I’m sitting at one of my favorite places. It’s in Pai, Northern Thailand. I don’t know the real name of the cafe, but I always refer to it as Pride and Prejudice. The house has this old style romantic ambiance to it and every time I step in, I get transported back to the English countryside in the early 19th-century. In front of me is a mocha and a pink smoothie bowl that I’m getting ready to devour. I’m completely relaxed after the qi qong and shuang yang moving meditation that I did this morning. It’s quite a different picture than 10 minutes earlier, when I was getting of my motorcyle, soaking wet from one of Thailands notorious rainstorms. Pai isn’t that big, but with the amount of rain that comes pouring out of the sky here, a few seconds is all it takes to get drenched to the bone. Every cloud has it’s silver lining though, and nature often rewards you by revealing some spectacular rainbows. With hot mocha inspiration infusing me, I’m grabbing my laptop to start writing down my experiences to share in this blog.
I’m thinking of how the second half of my kung fu journey started a little over a month ago. It was a bumpy start, quite literally:
I’m in Chiang Mai at the bus station, where I find myself standing next to two other girls packed with enough luggage for a trip around the world. As the bus driver climbes onto the van’s roof he gestures us. At first, we look around a little confused. Then we realize he is waiting for us to take our 100-kg backpacks, hoist them over our heads and pass them to him. With a bit of teamwork, we manage to load everything onto the roof, where the driver secures it all with a rope. I’m praying for clear skies. We squeeze into the back of the minivan, where we are joined by six others. Space is so tight that remaining luggage is crammed beneath chairs, between seats, and onto our laps. Just when I think the van couldn’t possibly hold more, the driver squeezes two additional bags in. Chapeau. Packed and ready we embark on our journey to Pai.
About an hour into the trip, the once smooth road transformes into a winding mountain path, full of bumps, twists, and turns. The only thing keeping me from getting sick are the travel pills, which I had to double dose in order to fight off the queasiness. Normally, I would nap with so much medication in my system, but I have to hold tightly to my seat to avoid ending up in my neighbor’s lap. This is Thailand, so if the van ever had seatbelts, they are long gone.
After what feels like the longest four hours of my life, the bus makes a left turn onto a narrow road. There I spot a sign with the sillhouette of two warriors and the words ‘Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat’—the same sign I had seen two years ago. That marked the start of the first eight months of my adventure. This time (the second time) the plan is to travel for six months. Practicing and teaching Kung Fu, training MMA and Tai Chi, and maybe discover other martial arts retreats along the way.
Although the journey began with a few bumps, the excitement and joy of finally arriving and starting my training again made it absolutely worth it. I’m looking forward to exploring the beauty that awaits along the way.