Broken heart for Nepal

I recently read about the horrific earthquake in Nepal (24 April 2015) which reached 7.8 on the magnitude scale. It is the worst earthquake in 80 years and the fatality is thousands and counting. The earthquake was so severe that the tremours were felt in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India and caused avalanches on Everest and other peaks. The damage is indescribable with historic sights and structures now in ruins, electricity and water has been affected, telecommunications is limited and the nation is in dire straits. Numerous international organisational aids have come forth to assist with mobile hospitals, food, water, supplies and funds which are desperately needed. It has been a couple of days and people are still trapped under rubble.

I have been following the updates and the numbers keep increasing. My heart breaks for the nation and come this morning I felt I needed to become a part of the aid. I have no idea where it came from but the urge took over my entire body. It was something I have never experienced to that degree before. I started researching organisations assisting and emailed various ones I found in the news articles, only hoping one would reply and say “Please come over and assist our team.” I do not have any medical knowledge or ample funds to donate, nor I am not strong enough to move rubble, however I have hands and compassion for those in need.

I watched a movie a year ago called Soul Surfer, based on a real life event, about a girl called Bethany Hamilton. She was a surfer with potential at large but was attacked by a shark and lost her arm. She then joined a trip with World Vision to assist the people in Phuket after the tragic tsunami in 2004. The movie and her story was inspiring and showed strength to unbelievable degrees and how she overcome the attack, gave all she had to the survivors of Phuket and continued to surf with one arm.

After watching that movie I was so moved, almost to tears and just felt so much emotion for what she did for the people despite her setback. I wanted to be a part of a greater cause and help people too. It just spoke to me…and now there is a huge disaster area a flight away that needs as much help as possible. Not only that but World Vision is a large organisation in Thailand and I have been advised to send my CV to them for a long term position. It seems so right and that everything I simply thought of last year is now coming into play in various ways. I can’t get my head around it and feel so grateful and positive. Don’t get me wrong I don’t feel grateful about the disaster but just that there is a small opportunity that I may be able to give my hands and love to the people.

Over the last month that I have been in Thailand many things have simply come into perspective and for that I am grateful. I have a much better vision of where I want to be and what I want to do now. In saying that it has been days since I wrote to the organisations with no reply and that saddens me. I just wonder how people willing to help can reach them…

I know that Nepal will take months and years to recover from this devastating disaster and I still hope that I can somehow help and contribute when the time is right. I am still looking for an opportunity and keeping my eyes and ears open, but until then I will continue with my present…

Happy Days on Kho Phangan

After spending 19 hours between a bus, shuttle, bus and ferry from Bangkok I arrived at the gorgeous island Kho Phangan. Oh and did I mention the fiasco on the bus around midnight...everyone was sleeping and all of a sudden we heard someone screaming from below about a bag. This person was livid and kept asking `where is my bag``and this went on for a few mintues. The group of us sitting on the top had no idea what was going. I hit a panic and checked that my bag was still with me with all my valuables and nothing had been taken...We eventually stopped next to the road to drop off those going to another island and this is when things heated up. The person making the scene took the bus keys and asked to call the police because her bag had been taken and she saw the man who took it (who by now had jumped off the bus and ran away). It was crazy...this scene going on in the street, its midnight and we all concerned about our bags in the luggage area, as there was a suspicion by now that the locks had been tampered with on the luggage. Needless to say after some time and bag checks we hit the road again, alert as kites in gale force with another four hours to go. I mus just say it was the first `potential snag` I experienced since I started travelling and was so grateful my things were untouched! So by the time I reached the island I was was overwhelmed excited, despite the long dramatic journey, to spend fours days exploring, swimming in the ocean and having some down time. I stayed in the south at the Ringside Hostel (3km from the pier) and was a 5 minute away from the beach...

I couldn't have asked for a better hostel and felt that as soon as I walked in. The team was so friendly and welcoming, a beautiful setup and ideal location, the environment was energetic with faces coming and going and music to get my dance shoes out at lunchtime. As soon as I was shown to my dorm I got ready and went down to their sister lodge called Charm Beach. I walked along the beach and just absorbed the beauty and palm trees around me. The tide was unfortunately too low to actually swim so I lay by the pool at Charm Beach and relaxed in the sunshine. It was epic!

I met loads of stunning people that night and ended up on the beach listening to the water, whilst chatting to interesting people from all over the world. Over the next few days I spent time exploring the streets and beaches of the south. As it was low season, it was rather quiet but I preferred it that way. The hostel had enough to offer at night and I continued to meet new faces, so I focused the day time on things I wanted to do for my inner me. I spent time meditating, writing, taking heaps of photographs and just staying in the moment. I was at peace and so grateful to my positive emotions growing each day of this journey.

I met a group of wonderful girls and had the opportunity to hang out with them and explore. We had all heard about this Secret Beach on the west of the island. So we set out one afternoon in search for it and eventually came to it after asking for some directions. It was incredible and definitely a highlight. It is a lodge built out on the side of the beach onto the ocean. On the edge of the restaurant you look out onto the ocean and can jump a few meters down into the water. The sunset was indescribable and the panoramic view of the beach, ocean and beach was worth the 19 hour journey to get to the island. The restaurant had hammocks to relax in, a fantastic atmosphere, view to take your breath away and swarms of fish near the area you jump in. It was perfect.

The weather whilst I was on the island was unfortunately not too generous and it rained too much for my liking. I was therefore not able to do the tours I would have liked to. But in saying that I met amazing people, explored the surroundings and experienced a booming night life. Every night at the hostel we played beer pong, had a few drinks together, socialised and just had a fantastic time. Complete strangers became great friends, late night sandwiches at the local 7/11 became the norm and experiencing a beach party in Haad Rin doing limbo with a rope on fire was definitely a first.

Kho Phangan was a short and sweet visit and exceeded my expectations in ways I never imagined without the moon parties, and even more so was Ringside Hostel.

Happy days...

Songkran in Term Pang

As we entered into Songkran, the daily tasks slowed down and we were encouraged to rest as the next few days would involve traditional celebrations of the Pang Term Village. The dynamics at the farm changed so greatly over those days and we all interacted and took part in preparations. It was such a magical time.

It all started with the first few days before Songkran when we learnt how to make bamboo baskets. The first day was spent preparing each part which was quite the challenge - to slice up a bamboo tree into thin pieces. However we all learnt how to work a machete and it was quite rewarding making the basket from absolute scratch. The teachers were absolutely brilliant and even though there was a complete language barrier, with the use of hand gestures and thumbs up and demonstration we all managed. We all sat on a mat under a large tree and worked away for hours over two days...

By this time the pre-Songkran water fights had already begun with kids exploding with excitement and laughter. There was a restaurant across the road from where we were making the baskets and a group of children stood in the road all day waiting for cars, people and anything moving to go past and throw them with buckets of water. It was so enlightening to listen to their laughter and see them glowing with such excitement when they drenched someone moving past, as quickly as possible, or better yet moving in zig zag hoping they wouldn't be hit with the water. By the end of the afternoon, once we had decided to go to war with the kiddies and the water buckets, we were drenched from head to toe. It was so much fun running around and just acting like a kid again and enjoying the simplicity of life's beauties.

Once Songkran began we all took part of one of the main traditions which is to take sand and deliver it to three temples. Each temple has a particular place you get the sand from and everyone takes part. On arrival at the temples you are welcomed with refreshments and snacks. It literally was three days of eating the most delicious food, interacting, speaking more than I had the entire time I was on the farm and just having a joyous celebration with the locals.

On the actual day of Songkran we were all up at 05h00 and went to the temple in the area for a sermon from the monks and brought gifts to them. These gifts we had prepared the entire previous day which included rice, nuts and banana cooked in a banana leaf. We took this and bananas, eggs, flowers and a few other goodies to present to the monks before the service. There were over a hundred people in this little temple singing and taking part. It was such a beautiful tradition to be a part of...to the absolute grain with the locals.

The rest of the day involved us taking these gifts in the bamboo baskets we made to the teachers of the village. We had 11 to visit and each time we were welcomed with such warm hospitality, drinks and the tastiest of dishes I would even be able to describe. At each home we were blessed by monks and after the blessing the monk would wrap a white bracelet around our wrist. At some homes there were ample people waiting to present their gifts and be blessed. I was in awe and just couldn't believe I had the opportunity to view this and better yet be a part of it even though I was a foreigner. It was such an honour!

Songkran was definitely a turning point and highlight of my Work Away experience. Over the two weeks at HHH I really gained invaluable knowledge about the mind, controlling my thoughts and staying in the present, cooked Lanna dishes, gained perspective on some key parts of my life, farm life, challenged my inner being and overcame some difficult obstacles. By the time I left I was so grateful for being there, completing it and giving it my best shot.

The experience was a key part in my journey...the right key.

Fighting Blazing Flames

A few days after arriving we, the Pinans, were given the option to learn how to make bamboo baskets from some of the most renowned teachers in the village. It sounded like an incredible opportunity so we all agreed. The baskets that we made would be used the following week to hold gifts for all the teachers of the village; a Lanna tradition which takes place every year over Songkran (new year). We were all excited and planned to begin the following day.

But first we had to get the bamboo to make these baskets, which involved us going into the forest and searching for this particular bamboo tree that is used for baskets and other bamboo products. So late that afternoon we all grabbed a machete and followed Pinan Jim to see what this tree looked like and what characteristics it had. There were heaps of bamboo trees all around us and with a quick explanation of this particular one being more green, bends over and has leaves at the top we set out to find and chop five joints each.

What seemed clear enough was the complete opposite and after spending over an hour in the forest, chopping a huge bamboo tree down with my machete, dragging it back to the farm and was then told it wasnt the correct type. I felt rather devastated and quickly went back before it became too dark and managed to find two bamboo trees, hoping they were correct, just before 19h00. They were and we all seemed to have enough bamboo between all of us even if one of the trees was not the exact type we needed.

I quickly went for a shower and helped prepare dinner in the kitchen and around 20h00 just as we were all ready to sit down...flames were spotted just above the forest we were in earlier that day. Before I knew it we were all gathering rakes and spades and running back to the forest to the fire. One of the long term volunteers knew where we had to go so with head torches and rather questionable fire fighting equipment we found our way to the fire. It went on around the mountain to areas where couldnt see. So we all began raking dead leaves, grass and anything in the way of the fire break as quickly as possible whilst moving out further.

The adrenalin was pumping to limits I have not quite experienced and my head was all over the show wondering if this was going to work. Soon enough we were split into two groups (one moved in either direction around the flaming area) and we were raking our hearts out but the flames just seemed to be coming closer...eventually an Australian in our team went up to the flames and started raking them backwards so it would die out and it worked!

We then split again and I found myself doing the same thing with my rake along with another Pinan. We were moving as quickly along the blazing flames as we could but the heat was scorching. The sweat was dripping off in buckets as we raked away, trying all we could to push it back firstly without burning but even more so before it hit a tall area of dry grass. Once we reached this area, the flames were already just below my hip and I struggled to go close to them to push them backwards...and before I knew it my rake had melted off the pole.

We were now one tool down and the rest of our team was out of sight. Never the less we continued and thankfully after not too much longer the other two Pinans came back and started helping us. We raked and squashed and hit the flames but it was just getting bigger to the side we were working towards. A voice came from the darkness shouting out to us to come back...we were all so confused and didnt know what was going on. We quickly moved back and found some of the Pinans who told us Pinan Jim had started numerous fires a bit lower than the fire which would meet and then burn out.

Our walk back to the farm was in haste completing one of the fire breaks and raking away everything in its path. By the time we got back, after two hours, we sat down for dinner in silence in complete disbelief of what had just happened. We were then told that this is a regular attempt from thieves to start fires on the farm and then rob the bamboo huts us Pinans stay in. I had not realised that two Pinans were not with us when we were fighting the fire but had remained behind to keep an eye out. They had seen torches coming through from one of the back roads and when they checked it out the suspects in question were gone. I was so grateful as I had left all my valuables in the communal area, without even thinking when I ran off with my rake. They were all in tact!

It was definitely an eventful day and I never took this Work Away opportunity thinking I would have to fight blazing flames or learn a method of how to burn it out. But it was an experience I wont forget, especially how we all pulled together and worked as a team. It was quite something special to be a part of...sounds strange but it is true!

I have a "Disease" from...Butterfly Powder

The first few days at HHH were pretty challenging to say the least. I struggled with the communication approach which was mainly through observation, or at least encouraged. That was probably the main difficulty I had and with cultural differences added to that, the comments / way they were said / criticism all came across as quite harsh at times. I honestly questioned whether I would last two weeks on several occasions as I just wasn't adapting well.

In saying that the tasks at hand were great and rather diverse to say the last. We were given ample discretion as to what we wanted to do outside the main chores and our day ran something like this:

• 06h30 - meet in communal area, have a quick coffee, feed pigs, cut grass for buffalo (with a huge basket on your back using a macheti) and feed her, water garden (which went on for miles using a watering can), start project you working on, clean kitchen and make sure everything is ready for breakfast preparation
• 7h30 - 09h30 - prepare breakfast for the pinans, clean kitchen and have quick coffee
• 09h30 - 11h30 - continue to work on your project including construction of new structures around communal area, gardening, preparing coffee beans / roasting / grinding, chopping wood, crushing sugar cubes, peeling garlic for next meal because that's just how much we used, make walls using clay / earth, preparing seeds to dry and so on...
• 11h30 - 13h30 - prepare lunch the pinans, clean kitchen and have tea
• 13h30 - 16h00 - break
• 16h00 - 17h30 - more or less same as morning routine before breakfast
• 17h30 - 20h00 - prepare dinner for the pinans, clean kitchen and have tea and relax together. 

It was just all out of my comfort zone which is exactly what I wanted...I knew I just had to get on with it and stay in the present moment, work on my being and inner happiness, be in more control of my thoughts because I literally had myself to talk to all day and make the most of the experience. However to add to my already frustrated state of mind I experienced a horrific reaction to butterfly powder and my entire body was so itchy it felt on fire and it looked like I had chicken pox or some disease. I was a miserable sour lemon deprived of sleep because my body was so itchy, I literally scratched my skin until it bled...yes I know not very smart but trust me you have no idea how itchy I was...

Pinan Jim gave me some herbal concoction to spread over my body the next morning after a shower. Within minutes of spreading this onto my body my "diseased skin" felt incredible relief. I also changed huts as I was convinced they were bed bug bites! Pinan Tea, his wife was kind enough to give me a total clean set of bedding and Tiger Balm...the best ointment invented that you place on anything and everything and is available with either a hot after effect or cooling after effect. 

I continued with the daily run and started with cutting buffalo grass with the massive basket on my back, gloves on both hands and macheti. I just laughed at the thought of my friends and family seeing me doing this. Like I have said before  I am more of a city girl and the farm definately had one up but I was ready to fight back ... 

After breakfast I learnt how to crush coffee beans with the mortar, gently but firm and then softly blow the shells away. Once the beans were ready I roasted them over the fire in a wok, continually stirring and every few minutes removing it and blowing the oily layer away. The aroma surrounding the beans was amazing and once they were a dark chocolate colour I took them off the fire to cool down. I then continued to grind the coffee beans in an interesting device that looked nothing like my brother-in-law (coffee fanatic) grinder back home. It was such an interesting process to learn and I really enjoyed it. It also gave me a new appreciation for coffee because it literally was an entire day process... of which the coffee process would have had to be repeated within a couple of days for our large pinan group of- coffee fans.

After my semi productive day and feeling in better spirits I learnt how to make sticky rice from a fellow volunteer which was quite a procedure. It involved rinsing the rice several times after it had been soaked for hours, pouring it into the steamer without any pressure placed on it, waiting for the steam to get through the rice and then adding the lid. Once the rice was cooked I wet a special pointy wooden spoon and a bamboo surfaced placement and broke the rice up gently, rolled it around a bit and felt the energy of the rice. Once enough steam had been lost the rice stuck together even more and then I pushed it all together to make a block, rolled it around to ensure it was compact and dropped it into the rice bucket which kept it warm.

The day had turned around completely and I was feeling so much sweeter by dinner time. To top it off we had a group meditation session after 30 minutes which I was super keen on ad meditation is something I have been practicing and reading up on for some time, although not nearly a pro at it. And who to learn about meditation from than a monk.

Brilliant finish to the first day of having my disease and I was excited beyond words to rest my head in my new clean hut! 

Introduction to Happy Healing Home

When I was in the UK the family and I went to Snowdonia, Wales for a little break. I was in my element with excitement and my darling sister even came up with a little melody "We go-ing on ho-li-day" that soon enough my nephew caught onto and joined in! Let me just add in just HOW bad my geography / GPS is...so much so that I asked my sister if I needed to bring my passport. Serious dumb and dumber moment but I kinda thought that I would have to give it at the border...yes yes I now know that its part of the UK and the "border" of England. Note to self: " Think before you voice your idea".

Moving along swiftly...It was a very relaxing weekend and we literally experienced four seasons within a few hours...and to make it even more bizarre the towns / villages haven't quite come to the realisation that indoor leisure areas are a necessity especially for kiddies. Needless to say we all managed with some exploring on the road and spent time lying by the fire and taking things easy...you probably wondering what on earth this has to do with Thailand and why this blog is smack in the middle...but bear with me.

So part of why we went to that part of Wales is because my brother-in-law has friends there. I met a couple when we went to visit his friends who were doing what s known as "Work Away". It is a global platform of hosts offering full board most of the time in exchange for your work on their project. This couple had managed to travel Europe and the UK for over four months with Work Away and the projects sounded so diverse. After speaking to them about it, I knew it would be a key element in my travels...

I joined Work Away as soon as we got back to England for 23 Euros which gives me contact to all the hosts for 24 months. Bargain! I researched the available hosts in SE Asia for days and selectively applied to 10+ for projects that were somewhat out of my comfort zone unless it had to do with kiddies. I love kiddies so I was hoping to join a project involving the little dumpling midgets too.

One of the first hosts to accept my application was from an organic farm in north Thailand, just outside Chiang Mai. It was a brilliant opportunity and totally out of my comfort zone...I am quite the city girl so an opportunity like this would push me to the limits I had not yet experienced so I arranged dates with the host to stay on the farm for two weeks.

After spending a week in Chiang Mai I headed to the farm using what they call the "yellow bus" which is actually a yellow pick up with an adapted seating area. It took over two hours to get there and I looked so forward to spending this time with a local family and learning about the Lanna culture from the grain. The host was a monk for 16 years and had valuable knowledge to share about meditation, Budda philosophy, how to survive in the forest, farming and life lessons and so much more...

When I arrived at Happy Healing Home (HHH) in this remote village Pang Term I walked up a long drive way with a huge lush forest on my left and rice fields on my right. I walked past chicken pens, saw little piglets and a buffalo, flowers and trees all over, some structures I could quite make out the purpose of and bamboo huts. I didnt quite know where to go and the farm was incredibly quiet...I couldnt see anyone. After floating for a while I saw Pinan Jim (Pinan means brother / sister and all our names included pinan) appear and he gave me a hand signal to go to him. When I reached him he gave me a welcoming hug and briefed me on a few things once I read the rules and procedure of HHH.

He was very calm and softly spoken. I learnt that talking too much was not encouraged, staying in the present moment was key, past and future topics were not encouraged, I had to learn about the activities through observation, we are given two ears / eyes / nostrils etc and these senses should be used more than the mouth and so on. It was a lot to take in and I thought it seemed quite daunting. I work with instructions and then follow through but I need to hear it step by step first...and I enjoy socialising and hearing the stories of others, and what about the present moment? I spend a lot of time and energy in my head. What had I gotten myself into?

After the introduction I went to my bamboo hut, took a breather, had a slight panic attack and then organised my things for the evening (a touch of control again...YES!) The only place with a light was the communal area where we ate and did most activities). I met a few volunteers thereafter and was so aware of not talking too much I must have come across as a bit of a weirdo speaking softly and giving very to the point answers. I just didnt quite know how things ran there so I went to the extreme. I didnt feel entirely comfortable at first but as the volunteers started to slowly appear from nowhere their warmth and welcoming gave me a sense of ease.

My first activity at HHH was watering the gardens. I closed my eyes and embraced what was around me. An absolutely raw scene, everything made by hand, beautiful flower beds, ample trees, peaceful atmosphere, mountains in the distance and warm sun rays. I just knew that this would be a an important learning curve, difficult yes but necessary. That evening all the volunteers came together to help cook Lanna dishes for dinner...the dinner setting was sitting on pillows around the tables, the rice plate placed in the centre and the other dishes around it. I learnt that you never move the dishes around but lean over to reach them...very different to how I was brought up but went with it. It somehow worked without food flying everywhere due to hands or spoons clashing. This was all quite new for me so I watched as the pinans took rice using their right hand and then used their spoon in the different dishes. Without using plates I learnt that you cannot monitor how much you have eaten but simply base it on when you feel satisfied.

After dinner we cleaned up and drank pink tea that was made from various herbs and bark from the garden...different and very tasty! It was an insightful few hours at HHH with a touch of mingling and stories shared. The people were lovely, friendly and helpful and I looked forward to what was coming...