IN THE FLOW, Delhi, India - FEB 08

Before our soft landing in Thailand, we had a rocky 24-hours in Delhi. Now, we were back, but intent on a short stay. We had one night before our train ride north and we decided to stay close to the station, in the neighborhood of Paharganj. I could see it coming from the taxi. When we emerged into this carnival of sounds, lights, staircases that led to nowhere and buildings that appeared to zig and zag on the narrow, dusty streets that coated everything in a hue of grey, I thought, "How did we end up at Burning Man?" There were cows, bicycle rickshaws, and even a marching band (in gleaming white, red and gold uniforms) to add to the surreal nature of that moment. Our backpacks were like spotlights. Everyone wanted to show us their hotel/restaurant/cart of veggies. Overwhelmed, I put my trust in my partner, Vincent, to find the "Cottage, Yes Please" guesthouse recommended to us. Not surprising, there are many hotels and restaurants with the name ‘Yes, Please’ in their title. After a bit of a goosechase, an earnest bicycle rickshaw driver promised he knew the way. For 10 Rupees (25 cents), we decided to trust him. It was in that moment that I relaxed, realizing that we were in India now and a key to enjoying travel in India is to go with the flow. I felt the gentle rocking of the rickshaw and watched the wackiness go by. True to his word, we safely arrived at "Cottage, Yes Please," booked a room for the night, and went across the street for our first of many amazing meals in India at "Dosa, Yes Please." Warm chai and phenomenal dosas in our bellies, we had a good rest and went to the holy city of Haridwar the next day.

SUSTAINABILITY SOAPBOX, Mae Tang, Thailand - JAN 08

Eager to have a few days outside of the city, we headed north to PunPun Farm and You Sabai Homestay. The two programs are neighbors sharing the same focus of sustainability and building from the earth. The visionaries behind PunPun, Pijo and his American wife, Peggy, have been leading the way in the earthen building movement for the last 14 years. They offer a yearly 10-week internship which covers all aspects of earthen building, organic farming, seed saving and various issues relating to local and global sustainability.
As wonderful as Thailand is, sustainability has not been embraced here. The use of plastic bags and Styrofoam is rampant, vendors excessively double-bag and most food and drink is assumed ‘take away’. As eco-conscious travelers on a mission to Leave No Trace, we arrived in Thailand with our own utensils (http://www.to-goware.com/) and fervently tracked down some coconut bowls to carry with us for quick bites. Then we learned how to say "No plastic bag" in Thai: Mai sai tong, our mantra. To our delight, many vendors appreciated our efforts, most likely because it saved them money. In most of Asia, people burn their garbage, plastic included. Obviously, this is the antithesis of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle motto. But did you know? In America, the plastic we put in the recycling bin gets shipped to Asia (where is was originally generated) for processing. How sustainable is that?! I learned this recently from our dear friend, Ari, who saved his trash for a year just to see what impact his habits were having on the earth. This amazing love warrior’s story has hit the global scene and is sure to inspire if not engender a look at your own consumption (http://www.saveyourtrash.com/).
PunPun also operates a restaurant in Chiang Mai inside Wat Suan Dok, where they also sell dried bananas, kefir lime shampoo, banana syrup, and other home-made, non-processed, organic products. As if the satisfaction of living off the earth in simple structures designed and built by one’s own hand wasn’t enough, Pijo and Peggy are now taking their show on the road to spread information about seed saving. Another fact to blow your mind: a large percentage of the seeds distributed to farmers in Thailand are from a single source - Monsanto, the American corporation which first pushed Genetically Modified corn into the seed banks of American farmers, forcing them into a lifetime of commerce (the GMO plants don’t produce seeds for future planting). Welcome to slavery in the 21 century, now global.
At PunPun, we were openly welcomed to attend classes, share meals, work on buildings, and share our talents…sooo, within the course of 2 days, everyone of the 20+ interns and staff, foreigner and Thai, were Flying! I left there with lungs of fresh air and a buoyant heart, truly inspired by this community and what beauty can be built with time, creativity, and our own bare hands.

SECRET CAVE, Chiang Mai, Thailand - JAN 08

On one of our last days in Chiang Mai, we were invited to visit a holy cave and soak in some nearby hotsprings. With a generous local as our guide, we didn’t hesitate to say YES (much of traveling is being in the flow of saying ‘yes’). The cave, empty at 9am, contained two Buddha statues and a huge Shiva lingam. A lingam is a oval shaped rock of any size which is a phallic representation of Shiva (the Hindu diety which represents the Divine male principle and destroys the illusion of attachments). This lingam was a natural creation and rose from the floor of the cave, reaching 70 feet high. We chanted to the sacred moment in the otherwise silent, empty cave, which was also perfect body temperature. I could have spent hours in there… After that sublime experience, we soaked our bones at Sankampang hot springs, with some pools hot enough to boil eggs in. As we ate quail eggs dipped in soy sauce, I thought of my lovely friend, Denisse in Puerto Rico, with whom I last shared the egg experience in 2002. Lots of love to you and Biera, Deni!

GROUNDING OUT IN CHIANG MAI - JAN 08

I love Thailand. It’s my third time here and it’s a breeze, as the Thais have thoroughly embraced capitalism. What I love most, is the fresh fruit, cleanliness, helpful people, gentle & respectful culture (you say ‘hello’ here with a small bow, hands together at the heart), and spirituality everywhere. Especially in Chiang Mai where there are over 300 temples in this sprawling city that feels like a town. Internet is readily available, even wireless – not so five years ago! Access to clean water is also easy as there are plenty of reverse osmosis/UV filtered water machines where you can fill a 6 liter container for 17 cents. Thus, as a place to land, it felt immediately like home. The yoga community has blossomed here; in 2002 (when I was here last), there was one proper hatha yoga studio and a smattering of classes (sometimes with teachers to lead them!). Now, there are 5 studios, mostly frequented by westerners. The Thais find their spirituality in Buddhism, so yoga is primarily exercise. We made friends fast, bought a 3 liter hot water heater/dispenser, and settled in for 3 weeks. Mostly, we rested, recovering from the amount of work it took to make this journey possible.
One of our lovely new friends, Rebecca (www.jivahealing.com), told us about the Ayurvedic Health Center. While costly compared to other health services (an hour of Thai massage costs $15), they offered a whole list of detoxifying and relaxing treatments at reasonable prices. We were impressed with the staff and surprised at the results of Colonic Hydrotherapy sessions and Ionic Foot Spa Detox treatments. As I watched what ‘came out’ through a clear tube, I make a promise to myself to have a series of colonics every year and to steer clear from meat for good (I’m primarily vegetarian, with recreational bouts of omnivoire-ism). It’s amazing what can be stored in the body for DECADES. I recommend this to everyone. I was apprehensive at first, but found the experience to be a)fairly relaxing, and, b)interesting as an experience in itself; one that left us floating out of the center feeling light in the body and the head.
One morning after the second colonic, we wandered home at a snail’s pace through the side streets, in order to avoid the polluted main roads. We found ourselves in a complex of temples (called ‘Wats’) that I found familiar. There we met a monk who, like most monks, was eager to practice his English with us and invited us back the following morning for a ceremony. We graciously accepted. Next morning, we were joined by a bus-load of Thais who had driven up from Bangkok early that morning to come to this special Wat. They welcomed us into the fold for what turned into a 3-hour ceremony. The chanting was hypnotic, their devotion touched our hearts as our friend explained that the meaning of the ceremony was to wish health and happiness for our relatives, friends, and really everyone in the world. To send our blessing off, monks were gifted with umbrellas and personal hygiene products elaborately wrapped in plastic and we all were adorned with a wooden mala and a ceramic disk with the image of the Buddha for protection. My favorite moment was when they untied a bundle of string that hung from the center of the room. One end of the string was tied around the thumb of the HUGE golden Buddha statue inside, the rest of the string was woven throughout the hands of the participants, so that everyone was connected by this one string connected to the Buddha. We pressed the string between our hands and bowed, knowing that after a week and a half in Thailand, we had definitely arrived.
Our other angel of a friend, Sara (www.fourmermaids.com), recommended that we check out the Wild Rose Studio and Sauna, as it is one of Chiang Mai’s new gems. Meeting Rose, the owner, was like seeing an old friend and I immediately spoke to her of teaching there. Serendipity, she said her New Year’s resolution was to try AcroYoga (yes!). We had a sold-out, stellar AcroYoga class and Vincent and I taught our unique workshop called Shiva~Shakti: The Yoga of Connection. Both were so sweet and nourishing for everyone involved. Sitting in the herbal sauna, applying face masks and body scrubs and drinking herbal tea, was heaven on earth. Rose and John, you are amazing hosts and dream weavers!