+33 hours Southern Thai Islands to Mainland Cambodia

The following is a log of my overland journey from Koh Pha Ngan, South Thailand to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One must note that upon arrival to Thailand foreigners receive a 30 day visa, if one wishes to stay longer they must cross the border to obtain a new visa. With this fact in mind, I will commence. (It is quite a lengthy post yet the delight is in the details of the trip only Asia can provide.)

Wednesday, January 1
9:00am- Post yoga class mental exclamation, "Oh no! I have to do my visa run this weekend."

9:07am- Head Instructor Ashton explains, "Nikki, you can cross by land but you will only get 15 days, same same at the Samui consulate. So why not fly back in from Malaysia or Cambodia and then you can get the full 30 days rather then doing two border runs?"

9:09am- "Ok, I'll look into it."

3:30pm- After two hours of thorough internet research checking on a consulate trip to Samui, overland routes that include multiple vans and boats to Malaysia and Cambodia my head is dizzy. "Maybe I should just ask the travel agent," I finally conceed.

4:45pm- I purchase the only necessary flight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand. This allows for a new 30 day visa yet it is only a small leg of the trip. So I purchase a travel package from Pha Ngan to Phnom Pehn.

Thursday, January 2
9:30am- After morning yoga class, I tell teachers I will depart today.

11:05am- Leave anatomy class on alignment.

11:45am- Arrive by taxi to Tong Sala Pier and wait for the boat in a monsooning rain. Picture 130 plus sweating tourists with heavy hiking packs crammed beneath a six foot by three foot awning.

3:13pm-Realize this boat was only the first of two I must take to get to the mainland.

3:15pm- Step outside the VIP room (aka a sauna of a room that has actual seats to sit down upon) to catch some Thailand rays, yet I promptly return when throngs of more tourists board the vessel.

3:27pm- Fake Ray-Bans bite the dust, yet this sorrowful moment is quicky wisked away after seeing a cute old tourist and his wife reading their large map with a magnifying glass. This is only half of my internal laughter because in the same moment this is happening a Thai tourguide is harrassing two Chinese girls about taking a dive trip. Quite a normal scene yet I couldn't help but laugh when they finally admitted they had no interest since they cannot swim.

5:38pm- "I spy land."

6:50pm- Spill the last third of my pad thai all over my shirt and jeans. Perfect.

7:37pm- First bus to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Maybe we will arrive at 5am?

Friday, January 3

3:30am- Wake up from a heavy slumber to the bus driver shouting, "Bangkok, Bangkok, Bangkok."

3:39am- After haggling with a tuk tuk driver I climb in and we speed off to Khao San Road where the last of the sleezy bar dwellers are offering up their insides to the city sewers.

3:49am- Convince two hotel front desk ladies to let me use a vacant room to shower in.

4:45am-I have to mentally justify the terrible thing I will now do. "May I have a hot coffee and a large fry please," I cowardly ask the McDonald's staff. (Listen, it is the ONLY place open 24 hours, save for the convience store and they didn't have chairs! And I did use that time to write my first yoga class outline.)

7:17am-After two failed attempts at finding my bus stop, a quick pop into the internet cafe and a lovely chat with a German yogi, I find my next ride.

8:07am- Having curls pays off, or maybe not, cause I get to sit next to the driver. Yes, he is picking his nose and eating it, but at least this seat has air conditioning and arm room.

8:40am- Smile and laugh as my driver turns a two land road into a three land road to pass an accident. Nothing new to see here.

9:12am-Stop for petrol and coffee. See orange clad monks chain smoking cigarettes and chatting hurridly away on their cell phones.

9:17am-Remember to buckle up as the driver accelerates to breakneck speeds. "I'm the first to go," I think.

9:30am- Recognize the picture on thai signs flying by as betta fish (aka Siamese fighting fish which are indigenous to Thai rice paddies).

12:12pm- Arrive at the Thailand/Cambodia border, well nearly there. I must hop on a moto then cross by foot, only after buying a sketchy visa from two Thai guys that speak to me in a mix of French and English.

12:45pm Wait to immigrate to Kampuchea.

1:42pm-Last to arrive on the bus bound (fingers crossed) to Phnom Pehn. Thankfully they wait for the white people.

2:50pm-See a pony pulling a cart.

8:00pm- Dillusion is beginning to set in from cramping legs, arms, wrists, butt, etc... Each lighted roadside stand is one more dashed hope that the city is impending.

8:13pm- Teach the 28-year old Cambodian father of two next to me wrist stretches. Then we discuss yoga and meditation and the benefits of both.

8:45pm-View the family photos of my new friend.

9:37pm-Arrive in the city!

10:03pm- Bus finally stops and I must push back the tuk-tuk drivers with verbal shouts of "moment moment".

10:07pm-My tuk-tuk driver gets lost. I can't help but laugh, this would happen.

10:18pm- Yell to the unassuming balcony I pray to God my friends live in.

10:19pm- Heads appear a few stories up. "Finally!" I exclaim.

10:37pm-Crash into a deep sleep.

The Lows to Which an Addict Will Stoop

[If you don't know by now many of my posts are lighthearted some tounge in cheek and at times educational. This one is meant to be funny, so please proceed with that in mind. ]

Let's face it, Seattlites love coffee. Every morning I can't help but earnestly seek out some java. Iced or hot, sweet or bitter, strong or really strong. Admittedly, sometimes it is my motivation to crawl into bed at an early hour, so the morning comes a little sooner. There are times where I plan out my whole day on what coffee shop I hope to sip a piping hot latte from.

You can take a coffee-addicted Pacific Northwesterner out of the Pacific but you can't shake the addict out. The addict will adapt, like the eyes of a night owl to the darkness, to find the grounds for that cuppa' jo. Even when traveling, he or she will sense just how to aquire the rich liquid within mere hours of being relocated.

Yet when coffee isn't so cost effective at the new place of residence, what's one to do? Give it up right? Yes! ...if you have the self-control to do so this would be a very logical choice. Or you could go with option numero dos and opt for some Nescafe. That's right, I said it, Nescafe. Please find it in your heart fellow coffee snobs to forgive me this ill. It's either a cup of these sharp instant grounds or weeks of zombie mornings, hellish headaches, and a blurry mind.

The following is my love letter to Nescafe. Yup, that's right.

To my dearest Nescafe:
Nescafe you are the low to which this addict will stoop. Your darkened goodness and bitter taste are welcomed allies of my morning battle. Hot or cold, only Katy Perry distains, but for you my heart will remain. Please see me through.
So much love, Nikki

Week Three: Alignment

In week three we focused quite a bit on learning the anatomy and alignment of varying yoga postures. Proper alignment is key in making sure students do not hurt themselves in postures. Misalignment can cause strains and sprains.
Three keys to proper form are:
-Grounding of the feet in standing poses
-Engagement of the core (abdominal muscles)
-Rooting of the hands during floor poses
And the most important of all, remembering and reminding students to breath during every pose. This may be a funny thing to remind someone of but often individuals forget to breath during exercise. Here are a few pictures of our class alignment corrections.

Chili Sin Carne (Chili without meat)

Bless her heart Thailand has some pretty creative interpretations when it comes to food. I've heard of people getting a piece of cheese when ordering cheesecake. Ice chunks in milk when ordering ice cream. And experienced here at Serenity friends ordering a veggie burger made of only veggies (no actual burger). That I can laugh at but when I order chili con carne I expected the literal con (with) carne (meat). Yep, even yogis eat meat... well this one eats chicken at least. Well here's what comes when one orders chili con carne: chili peppers and soupy kidney beans. :) At least beans have some protein!

Yoga inspiration

How do I get through two, sometimes three asana (posture) classes a day? One name can answer this question: Luca. Aged to perfection at 4 years, this half French half Thai little tyke always brings a smile to my face whenever he darts into the room. His giggle is infectious and we have lots of fun together. His energy is what helps me get through yoga in the hot Thai afternoon.

How to wash laundry in SEA (Southeast Asia) after the rain.

So Thailand, still part of Asia, can experience terrential downpours at times. When this happens the nice laundry that you so cutely washed in the bathroom sink begins to reek of stale sweat, muggy earth, and whatever was cooked in the kitchen that afternoon. If that didn't create enough of a pungant smell in your nostrils just try going to smell that old sneaker you left in the laundry room but have still yet to wash.

It is necessary to rid the clothes of this smell because... well when traveling SEA you really only have about five sets that you rotate on a regular basis. And doing yoga in close proximity to others twice daily adds to the necessity of this washing effort. So why not just use the local laundry ladies? 30-40THB (roughly $1USD) per kilo of laundry seems like it's not that much but add it all up to an already tight budget it saves to do your own.
In preparation, run to the 7-11 to procure laundry detergent (this should cost roughly 33THB). Now we may commence!
To begin:
1. Catch and remove cockroach from washing area.
2. Gather laundry the wind has scattered about the patio during the monsoon.
3. Wet laundry in cold clean tap water.
4. Boil pot of water on stove. (This is to kill the mold that has begun to grow due to the damp air and perpetual rain.)

5. Add a scoop of unknown scented laundry detergent to the cool water.

6. Drain cool water from sink and pour in boiling water. Stir with appropriate kitchen tools. (To avoid burning your hands.)

7. Once the water has cooled, empty sink, ring laundry and hang in the sun to dry. 8. By evening your laundry should be done.

Now you know how to avoid the musky monsoon smell in your laundry! ;)

An Intentional Weekend

Last week finished strong, despite the fact that we all endured two asana (posture) classes a day for five days. (Some are 90 minute classes people!) These classes are already having a profound impact on my posture and gait. Regular exercise, which promotes blood flow, does wonders for the body and as well for the mind. Too often sitting still at a computer can bring back, neck and shoulder pain by tightening the front of the body. Yet when we regularly work on strengthening our back it can lead to a more open chest and ease stress regularly placed on the shoulders and neck. So... go walk, do yoga or get the blood flowing through other exercises.

Over the weekend there were many extra activities that one could choose from; such as a study of organic foods, a children's workshop, or a trip to town. The weekend was a nice change to sleep into 7am, rather then the usual 6am wakeup. Though this is not a habit I regularly keep at home (waking up early), I think it's one I might change. Waking up so early leaves so much time in the day to accomplish things, like an ocean swim, cleaning out the room, doing laundry. Saturday was spent visiting the main town on the island and shopping for fresh fruit and produce. The first time Thailand-visitors also went wild for the tshirts, yoga pants, and other fun island beach wear. After getting my first real latte in a week, we all crammed all 10 of us back into the sung theow (an old Toyota with two bench seats in the bed of the truck) out to Serenity.

Since I have an invested interest in working with women and children in a yoga therapy context, I chose a children's yoga workshop on Sunday afternoon. This workshop was held at an alternate yoga school on the island. So despite the torrential downpour three others and I made our way to Agama Yoga School. Our instructor Ra Dasi allowed us to sit in on an actual child's yoga class. Thoroughly energetic the kids bounced and babbled their way through the poses. They particularly loved the animal-inspired ones like cat/cow. It was a wonderful experience to see just how free she allowed the children to be yet Ra kept a fluid structure about the whole class. The kids were thoroughly engaged in the poses and even lead part of the classes. Truly it was an eye-opening experience of how to lead a kids class. I learned so much and can't wait to lead my own kiddo class.