Absence makes the heart grow......??

So maybe some of you are wondering what happened to the dynamic duo.....and some of you barely noticed our absence! Regardless, we have returned to civilization after living at a Buddhist temple for the last few weeks to study meditation. Still dealing with the overwhelming shift between simple, quiet monastic style life and Thai city chaos. I'd also like to backtrack for this first blog in awhile to let all of you know about the Thai holiday Songkran, which was around mid April.

It is a celebration of the Thai new year, but in the typical fun of Thai spirit, becomes an all out, 3 day play-fest. What started as the gentle sprinkling of water from monks and to respected elders is now, in many parts of the country, a waterfight worthy of epic magnitude. Being in Chiang Mai, known particularly to celebrate the occation with enthusiasm, was amazing. The old part of the city is still surrounded by a moat, meaning that there is plenty of ammunition. Grab your weapon of choice; a plastic bucket on a string, and get ready. You will be soaking wet within 10 to 30 seconds of leaving your guest house, but somehow everyone will still want to douse you with water. People load up in the back of pickup trucks and circle the moat, flinging water along the way. IT WAS CHAOS, the sort of thing you have to see to believe. But still, completely Thai in personality. No wet tee-shirt contests, no fighting, all taken with a smile. Beautiful. There should be some new pictures on Picassa, but not many as the camera would have been in grave danger.