Railay!!

           Perhaps one of the most relaxing and suitable songs for a long drive is “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman. I just visited an incredible complex of 13^th and 16^th century temple ruins in the Sukhothai World Heritage site, and am currently driving approximately 3 hours to Chang Mai. Once again, I am sitting, however I am not in an airport, and the varying scenery of jungle, rivers, rice fields and the occasional vista of distant mountains offers plenty of entertainment. By the way, I am now listening to “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, which is also a great song, and is getting my second recommendation as a good driving song. That said, I have so many great songs on my Favorites Queue that if a different song had come on, it likely would have gotten that recommendation instead.

            On another note, the past week has been an amazing journey filled with beaches, tranquil seaside restaurants, jungle treks, and mischievous monkeys. Safe to say, Railay beach and the surrounding area certainly lived up to expectations. Railay West Beach and East beach were a bit overdeveloped and I would love to have experienced those beaches 15 years ago, however with some motivation you can hike about 10 minutes to get to either TonSai beach or Phra Nang beach which are both more quiet and less developed. TonSai beach also has a wonderful night-life with plenty of restaurants, bars, and cheap accommodation further inland. Also in the Railay area there is an incredible viewpoint you can hike up to, and a lagoon nestled inside of one of the cliff protrusions. Unfortunately I could not do any rock-climbing as a result of my injured ankle.

            All the beaches in the area are stunning partly because they are bordered by giant cliffs several hundred feet tall. Also, in the distance you can see small islands dotting the horizon, adding some character to the sea-view. On Phra Nang beach, there are motorized canoe-boats that sell drinks and food; and I enjoyed a full body oil massage on the beach for a paltry 9 dollars. I originally wanted the $6 back massage option, but she nefariously turned my back massage into a full-body massage in spite of my feeble, half-hearted protests. As a result I had to reluctantly part with 5 extra dollars.. Nonetheless, that was the first professional massage I have ever gotten, and it was worth every penny! I enjoyed the area so much that I abandoned my original plan to visit Koh Phi Phi Island. I also was indecisive with lodging and ended up staying in 4 different hotels, the Garden View Resort being by far my favorite. It comprised of a small bungalow in the jungle with a porch that had an outstanding view of the ocean.

            On a side note, I would like to give a shout-out to my new Chinese friends. I met them at the sea port in Krabi while we were waiting for transport to Railay beach. They were a newly-wed couple on their honeymoon. We managed to have a conversation in broken English, and I managed to introduce myself in Chinese since I have taken one year of Mandarin class. After parting ways in Railay, we ended up meeting up again by coincidence and they brought me out to a wonderful dinner. Anyway, (if you are reading this) thank you, and have a wonderful trip.

            I have now begun the program part of my trip. After coming back to Bangkok, I met up with the other participants in my travel program, all of which are very interesting and sociable. I spent the last 3 nights exploring and making the most of the incredible night scene in Bangkok, usually staying out till 2AM. However, the experiences I have had with the buddies on my trip so far will last a lifetime and are by far worth a few hours of lost sleep. At night, the streets are filled with vendors selling street food, assortments of insects, clothing, fake Ray-Bans and of course the omnipresent local Chang beer. Out of curiosity, I have tried just about every insect offered here, excluding the giant scorpion. Out of grubs, grasshoppers, fried crabs, tarantulas, and crickets, I would say the fried crickets get my recommendation, although the crabs are a close second.

            Anyway, we are almost to Chang Mai where we will be spending two days caving and rock-climbing before beginning a 5 day service project at the Elephant Nature Foundation. Unfortunately I will be unable to participate in the caving and rock-climbing as a result of my ankle, however I am sure I will find plenty of other things to do in Chang Mai instead. Till next time! Ciao! And, as they say in Thailand, Sawat Dee Khap!

Amazing flowers in Sukothai

Sunset at Phra Nang beach

140 foot long Buddha! 

Insects anyone??

Sukothai World Heritage Site

Dinner with my Chinese friends :)

View of Railay beach from my bungalow

Food boats at Phra Nang Beach

Boat ride out to Phra Nang beach

Eating grasshoppers in Bangkok...

Buddha Imposter

The Art of Sitting and Happiness

        I seem to have a knack for getting delayed in airports. On the way back from Peru, I ended up spending the night in Miami airport, then another night in Denver, before finally getting back the 3^rd day. And I didn’t even end up in my hometown of Gillette, mind you. I ended up 2 hours away, but fortunately I have a caring mother willing to drive the 4 hour round trip to pick my jet-lagged body up. If I had chosen to fly to my original destination of Gillette, I would have had to wait another day in Denver as a result of delays and complications.

        I suppose that sitting in airports for extended periods of time is something to be expected with travel, just as food-sickness and mosquito bites are to be expected. So, today I have made a radical decision to embrace extended periods sitting in airports. As a result, I am not perturbed in the least as I sit here in the Bangkok airport, and where I will remain seated for the next 12 hours. In fact, I am quite content; sitting here with a bowl of noodles and a cup of coffee as I dither away on my latest (and late) blog post. I must confess that my placid contentment is occasionally disturbed by fits of uncontrolled wrath and irritation at my present state of forced-seatedness, however I feel this will go away as my mind adjusts to being happy about being delayed in airports. Time will tell.

        I hope your holidays were uneventful and eventful in the appropriate ways. After the final week in Lake Titicaca, (which I must describe), I ended up having a wonderful month back home with friends, family, and of course my incomparable cat, Flopsy. I also had more than a few visits to the Highschool, where I talked in classes, and judged for a practice DECA competition. Perhaps I was reliving my glory days in highschool..  Am I already sentimental about highschool? “Glory days”?? Yikes! I’m starting to talk like an old man now. Perhaps I should have noticed, since I was termed “grandpa” during my trip in Latin America by Maggie, who said I had mannerisms that reminded her of an old man. Dang nabbit.

        On a side note, you may be curious to know that there is new information regarding the consumption of coffee. It is now regarded by some studies as safe, even healthy, to drink large amounts of coffee. This is a relief, as I occasionally go on binge drinking episodes (of coffee of course). The only thing I would recommend if you have now decided to drink large amounts of coffee is to occasionally apply Crest 3D Whitestrips, which will keep your teeth white in spite of all the caffeinated abuse.

        In the past 30 hours, I have spent a total of 20 hours sitting on an airplane getting a progressively more traumatized posterior. My itinerary goes as follows, Denver to Tokyo: 13 hours, Tokyo airport to a different Tokyo airport by bus (resulting from flight cancellation): 1 hour, Tokyo to Bangkok: 7 hours, sitting in Bangkok: 12 hours, Bangkok to Krabi Thailand: 1.5 hours. So, I am really quite close to my final destination, and if all goes as planned I should be sitting on Railey beach by 6 PM tonight. Once I arrive in Krabi, I will take a Taxi to the ocean, where I will hop on a boat for a 10 minutes ride to Railey beach, which is apparently only accessible by the ocean.

        Railey beach is perhaps one of the most spectacular beaches in the world, and within hopping distance of several equally spectacular beaches and islands. In fact, the film “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed on Phi Phi Island, which is a 3 dollar boat ride from where I will be staying! As you can imagine, however, the notoriety given by that film has turned “The Beach” into something more suitably described as “The Zoo”.  Nonetheless, I plan to visit this spectacular beach, and with any luck there won’t be too many other people with the same plan.

        Anyway, I have one week of independent travel before I start a 2 month program similar to the one I participated in throughout Latin America. Then, I have 1 more week of independent travel at the end of my trip before returning home. I am excited by this new set-up, as I will get some independent experience, along with the service and learning aspects of a program.

        I have some more sitting to do, and some caffeinated abuse to partake in, so I guess I will let you go now. I hope all is well, and I will let you know if Railey beach and the surrounding areas stack up to the expectations. As always, stay classy, and till next time!

Goodbye Mum!

Working out with a messed up ankle is possible! (6 weeks in a boot) May this picture inspire you... x)

What I look like after getting a traumatized posterior and caffeinated abuse.

What I look like before all that happens. 

#BroPic #FinalNight. Miss you guys! From Left: Joe, Wyatt, Myself, Brad.

Quick Update

I am about to head out to an island in Lake Titicaca where we will be spending the next 6 days in a homestay. Unfortunately I will not have WiFi to post a blog update there, so I have to do so now. I will come back and post a more detailed blog, however here is a quick 5 minute update on what I did over the past week. In Patabamba, we built 2 stoves a day, and designed them so the smoke would be carried out of the homes. We stayed in a community house, and my group had fun playing soccar several of the days. After returning to Cusco, we spent 3 days teaching and assisting at a local school on the outskirts of Cusco, through a program called Helping Hands. I will have more photos as well when I return from my homestay, and have time to use the WiFi in Lima. Anyway, we just took an all night double-decker bus to Puno, arriving here at 5 AM, and now, at 9 AM we are heading out to our Homestays! Till next time!

ahh, the crutch life x)

P.E.R.U.

Hand Stand!

I am fortunate to have had only one case of food sickness on this trip, and virtually no injuries! However, my streak of good luck ended abruptly two days ago during a game of tag with the children at the orphanage near Urubamba.. Instead of running away from all the little girls that were chasing me, I would allow them to come straight up to me, and then cleverly evade them by hopping backwards and sideways, always staying a finger-breadth away from being caught. However, this technique ended somewhat dismally when I landed sideways on  my right foot with the full weight of my massively heavy frame (sarcasm) to the

How did I fall? Cred: Cutcaster.com

sound of a crack as my foot folded inwards. Needless to say, I crumpled like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately there was no x-ray facility in Urubamba, so I spent the rest of the day taking a taxi to Cusco, receiving an x-ray, receiving pain medication, and then having a dinner of sheep heart. Unfortunately, I likely tore the lateral ligaments on the outside of my ankle, which now becomes dislocated with the slightest pressure, so I'll be spending the remainder of this trip hobbling around on crutches. On another note, the dinner of sheep's heart was extremely tender and flavorful, and I highly recommend it. So, if you are ever in Cusco, don't hesitate to stop into the Condorito Restaurant! If
you are feeling a bit more adventurous you can try their other specialty of sheep intestines.
              After the past week in Urubamba, I am unsure whether my hands will ever return to their former color. After painting with oil-based paints the past week, my hands look like misshapen rainbows, with a couple paint splatters on top, as though Jackson Pollock were adding his finishing touch. At 8 every morning my group would take a public bus to an orphanage about an hour out of Urubamba, where we would paint their playground and basketball court till 1:30. Then, after the children returned from school, we would spend time with them until 4 or 5. Whether down in the Amazon Basin, up in the Andes in Guachinguero, or in an orphanage in Peru, it seems all children have a predisposition to being spun in circles, carried on shoulders, or chased. It has been great exercise, and I also could practice my Spanish on an audience that doesn't mind too many grammatical errors.
Before Urubamba, we spent a few days in the valley-town of Cusco. The flight into Cusco was incredible, and I only wish I had a window seat. The area surrounding Cusco is comprised of mountains and craggy earth, before opening up to a vast valley filled with ancient stone structures and rows of grey and red-tiled buildings. These structures fill almost every square foot of the valley floor, before creeping up the sides of the mountains. All the streets are made of cobble-stone, a few even made of small round stones. Some of the streets within Cusco look almost vertical, as the buildings seep up mini-gorges within the valley floor. Walking through Cusco you can't escape the countless stores selling all manner of alpaca wool garments, hand-formed clay mugs, vibrantly colored jewelry, and touristy trinkets. It is almost like the market in Otavalo, only all the items are situated in stores within a beautiful European-style setting.

Mystically beautiful cloud.

           After Cusco, we took a train up to Aguas Calientes, which served as our jumping point to visit Machu Picchu over the next 2 days. By some stroke of good fortune, we had perfect weather both days for viewing the ancient Incan ruins. We were even graced with the presence of wispy clouds wreathing the mountain above Machu Picchu, adding some mystical beauty to the scene. Looking at the vast scale of Machu Picchu and the unbelievable effort it must have taken to build exacting structures out of stones with such precision, it was difficult to fathom the culture and the area as it existed 600 years ago. The second day we also hiked up to Wayna Picchu, which allowed us peer down upon Machu Picchu from the top of a mountain peak (the mountain peak in the center of this picture, wrapped in a 'mystical' cloud). By another stroke of good luck, my water-logged camera recently decided to begin working again, so I was able to snap high-quality pictures to my heart's content (nothing against my iPad's camera; you have served me well).
  I have a couple days left of foggy-mindedness before I no longer need my pain-medication. However, my armpits are hurting more from my crutches now than my ankle does, which is a good thing, i think..?  Fortunately, Urubamba is filled with little motorized tuk-tuks which can take me anywhere in the city for approximately one dollar. I honestly think the tuk-tuk drivers are low-balling their service, and they could easily squeeze 2 or 3 more dollars out of me for every ride, but don't tell them I said that. Anyway, next week we transfer to Patabamba where we begin our "Clean-stove" project, where we will be constructing stoves and exhaust systems to foster a healthier environment for the people there. Till next time!

Cusco Calling

The old and the new (Incan stonework).

Cusco Cathedral

Aguas Calientes

Looks like a wonder of the world, eh?

More wonder.

Imagine if this were your bedroom..

An Incan ruin dropping into oblivion.

B.E.A.U.T.F.U.L.

Teamwork at its best.

Reminiscing 8th grade pottery class.

Taking it back 5 years to Vietnam!

The painting bond..

Ahh, the days when I could spin in circles.

Guachinguero to Otavalo

View of. . well you know where this is.

I wrote this blog a few days ago, however have not had the opportunity to post it until now. Here is my blog relating to the service week in Guachinguero, Ecuador. Currently, however, I am in Urubamba, Peru, after having just arrived to a hostel via a Train from Aguas Calientes, Peru. I will post a sneak-peak picture of what I have done over the past few days, however I will go into greater detail in my following blog!
P.S. All photos on this post, except the ones I am in, are my own work.

Prior Blog:
            Writing while listening to music is a dangerous thing. I have discovered that the style, mood, and general feel of my writing can be completely dictated by the style, mood, and general feel of the music I'm listening to. If I am not careful, and place my music service, Spotify, on "Shuffle" I can end up with a general mash of all types of interesting writing styles. One paragraph, while listening to, say, "Only Time" by Enya or "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young might be pensive and philosophical, while the next paragraph while listening to "Tiny Dancer" could be nostalgic, while "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond could make my paragraph inexplicably energetic and upbeat. If I listen to a marathon song by The Doors, such as "The End", I might simply get lost in a mumbling jumble of incoherency.. So, I apologize in advance if there are any odd shifts in this blog, because I don't have the energy to make a Queue, leaving "Shuffle" as my only option..
Currently I am writing this surrounded by about a dozen children from the local school up here i'n Otavalo. I had just finished my lunch of pasta, and set down to write this blog with some NesCafe, when I was mobbed out of the blue and surrounded by about a dozen kids from the classroom directly adjacent to the kitchen.
Anyway, back to the subject. Although the fact that I am being crawled over by a dozen children is occupying my mind right now, I will write more on what we have been doing over the past week. First of all, Otavalo has been one of the most immersive cultural experiences thus far in the trip. After leaving Quito, we believed we were going straight to the public school in Guachinguero, which is run with the assistance and volunteer work of The Tandana Foundation. However, we instead spent a night in Otavalo. Arriving mid-day we met with the Tandana volunteers, had a brief orientation, and then had time to explore the town. Otavalo has an incredible open-air food and clothes market. The second day in Otavalo, we purchased large quantities of food supplies for our next week up in Guachinguero. Our group split 3 ways, and my group was in charge of purchasing bread supplies. We ended up purchasing 25 pounds of flour, along with all the other ingredients, which would later be used to make 325 small loaves of bread, most of which would be given to families in the nearby community. The food market was incredible; we couldn't stop staring at all the makeshift stalls selling whole fish, cow fetus, raw hunks of meat, cow stomach, and piles of vegetables. It wasn’t the refined and quiet environment familiar in the United States, but rather a dirty, raw, and visceral environment that moved with its own kind of efficiency and finesse.
Before leaving for Guachinguero, we gathered up lunch supplies and went to a thrumming little nature reserve where we ate in the grass while cows came up and sniffed our heads. One nuzzled my hand, and I took it as an inter-species bonding moment, however it soon followed its nuzzle with a deep grumble and a toss of the head, which changed my mind and sent me scrambling to the other side of a tree.. I am apparently not a cow whisperer. After lunch we spent time at yet another beautiful waterfall before returning to the bus and heading up to the school.
           After arriving at the school in Guachinguero we were happily greeted by throngs of smiling children. They all clambered around our bus and greeted us warmly. They then formed a line behind our bus, grabbed our bags, and somehow hauled them into the small community room where we would be sleeping the coming week. It was comical to watch, as the children rushed to grab bags larger than themselves and somehow managed to run with them into our room!
Over the coming days we spent our time prepping and plastering a future school building, painting the plaster, cooking and cleaning meals, teaching english in the school, attending a local wedding, shopping at the largest open market event in South America, and attending a class for traditional Ecuadorian cooking. Over five days, we spent our time from 8 till 1:30 working on the building. In increments we scoured and smoothed the concrete, primed it with a sealant, applied plaster, and finally painted the plaster.
When not working on the painting project, we embarked on excursions to nearby areas. On Saturday we spent our time in the largest open-market event in South America, which is held in Otavalo every Saturday. The market, or rather city-wide sprawl of makeshift stalls, was enormous. An entire city block along with all the surrounding streets were filled with colorful Alpaca fur garments, wooden masks, silver jewelry, hand-made bags, and vibrantly designed rugs. Although there were thousands of stalls to visit and view, I found myself getting hung up on each stall I passed, making forward progress impossible and exasperating my companions. However, we all ended up with great items from the market (and maybe Christmas gifts for you if you're lucky), along with a much better understanding of price negotiation. One of my friends, Alex, was quite happy with his purchase of a beautiful hammock, however his face fell when I told him I purchased an almost identical item for exactly half the price.

lunch above Cuycochi lake

   After the market we had lunch overlooking CuyCochi Lake, which we then zipped across on a boat while listening to the information being presented to us by our Spanish-speaking boat-guide. We then capped off the day by going through a leather-selling district in Cotacachi, where we had another opportunity to negotiate for items and admire the leather craftsmanship. I personally purchased a leather crocodile-Dundee hat which I was extremely happy about getting. However, approximately 25 seconds after my purchase I had acquired a strong sense of buyer's remorse after deciding that Brett looked better in it than I. I then offered to sell it to him for half the price, but he responded that I would have to pay for him to wear it.. Nonetheless, after this rocky start with my hat, the buyer's remorse has thankfully passed and I am quite happy with it once again.
          On Sunday we had the opportunity to attend an event that many would seldom be invited to. Thanks to The Tandana Foundation and their close ties with the community surrounding Guachinguero, we were able to attend a local wedding. All the girls in my group had to dress up in the traditional attire in order to be culturally sensitive, and I chose to wear all white which is traditionally what men wear at an indigenous wedding. At the wedding, men swirled through the crowds holding large buckets of a fermented corn drink. This drink could only be offered to others, and could not be drunk without an invitation to do so. Furthermore, if you accepted the offer, you had to drink the entire cup before returning it to the bucket. At the wedding we all tested our commitment to being open-minded and strong-stomached when we were given bowls full of "Blood of Cow" stew. To create this stew, the Ecuadorians cut up and use nearly every organ within the cow (including the small intestines and stomach) and drain the blood of the cow into the stew. Although from our cultural viewpoint it may seem revolting to eat the intestines, stomach, kidneys, and blood of a cow; it is considered a delicacy in Ecuador. I mainly adopted a no-chew and swallow approach, especially when confronted with the little white rings of intestines. After the meal, we all danced to traditional songs, some of which were incredibly long. A few of the girls in my group had to dance for 30 minutes with a partner to a single song!
         The day after the wedding, the man in charge of directing our volunteer efforts on the plastering project was nowhere to be found. He likely was still mired in the midst of the wedding after-party which is usually a week long. As a result, we instead had a lesson on the Kichwa language. The language, to my inexperienced ears, sounded like an incoherent mash of "s", "k", and "m" noises. However, after an hour of repeating the incoherent mash back to our instructor, we can now mumble a few slightly coherent noises in Kichwa.
             Anyway, this is where we part, and where you stop living vicariously through my blog. All is well down here; I am looking forward to the final chapter in our voyage through Latin America! As for me, I am going to drift off to sleep while listening to "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young, and with any luck I'll get some pensive and philosophical dreams. Till next time! Adios, Ciao, Hasta la vista!

Children unloading our bus

Playing volleyball, after a game of soccer with the students

Plastering one of the rooms

Llama on the loose!

Teaching english, and reading ¨Hop on Pop¨,the book I first learned to read.

Inside the market in Otavalo

Vegetables anyone?

Buying bread supplies for Guachinguero!

Finishing butchering Guinea Pigs for lunch

Swarmed while blogging!

The Painting Process

Franco crying over onions..

I´m proud of this picture. View from the mountains above Quito!