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| Sawatdee kha from Wat Pho in Bangkok! |
Thailand, I miss you! I've only been home for a couple of weeks and it already feels like it was ages ago that I was able to go on this incredible journey. I am so fortunate to have been selected to participate in Whole Foods Market's volunteer program where I got to spend two incredible weeks in Thailand. Thank you to Whole Foods, my family, and everyone who donated to my fundraiser for supporting me in this adventure. Also, a big shout-out to my fellow travelers- Gillian, Glenda, Leslie, Rachel, Julian, Buck, Cheryl, Shawna, Jack, Josh, our amazing guide Noi, Daniel, Kate, and Kara. It would not have been the same without each of you there.
After a sitcom-worthy air travel experience (a grounded flight, running through two airports, lost luggage), I made it to Bangkok thirty hours or so after leaving Nashville. It was so great to finally arrive. On our first day, we took a boat tour of Bangkok, getting a really unique perspective of the city and feeding hundreds of catfish from the boat!
Afterwards we visited Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. 95% of Thailand is Buddhist, so there is evidence of Buddhism everywhere. It was so surreal seeing a giant reclining Buddha statue and monks in their robes.
We had lunch at a nearby restaurant and I tasted my first of many green curries. At that moment, it was the best thing I had ever eaten and is still so memorable. Luckily there were a few other vegetarians on the trip so Jack, Glenda, Leslie, and I got pretty good at coordinating and sharing dishes.
The rest of the day was spent riding in a tuk tuk (a fast-scary-crazy motorcycle rickshaw taxi), drinking coconut water fresh from a coconut, and haggling for a few new clothes on the street while I waited several days for my luggage.
That night we boarded an overnight train to Surin - what an adventure! Awake at dawn, I saw the sunrise through the train window and several monks walking with their bowls through the countryside.
Once in Surin, our group traveled with Alter Eco to a fair-trade rice farm and co-op to see every step of how rice gets from farm to table. What an inspiration to meet the farmers and workers whose lives are directly impacted by our purchases. We even transplanted some rice. One of the highlights of the entire trip was sitting down with one of the farm families at their home as they welcomed us in a beautiful ceremony. Many generations took part in honoring us as guests, sharing coconuts and jackfruit, while the elders tied bracelets on our wrists and chanted wishes of good fortune. I am still wearing my bracelet and I will never look at rice the same again. Thank you Sompoi and Rice Fund Surin for hosting, educating, and feeding us.
On our last day in the region, we were joined by Daniel Zoltani from Whole Planet Foundation to meet with Small Enterprise Development and learn about micro-finance and small village banking in Thailand and Asia. We traveled to a rural, very poor area to meet microcredit recipients who have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty. These women have transformed their lives using small loans. It was so humbling to have lunch made for us by people who live with so little and to see so much happiness in the face of such lack.
That night we stayed in Ubon Ratchathani where my luggage finally arrived and I received my first Thai massage. I was so grateful for these luxuries after witnessing so many poor people who were happy with very little and spending the last few days without my luggage. It was a great way to reflect on the first part of the trip and I felt extremely fortunate to be where I was.
I will do my best to show you in photographs what I cannot express in words. Stay tuned for Chiang Mai and Elephant Nature Park - but first, Bangkok and Surin!
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| the king and queen overlooking the river |
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| boat tour |
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| our boat captain- every vehicle had extensive buddhist paraphernalia |
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| first of many fresh coconut waters- 40 baht or around $1.25 |
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| wat pho |
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| reclining buddha |
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| reclining buddha head |
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| grand palace- some of us had to rent skirts to adhere to the dress code |
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| tourists |
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| grand palace |
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| tuk tuk- hold on for your life! |
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| bangkok |
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| rachel on the overnight train to surin |
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| surin |
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| 83-year-old farmer who runs a few miles every day |
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| sorting the rice BY HAND |
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| weighing the rice |
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| sompoi explaining how it all works |
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| on the giant rice scale- 980 kilos! |
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| the different stages of rice- did you know brown rice is just less-processed white rice? |
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| planting trees |
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| mangosteen, rambutan, and longan fruit plate, morning glory greens, fried tofu, papaya salad, bean sprouts, fresh veggies, rice; tom kha soup and curries on their way. yum!!! |
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| the squatty potty- bring your own tp if you don't want to use the bucket |
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| jackfruit at the farmer's house |
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| bracelet ceremony |
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| farm family |
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| rice farmer! |
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| transplanting rice |
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| julian and cheryl showing me how it's done |
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| surin |
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| gillian, buck, and rachel in front of "whole foods" in surin- a local market selling items from the co-op |
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| so much hot sauce |
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| my first friend at the microcredit village |
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| old and young |
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| microcredit clients |
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| thai funnel cakes |
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| josh was very popular with the thai ladies |
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| more new friends |
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| village woman weaving silk |
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| the site of my first thai massage |
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| glenda and daniel stretching before the flight to chiang mai |
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| bangkok airport |
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| goodbye bangkok and surin |
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| hello chiang mai |
