MASSAGE THERAPY

Learn about Traditional Thai Massage.

Subject: safe and sound in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:43:52 -0700

Just a quick note to let you all know that I arrived this morning in Chiang Mai in great shape. It's hot here but the weather was beautiful today. Bibianna picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the hotel where I took a much need shower after so much time in an airplane!

I managed to avoid jet lag so I have really gotten a lot out of my first day here. We rented scooters which is such a great way to get around the city. We ate some good food here and there, visited a few temples, and checked out the infamous street markets. The people here are really great and Gabriel speaks a little bit of Thai which is pretty cool!

Tomorrow begins the first day of Thai massage class - I'm really looking forward to it!

I had a great visit, too, with Matt in Venice Beach before departing for Thailand...

more later...
Robert

Subject: meeting Pichest
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:36:43 -0700

Sawadee!

This city is truly amazing - there is so much to do and see! You just can't appreciate the depth of culture and history until you spend time here - there is so much to do and see! And so many places to eat!!! :)

Today was the first day studying with Pichest. This man is a saint - I can hardly believe how gifted he is. I was lucky enough to be worked on by him - it seemed so arbitrary and spontaneous that he picked me for his teaching example - and his work absolutely blew me away! The work that he did on me in 30 minutes would take any other practitioner at least 5 or 6 sessions to get the same result - he is talented beyond measure. I won't see him again until Monday as I have one more session at the other school on Friday - and tomorrow we're taking off for adventure! :)

We have started every morning with Ashtanga yoga practice at 6:30am - at William's ChiangMai Yogasala - but we will probably just practice in one of our rooms at the hotel before too long as William charges too much! Waking up before the city reveals some hidden magic - you see a lot more of the monks with their shaved heads and orange robes out and about at sunrise.

I have taken some photos and some video and as soon as I get a little more settled in and have some time, I will upload them to flickr or some where you can see them. As Gabriel has been here so many times, and there is so much to do and see, he keeps us very busy taking it all in - he's really been amazing and his energy is just great!

more later...
:)

Subject: upload some pictures finally
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:19:49 -0700

Okay, so I finally uploaded some photos to flickr.

Yesterday we rode our motor scooters to the top of Doi Suthep mountain and visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep and The Bhubing Palace. The ride was awesome because it allowed us to get out of the heat and into cooler, higher elevations - and the road up the mountain was twisting and winding - lots of fun like the old days of riding my Honda street bike. :)

Today I finished my second day of training at Loi Kroh Thai massage school. It was really awesome one-on-one training both days and it was the perfect refresher for my training with Pichest Boonthumme. My program starts on Monday and will last three weeks. Yes, I've decided to stay for the length of my visa - 30 days.

We are staying at the KHUMSIPHAYA GRAND HOTEL and it's working out beautifully! This city is just incredible and so full of life and creativity. It's so chaotic and pulsing with madness, yet everywhere there is order, everywhere is serenity. I find beauty in the floral arrangements, the exotic fruits, the cooking, the art work, the landscape, and in these talented, and gifted people. I am honored to be here, and I look forward to learning their approach to bodywork - straight from the master Pichest! ;)

Tomorrow I am taking off from practicing yoga - sleep in until 7am - yea! And we will spend the day visiting another accomplished practitioner of Thai bodywork outside of town. More on her later...
:)
Robert

Subject: Baan Hom Samunphrai / Mysore practice
Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:13:31 -0700

Yesterday was an incredible experience studying with Homprang at her amazing center, Baan Hom Samunphrai. It is such a beautiful center - and they prepared the best food we have eaten yet! I learned so much from the time there with Homprang - she was very generous with her teaching. They also set up a steam bath with special Thai healing herbs for us, and then we swam in the pool. We will definitely go back again for another visit - It was so cool! See pics on flickr...

The drive there was awesome as we rode along the river - and on the way back, the Thai's were busy in the roadside markets, which they set up like we might expect to see a flea market - when it's over, everything is taken down and then they set up again the next night.

Yoga practice was hard today. I think I'm eating too much and it is causing me to be inflexible. Not to mention, I was really tired this morning. Gabriel was great as he gave both Bibianna and I a Mysore practice with adjustments before beginning his practice. I feel great now, though - and we're off to a special brunch somewhere...

many blessings from Thailand!:)

Subject: weekend finale
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:00:25 -0700

Well, the "vacation" is kind of over - next week I really dig in with Pichest and focus on not spending any money! Everything is so cheap but at the end of the day, all those little things can really add up! ;)

We had an amazing day with lunch at the Mandarin Oriental - which is a feast for the eyes and senses! - and an afternoon at Sankampaeng hot springs. They sell eggs and you cook them in the water! This water was very, very healthy and relaxing. The motorcycle ride out there was amazing too because we were really in out in the country away from the city. We rode past rice fields, and "towns" with no English letter signs anywhere! Everyone is used to seeing white people in the city, but out in the country at the hot springs, everyone was starring at us! At first it was kind of weird but then I realized that I do the same thing - so it was a good lesson. And we made some friends that day!

See photos from today on flickr...

from the land of smiles...
R

Subject: Baan Hom Samunphrai
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 04:25:10 -0700

I am a big fan of high quality green tea - it would be loose, never in a tea bag. I didn't bring my tea because I figured in Thailand it would be everywhere. But NO! :(

The tea they drink is sweetened black iced tea with carnation instant milk. Don't get me wrong - I love it, but it's not my green tea. So I started drinking coffee and they really make it nice and strong - they grow it in the hills here and it's very good. Problem is, I woke up this morning with the biggest coffee withdrawal headache - not good. So I've decided to suffer through today and no more coffee!

Today studying with Pichest was really good. I am finding that because there is so much more I need to know to really blossom with Pichest's teaching, that I have decided to go back to Homprang's center, Baan Hom Samunphrai to refocus on the basics. I will study with her for five days starting tomorrow and then begin again on Monday with Pichest's new class. Gabriel, of course, is staying with Pichest. ;)

I am really blown away because the Baan Hom Samunphrai center is such a beautiful place, and Homprang is also very gifted. Of course, you may have already seen the photos from the other day when we were here... but you can expect more to come! I am here now, and tomorrow morning, we practice a different kind of yoga (not Ashtanga) so I am looking forward to seeing how they do this special yoga for Thai massage therapists. It's called Rasidaton.

Another thing about Thailand that's really cool is how Thai people greet one another - it is most awesome. I believe they call it "y-ing." You place the hands together like in prayer, just under the nose. So every time I meet someone or see someone I know, we put the hands together like this and say "sawadeeka" to the woman and "sawadekop" to the man. This gives a very good feeling inside and everybody smiles.

Well, I'm off to have a steam bath! :)

miles of smiles...
R

Subject: update on the Thai greeting and Krong Thip
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 04:01:27 -0700

According to Gabriel:

the hands together is called 'wai' pronounced 'wa-y' :) you put the hands together in front of the lips to greet anyone, friends, strangers:) because you make sure that what you say will be sweet :)
hands go together under the chin when greeting a monk, to show respect :)
Thais will also put the hands under the chin when greetings their parents, or greeting someone who is older :)

'wai' has a complex system of who and how you do it though, in Bangkok they don't like foreigners to 'wai' :) while they will 'wai' back at you, in the heart they really don't like it (took me a while to learn that though, as I was so used to how things are up here).
it is an amazing way to feel humble, no? :)

The attached photos are from the Thai cigarette packages of Krong Thip. Apparently, the dangers of cigarette smoking are well understood here and unlike American tobacco pushers, Krong Thip wants you to be really clear about the truth. At first, I didn't believe it was real... but go figure!

I was in class for eight hours today receiving one on one instruction and using an experienced practitioner of Thai massage as our model. This is a incredible learning opportunity as Homprang is very strict - in a kind way - and the environment here is so peaceful and relaxing.

They have these big, fat (about 7" long) Geckos around here that make crazy sound - first they make a repetitive, constant noise like "bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah", they pause, and then they go "uh-o, uh-o" - a sound just like a human would make when something unexpectedly bad (but not too bad) happens. Apparently, it's good luck if you hear them say "uh-o" nine times in a row. I'll let you know how that works out for me... ;)

The weather today wasn't too hot, for a nice change... and apparently, I've just been informed that the evening steam bath is ready... chat at ya later...
:)

Subject: quick update
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 02:56:42 -0700

I have have spent the last four days receiving one on one training with Homprang and her accomplished students. This has been an incredible opportunity for me and I feel very blessed. Tomorrow I will give a complete sequence to Christopher, Homprang's husband (and a really really great guy) - this will be quite a challenge because he's quite large and has very tight muscles - and I'm not sure if they're going to allow me to look at my notes! :)

The people here have been wonderful and very gracious and this is just such a beautiful environment - not to mention the cooking! I will look forward to coming back here again soon! I have also enjoyed learning their style of Thai massage yoga - Rasidaton which is very gentle and meditative. But I have really enjoyed teaching Ashtanga yoga to Homprang who took to it like a fish to water! We have been waking at 5:30am to practice and then at 7am we practice Rasidaton which takes an hour. Then we eat at 8 and begin class at 9am. Lunch is from 12-1 and then class from 1-4pm. Dinner is served at 7pm and then I usually go to bed at 9! This has been the routine here every day - a lot of effort but kind of dreamlike. :)

On Monday I begin five days advanced training with Pichest.

I cannot upload photos from any of the computers here on the property but as soon as I get some time when I'm back in the city next week I will update flickr.

Hope you all are having an enjoyable 4th of July weekend! :)
R

Subject: A special limited distribution email...
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 03:56:12 -0700

I have hit the pot of Gold here at Baan Hom Samunphrai - I can hardly believe my good fortune. These are the most generous and incredibly wealthy (spiritually and materially) people that I have met here yet - and they have been sharing it all with me like I was family. Really incredible. They have even invited me back to stay no charge and continue to study with the Thai massage practitioners in their family. So this is probably where I will stay my last week here in Thailand - I will leave on the 22nd. :)

They have the coolest little Burmese cat here - you'll see pictures later... he's white and has the loudest meow for such a little guy. I have been feeding him so we've become fast friends. ;) Like all the animals around Chiang Mai he has not been fixed and is most likely a stray. But he is very cool and loves affection.

I am sooooo looking forward to returning to the States with this work. This Thai massage is blowing my mind! Every move every point every press has been precisely worked out - the attention to detail is amazing. Not only must you consider the effect on the client but they have worked out the practitioner's body mechanics so as to be 100% efficient - and at times almost effortless - while delivering incredible power through the technique. If my body mechanics are incorrect or I am not delivering the technique in the right spot or the right way - I will not get the desired result. The Myopractic work is very much like this - if you don't execute correctly it doesn't work.

This is greatly in contrast to the Esalen style of Swedish massage with oil which leaves plenty of room for daydreaming. This is because in the Esalen massage we're mostly interested in the quality of the touch - and the fact that it might be therapeutic beyond the emotional domain is just a bonus (even though this fact has actually been the source of my livelihood!)

So it is with great effort that I am re-learning Thai massage. The good news is that Homprang and her students think I will be a very accomplished therapist. In fact it was my ability to pick up the work with such grace that Homprang even took me on as a student. She actually turned down the opportunity to train three other people while I am here because they did not have enough experience and she really didn't want to have to put out that much effort - as she and Christopher are leaving for the States next week and they have a lot of things to get organized. So I am quite honored that Homprang accepted me as a student (and that she and her family are enjoying my presence so much!)

Well I've just been informed that my steam bath with special Thai therapeutic herbs is ready... again! :)

Man I love this place... :)
Robert

Subject: new Thailand photos to flickr
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 08:15:39 -0700

I uploaded some new photos to flickr...

Some photos from class with Pichest, the road side "cafe" where we eat when Pichest's wife doesn't cook (and sometimes even when she does - just to get Thai iced tea, aka: "cha-yen") and a cool picture of David - a doctor who visited one day.

The other set of photos is from Baan Hom Samunphrai. You'll notice the young monk - Homprang's nephew - he's only 11 years old and just recently became a monk when he finally convinced his father - who would not take his desire seriously - that he was sincere. This is a huge, huge change for the family but also a great honor. The big lizard is the gecko I talked about... didn't hear nine calls though. ;(

I feel really solid about the five days of classes with Homprang - I learned all the material she set out to teach.

All this week is class with Pichest - it's very challenging so I may continue with another five days next week, too. I'm going to wait and see how things feel by the weekend...

smiles...
R

Subject: Personal work from Pichest
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2008 06:28:53 -0700

Pichest is absolutely incredible. He worked on me yesterday and then again today. He knows I can take strong, deep work, and the work he did on my legs went right into correcting my back and pushed so much energy through my body and into my abdomen that I had a huge emotional release - which was a little embarrassing so I just covered my eyes and let the energy run - my breath was breathing me and my whole body was surging with energy - it was absolutely incredible, not only that he could work in this way, but that he does it so effortlessly - but with SO MUCH POWER!

It was quick - he doesn't take long to work his magic because he knows and reads the body SO WELL - so he just jumps in on the problem area and works progressively, deeper and deeper and he just laughs while he's doing it! because he knows how effective it is, how powerful it is, and how easy it is for him to do it.

Later, when I had settled down, he walked up behind me sitting on the floor and squeezed at my back with his legs laughing in a way to say, hey - it's okay. He keeps telling me to feel, feel, open up - and he motions to his heart, the chest area - feel, feel. So he knows he's opening up my emotional blocks, and my physical blocks, which is going to allow me to work deeper, easier, and better.

He's really a jokester at times - and what's really funny is even with his broken English, he conveys the information and he does it with such humor, always laughing, always trying to get you to smile, to get you out of your head and confusion - "feel, how feel? Feel or no feel? You don't know! ha ha!"

I love the guy! I'm going to see him again next week for another four days while I'm staying at Baan Hom and working with Homprang's brother and sister in law. It's becoming clear that I'm going to have to come back and study with him again soon after I get a chance to work a little bit more on my own at home - definitely within the year.

Subject: minor update
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:41:27 -0700

Gabriel and Bibianna left early yesterday, so I won't see them again until we're all back in Arizona. :(

Yesterday was my first day off in 12 days and even Pichest told me not to work this weekend. So I finally had a chance to discover that the TV in my room doesn't work! :) I did a lot of reading and not much else. It was good to finally relax.

Today I made my way to Baan Hom Samunphrai from Chiang Mai's old city on my motor scooter with my luggage in tow. I guess it was kind of a sight, because I made a lot of the Thai people laugh as I slowly drove by. :) I took a picture of the set up, but the computers here are too old to use my USB connection, so I can't upload any images right now.

I will be staying at Baan Hom for the duration of my visit in BAAN JUNG KAEW, "The Rice Barn House" - the same accommodations I had when I stayed here two weeks ago. Lucky me! :) Free room and board, compliments of Homprang and Christopher, who are actually in the States for three weeks. Very gracious of them, indeed! :)

Tomorrow, I begin another five days of study with Pichest. Class is from 9am to 4pm with an hour break for lunch. After class, if I have any energy, I will also have the opportunity to practice with Bang and Vichien here at Baan Hom - but I will definitely practice with them next weekend before I finally leave here on the 22nd to come home.

I look forward to practicing yoga this afternoon. I haven't practiced since last Monday. I was simply pushing myself too hard in the Ashtanga sequence and caused a lot of inflammation in my body. As it turns out, I need to scale back my approach and focus on the basics: breath and bandas (locks) and only go as far in the sequence as my body will allow without pushing past my edge.

Hope you all are having a nice weekend! :)
Robert

Subject: RE: minor update
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:04:58 -0700

Thai massage isn't just for foreigners to have fun with - it's folk medicine around here and has a tradition that goes back to the time of the Buddha and his attending physician, Shivago (Jivaka), the Father Doctor of Traditional Buddhist Medicine. So, for thousands of years this art of medicine has been perfected again and again, making this the most powerful form of bodywork on the planet! I am truly honored to be learning this style - especially from someone as talented and gifted as Pichest. This man can read someone's body the way you read an open book in daylight. Because his assessment of your "body" condition is so accurate, the sequence of his protocol (what he works on, where he works, and how he delivers the treatment) is not only powerful in the results delivered, but because he is so proficient with the techniques, he does it all effortlessly. It's absolutely incredible to watch him work with such effortless power, let alone receive a treatment from him. He's worked on my legs and lower back three times now and it's been transformational.

I'm hoping that in next week's class, we'll have some students that have studied with Pichest already - this always gets Pichest a little more energized around teaching. In last week's class, we had a lot of older students and Pichest was so on all week. In fact, one day, when we broke for lunch, he followed us outside and kept on teaching (talking) even while we were eating! It was great - I have a lot of affection for the guy.

Subject: RE: minor update
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:05:20 -0700

Class today went by fast and I got to work with a guy who's been studying with Pichest regularly for the last two years - he's actually going to help teach tomorrow. I am working so hard to get this work the way it needs to be done - the way Pichest does it, the way I want to do it - I guess I'll get as far with it as I do and then I just practice at home. I suppose I won't be able to terminate all other massage work and only offer Thai massage, but I will certainly promote it the most, and see what happens. Hopefully, I can feel comfortable doing this work and get some good clients who help me hone my technique - then as soon as I can, I'm coming back here! :)

btw - I love Thailand! After class, I went to one of the many markets that just pop up from nowhere - crowded with people like at our flea markets but instead it's people buying and selling everything and anything you CAN"T even imagine. Live food, dead food, raw food, cooked food, sweets, treats, animals from the sea, the lakes, the land, fried food, boiled food, grilled food, eggs, vegetables and fruits you didn't even know existed - and they just grow around here naturally - toys, accessories, EVERYTHING you could want! It's quite an experience - by sundown, everything and everyone is gone without a trace!

There isn't much of a corporate culture here and the Thai people have a very long history and a very strong cultural identity. So everyone is their own entrepreneur - like every business is a family business - literally with all the family and the kids around. It's like the people are more grounded, connected to each other and to the Earth - more natural, without the effect of corporate marketing frying their brains!

Subject: I'm home sick...
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:33:18 -0700

I'm home sick - really ready to come home. After four weeks, I'm actually a little burned out on Thai massage - although I am still immensely enjoying the people here. It's kind of fun with the language barrier because you have to rely on other cues - it goes more by feeling - and it can be a lot of fun when you make the connection and words just don't mean anything. So there's no blah, blah, bullshit - just the interaction feels good or it doesn't.

I love this place - I love the people... and Pichest - the guy really is a guru. I'm going to his class again on Monday - and this will be my last day - then I COME HOME ON TUES! :) But just to hang out with Pichest - I'm not interested in giving a treatment or in receiving one - except from Pichest - because I'm a little burned out - a little scrambled with all this newness and all this information. But Pichest teaches a very important spiritual message - and he teaches not from his head or from books, but from his heart - and it's an important message because he sees really deep into people - or he feels really deep into people. I said to one of the girls in class, that Pichest can really read a body. And she said he does more than that - he looks into your Soul. Maybe she's right.

There are these Thai markets that just pop up out of nowhere - kind of like a flea market in the States - and Thai people are selling everything - I mean everything - like you've never seen before - animal parts just laying out on a table - and it's fine because it's fresh and the people buy it to cook that night. Exotic fruits that you don't even know exist - and they just grow wild over here in people's yards - so they pick this fruit and bring it to the market. It's really cool to see all the stuff for sale. The other day, I bought these quail eggs that are cooked right in front of you in these little trays, twenty at a time. For 10 bhat (about 30 cents) I bought a little baggie - (everything comes in a little plastic bag - terrible!) - of about 10 of them and she put fish sauce on it. I'll tell you all about fish sauce when I get home - make sure to remind me because you won't believe how it's made and what it's made from. Anyway, these little eggs were tasty!

Sorry if I'm rambling a bit - it's been a lot of work over here for me and since I have just ended another five days of class - again - I'm sitting here drinking a beer and feeling the effects on an empty stomach!

Subject: Home soon...
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:02:30 -0700

We had a light rain all throughout last night. It was so peaceful as it fell lightly on the thin clay roof top, not far from my head. And the air had cooled quite nicely by this morning. I enjoyed my quiet breakfast, as usual, on the porch overlooking the pond. Lately, Bang has been preparing a hot breakfast for me of rice porridge with an egg, onions, mushrooms, and spices mixed together. Always a nice added touch to the hot green tea and fresh fruit. :)

This week was the end of another five days of study with Pichest. For those of you keeping track, I have spent two days at Loi Kroh, six days at Baan Hom, and thirteen days with Pichest. I will attend one more class with Pichest on Monday before I start to head home on Tues.

Pichest is quite a character; a mix between a peaceful and humorous Buddhist monk who preaches 'not to worry', and an eccentric Thai massage teacher that has so mastered his craft, that we students feel lucky just to be in his presence, in the hopes that we might even begin to scratch the surface of what Pichest is capable of doing with another human body.

Pichest's classes always begin with a lecture, usually informed by Buddhist philosophy, sometimes about life, sometimes about Thai massage, but always delivered with a big smile and humor. Then we chant Buddhist scripture in the Pali language, the most important of which is a prayer to Dr. Shivago, who introduced this form of bodywork to the 'Thai people' during the introduction of Buddhism over 2500 years ago. This bodywork was taught to monks in the temples and it spread throughout the land, along with the teachings of Buddha, from there. 98% of the Thai people today are Buddhists.

After our morning prayers, we usually have a little more discussion regarding Thai massage principles. Then Pichest launches into performing a demonstration of the day's work on one of the students, until it's time for lunch. After lunch, the students pair up and either attempt to practice what they saw in the morning, or fall back on practicing more familiar techniques.

After fours weeks of classes, and receiving some pretty awkward work from students, my legs are shot! I don't think I can take another Thai treatment. This morning, I found the perfect remedy. The German Baker, York, from whom I bought my breakfast bread, highly recommended that I pay a visit to Khun Wanida, an incredibly talented Thai massage practitioner. (As soon as I can get to a good computer, I'll upload some great photos to flickr.)

Khun Wanida, or Pim, also runs a school and has many employees so York emphasized that I must specifically ask for Pim. When I arrived for my treatment this morning, instead of doing the traditional Thai massage with stretching, compression, and acupressure, (which I just can't take anymore!,) we made use of another treatment offered here called Sabai, or Thai hot herbal compress. (See attached photo.)

The herbal compresses are kept hot in rotation, and are rhythmically and systematically compressed all along, and across the body. Sabai was exactly what the doctor ordered for my worn out, achy muscles! This treatment was especially comforting in the cool morning air. Pim's treatment lasted two hours and 45 minutes and she only asked for 300 bhat, which works out to about $9. I gave her 400 bhat.

After a tour of the grounds and her garden, we got to talking about the massage work I do in Arizona. (Pim speaks fairly good English.) So I offered to work on the problem areas in her upper back, neck, and shoulders in the style of the West using one of her tables. I did my usual routine (with Myopractics thrown in on the neck at the end) and she had three of her students watch this style with oil so that they might also learn something new. They were all very interested - it was fun and it felt kind of cutting edge - East meets West. :)

After I left, I stopped at a nice roadside "cafe" and had a delicious rice noodle soup with 'moo', aka beef, and a chai-yen for 25 bhat, (about 75 cents.) As much as I love Thailand, I'm really looking forward to coming home... and practicing Thai massage on all of you! :)

See you all soon!
:)

Subject: RE: Home soon...
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:24:05 -0700

...it's really nice to have time to be able to feel like a person once again, instead of racing around trying to keep up with an insane life. Things are going to be different when I get back to Phoenix - I'm looking forward to settling into a more connected life - in tune with with this inner peace, no more ego grasping... in the words of Pichest, "I want, I want - no ego!, mai?"

:)

Subject: A long day of travel...
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:19:59 -0700

I fly out of Chiang Mai today at 2:40pm, and then my flight leaves Bangkok at 7:20pm.
Interestingly enough, I will arrive in LA two hours later at 9:25pm.
However, this leg of the flight will take 16 to 17 hours.

I'll check in again when I arrive at Matt's in LA...

bon voyage!
:)

Subject: Back home!
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:57:54 -0700

Arrived home today safe and sound - and happy to be back! A BIG THANKS to Maria and Monica for taking turns taking care of my cats and my house while I was away... and only one plant died!

Hope to see you all on the Thai mat...

much love and many blessings!
Robert