DSC_16461013
Originally uploaded by migratorynature.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN...
Life is interesting when you live in a village. It's the wet season here in Thailand and last night Travis and I got caught in a massive thunder and lightning storm.
We were riding our motorbike from downtown Bangkok back to our home in the village which is normally a 45min bike ride. Then it started dumping buckets on us, sheets of rain piercing our poor little 99-cent wind breakers. We couldn't even see the road in front of us. Pulling over to an abandoned street vendor's tent, we joined other bikers who were huddled together underneath and trying to stay warm while waiting for the storm to pass. Lightning cracked as cars and trucks whizzed by us and the drone of tropical rains beat against the tent. Finally after it let up, we thought we'd give the drive home another go.
Little did we know that our dainty Honda Click also subs as a boat: hydroplaning all over the place, spitting waves and splattering puddles in every direction. The pavement had basically become a slip and slide. Our village turned waterpark with bicycles whizzing by in 15 inches of floodwaters and motorbikes sputtering water out of their tailpipes. "Mai Pen Rai" is the famous Thai phrase, meaning "don't worry about it". You can tell by these photos Travis took that most people in our village don't let a little flooding get them down.
We finally arrived at home cold, tired, hungry and soaked to the bone. Ah, but to fall soundly asleep to the sweet music of the sky's meditation beating on the rooftops and dripping down the window panes makes the crazy all worth it.
We were riding our motorbike from downtown Bangkok back to our home in the village which is normally a 45min bike ride. Then it started dumping buckets on us, sheets of rain piercing our poor little 99-cent wind breakers. We couldn't even see the road in front of us. Pulling over to an abandoned street vendor's tent, we joined other bikers who were huddled together underneath and trying to stay warm while waiting for the storm to pass. Lightning cracked as cars and trucks whizzed by us and the drone of tropical rains beat against the tent. Finally after it let up, we thought we'd give the drive home another go.
Little did we know that our dainty Honda Click also subs as a boat: hydroplaning all over the place, spitting waves and splattering puddles in every direction. The pavement had basically become a slip and slide. Our village turned waterpark with bicycles whizzing by in 15 inches of floodwaters and motorbikes sputtering water out of their tailpipes. "Mai Pen Rai" is the famous Thai phrase, meaning "don't worry about it". You can tell by these photos Travis took that most people in our village don't let a little flooding get them down.
We finally arrived at home cold, tired, hungry and soaked to the bone. Ah, but to fall soundly asleep to the sweet music of the sky's meditation beating on the rooftops and dripping down the window panes makes the crazy all worth it.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
BUDDHA MOUNTAIN
We live a 20 minute motorcycle ride away from the largest park in Bangkok. Employing hundreds of labor hands as a part of the King's project to lower unemployment, the park grounds are immaculate from babbling brooks to marbled picnic areas, to giant statues of Siddhartha himself. The largest of these statues appears as if the Buddha has woken up from his two thousand year slumber, cracked open the marble he's incased in, and stood erect to walk right off the lotus where he was so long perched. Buddha Mountain is a living shrine to Buddhism, the South-East Asian centrifuge of spiritual conventions, rites and massive festivals which are held here every year.
We love to come here on the weekends for picnics and walks around the lake. If you throw a handful of crumbs in the lake a thousand giant endangered cafish will jump out of the water in swarms trying to get a nibble. These fish are perpetually hungry and will eat anything we give them: leftovers, sticks, dirt, etc. They are considered goodluck and are more concentrated in Thailand than in any other place in the world, making them quite rare on the planet but quite a nuisance in Bangkok.
Buddha Mountain also holds the official Buddhist Library of Literature, as well as a massive mural depicitng the history of Buddhism in Thailand ensconsed inside an enourmous gold-leaf layered stupa. There's also a walk-through maze garden in the shape of a mandala and communal house for the royal family when they come to pay homage. We seem to uncover new secrets to Buddha Mountain every time we visit.
Photos coming soon...
We love to come here on the weekends for picnics and walks around the lake. If you throw a handful of crumbs in the lake a thousand giant endangered cafish will jump out of the water in swarms trying to get a nibble. These fish are perpetually hungry and will eat anything we give them: leftovers, sticks, dirt, etc. They are considered goodluck and are more concentrated in Thailand than in any other place in the world, making them quite rare on the planet but quite a nuisance in Bangkok.
Buddha Mountain also holds the official Buddhist Library of Literature, as well as a massive mural depicitng the history of Buddhism in Thailand ensconsed inside an enourmous gold-leaf layered stupa. There's also a walk-through maze garden in the shape of a mandala and communal house for the royal family when they come to pay homage. We seem to uncover new secrets to Buddha Mountain every time we visit.
Photos coming soon...
Monday, July 7, 2008
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