After being back into the 'real world' of noise, speech, time and traffic. Many of us needed a transition spot. Suratthani is a hub city for island hoping and connections from south to north. It was perfect as none of us really knew what we wanted to do. I stayed two nights spending time with five others from the retreat, talking about things that happened... and doing a lot of not talking. It was nice to have a small community to practice mindfulness, say food r...

It was one long tiring day of running around to finally arrive at the Suan Mokkh monastery in Chaiya. This monastery was founded by Ajahn Buddhasa, an important influential figure in Thailand and represented by UNESCO as an international personality. He built the monastery in a forest, with coconut groves and natural hot springs for people to come and learn about the Dharma, with no religious ties. He is still a very respected and somewhat a controversial figure ...

I had one main goal to return to the Thai islands. Scuba diving license. So I took a night boat where you sleep on the deck with the crew, open air, watching the stars to arrive in Koh Tao in the morning, one of the top two places in the world to get certified. This boat was the cheapest option as its the boat they used to ship water and food to the island everyday. Just before I got on I remember thinking about that statistic about people eating three or so spid...

I was looking for a pit stop before I made it down to the islands. Looking at the map and considering the distances, I choose PKK as it was right in the middle. Seemed like the logical thing to do... and in the end the absolute right decision. I found my favourite town in Thailand. Apparently one of the Kings favourite spots too as this is where he built his modest vacation home. Its a small ocean side town with a beautifu...

It was well worth the wait and the flight back into Thailand. Songkran on Khaosan road was better then I could have imagined. The streets were closed off and basically turned into a water fight war zone with a side of sticky flour paste smearing. I was armed with a 1.5 litre super soaker and turned back the clock, I was a kid again and loving it. I forgot how much fun they were. Hunting innocent pedestrians, waiters, police officers and showing no mercy. It nev...