rice noodles

2007-04-30T03:46:00.000-07:00

Auroville is an autonomous community outside of Pondicherry that was settled in the late sixties by a group of French hippies and followers of the Indian mystic yogi Sri Aurobindo. The community coalesced under the guidance of "The Mother", a Frenchwoman who supposedly was endowed with the spiritual powers of Sri Aurobindo at his death. The community was conceived by the Mother as an area free of nationalism, religious dogma and greed where people from all over the world could co-exist and work towards a true "human spiritual evolution". The area of the Auroville village itself was designed by the French architect Robert Anger to resemble the shape of a galaxy and house over 50 thousand people. To date, only about 20 percent of his plan has been built and something less than 10 thousand people live in Auroville.

G and I were excited to come and see Auroville as soon as we arrived in the area, but the unbelievable heat we encountered when we arrived in Pondicherry kept us in the "French Quarter" of "White Town" for days, sipping lime sodas and white wine in courtyard of the French restaurant across the street from our guest house (the restaurant is called Satsanga, but we called it "Le Club" in a bout of "Lost Generation" romanticism).

From various storefronts and boutiques operated by Auroville in Pondicherry we got an idea of the beliefs of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, which were a kind of synthesis of Eastern religious thought, transcendental Meditation and "modern" science (most of their writing together was done in the 1950s). There was something about using meditation to make your body's cells become "aware" and to "evolve" yourself into a new kind of being in your lifetime. Some of this smacked of Scientology or new-agey cultish ideas.

The owner of our guesthouse on Rue Labourdanais was an older Frenchman who had come to settle in Pondicherry after 20 years of hitchhiking back and forth between there and Paris, where he had worked as a bellhop at a famous, iconic hotel. One afternoon he sat with us on the roof and had wine and cheese. We asked him about Auroville. "Oh, we do not go there. It is not such nice place. This is... how you say, 'sect'", meaning cult. "They are watching you if you are living there, and if you say the wrong thing, you are out of there. It is not such nice place."

The "heart of Auroville" is the Matrimandir, an enourmous meditation chamber built as an internally symmetrical sphere and painted gold, which is supposed to be a color which draws on the "supra-mental" forces in the universe. Here are some photos:

Although when we arrived the Matrimandir was closed to visitors for construction and there is no photography allowed inside of it, we gleaned from drawings and descriptions that the interior is subdivided into 8 small meditation chambers and one large central one. The large, central chamber is stark white and without music, incense, flowers or religious symbols. There is only an enormous crystal ball in the center of the chamber which is illuminated by a beam of light from a portal in the roof. A computerized tracking light makes sure that the beam is striking the crystal directly at every hour of sunlight.

While we were sitting at the cafeteria in the center of Auroville, we eavesdropped on a conversation that an American initiate was having with an Indian journalist. He described to him how, using the Matrimandir, a believer could quickly enter a deep state of meditation and communication with "the vast", which was apparantly a synonym for "the supra-mental". According to the American (who, we noted with delight, really did have a graying ponytail and a receding hairline), the very shape and structure of the Matrimandir, which came the Mother in a vision and was realized by Robert Anger, was a conductor for this process. Additionally, some kind of spiritual energy which would facilitate this communication was embued into the Matrimandir by the Mother at the moment of her death.

Later we were sitting near the Matrimandir, at the observation area that they had set up for tourists while construction was under way. We saw this older man in a bizarre hilarious yellow outfit with a brimless hat and a red plastic bucket.

I'm not sure our covert giggling and attention drew him, but he walked right up and started talking to us. He was a citizen of Auroville, born in Switzerland but he seemed to identify more as "someone with a connection to this-" and gestured toward the Matrimandir. He told us the range of people how lived in Auroville was enormous, as was the variety of how they built their lives there. Some were more involved with the social and practical concerns of living in a communal society based on cooperation instead of greed, while many other citizens like himself were simply ethereal souls who only lived there to be near the Matrimandir and the "spiritual work" being done. He described this work as something analogous to globalization in world finance- a new phenomena that would soon envelop the whole globe and make us all aware of our connections and interdependence. He stressed that the beliefs of Sri Aurobindo were the only "new" religious and spiritual movement of the modern age, setting them apart from the teachings of other gurus and sects. He told us that the philosophies of Auroville and the metaphysical beliefs they were based on were the most sound of any religious beliefs because they were revealed not just to one man, like the Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad, but to a man and a woman, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, working together as equals and of one mind. Talking to him was the first time that day G and I felt at all uncynical, becuase we had been walking around Auroville an sneering the whole time at the "naive" and "uninsprired" credos of that were posted all over the visitor's center. We had felt like the ideology of Auroville was still that of Westerners enthralled with "exotic" India, like the Beatles had just arrived there and discovered meditation. But talking with this old man in his goofy yellow outfit, we began to respect a bit more the project these people were undertaking on the coast of southeastern India.

Of course, we had plenty more qualms with what we saw in Auroville. Genevieve was appalled by the mangy, starving conditions we saw many dogs in as we scootered around. Doesn't a "model" community have an obligation to take care of it's canine citizens as a matter of course? I was also struck that on the introductory video you watch in the Visitor's center, you see a serene, idyllic, multicultural community, while driving through it's more of your average ragged, shambling Indian village with many more foreigners. The social problems of India are just as apparent there- the aforementioned dog issue, as well as the usual array of strewn-about garbage. The introductory video shows fencing and reiki and baking and solar panels and looks like it could have been shot at Oberlin college. As a visitor, what you see is a lot more chaotic an unpretty, but they do make it clear that Auroville is not a tourist attraction, so you can't really get a sense of what is going on behind the scenes (the paranoid side of my mind says "Thank God!").

I was glad that we got even a glimpse of a community like Auroville, though I must admit, I got an even greater sense of well-being later that night back at "Le Club", tucking into a filet and glass of wine.

2007-04-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

Homly Mess restaurant.. what can you say? Pure veg, though.

2007-04-30T03:23:00.000-07:00

pondy...

We found these political posters on Rue Labourdanais that were covered in paranoid schizoid rantings in English and Tamil. You may have to zoom in.

There are flow charts and diagrams illustrating the channels of corruption and cronyism in local politic, as well as allegations of personal abuse commited by officials, civil servants and cab drivers. It was amazing.

2007-04-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Pondicherry Style.

2007-04-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Puppy interlude! Sometimes you need it.

2007-04-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

Keralan food is amazing.. but Tamil food is Mind-Boggling! What you gaze on here is: an Onion Rava Masala Dosa (with coconut chutney, sambar, aloo sub-gee, some kind of pineapple ginger relish and... man, I don't even know)
And a tomato and onion Uttapam studded with flaming hot green chilli slices and dusted with fresh cilantro. You are not worthy.

2007-04-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Curious Case of the Blue Margaritas. In Pondy.
They looked like they were made with some toilet bowl cleaner. And they tasted how they looked!
At first I was confused
But then the rage boiled over!

2007-04-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

What do you do in Pondicherry when it's 105 degrees out?
Make mixes...
And take whimsical photographs.

2007-04-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

We stayed on a rooftop with a private patio in a Frenchman's house in "Pondy". There were beautiful sunsets and decent wine from Bangalore. We were set.

2007-04-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I was obsessed with the handpainted signage in India, which is omnipresent and is as bold and exciting as wildstyle graphitti. and it is done freehand, witha paintbrush. Not a great example, but look at the line definition this guy has going on a curved tricky surface. Espo could learn a thing or two.

2007-04-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

We couldn't deal so headed straight for the French colonial port city Pondicherry, which was gorgeous. There are chalk mandalas in front of every door.

2007-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Back to "civilization"- the big cities of India. There's no way around it- Chennai (Madras) is a stinking pit of overpopulated humanity.

The Ambassador is always a soothing sight, though.

And Chennai is the capital of the Tamil film industry, which... really doesn't improve anything.

2007-04-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

bizarro truck action.

2007-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sunrise over the Western Ghats (Munar)

It was too early for Genevieve.

2007-04-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

This was a sobering procession we saw everyday in the hills. We called it "The Trail of Quacks".

2007-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Cow break! I think you needed it.

2007-04-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

We were hiking near Munar, and this dude was selling Strawberry Juice. "SOO-PER TASTE!" He was hollering at everyone and forcing a "sample" down their throats. "Kerala Special! Sooo-Per Delicious! Strrrrraw-berry Juice!" He was such a freak that we had to go check him out, and before we knew it we had bought juices. That's how it works.

2007-04-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Trucks ("Lorries") in India are kind of like boats. They have a crew that may live on them, they are handpainted and may be made of wood. Well, partially.

We were admiring this one and it's dudes hailed us and made us come hang and take photos. They appeared to be hauling dirt or sand, maybe to make concrete with? There were some ladies, too, but they were shy.
Keep your distance.

The day's spoils. A pile of dirt. I think we made their day.

2007-04-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is the meadow and hillside that is featured in a song a dance sequence in EVERY SINGLE Bollywood and Tamil movie. Have you seen one? Then you know what I'm talking about.

Genevieve did her Bollywood impression. "OOoooOOhhh, I'm love with Sanjey, but his MOther disaproves.. Lalalala!" You know.

2007-04-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

There was an elephant sighting. I think this guy treated it allright.

2007-04-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

THis lady was selling nice organic produce on the roadside. We bought a "Masala Mango"- a green mango covered in Salt and crazy hot pepper. It was sour, salty and face-melting hot.

Here's what G thought of it.

Kind of crazy, kind of awesome.

Did I mention we were rolling in a Leopard print Rickshaw? WTF?

2007-04-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

The lady on the right insisted that we take photos with her. They were tea plantation workers and we were hiking through their field. The one on the left kept primping Genevieve and trying to fix her up for the photo. Maybe the was born to be a make-up artist or fashion designer. The lady on the right kept telling us "All my sisters married- me no have husband! I am 35 years old- have no husband!" BUt she didn't seem upset by this...

can you figure why? See how much she likes standing next to Genevieve...

...and not me.

hmmmm.

2007-04-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile in India the people become too much and you need to take a cow break. Maybe reading this blog is the same. Consider this your cow break.

2007-04-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

This was a spooky church we found in Munar, in the Hill stations of Kerala. Irrelevant, you say? Well... yeah.

2007-04-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

NICE MEN!>.. also notice the Indian predeliction for misuse of the word "Homely", featured below the main attraction.

2007-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

I do beleive that these here photos speak for theyselves.

2007-04-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Taking Photos of taking Photos...

These kids were really into postmodernism.

2007-04-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

We hiked to the top of a big hill near Kumily with our friends from Scotland. Hey gals! Hope all is well back in Scotland. All I can say is "Har Program Ke Mainfood!"

2007-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

This seemed to be a woman's spice co-op we saw in Kumily. They were sifting Cardamom and it smelled amazing.

2007-04-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Da kidz!!
were cute. Near Kumily, Kerala (in the Western Ghats)

2007-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

These guys were hauling rocks on their head one by one from one place to another, all day. It could have been done in an hour with a truck, but no. It was good to see men doing this work, though: usually you see women doing this kind of work, while the men just spend the money on country liquor and beat them (just joking?). I bought these guys some drinks and took photos of them.

Some were more reluctant than others.

Here's how the whole grand enterprise works: They put a cloth on the guys head, then a rock.

Then another rock.

Off he goes. I wonder how they determine who will be the loader and who the lumper? Seniority?

2007-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thali Madness!
It was an everyday thang in Kerala and Tamil. Look at this array of delcious:

Sometimes you would get 10 items, half of which you couldn't name, with unlimited refill plus rice and bread, and sometimes sweets and Paan. For one dollar!!! We'd get it on.

Ren wasn't a slouch either.

Our Scottish friends were into the Thali scene, and they had an adorable way of pronouncing it like "Tally".

2007-04-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

A Giant grizzled Squirrel!!

One of these dudes got so close to us that we really should have gotten a better picture than this, but we didn't. He was really good looking, though. Kind of red on his back and orange and his belly. Arms like a monkey. Made my whole day.

2007-04-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Trucks in India are fresh to death with handpainted flavor (much like everything else in India). In the South they are more subdued than in Rajastan, they look like:

The Name panel above the windshield doubles as a place for the truck's crew to sit behind. It's like a boat (more on this later)

Soon Wes Anderson is going to make this style hot with his movie "The Darjeeling Limited" and you will be able to buy T-Shirts at Urban Outfitters that look like this.

2007-04-19T00:46:00.001-07:00

This is the proprieter of Abraham's Spice Plantation near Kumily. I know what you're saying- LOOK AT THAT EARHAIR!
Go ahead and gawk at it, I did.
AT first it was all I could focus on. But as he led us through his organic, naturally laid-out tropical spice garden, he dropped so much spice knowledge on us that I totally forgot about it. We were tasting and smelling all kinds of strange and wonderful things, and soon his excitement about his gardens, where he knew every plant and what it can do transferred to us and we felt like we were in a magical woderland. He healed Genevieve's bug bites, taught us about clove oil, Thoran (a Keralan relish made with Green Papaya and coconut you will be trying it if you come to a dinner party this summer), the secrets of cardamom and Vanilla and organic pest control. By the end, I was thinking "Don't let them make you feel bad about that earhair! That shit is natural and beautiful." I bet he can pluck out a clump of it and cure diseases.

In this pot they have a hive of tiny bees (!) that don't sting (!), and make black honey (!) that is used for Aruvedic medicine.

Cardamom seed pods.

2007-04-19T00:35:00.001-07:00

Near Kumily, In the Hill stations, we toured some tea plantations

The workers like to have their pictures taken and then ask for sweets or pens.

2007-04-19T00:34:00.001-07:00

The Man, The Myth.. The Selvam! Selvam (left, duh) was our Tuk-tuk man in Kumily. He is a delightful little fellow, deadpan and rotund. His eyes can open no wider than a squint and his beard can do nothing but make you happy.

He took us for tea.

This guy was there who could have been Selvam's Pa.

2007-04-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

these are photos from our river/lake taxi that we took from alleppy to kottayam in kerela. the scenery was amazing
all said it was much more beautiful than the boat trip we took the day before
the taxi went into the actual backwaters.
it was really beautiful, highly reccommended... plus it cost like 10 rupees per person, as opposed to 500 rupees per person for the uncomfortable and less than thrilling ride we took the day before.

2007-04-14T04:38:00.000-07:00

we were drinking pizza water in the backwaters...
don't worry, there's no actual pizza in the water.

while our driver stopped off to get some homemade soda water from this guy
watching him work his amazing futuristic soda machine was really cool
probably the highlight of the whole day

we were scared to actually drink the soda though.

2007-04-13T06:24:00.001-07:00

We went to the backwaters of Kerala and took a boat trip. The Lonely Planet ranks this as one of the "must do's" of South India. While it was beautiful, we felt like the boat trips were a little overpriced and boring. The next day we took a local ferry boat through the backwaters from one town to the next and it was more scenic than the tourist boat track, and cost about 1% of what we paid. Ah well.

It was like the everglades, but with people living everywhere.
The other option was to rent a house boat overnight. They feed you and you just kick it on the deck all day. This was beyond our budget, though, so we opted for the cheapest option- a punted "snakeboat". It turned out to be too small to stand up or move in and not very comfortable.

We were not amused.

Backwater Life.

Our pilot's name was "Gumily", which we thought was unfortunate, because it rhymes with "Googily", which is what his eyes were.

I think he should have invested in a hat to protect his brain from the sun. About 20 years ago.

Some local thugs.

Ren Posing for his Lonely Planet contributer "I'm really digging the local culture" photo

2007-04-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

jewtown, cochin. we went to the synagogue that features prominently in salman rushdie's"the moors last sigh", but we weren't allowed to take any photos.

the south is so much more laid back than the north, we really loved it and definately prefer the easy lifestyle to the intensity of the north. it's just too hot for getting worked up about stuff. women seem to have it better in the south too, especially in kerela where they can run businesses and you'll actually see them out on the street a lot. i think this has an effect on the men, they're not so starey, cause they get to see girls all the time, and they're laid back about it, because chances are good they've talked to a girl outside their family before. you may think this is funny, but for real--in the north men and women don't speak to each other or even make eye-contact with one another. it's a serious creep-fest.

colonial architecture.

2007-04-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

just some random cat/goat action in fort cochin.

this guy was so amazing! after we took his photo i gave him 50 rupees, not for letting me take his photo, but just as a goodwill gesture to subsidize future amazing-ness.

he's up there with jamil the cat man from KL in my book af the most amazing people i can think of.

2007-04-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

one day we decided to take a ferry and a very long busride to a crappy beach near fort cochin where girls couldn't wear bathing suits and we just ended up sitting under an umbrella, fully clothed, while lots of teenage boys in their underwear stared at us.

these are photos from the bus window.

daily life in india is so colorful...

"scissors" is a very popular brand of cigarettes here in india... we thought it was pretty hilarious.... what kind of image was marketing going for there?

scenic cochin...

2007-04-10T00:42:00.000-07:00

fishing nets in fort cochin

2007-04-10T00:38:00.000-07:00

in cochin, in the southern state of kerela they're down with the jesus. he IS fantastic, isn't he?

2007-04-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

they like him a lot

this rickshaw driver thought highly of himself...

2007-04-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

ren has so many fans..... not the least of which are we, (does that make sense?)

2007-04-09T03:14:00.000-07:00

South India sunset

2007-04-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

Bugging out in Karnataka! The Rickshaw driver had Hindi pop on blast and we lost it.

2007-04-09T02:47:00.000-07:00

Our friends Ren's blog is at
www.globaltransmissionmedia.com. And is somewhat better than our. Maybe this is because a) he takes better photos, b) he works harder at it, or c) he uses all our best material and passes it off...
These entries are particularly relevant to followers of Rice-Noodles-

Final Thoughts on India Masala Mixed with Final Photos of South India (Kerala)

Wanna be a Movie Star? (this one is about our favorite subject, the fat Mexicans of Tamil films!)

Going South

2007-04-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

The streets of Gokarna town...

2007-04-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

We took these photos the day we heard our good friend Cheyenne had passed away. Safe Travels, Cheyenne.

2007-04-09T01:34:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Gokarna, a Hindu pilgrimage site and beach destination for Isrealis and other stoned hippies.

I liked these Hindu fishing boats.

2007-04-07T00:20:00.000-07:00

We met up with our friend Ren and travelled with him for a while. He made a love connection in Goa, her name was "Masala" and she slept on his porch.

We got really serious about doing nothing for a while. "Sundowners" were the only thing on the schedule (it's an old British empire tradition)

2007-04-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

Then we went to India...

Just your average Indian Brodeo.

These photos are from Goa, south India. We didn't take any photos in Bombay, but we will when we go back. These photos were taken around Palolembeach, which was pretty sweet back to relax and ease into the madness of India. Good seafood, too.

The beach scene was very chill and laid back, (i.e. un-India)

2007-04-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Bangkok Crazy!

We said goodbye to Good old Chiang Mai and headed back into the increasingly bizarro futureworld of Bangkok.
These photos are from a gathering near Siam square, which is turning into like the Harajuku of Bangkok. The purpose of this event seemed to be "get dressed up, have photos taken of you, then take photos of everyone else". Ok.
Emo Goth human statues.
The poor misguided girl on the left had that finger on her lips for like 20 photos in row.
And the boy band was crushing things! (our spirits)
Apparently the abstract fantasy characters these gal were trying to represent was "hot" girls.
Online role-playing geeks.

And just imagine, this young man has probably never tried drugs in his life!
The king looks down in abject horror.

2007-04-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

So this is what my "studio" room at our house looked like for most the time we were in Chiang Mai...

Because I was cutting stuff up, mostly tourist brochures and local magazines.. and pasting into a book like this

And making pages that look like this

The India editions will be done probably sometime this fall...

2007-04-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

One of our last days in Chiang mai.. hiking to the waterfalls, finally.

'Twas good..

2007-04-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

Sometime's when you're hanging with Green Man, you just got to thow em up, like "Hey, this is how we do when I roll with Green Man." Genevieve knows what I'm talking about...

2007-04-01T03:57:00.000-07:00

Actually, these are all from our trip to The Royal Flora show in Chiang Mai which was a big deal and had presentations from dozens of countries. There actually was some interesting stuff there about sustainable agriculture and alternative energy projects that are supposedly ongoing in Thailand, but most of that talk was from big multinationals and polluters like BP, so it will probably amount to nothing on the ground in Thailand.
Our lovely friend Thutka, from the Muslim south took us there. She is featured in many photos.

2007-04-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

2007-04-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

A Farewell to Clowns: Spaghetti party at our house the night before the cycle circus hit the road again

Pastatronix
Boys, what did we say about guns at the table?!

but of course, the night ended with spaghetti violence...

2007-04-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

Genevieve's Birthday party with our Chiang Mai friends

The kids were getting wild

Hans, our Dutch connection in C.M. was hanging with the clowns

Who provided the skronk

G's favorite restaurant "Little Dog" (check the dog review section) provided way too much food

Our friend from the south

The Argentine poet meets the German landlord

Nung gets a little crazy

The Clowns of Roma

Chiang Mai style!

2007-04-01T02:29:00.000-07:00

making somtam with green papaya--first you shred it by making knife slices in the side

then you peel the slices off so they're long and thin

also you chop long beans--i look super creepy in this photo... do i have a lazy eye?

ingredients: shredded papaya and carrot, cherry tomato, long beans, lime,

and thai chilis, and garlic to start in the big wood mortar and pestle

2007-04-01T02:19:00.000-07:00

first you pound the chilis and garlic together

then you add soy sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. if you're into it you can sub fish sauce for the soy, and add those little dried shrimp. i'm not into it.

then you add the veggies and smash it up some more so they all get slightly bruised. finish with roasted peanuts.

it's really good. i ate it at least 5 times a week... with sticky rice. issan style.

2007-04-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

aaaah domestic life with pa breneman... every night he'd regale us with wonderful stories that usually involved people either standing up and cheering something he'd done, or pulling him aside to say, "hey--i like what you just did!"

we miss you mike! i know you hate high tech and will probably never see this, but we're sending you our love.

emerson doesn't need a big party to start the dancin

homemade dark and stormys with gingin, honey, soda, lime and sangsom were a thursday night staple.

2007-04-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

our last night in chiang mai we had dinner with good friends from lanna dog; monika, otome, and john.

john and monika were awesome hosts! their house is so beautiful, the food was amazing, and monika's paintings and sculptures were beautiful. plus of course their dogs were adorable.

later we hung otome's house with mimi

we love you otome!

otome. mimi, and "red pig", a very sweet dog with drawn on eyebrows.

2007-04-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

before the party we went to visit our sweet dog at this buddhist temple outside chiang mai. here's some grafitti of an owl...

a very old and beautiful building on the temple grounds

the monks are just using it as a storage room.

which we thought was crazy since it's so beautiful and a couple hundred years old...

beautiful temple stuff...

2007-04-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

lots of stray dogs lived at the buddhist temple. the monks take care of all kinds of animals.

at the temple where our dog lived the dogs were very well cared for and happy and friendly.

all dogs love otome.

and otome loves all dogs!

they are very excited to see us.

2007-04-01T01:44:00.000-07:00

especially our baby! this sweet little one, (otome named her mama mia cause she was such a good mother to her puppies).

she lived with us for a month while she was recovering from a car accident. she'd been paralyzed in her back legs and she had a nasty weeping head wound.

here she is back at the temple... happy and healthy.

with a cat for a friend.

her head's still shaved around her wound... have you ever seen a sweeter face? oh we miss her so much! she used to know the sound of our motorbike from all the other motorbikes in the neighborhood and she'd get so worked up when we got home! scooting around using her front paws and making small howling noises of excitement!

2007-04-01T01:41:00.000-07:00

otome and a dog friend.

mama mia! she loves to get her belly rubbed.

and i love rubbing her belly.

every night we would tick her into bed...

2007-04-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

we participated in a free mass sterilization in chiang mai, sponsored by lanna dog rescue, and WHSPA. these two cats are out after surgery. their little tongues are sticking out, (this was an important precaution).

monika and emerson administer after care while the animals are still unconscious, which involves ear and wound and eye cleaning.

git in there!

and of course, the all important comforting. the animals are really out of it when they wake up and sometimes they'll start howling or running around... we monitored fluids also--emerson's guy is on an IV here. notice the cats and dogs are somewhat segregated.

and then there's the after after care. which is basically just cuddling.

2007-04-01T01:27:00.000-07:00

dogs getting shaved...

one of the volunteer vets goes to work...

i help out with the dog wrasslin.

holding them and keeping them calm for their shots.

otome, monika and roshan. three excellent ladies.

2007-04-01T01:23:00.000-07:00

this monk was a friend to the dogs...

one day we came to the temple and gave a bath and a haircut to a very scruffy, dirty dog.

the beginning of a long day.

later it gets crowded.

suprisingly, everyone got along!

2007-03-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

following are about a million photos from our little thai neighborhood outside the moat and the walled city in chiang mai. we really loved our neighborhood a lot as you may surmise from our extensive catalogue of photos. we lived within 5 minutes walk of about 4 wats, (buddhist temples). the big brick structures with saffron cloth tied around them are called "chedis". they are old and sacred and are said to contain a physical remnant of the buddha--a fingernail or a piece of hair. the little houses on pedestals are spirit houses... they are houses for spirits. some people have many of them, like our friend peppe who runs a hotel called golden cupid--she has about four spirit houses. every day offerings of food, soda pop, incense, flowers, and coconut are left at the spirit houses. thai people take very good care of their spirits!

2007-03-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

SOme people think we post too many photos...

What do you think NOW?

2007-03-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Then my Old man arrived in town...

With his mind on his money and his money on his mind.

2007-03-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

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2007-03-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

2007-03-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

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2007-03-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

It was really nice having a kitchen at our place, where we could refine our Thai cooking skills- here's Curry fried rice with Pineapple, Cashew and raisins served in a Pineapple:

And we could also try experimental fusions using local ingredients, like this little number, which we called the Triumvirate

It was fresh Mango, pound cake, and frozen mint chocolate Tim Tams.

Genius.

For more culinary delights, check Genevieve's Myspace blog:

http://www.myspace.com/genevievelael

2007-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

on our last day at wat don chan we had a party for the kids--we asked them what they would like to eat and they suprisingly chose pizza, because none of them had ever tried it. pizza is really expensive in chiang mai, really expensive and for the most part really crappy.... thai people don't generally eat dairy in a savory context. they don't use cheese at all, and their milk products are invariably tooth-achingly sweet. last time we were in thailand it was really difficult to even find pizza with real mozarella and not the creamy-processed laughing cow stuff. in the last few years there's been a pizza renaissance. not only are there a plethora of italian-run places where you can get everything from gnocci with sage brown butter to carpaccio or pizza and calzones, there's also this new chain called "the pizza company" where you can enjoy salad bar and shrimp hotdog crabstick pizza. and they're always blaring gangsta, dancehall, or dirty south in these restaurants for some reason. even though pizza seems to be "the trend of today", we weren't sure our kids would like it, so we decided to bring some pizza for them to try and then some good thai food that everyone could enjoy. so we ordered som tam, (green papaya salad), and fried chicken and sticky-rice, a popular traditional issan specialty, from our favorite homestyle thai restaurant karanjana, (otherwise known as "little dog", owing to the owner's amazing little dog--see dog review#3). the lady who runs karanjana is awesome. we love her. she threw in 2 free bags of oranges for the kids and some special "jai", (vegetarian), som tam for me. the pizza was predictably crappy, but thai people are nothing if not polite, so the kids ate it along with issan food. then they sang songs about how sad it was to part, but that we would meet again someday.
it was really the best pizza party ever.

2007-03-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

Genevieve and I volunteered as english teachers at a buddhist monastary for about a month and a half while we were in Chiang Mai. We worked with poor children from the far north of Thailand who head down to Chiang Mai for the free education and food, or to get away from a troubled home life. Drugs, alchoholism, unemployment and their attendant domestic violence are a rising prolem in the hilltribe villages and refugee camps near the Burmese border. The kids we worked with were Hmong, Lihsu, Karen, Akha and Thai. We designed a basic conversational English lesson plan and came for an hour every day to teach them. Their dorms were located behind a large Buddhist temple where many people come to make offerings of money and food and be blessed by the Father Monk. The temple ground were filled with monks, kids playing football, dogs, cats and big black pigs that roamed free. Sometimes dogs and pgs would wander in while we were teaching. The kids were really sweet and eager to learn. Being from small villages in the north, they seemed much younger and more innocent than they acctually were, which was between 12 and 20. I like to think that we helped then start learning a bit of English taht will help them get to university or get jobs. We will publish more soon about how you can donate to help these kids get to university. Overall it was a very rewarding and fun experience I would reccomend to anyone.

2007-03-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

This is Achan Mae ("Mother teacher"), who was our laison that brought us to teh school and helped us with our lessons. Kap-Khum MA krap to her for her help and appreciation and Chok-de in the South!
Sassy.
Ready for the Army.Lihsu hilltribe style!

This girl was really cute. She was younger than most the others and didn't really learn any English, I think she just wanted to be around.

Apinya was very cool and a very serious student. It was hard for us to picture her going back to the North and living in the traditional role.

2007-03-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

There ladies were mad fun. (yes, half of them seemed to be lesbians... it's the latest trend in Thailand!)

2007-03-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

This kid was always laughing and smirking and cracking us up.
The kid here was like a teen heartthob- he could sing and always had too many buttons unbuttoned, except in this photo.

Chart-Chai was awesome. He is from a hilltribe where the men have several wives and the teacher told us they think that eating dog, but only black dogs, is good for a man to keep them all satisfied. But Chart-chai didn't seem into it.

Pla was the leader of all the younger boys and was very charming, but spacy in class. He reminded G of her friend Art. He is going places.

2007-03-18T01:27:00.000-07:00

Our last day...

2007-03-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

Of course, they all wnated their picture taken with Genevieve.. only the boys were too shy to ask.

2007-03-18T00:25:00.000-07:00

Also check our friend Ren's blog, as we are travelling alongside him now and you can flash foward to the present and where we are right now.
www.globaltranmissionmedia.com and click on "journal".

2007-03-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

New Years in Chiang Mai

They light these paper laterns

Let them go
And they fly away

Happy New Years! (can you see how far we have to catch up? Keep tuning in!)

2007-03-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

This mural was made of carrot slices, thai eggplants, and flowers.

2007-03-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

We had to send Etta home cause she was getting wacky, trying to eat fake sandwhiches, etc. Bye Etta, Good Luck in Chi-town!

2007-03-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Soup Noodle!
Soup noodle in Thailand is the perfect food, hands down. It's the best breakfast, especially if you are hung over. Protein, fiber, and satisfying rice noodle starch with mad hydration, salt, sugar, and plenty of anti-oxident and vitamin C rich Thai chilis! Eating spicy foods makes you sweat, raises your metabolism and makes you feel alive.
People say the best street food in Chiang Mai is Kaow Soi, which is Burmese-style curry noodle soup with coconut milk and fried wheat noodles on top, but I found it is too heavy to eat every day. I'm about the clear broth with fresh bean sprouts and herbs. The broth usually has a secret combination of garlic, tamarind, crushed peanuts, sugar, soy sauce, cilantro, etc. They cook the noodles in the broth for 30 seconds and then pour broth on top with some vegetables and frsh herbs. Then they put some Roasted meat or some fish balls or something in there and you are good. I even got to like the Laos- style kind thats made with dried pig's blood cakes!
Or you can get it veg, the best of which is found at a small restaurant two block behind Three Kings monument.

You always have to adjust with sugar, fish sauce, chili sauce and vinegar to get your shit straight!

The best places to get soup noodle are dingy holes-in-the-wall that make this place look like a palace.

2007-03-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

The Cyclown Circus

I ran into my friend Raffi from high school randomly in Chiang Mai. He is performing with a bike circus that has travelled all over Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the 'Stans, Russia, Mongolia, China, Laos and are now in Thailand! They did all this on those crazy homemade tall bikes, with the occasional hitch-hiking or train interlude. They do a rag-tag circus, play skronk jazz and gypsy swing, sleep on floors, stop traffic and get kicked out of places. They have a CD and DVD available on their myspace site, along with a youtube video about them taken from a Shanghai TV news program. Catch them soon in Indonesia, or jail- whichever comes first.

2007-03-17T04:15:00.000-07:00

Da Clownz in Action!

2007-03-17T04:01:00.000-07:00

Thai Elivis Alert!
We went to a charity banquet in Chiang Mai were we were told we could meet a lot of NGO staffers, volunteers and inspiring people to network with about volunteer opportunities. It turned out to be more an opportunity for middle-aged Expat socialities to rub elbows, feel smug and self-righteous and eat sushi. We felt totally out of place and ended up really disillusioned with they groups involved. The only good thing about it, though, was the had a Thai Elvis impersonator!
(Sorry for the poor quality, he was performing high above us mortals)
And he kept going "Thank you, Ervis Plesley. That's right, Ervis Plesley."