floating downstream.. .

sawasdee ka.

we are now in ko tao -- a lovely diving island in southern thailand.
we just left bangkok a few days ago. there are protests going on there now and the airport is apparently closed down .. so i'm glad we got out of there.

in bangkok, we stayed on the famed khoa san road:



we took many a tuk tuk ride around town to various sites and temples -- as well as random tux and jewelry shops. :) (tuk tuk rides are basically free when you agree to stop and browse random stores they bring you to.)

our favorite driver, sinhka, was our first tuk tuk ride.



also, when we were there, we took a day trip to the floating market!
it was crazy! so many boats, knocking sides, pulling you over, trying to sell you souveniers, food, and fruit!







all in all, we had a busy few days in the capital city.
we were all tired, but happy travel cat remained oh so happy!!

tokyo!

quick blog update since i only have 6 minutes left on my computer here..

made it to bangkok and currently residing on khoa san road for a few days. off to the islands on the 25th.

we spent a few days in tokyo. was blow away by the sheer size of it. i was told the heart of the city itself was 8 million people. and the greater tokyo area, engulfing so many other cities -- so close together it was impossible to tell them apart -- is 36 million!

the train system was a maze to navigate. so many lines to choose from, so many ways to go. with the signs all in japanese, it was quite an endeavor!
shinjuku station at rush hour was a sight to see!

we also went to the 45th floor of the tokyo government building and saw the extending skyline. it was hard to know if it ever ended. .. .





later, now, we are waiting to catch a train from bangkok to chumphon. from there, to koh tao where hopefully we'll learn how to scuba dive! :)

it's been fun in bangkok. we have taken many a ride in tuk tuks! seen a bunch of beautiful temples. talked to many nice people. eaten a lot of noodles and rice!

hope everyone is doing well.
we miss you!

maui.

it's been over a year since i've updated this blog.
i find it harder to update it when i'm "settled" somewhere for a long time.

i left my heart in san francisco a little less than a year ago.
i drove 3 days straight cross country to surprise my mother for christmas and spent a long freezing cold month back in wisconsin.
from there, i caught a plane to sunny maui where i spent three months living on the north shore at a spiritual retreat and farm working in exchange for room and board.

each experience i chronicle here in this blog i feel like is life-changing. .. but i guess that's what i'm going for.

i lived in huelo, maui in a small bamboo hut which i shared with my gorgeous magnetic amazing roommate, emily. both she and i arrived around the same time as yves -- the adventurous swiss-frenchman on leave from school for a few months to explore the states.

over the months, we blossomed from a group of beautiful strangers clothed in rain gear in a new, scary, exhilarating environment







... . to close friends, exploring new places, sleeping on each other's shoulders, camping on beaches, sharing, and learning and living.





















looking back, it's already been six months since i've left the islands.
the way of life, the attitude, the sunsets, the beauty. .. . it's been so hard to leave it all behind.

.. but on to new adventures!

to be continued.

sigh.

i have been feeling rather down lately.
lonely.
etc.

but i got mail today!
it was from truen.
it was a letter and a bunch of comics -- from both her and matt.

truly inspiring!
it turned my day around.

i then started to collage.
this:


(inspired by truen's big city)


thanks both of you!!
much love.

224.

i just finished reading this book called the every boy.
i looked it up online to see what the reviews of it were like.
i noticed that the hardcover version has 224 pages.
i thought that was a weird coincidence.

i bought two other books at the half price book store today to read on the bart as i go to and from work:
i) saints and strangers: short stories by angela carter
ii) happiness: a novel will ferguson

i hope they are good.

also, i saw this when i was walking to the bart from aaron's the other day when the sun was rising:

a week in the desert.

on a whim, the night before my friend eric took off for the desert, i decided to accompany him to the craziness known as burning man. without really being prepared and not knowing much about the event at all, i followed my companions into the desert.

i cannot really describe the experience fully.

it was a community. it was a party. it was an art exhibition.
it was a celebration.
it was harsh living conditions.
it was a task.
it was a joy.

i barely got to take pictures because i was constantly in awe of everything.
those that i did hardly gave justice to it.

in addition, i also got to experience/see ridiculous dust storms (lasting for hours), extreme heat and cold, a double rainbow, and a meteor shower.

the final burning of the man and the burning of the oil derrick was just amazing.
there are videos of the oil derrick burning that barely begin to touch on what it was like. look 'em up though. the mushroom cloud alone is worth it to see.











more pictures here.

the waters of santa fe

after taking off from colorado, i made my way south to santa fe.
i met up with my friend eric and hung out at his pad for a few days.






his friend paul took me to abiquiu lake, where we ate lunch to some pretty scenery and went cliff jumping.






we also went to some nifty mineral infused hot springs called ojo caliente. that was relaxing and soothing on my dry skin.



the next day, i crashed a wedding with eric.
i also helped him prepare to go to something called burning man.

i didn't know what that was so i watched a documentary on it and found it to be very intriguing.
eric offered me room in his camp if i wanted to come with..

.. so i agreed.

more about that to come.

pictures of santa fe, here.