The Laughing Monk

I’ve been interested in Buddhism for years – it speaks to me in ways that other religions do not. So when I saw the sign that said “Monk Chat” at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai, I jumped at the opportunity to talk to one of the 700 monks who train at this temple. Just … Read more

Disappointing Phuket, Thailand

The most exciting thing about Phuket was the ferry ride between Phi Phi Don and Phuket Town, when two blokes aboard our boat discovered they had gotten on the wrong ferry. The operators had to radio up the Krabi ferry to come alongside so the two errant passengers could be transferred from one boat to … Read more

Goodbye Phi Phi, Hello Phuket

Tomorrow morning we leave Phi Phi Don and head for Phuket for one day before continuing north to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Today being our last day on Phi Phi we did two things. First, we took a longtail boat to Haad Yao Beach (commonly referred to as Long Beach), a more remote site north of … Read more

322 Steps

By 5:45 AM I was sitting on the dark beach, meditating while awaiting the sunrise. To my left a skinny young Thai man jogged the tide-washed shoreline. To my right another man, clad only in surfer trunks, lay on his back with his arm over his eyes, his long tangled hair splayed out behind him … Read more