1/15 -- Thailand Safety Tips

If you hear a water elephant at night and are frightened, there are three things you must never do: one, make loud noises, two, shine bright lights in the water elephants' eyes, and three, wildly flee the water elephants in the direction of more water elephants.

In the southern Thai jungle, weeding necessitates the use of a machete, and cobras, while only aggressive if guarding an egg, are worth mentioning.

We have been at Watjai's farm for about two days now, and he and his wife, Shaba (sp?), have been friendly and welcoming. Meals are delicious, hearty, and frequent, if unrecognizable. We live in a small bamboo hut with no door, and sleep on the ground. This wouldn't be a problem if this wasn't the coldest winter Thailand has seen in over a decade (cold = 55 degrees F in the mornings) but we're adjusting. We've been shacking up with Sooshi (sp?, again), Shaba's kitten, named for a burmese freedom fighter. Last night she caught a mouse for us and ate it whole, but not before batting it repeatedly into the mosquito netting.

Watjai is about 30 years old and has been living on this land for the past few years. He grew up in Bangkok and studied mechanical engineering, a degree he never put to use. His dream is to live off the land and create a community of like-minded folks: he and Kyle really get along. Yesterday we spent the day clearing the jungle around his stream. There was a brief break a little before lunch time to smoke out a hive of bees that Kyle was unfortunate enough to discover. Today we spend the morning seeding kafir limes to make shampoo which Wat will try to sell to supplement his extremely modest income. Shaba is pregnant, and Watjai is eager to put some money away before the baby comes. It smells amazing - like key lime pie but more floral.

That's all for now. I'll write more when the mood/adventure strikes. For now, we'll be keeping an ear out for water elephants.

<3 audrey