a note on compassion

so, i've fallen off writing my travel blogs, but i thought this would be the best way to share my thoughts of the current situation in the world:

2017 has developed into something i'd never expected. i've been blessed in unimaginable ways, but i've also never believed i'd have my unwavering faith in human beings tested so thoroughly. i've found myself propagating the very notion that compassion cannot be taught.

traveling and discovering what global ties humans share, as well as what nuances and different flavors of beliefs/cultures/identities exist, has been a core passion of mine over the past decade plus. however, in the later half of 2016, it became clear that global policies and outspoken groups trying to exploit the smaller subset of our diverging ideals had succeeded in pushing all people across the board to their boiling points. facts are falling to the sidelines as special interests and rhetoric dominate headlines. other arguable points (backed by facts) are lost in the vast echo chambers of the internet, new channels, and 140 characters.

all these means are set to divide us and distract from what we share, especially within the united states of america: a country whose industrialized history developed through immigrants who moved from all around the world for dozens of reasons, but mostly commonly to have a better life and escape religious persecution. to have freedom to achieve their dreams and to not tread on others, ("do unto others as you would have them do unto you"). through promises to special interests groups, our current leadership is working to further divide/distract us, an effort which stifles and stops compassion.

we as human beings inherently desire to help others, especially those in need. i hope everyone is able to witness this. we need to rise up and embrace not only what we share, but what makes us different and as long as it doesn't negatively impact others. america is a melting pot, i've heard the highest compliments from many fellow travelers about the unique nature of blending so many different customs/cultures.

we need to recognize that our success, as a nation (and world), is interdependent. those who wish to maintain dominance, aren't interested in the standard of lives progressing; they are merely interested in furthering the gap between the haves and the have nots. we must recognize the common threads which connect our lives and our shared advancements.

i mentioned that i've been saying compassion cannot be taught. this morning, i decided compassion is infectious; you can't push it on others, but perhaps being compassionate to people (with both similar and different value sets), others will become more compassionate. this does not mean you must accept their values for your own, but hearing their perspective and starting a conversation rather than preaching. find common ground. conversation is with two parties conversing and sharing ideas, not simply two people talking at each other.

finally, we must find a way to articulate universally beneficial or hurtful policies/plans/ideas, so we can move together to fight for or against them. as i told a friend while commiserating about the current state of politics, we have to make 2017 be a wonderful year for us all, we can't sit back and expect life will get better. converse, find mutual values/purposes, be compassionate, and take action.

let's make 2017 and our future live up to all of our dreams.

phi phi - finding leo - day 19

disclaimer: this post was written almost 3 years after the fact due to the author's laziness/enchantment with his last few days in thailand.

i woke early to hike over to the dive shop. i head to the main port and climb on deck with a frenchman named jeremy. we exchange stories over coffee and i meet my dive partner achim, who is from germany.

there isn't a cloud in the sky as the boat cruises through kohs and the sapphire water almost seems artificial. we dive near the famous beach and gaze upon lionfish, pufferfish, and even an octopus. the visibility is perfect; 30 meters and water temperature must be almost 80 degrees, but at times i'm fighting a strong tide. 

i notice some strange tattoos on achim and debate asking him about them, despite his easy going and pleasant personality, the tattoos are a little menacing. we surface and after asking achim about nightlife, i inquire about his ink. he tells me they catalog an unfortunate trip he took to the us where he wasn't allowed entry and we talk about the strict customs process.

the boat drops near maya bay, where jeremy and i swim to shore. as i'm cranking with my fins underwater, i see a piece of garbage and snatch it, stuffing it in my pocket. after climbing up a terrifying rope net where the tide tosses you onto a craggy cliff, i pull out the garbage to find out it's thai currency. it's about $50 us!

jeremy and i clamber through a brief stretch of jungle and we find ourself here:

maya bay is absolutely as pristine as in the movie, albeit 100x more people are cluttering the beach. the glowing white sand and turquoise waves peek out from the masses. long tail boats choke the entrance of the bay and people are posing everywhere. there isn't a ton to see, almost no wild life, so despite the breathtaking scene, jeremy and myself snap a few photos of each other and we head back to the boat. i vow to return later.

the second dive is about the same, although there are quite a bit more fish. i was understanding we may run into nurse sharks, but sadly they were somewhere else (maybe scaring folks in maya bay?). i am able to scuba for over an hour, effectively doubling my early dives. the trick of controlling breathing is about deep regular breaths. the dive flys by and before i know it we are surfacing and heading back to the marina. i bid goodbye to achim and give him the money i found floating and he thanks me profusely. 

it is almost noon, (diving early really makes the most of the day), and while walking back to the hotel, i decide i must give maya bay a second chance. there is a tour which offers snorkeling, kayaking, and dinner for about $15 and i buy a ticket. i end up getting back to my place for about an hour and saunter back to the marina.

the guide meets me with a couple which looks to be an older english man and a young looking thai lady. i decide if no one else shows up, i will ditch the trip out of the awkward situation. fortunately for me, there are a ton of canadians on the boat when we arrive and they prove to be lots of fun. we snorkle near the marina, where the captain throws food into the water and the fish swarm us. i wasn't entirely assured they could tell us from the edible bits we were swimming in. then we went kayaking through some kohs, i strayed from the pack so at times all i heard was the noise from the animals and my paddle dipping into the glowing water. we then headed back to maya bay and my instincts had proved correct. there were a fraction of the people lingering and only a couple of boats. i waded, taking in the marvel as the sun sunk lower. i bid adieu to the the beach and headed back to the ship for food.

there was a plethora of amazing curries to sample and i tried them all. chatting with the canadians was entertaining and we even took some group photos heading back with one of the most beautiful sunsets i've seen in my lifetime. evidence:

i went back out for the mini fullmoon experience at dalum. i met these two danish ladies and we decided to tip buckets together. fire dancers and house music encompassed us as the waves lapped gently behind us.

i bid the ladies farewell at the beach, as a sly aussie swept my target and i headed home. i passed by a tattoo shop where i heard a pleasant six string sound and i bought some beers to sit down and exchange music and stories with the locals. after i'd had my fill of both, i said goodnight and walked through the field back to my hotel alone. the moon bathed everything in a tempered light which countered the balmy, heavy air.

i succumbed to my weariness looking out my patio feeling as i'd seized the day.

got to go phi phi, day 18

phuket, like street food, was hard for me to digest. thankfully, i'm rinsing my palette and taking in koh phi phi as an aperitif.

uncannily, i beat the wake up call by 53 seconds and shoved my belongings into jay's pack. the bus was a whole 15 minutes late and i was given the coveted front seat again. it was relatively easy, even if it did take 45 minutes to get across the island, but traffic is truly a different beast over in s.e.a. groggily, i walk to the 'cruising boat' and realized i was following my friend gabi, who i met at the full moon party. small world indeed. she had a different perception of patong, but then again, she didn't venture down the strip at night.

i always find time flies when i'm chatting with someone, especially when they provide interesting content/stories. for those of you who know me, i can be a bit of a chatterbox at times (understatement, i'm sure). we cruise across the ocean and hover around some kohs, but the weather isn't smiling on us. it doesn't mute the beauty of the islands though, fortunately. by the time we arrive, it's amidst a torrential downpour and people are getting antsy to disembark, like cattle they are pushing and shoving to get nowhere. i find my resort's sign, say tchau to gabi and wait for 10 minutes for the greeter to ensure no one else needs transportation. i get a private water taxi, (long tail boat), all to myself.

the resort is pretty nice, maybe not exactly the honeymoon suite i got in samui, but cozy none the less:

i can't stay 2 nights with my flight standing, so i called bangkok airways and it was surprisingly easy (and free!) to change my flight. as i walk from my beach, (long beach, they call it), towards the second beach (loh dalum), i see a couple of dive companies between tattoo parlors restaurants. i choose viking divers because they seem really knowledgeable and friendly and their mascot is a viking! i then walk around on dalum taking in the majestic view of a shallow bay with mountains hugging the coastline. you can literally walk out 2 miles and still not be up to your waist in water. the beach scene is pretty chill at 2pm, so i took a hike up to the lookout points, which lived up to the description in lonely planet. after the climb to the lookout point hike in ang thong national park, i really won't ever complain about a 'hike' again. the viewpoint is beautiful and showcases both beaches, giving me a scene similar to the 'trombolo effect' i saw in kauai, where you can lie in a spot and have waves crash on both sides of you.

i'm accosted by monkeys on the way down the hill. at first they seem friendly, but then one starts shrieking and running at me like that movie outbreak. for a diversionary tactic, i throw some peanut candy in the opposite direction and rush down the stairs and head back to the hotel to drop off gear. my beach is flush with speedboats and longtail boats, not quite as pristine for beach lounging like loh dalum.

i meet my friend todd from florida for the second time on the beach and plot my night. there's a bar run by 'a' who i met while he was playing a horribly tuned guitar, it's called carpe diem, (appropriately) and then some clubs on dalum.

i make it out to carpe diem, which is absolutely dead; carpe diem, indeed. i enjoy a strong tropical drink and sit looking out into the darkness and the sound of the surf, as my drink diminishes. i get up and head to dalum, and find myself in the middle of monsoon rain. i take cover at a bucket stand and meet some aussies who are looking into street drink specials. we meander down the strip to the bars on the beach, which seem to aspire to the full moon party.

i bid my new friends farewell, and made my way back across the narrow strip back to my bungalow for the night. tomorrow, i will dive near the famous beach from the film 'the beach'!

patong - dance with the devil, day 17

in a haze that seemed dreamy to me, i left my sanctuary on samui for the lights of patong beach in phuket. the airport in samui cradled a curled, dozing body of mine for the last hour, then i was picked up and slung towards phuket island in the west. i'd heard so many mixed reviews, i was interested to set the record straight. photo of the open-air airport in samui:

From vietnam / thailand trip

i land and have a brief conversation with a older american from st. louis, who still attempts to mix with the youthful crowd. strolling on to the bus, the heat swells and i brace myself for the inevitably long ride. by the time i'm at the hotel in patong, it's 4 o'clock and i'm strolling on the beach. it's a pretty comparable scene from most beach towns i've taken in this trip. parachute boats ripping though the foreground and bikini clad westerners dipping in ankle deep water. it's pretty enough, but not going to make my top gun beach list.

From vietnam / thailand trip

in search for some local cuisine, i inquire at my hotel. the receptionist tells me there is a market outside of the main drag and that it is very authentic. strolling towards the market, i'm noticing fewer and fewer westerners; i must be on the right path. the market, like all others in thailand would fail any fda test. meats sit out in the scorching heat for many hours, flies buzzing around and the smell of overripe fruit, (mostly durian), almost floors me. i quickly run up the steps to the food court, which apparently is what my receptionist was talking about. why not? i order the chicken rice, which is what most people are enjoying. the price is right at 40 bhat ($1.33). i desperately need a pineapple shake, but the vendor woman is no where to be found. i sit eating and spicing my food up, (to the delight of the locals) and finally get my pineapple shake to my tastebud's relief. time to stroll back to the neon pavement, back to where i blend in.

patong at night is such a different animal. this town has two faces, easily uncovered. during the day its wading pool / beachy persona is posted akin to the faux smile given to your mom when trying to look cool in your pack of middle school friends. once the poles have dancing partners on the strip and the town is painted in blacklight, patong's lips pull back to uncover extended canine teeth. the grit isn't just the sand from the beach. again, being a solo male, i get offers for sex, drugs and pingpong shows. part of me reverts to my 13 year old persona, wide eyed and shocked at the spectacle framed by women grinding on poles. i make my way into some clubs, but it's way too early and the only "patrons" are prostitutes and older ferang (white) men. wondering the streets, i meet up with the aussies at the factory club and i attempt to dance away my shock. after j-lo and a couple of gaga tunes, we retreat to the backstreets where expats and some travelers take comfort at tiny bars. it's apparently the birthday of the aussie's local friend / bartender who plies us with drinks, dancing around in celebration as we play games and close the tiki bar out, (i scribble my name under the cabana). the aussies say goodbye and i walk home reflecting on patong. the late night clubs were fun, as was mixing with the locals, but the in-your-face adult playground wore on me and it's clear, i have to make a run for koh phi phi.

small note: sorry for the lack of photos at night, i was concerned about my camera being lifted from my possession. i understand written descriptions aren't as visually telling, but hopefully you get the picture (pun!).

samui - my hangover/paradise left, day 16

upon studying the effects of energy drinks and bacardi, i have to conclude the hangover was twice as potent. still this can't slow me down and i still wake up early enough to grab the breakfast buffet; in perspective that was 4 hours after i crashed. breakfast mostly consisted of heaps of bacon, chicken fried rice and fruit. don't knock it until you try it, there is something very healing about salty cuts of pork savored on a pallet dealt alcohol in spades all the previous night.

dubiously, i entertain the thought maybe the headache would reside a bit if i got a haircut. my regular cut is pretty standard, minus the fact i've got 2 cowlicks. that's nothing a little language can overcome, right? i sit down waiting while the barber finishes details on the local lady before me. she has a peanut gallery and they are all racing 1000 km an hour in thai. then before i could ponder the effects of a set of clippers to my achy scalp, i'm in the operating chair. i motion lengths, pantomime clipping and twirl my fingers above my cowlicks; my charades skills in play. she nods and picks up the clippers and by the time she is done finishing with a straight edge blade, i can't help but wonder how much it would cost to come to thailand for haircuts every 3 weeks. to my laughter, she asks if i was at the full moon party and i affirm, wondering how she knew until i get home and look in the mirror. there is glow body paint all over the side of my face.

i have a feeling this will be a day of rest., but i've heard whispers of a buddha so grand it can be seen from the other side of the island. i grab a transport over to what i believe is the northerly side of the island. the truck leisurely winds through the island and finally drops me off at a dusty peninsula. at first, i wonder if the driver was at the full moon party the night before too, but i look and sure enough there is a buddha head sticking out in the distance. i walk the dusty trail down the beach and arrive at the statue. it's huge, and even though i haven't seen wat pho yet, i'm pretty sure this will be one of the bigger buddhas on the trip.

From vietnam / thailand trip

From vietnam / thailand trip

after relishing the statue's momentous scale and taking in the view from the platform, i head back home. i get lost finding the bus, but hire a local lady for the same price who is happy to drive me back home. i'm still not feeling up to par, so i grab a bottle of singha and lounge by the poolside soaking up rays like the doctor prescribed them. i meet a flock of aussies who are friendly and we end up heading out for dinner. since we are all pretty satisfied after partying the night before, we decide to wrap up the night with a massage and head to bed. like myself, they are off to phuket tomorrow. they speak very highly of the nightlife over there and i'm considering if all the pointed views i've heard are wrong. we will soon see, dear reader.

samui/koh panang or don't fight the feeling or fullmoontitus, day 15

i woke up early and was finally able to enjoy the buffet put on by p'somporn's resort. it was largely bacon and pad thai with a helping of bacon. i need all the energy i can muster for tonight as many people party all night and wake to greet the sunrise in the morning. this ain't my first rodeo though, cowboy. i've done carnival in rio and if i can do that, this should be a walk in the park on a segway.

i spend most of the day wondering around cheweng, which is a real touristy spot. dozens and dozens of shops run alog both sides of the road. they all sell the same things for about the same price, although that's always flexible and no doubt comes with the 'white tax'. massage parlors are almost every other space and the running joke of their pronunciation of 'massaaaage' brought me many laughs. i walk into the wrong shop and asked for a price and am handed a subtle menu which includes such packages as 'massage and sex' for 2500 bhat, i quickly make a break for the door. the strange thing is prostitution is illegal, yet these shops flat out slate it on a menu. i walk to a legitimate massage parlor and get a thai massage for 6 bucks. some people think it's rough, but I enjoy deep tissue massage, so it's right up my alley.

From vietnam / thailand trip

i make my way back to cheweng beach resort and take my first stroll up and down the beach. the sand is quite lovely, very powdery and light. i go for a swim but there are jellyfish everywhere and i freak out quite a bit after getting stung in brazil. i soak up some sun on the patio and chat with the aussie couple, who are headed to see the insanity that is full moon on koh panang, too. brad kicks my ass in ping pong. running into multitudes of aussies, i've had numerous conversations and find so many elements about their society interesting. they have a minimum wage for age brackets, so as you get older you make more aaaand their minimum wage starts at about 10 an hour, i hear. it's very expensive to live down there though and i've heard that a lot of people in my age bracket have drug problems. due to their main source of income coming from tourism, they are highly dependent as many countries about safety and perception of their image. apparently oprah has helped them with the image and advertising, perhaps she did it for some kangaroos and to have the opera house unofficially dubbed the oprah house? time to get ready for the ball cinderella! i walk across to the 7-11, (yes, they are everywhere) and grab some native redbull to artificially pump me up for the party.

From vietnam / thailand trip

 
i've chartered a speedboat with some others to koh panang. i meet some moon rapture buddies outside of the resort and our bus pulls up a little late. we head north to said speed boat and join with more party goers. there are a couple of dudes from germany, one brazilian, one dutch, and two aussies. i always relish any chance i get to speak portugese and i start chatting with gabi from sao paulo and her friend vanessa from holland. we get off the boat and pay the entrance fee, which is probably to keep the beaches clean, and we receive bright colored bracelets with a palm tree and what resembles a booze bucket. we walk through the town which seems to be bursting at the seams and get some food. my kee mao almost burns the roof off, they made the assumption I could handle the heat since i ordered something off the regular menu. we walk down to the beach where all the action will go down. it's sparsely inhabited, but people are spilling out in droves. it's hard to imagine ten thousand people getting crunked and bumping uglies on the beach during my full moon. yes, i do mean my full moon, i bought it off a dude selling pills on the beach for 500 bhat. we search where to buy buckets of booze, which are the ceremonial flaggon for this celebration and there are a plethora of stands with entertaining signs mostly selling the potency of their products with swear words and movie lines. we decide the same same, but different stand is the best and grab redbull and bacardi buckets. night is falling like a curtain at the end of a show, in a moth-ish fashion we head towards the brightest light which happens to be the flaming jump rope (later I'm told the clinics on the island sponsor these). in the spirit or spirits of adventure i decide to try it. i've seen enough people fail and get scalded but nothing serious yet. i ready myself and some local runs before me and jumps in. since the rope arches up towards the hurlers, i decide to wait until he leaves before jumping in. he leaves and i rush in, the burning braid brushing against my foot on my first jump, but i figured it out after that and got about 7 jumps before it got my foot again. partially due to my excellent training in school, i immediately drop to the sand and do my stop, drop and roll. i survived! proof below:



which was better than some other stories i heard: one guys hair caught on fire and another's groin ignited, that's gotta hurt. we went down a slide, which was considerably less dangerous. then on to the beachy dance floors, with their strange black light obelisks floating eerily in the air. there were platforms to dance on and the rest of the night was more of a blur to me. i lost track of my new friends and made it back to the speedboat around 3am. i return to my room around 4am and crash, exhausted, in a heap on the bed. i howled at the moon, spilling booze from my bucket whilst dancing up a storm and braved a flaming jump rope. i'm positive the reflection of the moon lay in my eyes as my lids closed.

From vietnam / thailand trip

From vietnam / thailand trip

From vietnam / thailand trip

From vietnam / thailand trip

samui - boat tours and treacherous hikes, day 14

From vietnam / thailand trip

waking early again, but it's always for a good cause. i'm lucky no one is traveling with me, sometimes i think i have the sleeping patterns of grandparents, minus the fact i stay out all night. on to the boat tour up north in the national park. i set up with burmese peter. the aussies from dinner are in the van and i get the cherished front seat again (another motif on this trip). i promptly pass out and wake up on the dock where we are shepherded on the barge. a german girl named nele sits next to us and we get partnered to kayak together. she speaks 5 languages and is 19; wtf is up with our school system?? first off, sea kayaking for only an hour or so and our german guide tries her darnedest to sound as interested informing us about the history as someone answering the thirteenth 'why' asked by a persistent 4 year old. she deftly cruises at breakneck speeds that nele and i actually have to work to keep up and i feel bad for everyone else. we dart in and out of a cave and along the edge of the cliffs. we pull up to the shore and hike up the first steep stairway up to the green lagoon. pictures to follow.

From vietnam / thailand trip

we slowly descend after i fail to find a way down to the lagoon and are informed we can't swim in the lagoon because fish breed there. we have a quick dip to cool off, then it's back to the boat for the lunch. it is very meh, unfortunamente. then it's off to another island which apparently has a difficult hike to an amazing viewpoint of all the islands. the disapproving german guide strongly advises against hiking it in sandals but nele and i disregard her. she wasn't kidding either. the hike is supposed to take 45 min up and 45 down. thoroughly dripping in sweat and partially rock climbing as well as clinging to the guiding rope for dear life, we make it to the final shear craggy cliff below the lookout. somehow the rock has worn down to resemble blades of prehistoric axes. we make it to the top and relish the view, not wanting to imagine how the decent will be. there are tons and tons of Germans and nele gets back to her native tongue for a moment. i fantasize about having a kite and flying down. there is the minute possibly that could add to the danger seeing as i've never hanglided before.

From vietnam / thailand trip

 
the decent is a nightmare and despite my sandals slipping off so many times i lost count, i only fell once gashing my elbow with the pseudo axe face of the cliff. climbing backwards is painfully slow and there are many people in shoes almost running down the hill. the insect noise inspires me a bit, but it's probably an hour in total for the decent and our cooloff period is cut short as the boar is headed back. we head back and to cheweng beach to lounge for a bit before the mosquitoes bleed us dry. The attempt to meet up with the Aussie ladies almost doesn't happen due to a misunderstanding about betelnut's ( a restaurant ) name. but we find them eventually and have a nice dinner as do the skitos. it's goodbye to nele and off to bed for yours truly, tomorrow i will witness the madness brought on by the full moon and hopefully see no werewolves.

- written on my ipod so apologies for weird formatting. will edit on return.