Monday, January 31, 2011

Chuck-It!

It definitely was not an afterthought that brought this arm shaped piece of plastic to Taiwan.  Our dog, Audrey, lives for the moments when it gets pulled off of the shelf.  Her tail wags.  She begins to pant a quick in and out breath.  She does a little prance, bouncing up and down while wiggling her butt.

Trips to the park revolve around her manic desire for retrieving.  The up side is that she runs her little heart out and often collapses in a pile upon our return.  Tired dog, check!  The down side is that the obsessive part of her brain gets put into overdrive.  It consumes her thoughts and is strictly off limits in the house.  At times, she becomes so focused that her eyes roll a bit back into her head and she is unable to listen to basic commands.

The equipment is simple: the chuck-it and a tennis ball.

From Random Taichung


What had not been expected was the Taiwanese response to our daily activity.  Audrey must be the first Chuck-It playing dog in our part of Taichung (if not the city).  People walking in the park often stop and spend 5, 10, 15 minutes or more just watching Audrey run back and forth.  They laugh and make sure that small children, grandparents, or anyone around witnesses the sight of two crazy people chucking a ball for their little black dog who tears off after it only to bring it back and repeat.  Time after time after time.

Krista in full Chuck-It pose:

From Random Taichung


The best response is from the numerous dogs hanging around in the park.  Some of the dogs are on their daily walk while others belong to the local pack - a group of generally nice dogs who live in the surrounding undeveloped areas and survive off restaurant food and other drop offs.  These pooches were not able to comprehend Audrey's behavior when we first began playing.  On some occasions, there were four to five dogs sitting in a row watching her go.  Motionless, except for their heads tracking her movements, they just observed as if trying to determine if this crazy dog of ours is the same species or not...


From Random Taichung

Saturday, January 22, 2011

A return

The images are still vivid in my mind.  The seconds to the end of the game ticked closer and closer to the final whistle.  I made a diagonal run and someone passed the ball to me.  It bounced once, twice, before getting to me and I was boxed in by two defenders.  As I planted my left foot to change directions, a horrible sound erupted.  Like a sky scraper being dynamited, my knee seemed to collapse in sections.  The gripping Astroturf on the indoor soccer court had held my foot and my knee torqued farther than my ACL desired.  Just like that, a sport I had played for 16 years was finished.

Sure, I had surgery.  A strip of my patellar tendon was grafted and fashioned into a new ACL.  "Don't worry, it'll be as good as new," were parting words from my surgeon. A year later and my second trip to the soccer field after surgery nulled those words.  I had come within hairs from tearing the "new" tendon.  My soccer shoes were boxed and mailed to my brother (Jeremie - I hope you put those shoes to good use...) and my days as a soccer player were done.

While living in Guinea, I wandered out onto a soccer field a few times to play with the high schoolers on their red clay court lined by mango trees.  Each time, I felt fortunate to walk back off and never too comfortable playing.  There are just too many other activities to do other than spending more time under the surgeon's blade.

This year, the beginning of the spring semester at my school brought the start of soccer season.  I am coaching the middle school soccer team and will coach the high school students later in the year.  So far, it has been a lot of fun.  Given our small numbers, the team is a combination of boys and girls, those who have played for years and those who are just starting, Chinese language, French conversations and laughter.  It's low key - we only practice twice a week - and the focus is having a good time while learning how to play.  I'm enjoying the return to the pitch!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Bangkok

I have the feeling that Bangkok can be just about anything for anyone.  It's a huge city - with 10 million people, so it is likely that everything is possible.  For us, it was the end of the road for a great trip.  We had spent little time thinking about the big city and arrived without much of an agenda though Krista wanted to shop, shop, shop.  The transportation system from the airport is quite impressive.  We had been told to avoid being in a car as much as possible because the traffic is horrendous.  Attached to the airport is a Sky Train terminal and this elevated train whisked us into the city.  We soon found ourselves in the Banglamphu area of the city and found a hotel.

The big draw of this area is the Grand Palace complex built after King Rama I ascended to the throne.  The building are quite ornate...


From Thailand - Bangkok


In some open air corridors, beautiful wall murals adorn long galleries.  The walls are painted with scenes from the Ramakien, Thailand's national epic.

From Thailand - Bangkok


The vast complex hosts some 34 structures of which some are temples, or wat, throne rooms and other buildings; a portion of these buildings are not open to the public.  In a few places, there are guardians protecting entrances...

From Thailand - Bangkok


or demons holding structures

From Thailand - Bangkok


Near the Grand Palace was a beautiful temple complex named Wat Pho.  This wat is home to the 46 meter long Reclining Buddha


From Thailand - Bangkok


We spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok walking around.  Local markets were bustling and filled with lots of produce and flowers.  The Banglamphu area is also home to Kho San road, which is an active place for tourists.  Within five minutes on this street we probably saw more westerners than in five months of living in Taichung.  Unfortunately, we had waited for the "great deals of Bangkok" and while there were some, items passed on in Chiang Mai had seemed more creative and sold at better prices.


From Thailand - Bangkok

Friday, January 14, 2011

A bus, a boat, a pick-up bed

Happy New Year! The alarm sung much too early to compensate for our late New Year's eve but we had to hustle to find a tuk tuk to the bus station.  Travelling without plans allows the freedom to explore recommendations along the way.  We wanted to go to Chiang Rai and it was recommended that we take the bus to Tha Ton and then the boat to our destination.

The early New Year traffic allowed our bus to quickly leave Chiang Mai and soon we were winding along small roads through a scenic paradise.  The bus seemed like an old diner inside.  The ceilings were highly polished, giving lots of views not normally seen inside a bus.


Rice fields began to appear between bamboo, banana and teak forests. People were picked up and dropped off as our bus headed towards the Myanmar border.  After three and a half hours, we were two of the last people left on the bus as it rolled into the small border town of Tha Ton, the first Thai town that the Mae Kok River enters after leaving Myanmar (Burma).  We were to now catch a long tail boat for a river ride to Chiang Rai.  The boats are called long tails due to the long propeller shaft.  My guess is that this is needed as the Mae Kok runs low at certain times of the year.  Our river captain had to navigate sand bars, hidden boulders and small rapids as we enjoyed the sites:

Monks & Monasteries

Water Buffalo

After an hour riding, our captain pulled over for a quick rest and stretch.

Two and a half hours later we finally arrived at a dock outside of Chiang Rai.  Fortunately, a taxi driver talked us into a ride to town.  We had been under the impression that the boat dock would be near the town center.  If we had walked, the route would have been long, dull and dusty.  The taxi dropped us off at the Akha River House, sister to the Akha Hill House which would be our final destination of the day.

A quick rest found us again piling into a moving vehicle.  This time, we stood in the back of a pick-up truck with eight others as it carried us through breathtaking hills to the Akha Hills House.  The lush green was quite vibrant around us and sparkled in the evening light as we passed bamboo in all stages of growth. (I just learned that bamboo first grow its wood stalk straight up.  It is only later that side shoots with leaves appear.  At this point, the bamboo can be many meters in height.)

As we approached the Akha village, the jungle scenery gave way to neat plantations of tea.  

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pink Sparkling Boxes Filled with Goodness + Weddings = Confused??

Ahhh. . . February is quickly creeping towards us and the wedding season in Taiwan is just beginning.  It is considered quite lucky to be married before the Chinese New Year and many engagements are announced right before the wedding in February.  With any event, I set out to learn what is and what isn’t appropriate during such an event.  I’ve learned that for a wedding gift, it is customary to bring a red envelope.  Within the envelope you place money--quite a bit of it.  The goal is to gift more than the meal you will eat costs.  The money is recorded in a very special journal so that when you get married, the blissfully married couple can gift a red envelope to you that is in excess of what you gave them.  The simplicity of it is somewhat beautiful.  No going out and having to register for gifts.  No fretting over what to get someone.  It is predetermined, decided by some ancient smarty pants desiring to make things just a touch easier.  

Today, being almost Chinese New Years, we received a wedding invitation from our coworker.  It came in the form of a large pink parcel, within the parcel was the invitation, as well as a beautiful (and large) pink box.  



From Random Taichung


Upon opening the box, I discovered such wonders...

From Random Taichung
Now, I’m thoroughly confused.  The box is beautiful, the treats to die for.  The invitation says to RSVP, but do I respond with a card?  Cookies? A red envelope?  Just as soon as I think I’ve got it down, I’m thrown a sparkling bag of goodness. . .

Monday, January 10, 2011

Tap Tap, Lanterns and a street side BBQ

The sky began to fill with yellow glowing dots too close for stars yet likely not invading aliens. We stepped out of the shop and saw people lighting huge rectangular lanterns. As the heat from the flame filled the lantern, it would slowly begin to rise up into the sky to join other floating flames.


From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


Krista and I were at a bamboo tattoo shop. After several days of contemplation, we decided to discover what a bamboo tattoo was all about. Some reports said that it was relatively painless, others that it hurt like hell. All we knew for sure is that this traditional tattoo process has been used for hundreds of years.  A few days ago, as we trekked through a Karen village, we observed many people adorned with multiple tattoos. Typical for females was to have nine out of ten fingers tattooed.  Women often are responsible for feeding livestock and the tattoos are designed to bring health to the animals.  The tenth finger (a pinky on either the left or right hand) is without a tattoo.  This is the chicken-checking finger.  Got eggs?

Males in the village also had many tattoos.  A past rite of passage was a multi-day process resulting in the male becoming so tattooed it would look as if he was wearing shorts.  The pain would increasingly become unbearable and large amounts of opium would be taken to allow the process to continue.  Reportedly, opium is no longer grown in Thailand so the intensive days of tattooing may also be gone.  Our trekking guide (35 years old) told us that his entire village grew opium during his youth.  However, the King banned the growth and the military sponsored many raids, ending this cultivation.  Now, someone found growing opium in his village is expelled.

Our process was much shorter and did not involve opium or other pain-killer.  Jin, a Thai originally from the southern coast, expertly wielded the long piece of bamboo.  On one end he attached multiple needles that were dipped in the ink.  His right hand held the other end and used quick movements to tap the needles as if sending an urgent Morse code.

From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


I opted for Thai lettering

From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


while Krista went big for a lovely pattern along the top of her foot (yep, it hurt).

From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


After finishing, we joined the party in the streets.  Reaching a bridge across the moat to old Chiang Mai, we purchased a lantern, made our wishes for 2011 - it's going to be a big one - and watched our lantern slowly rise into the sky.

From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


On our way home, we stopped by the trekking office for a street BBQ.  These guys can cook anything anywhere and be delicious.  Roo Poo pulled out a guitar for some campfire songs - yes Sunnysiders Country Roads was sung though not by my request - and the evening was ended by sending a second lantern into the sky.

From Thailand: Tattoo & a Happy New Year


Happy New Year!

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Krista and I enjoyed our days in Chiang Mai. The people were friendly, the food phenomenal, and each day presented new adventures. Many of our side trips are written about below but in-between we enjoyed this old town surrounded by a moat. From temples to monks to markets, there was plenty to keep us busy. Here are a few photos as we kicked around town.

Monk school/hanging laundry
From Thailand - Chiang Mai

What to do/not to do while in a temple: pants (not capris or some other outfit that shows leg) must be worn, no displays of affection, and no climbing on the statues
From Thailand - Chiang Mai

From Thailand - Chiang Mai

Inside a temple
From Thailand - Chiang Mai

On Saturday and Sunday nights, different roads in Chiang Mai are shut down and turned into a market. These were the most fun market experiences we had in Thailand. From standard tourist wares to local crafts and lots of street food there was plenty to enjoy.
From Thailand - Chiang Mai

Art stall and clothes rack
From Thailand - Chiang Mai

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pad Thai Pros (we wish)

"It's 8:00. Let's rush to grab breakfast before we are picked up for the day."

Fortunately our breakfast was light as we somehow failed to anticipate an entire day of eating as we cooked at the Basil Cooking School in Chiang Mai. We began the day in the local market talking about ingredients. Get the fish sauce that is clear, not with a yellow tint (fish sauce? isn't that something we steer clear of?). Coconut milk is made from a fresh brown coconut, not a green one. The smaller the pepper, the stronger the kick.

Our instructor, Boom, explains ingredients in the market
From Thailand - Cooking Class

I could barely keep up with the tips and soon we were on our way to a day of cooking school in a kitchen set up with six woks. We each had our own cutting board, set of ingredients and apron.

Krista finished with a complicated cutting routine involving many veggies and sharp knives:
From Thailand - Cooking Class

Pad Thai - a longtime favorite but seemingly too complicated dish was created in a matter of minutes.
"Oh yes, Pad Thai is Thai fast food," laughed the smiling Boon, our energetic instructor. From Pad Thai we moved to Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup and fried spring rolls before a break to rest our tummies. That breakfast proved to be absolutely unnecessary as each dish prepared had to be eaten. Sometimes being a card carrying member of the clean-your-plate club is not a good thing.

We returned from a walk to prepare fried bananas that would be eaten at the end. As always, the kitchen magically cleaned itself and prepped for the next course. This time, we made an incredible cashew nut with chicken dish. Then, large stone mortars were broken out to pound and pound and pound as we made curry paste for Pa-nang Curry. Just as we finished savoring this curry dish, the fried bananas reappeared with a coconut ice cream. Wow!
From Thailand - Cooking Class

By the end of the class, we were rolled out of Boom's house, into a pick-up and carted back to town. The final result was a 4 kg (over 8 pounds!) increase from the precooking weigh-in and a desperate need to sleep.

Trekking out of Chiang Mai

Our rule is:
Leave nothing but footprints,
Take nothing but pictures,
Kill nothing but time.


such were the words on the sign outside of the Pooh Eco-trekking office. We had passed this office earlier in the day while searching for fancy coffee
From Thailand - Chiang Mai
and were again wandering the tiny streets of Chiang Mai trying to find this place again. Turning on a somewhat familiar road we found Pooh's only to be welcomed by the barking of a dog (most dogs love Krista but this one had other thoughts in mind). Shortly after, Pooh scootered up and talked to us about his trek into the hillside. We would visit a Karen (local hill tribe) village and spend some time learning jungle survival. Sounds great! Our guide would be Roo Poo, an absolutely amazing naturalist.

Early the next day, we loaded up and headed out of town stopping to get supplies from a local market.
Buffalo meat:
From Thailand - Trekking

but not pig's head
From Thailand - Trekking

Piled into the back of a covered pick-up truck, we were among eight people: two from France, one Australian, two Japanese and a Dutch-man. We stopped for lunch after several hours of driving from Chiang Mai and were treated to a tasty meal topped off by the fruit of the day. Mango-steen!
From Thailand - Trekking
The white, garlic-clove look alike is eaten and it is delicious.

After lunch, we exchanged our covered bench seat truck for the bed of a pick-up. Packing in with our bags and guides, the direction was set for a Karen village that would be the beginning of our trek. A first stop though was at a gas station to fuel the truck...
From Thailand - Trekking

After bouncing and winding along the side of the hills, sounds of a village were heard and the truck stopped its journey. The time was for us to begin walking and our route began through tobacco fields. In the distance, we observed areas varying in amount of growth. The villagers have a seven year rotation of rice planting. One area is cleared, planted and then allowed to sit for the time period before again being cleared and planted. The hillsides are steep and the work is not easy.

The walk was not strenuous and allowed time to look at action around us. In one place, the insane number of daddy-long leg spiders moving along a hill made a loud rustling noise. Lotus flowers bloomed on a pond.
From Thailand - Trekking

We passed through bamboo groves and areas of regrowth. At one point, Roo Poo went tarantula fishing by sticking a long straw down a hole. (Un)fortunately, the tarantula was taking its mid-afternoon nap and did not come out for a visit. We eventually descended to a stream, forded and met a few local Karen villagers from the village we would sleep that night. They were out fishing for the afternoon and laughed with Roo Poo.
From Thailand - Trekking

As the sun began its downward journey, we started back up the other side of the creek. Before getting to the village, we passed through a large hill planted with cabbage and immense bamboo groves. Finally, we reached our host's home. One nice aspect of this company is that they arrange for homestays on the treks. Each time, people stay in different homes. The house was typical of the others in the village and consisted of an outside and an inside area. The sections adjoined and the structure was raised off of the ground. The inside room was dominated by the cooking fire already lit as we entered. People were soon helping to prepare the dinner and Krista was put on cooking duty, which included keeping the fire hot.

From Thailand - Trekking

The next morning we woke to the crows of competing roosters and the escalating grunts of the fattening pig underneath the house. The village began to stir as the morning fog laid low and thick in the valley below.

From Thailand - Trekking

Our house was located beside two large water containers and various Karen villagers came to collect water and wash clothes. A small fire provided a welcome place for people to stop and chat. After a breakfast of hot rice porridge and fresh fruit, we packed our bags and began walking out of the village. We stopped to watch women weave. This skill is one that each female must learn. Young girls weave white dresses to wear or spend time working on their wedding dress (white with lots of colors). Many girls are married at 14.
From Thailand - Trekking

The exterior of a shaman's house contained a bee hive and a string of egg shells used for bringing spirits back. We also were able to watch a lady separate rice by pounding and winnowing.
From Thailand - Trekking

Another man steadily wove a basket that would be used for carrying wood.
From Thailand - Trekking

A short walk from this village brought us to another where females were also weaving,
From Thailand - Trekking

and carrying heavy loads of wood in baskets similar to the one the man was weaving.
From Thailand - Trekking

Krista was able to model a wedding dress being made by one of the girls
From Thailand - Trekking

After watching three young boys run around in a mischievous manner, we hoisted our bags and began trekking down to the river. We met a few people carrying heavy loads of wood and passed a truck full of cabbage for the market. By the time we made it down to the river it was time for lunch and our introduction to jungle cuisine and eating. Our meal was served up in banana leaves and we ate using chopsticks whittled by machete from bamboo. I tried my machete skills at making a mortar and pestle but came up remarkably short, though had a good time trying.
From Thailand - Trekking

After a pleasurable walk along the river, crossing a few times, we reached the jungle camp. This raised bamboo structure was constructed by the trekking company and Karen people to be used by those in the area. The rest of the afternoon allowed us time to soak in the river, gain bamboo utensil-creation skills and learn bamboo cooking. Here, Krista makes a beautiful bamboo stir rod for her morning coffee:
From Thailand - Trekking

Rice was cooked in a large section of bamboo. In this section, an opening is made and filled approximately 40% with rice. The remainder of the space is filled with water. The section is closed up and put onto the fire to heat. After the water boils, the bamboo is pulled off, and the lid is firmly attached to the bamboo. The section is returned near the flame to steam until the rice is cooked.
From Thailand - Trekking

Dinner was beautifully presented in bamboo half-sections and we ate with our bamboo chopsticks. The use of this material was amazing. From boiling water, to making utensils to the structure that we slept on, I was amazed at the continuing uses for this wood.

The night was cold. Very cold. The bamboo floor was hard. Hip-aching hard. The night sky was beautifully clear. Stars lit the blackness outside the hut with thousands of pinpricks. When the morning came, we watched as bamboo was peeled back to reveal omelettes cooked a la bamboo, accompanied by bread toasted over an open flame and served again on bamboo halves.
From Thailand - Trekking

The final day's hike was beautiful as we traced up the river, crossing numerous times and eventually arriving at a large opening in a rock wall that the river flowed out. Lighting bamboo torches, we walked through the cave in the river. A few hours later we joined a waiting truck for the return to Chiang Mai.

This trek was simply one of the best that I have been on. Roo Poo is an amazing naturalist and often stopped to explain the uses of plants along the way. At the same time, he is a fabulous jungle cook and we ate some of our finest meals while "roughing it". Only a few of our photos are in this post. Please take a look at the rest to see more of the Karen, outdoor cooking Thai-style and gorgeous scenery. All photos are here.