Magical Moment 624, "Thailand - Music and National Parks!"

We stayed in the city of Chiang Mai for a few days at a hotel near the Tha Phae Gate, which is the remnants of the ancient city that dates back to the 1300s. On Sunday evenings, this gate is the beginning of an enormous walking market. This mostly caters to tourists and is a chance for them to see and purchase authentic souvenirs made by the local people. Eddie and I got the chance to go 2 different Sundays. It goes for miles and we never even got to all of it. (click to enlarge)

Here, we witnessed some pretty interesting things. At one point, a loud speaker announced something in Thai. Suddenly, the thousands of people that filled the streets stood to their feet in silence. We realized they were playing the Thailand National Anthem.

We saw and heard so many interesting musicians in Thailand. I wished I could have recorded them all.

Left: This man stopped his traditional Thai song when he saw me with a camera

and began playing jingle bells...way to read to your audience,

my fellow street musician! He got a tip from me.

But the most interesting was this man...I was so impressed with his multi-tasking!

One of the most memorable experiences with music that I had, was when we stayed at Elephant Nature Park and I noticed an old, acoustic guitar at the office. I discovered it was one of the employees, whose dream it was to become a performing musician. I asked if he knew any American songs and he said yes. He learns them to improve his English. So together we sang and played "Stand By Me," "Poker Face," and a few other random songs (whatever we both kind of knew and I could strum...which is not much.) Funny how musicians always find music, no matter where they are.

Since we got a chance to see so much of what I do and love, we also got the opportunity to visit one of the National Parks for Eddie (who is a U.S Park Ranger). We went to Doi Suthep Pui National Park, just outside of Chiang Mai. (If you enlarge, you'll see that Eddie's hat has a US National Park crest on it similar to the one on his left.)

Here, we visited Huaykeaw Waterfall, which I enjoyed climbing and exploring. See me?

Eddie, ever the park ranger, followed the rules however. Oops.

We saw this sweet boy staying cool in the heat.

There were some great opportunities to identify with people from the other side of the world. I guess there's always something in common, no matter how different we are!

~~~

Thailand - the Journey!

Thailand - the Markets!

Thailand - the Temples!

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

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