Back in New Zealand

I arrived and entered the country without incident, though the immigration lines were long and they appeared to be inquiring everyone. I watched as the girl in front of me had to prove "onward travel" and the adjacent woman was asked about work status. Everyone seemed to be taking forever. I geared up for the interrogation myself. I stepped to the line with my "fully refundable" plane ticket receipt in hand and copy of immunizations. I wondered if I should have printed out bank statements, just in case. I hadn't even checked on the entrance requirements that extensively.

I stepped to the counter and presented my passport. The customs guy said, "You're just visiting, right?" I said, "I worked here last year but just traveling and then I'm going to watch my students graduate in May." He started flipping through my passport. I said, "If you're looking for my old work visa, it's at the back." "No," he says, "I was just looking for an empty page." Within two minutes, I was through immigration with nary a question nor showing any proof of onward travel. That USA passport is so easy to travel on... Another blessing of birth.

The show playing is "Glorious Auckland" right now... meaning it's about 70 and sunny (no wind) with fluffy white clouds in the sky. Yesterday I took the airport bus to town and walked into the university where they all asked, "Are you coming back? You're coming back!" That was nice. I'm not coming back. But it does feel really nice here- I know why people are blown away by NZ now. It looks amazing. Green. Clean air. Amazing crystal aqua water surrounding the city. And it acutally seems quiet, peaceful and non-trafficy compared to Asia. Funny.

I'm staying with Wanda, my old co-worker optometrist in the most amazing bed with a down duvet. This morning, I rode to work with her and walked through the dewy green grass of the Domain Park to the library. Next, I plan to go to my little coffee shop Kokako. I have a fairly long list of things to tie up, but I'm happy to be working on that.

I know this sounds cheesy, but I feel so lucky to be living this life. I'm really happy.

Among the Multitude

Among the men and women, the multitude,
I perceive one picking me out by secret and divine signs,
Acknowledging none else, not parent, wife, husband, brother, child any nearer than I am.
Some are baffled, but that one is not- that one knows me.

Ah lover and perfect equal,
I meant that you should discover me so by faint indirections,
And I when I meet you mean to discover you by the like in you.

-Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass

Grand finale Thailand photos

This is my final posting from Thailand. I'm sitting in my little cafe in Chiang Mai, J J Bakery, which is run by the sweetest Thai man ever. He spent a number of years in New Zealand and speaks English with a mild, endearing lisp. They have the tastiest coffee in Thailand and a peaceful atmosphere as well. In a few hours, I'm off to Bangkok on the overnight train. Tomorrow I'll fly out to Auckland.

I spent the previous two days visiting Pun Pun Farm, just outside of Chiang Mai, where they practice seed preservation and sustainable building. Unfortunately, I spent 24 of the 48 hours sleeping and trying to fend off the grand finale Asian sickness. I'm not sure how one can get a sinus infection AND digestive disaster in the same illness, but I did it again. So I doped myself up with Augmentin, Excedrin, and fizzy vitamin drink. Luckily, the first day I helped with some of the building before my entire body went into lock-down mode, so the trip there wasn't completely for naught.


Elephant bridge in Chiang Mai.

Mangosteen fruit. You just eat the white part- the rest of it is VERY bitter.

Here's the truck we rode to the farm. The two other white guys were on their way to a neighbouring farm to work there- (They'd already worked at that farm for about 12 days and had to do a visa run to renew their visa.) One was from Portland, OR and the other from Prince Edward Island. The guy from Portland had VERY thick glasses. After staring at him for a while, I asked, "Are you a -15.00?" He said, "Yes." I said, "I've met you before, a long time ago at a party." We tried to reconstruct the meeting and eventually figured out where it was - still cannot recall what the party was for... strange small world. BTW, two kiwi guys just walked by who I met a week ago in the hills. One of them was very good friends with my student, Varny. It is a small world.

Nothing better to do than document myself SICK again! Heheh. It's sort of self-punishment. Yes, it is possible to stay THIS white after four months in Asia. I'm not sure whose genetics I am to blame for this.

How I spent my day before I moved to the bed for more rest.

Tools for making bricks.

Bricks laid out to dry and the community centre.

Peggy's new house.

The house that I was helping build the first day.

The road to the farm. (It's up on the hill.)

Thai Farm cooking class in Chiang Mai

Thus begins the day, in the market. I took this one just for you meat eaters out there. It didn't even smell bad actually, so must've been fresh. Still doesn't make me want to eat the stuff.
Rachel with the rice. I can now tell the difference between sticky rice vs jasmine rice.

Yum, veggies! My dream world.

Your usual senorita Thai cooking costume modeled by tall blonde girl.

Mare learning to make Chicken Basil with our instructor.

The first three dishes I made were: (L to R) green curry, papaya salad, tom yum soup. Later we cooked pad thai and mango with sticky rice to take-away for later. I was full for TWO days.

Rachel and Mare in the back of the songtheaw (a pick-up which has been converted to public transportation).

Where we had fruit shakes - in the alley by our guesthouse in Chiang Mai.

My foot and the coffee shop where I whiled away yesterday afternoon.

Northern Thailand and Burma photos

I was trying to see what I'd look like with dread locks. Can't really tell from this. Would it be a good idea? I finally have hair...

The white temple in Chiang Rai. It looks more impressive than it actually is. It's very small. And very white, with these little mirror chips all over the outside.

I thought this was a little more than creepy. It's just around the white temple. See the one hand with the red fingernail?

Another "rustic" room- it's where I stayed in the hills outside of Chiang Rai- with the "villagers" but it was really a commercial venture and a little bit of nature.

View from the porch in the highlands. Two of the guides lived in the far room.

This was the village we stayed in. You can see they were not hurting for money even if the housing was simple- there's a new pick up hidden under the tarp. Two guys were building a bamboo house, all by hand. All the villagers had TVs and sattelites.

The restaurant overlooked this. Not too bad.

Me working super hard again. I fear for myself when I have to get a real job.

Burma. From the Thailand side. It seems like it would be so easy to swim across.

I so love my blue stuff. This is in Mae Sai, Thailand, the border town with Burma.

My blue lightbulb fetish.

These are just not witty descriptions today. I liked the alley/canal way.

The cutest Buddha belly I've seen in all of Asia. It looks like MY Buddha belly! :)

Just as we crossed into Burma.

The market. People were quite sweet over there.

Rachel. And the cooking ladies behind her.

Me with our eggs, rice and what we thought were cooked peanuts or beans. Then added a little red chili pepper, some pickled greens and soy sauce and, viola! Breakfast of Champions.

Cute little monks in Burma.

The temporary passport you get when entering Burma. (They keep your real one at the border while you are in the country.) I never really like it when I don't have my passport in hand.

The best breakfast in all of Asia. From the sweetest Thai man. I'll miss the fresh fruit and fresh yogurt and all the veges they have over here for such little prices. It's a vegetarian's dream world. Might I add, this coffee gave both Rachel and me caffeine jitters. It might be the first time in Asia on that one too. Thailand likes to give the farangs instant Nescafe. Barf.

Chiang Mai University Art Museum- a lovely peaceful modern art place. Anywhere that has a bike parked outside gets a nod from me.

Sweet little happy art inside.