Sunday, February 25, 2007
A Day at the Beach
I finally was able to go to the beach on Saturday. Beaches are the heart of Phuket's tourist industry with sparkling white sand and crystal blue waters. The beach we went to is called Ni Harn is considered one of the quieter ones on the island.
About 11 a.m. in the morning, Tracy, Rudo and I piled into a tuk tuk which is a sort of small truck adapted with seats. It is a less expensive way to get around town for tourists. It took a good forty minutes to get to Ni Harn beach.
Once there one finds a series of seaside restaurants offering everything from Mexican cuisine to traditional Thai favorites. On the beach there are a variety of languages being spoken, English, German and Italian being the top three.
I had borrowed snorkeling equipment from my classmate, Gene. Soon I was in the water trying it out. I found the flippers too cumbersome on both land and sea, but I soon learned how to snorkel and spent about an hour in the water. Snorkeling give you a peaceful feeling as you are very aware of the cycles of breathing and feel immersed in gentle waves. The patterns of the sand below and the sudden appearance of rocks as black landmarks makes one both alert and fluent in the language of harmony at the same time. It was a fantastic experience that not too long ago, I never would have imagined I could do!
Labels: beaches, snorkeling, Thailand, tourism
Monday, February 19, 2007
The Church in Thailand
Sunday I had a very interesting experience attending a Catholic Church in Phuket. My motobike driver had trouble finding it, and I actually had to hire a second driver who took me to the Church of the Assumption.
It is a very nice little church of adobe white brick. I came in time to catch the end of the mass in Thai. The church is run by the Stigmatine Fathers, which is an order that I had never heard of before. It turns out they are an order that was founded in 1816 in Verona, Italy by St. Gaspar Bertoni. For more information, see their website:
http://www.estigmatinos.com.br/
At the end of the Thai mass, I received a Chinese New Year's blessing from the Director General of the order,who happened to be in town as part of a worldwide tour of the provinces. He gave me an orange (traditional during Chinese New Year) and I said "grazi." So here I am an American in a Thai Church receiving a blessing from an Italian priest. The English mass which followed was a tremendous multicultural experience. Assumption Church has a great choir which performed a beautiful guitar mass. The people attending included Thais, Filipinos, Koreans, Italians, Germans and English speaking people from Australia and, of course, the USA. A wonderful experience!
Labels: Catholic Church, Christianity, religion and culture, Thailand
Sunday, February 18, 2007
More from Andaman tours!
Here are a selection of photos from the tour. By the way, you can always email me at:
lawalsh@hotmail.com
Labels: elephants, Phuket, Thai food, tours
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Rescue Me!
On Saturday a friend of mine, Tracy, and I went on a nature tour of the island. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to a Gibbon preserve and Thai national park. The gibbon preserve was very interesting as we arrived early in the morning and heard the apes "singing," which is hard to describe except as a "long, haunting call." Most of the apes had been rescued from abusive owners in various parts of Thailand by either tourists or Thai people. The animals had been kept in small bird cages, or beaten for singing, which is their natural instinct to try to find mates. Now the animals are kept in a large compound where they can sing, swing and play. Volunteers from overseas help take care of the animals and have established three families, with hopes of eventually releasing the offspring into the wild.
Right from the gibbon reserve, we climbed up to a beautiful waterfall. This was quite a challenge for me, however, because the ride on the motobike the night before had destroyed my shoes. All I had left to wear was a pair of open toed shoes that were not designed for walking. Fortunately, we had a great guide, a young Thai man named Nicky. He helped me up some of the steeper portions of the hillside. There are steps cut into the hillside, but they are very rough and uneven. He was always there to take my hand and make sure I didn't "take a header" down the trail. Nicky led us under a thick canopy of rainforest to a small waterfall. The water was clean and cool and I splashed my face with it. We beat the other tourists there so it was absolutely quiet except for the music of the waterfall. The waterfall was not so intense as it will become in July, when the full force of the water makes for a grand sight.
After going to the park, we stopped at an elephant camp and watched a monkey show and rode a Thai elephant. Thai elephants are smaller than their African and Asian cousins, but still are very impressive animals. This was my first time riding an elephant and I was a little scared. But actually the elephants have a slow, steady pace and it is quite calming to "be onboard."
To finish the outing, we went on a canoe ride through a mangrove swamp. There was an incredible amount of vegetation and these trees rising out of the water. I saw a wading bird that looked like a small stork. The lunch at the restaurant nearby was spectacular. Vegetables and chicken was served in a delicious Mussaman curry sauce and fresh fruits and vegetables were carved into the shape of hearts, flowers and butterflies.
Our guide for the outing was Nicky. Not only did he save me from possibly breaking a bone, but he was extremely knowledgable about Phuket island. He told us that about 200,000 people lived on the island. Fifty percent are foreigners; many are Burmese refugees working in the tourist industry as laborers, and a sizeable chunk are "Europeans;" non Thai people from Australia, North America and Europe who have decided to retire or live and work in Phuket. Before the tourist industry exploded, the majority of people worked on rubber plantation. Rubber trees are highly resilent and can be harvested for about 14 years. When the trees are being harvested for sap, people get up at around 3 a.m. and carefully cut the trees. The work needs to be done during the coolest part of the day. Rubber planters practice crop rotation so that when some trees are at the end of their life span, there are others ready to take their place. The old trees are chopped down and sold for firewood.
So it was a very adventurous and educational day in Phuket.
Labels: ecology, gibbon, Thailand
Chalong festival
Last night we had a unique cultural experience. A group of us from the school went out to the Chalong temple festival. This an annual festival at one of the bigger Buddhist temples in Phuket to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The closest approximation is the Wisconsin State Fair. There are all kinds of vendors in the areas surrounding the temple selling food, clothes, jewelry, etc. Some traditional Thai music is featured on a stage and for the kids there is a big ferris wheel. Very close to the temple there are some religous rituals going on. People lit incense topped by little flags and put them on a huge sand mound. Others lit incense on small shrines nearby and some people even put up pictures of loved ones on these smaller shrines.
Perhaps the most adventurous part of this visit was getting to and from the temple. On the way there, a group of six of us managed to find a taxi. However it was not a large taxi and ended up with four of us in back and two on the front seat next to the driver. Then on the way home, my friend from Michigan, Tracy and I flagged down a motobike. I sat on the very back and my foot ended up resting on top of the pipe. By the time we arrived back at the hotel, the sole of my right shoe had been melted by the heat! The staff at the hotel was especially concerned by this and helped me hose down the shoes. Fortunately, the heat only damaged the shoe and not my foot. So today one of things on my list to do is shopping for new shoes. I'm down to a pair of open toed shoes that look nice but are not very handy for walking.
Labels: Buddhism, festivals, Phuket, Thailand
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Hello Thailand
I arrived in Thailand very late Sunday night. On the way to the hotel, the cab driver and I counted 7-11 shops. There were 9 shops. This is a very touristy area with McDonald's, Dunkin donuts and "American steakhouses" filling the streets.
Still it is very beautiful. There are many colorful and fragrant flowers, glittering green hills and the songs of exotic birds to greet you in the morning. The people are very friendly and the students I've started to work with our very eager to learn. For example, right now when I am at the computer, the woman who runs this internet cafe noticed I had the sniffles and gave me a tissue.
Our class of student teachers is also an international mishmash. There are about 5-6 Americans, an equal number of Australians, and also British, French, and a Guyanese person.
The ages range all the way from an eighteen year old to a retired engineer in his sixties. Most are an adventurous lot, with even our younger members being very experienced travellers.
I've been kept so busy I haven't had a chance to check out the beaches or the other landmarks of the island. There are many "Wats" here, temples for the Buddhist religion, and also some Chinese temples. I see one nestled in the distance, but I can't figure out how to get to it...
Still it is very beautiful. There are many colorful and fragrant flowers, glittering green hills and the songs of exotic birds to greet you in the morning. The people are very friendly and the students I've started to work with our very eager to learn. For example, right now when I am at the computer, the woman who runs this internet cafe noticed I had the sniffles and gave me a tissue.
Our class of student teachers is also an international mishmash. There are about 5-6 Americans, an equal number of Australians, and also British, French, and a Guyanese person.
The ages range all the way from an eighteen year old to a retired engineer in his sixties. Most are an adventurous lot, with even our younger members being very experienced travellers.
I've been kept so busy I haven't had a chance to check out the beaches or the other landmarks of the island. There are many "Wats" here, temples for the Buddhist religion, and also some Chinese temples. I see one nestled in the distance, but I can't figure out how to get to it...
Friday, February 09, 2007
Wandering Singapore
I arrived very late Thursday night in this Tiger of the Pacific. Singapore is a jewel of Asia. The first sight below plane was a traffic jam of ships in the port. Singapore is the busiest port in the world.
The city deserves its reputation as being very clean and safe. The people are courteous and hardworking, and this island country has achieved the highest standard of living in Asia. In many ways, it is like being in the USA, there are McDonald's everywhere and a lot of advertising for products from the US and Japan.
Last night I opened my adventures by walking away from the hotel and just taking in the neighborhood. I went past a Catholic Church named St. Michael's and many residential apartments. Eventually I found a subway station but didn't have small enough bills to chance the ticket machine. I took a cab to Chinatown; which was bustling with the upcoming Chinese New Year. I had some delicious noodles and mingled with the many people, Chinese and non Chinese alike enjoying the color of the holiday. Most memorable, an older Chinese woman who carried who dog around like a baby, taking in the sounds, smells and sights. The smell of garlic and onion and hope everhere. I hope to have pictures soon.
I plan to go to Little India today. Although in many ways Singapore is a fine model for how to create a good and properous society, it is not a utopia. Most of the people are Chinese, but, there are a large minority of Indian citizens as well. There is an undercurrent racism, most of the Indian people do the menial jobs such as cleaning up at the airport and street janitors, etc.
A lot of excitement and speculation has been created by the planned opening of two casinos in 2010, The population is expected to double from four million to eight million by then. There is a large amount of development in the harbor area, where a casino is going in financed by the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. There is a huge shopping mall and after getting lost in Chinatown, I took a bus and just happened to end up at the waterfront. A huge queque of people were waiting for taxis, something I had just run away from in Chinatown. I negotiated a ride back to the hotel with a shuttle service for about $16 USD, which was a little less than the asking price for "express service." When I arrived back at the hotel, two talented jazz singers were performing at the piano bar. They asked where I was from-- but somehow interpeted Milwaukee as being Kansas. I was too tired to correct them. We'll see where I am from today!
The city deserves its reputation as being very clean and safe. The people are courteous and hardworking, and this island country has achieved the highest standard of living in Asia. In many ways, it is like being in the USA, there are McDonald's everywhere and a lot of advertising for products from the US and Japan.
Last night I opened my adventures by walking away from the hotel and just taking in the neighborhood. I went past a Catholic Church named St. Michael's and many residential apartments. Eventually I found a subway station but didn't have small enough bills to chance the ticket machine. I took a cab to Chinatown; which was bustling with the upcoming Chinese New Year. I had some delicious noodles and mingled with the many people, Chinese and non Chinese alike enjoying the color of the holiday. Most memorable, an older Chinese woman who carried who dog around like a baby, taking in the sounds, smells and sights. The smell of garlic and onion and hope everhere. I hope to have pictures soon.
I plan to go to Little India today. Although in many ways Singapore is a fine model for how to create a good and properous society, it is not a utopia. Most of the people are Chinese, but, there are a large minority of Indian citizens as well. There is an undercurrent racism, most of the Indian people do the menial jobs such as cleaning up at the airport and street janitors, etc.
A lot of excitement and speculation has been created by the planned opening of two casinos in 2010, The population is expected to double from four million to eight million by then. There is a large amount of development in the harbor area, where a casino is going in financed by the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. There is a huge shopping mall and after getting lost in Chinatown, I took a bus and just happened to end up at the waterfront. A huge queque of people were waiting for taxis, something I had just run away from in Chinatown. I negotiated a ride back to the hotel with a shuttle service for about $16 USD, which was a little less than the asking price for "express service." When I arrived back at the hotel, two talented jazz singers were performing at the piano bar. They asked where I was from-- but somehow interpeted Milwaukee as being Kansas. I was too tired to correct them. We'll see where I am from today!
Labels: Chinese Culture, Chinese New Year, Singapore
Monday, February 05, 2007
Starting the Journey--THANK YOU
Now that I start my Journey, I have so many people to thank. My generous colleagues at Marquette University, who gave me such a terrific sendoff. My manager at NRCSA who has given me much sage advice and guidance. My friend Ann who is boarding Franklin. My Uncle Leo and Aunt Flo who have been so kind to me in helping me with this transition. My cousin Pat who is helping handle the sale of the car.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
