The Chinese have a word for their dreamy landscape paintings: Shan Shui 山水 – “Mountain Water”. These landscapes are often graced by wistful poems for nostalgic travelers, such as this one: 今曉日兼雨 This morning there was sun and rain, 土芳當腳髒 The earth is fragrant, and it’s fitting that my feet are dirty. 故鄉隔天末 My home’s beyond the edge of
We call it “The Green Season” now…because “rainy season” was misleading. There are many bright, beautiful days during the months of the Southwest Monsoon (about mid-May through October) here on the Andaman Sea coast of southern Thailand. But there are days of glorious, refreshing, cooling rains. Our perspective on rainy days is important…many might see
Little Red clutches the string of beads tightly as he gazes out over the stormy sea, the howling wind stinging his eyes with the white sea foam. A majestic sea eagle spreads its broad wings above his head, gracefully turning in the stiff breeze with its eye also out on the sea, as if to
It was a horrifying sight in a war filled with horrifying sights. But the other atrocities were just stories that 10-year-old Little Red had heard. This was real. A bloated corpse, barely recognizable as a Japanese sailor but for the anchor symbol on its sleeve and a scarf with Japanese characters pressing into its swollen
June 3rd, 2019, when the sky lit on fire. Had Yao Beach, Nua Khlong, Krabi, Thailand.
Imagine in the early hours of December 8th, 1941, instead of hearing the crowing roosters and soulful songs of morning birds, while fishermen hawk their catch off of their moored boats, you hear the hum of troop transport boats and the sharp report of gunfire. Under the dim light of a waning moon, mostly covered
Stop. Relax. Focus. Renew Your Energy. Practicing Mindfulness brings us into the moment. It helps us focus and regroup our thoughts. Numerous studies have shown the well-being and productivity benefits of Mindfulness. I’m blessed to live in a natural setting, by the Andaman Sea, and I’ve put together this meditation piece of all-natural sounds from
新年快樂！Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Ethnic Chinese around Southeast Asia and the world celebrate the lunar calendar “Year of the Pig,” beginning 5 February. There will be many days of festivities in places like Hat Yai, Thailand…a town largely founded by ethnic Chinese immigrants in the early 20thcentury. The culture is well-kept in the
Travel to a simpler time filled with nature’s song. The hidden treasure of Had Yao, Krabi.
Death and life, the cycle repeats over and over. The ghosts of the past turn to the bountiful harvests of tomorrow. The Phi Ta Khon Ghost Mask Festival is a vibrant, raucous celebration of the cycle of life, rooted in a fascinating mix of local and national cultures. Every year, previously at some time
