notes: After taking the subway to nearest metro station towards the Delhi’s Red Fort, I was told that it would be easily in walking distance from the station. In reality as soon as I had exited the station it took me three laps around the building to find the direction I wanted to head in, then when asking a local shop owner what street I had to walk down he pointed me in the wrong direction...little did I know I was a part of a little scheme. Out of the corner of my eye as I saw the shop owner direct a rickshaw taxi towards me and then the games began! He was determined to drive me to the Red Fort, and I was determined to walk there. A true battle of wills as I kept walking, getting farther and farther away, he went against traffic and people, getting on and off his vehicle to follow me on foot, all in a bid to drive me where I knew I could walk to. Finally in a desperate plea, he informed that the Fort was in the other direction and that the shop owner had misguided me. Instead of turning around I decided to take the long way around, through some neighbourhoods and enjoy the scenic road to the Fort on foot, in 40+ degree weather. Took me about 30 mins longer to get to the Fort but it was worth it. Sometimes I’m stubborn. The Fort itself is very impressive from the outside (As a fort should be). Long walls stretching far off into the distance on either side of the entrance, guarded by police officers and soldiers.  India unlike a lot of countries with beautiful historical sites, takes very good care of its cultural history. Inside the fort, the size of the walls falls away from memory and you find yourself in a large courtyard area, with an array of different buildings from barracks to mosques. Although pleasant walking around the gardens pathways, the heat took its toll and I took my leave after thirty mins. It was time to head home and plan my trip to Agra, and then further north.

Location: Humayun Tomb, New Delhi, India Date: June 12th, 2014 Notes: Day one in India began with a lovely home cooked breakfast by the owner of the hostel. He set me up with a palm sized set of instructions and a tiny map, and I launched myself into the city. It had easily reached 40C before midday, so after about the distance of one block, I decided I had better stock up on water bottles for the day. ( I had witnessed two separate couples take rooms in the hostel in the following days who had a partner who was suffering from heat exhaustion). I was particularly excited to visit old Mughal architecture for this trip and it didn't disappoint in the least. I had taken a interest recently in geometric patterns and "sacred geometry" so patterns and fine details crafted into the building was astounding. I was struck with the interesting realisation that it took years, or sometimes decades to raise these structures, and they did themselves no favours by adding all these fine ornamental details. I had to wonder, how a contemporary architect would approach adding this kind of detail into an age where buildings that are sleek and 'minimalistic' in very much in vogue.

Location: Rice village outside Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand Date: April 14th, 2014 Notes: An Overnight Bus Straight to the Temple 2 / 2 The ceremony for the promotion of the head monk was beautiful, but I had my eyes set on platters of food, that was placed in front of everyone. Unfortunately even after the ceremony, laymen cannot begin eating until the monks have finished their meals, the monks take their time because its their only meal of the day, not eating any solid foods for the rest of the day. After lunch I manage to snap a (blurry!) photo of the youngest monks, all kids and young teenagers. They perfectly arrange themselves in a moment and as soon as I thanked them and turn around I hear one of them say "Fuck you"! I have to admit I was shocked to hear this, but couldn't help covering a smile as I walked away. American movie culture spreads far and wide, and even people who can't say more than "hello" in english will eventually learn this word. I'll refrain from thinking of if they truly understood this word or not, at least for my peace of mind.

Location: Rice village outside Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand Date: April 14th, 2014 Notes: An Overnight Bus Straight to the Temple 1 / 2 After resting in Bangkok for a few days to wash my clothes, and to play with iced water and squirt guns in the city streets. I repacked my belongings and met my friends at the local bus depot for an overnight trip to their hometown on the outskirts of Ubon Ratchathani, in the Isan region of North East Thailand. (This was actually my second time returning to village, after spending a week the previous year, studying and living as a monk in the small rice village.) The village is small, there is just as good as a chance to see buffalo walking down the streets as a motorbike driving by with a 13 year old at the wheel, and his friends on the back. For the full time residents, money is made by growing rice. There isn't a computer to be seen anywhere, and only family visiting from working in Bangkok have smart phones and 3G access. T.V. in the evening or drinking is after work entertainment. After arriving in the early morning, we take a taxi to my friends house where we crash for a few more hours until a 11:00am, where I awoken by loud music and a parade of people with trees made of money to be donated to the local temple. I'm in luck because besides being the day the village celebrates Songkran, two new monks are being inducted to the church, as well as the head monk received a raise in rank and given a new title. I was heavily encouraged to walk around and take a as much photos as I wanted during the time I was here. I was told by my friend that a lot of people wanted me to take their portrait taken by the young foreigner with the old fashioned camera.

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand Date: April 10th, 2014 Notes: 2 / 2 Final Day in Chiang Mai, Baan Phor Liang Meun After being dropped off back in Chiang Mai, I took a last stroll around the Old Town and try to find one last gem before heading back to the guest house for my early morning flight back to Bangkok the next day. It didn't take much walking before I found myself, looking through an ancient looking doorway, into a beautiful garden courtyard. The garden is called Baan Phor Liang Meun and they collect terracotta sculptures and decorations. I hadn't known this when I walked to be honest, I had just charmed by the sweet old lady who welcomed me in and by a well maintained garden. The floor is a bit spongy as moss covers the majority of the stone walkway. The trees are a perfect protector from the sun, and its noticeably more humid inside the garden than outside. It takes about five cautious steps before -whoosh- I am no longer in modern Thailand, am in an ancient place, the broken statues solemn reminders of the actions of people who died long before me, or even my grandparents. There are too many places to look, to many things to touch. I enjoy touching things I am interested in, some people think its a bit strange. I'll make a big effort to touch a leaf, touch the moss on the ground or a particularly cool looking sculpture hidden behind ten others. I think many people are disconnected with a variety of textures now, we feel plastic, metal, and refined smooth objects all day long at home, it seems a pity to let our hands, which have such a developed and sensitive nervous system to let me never feel variety. We're always told look but don't touch. Visual memory is often very fleeting, hence our need for photographs and visual reminders. Tactility is more visceral, hands remember things they've felt before. As the sun starts setting I force myself out of this lovely little time machine, and the very second my feet step past the threshold, the little granny is locking up behind me, lunch pail in hand, and starts walking home. I felt bad for making her wait, but also very grateful she let me take my own time before closing.

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand Date: April 10th, 2014 Notes: 1 / 2 Final Day in Chiang Mai, Zip-line Adventure For my last day in Chiang Mai I decided that I was going to do something that I have wanted to do since arriving in Thailand two years ago. Zip-line through some jungle! I first came across this idea when I was still living in the US and when I researching everything I could about "daily life in Bangkok/Thailand" and came across a vacation video of some people doing this in Thailand. I can't say why or how, but the idea of me flying through some trees burnt itself into my memory. I think because this at the time was the closest visual image I could imagine for how my life would change after going overseas for the first time. In reality Zip-lining could express my life here so far really well. When I first got hooked into the harness, I was so eager to get going. But when it finally got to starting I was so nervous, I had to bite my lip to step off the platform the first time. Once your free flying through the trees, your experiencing so many things at once, the speed doesn't allow you to gaze at everything, You're trying your best to feel every sense all at once. Once I had gone a few times the fear was gone, the excitement stayed and I wanted to fly as much as possible. (Exactly how I feel about travelling internationally or locally now as well.) Although zip-lining also has lots of waiting. There is a group, and the entire group must cross first before we could move on. (Daily life, working, waiting, shopping) Even in the unusual setting of being on a platform meters above the group can seem dull after enough time waiting. I had to remind myself to be aware of the scenery, the sights and sounds. It was beautiful, and I would miss it if I didn't pay attention. This was one of the most expensive parts of my trip, but I enjoyed it. They had very friendly staff and provided transportation and a free lunch. The price wasn't much compared to crossing this off my bucket list.

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. – Ralph Waldo Emerson