traveling with scissors: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

In the northern hills of Thailand close to the Burmese border sits a small chill hippie village called Pai. This place was virtually non-existent until three to five years ago and is gaining popularity like wildfire. Friends of mine told me of an organic farm called Tacomepai where you can stay for three dollars a night. A former electrical enigineer, Sandot and his wife own this rustic hideaway, where those who really want to stick it to the man can live in blissful ignorance. People spend months, even years there avoiding society. They kick up their dirty feet, tie up their dreads, strum at an acoustic guitar next to the fire and maybe learn some basic Thai to communicate with the locals. You can go there to learn how to make traditional Thai music instruments or make dishes out of bamboo. A friend of Sandot's down the road owns elephants and I went down to pet these indolent, awkward, drab colored, coarse to the touch beings. Somehow even with all that they have working against them, they are the most lovable creatures and you can't help but find such a superabundance of beauty in them. On the farm there are two pet pigs, "Crispy" and "Bacon", several dogs and cats, and free range chickens and ducks running amok. They grow rice, mango, papaya, avocado, lemons, limes, bananas, and that fruit that looks like a hand grenade that tastes like apple custard on the inside. I'll tell you, I made some life decisions sleeping in that bamboo hut next to the rice field, laying in a pool of my own sweat and being eaten alive by mosquito's. I loved my experience there but deep down I am an urban woman and I love my western life and most of the people in it.
Most of the people I met in Pai are seriously trying to avoid life, spending years squatting and finding odd jobs. One of them was a guy named Santiago from Argentina. He is thirty four and survives doing massage and teaching yoga to random people. After a month of studying Thai massage, he needed someone to practice on and that lucky individual was me. He massaged me for almost three hours and just wanted me to give him feedback on his technique in return. Sometimes life is so good and other times not so much. Like Bangkok for example. I spent two days of my short valuble life in that inferno. If you are planning to go check out www.bangkokscams.com That place, Hanoi and Saigon are for the birds and thats all I'm going to say before I get worked up.
Ever since I was in Austria singing "The Hills are Alive" by Julie Andrews in the mountains of Salzberg, I haven't been able to get "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" out of my head. Over the past six weeks I've replaced it's sweet and poetic lyrics with more simple verses about South East Asia. Would you like to hear it? Here it goes:

mangosteen, dragonfruit, and Thai massages
temples of Buddha and custom tailored frocks
conical hats, beaches for miles
these are a few of my favorite things

sticky rice with mango and pad Thai for breakfast
hilltribes making handicrafts and trekking in the mountains
whole families on motorbikes, tuk-tuks and monks
these are a few of my favorite things

streetfood, and night bazaars and elephants and tigers
lychee and curry and lemongrass and springrolls
lanterns handmade, swimming in Ha Long Bay
these are a few of my favorite things

typhoon season and when I get homesick
scammed by the locals and getting bit by mosquitos
then I remember I have all my vaccines
and I doooon't feeeel sooooo baaaaadddddd

I have one about streetfood too, but we can save that for a rainy day. I really need to get a job soon, huh?