Wandering Foward

I have gone without internet before. For the first half of my life I did not have internet. When it arrived, it was slow—often taking a minute or two to load a small photo. The photo at the top of this post would have taken several minutes to load on dial up. Since then, internet speeds have improved dramatically. As I write this, I have a 55 megabytes per a second internet connection with Wave (the faster speed was exponentially more expensive for some unknown reason). However, for a solid week in December I had no internet connection whatsoever because of simultaneous Comcast and T-Mobile fuckups.

When my friend, whom I stay with in Seattle, moved, he needed to set up internet at his new place. I said I would do it for him and went online and ordered service with Comcast—a far more convoluted process than you might imagine. Nothing about it was easy. They even force you into a conversation with a representative, which sort of defeats the purpose of doing it online in the first place. Of course, the internet would not be set up for nearly a week because, well… they are Comcast. So we waited. And waited. And waited some more. When the activation day finally came no one showed up. Now, this is not unusual for Comcast. They have a reputation for being shitty and are considered one of America’s worst companies. In this case it turns out they don’t service our area, but they never bothered to let us know. No one called or emailed or anything. You might imagine that during the sign up process they would catch this little yet important fact, but no. After three phone calls, fighting with phone representatives, being hung up on, and then eventually getting a supervisor, I was finally told that they don’t service this one block. They told me to contact Wave. That meant waiting another week for an internet connection.

During this time T-Mobile decided I had reached my data cap and they simply cut service. Two problems with this. Reaching my limit meant I burned through 2 gigabytes of data in a few days—almost impossible, but especially since I hardly use my phone for anything anymore. Even if that did happen, they did not downgrade me to a slower speed like a normal company would, they simply killed the service altogether. Since I don’t have a contract with them (contracts are not cost-effective), I decided it wasn’t worth it to upgrade the service since the cost would be ridiculous and I don’t use data on it normally anyway. Besides, this is not the first time this has happened. There are huge discrepancies about what T-Mobile says I use in data what my phone says I use. Surfing the news simply doesn’t burn through that much data. Regardless, because of T-Mobile I had no data.

What this combination of events meant was that I had absolutely no internet connection whatsoever for a full week. None. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. I could have gone to a nearby coffee shop, or even back to the old apartment to use the internet there. Instead, I thought I would just embrace the situation and find out what would happen.

The first thing I noticed was that it did not have the huge impact that I thought it would. Probably because I cut back the data usage on my phone a long time ago. I have only few apps installed and just do some web surfing every now and then. Even at home my focus during the day tends to be on writing, studying my Spanish, and a few other things. I did not miss the internet nearly as much as I thought I would.

The other major thing I noticed was without the distraction of the internet—that is, the distraction of pulling up websites, dings sounding on apps, and so on—I became remarkably productive. I was getting everything completed on my daily to do list in a fraction of the time it normally took me. I was fully focused on my tasks. Everything was done ahead of time and was done well.

During this time I had no idea what was going on in the world. I had no news. I have worked hard to limit my news consumption because I think it doesn’t really make me feel any better, but I still read it occasionally throughout the week because I want to be informed. I don’t get the newspaper in physical form anymore nor do I get magazines mailed to me. All of this is consumed online, so without internet I had no way to keep up with current events. You know what? It was no big deal. In fact, it was great. I was not irritated by what I read and I didn’t waste time getting stuck in that spiral of reading article after article. At a recent party I was not fully informed about the issue with North Korea and Sony, but instead of my normal tendency to jump into the fray with my opinion, I sat back and listened. I liked that.

While all of this was great, there were some drawbacks. I communicate with most of my friends using iMessage or Line. I had to send regular text messages to people in the U.S. which on an iPhone is remarkably difficult with iMessage. Apple just assumes you have internet and will send as an iMessage no matter what. I finally got my iPhone to send regular text messages, but even after forcing it to send regular text messages it would throw a shit-ton of errors because it secretly wanted to try to send an iMessage in the background. A text message would go through but the iPhone would say that it hadn’t. That was just an annoyance mostly, but a glaring one.

I write a lot and without the internet I expected there to be some issues. Research or a word would be difficult to look up. I mean, who has a set of encyclopedias and a dictionary anymore? Actually, that was not a problem at all. My writing improved dramatically without the distraction the internet can bring. The issue was needing to look something up unrelated to my writing, or ordering food if I didn’t want to cook, or pulling up a recipe, or access my files in the cloud, and so on. There was no updating my websites. And of course, no email. That was a pain. I had a lot of unanswered email.

The biggest annoyance of not having internet was related to my Apple products. I have a MacBook Air, iPhone 5, and an iPad Mini 2. I am not an Apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination, but the convenience of having everything work together smoothly is nice (even though they rarely work that smoothly together). The problem was that my iDevices, and especially my Mac, throw remarkable fits when they are not connected to the internet. Programs don’t work well, processes that want to connect to the internet but can’t spin out of control and overheat the computer (poor programming by Apple), and so on. That was a real pain.

Overall, the experience has not been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. If anything, it was rather refreshing and improved my productivity and focus. I am fairly well restrained and can control my behavior, but the internet is such a part of everyday life that I don’t think I fully realized how much I used it without thinking about it. Moving forward, I am going to just turn the wifi off when I go to bed and not use it until the afternoon the following day. The router has the ability to block my computer for a set time. That features works great for keeping me off the internet for the first half of the day. I have no need for it in the morning when I meditate, stretch and write. After that I can flip it back on and read some news if I want or take care of anything that needs to be done online. The productivity gains have been tremendous and I feel a lot more present.

The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya, Thailand is a massive wooden temple covered with intricate carvings in the Buddhist and Hindu tradition. Also known as Wang Boran, the Sanctuary of Truth is technically not an official temple, but rather a work of art. There is a 500 baht entry fee. Since the Sanctuary sits right next to the ocean and is assaulted by salt water continuously, it is safe to say that the funds go primarily to maintenance and upkeep. The Sanctuary seems to be in a constant state of repair.

The Sanctuary of Truth is absolutely impressive and well worth a visit. According to the official website, the Sanctuary’s purpose is to use art and culture as “a reflection of the Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, and Eastern Philosophy. Within this complex, visitors will understand Ancient Life, Human Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and Common Goal of Life toward Utopia.”

The style of the Sanctuary is evocative of Khmer architecture, displaying hand-carved wooden sculptures reminiscent of ancient Angkor. There are four gopura (towers in the Hindu style), representing images from the Buddhist and Hindu religions and mythologies of Cambodia, China, India and Thailand.

Wat Ban Rai in Korat is one of my favorite temples in Thailand. Perhaps only surpassed by Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Wat Ban Rai is a fantastic temple in the shape of an elephant with a huge variety of statues and art work. While this is certainly an active Buddhist temple, the influence from Hindu and even Christian religions is unmistakable. The outside of the temple looks like a Hells Angels-Hindu-Christian-Greco-Roman mash-up with Hindu looking gods being portrayed as Poseidon and possibly even Zeus. Inside Wat Ban Rai are beautiful paintings and modern Buddhist art. Work you way to the top of the temple and you get a view of the surround countryside along with some large statues of the Buddha himself along with a monk. I was not there at night, but the temple is lit up and quite stunning in the photos I have seen.

Visiting Wat Ban Rai is not difficult. There are many tour buses to the temple and Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) is not too far from Bangkok. You should easily be able to visit the temple in one day. Weekends and Thai holidays will be crowded since the temple is popular with the Thai.

I have a thing for caves. I think they are super cool and one of the most interesting formations on the planet. I would love to be able to go caving into some of the deepest, darkest caves in the world. Alas, that is just not something I will be able to do at my age, so I stick to the caves that tourists can visit. I have been lucky enough to go diving in cenotes in Mexico (perhaps one of the coolest things I have ever done) and even visit the massive caves in Borneo. However, this experience has to be one of the most exhilarating. More than riding a ginormous roller coaster or bungee jumping the Nevis, visiting Khao Kop Cave was an absolute thrill.

Khao Kob Cave in Trang is popular with Thai. In order to visit you need to hire a little boat and guides (it’s 200 baht). My boyfriend and I got our own boat just because everyone else was in a group and there was no one to share. No problem. That let me look around the cave. You start out going down a little klong (baby river) that eventually reaches a rock face. That’s when you are told to lay back and things get a little more interesting.

Actually, getting into the cave is not such a big deal. At first it’s a big tight, but that doesn’t last long. The cave has some interesting stalactites and stalagmites, and they are lighted in an interesting way. I’ve seen a few other caves with colored lighting and sometimes it works, though usually it doesn’t. To each their own in this regard (personally, I’m not a big fan of it).

This cave, like many in Southeast Asia, has temples inside and outside. Nothing big, but there are interesting. There are signs of habitation that date pretty far back and plenty of legends about the cave. Since your guides are likely to be Thai, it’s best to have a Thai person along with you (or know Thai). Of course, you can still enjoy it even if you have no idea what people are talking about.

There are a series of caves, with two main paths that wind their way though the ground. Some of the paths are rather small and tight. If you are tall like me, you will spend the majority of your visit hunched over. Though there are a few open areas where offerings are given.

So far, so good. Khao Kop Cave is a nice cave, interesting, and there are plenty of people. Nothing super unique, but still I like it. Then I’m asked if I have a problem with tight spaces. I’m thinking, I’m in a cave, so no. I say no and the the two guys handling our boat are smiling. We head off on the underground river to the exit. At first, no problem. It’s tight but not too bad. We have have to lay flat because there is not enough room (the reason there are no photos).

What I did not expect was the how tight it would actually be. I have never been in such a confined space in my life. What made it even more scary/thrilling is that we are moving along at a rapid clip. I mean really, really fast. You can’t move and you certainly can’t touch anything because the guides will freak out. They are navigating the boat along very carefully. Any attempt to alter it and you could end up with your face smashed into a stalactite. Any attempt to raise your hand—a completely natural reaction to rock screaming toward your face—results in the guide smacking it down. I was constantly told in English, “I not let you die. I not let you die, okay?” That’s not very reassuring since it implies there is a good chance I could die, but I was like, “Okay,” trying to sound convincing that this man would risk his life to save mine. Thankfully I had not paid for the boat yet.

My face was brushing the rock above me at points and the guides would have to push the boat down into the water so we could make it through. The guide near me would move my head slightly so a stalactite could pass by. At this point, I pretty much assume that I will not make it out unscathed. We are hurling along a million miles an hour, and my face (and belly) are barely making it past the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. Things get fucking crazy when the boat suddenly doesn’t fit through the tunnel.  We start ramming the sides of the cave and the boat is somehow forced through by sheer will and some fancy movements.

Needless to say, my boyfriend was not at all happy with the state of affairs. He was definitely freaked out and more vocal about it. I remained completely calm and quiet (because I thought I was going to end up seriously injured and was planning how I would deal with it given my last adventure). I just kept telling myself the worst thing that could happen is my face will be totally mashed into the cave ceiling and I’ll end up in the water. I can swim as long as I’m not knocked out or blinded by a stalactite into the eye. Though I did wonder how to deal with my boyfriend who is about as graceful in water as a cat in a bathtub.

Just when I thought it would last forever and this was my version of hell, the cave opened up in a large cavern and we could see the exit in the distance. The tunnel exit is 350 meters long, but feels much longer. We found out from our guide that the water was a little high, but they thought they could make it through. And we did. Apparently it is considered good luck to go through as the tunnel resembles the backbone of a dragon and… whatever. I was shaking from so much adrenaline I could barely get the money out of my wallet to pay for the boat. Needless to say, both guides got a very nice tip.

If you are interested in nature, this is your place. The Peninsular Botanic Garden (Thung Khai) is loaded with trees, flowers, plants, animals, and creepy crawlies. The garden is rather large and features a botanical garden, a herbal garden, a botanical library, a plant museum, and a canopy walkway The walkway is 175 meters long. You start out walking into lowland jungle (getting your little warning sign along the way) and eventually reach the canopy walkway. The walkways has three levels of height (10, 15 and 18 meters) and five walkways.

Trang is off the beaten tourist path in Thailand, but not difficult to get to. Buses and vans make their way to coastal areas and there are certainly drivers that will take you to the Botanical Gardens if you want. Admittedly, there are not many people that visit (at least that I saw) and it is a rather simple jungle walk. However, if you are into this sort of thing then it is a nice visit. You probably only need 2-4 hours max to see everything. I did it in two hours.

Pilok is a remote little town up in the hills (mountains) of Kanchanaburi Province in northwestern Thailand. This tiny town is a great place to experience the natural beauty of the lush forests of the Tenasserim Hills that form the natural border with Burma. Getting to Pilok takes a bit of effort as the road is small, overgrown, windy, and riddled with giant potholes. The Thailand Tourism Bureau recommends a four wheel drive vehicle to get here. The way to Pilok is full of natural vistas and once in Pilok you can walk around the village, see the small temple, and enjoy the mountain air. There are few places to see the sunrise and sunset while taking in the natural beauty and fresh air. The people of Pilok are fantastic and extremely nice. Unfortunately for me, I had an accident where I fell and dislocated my shoulder. The entire town helped get me to a clinic and eventually a hospital. Pilok is a great place to just relax and experience Thai culture at its best.

Please note: I don’t have any actual photos of Pilok itself because of my accident.

One of the little day trips we did on Koh Mook was to go to the Emerald Cave. During low tide, the cave leads into an open cavern. There were not a lot of tourists, to we needed to arrange our own boat. This cost 800 baht (about $26) which was a little expensive, but the skipper was really nice and fun. We had to time our visit for the tide, so we went in the late afternoon which worked out well.

The entrance to the cave is not exactly obvious. In fact, I only noticed it when we slowed down. There were a couple other boats bobbing nearby. During high season I am told large numbers of tourists visit, but we encountered on a few. Getting to the cave involved swimming! Which, of course, they neglected to mention. No problem, though. They give you a life vest and through your gear in a water tight box that is floated along. Being inside the cave is a little creepy at first, especially since it was pitch black except for the small flashlight our guide had. Add to that, my boyfriend can’t really swim. I was dragging him most of the way. =)

When you finally make it through the cave tunnel, you come out into an opening when the top of the hill has caved in. There is a small white sand beach and a tiny plot of jungle. We were getting close to sunset and the weather was turning a little, so the lighting was not that great, but it was still beautiful. If you visit Koh Mook, this is definitely worth it. One the way back our boat skipper stopped and they pulled up some really colorful starfish. I have dived in the Pacific Northwest where there are purple and red starfish, and I have dived in the tropics, but I have never seen starfish like these. They were really cool (no worries, we put them back in the water).

Koh Mook was never at the tip of my list for islands to visit, but I am so glad that I decided to go. The island was laid back and very easy going. There were very few foreign tourists, and we did meet a nice Thai tourist. We went during low season when most people don’t visit because of the rain. While it did rain, we mostly had sunshine. The little secret about Thailand is that the rainy is inexpensive, and it typically only rains for a short time and then the sun is back out.

Koh Mook is in Trang province in the Southern part of Thailand. We were down there so my boyfriend could do his family duty and show respect to his grandmother a couple months after she had passed. I went along because I did not want to lose the opportunity to see another province (and since Trang is over 10 hours drive, he wanted company).

Of course, the first thing everyone wants to know when you mention beach in Thailand, is how nice are they? The beaches are fantastic, with a few caveats. As with everywhere in Thailand, garbage is an issue. Most of the beaches are kept clear for the tourists, but during low season this is not a big priority so you see more trash. I saw a big pile at Farang Beach (so named because that is where most foreigners go), but it looked like it was getting piled up to be burned. The beach where I stayed was relatively clean. During high season, I think it would be fantastic. There is one obvious problem, and that is the beaches are eroding at what looks to be a substantial rate. They are trying to address it, but I suspect there is only so much they can do. For the time being, the beaches are great. In ten years, hard to say.

One of the more interesting things about Koh Mook is that activity that happens at low tide. The entire village seems to head out to start collecting shellfish. On the side of the island with a the pier, there is a lot more garbage. This is typical where there are a lot of fisherman, sadly. The people are all in their rubber boots far from shore digging up clams and who knows what else. The scene is rather beautiful, though the locals thought I was completely crazy that I was taking so many photos. A few local kids kept trying to see what it was I was taking a photo of, never realizing that I was just interested in what they saw every day and probably thought was completely boring.

I have always found these little crabs on the beach to be amazing. Koh Mook had them everywhere. In fact, at low tide it would look as if the sand was alive. Millions of these little crabs were working through it to get out all the goodies. Large hermit crabs also make their way on to the beach at night. I’ve come to the conclusion that Koh Mook is crab heaven.

Getting to Koh Mook is not difficult. We drove, but taking a bus to Trang is easy enough and from their a minibus will take you the pier. You can wait for the boat to fill up and pay 60 baht (about $2) or pay for a boat for yourself for 400 baht (about $13). We split the cost of the boat with another person. Once there, rooms cost anywhere from 600 baht ($20) a night and go up to 3000 baht ($100) and more. You can walk everywhere on the island, which is what we did. Though, we decided to take a motorcycle taxi back. They have a sidecar to sit in and it costs 40 baht to go anywhere on the island.

Phraya Nakhon Cave is a beautiful temple located in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, one of my favorite province names (it means right time for the mountains). The slogan of the province is City of pure gold, delectable coconuts and pineapples, delightful beaches, mountain and caves, land of spiritual beauty. It is all those things and more. Most people are either driving through this slender province to head south to Thailand’s famous beaches or north back up to Bangkok. They miss this wonderful province and all it has to offer.

Phraya Nakhon Cave is part of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in the Sam Roi Yot District. Located in Tenasserim Hills, just getting to getting to the entrance of Phraya Nakhon Cave requires either a boat ride or a hike over a rocky path at the base of the hills. Opt for the boat ride. Trust me on this. To get to the actual cave itself requires a hike over a rocky and steep path. If you do the first hike, you are not in the mood for the second (unless you are in good physical shape and not wearing sandals).

I managed both hikes, but I was certain it would kill me. Especially since I had been hiking to Erawan Falls the previous day, which is not exactly an leisurely with twenty pounds of camera equipment and a tripod. On top of the grueling hike, it rained on the way up, making the rocky path rather slippery.

The effort is worth it, though. Getting the temple in the right light requires timing it well. I did not time it so well, assuming that it would take me much less time than it actually did to reach the temple. I still managed some decent photos, but getting there early in the day is better. For one thing, there are few people. The temple is mostly visited by Thai, with a few foreigners, and it gets rather busy with visitors. The Thai people are considerate and try to keep out of you photos, but it is difficult with so many people. (Though, it should be mentioned, one Thai guy was pushing me in the back. I finally let him pass—either that, or he was going to experience one pissed off American that does not like getting pushed along slippery, rocky paths.) The other reason to arrive early is that you get the angle of light on the temple beautifully.

When I arrived the light was steaming straight down and was not as picturesque as some photos. The cave is moist, as caves often are, so there is mist in the air. Better to get that earlier in the day. Late afternoon might work well too, but I am not as certain since the hills might block the light.

The surrounding area is quite nice too. I had a car so I was able to stop along the road. Tour buses and minivans will not stop, but at least you can view the pretty scenery from outside your window.

There is no cost to enter the park. Make sure you wear good shoes and have water with you. Be careful on the way up and down as the rocks can get slippery when wet. There is no guard rail and the trail is steep. If you are in okay shape, you should be able to make it without any problem. Just take your time like I did. You miss nothing by taking the boat to the cave entrance instead of doing the hike along the base of the hills, but the boats do not come to a pier so be prepared to get your feet wet. Round trip boat fare is about 200 baht.

Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi province is most popular for the Erawan Falls, a series of waterfalls named after the erawan, the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology. The seven-tiered falls are said to resemble the erawan though I didn’t see it (perhaps my imagination is lacking). The park is very popular with Thai, though I did see quite a few foreigners. I did not jump into the waters since I had my camera equipment, but let me to. The park is located in the Tenasserim Hills. The key word being “hills.” The hike was mostly uphill across uneven ground, some of it muddy, rocky and covered in logs. I even had to climb across the stream on wet rocks at one point. I suppose it goes without saying, it was also quite hot and humid. The national park is in the middle of the jungle.

The falls certainly appears different at different times of the year and the amount of rainfall has a huge impact on the falls. Even though I was visiting during the rainy season, the falls were not as full as they probably would be in October, toward the end of the rainy season. Still, the falls are quite spectacular and the clear turquoise water is really stunning. The falls are being damaged by all the tourists climbing over them. They used to be white from the calcium deposits, but that it barely noticeable today. Mostly they are broken and muddy. Nonetheless, Erawan is still worth a visit.

There are seven tiers to the falls. The lower falls are easy to get to and quite nice. The pools are a bit larger than the others. The mid level tiers are not too difficult to get to, though they get progressively more difficult as you go along. The final tiers are a slog and much more challenging to reach. There is a nice pool at the very top, and perhaps during the rainy season their might even be water splashing over the top waterfall that pours down into the gully. Doubtful though, so don’t count on it. Water levels have dropped and weather changes has meant that most of the falls are not nearly as wet as they used to be. Honestly, you are not missing much if you stick the lower and mid levels.