Letters From Asia (Spring Street and Friday Harbor High School students journey to Southeast Asia)

The following are e-mails from Spring Street Director Peg Hope and the high school students who are in Thailand.

Cambodia is certainly something “quite other" than anything ever experienced before — just getting here was an undertaking and a half — at least 14 hours on the road, the last five on something barely qualifying as a road, from the border into Siem Reap, the town near Angor Wat - they call it "the dancing road," because of how one bump bump bumps along — paved in only a few sections, washed out once a year in the rainy season. Peg Hope, director, Spring Street School.

Colin Blevins: Ahhh... Back through the casual insanity that is anything but threatening. Lous noises, quiet people, beautiful scenery, and hot weather. In no way is it superior to home nor home superior to it, but it's here and so am I. I just hope we enjoy each other. I love and miss you all.

Jacob Dubail: (first reflection about Angor Wat) As the sun begins to set over the walls of this ancient palace I find myself in a state of calmness.

Yet the thought of what my nation did to this region and more specifically Cambodia, makes me sick to my stomach. The youngest nation in the world that holds NO ancient wisdom should not be the most influential. It is like having a newborn running a family, and we have all seen the outcome. The three phrases, "The sun never sets on the British Empire," "Manifest destiny," and "Walk softly and carry a big stick," pretty much sum up my resentment of my ancestry. Why so arrogant, why so greedy, why so ignorant?

Hailey Elliot (while looking at the ferry in Bangkok that carries people to the various temples at the Royal Palace):

Yellow flowers spiral down the white currents mingling with trash, weeds and coconut in the green/brown river.

They are sent as offerings by the hands of those that bathe in these murky waters - and in a way those flowers cleanse the river, so that it seems cleaner than the water in my bottle, and much cleaner than myself.

Becca Hope: ("Kap kun ka" means "thank you" in Thai):

Kap kun ka, Thailand

Thank you for experience, for enrichment and gratitude.

For a life less traveled, and more enjoyed.

For a life more traveled leads to your path.

A melting pot of times, and places, ideals and ideas, condensing towards future.

Towards the path less traveled.

It cools to form enlightenment, and enrichment, enjoyment.

A piece of me lies dormant here, and I've encountered it again.

My love is renewed

for a life less traveled

for all these things

Kap kun ka, Thailand.

Where they are, where they’re going

Feb 13 - Arrive in Vientienne, probably worth one night's stay, but not likely more as we are all anxious to get to Luang Prabang

Feb 14-28 (for high schoolers) - based in Luang Prabang, with plenty of side trips, and a hill tribes trek of maybe four to six days. Plenty of opportunity to explore, discover - and in what sounds like a pretty incredible place; lots of history, lots of temples and monks, lots of friendly and as-yet-unjaded people.

Feb 28 - The highschoolers, with Cady Chapman now on board, will go to Chaing Mai and evirons for about a week.

March 10 (approximately) - on to Phuket, with the college group catching up to them around March12 or 13.

Mar 16 - time to take the night train back to Bangkok, so as to be ready for that 1:15 a.m. departure on the 18.

—Peg Hope

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