"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