How fresh can you get??

As we were riding in our taxi on Friday, our driver asked if we liked sea food and Thai food. Yes! And Yes! So he took us down this bumpy dirt path to a lovely open-air restaurant by the sea. Upon arriving, we walked into a covered area that had open tanks of fish, prawn, crab, lobster...we picked our lunch from these tanks. I was taking pictures of the fresh fishies being weighed out on a scale when a couple of tiger prawn jumped out of the bucket and attacked my ankle. Not really, they just slimed me. I let out a whoop of surprise though, causing all nearby to look at the silly foreign lady dancing with the prawns.

After we picked our food, we sat in the shade of trees by the beautiful green waters of the Andaman Sea. The food when it arrived was amazing. So fresh...with Thai spice. Fried white fish, tiger prawns and a couple of crab, fried rice and stir fried vegetables. When it came to the table, I said- "Ohhh...this is too much food." But it wasn't. Yum. That was our last meal in Phuket, and very memorable.

Be sure to buckle up...

When you ride on an elephant!!




We had a chance on Friday to do some sightseeing on land! Robin and I were sitting in the hotel lobby looking at a map of the area when a taxi driver came up and made his soft sell. It worked for us! He offered to take us on a route that would take all day...we chose to pick and choose. He agreed, and off we went at 10:00. Nathan grumbled a bit that we were dragging him away from the pool, but he came along. First stop: elephant trekking! We rolled, jounced, bounced and lumbered our way through the rubber plantation for about 45 minutes. The only pics I got were of Robin and Matt because I had been given BOTH cameras. On the way, our "driver" pulled a palm frond out from under the seat Nathan and I were sitting on and started cutting, folding and singing. In about 3 minutes he handed me an intricately folded bird with feathery wings, bouncing from the little thin strip of palm. It was amazing. Then he took another and in a few minutes presented Nathan with a grasshopper. Our little creations bounced along with us as we enjoyed our elephant ride. Nathan had been wearing flip-flops and realized he needed to take them off so he wouldn't lose them. He then rode along with his bare feel resting on the back of the elephant's neck. The ride was immensely entertaining, very slow, and not very smooth. The power of the elephant is awesome. Our driver was urging her along with little nudges by his bare feet behind her ears. At one point, our driver reached out and pulled some rubber off the trunk of the tree and handed it to Nate. Rubber in it's raw form looks, acts and smells like rubber things that we commonly use. There is no need for a lot of refinement it seems. Nate made a wrist band out of his stretchy drippy dried rubber strip. I took some blurry pictures. Couldn't be helped...moving target and no steady tripod! I just aimed wildly while being flung to and fro and hoped for the best. It was an experience I won't soon forget.

The Butterfly House

Here are a couple of pictures we took at the butterfly house in Phuket on Friday after our incredible lunch. I was so full and sleepy that I sat down on a bench inside the garden to sit quietly and watch for butterflies when this one decided it liked my bracelet.

We're back!

Aboard the Chameleon

Stunning beauty

Well...where to begin? We just arrived back from our March break vacation in Thailand. I will give the abridged version here, and if you want to hear more when I return to Trumansburg in June, you'll have to buy me a beer.
We arrived in Phuket, Thailand on Sunday around 9:30 am and were picked up at the airport by a guy with a paper hand-written sign that said, "Mrs. Alice." I really wanted to get a picture of that, but it was not possible. On the way to the boat, we stopped and picked up sunglasses and hats. It was HOT. The kind of hot and humid that makes you want to sit in the shade. And still you'd sweat profusely, just sitting there, not moving. We met our skipper at the beach and motored out to climb aboard the Chameleon, a large catamaran sailboat that was to be our home for the next 4 days. Shane Smith was our Skipper, a young man from South Africa, and a Thai woman named Bun was our cook. We ate fabulous home cooked Thai food for lunch and dinner each day. The meals were spectacular.

The 4-day trip was pretty well planned out by Shane, so we just let him take us to the highlights of kayaking and snorkeling. The wind never really cooperated, so there wasn't a lot of sailing, unfortunately, but the big twin diesel engines got us around where we wanted to go. The best feature of the boat was the webbing across the bow. It was comfortable and cool, and when shaded, made an excellent napping spot. We all managed to catch a nap or two on the bow of the boat at one point or another.

The waters off Phuket are riddled with many steep little limestone and coral islands. Remember the tropical Island in the James Bond Movie? The one that has the weapon or the sun collecting thingy come out of the top of it? Well, that island is in the general vicinity of where we were and is affectionately called "James Bond Island." We motored past it. It was teeming with tourists, long boats, and vendors of trinkets. It's out away from land, so people really have to work to get there. Some of the islands have caves and tunnels that lead into lagoons enclosed within the islands. On Monday we visited such a cave, and had more excitement than we were expecting.

We raised anchor pretty early Monday morning to get to a place called Koh Hong. "Hong" in Thai means "room." Koh Hong had one of the most interesting and exciting caves to visit. We got there around 9:00 a.m., in time to "beat the crowds," according to Shane. He anchored off a cave opening and consulted his tide chart. By this time it was 9:10. We had, according to his chart, about an hour to explore the cave before the tide would come in and close the opening at the other end of the cave. We set off, two in each kayak, with a dry bag for cameras, and flashlights, for we were warned that after entering the cave it would get as black as pitch. In we went. It did get black, and fast. The cave was curvy, and had stalactites and bats. The water was kinda scummy and smelly. Robin pointed out that the reason there were bubbles on the surface was from the bat guano and bacteria in the water. The flashlight that I was holding in the front of our kayak was a bit whimpy, (I was wising for a powerful Mag light) but we followed the boys through the tunnel while checking out the ceiling, covered with bats. Squeaking, flying, wiggling, smelly bats. It was pretty cool.

At the end of the tunnel, there were some low openings into sunlight. In order to pass through, Rob and I had to lean way back, and we barely got under. This made me uneasy. We would not have more than about 10 minutes before we would have to get back into the cave. But I was wrong. We had less time than that, for after paddling around the interior lagoon, looking at the mangrove trees and the fabulous rock formations and flora, we headed back to the cave opening. Uh Oh. No way. It was very clear that we would have to swim through the opening and pull the kayaks through behind us. I was the first one into the water and into the cave. Yes. The water was disgusting. I should have never voiced out loud before that there was no way I wanted to swim in THAT, thanks. I went through first, and braced my feet on either side of the opening and tried to pull while Robin pushed the kayak through. The water was too high. I didn't realize it at the time, but putting one's bare feet on coral and pushing is a BAD IDEA. More on that later.

We finally had to turn the kayaks upside down, Nathan and Robin were muscling them through while I was treading water with the dry bag, paddles and flashlight. Turns out I could have touched bottom and saved myself a lot of energy, but I was a little worried. Robin said I was panicky, but mostly I wanted OUT of the water and back into the kayak. We worked together, enjoyed some tense moments, raised voices and a couple of minor injuries, utilized some some kayak rescue techniques and got out just fine. When we paddled back to the boat, Shane told us he was 5 minutes away from rescuing us. He had been nervously watching a rock near the cave opening disappear while we had been gone, and knew that things were getting tight. It was exciting...a little too exciting, but it makes a great story. Yep. I swam in bat guano, sliced the bottom of one foot, scraped the top of the other and managed to kick Robin right in the family stones. And that was only Monday.

Thailand- some random observations

Matt and I in the cockpit

The long boats came to sell us fresh catch of the day!
Joe Cool
The Japanese are so polite. It's wonderful really. I have gotten used to it and comfortable with it. But the Thai are friendly. They smile easily, they cheerfully invite you in to their shop to look around, they seem more relaxed. That was my general impression of the people. We had some friendly taxi drivers.



As we drove toward the marina the first day, I saw miles and miles of trees planted in neat rows. I later learned that these are rubber trees. Rubber is the main export of Thailand.



We also saw poverty. It was the most devastating in Bangkok, and I'm sure we didn't even see the worst of it. Motorcycles were everywhere. It is not uncommon to see 3 or 4 people, on top of a motorcycle. There were lots of moms toting their kids and pets around on them. If I lived there, I would probably use a motorcycle. It's warm or hot there all year round. Some of the motorcycles had trolleys, side cars and little wagons attached to carry all manner of people and animals. There was a lot of construction in Southern Phuket that looked to be about half finished. Some of it looked abandoned, some of it had only one or two men working on it. Phuket was devastated by the Christmas tsunami a couple of years back. There are signs that they are still rebuilding. Everyone in the area lost someone to the disaster, and as you drive through and around the area, evacuation route signs are everywhere. Somehow the Chameleon managed to ride the wave without being destroyed, but it filled with water. Much of the coral growing around the little islands was damaged or destroyed by the tsunami. We saw a lot of dead coral washed up on the beaches, or sitting on the bottom. Here and there the live coral was fantastic. So colorful and such a variety of life. Snorkeling was ok. The visibility was only fair, due to the silt and sand in the water. Not spectacular by any means, but still very cool. I saw a neat variety of fish. It was fun to see the sea stars, all pink and clinging to the live coral. One morning I fed some little striped "seargent major"fish (that's what Shane called them) some bread. They came roiling to the surface. We passed floating jellyfish. The closest we came to anything dangerous was Nathan accidently getting into some fire ants on the beach Sunday evening.



It became really evident to me on this trip that our species needs to stop producing plastic bags. They are everywhere in Thailand. It was disturbing to see them along the road, in fields, washed up on beaches and floating in the ocean. It's a real problem.

The sun and heat near the equator is intense. I don't think I could ever live in the tropics comfortably. My Northern European ancestry screams loudly as I sweat profusely in the heat. The gorgeous women at the hotel in their long wrapped skits and fitted short sleeve uniform tops with beautiful sashes looked cool as cucumbers, fresh as daisies. Not so I. Last week on the first day, I carefully applied SPF 60 all over my body. (Except I forgot my chest) It worked really well, because I was only red (beet angry red!) on my chest. Last week it burned. Today it is peeling off. I haven't peeled since I was a kid.

Thailand is verdant. Green and lush. The flowers are beautiful and abundant. So abundant that they are on your plate, in your drinks, on top of your towels in the hotel...everywhere. They use the bright dark purple orchids for these decorations.

Taking it all in...

Our Skipper

Shane Smith, from S. Africa

Outdoor Shrine at Cape Prom Thep

Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!

Sunday afternoon was gorgeous. We went to Omote-sando Drive to see the parade. Guinness was flowing like water. There is no "open container" law in Tokyo it seems, and St. Patty's Day certainly is a day for drinking beer, or Irish whiskey, or practically anything. There was a lot of Kirin and Sapporo being consumed in the spirit of the afternoon as well.

Many of these photos speak for themselves. The lesson that I am reminded of is that from Monday through Friday, the Japanese are a tightly buttoned up group of hard working, unsmiling people. But just give them any excuse at all for a party (and one that involves silly hats, costumes and drinking) and they take it on with greater gusto than their day jobs. What a party!

Bands, beer and ballyhoo

This Japanese drum corps style marching band looked and sounded tight.

Can you spot the Guinness beer?

Impressive. Loud. Irish. (Not.)

Irish Setters, of course.

A US Army Band.

Old-School Japan Humor

Thanks to my old pal, Melinda. She has her finger on the pulse of all things I find amusing. She is a viola instructor at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT., and plays professionally all over the world. In fact, I didn't fully realize just what a huge success she is in the music world until I "Googled" her name once. Wow. Pages and pages.

She is a childhood friend. We met in kindergarten, we were in youth group together, and attended all the same schools in Ithaca. Even lived on the same hill. But, no matter how much time passes, when we see each other, we always revert to being childhood pals.



She sent me a couple of funny videos today. This one is a short clip from the third "Austen Powers" movie. You might not think it's funny, but it put a smile on MY face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX2VaVtFYfs

The second one is from an IMPROV group that does interesting things in public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkYZ6rbPU2M

These are a bit random, but they should amuse.
Extend your life: LAUGH.

Fun Women

Jodie, Beth, Marne and Moko.

JMart

Random, but exciting things have happened to me this week. It would seem pretty hum-drum at home. I have been deprived of such simple pleasures as shopping for things for the home with an actual car to take stuff back to my house. It's a huge thing. Our fearsome foursome went out to ASIJ on Tuesday morning by way of Connie's car, to hear Sean Covey speak about parenting teens. His talk was lackluster, but somewhat thought provoking. A lot of what he had to say is well founded in education...catch 'em doing good, affirm, build up, be a cheerleader, coach, teach by example.


The best part of the day was getting back into Connie's car and going to JMart. No kidding. I thought she was joking, and didn't pay much attention to the store front, but when I took my bags home and opened them up last evening, there is was: "JMart." I bought a bird feeder, bird seed, a rear basket for my bike, a bike bell (required here- I have been singing with my own voice, "ding!" when I need someone to move. Pretty nerdy, don't you think?) hand towels, a large wicker laundry basket, a shower curtain, a flower pot and stand, a kitchen utensil...you get the idea. I was in hog heaven.


I also took my camera to Taiko class to get some pictures of my friends there. We had a fabulous performance last week, and have been working on a new piece called "River" that involves fancy stick work, rapidly switching places with our partners, and changing drums. I am finding it really challenging, and am having the opportunity to fully explore my tendency toward klutzy un-coordination. In the picture: L-R, Jodie, Beth, Marne, and our beloved instructor, Moko. You can see the line up of our flat drums with towels on them to deaden the sound a little bit.

Right now there is a van parked in the driveway next door. I think it belongs to some kind of cleaning or interior maintenance service. I took a picture of it, because the name of the company is BEANS. A woman in my Taiko group told me that there is a business near her home that sports the name "Titty Twisters." We were speculating what exactly the business might be. This is Japan. It could be anything.


The other picture is the view of the Shinagawa area on my walk back from the Tokyo American Club. It is taken on a hill, at the top of some stairs, looking out over rooftops toward the skyscrapers. I always enjoy that feeling of being up above it all before I head back down to the station.

Breaking news

I don't know where they get these facts, but on the front page of the Asahi Shimbun, our English Paper- (a publication of the New York Times Herald Tribune) there was a little square announcing that the cherry blossoms will be blooming in Tokyo on March 27. I half expected to see "at 2:41 p.m." How do they know that? There are maps in the paper already showing peak cherry blossom viewing times in the different regions. It's a mania. It's like leaf-peeping in New England, but more fleeting. I hear that people get up in the early hours to stake out a spot under the cherry trees in the parks, leave their blue tarps or blankets there, so at lunch or tea time, they can sit in their claimed spot and enjoy. I promise, I will be taking pictures.
I hear it's spectacular!

Our next purchase...some outdoor furniture.

Egg Trivia, Sondheim and Nathan's face

I learned this week that the reason the eggs are so deeply orange here is because they feed their Japanese chickens a pulverized sea-weed-like plant that is good for them. The upside to feeding the chickens this way is the eggs here are lower in cholesterol than US eggs.

I am going to be working on A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with the Tokyo International Players. I just got home from a production meeting and am pretty excited. I will be a vocal coach and pianist. Whoo hooo.

Nathan got home from his week-long visit to the 'Burg and seems "glad to be back" Music to my ears. I missed his face.

Scientific graph

There is an email campaign going on at the moment, targeted at me. This is an excerpt from the winning letter, from one Isabel R. (10th grader) from Trumansburg, NY. Daniel S.'s letter was really also very persuasive, and touching. I am totally ignoring the ones with poor grammar, bad spelling and improper punctuation. Izzy's and Daniel's letters so far are the only ones that were well written. So...keep trying, you guys. I can't hear you...