Peaceful Mind

So, this is my last blog I'll be writing from overseas. I'm leaving in about 7 hours from Auckland to head to the good 'ol USA. I'll fly for 12 hours straight into LA and head to San Diego.

I went for a run this morning and enjoyed the last morning of the beautiful New Zealand skies and had time just to reflect on my journey the past ten months. At this point I don't know how to even sum it all up...it has been so many different things but mostly it has been an amazing adventure that I have absolutely no regrets about and would do it again if and when the chance arises.

You learn so much about yourself as well as other people and cultures when you do something like this and it changes you in many ways. To say what that is I'm not even sure yet but I trust that I'll know more once I get back home, re-adjust and start building a life there again. So you'll have to wait for the insights once I return and touch into them all first.

To sum up New Zealand and the feeling I have here is "Peaceful Mind". I can not say enough wonderful things about this country; the landscape, the people and the overall feel of being here.

My last couple weeks in the north island was a fun adventure. As I said before Inbal and I rented a car and I quickly got used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road and maneuvering roundabouts. We visited some great places like Rotorua and the thermal pools and geysers, Lake Taupo and the Huka falls and the highlight-Tongariro national park. We did a one day hike which was 18km and took about 6 1/2 hours. This time of year it's weather permitting so we had to check in the day before to find out that it was a go. We took a morning shuttle to the start, climbed beautiful trails surrounded by even higher pikes like Ngauruhoe Summit which was used in the filming of "The Lord of the Rings" and were blessed with amazing weather!

Since I need to leave here shortly I'll get this off with my photos for you to enjoy and will be in touch. My journey has not ended quite yet since I'm planning to travel a bit around the Northwest and then back to Colorado to visit friends and see a bit of my own country.

I just want to thank you all for tuning in; to read my blog, view photos of my journey and all you wonderful comments and emails. Much love to you all!
Toni...........or Antoinette
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/NorthislandNZ

New Zealand Skies

New Zealand Skies

Today my friend Inbal and I were driving in our rental car to a little surf town on the west coast of the north island of New Zealand called Raglan and saw the most spectacular rainbow. I think the most fabulous one I have ever seen…no kidding. Oh course a photo could not capture the brilliance of it but I’ll include it in my photos anyway. Truly I have found the skies here to be some of the most amazing of any of the places I’ve visited.

I should really fill you in first on the south island. After leaving the ashram, I spent two nights in Nelson to re-group; do laundry, catch up on emails. I did a couple of runs as well as explore the small city of Nelson. I also managed to get to a yoga class which I enjoyed. I met some friends of my friend Pam and had a wonderful dinner with them. When leaving Nelson I connected up with two of the girls from the yoga retreat, Jess and Inbal, and drove down the west coast of the south island. The weather Gods were smiling upon us and gave us some incredible days of sunshine to enjoy the many sights along our route. We walked along a seal colony in Westport, saw the pancake rocks and blowholes, Franz Joesph glacier and Fox glacier as well as Lake Matheson which is know for its reflective lake views.

One of my favorite places was Wanaka and the backpackers we stayed at was great. It overlooked the lake and was nice and clean. We went to this great cinema where they have mostly couches to sit on and you can get glasses of wine and fresh cookies right out of the oven during the intermission. Yum!

Next we went to Queenstown which is known to have just about anything that an adrenaline junkie might want….for bungi jumping to sky diving to glacier flights. Needless to say I did none of these since the cost is high and the weather was cold and fairly wet. It was nice to see the town again since I had been there 20 years ago. Queenstown seems much more touristy but still beautiful. The rest of NZ seems pretty much the same; very relaxed lifestyle here.

From the south island Inbal and I flew from Queenstown to Auckland, rented a car and headed south on the north island. Raglan is a great coastal town on the west and known for its surfing. We stayed at a youth hostel in little cabooses on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Today we are moving on to Rotorua.

I just wanted to get a blog out and some photos since I was able to borrow a computer charger. I left mine in Wanaka at the backpackers…oh well! I must be ready to get home if I’m starting to forget things. I’ll be back in the US on the 8th of June so just about a week to go! I plan to enjoy every moment.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/southislandnz

Ashram Life

The first week I was in New Zealand I spent at an ashram called Anahata in the area called the Golden Bay in the northeast of the south island. It was beautiful there and I really enjoyed my time there. I was living the yogic lifestyle for sure. The style of yoga is called Satyananda yoga and comes from a long lineage from India with many Swamis(teachers or gurus). Swami Muktidharma was there and we got to listen to him talk at a satsong-a talk about life and different aspects of yoga and incorporating that into everyday life. Easy for the residents since they are living that life style day in and day out. It’s a communal living environment….or just one big happy family….where they are very organized about the everyday chores that a household requires. As “guests” we also had a choice to participate. This meant that we had a schedule 6 days out of the week. A typical day was to get up at 6:00 and begin with a yoga class and/or meditation then have a breakfast of porridge(oatmeal) to help sustain us for the next three hours of karma yoga-the yoga of action. So basically we all had jobs cleaning, cooking or tending to the garden. After which, there was a session of yoga nidra-deep relaxation yoga-followed by a wonderfully tasty vegetarian lunch. After lunch the afternoon was typically ours to do as we wished. On a nice day, there were lots of trails to explore. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t lend too much of exploration but reading by the fire was always a good option. In the evening there was often some sort of activity like kirtan-music and chanting or a fire ceremony which was very interesting to see.

I have to say that although it was a wonderful, powerful and relaxing week, the yoga ashram life would not be for me. Too regimented and limited but I’m so glad that I had the experience. The yoga teacher at in Thailand made many reference to “living a yoga life” and this is certainly one way to do that. Another is to do your own practices and incorporate it into “normal” life.

I also had the opportunity to meet some really wonderful people while there and am currently on the road traveling with two of the girls that I roomed with at the ashram. Jess is from Canada and Inbal from Israel. We are traveling in Jess’s car south on the south island and have wonderful weather the past three days. We have been taking the western route along the coastline and there has been spectacular scenery. We are staying in backpackers accommodations along the way which is really nice since you have a place to cook your meals and even do laundry if need be. It has been wonderful to not have a schedule and to just stop wherever you want and explore along the way. Today we will head to Franz Joseph where there is a glacier to hike and from what I can remember from 20 years ago, some equally breathtaking sights.

www.piscasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/anahataashram
http://www.anahata-retreat.org.nz

"Toto, we're not in Asia anymore!"

After 5 months in Asia even New Zealand feels like a different world. I left Thailand for a one day stopover back in Bali before catching my original flight to NZ. I stayed in Seminak which is near the beach(and closer to the airport) and is a busy place especially at night. What was nice was being able to get up the morning of my departure and go for my last run on the long stretch of beach along the Bali shore. The beaches in Bali are no where as scenic or nice as southern Thailand beaches but still great. As I was sweating and enjoying my morning on the beach I was thinking to myself “you’re going to miss the Asian lifestyle”.

After about a 24 hours travel day from start to finish I arrived to Wellington, NZ which is in the very south of the north island. I was exhausted and it truly hit me that I was no longer in Asia……I was cold! Imagine having to wear a jacket! The other thing that hit me is that I could ask someone a question in English and mostly could understand the answer-the English language is not created equal as I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs. Some of the things I had to remind myself was that I didn’t have to take off my shoes upon entering a building/house and I could actually flush TP down the toilet and didn’t have to squat to pee. I know it’s the little things but it’s a bit hard to get used to. I laughed at myself that out of all the places I could choose to eat, I went to an Asian restaurant/take away run by a Malaysian woman and the price was about 5 times what I would have paid in Asia-still very good but expensive. You would think I’d be tired of Thai and Balinese food but obviously not.

My time in Asia was amazing, I would never have imagined that I would have resonated with the Asian lifestyle so easily but I did. If NZ feels so different, imagine what I’m going to feel like once I get back to the US!

I’m on the ferry heading to the south island now. I’m heading to and area called the Golden Bay to Takaka and staying at a yoga ashram for a week. I’m trying to maintain a sense of calm and inner peace that I felt in Asia through yoga and meditation.

I posted some additional photos from Blooming Lotus from the last post so check them out when you get a chance. I'll get some New Zealand photos posted soon.

Sink or Swim

As I mentioned in my last blog, the yoga training has been a major challenge and not in the ways one would think; long hours, early start, hours of yoga practice, the heat, lots of homework but NOT being reprimanded nearly everyday like teenagers for things like leaving the door slightly cracked, leaving books on the floor, being one minute late…or more like one “OM” late, talking/laughing/having fun and basically for “not living yoga”. What the hell! I believe that all of us in the group are living yoga….in our own way. Sure, we are all in different places in our journey but we all have a strong desire to have yoga be a part of our lives, otherwise why would we be here? Sure, it’s a beautiful place to experience a training such as this but if we had wanted to spend precious time and money with no cockroaches, spiders, ants etc. AND even have hot water showers, we could have stayed numerous places with at least a 4 star rating and just hang out on the beach with a good book…BUT we chose to be here in Koh Phangan in the extreme heat trying to focus on what normally should be such an amazing experience.

So, we get that meditation is a big part-but only a part-of yoga but throwing one into hours of cross-legged torture to become enlightened isn’t what we signed up for. Yes, yoga is so much more then the postures and is not just another form of “aerobics or pilates” and that’s why we’re here….to learn more. To understand why yoga has pulled us in, why it normally makes one feel so blissful and opens your heart; to share this fabulous practice with others while finding that peace within. I know in my heart and soul that through the teachings of this ancient practice of yoga all this and more can be accomplished but we as individuals must do this in our own time and in our own way.

Okay, so if one teacher has so much knowledge and teachings to share with us then why would she not even speak about the meaning of “OM” and elaborate on the “limbs of yoga” like the yamas and niyamas(which is like not teaching a Christian “The Golden Rules) or the yoga sutras….one does NOT learn these teachings by just reading information plagiarized and compiled into a huge teachers training manual.

But….that all said we do have a choice. Sink or swim? Do we let the lack of one persons dis-empowerment get the best of us and sink OR take in the experience for what it does have to offer and swim with it; knowing that this is only the beginning or a stepping stone and can only get better from here. To swim the tide of life and let the currents take you to amazing places along your journey.


I wrote this about 3 weeks into the training as a bit of a vent but also wanted to find the humor in it all. I am now finished and relaxing on the shores of Koh Samui… reflecting and recovering…on the past month. I have to say that I do feel I gained a number of things from the experience even if it was to learn what not to do. Our teacher did know how to teach a good yoga class with good alignment principles and she had a strong background in meditation and pranayama(breath work) which she brought to the table but her ego, lack of teaching skills, and compassion made for a very interesting month. For me I realize it was a lot about a sense of completion and now with that all said and done…..time to move forward with it all! I continue to believe in and love yoga and my heart is open…always 
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/bloominglotustt

"Great Expectations"

No, not the book by Charles Dickens…. but expectations in life. So, as I’ve mentioned last time I came back to Thailand to do a month long teachers training with a teacher that I had met her when I was here in Koh Phangan in January. She really sold herself the day I talk to her about the training and also all the information she sent about the course, her background etc. Oh course I had expectations coming here but sometimes those expectations are not met…unfortunately this has been one of those times. After day two I knew the next twenty six days were going to be a real struggle. I won’t go into details but basically her teaching methods and ego are most challenging for me to handle. I know I’m not the only one and we have talked to her about it and in some ways things have gotten a bit more tolerable but only just! So, what I’ve had to do is to look at the positives of all this.(let me mention that there would be no way of getting a refund and the fact that I spent time and money getting back here to do this, I’ve decided I will stick it out)

First off, I am back staying at an amazingly beautiful place and I can wake up and go for a swim in the ocean before class, eat wonderful Thai food everyday, meet new and interesting people not to mention do yoga everyday and learn something new…..even if I don’t always jive with it. What I have realized that even with the negatives, I’m learning a lot about myself and things I will and won’t do in teaching yoga. This has also made me look at how much I have already learned from some truly amazing teachers since I’ve been studying yoga. Even Lilly(the teacher here) has much to teach me, I just have to leave myself open to all possibilities. So that’s not to say that I’m not counting the days because I am and everyday there seems something to challenge me. Who said life wasn’t a challenge!

I think that we should all have great expectations in life but need to just show up, pay attention and not get attached to the outcome………….and hope for the best 

Just a note to add to this blog; I wrote this almost two weeks ago now and haven't had a chance to post it. So, the count down continues but today is Friday and we have a day off tomorrow!! I'm going to get through it. It has been exceptionally hot and I feel as though I'm melting half the time but it's still beautiful and the early mornings are wonderful.
Here is a few more photos from Koh Samui. Thanks to all of you for being here for me whether I've heard from you or not...your in my heart and my thoughts.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/morekohsamui

I am a lucky girl!

Everyday I wake up and give thanks for everything I have, all that I have experienced on my journey(good and challenging)and just enjoy each and every moment. So, I question why is it in the "real world" that we tend to take so much for granite and forget that each day is a gift and each day should be treasured as such? My goal is to bring all of that back home with me in my heart, body and soul and to remember these times always...the feelings and the gifts.

So is it luck or my choice to be here? Oh course I made he choice to make this trip happen but I also know I have been extremely blessed in so many ways before and during my travels. I have met some amazing people on this trip and feel I've made some life long friendships as well. I've also fallen in love with some of the places I've been to and embraced the different cultures-especially in Asia...Bali in particular and am already trying to workout ways that I can get back sooner then later and to do some sort of business to pay for it. If anyone has any ideas let me know!

Currently I am staying in Koh Samui which is Thailand's second largest island(not sure what the largest is??) I made my way down south and stopped off below Phuket and just south of Krabi in a beautiful area called Railay Bay. This area as well as the neighboring bay called Ton Sai Bay is famous for their cliffs and rock climbing. Then I headed to some very small islands called Pi Pi islands where the water was so blue and picture perfect. I did a day of snorkeling among some of the even smaller islands and inlets and the fish were plentiful although much of the coral has died due to our environment and global warming. We went to Maya bay where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. I had just rented the movie while in Bali so it was fun to see the area it was filmed while it was fresh in my mind. I only spent a couple days there before heading here to Koh Samui and although this is a larger island it is still very laid back and easy to find secluded places.

Speaking of secluded places; I am staying at a place called "Big Trees Village" http://bigtreesvillagesamui.com/about-us.html
and I love it here! My friend, Anna, who I met in Koh Phangan in January told me about this place and I am so happy to be here and thankful to her. It is in the trees above the town and the beaches and so peaceful and quiet that if it weren't for the heat, I'd never leave. It is the hottest time in Thailand right now so going for an ocean swim is essential to stay cool. Thanks to the owner, Steven, I also have learned to drive a motorbike/scooter which has been on my list of things to do(you might remember my "Vespa" and Italy fantasy in an earlier blog)so now I'm doing it! At first I was very nervous but after a couple of days I've got the hang of it and of course am VERY careful especially in town. I really wanted a pink one but since those were taken I opted for a turquoise one with pink on it as well. I am a happy girl! (as well as a lucky girl!)

I have another 3 1/2 days of the leisure life before heading to Koh Phangan-which is just a short ferry ride away-for my yoga training. I will be there for the month of April and have only three days off in that time period with training from 8:30am to 7:00pm. We do have an hour and a half lunch break and also a "beach" break in the afternoon. It will be intense but it'll be great too.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/thailandbeaches

Return to Thailand

So I’m back in Thailand and have spent the past few days in the busy city of Bangkok with it’s pollution, traffic and noise………so why did I leave Bali? I have not been to that many Asian countries but now that I have a few to compare, I have to say that I prefer Indonesia/Bali over Thailand. The feel is different altogether and I’m not quite sure if I can put my finger on the reasons why. Is it Hinduism virus Buddhism or just the overall culture? One of the things I loved about the Balinese is the emphasis on family and ceremony. It felt like such a gentle, happy culture and was so easy to immerse oneself into that world and never want to leave. Thailand on the other hand, has some lovely people and I believe being Buddhist they are inherently good people but there seems to be a leeriness about them….until you get to know them that is. Bangkok is not the place to judge Thailand on and I believe in the North and South there is a much gentler feel.

Thailand has some wonderful aspects to enjoy including the islands and beaches which is why I’m heading back south later this evening. I have to add that I’m doing an overnight bus after saying I would never do that again but weighing the options it seems to be the best choice. I am heading to Khabi which is on the west coast on the Andaman sea to explore some of the small islands of Koh Pi Pi . I will head to Koh Samui before taking a short ferry back to Koh Phangan for the month of April to do a yoga training/retreat. It will be a very busy time and I will probably not have much of a chance to email or blog so if you don’t hear from me don’t worry……and I will be in touch once I return to Bangkok before leaving for New Zealand.

I have another set of Photos from Bali that I’d love to share with you. Please go to www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/baliagain

The Call to Cats

I’ve really settled into a nice groove in Ubud. With my runs and walks among the rice fields in the morning, yoga in the afternoon and often some sort of evening activity like a movie at the yoga barn, or just dinner out and home to bed early with a good book. Life is simple, relaxing and I feel like I’m rejuvenating my body and soul but I still want to explore some more areas in Indonesia.

So what does one do when they want a change of pace from the beautiful but busy Ubud? Go to the beach of course! There are some small islands off of Lombok (another island off Bali) called the Gili islands that I had heard wonderful reports about. Lombok, unlike Bali, is mostly Muslim as are the Gilis. My friend Debra and I headed out on a shuttle from Bali to get the slow ferry from Padangbai. The ferry boat took 4 hours plus then we had to get a shuttle from Lombok up the coast about an hour and then wait……….and wait some more. Finally, we got a small boat over to the biggest of the Gili's called Gilli Trawangan. We had some ideas from the guide book about where to stay and once we landed we headed down the beach front to find a place. Being that it is the slow time we didn’t have a problem finding a place called “Blue Beach” which seemed nice enough but we quickly discovered reasons to change accommodations the next day. During the night the generator kept switching off and therefore our fan did as well so I slept in a puddle of sweat most of the night and the blood suckers were out full force as well. Our mosquito nets were more decorative then functional. The worst of it was that at 5 am there was the first “call to prayer” for the Muslims and the speaker seemed to be right into our window and we discovered we were next to the Mosque. Quite the wake up call! Needless to say, we found another place to stay the next night.

The place we found was 100 times better and about 3 times more expensive but the price was still very affordable especially for what we got; air conditioned bedroom, a sunk in living room with TV and DVD player, refrigerator, and an outside Jacuzzi….never mind that the jets didn’t work, it was nice to have a cool soaking tub. Plus you can’t beat fresh water showers as most are salt water. We had two luxurious days/nights there and a relaxing time spent on the beach, snorkeling and enjoying fresh caught fish for dinner. I also enjoyed running around the island in the morning which I estimated about 5-5.5 miles around then jumping into the ocean for a swim among the fishes. There was a great spot on the island to enjoy the sunset which is a huge attraction and I took some great photos one night.

What I loved about island life on the Gilis is that there are NO cars or motorbikes! The only transportation besides walking is horse and cart or bikes. It was so quiet and no pollution. There were also no dogs to our amazement because on Bali there are so many stray dogs. The other thing Debra and I both loved about the Gilis was that there were tons of cats. They were mostly very well taken care of, feasted on fish daily and were very sweet and friendly. We had many cat friends (especially during dinner time) and we joked about how we preferred to have a “call to cats” instead of the “call to prayer” and how we could throw a huge party for all the cats in our party pad!

We decided not to endure another 12 hour day on the slow boat so we took the fast boat which put us back to Ubud in about 2 ½ hours with boat and shuttle. Had I not had my bungalow in Ubud for the month, I could have stayed on the Gili islands for another few days at least.

So, reality back in Ubud hasn’t been bad either. More yoga on the beach with the Balinese locals in Sanur (which is about 1 hour from Ubud) and my friend Elana and I spent the day at a beautiful cove called “Blue Logoon” which next to Padangbai (were I took the ferry to Lomok and the Gilis). It was also gorgeous with some pretty good reefs and colorful fish to snorkel among.

I was able to change my ticket and extend my visa to stay another 2 weeks in Bali then I’m back to Thailand to take a month long yoga teachers training on Koh Phangan. This wasn’t in the plan but that’s what traveling is all about!

I have a couple sets of photos for you to check out and I hope you enjoy! I miss you all but am having the time of my life :)

www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/morebali
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/giliislands

When it Rains it Pours

I didn’t know it was the rainy season when I came here and it certainly does rain. Not all day mind you and mostly in the afternoon and the rain can sometimes last between 30 minutes and 3 hours. My umbrella broke when I was in Scotland and I thought I wouldn’t really need one in Asia…I was wrong! I do have a big poncho but when ever I do bring it, it never rains. It is also very, very humid much of the time except the evenings cool off nicely and sleeping is very comfortable especially with the sounds of the night.

Speaking of rain…I was invited to join a couple women friends to go on a two day excursion to see some other areas of Bali. We headed up to the mountains and first stopped at some wonderful hot springs with private pools plus a large pool and a waterfall. It really started out as a great day and then the rain decided to come….in buckets. The roads were flooded to knee deep at in some areas and motorbikes were pushing their bikes through and some cars were getting stuck. We arrived to Lake Bratan and had planned to have some lunch then visit a beautiful temple on the water. On the water and amidst the water! It was beautiful though and we did have umbrellas that day but inevitably we got wet and when we arrived at our guesthouse near Lake Tamblingan for the night, we were all scrambling for any warm clothes we had. It was really cold! Who would have thought that I would be cold in Bali! I had to borrow clothes and slept with three blankets (I think heaters are non-existent).

The sun was out the next day and we headed out on a guided five hour trek in the jungle. The huge trees were amazing to see and the wild ginger and other flowers I had never seen like a passion fruit flower.The one thing I certainly could have done without were the leeches. You might recall my strong dislike for roaches…well, next to roaches I truly hate leeches. There is NOTHING nice about leeches and they were everywhere. I think I was a bit distracted on the hike because I was constantly doing a leech check on my body and having my friend, Elaine, check for them on my shoes and pull them off. I won’t touch them if I don’t have to. I’m very happy to say that none of the blood suckers managed to get any of my blood (I guess the mosquitoes are doing that for me) thank God.

The other excursion I did was an eco cycling tour. It started out with a wonderful breakfast overlooking Gunung Agung which is Bali’s highest mountain and an active volcano. We then were taken to a Balinese plantation where we sampled the local fruit, coffee and tea and learned about local plants and healing properties. We started our ride and on the way visited a Balinese home/compound and were able to see how they live their daily lives. We also got to walk among the rice paddies and even got to join in the knee deep mud and help out. We rode on and stopped where they were harvesting the rice and again got to help out in the process. We rode on and had the option to ride uphill to the finish of the ride that ended in a delectable Balinese feast! Always worth the hard effort with food at the end! It was a great day.

One of the most amazing things here in Bali is the cultural aspect of men and women’s roles. The women carry everything on their heads from baskets of food to construction materials like bricks and 2 x 4’s. The men do the labor as well but the women do the hardest work of carrying. Women are definitely the stronger sex here. The men in general are the artists and the skilled in woodcarving, painting, etc. which have been passed down from generation to generation. The other cultural thing I learned was about the children. A baby is never put onto the ground for the first 3 months of their lives so are carried around by family members, friends constantly and hardly ever cry. How is that for establishing security at a young age? Three month is also when the baby is named by the high priest.

They are ceremonies for just about everything (even a day for metal). The other day was dedicated to giving thanks for money and I was invited to join in at one of the local temples and dressed in their typical ceremonial attire of sarong, kabala, and sash. It is quite a social event and the locals as well as the offerings around the temples were colorful and festive. One of the most important and expensive ceremonies is the cremation ceremony with a person dies. It is even more important and elaborate then a wedding in Bali.

I continue to enjoy my time here in Bali and have met some wonderful people including the locals as well as over travelers. I am doing yoga at least 3 times a week and have found some great runs among the rice paddies so I am happy to be back running again. I did an artistic creative day with a friend, Debra, who invited me to join her to experience Rudolf Steiner’s color theory and create our very own drawing done with pastels. It was inspiring and so much fun.

I hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy my photos and I will be in touch soon.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/Bali

Bali, Bugs, and Bungalows.

I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Bali is so beautiful, magical in so many ways….except the bugs! I’m being attacked by no-see-ums(I think) and the bastards are vicious. I’ve been using the repellent that seemed to deter the blood sucking mosquitoes in Thailand but it’s not working here. You can’t even see these nasty buggers and they itch like crazy. While we are on the subject of bugs….my worst fear came true in Bangkok. I literally had a cockroach the size of a poodle.…okay, but it was the size of my thumb…run over my bare foot while at the ATM one night. I was horrified and let out a very girlie scream.

Okay, back to pleasant things. Bali is hot and humid as it is still very much the rainy season but it’s lovely and green and full of sensory delights. The first night I lay in bed listening to the sounds of the night and it lulled me to sleep (even without screens and I was a bit creeped out about bugs crawling on me) and I slept like a baby. I have this great bungalow; two stories and a bathroom that is partially open to the outside with orchids in pots on the wall. There are two balconies that overlook the views and comfy chaise lounges and chairs to relax on. I love it!

Bali shops have amazing art to overload your visual senses as well as tempt your spending habits. There are beautiful paintings, silks, batiks, jewelry, wood and stone sculptures that include huge Buddhas, Ganeshes (that will definitely NOT fit in my suitcase). There are yoga and meditation classes, great health food stores and many restaurants-both Balinese and western. I’ve only started to explore the streets of Ubud and the surrounding areas.

Today I went to a dance which told of a mythical story which was interesting and then went to a beautiful temple. There are over a thousands temples in Bali and each village has an average of three temples. Bali is 70% Hindu, 15% Muslim, about 10% Christian and 5% Buddhist.. Everyday the Balinese people give offerings to the Gods and place some food(a bit of rice and crackers)and flowers onto woven banana leaves out in front of there homes and shops. They are very spiritual people and take there beliefs very seriously.

The most expensive thing in Bali is transportation. I am staying in a small village called Penestanan and it is about a 20-40 minute walk into Ubud, depending on where you are going. The yoga studio I go to is about a 35-40 minute walk and it makes for a great warm up before class(as if you really need a “warm-up” here).

Life in Bali is as relaxed or as active as you want to make it. There are great walks to do among the rice fields and a path overlooking the valley which goes for miles. There are tours offered that do cycling tours and white water rafting excursions. You can go to yoga or just choose to visit one of the many spas in town which offer Balinese massage, body scrubs, flower scented baths and much more. You can also just relax in your bungalow overlooking the views and read a good book while the sound of the afternoon rain relaxes you even more. So I think you can see why I’ve died and gone to heaven!

Paradise Island-Part 2-The perfect massage

So as I was saying before, I broke away from my little bit of paradise at Wai Nam beach to go to the northeast of the Koh Pha Ngan island to Mae Haad which also has a small island called Koh Maa that is connected by a strip of sandbar. When the tide is low you can walk over and have a look and even get a drink at the local Reggae bar(something I’ve yet to do so perhaps in the next couple of days before I leave) It’s a smallish bay that is known for good diving and snorkeling. Since I arrived the weather has been very windy and the sea rough so not good for visibility. Hopefully before I leave I’ll get to enjoy some great underwater scenery.

It seems that while my stay on the east side was with an ocean view and focused on doing a lot of yoga and hiking the jungle, my accommodation here has been in a jungle/garden atmosphere and doing walk/runs in the early morning and at sunset time getting a massage on the beach. I know, it sounds decedent and my goal has been to find the perfect massage. A Thai massage is a lot of stretching and deep pressure on points of the body which is often quite intense. An oil massage is what westerners are most familiar with. I have discovered a Thai oil massage and this in my opinion is the “perfect massage”. A combination of the wonderful Thai massage stretches with a deep tissue massage done with coconut oil to moisturize the body. I’ve had three so far and the best was last night while watching the sunset over the ocean.

In my photos you will see a picture of a Great Horned Beak bird and we saw it on our hike to the remote beach (Ploy beach) on the other side of the island. It did seem quite tame and was taking a banana out of a woman’s hand. So the story continues here in Mae Haad. The first morning I was here I went for a run and was dive bombed by a bird and it nearly landed on my head! My heart was racing and I stopped to look at it and sure enough, it was the same type of bird that I had seen on the east side. Come to find out later at the local breakfast spot “Four Tables” that this there used to be two birds here and apparently a number of weeks go, one went missing. The one remaining is a menace and tries landing on people, taking their food and beach accessories and is just plain obnoxious! I showed some of locals my photo of the other bird and they think it’s the same one and is the male. I think the female here is bored without her mate so therefore causes havoc with the tourist.

Island life……it’s hard to beat and even harder to break away from and if it weren’t for the fact that I’m leaving next week for Bali I’d be really sad to leave. I really have enjoyed my time on the islands and feel the most relaxed since I left the states.
Follow this link to see all my photos from Koh PhaNgan www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/KohPhaNgan

Paradise Island-part 1....finding the perfect spot

Sorry about the delay in blogs. I think the island life is getting to me…meaning I’m extremely relaxed not to mention the limited internet connection here on the island. So, I’m going to write this in two parts because there’s more then one story in the past two weeks.

I came to Koh Pha Ngan on the 7th of January after doing yet another one of these “too good to be true” package bus/ferry deals. The reason being is that I had already scheduled it before Lana and I left Bangkok for Cambodia and even though I vowed to never do that again….there I was waiting in traffic in Bangkok, arriving at a totally different ferry then I thought I would and at 3:30am. This meant waiting until 7:00am to get the ferry over to Koh Pha Ngan which was 4 ½ hours on very choppy waters. Luckily I don’t get seasick but it was a long, long night and day!

I finally arrived and planned to make my way to the east side of the island in a area called Haad Thian and where a spa/resort called The Sanctuary is and where I was hoping to stay but they were booked up because of this huge gay wedding of a couple from Las Vegas and Tokyo-not sure where they live now-but it was one festive event….more on that later. So I ended up staying at a place called “Lovelip” very close to The Sanctuary so I could also take advantage of the yoga and meditation classes at the Sanctuary. I didn’t really connect with the bungalow at Lovelip so I started exploring some other options. I wandered over to the next beach called Wai Nam and there it was! Paradise found and I was determined to stay there and apparently so was everyone else so it took patience and three more nights at a bed bug infested bungalow (I realized this after nearly scratching myself raw and thinking that the mosquitoes were brutal here!) before I could get a room. In spite of the above mentioned it was worth it. I had an amazing bungalow with a view of the ocean, cliffs and coconuts trees and slept soundly to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. I left the bed bugs behind but did have an infestation of ants but hey….this is the islands. No hot water showers or flushing toilets but it more then paid off to stay 6 more nights in paradise. Wai Nam beach also had a platform overlooking the ocean to use for yoga and meditaton. I took advantage of this as well as doing a few classes through the Sanctuary.

Back to the wedding! The event took place the day after I arrived and right on the Haad Thian beach. The bridegrooms were dressed up in colorful kimonos and the guests were clad in wild makeup and outfits. Come to find out one of the grooms is an entertainer in Vegas and many of the guests were talented as well so they put on quite a show after the ceremony plus a fireworks display that was pretty spectacular. It was a fun night and I met some really nice people including Davie from South Africa who became my hiking and hanging out buddy for some of the time I was there. I made friends with a couple from Germany and Victor actually helped me to carry by bag over rocks and cliffs when I first arrived by boat (since it was rough they said they couldn’t take up right into Haad Thian), a sweetheart of a man, Michael, from the Uk but living in Thailand and Amsterdam, and Anna from the UK who I grew to really enjoy our walks and talks together.

Davie and I hiked over to an even more remote beach which was about a 45 minute hike and was beautiful. Another day we hiked into Haad Rin(where I took the boat from) which was close to 2 hours up and down through the jungle and as I was swinging on vines to help myself down the steep embankments, I re-named myself “Jungle Jane”. It was incredible with great views and on the way back we got caught in the rain and were totally drenched but it was worth it!

There is a bit of a party scene there on the island but it’s one that you can partake in or not. The dance parties on Tuesday and Fridays nights barely get started before midnight and go until noon the next day. Needless to say, I did not go and luckily was far enough away that I wasn’t kept awake by the music. After all, Koh Pha Ngan is famous for their “Full Moon Parties” that attract thousands of people.

So sadly I tore myself away from this lovely paradise after ten days only to experience a different side of the island……….”same, same but different” as the Thai’s like to say. I will tell you all about that in part 2 of “Paradise Island”

If it seems too good to be true....

It probably is! We asked our travel guru Bill what he thought was the best way to get to Koh Chang which is an island not too far from the border of Cambodia and he said we could take a taxi to the border for $30 and then in Thailand get either a local bus or a mini van (which he said they make you wait till it fills up. We figured we get to the border and look at the options. We happened across a travel agent in Siem Reap and decided to check out what else they had available. Lana was ready to jump over the desk and kiss the Thai girl who informed us that a bus/ferry combination from Siem Reap to Koh Chang would cost us $12 each! We decided that it sounded like a great deal so why not?

A minivan picked us up at 7:30am from our guesthouse and took us about 10 blocks to a travel agent and told us we had to get out and wait. For what? Another bus oh course. An hour or so later a bus came and crammed us all in along with our luggage like sardines for the 2 ½ hour ride to the border. The border wait was chaotic and we waited in what seemed to be the never ending line that took about 1 ½ hours. We then waited…again, for a minivan to take us about another 10 blocks or so to another wait station. By this time our patience was wearing thin but what are you gonna do? We waited until 3:30 and Lana and I were stuffed into the front seat thinking we had the best seat in the minivan but I was literally on the hot seat-not sure what made it so hot but I was getting pretty cranky during the 4 ½ hour ride. I’ve also wanted heated seats but NOT in Thailand!

We arrived to Trat and were rushed out of the van and literally had 10 minutes to get our gear and onto the last ferry. After what should have taken 7-8 hours total, 13 hours later we finally make it to our destination. Thus the title of this blog!

Finally once in Koh Chang we had some time to relax. The first day just getting to breakfast and the pool felt like quite the feat for the day. The next day we rented a double kayak for about 2 hours and had a great day! We enjoyed a wonderful sunset, great food and some classic people watching. Time to relax for the remainder of my time in Thailand!
Only a few from Koh Chang www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/KohChang

Honk if you've been to Cambodia

After reading online about the border-crossing scams, we decided we were brave enough to give it a shot. We got up at 4:00 a.m. to take a taxi to the Moh Chit bus station. The Bangkok street markets were already open and active. Our bus was packed with locals, we were the only “falongs” heading for Aranyaphratet. We arrived at the border around
9:30 a.m., prepared for the fake Visa salesmen and con-artists. It wasn’t as terrifying as we had been told. We only had to walk one block to the 1st window for the Passport check. At the second window we paid the $20 for our Visas into Cambodia, plus an extra 100 Baht for no copy of the photo. (No one mentioned that!) The 3rd window stamped our passports, and finally we went out to meet our ride to Siem Reap. He was supposed to be waiting for us with a sign reading “Toni Bodeau”, but we waited and wandered around for two hours, dripping in sweat in the dirty, hot and humid border area. Finally, he approached us and said he had been looking for two men. We fooled him! He took us to the Poi Pet bus station, where we met our taxi driver, Mr. Heng (or “Hung” as I referred to him!) We spread out in the air-conditioned taxi, surprised that they drive on the right side of the road in Cambodia. Mr Heng never stopped honking the whole way to Siem Reap, about a 2-hr drive. In fact, everyone seems to hook in Cambodia for this reason or that.

At the Two Dragons hotel, we met my dad and his friend Bill. We cleaned up, had a fresh strawberry smoothie, and then took a Tuk-Tuk to Pub Street for dinner. Bill wanted to go to Happy Pizza, where they serve “ganja” with anything. During dinner we were constantly interrupted by kids selling books and bamboo bracelets. They spoke English and were persistent yet delightful and funny. “America has 300 million people, minus 4 – because you 4 are here!” joked one boy. We walked about the town for awhile, and then headed back to the hotel because we were getting up at 5:00 to go to Angkor Wat temples to see the sunrise.

Our guide and Tuk-Tuk driver were waiting for us when we came downstairs the next morning. It was pitch black and I was wondering who the hell gets up this early…apparently many people do since it was packed already. We waited for the sunrise(a bit of a disappointment but still nice)while we struggled to understand our guide and Lana and I had to interpret for each other very often. He was a wealth of knowledge for the things we could understand but after about 10 hours later and too many “Lana’s and Toni’s….as he used the plural for our names…we had about all we could handle for the day. Plus it was hot, hot and humid to boot! Back to the guesthouse and another strawberries shake, shower and back out to explore Siem Reap. It’s a great town, filled with many restaurants and shops. The only thing unlike Thailand is that they really pester you to buy, buy. Lana become “Madame America” with many of the young kids trying to sell us on whatever the special “Happy New Year” priced item was.

The next day we got up (a more reasonable 7:30am start) and used the same driver but decided to decipher for ourselves with a guide book the different temples we visited. One that Lana and I really liked was out about 40 km away and we had to hike in about 1 mile or so up to a waterfall and along the river where there were many carving in the water and rocks along the river. It was really amazing to see. Being that it was New Year’s eve we headed into town again and Lana and I got a foot scrub/massage under the full moon. This is the life! We had a couple of drinks in an outdoor café and chatting with the sweetest boy who looked about 14 but said he was 18. After some excitement of the police chasing some boys on a motorcycle with guns we decided to head back to Two Dragons and bring in the New Year with the local Cambodians from the guesthouse. We danced and listened to music and counted down the New Year…..a very different way to bring in the New Year.

New Years day the four of us headed out to Tonle Sap Lake and rented a boat to see the floating villages of Kompong Khleang. This was incredible to see how the 6000 villagers lived in a village of about 1260 houses. You’ll see by the photos how they lived in houses on very tall stilts to accommodate the heavy rains and rising water levels. They row everywhere; to floating veggie and fruits markets, fish markets and just about anything else they may need. We got out and walked along the village and met some of the locals. The children are not shy at all and followed us and loved to pose for photos. This was truly the “real” Cambodia. Between the floating village and Angkor Wat we were so glad we took the challenge to cross the border and visit this amazing country. We figured going back over the border to Thailand would be a breeze….or so we thought!

I downloaded all the photos I took so I know it’s a lot but I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/Cambodia

Happy New Year!!