Brick Thomas

In the Cu Chi Tunnels of Vietnam

She was late and burst into the hostel like a hurricane hitting the beach. Her eyes darted about wildly. She was searching for the young backpacker who signed up for her tour. There were no young backpackers in the hostel’s community room so she focused her eyes on me. 

“Did you sign up for the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour?” she asked. 

I did. I wanted to see the tunnels that allowed the Viet Cong to…

Coffee and Piranhas In Vietnam

  If I asked you what country grows the best tasting coffee you might say Columbia. After all they produce 15% of the world’s coffee and their Arabica beans are highly sought after by Starbuck’s and others. If you’re more of a traditionalist you might prefer beans from the small highland farms of eastern Ethiopia. That’s where some say the first cup of coffee came from. Or if you have a refined…

In Chicago we called it the Vietnam war. I was too young to serve and too young to understand why guys my brother’s age, swaddled in bloody bandages, were constantly being slipped into the belly of green helicopters by soldiers with cigarette packs strapped to their helmets. Watching the evening news was like watching an episode of Combat but it wasn’t the 1940’s, it was the 1960’s, and the…

My Last Night In Cambodia

  I enjoyed my time in Cambodia but I was ready to move on. I hoped to check in for my morning flight to Saigon the night before but as expected I was too early. It didn’t really matter because I planned to spend the night in the terminal anyway. Then around 11pm I overheard a passenger say, “The airport closes at 1:30 and reopens at 4:30”, my plan to sleep in the airport was dashed. The…

A Walk Through Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sometimes, when I’m wandering cluelessly down a street of an unfamiliar city in a country that doesn’t share my language or alphabet, I wish I had a local with me to explain things. In America, telephone poles have 3 or 4 wires strung from one pole to the next as far as the eye can see. The poles in Siem Reap have dozens of wires. The wires running above my head look like a hundred black snakes…

Sun Rise Over Angkor Wat, Cambodia

From the stairs of the bus I could see through the open air diner to the muddy river meandering on the other side. A silver pot the size of a washtub sat on a bucket of glowing coals belching steam. Bunches of greenish-yellow bananas shared a table with a mound of coconuts and a massive machete. The deck was shaded by young stalks of green bamboo that barely reached the palm fronds woven into…

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Part 2

(Note: This piece deals with an important and difficult moment in history.)

My first few days in Cambodia were unsettling but good for me. Like most tourists I came to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, four hundred acres of jungle, monkeys and temples. But I also wanted to see a country just two generations post genocide. How could such an atrocity have occurred? 

I associate Cambodia with the Vietnam…

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Part 1

At the Phnom Penh airport, before stepping out into the staggering heat, I exchanged a few American dollars for Cambodian riels. An oddity of Cambodia is it uses two different currencies, American dollars for most purchases and Cambodian riels for small purchases. For example, if you are due 10 dollars and fifty cents in change you will be given 10 American dollars and 2000 riels. They don’t use…

Leaving Thailand At Last

The matriarch had flecks of silver in her thick black hair and a soldier straight spine which made her look deceptively tall and regal for being only about 5 feet high. I handed her my room key and thanked her in Thai and English for her exceptional hospitality. She probably didn’t understand my fumble of words but hopefully she saw the gratitude in my eyes. From her furrowed brow I realized she…

Serendipity - Part 2 Thailand

  After a few sips of iced latte a women’s voice asked, “Where are you from?”

Cocking my head toward the sound I noticed bare brown shoulders against a thin white top that started half way down her cleavage and ended an inch or two above a feminine belly button. An intricate flower tattoo sprouted from her right shoulder and another all black tattoo resembling flames lapped up her shoulder blade.…

Serendipity – Part One

  Serendipity is defined as, ‘the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way’. 

When I was sixteen I bicycled across America with a group from Taylor University led by Coach Bob Davenport. I had never heard the word “serendipity” before but Coach used it often. Most of our team were college guys and devout Christians. Others found Jesus along the way. In the…

The Bridge On The River Kwai

  The rusty kickstand gave a metallic squeal as I flicked it toward the ground with my right foot. Lifting the daypack I noticed the wire basket had chewed a thumb size hole through the packs thin skin. The two dollar a day bicycle came with a lock as rusted as its kickstand and so flimsy a three legged poodle could open it with one kick. But it was hard to imagine anyone would want to steal a…

Erawan National Park is a Tarzan-like jungle famous for waterfalls, challenging trails and spectacular swimming holes. Despite the longish bus ride and going it alone I decided to buy a ticket. But when I entered the hostel the affable front desk clerk announced, “Your friend from China here”. 

Similar to the night before when she told me, “Your friend from Holland here,” I was confused. I…

The Death Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Part 2

The Death Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Part 2 

  Songkran is a little like the Bill Murray movie ‘Groundhog Day’. The same thing occurs day after day. The next morning Songkran continued and the manager or perhaps she was the owner, encouraged me to join the kids in front of the hostel. They were slinging ice water at the walkers and slow moving motorbikes. The kids may have been her…

The Death Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Part 1

  The Death Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand – Part 1

My gear fits into a 20 liter pack and a Timbuktu messenger bag so even with stifling heat the short hike from the pier on the Chao Phraya River to the train station wasn’t that taxing. To escape the sun I cut through the shadowy cave-like structure that housed the Rotfai Market. Like many structures in Thailand it was minimal, four open walls…

Thailand at Play and Work

Here’s a few photos I collected in Thailand that I hope depict a side of life there.

  Hammering out alms bowls for the monks.

  Restocking can be tougher than you think.

  Thai boxing or Muay Thai is a form of kick boxing and the nation’s most popular sport. This group of mostly westerners is giving it a try in 100 degree heat.

  An upscale eatery with a roof, table and chairs and plenty of…

A water fight when the temperature is over 100 degrees was a brilliant idea. Thailand came up with it years ago and it corresponds with their New Year’s Day, roughly. The water fight is called Songkran but it lasts much longer than celebrations in America. Thailands’ New Year’s Day is April 15 and the Songkran celebration typically last three days but this year it was extended to 5 and the…