Kokochi

Tadaima! ただいま!

Arrived home a short while ago. Shocking to see all this rain after beautiful sunny days. But soooo good to hug my kitties again. As soon as I walked in and called their names, they came running. They've been purring non-stop and sticking very close to me. Dav arrives tomorrow at 9am as he had to go back through Viet Nam.

I had a 5 hour lay over in Taipei, not the cheeriest airport to hang out in. And it was freezing with totally out of control air-conditioning. In search of warmth, I ordered tea at a coffee shop. I couldn't decide if I was crazy or the airport folks were out of their minds, so I asked the server whether he thought it was a tad chilly and whether there was a warmer corner I could run to. I only got a smile and a shrug. To those who know me, being cold is almost frightful for me. Once I lose body heat, I can't generate it on my own. So I wasn't looking forward to the chilly 5 hours ahead of me. I was grateful that I had my gigantic scarf that I always have with me, even in tropical Thailand.

I'm writing this because I wanted to also share how thankful I was to have Amy Tan's "The Opposite of Fate" with me, her account of her life and writing. I picked it up just before leaving Pai and I'm close to the end already. Thanks to Amy Tan, I actually enjoyed the 5 hours and the 11 hour flight I had. Having solid time to read and having a great book is incomparable, no?

Pai - a little slice of heaven

We stayed a night in Chiang Mai and are now up north in a tiny, lovely town called Pai. We'll be here until the 8th and I'm very happy about it. In contrast to the beach tourism or the busy cities we've been in, this is a chill, cute, health/environment-conscious place surrounded by lush mountains and fields. Our agenda is: eat well, sleep well, have long massages, go white water rafting, and play with elephants. Both Dav and I agree that this atmosphere matches our style better. We have gorgeous pictures, but alas, all will have to wait until we are home to upload them.

One side story I'll share here. Dav and I left Ko Samui on the first flight out of the New Year at 6am. To do this, we packed and carried our bags to the NYE party and left directly. But once we got into Bangkok, we couldn't get a flight to Chiang Mai until evening and desperately needed sleep. So Dav and I decided to go to the movie theater and sleep through a movie. We didn't care which movie it was and ended up with The Polar Express. So there we were sitting in a Bangkok theater about to watch an American Christmas movie with scenes of chilly snow. As initial previews came on, we must have dozed off...until I somehow noticed that everyone in the theater was getting up. I glanced at the screen to find instructions, "Please stand and salute His Majesty the King." I nudged Dav and we promptly stood up and watched various scenes of the King doing his duties. We both found this situation so hilarious and were horrified that we couldn't stop giggling during this moment of respect. But we'll sure never forget it. Ahhh, the joys of weird vacation twists.

Live from Phuket

A wonderful friend Tracey Northcott and her family had planned to visit Phuket and had me worried sick when the tsunami hit. Luckily, they hadn't arrived yet at that time. But a few days later, I got an email that they were all the more determined to head there nonetheless. It was a conscious decision and I think they are awesome for it.

Tracey then sent an incredible description of what they were seeing. I'm posting it here as it provides an important alternative view. The tragedy is real. But, the media will have an immense impact on economic recovery in how they portray these areas, since tourism is so vital. As Tracey writes, "The reporting is actually hurting the already shocked and bruised population of this area. It is sensationalising the situation and scaring away the tourists which are the lifeblood of this economy."

Thank you, Tracey, for sharing.

The earthquake and resulting tsunami hit on Sunday. We (Mum, Dad, Richard and Tami) left Tokyo on Monday after checking with the airline and hotel that we would be able to get to Phuket and that we would have a dry bed to sleep in. We were offered the opportunity of canceling or changing our plans but made the conscious decision to travel regardless. Most people would think that we were mad, but we Northcott's do not scare easily - we are serious about our travel...

Will leave at the crack of dawn

I am extremely grateful to be sitting in this internet cafe typing. For the past 24 hours, I had the worst tummy flu/bug horror ever. It started 2 nights ago. I woke up in the middle of the night and heaved out whatever was left from dinner. Strange...but maybe it was the food, I thought. But then I continued to have to heave like every 20 minutes even when there wasn't an ounce of anything in me. By morning, the stubborn part of me made me believe the worst was over, so I insisted on going on the planned snorkeling tour. A 3 hour bumpy ride to the most beautiful islands I've ever seen. I'll spare you the details, but basically I spent a lot of time trying to meditate my situation away, or hiding behind Dav's back as me and a plastic bag had a little rendez-vous.

I snorkeled though! Had schools of fishies with rainbow colors swarm around me. It was fabulously worth it!

Once the hellish boat ride home was over, I lay in bed only to feel the full extent of what was going on in my body. Aches and feverish chills. I had visions of welcoming the New Year being hooked to an IV. Dav was an angel, puttering around me and granting any wish I had to ease my pain. Friends brought by various pills and EmergenC packets. And tadaaaaaaa! I'm better! I woke up and couldn't wait to get up and eat. Although I'm embarrassed to say this in Thailand, where the food has been amazing, I went for the biggest Western breakfast I could find. Croissant, eggs, bacon, fruit...I was so freaking hungry and very happy to be able to eat.

Anyhow, just had to share that experience. We've cancelled the kayaking and will stay chill today. Maybe a massage. Dav and I leave here at 6am tomorrow morning for Bangkok, then up to Chang Mai, then Pai. Volunteering is still complicated and we're finding that the best way to help here is donate money.

Many people are coming here from the other 'hit' areas and getting a flight out is difficult. 2 of our friends can't get a flight until the 4th, and there are essentially no rooms either. So again, I feel nothing short of extremely lucky.

And finally, I want to thank all the friends and Kokochi fans who have emailed me. Your words have meant a lot. If I don't log in before, Happy New Year to you all. With love, Mie

A nice but uneasy stay in Ko Samui

I have to say that it's beautiful here. Gorgeous water and gentle waves, white beaches, delicious food, cheap massages right on the beach. Going snorkeling with our group tomorrow and kayaking to the Emerald Caves the next day. What an idyllic place to vacation.

However, there's a dark cloud in our hearts for sure. We watch the news and hear about the casualties. Many were children. We talk at night over dinner how lucky we are since we would have been in Krabi (a hit area) if it hadn't been for some last minute decisions that were pretty randomly made. We realize that people we sat next to on planes may no longer be alive. I can't believe we get this vacation, while others are going through hell. How to comprehend this?

We want to do something and some of us are thinking about volunteering where needed. But it would be serious business...there are dead bodies and diseases, so don't know yet.

I sorta regret not being able to post pics from this little heaven we are in, but on the other hand, it wouldn't feel right to be showing off the blue ocean and palm trees at this moment. Typed text just saying how it is, seems more appropriate.

Petite Update

Hi! Just wanted to post that we're fine here inspite the earthquake. Thanks to Kokochi readers who emailed me out of worry! That really touched me : )

The most scary part was trying to get in touch with friends whom I thought were in Phuket (weren't there yet) and a dear friend who lives in Sri Lanka (she's fine but shaken). Very fortunate, but my heart goes out to those who were in the affected tsunami areas.

I spent one night in Bangkok and now am at the airport heading to Ko Samui to meet up with everyone. Yay!! I had a great time wandering the streets in Bangkok, letting myself get lost in tiny alley ways, and testing food from every other street cart. I snacked the whole day and night and loved it. Took pics of that, but will have to upload later. Also got a 1/2 hour foot massage followed by a body massage. Not bad for a start!

My backpack is packed...

and I am ready to go to Thailand ... and see Dav who has many stories to tell, he says. I am sorry comments aren't turned on yet, and wanted to thank those who emailed me instead. Dav and I will work something out when we are back. For now, we look forward to meeting up with 8 other SF friends who are also making their way towards an island in the south where we will celebrate the New Year together. We all jokingly fantasized about this and can't believe that our schedules (and budgets) allow this. I am still suspicious that this is a dream! I should be able to post, but pics may be hard unless the internet cafes have bluetooth. I leave at 12:05am. Bye for a bit!

Six Apart moves to SF

Tomorrow, all us Six Aparters will show up at our new office in SF. We've been eagerly waiting for this since we've grown from a few to 30+ very quickly. We had meetings in the hallways and squished into rooms as much as we could until we expanded into a vacant spare office (that looked like a former dentist office). We continued to have to fight over meeting spaces and contractors had to play musical chairs to find a spot to sit. Where we will be from tomorrow is spacious and also mighty cool looking. Yay!

But now that we're packing, I'm a bit sad too. What memories! It's almost a year since I joined and we were a tight group back then. We all did everything together. If someone got up for lunch, we'd all join like ducklings following the leader. I sat between Mena and Barak in the corner (4th pic) and got involved in things I never dreamed of. During the MT3.0 launch, I remember us taking naps on the floor, running out to get food since we all worked around the clock, and the late night joking we did to keep ourselves going.

Bye, San Mateo office. You've been good. Now onto another phase!

Richard Scarry

One my favorite childhood authors. I spent hours pouring over his books and loving all the detailed animal worlds he created. Upon coming across one of his books recently, I was astounded at how perfect he'd be for Burning Man. This book was only about "cars and trucks and things that move" but check out a few of the examples! Fruit and vegetable cars. Man, Richard was way ahead of his time. I was particularly tickled by Mistress Mouse Repairs; a tiny mousey who drives around and fixes huge trucks that burly cats and bears drive. The detail you discover when you flip a page and find her empty tow truck. You have to hunt around and find who she's fixing. Fabulous!!

No wonder I love Burning Man. I grew up with the spirit!

This inspired Dav and I to consider converting his "Java Fu" car into a cheese car and drive around dressed as mice. Wouldn't that be the best??

See what Dav sees

I hadn't heard from Dav for several days and theorized he signed up to care for orphaned baboons in the jungle somewhere. Nope. This morning I got an email with the most gorgeous picture attached. It's not from his camera, but it's an example of what he's been seeing. He's been sailing around the 1969 islands of Ha Long Bay.

Got a few electronic kisses too. Can't wait to see him!! We're now considering going to Laos instead of Cambodia...we shall see.