White Temple of Chiang Rai - Photo of the Week

I haven't done a Photo of the Week in about a month or so.  My apologies if you're one who enjoys those blogs!  As my blog has now surpassed the 1,000 view mark, I thought I would celebrate by getting back on the Photo of the Week bandwagon.

This week's photo is of the white temple in Chiang Rai.  Chiang Rai is about 3 hours north of Chiang Mai on the way to the Myanmar border town of Mae Sai.  I've heard CR is like a smaller version of CM, but I haven't spent any time there other than the half hour we spent to see this white temple on our visa run to Mae Sai.



Photo of the Week - the White Temple of Chiang Rai

The white temple is a popular tourist stop when "bordering-it" to Mae Sai.  The temple is fairly new, built by a Christian (I think) and is full of both Christian and Buddhist influences.  From a distance, it reminds me of a winter wonderland in the middle of the tropics!  Up close, however, you can definitely see the Christian influence with weird zombie-type heads and a pit of hands reaching out of the ground from hell.  Very strange.



This tree is full of these zombie head things.  Not really sure why!

Christian influence - hands reaching up from hell.
Apparently at night there is a red light that glows from below.

The temple itself is really beautiful and quite peaceful with a pond full of fish swimming in the crystal clear moat.  There is a sign posting that says no foreigners are aloud in without a Thai tour guide as there have been many disrespectful visitors to the temple.  They also *kindly* (insert sarcasm here) remind you that foot traffic through the temple is ONE way - no turning back - and not to touch anything ("Lady in the red shirt - DON'T TOUCH!!")



Beautiful!  See the fish?

Buddhist influence

All in all, the temple is beautiful and worth a look-see if you're in Chiang Rai or passing through, but not really worth the trip on its own.

Thanks for reading and Happy Trails!

Things my students say...

One of my favourite parts about being a teacher is hearing and seeing the crazy things these kids do!  They can certainly bring a smile to your lips and laugh in your belly (or terror, shock, and fear).  Here are a few of those moments I'm sure I will never forget....I hope they make you chuckle!

My 3rd Grade hams! From the left is Film, Focus, Keam-ii and Siri

I've mentioned before that Thai people say my name like "Crazy", because generally when they try to say "crazy" in English, they don't pronounce the /r/, so it comes out like "Casey" - Hence, my name being Kaycee, they call me Teacher Crazy (miraculously, when they call me Teacher Crazy, they can pronounce the /r/...).  One of the Thai teachers actually has my name spelled like C-R-E-Z-Y on the class schedule.  **Sigh**  It never ends.  Even to the point where one of my students asked me why my parents named me Crazy.  "What?!", I said, "My parents didn't name me Crazy!  You call me Crazy because you can't say my name."  She didn't believe me - she genuinely thought my name was Crazy.  I had to spell out my name on the board and spell out c-r-a-z-y so she would see the difference.  Even after that, I'm still Teacher Crazy.

A couple of my 1st Grade trouble makers! Big Big and Satang

This one is something I would like to forget, but I'm sure I never will...
A few months ago, I was standing outside my 3rd grade classroom waiting for the Thai teacher to finish her lesson.  The students in this class are around 8 or 9 years old.  One of the students, a vivacious little firecracker full of energy runs out of the classroom, proclaims that it's time to drink milk, then proceeds to try and suck on my boob!!!!  I was HORRIFIED!!  This girl has pretty good English compared with her classmates, so I pushed her off me and said absolutely you cannot do that...girl came at me again!!  I pushed her away again and said in my stern voice that is inappropriate behaviour and to not ever do that again.  She thought it was funny as hell (and I'm sure she didn't comprehend how wrong this was), I was completely embarrassed and really hoping no one around saw this spectacle.  I've always thought this girl had some serious issues, but if she's still being breast-fed at the age of 9, we've got a whole new can of worms in the mix :-/

This guy is one of my absolute favorites
Justin in 1st Grade - insanely intelligent!

This incident happened a few weeks ago when the students were holding their student council elections.  Again with the pronounciation of the /r/ - in Thai language, /R/ makes an /L/ sound and vice versa.  You can imagine the shock when a student - 12 year old girl - opens our office door and proclaims that we "must come for the erection!!"  WHAT?!  You want us to come for an ERECTION?!  "Yes, teachers!  Come for the erection!"  I work in an office full of typical, of-a-certain-minded men.  Girl meant ELECTION.  Come participate in the eLECtion... 

My other favorite - New Friend
He's completely off his rocker, but I'm so fascinated by this little guy,
he never fails to make me smile :)

And the last one for today...
I just left the class which is the worst behaved group of hooligans EVER.  This class consists of only boys and 95% of the time, I spend yelling at them - I'm usually FUMING by the end of the lesson and they're probably cussing me out in Thai.  When I walked into the class today, I asked them if they were going to be well behaved.  They said "No."  I laughed and praised them for being honest.  (Incidently, with the worst student in that class being absent today, they were astoundingly well behaved.  I was surprisingly shocked :)

If anything, you get some damn good stories being a teacher!  Hope this makes you chuckle!

P.S. None of the little cherubs in these pictures are any of the ones in the story (although Keam-ii in the first photo is a bit of a heartbreaker - she had a boy wailing because she didn't love him, poor lad)

"The world has changed me"

One year ago today, I embarked on this adventure that will last a lifetime.  I'm not going to recount what I have accomplished this year as I have already done that in my 2012: A year in Review blog.  What I am going to talk about though is the strength it takes to decide and follow through with such an experience.

Earlier this morning, I updated my facebook status with exactly this topic.  A friend responded I am brave for embarking on such a journey.  I've heard this many times from many people since my initial move abroad to Scotland in 2004.  I truly appreciate the sentiments, but I also feel it's not quite bravery, but decisiveness and desire and ability to put everything behind you and just go.  Saying that, even having the ability to put everything behind you isn't exactly true.  With the way our world operates now, the speed and access of global communication, social media, and the ever-growing presence of Western civilization in Third World countries, I personally don't feel like everything is behind me, it's actually in front of me - staring me in the face on my computer.

Partaking in this adventure, is more like following through with a dream.  Travelling changes a person.  You no longer view the world through one-dimension.  Rather, it propels you into this need to see and experience everything.  The cost doesn't matter, because the end result is priceless.  Experiencing that glorious, soul-lifting feeling of participating in such an event like Loi Krathong, or having your eyes well up with tears the first moment you glimpse the majestical structure that is Angkor Wat - no person can ever take that away.  Moments like those are completely unforgettable.  Five, ten, 15 years down the road (heck, even a month later) you don't remember how much you spent on that airplane ticket to get there, you don't remember your favourite restaurants that you miss, or TV programmes, or material possessions you left behind.  They don't matter.  What does matter is that you will never forget the smell of the air, the sounds, the friends you made - even if they're just those momentary friends - and how your soul was uplifted to a heightened level that only travel and culture can bring. 

A year ago, I decided those feelings and moments were more important to me than anything else.  All it takes to set out on a journey is the desire to feel these moments and the decision to let everything else go - if only for a short term.  Me?  I'm in it for the long haul.  That's what travelling has done (I have a tendency to associate my addiction with travel as an addiciton to a drug, unstoppable and - sometimes - expensive, without the damaging physical effects.  Once hooked, you will find any means to keep going).  I have since learned - twice - that going home after living abroad, I become bored.  Within minutes.  So utterly bored, that I idly pass the time by planning my next escape.  Yes, I use the term 'escape' as I have found my "home" feels more like a prison term on the best of days. 

If you have ever thought about seeing someplace new, stop thinking and start going.  Start out short term - 1, 3, 6 months, a year even.  I started out on a 5 month journey in 2004 to Scotland.  That started a 4 year adventure in England from 2006.  Now I'm in Southeast Asia for I-don't-know-how-long.  There are so many places I need to see - I absolutely must go back to Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, see more of Myanmar than just the border town of Mae Sai, Malaysia, Vietnam, India...then I need to make my way to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro (an excursion I still hope is possible with my ankle injury), I need to see the whole of South America - especially Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Columbia.  Then there is Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize....I'm sure you get the picture. 

Again, I can't reiterate how living abroad is not necessarily bravery (I suppose there is an element of bravery in there), but you just need to decide and go.  Everything will be waiting for you when you get back.  None of it will have changed, but I guarantee you will have.

To quote one of my heroes and definite wonder woman, Amelia Earhart, "The world has changed me."  Indeed it has.

Life is delicate.

I had to do my 90 day visa run today to the Myanmar border.  On the way back to Chiang Mai, I realized how delicate and fragile life is.

WARNING - you may find this next paragraph to be graphic

Up ahead on the road, we saw there was an accident.  As we approached, you could see a man lying on the pavement next to his motorbike.  We knew at once he was dead as there was no one near him, no rush of an emergency.  As we drove by, this man - probably in his 30's - was lying in a pool of his own blood, his body was at an awkward angle, his leg was completely torn apart with his broken bones sticking through.  It was a terribly awful sight, but I couldn't tear my eyes away for that second that we passed by.  Like the majority of Thai people, this man wasn't wearing a helmet.  I'm not sure if it would have saved his life in this incident or not.

The rest of our journey back to Chiang Mai, I could do nothing but think of this man.  The accident must not have occurred more than 15 minutes before we drove by.  So many people had gathered around on the side of the road and his family was probably not even aware that anything had happened.  I kept wondering where this guy was headed...maybe his wife had sent him to the market to pick something up for dinner and was waiting and waiting for him to return.  Perhaps he rushed so quickly from his home that he didn't even say "goodbye" to his family.  This man had absolutely NO idea in knowing that this very drive on his motorbike would be his last.  I feel so terribly sorry for his family - his wife or girlfriend, mother, father, brother, sister, children - who were to receive the news this afternoon that someone they loved would not be returning home.

I have seen many dead bodies in my life - I worked at a cemetery during one of my college summers, sometimes helping set up the viewing rooms.  This was nothing like that.  To see someone lying on the pavement whose body was probably still warm, whose body was completely broken, it made me realize what delicate creatures we are.  We can snap like a twig in a fraction of a second.  We're as strong as we are, until we aren't anymore.  Anything can be easy until it isn't.  Passing by a car on a motorbike is easy, until that one terrible moment when something goes wrong.

Like everyone else, I've had my fair share of loved ones passing - they have been the absolute worst moments of my life.  (One actually happened on a motorbike).  However, seeing death face-to-face like this really impacted me.  Every moment we have on earth is a gift to be cherished.  There is danger in everything we do.  From the moment we're born, we're in danger.  Some people let that consume them.  Sometimes, I want to let that consume me.  I've been driving a motorbike around Chiang Mai since October and it scares the shit out me.  I feel like just when I start to get comfortable, I see a motorbike accident and it reminds me I need to continue to focus and pay attention to everything when I'm on that thing.  There have been times as well that I have wanted to ditch my helmet, so I could finally do something nice with my hair.  Fortunately, the helmet has always won, and definitely after what I witnessed today - always will. 

I'm not going to stop doing what I love because I'm scared.  Being aware of that has only increased my vigilance and I take care of my surroundings.  Back home, I used to suffer from road rage.  That's pretty much all but disappeared here.  Thais are crazy fucking drivers, there's no point yelling and stressing about it - I'll just do my best to go with the flow and stay out of their way! 

Life is fragile and delicate.  Cherish each waking moment you have because within a fraction of a second, it could all vanish.  When you walk out the door, at the very least say "goodbye" to whoever you're with - it pains me to think this man didn't.  My thoughts are with his family tonight as I feel terribly sad for them.

Be free and transport yourself

I've been going crazy on iTunes these past two glorious days!  (My iTunes giftcard from my ma finally arrived after I was settled on the fear that it had been swiped by the Thai post office).  I've since purchased two very long awaited albums to add to my collection: Ben Gibbard's first solo album from Death Cab For Cutie - Former Lives, and FUN.'s ever so popular album - Some Nights.  I've been listening to many songs from both of these albums on youtube over and over again since they've come out.  I've also been adding to my repertoire of Classic Rock tunes - making the list thus far: Dire Straits, Jackson Browne, Cornelius Bros., and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

I suppose my Stevie Ray Vaughan acquisitions are what have encouraged me to write this blog. 

Do you ever hear a song and are completely transported somewhere?  This happens to me ALL the time...mayhaps this is why I love music over everything in this world.  It's another form of travel for me.

Today, I went from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Red Rocks, Colorado.  Red Rocks Amphitheatre is THE GREATEST concert venue in the world.  Don't even try arguing against me.  If you're from Colorado, you know.  If you've never been to gig at The Rocks, you should make it a point to be there at least once in your life.

When I listen to Stevie Ray, I'm transported to a world I love.  I can hear those sweet guitar riffs reverberating off the beautiful red rocks that make up the Amphitheatre.  I can feel it coursing through my soul.  I can't concentrate on anything but the music and the peace and the beauty of the place.  I sip on an ice cold beer and stare out across the stage to see the beautiful Denver skyline.  I feel the cool breeze chill my skin, so I zip up my favourite hoodie and just completely immerse myself in feeling the music and the atmosphere.  I breathe in the fresh Rocky Mountain air.  I'm lost.  I'm lost in a world that's far more glorious than the physical one my body resides in. 

When I'm at Red Rocks, life doesn't matter for those 3 blissful hours.  All that matters is the music.  When I hear a song that takes me to Red Rocks, life doesn't matter for those 3-5 minutes.  It's fucking great.  But then the songs ends and I'm forced back into reality.  I decide I don't like reality, so I hit 'repeat' and I'm off again. 

Unfortunately, I've never had the pleasure of seeing Stevie Ray live, but his music is music that fits perfectly in the atmosphere of Red Rocks - rustic and raw, chilled out rock n' roll.

So I'll leave you there...I'm off to The Rocks for a few minutes to forget about life.

Turn it up.  Close your eyes.  Be transported.

I hope you're hungry!

I feel like my last foodie post (I'm back on the Thai food train...) left a little something to be desired.  I didn't know what half of the food I was talking about was really called, and I didn't have many pictures to go along with what I was talking about.  I've discovered quite a bit more since then and have tried to take more photos of what I eat (although I hate feeling like a tourist taking pictures of food, when in fact, I am an expat - just know that I feel silly taking pictures of meals, but sacrifices must be made for those of you out there reading this ;-)

Beteauy in a banana leaf

Let me go back to my last blog with the beteauy (pronounced 'bai-toy').  The "green jelly stuff" I mentioned is made from pandan and used in many desserts here, including cakes.  When it's formed into the pea-sized balls and served in the coconut soup, it's called boloi and served hot and is immensely delicious!  Here is a picture of beteauty sold from a cute little man that wonders around a restaurant near my school.  It comes in a packaged banana leaf like a surprise waiting to be enjoyed!  The beteauy is covered in a salty coconut thick cream and is absolutely lovely!

Banana rotee

Since life is short, and I've already talked about a dessert, let's continue with that theme.  These are two of my previous competing favourites (the boloi has overtaken them!).  First is banana rotee, a thin Indian pancake filled with a chopped banana, fried in butter on a flat pan, then drizzled with condensed milk!  It's crispy, creamy, sweet and adds about 5 pounds to your ass with every delicious bite!  The second is even more amazing (and since mango season is creeping back up, will probably overtake boloi on my favourite sweet).  Mango sticky rice.  Yes, son.  I said "mango sticky rice".  It's a sliced up juicy, melt-in-your-mouth amazing mango served with sticky rice, covered in coconut milk (mixed with palm sugar) and sprinkled with the fried yellow tops of the bean sprouts.  A nice, light and relatively healthy end to a meal.  Damn, I can't wait for mango season...2 more months to go!


Mango sticky rice

The "taco thing"

Finally as far as sweets go, here's this little taco-type thing.  The shell reminds me of a thin fortune cookie, while the filling is similar to a sweeter marshmallow fluff.  The orange topping is sugared shredded egg yolk.  They're not my favourite and given the choice of one of these tacos, or the taco in the sombrero, I'd take the Sombrero Taco any day.



Remember this little guy?!
A tastier taco :-)

Next up is Papaya Salad.  Green papaya is shredded with carrots, green beans, tomatoes and topped with peanuts.  Thai's tend to add a million chilis to theirs and seafood is also usually added (soft shell crab, squid and other gross fishy things).  I take mine not spicy with no fish.  A refreshing, light, and very healthy dish!

Papaya salad!

Now we have the Thai bbq.  A pan with a "moat" is placed over a flaming bowl of coals.  You load your plate with raw meat and veggies.  The meat goes on top of the bbq and water is placed in the moat.  When the juices of the meat drip into the water, you add your mixed veggies and noodles and eat a feast!  BBQ's are typically All-You-Can-Eat for 200 baht (about $6).

Thai bbq buffet

This next photo is called Beo-wan-guy, or sweet and sour chicken.  Lots of chicken.  Lots of rice.  Lots of mixed veggies.  And (with or without) a perfectly cooked fried egg!  You can get something similar without the sweet and sour sauce, but cooked with an oyster or mushroom sauce called Pad-pak-rum-guy (stir-fried mixed veggies with chicken and rice).

Sweet and sour chicken - Thai style

One of my new cravings of late is Khao-soy.  This a primarily a Northern Thai dish (it might be specific to Chiang Mai, but don't quote me on that).  A spicy yellow coconut curry with egg noodles and crispy noodles on top.  It's usually served with a chicken leg, but the last time I had it, they were out of chicken, so I got dodgy meatballs instead.  Khao-soy is served with a cabbage relish, sliced shallots, lime, and a wet chili paste.  I tend to pass on the chili paste as the Khao-soy is already borderline too spicy for my tender tongue!

On top: Khao-soy with dodgy meatballs
On bottom: the side dishes

AND FINALLY (haha!), this dish has become one of my favourites.  Noodle soup!  I always order the small noodles (the big ones feel like slugs sliding down my gullet) and rotate between pork (pictured), chicken, or beef.  The meats are always tender and delicious.  The broth is flavoured with garlic and herbs like cilantro and spring onion.  Also comes with bean sprouts and some form of lettuce in the broth.  I spice it up with a sprinkling of chili (Thai's add a few tablespoons...) and gulp it down!  Careful if you're using plastic chopsticks to eat this one, the noodles like to slide off them and splash back into the broth.  It's a serious art form eating noodle soup with plastic chopsticks!

Noodle soup with pork

Now it's time to wash it all down!  Here we have Thai iced tea called Chaa-yen, typically topped with sweetened condensed milk (the Thai's love their sugar if you can't tell - they actually add sugar to most of their savory dishes, such as ALL of the aforementioned).  This particular chaa-yen is topped with a foamy hibiscus :)  Here we also have the best cup-o'-joe in Chiang Mai, from Good Morning Chiang Mai!

Chaa-yen (left and top-right), and glorious coffee
from Good Morning, Chiang Mai!

Now, I hope I've made you hungry and want to go searching for some delicious Thai cuisine!

Happy hungry Trails!

A New Year of Discovery - Photo blog

My lovely apartment

Happy 2013 People!  I know, I'm 4 days late, but better late than never, eh?

On New Year's Eve, I decided to take a walk.  Something I haven't done since July, since before my accident.  I've been wanting to wander around and discover the Thai neighbourhood I moved into a few months ago for a while now.  My ankle has been feeling relatively good lately perhaps in part due to rubbing it down with castor oil a few times a week.  I had never heard of such a remedy until a guy that lives in my apartment building suggested it.  Apparently castor oil is good to reduce swelling among other things.  The last few weeks, the pain has greatly subsided and my limp is far less noticable :)

That being said, I decided to go on one of my discovery walks I've missed so much.  I only lasted about 45 minutes (as opposed to the 3 hour ones I used to take), but it's a small improvement in the right direction!

Here is a photo blog of what I found - mostly from a temple near my place.  Enjoy!


Beautiful flowers!

The canal that I didn't know existed



Thai post!







Beautiful temple



The temple Chedi

From the Chedi looking out

Laying Buddha

Thai cemetery - the headstones have photographs of the deceased.

A beautiful house of prayer

Detail of the temple

Don't cross this temple guardian!

A Buddha taking shelter from the heat

In the evening, we grilled up some American style shish kabobs on a Thai bbq - onion, red pepper, pineapple, tomato and pork and drizzled with coconut milk...delicious!!!

New Year's Eve KEBOB-BQ (see what I did there?)

Here's to a fulfilling 2013!

Happy Trails!