Thai Farm Cooking class

Per another wonderful Katie recommendation, I did a Thai cooking class at an organic farm outside Chiang Mai. We started the day getting picked up by a red truck and taken to a market to get some ingredients (rice and sauces, veggies were from the farm!). Then we headed to the farm!

It was beautiful.  We took a little tour sampling all sorts of things including galangal (a ginger root), lemongrass, sweet basil, pea eggplant (eggplant that looks like a pea!) , green mango...and so much more!

Then we prepared our first dish. I made cocunut milk soup and it was amazing. Next up was our curry, we could choose: red, green, or yellow.  I made green, but only used 4 green chilies ("tourist hot" according to our teacher, Thai hot uses 10!). Next up was a stir fry to balance the curry. I made tofu with cashews. It. Was. Amazing. We also had Som Tam (papaya salad), which was super refreshing. 

We took a little break before making our last two dishes. Dessert! I had mango sticky rice. I'm very happy to say it had the fewest ingredients and should be very simple to recreate back home :)

Lastly,  I made pad thai, to go! There was no chance I'd eat anymore.

Next up: Aly from my program arrived! It's so nice to have a friend.  I'll share more on that soon!

Wat Santidham and new friends

I made a couple friends while zip lining and they turned out to be staying just down the road from me! We met up and went to Wat Santidham. Ya Ya, pictured with me in front of the temple, is from Thailand and was providing lots of great information.

What I found most interesting (and easiest to remember) was what she shared about female monks, called nuns. One of the pictures shows a female nun, gender only visible by the color of the robe (white instead of orange). Ya Ya said monks have something like 132 rules/steps to follow and nuns have 411! She said it's very rare for woman to become nuns because they believe they're less focused,  I thought perhaps the rules had something to do with it.

The monk pictured is the most realistic statue I have ever seen. When we got inside the temple museum, I thought he was real! His statue is there to honor his devotion.

After the temple we took the red truck taxis (I'll give a picture in a  later post) to one of the gates. We had amazing vegetarian food and then went to get dessert. YUM.

Rock Climbing and Zip Lining!

Well I spent Wednesday at Crazy Horse Butteess rock climbing and repelling (70 meters down!), and Thursday zip lining my way through the rain forest (which supposedly isn't too disruptive to the things that actually belong there...).

Rock climbing was wonderful. We had two fantastic guides: Gee and Ooan. We did a few different routes (5.9s). It felt great to be back on the rock and the limestone left me far less wounded than New Mexico's sandstone ever did! I definitely need to start rock climbing in the States again! The repel down was incredible as we plunged into a gigantic cave. The walls looked almost frozen over, though they were limestone too, once fully submerged in water now little water or sunlight touch down.

Zip lining was SO FUN. I can't even believe how great it was. Our guide,  Clash, was enthusiastic,  silly, informative and just totally fun. The longest line we did was 800 meters, though it literally flew by! We repelled down 80 meters (shown in one of the photos). One of the lines was superman style-clipped to our back! It felt like just jumping into the air (chicken jump through back for my GBN high adventure PE class buddies). The rain forest,  not surprisingly,  was just gorgeous.  I think that may have been the best part: the never ending beauty. Completely lush, crisp feeling and full of vibrancy and life. We had the opportunity to see some gibbons, I was hoping to see some birds, but they stayed out of sight (provided lovely music though! ).

After zip lining we had lunch at this beautiful restaurant in the jungle.  The food was, of course,  delicious.  After lunch we went to a waterfall and hiked up to the top. The drive back to the city was beautiful too. We passed every type of home/structure: straw huts, resorts,  wooden homes, a couple temples, a junk yard, a cemetery,  a couple markets (they reminded me of New Mexico,  much of the hour drive did actually, many loved, worn homes with a couple fancy new buildings scattered here and there).

Wounderful, wonderful,  wonderful!

Homestay in Mae Kampong

In between Rock Climbing at Crazy Horse and zip lining in the rainforest,  I did a homestay in a little rain-foresty village.  The food was fantastic,  views beautiful and the company kind. My host had a 13 year old daughter named Wan. She and I had a blast trying to talk about things we love, her favorite being nature :) The people were all incredibly friendly,  and I regretted more than ever not making an effort to learn some basic Thai before my trip began. Wan taught me to say hello and thank you, which are actually pretty sufficient in many situations!  There were peacocks and roosters galore in the town, as well as many stray dogs and a pet cat at my home! I had my own room that was very confortable. I would have liked to interact with the family more, but it was definitely a wonderful experience. 

My. Favorite. Cafe. EVER

The Birds Nest Cafe sounds like something I would absolutely love, and it didn't disappoint.  While I waited for my curry dish and cinnamon cocunut smoothie,  I read in a hammock. Then I jumped to one of their cushy floor nooks to eat and continue my book. If that doesn't sound like heaven to you, we probably aren't friends ;)

Let in the light: The perfect beginning

Disclaimer: blog updates are coming from my cell phone and with limited internet use, don't judge my style :)

I left my Chicago apartment at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday. I arrived at my friend's apartment in Chiang Mai at 4:30 p.m. Thai time on Tuesday.  (4:30 a.m. Chicago time). While Katie isn't here, I'm so lucky to be using her space, stealing her great suggestions and meeting some of her wonderful colleagues.

Despite the long travel time, the mountains of Chiang Mai instilled the same energy that a perfect night's rest would have.

I started by getting coffee with two wonderful folks from Kate's work at the climbing company.  Then I did some bouldering (I mean, I was already there how could I pass it up?) After settling in to Katie's place and rinsing the airplane off me, I cautiously wandered around the narrow, windy roads to a delightful vegetarian cafe.

I enjoyed the peaceful rain as it vacilated between timid pitter-patter and booming footsteps. The food was devine. Lime, mint, pineapple smoothie,  brown rice with all sorts of deliciousness and organic salad. Num num.

I then got first, and most certainly not last, Thai massage. I don't think anything could have been more perfect. 

Despite the heavy rains and low thunder,  the light kept bursting through. Filling my jeart with a lift and reminding my spirit why I am here. What a day!

Chasing Dreams

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

9 years ago I took a yoga class for a PE credit at the University of Vermont. It had been recommended to me by the counseling center to help deal with some anxiety, stress and depression I was experiencing. 

18 months ago I made the decision to find a yoga instructor training program to participate in this Summer. I began taking the necessary steps to be physically, mentally and financially ready for such an undertaking. My goal was clear, but far from simple: learn yoga. Learn so I can share this life-changing joy with others. Learn so I can help spread peace, love and light. Learn so I can take this experience within myself to an undiscovered level. 

9 months ago, after months of internet searching and conversations, I found Blooming Lotus Studio on a little island in the Gulf of Thailand. For four weeks, along with 18 other committed yogis, I will be fully immersed in yoga practice, meditation, reflection and studying.

Today I begin my journey toward this new experience. I embark with an open mind, lifted heart and eager spirit. This first leg of journey I have only the butterflies in my stomach and words on my nook to keep me company. I cannot say I move forward without fear, but I am certainly prepared to taste this new chapter of my life. To allow it to flood into my soul, 

one. 

     moment. 

           at. 

               a. 

                 time.

Am I ready? 

Financially? Yes. 

Physically? I think so. 

Mentally? Not quite. But expecting that I cannot expect what's to come tells me that I'm as ready as I can be. 

Namaste.