Imminent Bliss

So delinquent with posting! Must be having too much fun…

This photo is from our Akha Ama Coffee Journey, a three-day sojourn to a mountain village to witness the seed-to-cup process. It was wonderful: the people, the lessons, the food, the scenery, the conversation. A peaceful way to spend New Year’s and an enriching experience—very inspiring for a positive 2012. 

The Coffee Journey was led by Lee, the founder of Akha Ama and a great bridge between his home village of Maejantai (where members of the Akha tribe live) and us farang (foreigners)/Thais. He led us through a bumpy journey from Chiang Mai with a quick stop for fish noodle soup and a switch from song tau trucks to the bed of some pickups. Bruises along the way! Once we arrived in the village, we had a quick tour and introductions, then a delicious feast of freshly-grown veggies, rice and meat soup. After a campfire it was off to bed by 9 p.m.

The next day, we woke by 7 for coffee and breakfast before setting off on a 90 minute trek to the coffee farm in a nearby valley. Lee’s family works the particular plot of land that we were on, where coffee plants are loving grown next to papaya, banana, apricot, persimmon and other “integrated farming” crops. We spent the day picking ripe coffee cherries on the side of a hill, stopping for a hearty lunch served on banana leaves. Then we trekked back with our bag and a half take for a delicious dinner and New Year’s Eve celebration. After learning about coffee processing from cherry to bean the next morning, we took a moment to bless the newest baby in the village—Lee’s two-week-old niece. Then it was off for another bumpy, dusty journey and a farewell.

All in all, the three-day Coffee Journey was a privilege. We came to understand deeply the intensely difficult work that is growing coffee, and the challenges of life in a rural village. It was beautiful to see how closely the community works together and supports each other. Lots to process and think about…

Happy 2012 to you!

It was the first place where I got terribly sick. We had the best-laid plans to go to a waterfall on the Wednesday after we arrived, but I woke up with those stomach ails that travelers fear the most. I won’t get too graphic, but let’s just say that for two and a half days, I was very glad that we chose the room with the private bathroom, and that I lost about five pounds. Ugh. Sean took great care of me, buying me 30 cent antibiotics after I just couldn’t take it anymore and bringing me rice and coconuts when I could stomach it. Thank god I wasn’t alone!

The 2 full days we were able to enjoy Luang Prabang were lovely, though! It’s very quiet, though it’s jam-packed with older European tourists and not nearly as inexpensive as I’d heard. A nice stopover on any SE Asian trip, with great treks outside the city from what I’ve heard.

At the same time, coming back to Chiang Mai made it feel like home! Sean and I both like the hustle and bustle of a city much of the time, and we so enjoy the people and places we encounter here. It’s all part of the adventure…

Finally, the photos from our trip to Lao PDR (“People’s Democratic Republic”), the former French colony and communist nation to the east of Thailand. We took the slow boat there down the Mekong River and flew back to Chiang Mai after spending five days in Luang Prabang. You all know by now what happened on that trip…but here are the photos from our good times there!

1. Downtown Luang Prabang.
2. The Laotian kip: 8,000 to $1!
3. A slow boat like the one we rode. Seats about 70, plus as many villagers and bags of rice as you can squeeze on.
4. A view of the sunset from the slow boat on our second day. Breathtaking.

Take that, Seattle latte art! At the lovely Akha Ama Coffee. More on the story later…

Now we’re settled into Luang Prabang, the beautiful, sleepy city on the Mekong River that boasts plenty of tourists AND tons of charm. It’s still possible, apparently. That same frustration at seeing so many farang (white foreigner) faces around town turns to ambivalence when you realize that, aside from you being one of them, the presence of so much Western tourism makes it a darn easy town to get around. Prices have gone up a bit (sorry, that’s $20 for a night in a guest house instead of $5) but it’s still a lovely city with beautiful wats, waterfalls just 20 minutes from town, amazing food and lots of atmosphere. It was colonized by the French after all—while the coffee and bread aren’t quite as amazing as they might have been 50 years ago, the colonial houses are gorgeous and a fascinating foil to the humble shacks sitting adjacent. Quite the study in contrasts, as with other places in Southeast Asia. Wealth disparity, poverty alongside technology, high-class service for tourists while families struggle…you get used to these things, I think, and realize that your dollars (or Kip, or baht) are at least fueling the local economy.

Anyway, diatribe aside, we’re enjoying the slow pace of life here. We did find one cafe with very passable coffee that sits across from the river. A great place to relax and read. Also, the last night’s traditional Lao dinner and tonight’s Korean barbecue (that’s right, Danielle) were excellent. I mean, truly memorable—especially tonight: our own little hot pot grill over hot coals with tons of meat, veggies and mushrooms, tamarind sauce and tasty broth. So good. Plus the fruit shakes cooled everything down so nicely…We both ate far past the point of fullness but were so very satisfied. One of our favorite meals on the continent for sure!

We also walked up Phousi Hill to the Wat (temple) at the top, which had tons of interesting Buddha statues (including one each for Monday—Sunday) and a “footprint.” Gorgeous views of the Mekong and the valley below. We will upload pics when we return to Chiang Mai on Monday.

A waterfall trek is on the docket for tomorrow, plus either a motorbike out of town or more trekking on the weekend. Continuing the Lao adventure!

Gorgeous and accessible fun :)

The blessed, beautiful water; the shrines; the “sticky” limestone.

Finally, some images of the Seven Colors Waterfall that Sean and I visited with our friend, Jane, during the 2nd week we were in Chiang Mai! I’ll post in a few batches so they appear larger…anyway, it was so peaceful there, with limestone rocks you could climb right up, warm water and gorgeous jungle flora. A wonderful way to get out of the hustle, bustle and smog of the city without going too far. 

We also stopped at an awesome local food market on the way back, where Sean and I picked up some buffalo meat skewers, sticky rice, pumpkin soup, banana custard and fresh veggies. Markets remain some of my favorite parts of this country…

Another fantastic week. Highlights: lots of semi-spontaneous meetings with kindred spirits here, including a new friend from Portland who does green building, his girlfriend from CO who does cross-cultural communications trainings, two ladies from Belgium who do spirited eco-trekking, and an environmental remediation salesman. Lots of great conversations and potential opportunities for collaboration.

Sean and I also spent some quality time with our Thai friend, Tom, and his nephew, Indy (I know, how much do you want a kid named Indy?), at the aquarium and about town. We visited the lovely Chiang Mai University, ate at a fabulous lakeside restaurant and visited the home of a kind and talented artist—who was instantly inspired to do a charcoal portrait of Sean (a “farang”—white foreigner).

We also had an impromptu (sense a trend here?) Thanksgiving with our American pal Hugh and Swiss friend Katerina (her first). Roasted chicken never tasted so good…though it might have been the MSG. And the pumpkin here is incredible! Even the frozen apple pie tasted amazing because, well, it was Thanksgiving. Sean and I both missed family and friends, but are really enjoying living in the present, too.

Finally, we continue to have quality time with the lovely Ann and Jade from Australia, get some of our independent work done, explore beautiful temples (wats) throughout the city, and experimenting with street food.

Adventure ensues…

What a week. Where to begin? Start with the photos:

1. Great group for Green Drinks Chiang Mai @ the beautiful, peaceful Cafe Compassion. Met awesome people. Ate/drank great, healthy things. Lovely!
2. Gorgeous view of a wat (temple) at night. This one was at the end of the Saturday Walking Market (south of the old city wall), and there was some sort of celebration happening. Lots of dancers and an emcee! There was also a beautiful mini-wat there made all of silver. This place is overflowing with beautiful Buddhist temples.
3. A view of the market: more street food, cheap Chinese goods, beautiful Hill tribe crafts (also possibly from China ;)), curious wares, great people watching…so very many people and so much to see. It takes nearly two hours to walk from one end to the other when it’s crowded. Lots of people are up escaping the flooding in Bangkok, so markets have been extremely packed. Also, many residents here say that Chiang Mai has doubled in popularity—and therefore tourists—in the last 10 years.
4. Don’t look, Laura. Everyone else, can you see in the middle why I took this picture? Let’s just say I had to yank Sean away from this spot very quickly. Shudder.
5. Sean and I still spend plenty of time together :) Don’t worry. We were working at this cute outdoor restaurant whose theme was a bizarre combination of Hawaii 5-O and Hello Kitty. Yeah…anyway, an adorable little boy came around selling lucky flower necklaces. Smelled amazing. We bought them because we’re softies, though!
6. The group (Jade, Ann, Claire, Ryan, Brenna, Sean, me) for “Sunday Night Sushi.” We made this up, of course. An excuse to roll our own sushi in a place where it’s very expensive at restaurants. We did well—the only thing we couldn’t find was pickled ginger. The evening was spent on the rooftop of our guest house, which is set up with lovely plants, tables/chairs, a water feature and a killer view of the city. Also our vantage point for watching the beautiful khom loy display (lantern hot air balloons) during Loy Kratong.
7. It’s an understatement to say that there are more gorgeous flowers in Thailand than you’ll ever see during a Seattle summer. Orchids, birds of paradise, hibiscus, etc. Not to mention papaya, coconut palm and banana trees galore.

That’s a quick taste of our last week. I’ll write more in the next few days—it’s truly been an amazing week!