yum.

I’m back from a weekend “camping” (retreating) in Doi Sutep National Park. There I spent the afternoons swimming in this long chute waterfall, peeking at bat caves, and crunching through the forests on a hike. I learned how the worms are collected from bamboo shoots for snacks, that banana trees aren’t trees but actually more closely related to grass, and poked at the soft bark of this sponge-type tree from which local villagers take the poisonous sap to hunt small animals with arrows.

All that said, I’m really happy to be back with my family. This evening was a somewhat celebratory ordeal. One of my parents’ friends came for a surprise visit. They hadn’t seen her for either four or ten years (I honestly didn’t quite understand that part). Either way, it’s easy to understand why they were so excited. We sat around with bowls of fruit, ate two different types of fish, and laughed our way through a gigantic dish of banana coconut milk dessert. I also munched on my first helping of soup made from vegetables and red ant eggs (http://www.gnaw.cc/images/udon/ants.jpg). I’ve been wanting to try it, and honestly, it’s quite delicious.

Mm. At this point, I’m just working on experiencing.

Peace, Love and Tropical Fruit >>>> Reb

p.s. A picture! It’s all I’ve got right now. Me and my pal, Rachel. We’re at the ISDSI campus. (By the way, Rachel and I just had our first traditional Thai massages this week! Yup).