Bali in Black and White

Temple hoppin' road trip

Searching for Network…

It feels like it has been quite a long time since I have literally been “in the middle of nowhere”. Last year while I was living in China I spent countless weeks heaving a bag of my possessions around rural China. I was very fortunate and had the opportunities of picking tealeaves in the tea plantations in Fu Jian province, learning the traditional cooking styles of the ethnic minority groups in Yunnan and meditating with magenta-robed Tibetan monks in Qinghai. In those experiences I was truly detached from the outside world; I was living in the present, not thinking about the past or the future. So, a year later I finally find myself  "in the middle of nowhere" again-- this time in Thailand. 


When my phone says “Searching for Network” I am suddenly blessed with this feeling of being totally alone; no outsiders can contact me, my BBM can no longer beep, and Facebook updates are put on hold. I now have the ability to put my sole attention on my surroundings. A family of seven generations is nearly spilling out of the truck in front of me on the road, the rubber tree plantations stand erect on the mountainside, my mother is eagerly snapping away on her camera, a sweet melody by Jack Johnson plays in my ear, old antiquated temples hide in the vegetation, monks stand by the roadside waiting to hitchhike, and the picturesque hills of Thailand flicker past me. We are slowly making a road trip back to bustling Bangkok where my phone will without a doubt always have signal. I know it will be a while until I can next have this isolated feeling, but I always look forward to it. 

CAMBODIA

Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, 5 days, 3 orphanages, Angkor Wat, French Colonial buildings, rice paddies, flooding, face paint, bubbles, orphans, laughter, tranquility, poverty, happiness

tangerine robes

Offering food is one of the oldest and most common rituals of Buddhism. At 5 am this morning, my sister and I made a visit to our local outdoor market and offered food to the monks. 

As I knelt to show deference to the monk, I placed flowers, incense sticks and an assortment of Thai delicacies into the monk's bowl. Once the coconut dumplings, curry, rice and bananas were safely inside his bowl, he closed his eyes and began to chant. Although he was fairly ancient, the monk's sonorous voice deafened the bustle of the market. Draped in tangerine colored robes, he raised his antiquated, frail fingers to his creased forehead in a praying position. It seemed that it was because of this absurdity - a foreigner offering food to him - that the monk let the wrinkles around his cheeks gather, exposing a smile full of mustard shaded teeth. 

What a perfect way to start my day :)