Walking in the ether!

First of all I should probably apologize for being away from my blog for so long; first I didn’t have my computer, and since I’ve had it, well to be honest I just couldn’t find my inspiration. That’s not to say there hasn’t been inspiration in my life, in fact it’s quite the opposite. Over the last 2 months I have seen things beyond my wildest dreams; I have eaten food that completely blows my mind (and often my sinuses as well); I have done things I never thought myself capable of; I have met strangers that within days have become family to me; I've even met a cat who lives in a fridge... by choice! But most of all I have learned. I have learned about the world around me, about people, places, foods, animals, sports, music, books, and most of all about myself. I certainly haven’t developed a life plan yet, and I still don’t know where I’ll be any given day, much less 6 months from now, but living in a foreign country has really helped me find some clues. Anyways, that’s probably enough of the philosophical talk; after all, I think ya’ll who are reading this want to know more about what I’ve been doing these last 2 months, and maybe a little less about what I’ve been thinking these last 5 minutes; so here we go:

 

Since last I wrote on this, I have fought valiently in the world's biggest waterfight, a waterfight that involved every single person in an entire nation, I have been diving at some of the world’s most amazing sites, climbing in places that are too beautiful for words to describe, playing frisbee and soccer on huge white sandy beaches that slowly fade into light blue thai oceans, and I have done a little partying while I was at it; all with some of the most amazing people I know. 

While all of our trips and endeavors have been pretty amazing, the pinnacle of my happiness definitely found me in Ton Sai and Railay on our climbing trip. How can you describe in words a place where the most difficult decisions you have to make are whether to get a mixed fruit or a pineapple shake, or which amazing location you’d like to climb today? I cannot imagine a better life than we had for those 2 weeks; reading in the morning, followed by a beautiful hike to whichever climbing spot we’d chosen for the day, every one of which was absolutely amazing. 

The first aspect of these climbs that made them so spectacular were the locations they were in. Some days we hiked through hours of jungle, repelling down small cliffs and up steep hills until we got to a land before time, an avatar world in which you’re sure dinosaurs must be watching you from behind the lush greenery and huge trees; other days we walked along sand and reef on the edge of the warm clear waters that themselves bring millions of people to this country every day; and on some occasions we would even wade through this water with gear on our heads to get out to islands with white sandy beaches and beautiful climbs just waiting to be conquered.

The second aspect which made this such a special place were the climbs themselves; there was everything you could possibly image, from overhanging stalagtites the size and shape of elephant heads with multiple trunks you could swing around and loose yourself inside, to slanting crack climbs, crimpy balancers, and my personal favorite, a beautiful arête in the middle of a huge cave that stood like a sharp and angular pillar holding up the roof of a beautiful cave that otherwise looks so soft and conofrming. 

Only once you reach the pinnacles of these climbs though do you realize the third aspect that really sets this site apart, the views. Especially on the taller climbs, the views form the top are absolutely ethereal, incorporating wild jungle scenery with calm and gorgeous blue waters and the surreal prehistoric islands that pop out of the blue like pieces on a chessboard. Add all this up and I really could not imagine a more unsettling and yet completely calming sight, as if you truly are on top of that world.

The last aspect that made our climbing adventure such a heavenly experience were the people we enjoyed that magic with. In the alchemist they talk about a boy who is asked to walk around a beautiful house and take note of the beauty all while balancing a spoonful of oil the entire time. To me we had found that perfect balance during those two weeks. Meeting new people forced us to look inward and reflect on life: our past, present, and future. It allowed us to think about what is important to us, talk about the people that mean a lot in our lives and turned what had been strangers only days before into a family almost. They are definitely people I will never forget and I plan on seeing again in the future.

Besides all that, life here has been amazing; traveling, diving, climbing, and kayaking, but unfortunately the honeymoon is ending and now I prepare for work. The idea that in 3 days I will be walking in to my own classroom with my own set of kids is completely surreal to me. I’ve found out that I will be teaching English, health, math, and science to a group of thirty 12 year olds. While the prospect of being in charge of such a group, accompanied by my memory of what I was like when I was 12, is enough to scare my socks off, I am eager to gain some direction here and settle down a bit. I’ve always liked setting goals for myself and taking on new challenges to I’m looking forward to testing myself and learning as much from my new children as I can!

Before I sign off I just wanted to add one more thing. One of my biggest motivations for coming over here was reading and hearing the stories of people who have always gone out and done things they wanted to do, whether it be moving to a foreign country, following a cause they believe in, or just making beautiful art and music for others to enjoy. One of the people who has inspired me most in all these ways is my friend Sasha, whose blog I follow religiously. While we were climbing in Krabi she and her family, who also happen to be some of the most beautiful climbers I’ve gotten to watch, were always on my mind.  I just wanted to thank them, and Sasha especially for always inspiring me, we climbed with you in mind!

Thank you again too all of you who read this and tell me your thoughts. It’s the little things like that that give me the confidence to go out and do the things that I strive for in life.

Love to you all,

-Tommy

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

PS: Most of these photos are courtesy of my amazing partner in crime, Miranda Emanuel!