Christmas in Pai.... a day later...

So since I struggled with feeling well all day on Christmas we didn't really celebrate, but instead went out the next evening. Since we're a day ahead here it was kinda like celebrating Christmas Seattle Standard time. Around New years, and now every holiday really in Thailand we have these giant paper balloon type things which you set fire to a wax-shaped donuts at the bottom of the balloon and while it burns it filled the balloon with hot smoky air and then lifts off in the same fashion a hot air balloon does. While the balloon fills you and your group of friends must hold it up and take funny pictures with it!



In Pai ever night we were there you could see the little twinkles of these fiery balloons dot the night sky. The fly up so high that they either disappear from view or become like stars while they confused the constellations.


The evenings in Pai were quite cold. It was kind of like BM. You have to head home before the sun hits the horizon to put on your cold weather fuzzies! while drinking at a bar one night I though this jolly drunk Thai women was wearing blue cheeseburger earmuffs on her head...WOW! I want I want! turns out they were blue strawberries! ....still cool. The women caught me staring at her while I was dancing with the bar staff (hey they convinced me it was a good idea!) After a bit of conversation she found out Olli and I were on a bit of a honeymoon and thought we were cute dancing, she bought us drinks and gave me her earmuffs! YAY!




So while Christmas blew chunks for me (quite literally... eewwww!!!) the day after was great fun with fuzzy blue strawberry earmuffs, bamboo bars along the river lit by Christmas lights and flaming balloons that look like stars in the sky!

Recovering in Northern Paradise...

Greetings from Sunny Pai in Northern Thailand where I have been recovering from a 24 hr stomach flu on Christmas eve and have now been relaxing into the art of doing nothing. I chose this place for Olli and I to get over jet lag in the best way possible: 5 days of sleeping, reading, eating and massages.



when we are not doing one of the 4 major things I just posted we are riding around the hills of the Mae Hong Son province on our motorbikes to waterfalls, hill tribe villages, canyons and the lot. Unlike southern Thailand (full of activities, water sports, nightlife and fast entertainment) Pai is a place where one comes to literally do-nothing.



A common motto in the town is "Do nothing in Pai" or "Slow Pai". As I've described before and as Olli will agree to Pai is kinda like a more permanent Burning Man suburb. There a large relaxing presence here followed with it's closeness to being around a beautiful natural setting combined with rustic bamboo bars on the river, massage parlors galore all navigable by bicycle. There is also a huge new age spiritual hippie vibe that is all over the town with Reiki healing classes, yoga sessions among other things as well.



We also came here to spend the holidays with my dear cousin Lek, but upon arriving in Bangkok I had found out that my uncle/Lek's father had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only has about 3 months to live. Lek +family is shocked and devastated at the news of this Lek had to stay in Bangkok, but gave us hugs, pre-bought train tickets and permission to use his house while we were there.



So while our days have been awesomely relaxed here in a large private house alone (complete with full kitchen, 2 cute dogs and a cat to keep us company with a rooftop balcony for sunrise reading and living room hammock!) it has also been quiet and void of my awesome cousin...




We had such a good time relaxing in Lek's house that I had to include pictures of it-kitchen,upstairs,living room, etc (also, the main picture up top is Olli reading on the rooftop balcony.)




Today we head to Chiang Mai on the 4 pm bus where we will spend the next 3 days jungle trekking visiting mountain top temples and eating drinking and laughing with my good friend Marisa (who shares my same name in Thai) Marisa is a Thai-Chinese British half-child or "look-krung" who I met studying Thai at AUA language school in Bangkok. We became immediate friends about 3 years ago when I lived here and have kept in touch every since. New years will be great with her!




On a side note the rural jungle is not a quiet place! Every morning we wake up to the sound of something different. On morning 1 there were about 20 roosters crowing next door at 6 am w/ me vomiting in the bathroom below (ick!) but by morning 2 all the rooster from the village were gone! Olli suspects they were all killed for a Christmas dinner :P However Morning 2 greeted us with the loud clamoring of a dozen birds walking across our metal roof... we call this the "Alfred Hitchcock wake-up call" while Morning 3 were dogs barking and bird calls with the occasional motorcycle kick back.... Morning 4 was "lets blast Thai music" day. Thais don't really have sensitivity to noise pollution, and it seems that the basic rule of thumb is that everyone in the village must like the same type of Thai music, so why not just blast it so everyone can hear! Yup... ahh... Thailand, how I've missed you!!!

Airport closures and jet lag... drunken train ride to paradise.

~9:00pm-Dec 20th - Manama, Bahrain - We have been in the air for about an hour now on the last flight before we get to Bangkok. This will be my third flight in a week. Getting out of Europe was a stressful nightmare of our trains to Frankfurt being delayed and/or canceled with me getting to the airport 10 min. before my flight check-in closed... whew. (Oliver was on a Thai airways direct flight leaving 2 hrs later--long story.) The snow-storms had shut down Heathrow, Paris and was in the process of shutting down Frankfurt as well. As I ran to my flight I saw hundreds of makeshift cots with stranded travelers camping out waiting for some news of departure or delay....

The air in Bahrain is hot and muggy at night, but surprisingly pleasant, especially coming from a cold winter wonderland in Germany. Someone then tells me that this is a winter/cold season for Bahrain and I gulp... this place would be too hot for me. I hope that Oliver made his flight out before more snow.




Dec. 22nd- Bangkok, Thailand - We've arrived! The Bangkok sunshine welcomed us in our extremely jet-lagged state. We have spent the past day or so sleeping, getting a massage, buying books and meeting the family.




Olli and I took the night train from BKK (Bangkok) to CM (Chiang Mai). The ride was a crazy and restless one since we both got upper bunks close to a loud opening door all night which made my dreams smell of cigarette smoke and engine exhaust. we had several drinks in the "party" car to make invite sleep more easily. Next stop: Paradise in Pai!

Castles in Kassel!

So the night before we left Kassel for Frankfurt I met Oliver long time old friend Nils who drove us home that snowy evening and took me up to the Hercules!

The Hercules is a large romantic-style edifice that was built by a regional king, which has an eerie green laser light which points to is like a beacon from the downtown area. Here is a picture of what it looks like on a srping day... it's pretty impressive! It's a giant facade castle (not liveable) on top a large hillside with a terraced garden with waterfalls....



Here it is at 15 min. to midnight in between snow storms with laser-light. usually the Hercules is lit up and you can see it shining like this icy blue colored castle looking down upon the city. shortly after midnight the lights go out and the only thing left is the green glow...



damn it was cold... but super surreal~!


Alright, now time for some sunnier updates!


Xoxox- Melli

Snow, saunas and Too much SAUSAGE!

So, this is my first blog from our around the world and back tour. it has only happened finally after 4 days of rest in Germany. After a week of craziness in packing and running around sleep deprived trying to get all things packed up and taken care of (and failing in some departments and thanking some wonderful friends who helped pick up my inexcusable slack!) Olli and I were off on our way to the airport only to be stopped by bags being 4 kilos overweight and surprised by a new 8 kilo carry on restriction! OMG!....anywho after all the stress of travel we finally arrive in Kassel, Germany. yay!


We immediately went to the hospital in Kassel to visit Oliver's mother who had been very sick with pneumonia with a stop along the way to buy flowers. I was scared and nervous to meet Oliver's parents since, well... due to our sudden marriage parental units on both sides really didn't have much time for judgment, discernment or say in the matter. All in all it was a pleasant first meeting (as pleasant as one can make it when you are sick in a hospital bed) Next stop: Christmas market! So during this time of year each large city's center has a Christmas market, where tiny cute stores pop up and offer a wide variety of hot mulled wine, speckkuchen (meat fat cakes! yum!) egg nog, cookies, potato pancakes and many more delicious things as well as shops where one can buy Christmas decorations, candles, wreaths... the list goes one. Lets just say the Germans know how to do Christmas! we had arrived during a wintery snow-filled week and walking around in a winter wonderland, sipping hot mulled wine topped with Rum while eating Speckkuchen was.... heavenly! Yum!

However as the days have progressed I've realized... I did not bring enough warm clothing! oh no! People like Markus and Trinidad and Suzanne had warned me about the cold, but there's nothing that can really prepare oneself for weather like experience. My pathetic Northwest standard of cold was nowhere near as cold as it could get....and this wasn't even freezing! Oh boy... what have I signed myself up for?

THANK YOU ELLERY FOR MAKING ME THIS AWESOME SCARF!!! IT IS WHAT IS KEEPING ME WARM!!!








During our 4 days here we've been doing lots of eating, sleeping, and visiting family. Oliver's parents live in a village outside of Kassel called Zierenberg. It a quaint town which I have forgotten to take up close pictures of but have included one of it from afar from the train. Our days spent here were low key with breakfasts and dinners of sausage, bread, pate, and cheese with his father, Fritz. During day 2 we went to the town of Korbach to visit Olli's other sister, Katrine.



We brought his Nieces and Nephews an Xbox w/ Kinect game console and we all went crazy with it. fun times! We had a great dinner full of sausage again and headed back home to Zierenberg the next day. day 3 was Germany Sauna day! If you've never been you should go! The place is called a Therme and its a build up - once natural- hot spring area where there are co-ed and separate, nude and none-nude sauna options! There were about 10 saunas all with different temps. 80C 90C 100C 45C infra-red saunas, Solariums, colt plunges, and outdoor pool complete with snow and icicles! there were sleeping rooms, steam rooms, chill spaces with fire places... even a bar which served mainly beer and...you guessed it... sausages!





NOTE: Olli has been experiencing a bit of culture shock as well. the reason I keep mentioning the bottomless amounts of sausages I've encountered while here is because before he moved to the states Olli had never quite realized just how many sausages his people consumes in their daily life, now everytime we go anywhere there sausage for meals, people carrying sausages, selling sausages and, yes... even sitting butt naked at a German sauna, .5 liters of beer in hand eating-Sausage!

while this is funny for him, it is a bit concerning for me... since, well I have just realized that I don't particularly like sausage! Liverwurst yes, pate-awesome.... sausage... hmmm not everyday please. It's times like these I'm relived I can cook. I am very much looking forward to locating the Asian food stores in Munich! I'm not saying that I don't like hefty wholesome German sausage and congealed meatloaves but well... it's nice to mix it up a bit... and both Olli and I have been incredibly spoiled living in Seattle where we can have Ethiopian, Sushi, Thai, Viet, Korean and Greek all in the same week.


Tonight is our last night in town and we finished our time here with watching old Super 8 films of baby Oliver when he was 1, 2 and 5 years old. they were super awesome films to watch and a nice peak into the past of my partners childhood. I have really enjoyed hanging out with Olli's father, Fritz. he's a pretty quiet guy, but has been interesting/interested in me as well. Yesterday he took us out to a real traditional German restaurant and gave me a tour of the town church which was built in the early 1400's. the church was closed, but he disappeared for a min. and appeared with the key from somewhere.

Anywho it's about 1am here and Olli and I must wake up and catch a train to Frankfurt at 7am to get our flights to BKK around 11am. I hope we get there and not snowed in due to weather conditions. Olli is already asleep and I should get there too! I've included some pictures of us on trains, snow-covered towns and family below... I'm excited for warmer weather! Yipeee!!!

Sleepily Yours,

Mellington

Zzzzz.....

Update and change of blog!!! (not like anyone was ever reading this one anyways)

Hi Everyone...and no one at all!

So this blog has basically been a blog I started a long time ago mostly as a blog for me where i could back-log all these past journal entries from my travel and thoughts while I lived in Thailand. However I've been really bad at upkeep on it and figured that maybe I could give it a face lift and use it currently for my travels around with Oliver as we make our way through culture shock winters in Germany to culture shock tropical Thailand all along the way as we meet new family and in-laws that we never thought we'd have.

So I've changed the name from "the broom closet archives" to "Pad Thai w/ a side of Liverwurst to go." and will now (hopefully) begin my life as a better blogger to keep you all updated off in Seattle land, Santa Fe land, and Thailand on my adventures of travel and then moving abroad.

...and sure, maybe one day I'll get around to posting those old writings i made in 2008 while in Asia.... but for now... pictures of snow to come!


Xoxox

-Mellington