Tuesday, December 15, 2015 It’s a short drive from our lovely hotel in Lampang to the Thai Elephant Sanctuary (TECC). When we passed under the arch announcing our arrival, it became clear we had entered the world of elephants—domesticated ones. TECC is a government-supported organization that helps foster awareness of the Asian elephant in Thailand. They offer a program that we will be participating in called a “home stay” in which simple lodging and food is provided, as well as intimate experiences with the elephants and their mahouts. We will actually accompany the mahouts in their daily routine over the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Musings
December 14th, 2015 Leaving the the elephants at the Boon Lotts Elephant Sanctuary pulled on my heart strings. if i was a bit younger and not committed as I am to my medical practice, I would consider spending a few months here as a volunteer. Being around the elephants is not only an exciting adventure, it also feels like an unusual spiritual experience, difficult to put into words. We headed back towards northern Thailand to a town called Lampang, located a few hours south of Chiang Mai, on the Wang River. Near Lampang we will be staying several days at … Continue reading
December 11, 2015 Today we drove to Sokhothai, in central Thailand, to spend time at the Boon Lotts Elephant Sanctuary (BLES), started by a young Englishwoman, Katherine Connor, whose encounter with a young elephant, named Boon Lotts, changed her life forever. Katherine had taken a year off from her work doing retail sales in London in order to travel around Asia when she was twenty-one years old. She ended up working at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center where she met Boon Lotts, a baby elephant who was very sick. She formed a deep bond with the baby who eventually died. … Continue reading
December 9th, 2015 “This is not a book of answers. This is a book of questions. More precisely, it’s about living a questioning life, a life of unknowing. If we’re ready to live such a life, without fixed ideas or answers, then we are ready to bear witness to every situation, no matter how difficult, offensive, or painful it is. Out of that process of bearing witness the right action of making peace, of healing, arises.” ——BEARING WITNESS by Bernie Glassman, Buddhist monk Today is officially the first day of our tour, even though most of our little group of … Continue reading
The Long Journey to Chiang Mai: “Ma’am, you can just walk right through. You’ve been pre-qualified.” I felt like I had won the lottery. It was like travel in the old days. Nothing to remove. Nothing to take off. Nothing to pull out. I just walked right through. An auspicious beginning. I’m sitting here in LAX for four hours, waiting for the flight to Seoul then on to Chiang Mai. Seoul has special significance for my family. In 1960, my father lived in Seoul during his time as Secretary of the United Nations Peacekeeping force at the demilitarized zone (DMZ), … Continue reading
Sawadeeka (Greetings in Thai) Why Thailand? I’m asked that question every time I mention my vacation plans for this coming December, 2015. The answer has to do with Jami Sieber, a former neighbor in The Commons—my co-housing community. Jami, a well-known electric cellist, plays hauntingly evocative music she composes herself. In 2001 Jami was invited to Thailand to compose the music for a film about the plight of Asian elephants. Since meeting and falling in love with these magnificent animals, Jami has been devotedly involved in the Asian elephant crisis. She has released a CD recording, “Hidden Sky,” which benefits elephant … Continue reading
Brussels sprouts never appealed to me until I came across a Brussels sprouts dish on the menu at one of the restaurants I frequent in Santa Fe. The Brussels sprouts tasted so delicious, I asked the young waiter, probably in his early thirties, if he could give me the recipe. “No, I’m sorry. It’s the policy of the establishment not to give out proprietary recipes,” he said politely. “No problem. I’ll figure out what’s in here and then try to reproduce it when I’m home,” I replied. When the waiter returned to bring some condiments to our table, I looked … Continue reading
Many of my patients have conditions that are exacerbated by sugar and grains. These conditions include fungal overgrowth (yeast), obesity, diabetes, sugar cravings, blood sugar swings, fatigue, “brain fog,” and cancer. My recommendation to switch to a whole foods diet without sugar and grains is often met by my patients with the refrain, “That doesn’t leave anything to eat!” Another refrain is, “I just can’t give up bread.” Below is a recipe for bread that is made without sugar, grains, or dairy. Once the ingredients are lined up on your counter, it takes just a few minutes to mix up … Continue reading
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, beloved by many, said: “It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community—a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the earth.” The idea of co-housing communities originated in Denmark in the early 1980s. The concept spread rapidly. There are now hundreds of co-housing communities worldwide. The majority of these communities are found in the U.S, Europe, Australia and New … Continue reading
A few years ago, I experimented in the kitchen with different kinds of morning drinks, in search of a concoction that would be both sustaining and tasty. Through trial and error, I created a mocha/coconut/chai morning drink that’s not only nutritious, it’s downright delicious. In fact, just the thought of the drink gives me the impetus to get out of bed in the morning. You might enjoy it too. With a few minor adjustments (removing the coconut milk and nut milk), this drink would be excellent on a ketogenic diet. And if you drink the coffee and include only pure … Continue reading