Stories From Thailand

We arrived in Thailand today. This is the 9th country we've visited! We celebrated with a wonderful dinner of Tom Yam soup and steamed sea bass. Tomorrow we head to the west coa

Enough with the long bus rides. We've arrived to Ko Lanta and plan to stay about a week. The narrow island is about 20 x 5 km and has one poorly paved road, wide beaches, and nothing much to do except

Our off-season beach resort on Ko Lanta was nearly empty. With a full week to be productive on a quiet beach, I had the perfect chance to learn the basics of the Thai language. I worked thr

I talked at length about this trip before I left. Most people told me how lucky I was to go and added, "I wish I could do that." I felt the most sympathy for those with a family and a house

We took the snorkel trip from hell. The boatman picked us up that morning half an hour late. His longboat was old -

This evening, Tim and I climbed over a hill at the end of the island into a cove. There, nestled by high cliffs, sat a small secluded beach, perfect for watching the sunset. The tide was ou

We were sorry to say goodbye to Ko Lanta, but were glad to hitch a ride to the pier from Chuey and the staff.

Four months have passed since I last saw a friend from home. And although I've met plenty of new friends along the way, I was happy to hear that Bob was coming to Thailand. Bob is a "friend

People are starting to ask us, after being on the road for 5 months, if we are getting tired - tired of not having the same bed to lie our heads on every night, tired of living out of a backpack, and

The night-bus dropped us off at 6 a.m. in a magnificently seedy place - on the backpacker slum of Kao San Road. At that early hour, the ratio of people drinking coffee and people drinking beer was dea

We just arrived in Bangkok. After wandering for a while down small streets and narrow alleys looking for a place to stay, we found a decent hotel to live in for a couple days. Home has become the plac

Bangkok is one of the top cosmopolitan cities in Asia. To get around one can take a taxi, bus, tuk-tuk, motorcycle or walk. But my favorite is the riverboat. Through Bangkok runs the Choa P

Thai massage is not gentle. It is a deep tissue, cracking, kicking, and squirming event. The massuse's hands are not enough to

The women stared at me in confusion. It's a look I am getting used to. I am standing at a food cart on a busy street in Chinatown ordering steamed dumplings. But when I don't speak Thai, th

Walking through the 13th century ruins of Sukhothai would normally fill me with a sense of historical awe. I'd marvel at the ancient capitol of Thailand, at its Buddhist temples, crumbling pillars, po

The lively market of Sukhothai is full of friendly faces and interesting food.

Yesterday we flew from Hanoi to Bangkok, then we took an overnight train north to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a beautiful old city full of character and charm. The Old City lies in the center, marked by

Tonight, Tim and I set out to find a restaurant highlighted in our guidebook for its delicious fishball soup (ground fish shaped into small balls). We mistakenly walked pass the restaurant so ended up

We found our room and settled in - rent plus two bicycles for a month for less than $80. Why can't D.C. be this cheap?

One of our dreams of our trip was to take a Thai massage course in Thailand. We want to return home able to wow people with our magical hands û relaxing and stretching muscles until they melt. <

After week one of Thai massage class, we have discovered that I am as limber as Michelle is stiff. My muscles feel energized and full of life, while she is walking Chiang Mai like an 80 year old woman

The Buddhist temple of Wat U-Mong is only a couple of kilometers outside of Chiang Mai - an easy distance on my one-gear mountain bike. I arrived with enough time to enjoy the 600-year-old temple's Bu

Yesterday, riding home from class on my bike, my pant leg got caught on a pedal. One minute I was enjoying the sun warming my face and the wind blowing through my hair; I was free, free from class, fr

The sound of children tumbled towards us - squeals, laughter, cries. I led the way up the stairs as five friends from massage class followed. At the top of the stairs were brown doors; not knowing wh

Today we graduated from Thai massage class! I wouldn't say we are experts at this ancient art form, but after 60 hours of in-class practice, we have a solid foundation. And we have diplomas to prove i

I brought Tim along on my return trip to the orphanage. The children piled on top of him, clambering for attention. He handled

Just like everywhere else in the world, welcoming in a new year in Chiang Mai brings much celebration. Last night people dressed in their best to dine, party-goers sat in bars wearing festive hats swa

Food in Southeast Asia is delicious. Our stomachs have grown large as evidence to this fact. Picture the Chinese Buddha with his round robust tummy happily protruding and his smile of contentment. Thi

The sight of two small boys floating down the river, clutching bamboo poles to help them float, greets us. The current quickly carries them out of view. It has late afternoon and we just arrived in Pa

We heard one traveler say, "I've come to the conclusion that the air in Pai is lazy." I couldn't describe the town more clearly m

Elephants are huge. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but that was one of two thoughts running through my head before the

A trickle of sweat rolls down the spine of my back. It tickles a little. The afternoon sun, high above, makes the white pages of my book glaring bright and I have to squint to read. I sit on the bunga

Though we have enjoyed our month in Chiang Mai, it is time to say good-bye to our familiar surroundings and move on to new places. On today's 7.5-hour bus ride - a ride plagued by the choki

It is early morning in Bangkok's busy central train station. We have just arrived on the night train from the border of Laos and have 11 hours to kill before the next train takes us to southern Thaila

It's six in the morning and I am awake to watch the sunrise. We are on a train, heading south to Chaiya. There, we will participate in a ten-day silent meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery. I li

One may ask what we do here at the Suan Mohhk Buddhist meditation retreat - how we fill our days. They keep us pretty busy, as this schedule will testify: 04:00 Rise

At the beginning, keeping silent for ten days seemed like a daunting task. But after five days I am finding it easy and peaceful, even preferable. It is refreshing to be in a group of 140 people and y

Every morning at 4 a.m. a bell rings, calling us away from our dreams. Night still lingers, the moon still shines, and it will be another three hours before the sun's rays arrive. I watch t

The journey of self-discovery is a hard one. By the end of our retreat at Suan Mohhk, our 140-member group had dwindled down to a mere 100. Forty people couldn't handle something - the silence, the so

We ate just twice daily at Suan Mohhk - a bland breakfast of rice soup at 8:00 AM and coconut curry with brown rice for lunch at 12:30 PM. But that left 19.5 hours between meals with nothing more than

We made it! After ten days of silence, deep reflection, early mornings and being separated from each other, the retreat was over. Who ever knew meditation could be so hard? As we stood outs

We weighed our two options carefully: either an overnight train followed by 24 hours of travel on some of the worst roads in the world, or a quick 75-minute hop on a regional airline. We chose the eas