A blog to procrastinate studying.

- Simha Mudra faces

- Lovies, just finished dinner

- Afternoon juice bar session

- Outdoor yoga shala

afternoon restorative classes

-The shala, Mysore style practice

Weird... I wake up to the sound of Bebe (roomie) getting ready. She usually doesn't wake up until a bit over an hour after I am awake. I gaze to the window shades and realize how much light is seeping in. Shit. I look, I totally set my alarm for p.m. I was hoping to wake up and go over some notes and chant the Triyambakam Mantra three or four dozen times in hopes of a blessing from some god for the first yoga class I am about to teach. The class isn't until 5 p.m, but I am set off my game. Jumping out of bed not able to grab on to the remnants of the dream I was just so deeply involved in; I toss some clothes on and run to pull up the window shade. A single monk crosses in front of my view and I am reminded to keep the peace with in my mind. Thank you universe :)

Surprisingly, throughout the day I was able to keep focused. I knew that not much at this point could alter how my teaching assessment would go in the afternoon. I have now been doing the Primary Series everyday for four months and I have never taught it so... I can't hold too high of expectations. It ended up being fine. Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement and thoughts of love, I am grateful for all of you I received a very good grade, but never have I felt so personality-less in the classroom. There were just so many things we needed to say to pass the assessment that not as many light-hearted comments came out of my mouth as I expected. My teacher's best comments was "I would have left the class happy that I chose to come." The students (3 of my girlfriends who had the "this is my 7th yoga practice in four days and I am bored out of my mind" looks on their faces) best feedback was "that was awesome when you stumbled on how to verbalize where to put the foot and decided that "I don't give a shit where you put your foot but your spine needs to be..." which must have released from my lips during one of the few 'black out' moments of the class! Teaching is more tricky than I imagined. It shall get better, like everything we do, with practice, abhyasa.

Today is Saturday, the time we allow the most growth through a day of rest and reflection. Everyone is in their rooms or poolside studying for our 3rd Exam- The Written. Dun de dun dun. The Oral was today and went very smoothly, and I can't imagine the written to be anything too difficult... which is why I am wasting my time on the computer instead of focusing it on my sanskrit, philosophy, history, and anatomy! With my phenomenal listening and comprehension skills and the knowledge that I will be studying this for the rest of my life, I feel pretty good about this study break ;)

Sunrise and the man and monkey who gather cocos

Breathing through the rest of the day.

I am learning more and more everyday. I can barely drink the knowledge as fast as they are pouring it. I do not have much free time this week, so excuse this blog for NOT being lyrical, dramatic, nor spellchecked (with all my new yogic power I can hear inside my dad's head, "are any of them spell checked?" )

After my morning pranayama and asana practices (which I have now preluded with a 30 minute solo meditation/ concentration session on the beach) brunch is ready. The food here is gorgeous, I think I already mentioned that in a previous post... fresh, healthy, delicious, full of life, etc. I grab a fresh juice of the day (anything from Pineapple coriander to watermelon ginger to cucumber celery) and head to my room. Some people eat immediately after practice but I do not enjoy eating in a fully sweat saturated outfit... so I head to the shower, which is inside but has an open roof- so fun :) I hang my clothes to sun dry on my balcony, enjoy some of the little "me time" I can find with this schedule. I eventually head down to meet friends for brunch and to sun myself for 20 mins by the pool! It's a pretty hard life here.

I could write a book on all the items available at brunch... but they already did and it's a cookbook and I bought it so...

The brunch break flies by and class begins at noon. Usually Yoga Philosophy or Anatomy start our day, In Philosophy we talk about ancient texts, mainly focus on the Yoga Sutras. "A profound set of 196 sentences that guide the practitioner from the mundane to the sublime." Basically it is a classical explanation of yoga from a couple of thousand years ago using poetic statements to describe ultimate truths. I forgot how much I love philosophy. Anatomy is even more gripping.

We have studied all the major systems in the body and how yoga is healing in more ways than "Uh, my hamstrings are tight and my knee hurts." The nervous system, circulatory system, lymphatic system all improve their biz-niz (scientific term I picked up) which relate to and enhance our mental, emotional and spiritual states. (Reason #1 why yoga rules.) We also focus on joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, etc. The men who feed us spiritually and intellectually are incredible teachers and beautiful souls, inspiring and educating with each word and every movement!

This class ends at two, giving us a half hour break to wiggle and giggle a bit. My favorite thing to do in this break is go to the juice bar and enjoy a fresh coconut. At first, I refused to purchase these coco's because they seemed wildly overpriced compared to the coco's in Mysore, India! But $1.50 isn't that bad for all the minerals they replenish and Oh- how delicious and refreshing! Damn, that half an hour goes by fast, and we are back in the shala. My body took a few days of training before I could sit up straight, cross-legged on a small cushion on the floor for most of the day with out fidgeting around- that is how a girl finds her Mula Bandha for sure! (yoga term for one of the four muscles contributing to your pelvic floor)

Anyways... the next few hours are spent learning poses in the Ashtanga Primary Series. We focus on two poses a days, learning exact alignment, pose benefits, and how to adjust someone properly in that pose. Needless to say we get to move for the last bit of class, pushing and pulling a variety of body types and sizes. These classes are meant to improve your understanding of the poses for your own practice so that explaining it verbally to students will be second nature. All so very rad...

Class ends at 5 p.m. but we always seem to go over. Sometime we have mediation or chanting scheduled at 5, but usually it is free time with an herbal steam room and/or Restorative Yoga class available. Although all that will come to an end tomorrow- when we start out teaching assessments! I lead a class on Thursday and I can not imagine it being the most graceful hour of my life. I have a teacher with a clipboard evaluating my every word, adjustment, and composure while I am teaching advanced yoga students a beginning class... please send me positive teaching vibrations from where ever you are!

So dinner is at 6 p.m. and is equally as delicious and creative as brunch. As I write this, it is nearing 9:30, so I am just getting ready for bed! After dinner sometimes we have a scheduled educational film or meditation session, but three nights a week we are free. This time is usually spent talking with all the lovely girls I have met. I promise I will start snapping photos so you can see some of the characters in this chapter of my book. I imagine they will play lead roles throughout my life, for together, we have really grown, and a few of us seem to be on a similar path...

With all the education, I have been improving in my morning practices, and with all the practice I feel as if life is becoming a bit more of a moving meditation! I am excited to share all I am learning with anyone who will continue to learn with me. My dreams have been getting more intensely vivid and since I love dreaming so much- I am off to bed. So goodnight loves.

Tomorrow's Mantra (repeated phrase that affects your nervous system and remodels your constitution through thought vibrations) "Take Photos Of Friends." and "Document Where You Are At."

It's in the bag. Photo's are on their way, but I won't write for awhile because all the tests are coming up (practical, oral exam, and written exam). Love you all so much, wish you could be here learning and growing with me! Om

Morning practice.

So 7:00 a.m starts our Pranayama class. The singing bowl vibrates a calming tone notifying that it is time to begin. Sometimes the sound catches me mid-sunrise, in the middle of a new-day- streaming-in deep concentration... far away but deep inside. Sometimes it stirs my attention after I have already met my mat in the shala. It breaks the unfocused moment of my playful mind or the looping of my intense dreams from the night before- trying to reveal truths stuck deep within my subconscious.

We start each day with three or four beautiful chants. Sound pours out of the large open shala windows and doors. It is a heart-filling sound to hear in the morning, created through the combination of many voices with such different stories. Chanting for me has been a journey. In the states it freaked me out a bit, not sure who I was chanting to, what I was saying etc. But India brought beauty to it and Yoga Thailand has brought it light. Simply strong vibrations that clear the mind through touching a much more subtle realm of the mind and body. Clearing the mind and focusing on the vibrations of the sanskrit words that lyrically offer humility and grace by recognizing the divine and giving thanks! It also connects our practice to the lineage that we are learning from, bridging my practice with the people who devoted their whole lives to learn what I am trying to grasp today. I put my hands in prayer on my heart as we finished the chants with the sound of Om. I can feel it All, right between my thumbs and my heart.

Pranayama (breath work) is definitely a head trip. The breath seems to be the key to everything. It is the only function that fits in both classifications of the nervous system-

Somatic (under our control) and Autonomic (done unconsciously), making it the bridge between the conscious to the unconscious. And, here, we pay a lot of attention to it. At first, it was very difficult to stay on task with controlling it. Constantly finding my thoughts dancing around and running wild in its amazing ability to imagine and desire to play, flooding with memories and desires or plans for the future- the first few weeks I had to do some major work to stay engaged purely in the breath!

Week three... it is definitely getting easier :) We have been taught an hour long pranayama series to practice, combining over a dozen different ways to control your inhales and exhales... who knew that an hour would fly by when nothing enters your mind except the length and level of force of each breath. I feel this method of concentration strongly effecting my mind. I feel it cleansing my every cell (I know, Alexis, it probably doesn't really do that, but that is what I am going with!)

I feel an expanding and lifting with each inhale and the letting go and surrendering with each exhale. Fresh life-energy is squeezing through me and it is making me glow! The bowl sings its notes to conclude our pranayama practice and we wrap it up with a finial and powerful Om. The Om holds similar powerful vibrations representing the energy of life... softly pulsing the infinite and divine that rings in each of us.

5 minutes to enjoy some water and visit to the bathroom. Silence and smiles is how we respect each other morning experiences- not knowing where people's head-space has just been at, or where it is about to go...

The Ashtanga asana (physical postures) practice is a silent moving meditation, developing the relationship between mind (both ego and intellect) with the body with the breath. In India, I would watch entire movies in my head during a single morning practice- in between scenes I would plan my next traveling adventure and debate where and what I would eat for breakfast! Since coming here, it is much harder for me to become distracted from the present moment in this practice. My teachers have really honed in on this "sincerity" thing... doing everything you do with a devotional level of energy, awareness, and care. Hours spent on anatomy, alignment, breath, philosophy, etc have also taught me what I should think about in each pose. The best thing I have learned here regarding my practice was taught on the first day.

Let the ego go. Yoga is not a war between the mind and the body involved in a physical stretching exercise- it is a spiritual practice about stability, strength, and balance allowing a level of ease and freedom to encourage growth. (weird how that can be paralleled to a lifestyle huh? hmmmm)

I can feel the indescribable changes in all systems- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I love all that I am learning about myself- and don't plan on slowing that practice down a bit : )

By the time I am in the closing poses, 2 hours and 15 minutes have passes since I began my first sun salutation. I am saturated with my own sweat. Everyday practice is a bit different-some days I practically fly weightless through the air and other days I am an exhausted drowning mess. I try to continue to smile throughout my whole practice regardless of what type of day it is- trick the nervous system a bit. It is just another day to be thankful for the things that I am continuing to learn about and for the breath I still have. For without this breath- love, passion, life, light, fear, death, desire, hope, freedom, and everything in between could not be felt...and that's what it's all about.

All this before 7 a.m!

My alarm is set for 5:36 a.m. but I have only heard it go off once since my arrival. I wake up a few times throughout the night, each time expecting that when I look at the alarm it will be time to start the day- “nope, back to bed. It’s only midnight.” On Day 3 we were introduced to our first kriyas (cleansing). These techniques have been passed down from the pranayama lineage of Sri O P Tiwari, as a representative of the Kaivalyadhama Institute and his Guru Swami Kaivalayananda. Paul and Neil have been students of him for over a decade. Kriyas are ancient ways to purify the system. They physiologically and psychologically clear pathways and change the pressure on the Nervous System.

Tratak is a short form of meditation with a fixed gaze on an object (we are using a candle) to stimulate the optical path. (Other than in India, it seems to have also originated by Buddhist monks staring at the full moon.) The eyes, being the only external part of the brain focus fully on one point and the conscious mind quiets, allowing the subconscious to come out. Since the first night of tratak, my dreams have been wild- extremely vivid and intensely emotional. Since I love that, I have been doing this kriyas every night.

The dreams stir me awake on and off throughout the nights until I reach for the alarm clock at 5:30. I have awakened myself every morning five to ten minutes before the abrasive beeping disturbs the morning peace. I am ready for the day- pure focus and dedication to my learning and spiritual path begins immediately. I slip out the door with my 1-liter water bottle and the teakettle in hand. I walk down the two sets of ten cement stairs down to our communal water jug (Culligan-style). The water is pH balanced, filtered, far-infared treated, purified, ionized and minerally and electrically charged (to increase bioavailability and cellular dehydration potential- duh)

I notice the full moon in all its glory, selflessly shining above.

I return to my room, quietly proceeding with my new morning ritual as to not wake my roommate who does not partake. This kriyas is a bit more physically involved compared to tratak. After the electric teakettle has turned itself off, I mix my organic Himalayan rock salt with a bit of warm water to encourage dilution. Then I mix it with my bottle of room temperature water to make the perfect solution for vaman kriyas. Squatting in the well-lit and beautifully clean bathroom, I pray to the divine and begin to slam 2-liters of salt water. The first time was pretty bad, but once you focus on the task and just let the mind's unease go… it’s really not that hard. Anyways, drinking it is the worst part. My back lightly pushes against the cool bathroom wall as I try to think about my breath. It doesn’t work for me to sip my way through the liter; I have to do it in four big sessions, telling my body it needs this as if it is cold Gatorade after a long run. I am just retraining my nervous system! After the liter is almost finished I begin prepare it for round two. The body is full of toxins; we have been eating them since we were born. The body (smart little sucker) wraps these poisonous toxins/acidic wastes in mucus and fat cells. The salt in the vaman kriyas draws out the mucus to let the toxins be properly flushed out. Sticking your fingers down your throat to engage the reflex is actually quite easy. I have got the process down to under 20 minutes time. I have a lay-down-session for 5-10 minutes after, while trying to learn another line in one of the many Sanskrit chants we are incorporating in our days.

I pull the window shade up as the light begins to gracefully trade shifts with the dark. Auspiciously, it is at the exact time that three monks on their morning alms route pass through the small street below, draped in their humble orange robes. I do a bit of reading or hop on the computer and then head off toward the ocean to the shala. This is when my day really begins. I find a seat on a rock wall in front of the beach and look out into the infinite. The waves are softly crashing on the sandy floor; the wind is warmly brushing against my cheeks. I love gazing at the horizon, reminding myself of the vastness of the world, of the unknown, of the things to be thankful for. It is a time and place where I can really understand that I am just a small piece of something so much greater. A speck of sand on the ocean floor.

The sky is light but the sun is just starting to pull it's covers off and seep over the cloudy horizon. The colors of brilliant red, soft pink, and luminous orange in this perfectly round bulb are impossible to catch in the camera. I have tried, hoping it will assist me to remember these moments and to try to share them with you. Palm trees connected to the earth behind me soar overhead and lean into my view. The morning is so calm. A few fishing boats visible around the newly painted reflection of the sun on the surface of the enormous field of open water. The reflection is jagged and broken by the movement in the water and that seems to make sense to me... how quickly reflections of the real light seem unstable and disconnected.

How can I continue to have a sincere moment of gratitude for this gift of life earth once I leave this beach- when there is not a blazing loud announcement with flashing lights saying “hey- this place (earth) is so rad!”? When the view of perfection and pure peace is cluttered with news on the TV, how do I remember this infinite greatness of the divine?

Answer: I will simply take a few minutes each morning to close my eyes and remember all I have to be thankful for… smile and breath as I give mental note of the vibrations and light running through everything, everyone. For, in one definition, that is what yoga actually is- the practice of stilling all the currents in the mind with a strong foundation and a free heart.

As I sit, I am so thankful for all of you who have touched my life…

I ask you all to take the time to do the same.

I love you, sincerely, thank you.

brit.

Email to my dad on Day 4

Dad,

I am so thankful to be here! My life is changing by the day- not even being dramatic with that statement! Sorry I have not emailed you or anyone for that matter- the schedule is really tight and a lot of information is being given to us so I try to get every bit out of it, study during my free time, and get a good night sleep. So I wake up at 6. Being quiet for my roommate sleeps in a bit longer (BB from Vietnam, she is young and cute but not really into this and has difficulty with the language barrier... I tell her to ask me if she needs any with anything but she is quiet and just responds ‘thank you’.)

Pranayama class (breath work) is at 7 for an hour in the shala. The shala is big and clean and new with huge windows as walls, some of which face the ocean! We have worked on a few breathing techniques this week, some for a cleansing/ purify purpose, some to expand the diaphragm, but all mostly to still the mind and to prepare us to go deeper within. After that we have five minutes until our 2+ hour yoga practice. This is the first week so we started at the very beginning! I have been working on the Ashtanga Primary

Series for only three months now, but I am on the same page as most of the other students in the class- there are definitely people with way more practice, flexibility, strength, etc. but I feel good about where I am at.

The yoga practice has been developing throughout the week and next week we will be doing the "Mysore style" self led practice that I did in India, EXCEPT now I know what I want to be doing with my body and more importantly with my mind! In the first few days here my practice has completely transformed! I can only hope it grows at this rate for the remainder of the month! But I will remember to have no expectations, just dedication and focus.

Two hours for brunch seems to fly by- the food here is the best food I have been served in my life. It is vegetarian, full of flavor, light, sattvic (pure) so healthy and delicious. We are learning about what you put into your body in relationship to your energy you put out, on a much deeper level than calories and proteins.

Everyday we have classes from 12 until 5 with five minutes every hour to stretch. We sit on the hardwood floor during all the classes, which is a real hip opener and work on being still! Classes are focused on Yogic philosophy and history, Anatomy, Practical for the poses (adjustments), Chanting, Kriyas (cleansing techniques).

Two nights we have watched DVDs; one on Ashtanga yoga and the other on a yogic legend. The herbal steam bath is available before dinner and an awesome way to continue cleansing. I have taken two optional restorative classes before dinner as well, which was nice to stretch out after all the sitting. I have never been more attentive in class in all my life. Everything they say I want to hold on to forever, not because it is always profound, but it is simple and inspiring. I am so thankful that my life has led me here to learn from these teachers and in this place!

Oh, the last two night we did a meditation called Tratak where you stare at a candle until your eyes hurt and then close your eyes until the inner light fades. It is supposed to affect you dreams and the first night was so crazy in dream land that I asked to do it the second night and headed up the session! My fellow students are from everywhere, all ages, all types of bodies. I have met a few cool girls for sure but spend most of my time learning and then reflecting. I think it will just get more intense each week. I do have Saturday off and a half day on Sunday.

Thanks for asking about my experience, I can't wait to come home and share what I have learned with all those I love. I am a different person (maybe going a little on the weird side for some Midwesterners!) and it is only day four! More to come later…

Lovelovelove

brit

5 40-minute naps.

Classic. I am running towards car 10 at 6:15. The air is choking with diesel and hot cooking oil. Wearing my duffel bag as a backpack and my backpack as a pregnant belly I frantically look into all the windows of the train that is leaving in five minutes. None of them seem to be the alleged "sleeper cars" that was promised. I ask a few guards if this is the right bus and they just agree with me. Thank god Lexie and Teresa are my support units; they deliver me right to seat 22. We learn that the seats pull into sleeper beds when it is time to sleep. I am a bit more at ease but I still have some butterflies in the belly. I know I will be fine, but the mind immediately moves to the worst possible- what if I wake up to find that this train is actually the one going north. It's not. But it could be...

I sit across from a girl who I would pin for a high schooler, she is diligently working on her homework and I find out later is from Surat Thani (the train stop we're going to). I can tell this isn't her first rodeo, but everyone else can tell it is mine- I might as well being telling the whole car to "say cheese!" I don't even feel embarrassed about my foolish grin. I am obviously not from here, nor do I overnight train often- most of these people seem to do this on a routine. I am sticking my whole body out of our enormous window. The windows on the train would not pass code in the US, they look as if they were made to have the ability to throw two bodies out at one time. No screen or bars, they are just wide open... I appreciate that.

The train is movie scene worthy. A rhythmically circulating fan every 10'-15' are registered at the same low volume as the many Thai conversations going on around me (that I have become so accustomed to tuning out.) The interior is poorly painted a sickly drab mint green, complimented by darker green cushioned seats and yellow/green curtains. The window that separates the high school girl and me is huge (in soooo many ways). The hall is shrunk in width by metal luggage holders, and the ceiling holds blinding fluorescent lights. There are official looking men checking tickets and unofficial looking men selling food and drink.

We cruise through downtown. Neighborhoods are inches away from the tracks. These shacks look inhabitable, a hodgepodge of fences and boards covered with signs and tarps. Each house seems to only be standing because the two on either side of it are helping to hold it up- I imagine the same goes for the families who dwell within them. As the sun sets, I still watch the life in Bangkok pass through my 3'x4' big screen. Small fires on the paralleling tracks, some left alone to burn whilst others are surrounded by a group of bodies of a variety of ages. After watching my "not burned" copy of Slum Dog, it makes me think about the potential each of those souls holds- how different their lives are to mine. The wind blows in my face and they are out of my sight again. I love this moment- the sky is purple and the silhouettes of the palm trees clutter my view of the horizon, the wind is blowing in my face and all I hear is noise of the train going over its tracks. Passing through a country this way is something really special.

Beds are pulled out at 7:30- a one man show, he goes from bed to bed reorganizing all the cushions and putting the clean white sheets of the mat. He hands me a sheet of laminated paper and points to the English instructions then proceeds to create my bed.

The sheet only has three lines of advice:

- keep valuables in a safe place.

-do not sleep with your window open.

-should not accept food or drink from strangers.
They all seem simple enough, and great reminders I guess. Although I am not too attached to any of the belongings I have in my duffel bag, I still toss both of my bags in my curtained sleep spot with me. It would be a bummer to lose my stuff, naked yoga and all seems a bit uncomfortable... for the others at least...

At first I felt as if it was pretty romantic, lying in my 5'5" bed with all my month's luggage next to me...the train bumping down the tracks, the curtain lightly fluttering filtering the glare of the neon bulb... the low signally sound in cue with the sporadic and slow breaking... the pulsing sound of the wheels churning and the pattern of the rotating fan. But it is not romantic after a few hours. It is hot and then cold, feels stale and then a bit dirty. The noise gets distracting and then annoying, I try the headphones but nothing can make me comfortable in such a small space with my bags getting in the way of my tossing and turning. I would drift to sleep and then that damn horn would blow and the wheels would slow their pace to a stop.

After a handful of naps, the day is starting to creep up on the night and I decided to stop trying to nap and just watch the world outside. A beautiful mist lies on the damp earth. The houses we pass are quiet, it's barely 5 a.m, they must still be asleep. I wonder what they dream of.

Another hour passes of watching the dilapidated houses in the swamps and then the train stops. It makes quick stops every hour or so, but this time I look out the window to see a sign with the name of the town that I am supposed to be in. Not everyone is getting off but the girl who was sitting across from me last night is running for the door so- I bust a move. Toss on the flip flops, grab my two big bags and get out of that train! I take a breath of slightly less polluted air, just to start my morning right, and I start to look for a bus... that will bring me to a boat... that will bring me to an island... that will somehow bring me to a shala... that will bring me much much more than I could ever have imagine or even ask for... (!)

Blogable moments II

As I am now on Day 5 of my yoga course on Ko Samui. I have so many things to share and a tight schedule so I do not have time to write about these stories, but- a picture is worth a thousand words so...

$12 haircut at Ruen Grit.

She didn't really read into my "messy look" I got the full blow dry! Looking Thai-tastic!

Cooking with Khun Iad.

This night we taught Khun Iad how to make pizzas from scratch, garlic bread, and Caesar salad dressing. Wish I had some breakfast shots, she cooks us chicken noodle soup for breakfast and was not happy when I returned from India fully vegetarian!

Night Out With The Big Girls.

Lexi and I at a towering height of 5'4"should have worn the slimming color of black.

These girls can't weigh even 100 pounds! They would even call us big!

this is the elephant that lives on our block (notice the name of taxi driver... Khun SupaChai, love it!)

Blog-able moments

I have always felt that my everyday life could be a great movie. Not because I am extra lovely or my life is so interesting, but because I always picture a movie scene filled with the interesting moments and amazing feelings, beautiful light and fantastic sounds that I experience. The most simple story could be an elegant tale if told appropriately! Currently, my life here in Bangkok is not movie worthy... (wake up, do yoga, eat, work out, study for upcoming yoga course, walk across the highway, read, eat, sleep. Maybe next day switch it up with an adventure downtown. Next day return to the schedule of the first etc.) I am thoroughly enjoying my chill time with my family and the focused preparation I am giving to my yoga studies, but I could not imagine my life here being produced into a movie (and, as you know, I have a really good imagination)

So although I do not drift through my day thinking how I should put this week's chapter on the big screen, I always think "I gotta blog about this!"

Water Taxi and Khun Boobtun's ride to it.

Long ago, Bangkok was circumnavigated through its waterways. Still today, many Thais make their daily commutes via the Chao Phraya River. Lexi and I felt ready for a day of adventure, combining the cultural history of taking a ride in a water vehicle with the modern blend of cultures of Kho San Road.

Getting the guards at my aunts house to call a taxi is

a hilarious experience in itself. I just walk out the door, try to find a man in a nondescript "official" military-esque uniform. Sometimes they are tight in front of the house, but often they coast along the perimeter of the gated community on their hot pink cruiser bikes. I point to a brochure that has a picture of a boat on the Chao Phraya and try my best to say the name of the dock. I think they get it, I go get Lexi, and the hot pink taxi arrives. Lexi reaffirms me that it is definitely good luck to get a pink taxi! So we enter the cab, greeting "Swadee-ka" feeling like the toddlers that only know and slightly abuse the word "hi." He asked us where we are going (I only know this because he turned around and said something to me and he is about to drive us somewhere and probably wants to know where.) So I, again, pointed to the picture of the boat on a river and repeated the neighborhood's name where the dock is located, this time I said it with much more confidence since that last guy seemed to understand what I was saying. (Later, I thought- yeah right he was probably equally confused but just said on the wakie-takie "ahhhh, I am pretty sure the white girls need a taxi again.")

The taxi driver talks to our favorite of the guards as we approach the gates of the community. Lexi and I have renamed this guard Khun Smiles because we have a higher level of communication with him. He always seems to understand! Khun Smiles all-knowingly gives the man directions and we are off.

It was nice to have someone to talk it out with when I wasn't sure if our taxi driver was on our same page. Mr. Boobtun is what his taxi license read (all names are posted on the dash. A new favorite part of taxi rides for Lexi and I is to see the drivers name. Mr. Dang still sits highly in my memory.) Khun Boobtun asked me a few questions in Thai that I repeatedly responded with, "I am sorry, I do not know Thai." Realizing that I have got to learn this language- colors and numbers can only get you so far! Like, nowhere, actually...

Of course we make it to where we want to go. Always. We hand Boobtun his well deserved 100 baht, and I inhale deeply to deal with phase two. Lexi and I climb the few stairs to the front desk. There are a handful of boats and we had heard things about certain flags meaning certain things. We didn't know what to expect or if this was even the right place to board... the woman at the front desk speaks English, She takes our money, gives us our tickets, and tell us to go to the boat right here. I forgot how easy simple things can be without a language barrier.

So we are on the boat. The boat taxi is covered with a tarp and has 16 rows of seats, two seats to a side. I feel like Paris Hilton and that other blonde girl on a farm. Lexi and I are in bright sundresses with glittering shawls to cover our shoulders. We are the only ones hiding our eyes with sunglasses, which also happen to be half the size of our faces. Did I mention there wasn't much white skin going on in that boat and the blonde thing was almost embarrassing.

The river gives an entirely new view of Bangkok, it seems to take you back in time. Far away from the cars and freeways, you see the life of people who live on the water. Homes built high on stilts, with ladders down to the water where an occasional soul can be found bathing, doing laundry, or catching fish for dinner.

We pass fishermen, temples, street vendors and markets with the entrance at the water's edge. The boat zig-zags down the river with stops every quarter mile. A man-made whistle comes from the back of the boat and is replied to at each dock, a soothing form of communication. It is peaceful and a lovely view through Bangkok... and then we approach downtown, softly veiled with a layer of pollution. Next stop is Kho San Road.

Kho San Road.

So here is where all the westerners are. My own kind sort of grosses me out. Beware of old men in small jean shorts, girls with fake hair braided in their head, and fake id's of all sorts being sold out of a suitcase. I can feel the energy from a block away as I file in-between a variety of languages being spoken by shirtless college boys and girls who talk a bit too loud. The slimy and shady meter are at an all time high as Lexi and I maneuver around unconvincing hill tribe women selling their "traditional goods" and merchants trying to get me to buy a swimsuit cover-up or a t-shirt with a mildly clever pun written on it. I am not impressed. We went to a travel agent to get my combination train-bus-boat ticket to Kho Samui and to Starbucks to decompress with a frappacino from all the seedy madness. And then we were over it- to Lumpini Park!

Lumpini Park.

We get there at dusk. 6 p.m. just happens to be the time that literally hundreds of Thais convene to do aerobics in this park that lies in the middle of downtown Bangkok. Actually aerobics is just one of the workout options offered here. People are running around on paths, and there are random stationary bikes and parallel bars located throughout the vicinity. Thais workout really differently than I am accustomed to... girls running in jean shorts, some men are on their cell phones, all ages aerobics, etc. All in all, it is a fabulous moment that you all have to see to believe! Next to the workout park, the night market begins. Over-volumed horrible singing greets you and we dodged towards the vendors. I am so lucky to be the rare person that gets "special price for you. you discount price" from almost every vendor... how nice. I begin to notice that every crowded market in Thailand sells exactly the same shit with the same "cheap, cheap for you" slogans. The same clothes, the same watches, the same scarfs, slippers, wallets, keychains, massage stops, lamps, knives, candle holders, pillow covers... everything, the exact same. As stimulated as I was the first times visiting the markets, I am now bummed at the lack of creativity. Although, they can still be pretty fun... but nothing is as fun as illegal DVD purchasing!

Illegal DVD purchasing.

No way was it legal. We cab over to this IT mall for an external hard drive and some other technical goodies. As we explore, we find a shop that is pouring out of itself into the mall. So twilight zone- the back of the store is empty. The middle of the store has racks of DVDs as you would see in a movie rental place, except, they are almost all covered with black sheets. The front of the store is actually seeping in to the hallway. Here a man is pushing DVDs on me.

Two collapsible tables display photo albums filled with new releases that he has for sale. I see "Slum Dog Millionaire" and I want it. The salesman is young and has a pinkie nail the length of some crusty ole coke-head (sp?). He is friendly but makes you feel dirtier than Kho San Road. I am not nervous, but Lexi is physically communicating that she does not feel good about any of this.

I tell him, "No way this is legal." He asks, "What is the word in English for opposite of burned?"

Really? As Lexi mentioned- You know the word "burned" but not the word "original" and you are going to sell me with that line? He can tell that I don't really care about where he gets these movies, but that I don't trust that the dubbing will be right or that the whole movie is on the DVD. He pops it into the player and I watch a few moments in each chapter. When he tells me the price is 100 baht, the money is already in his hand. $3- my Starbucks frappacino was more than that. Teresa is there with two movies to purchase as well. Her choices were not in the "new release" section but located close to the shelves covered in black. He tells her that those movies will take 15 minutes. Huh. So we wait. As we wait, he immediately makes a phone call, and proceeds to then open the cellophane wrapped movie boxes which are found to be just empty cases. Less than ten minutes later a skinny boy runs up with DVD cases in hand and the switch is made right before our ignorant and confused eyes. And as for the movie, you should all see it. It was a great story, with fantastic cinematography, and moving music.

Next up on blog-able moments:

-The $12 language-less haircut at Ruengrit (so close to "ruined it" its scary)

-Night out with the Big Girls (that's right, Lexi and I are definitely big here)

- Conversations with Khun Iad (minimal English in her vocab, breakfast always begins with her telling me how beautiful I am.)

-The elephant on my block