April 16th-Phuket, Thailand

 Having left Thailand in Bangkok and now returned, I must say there is a pervasive feeling, again, of the Buddha's serenity somehow integrated in the everyday bustle. There is an innate beauty in the natural dis-arrangement of life here....that "Sawadee Ka" graciousness. Even the elephants can give gentle massages to a trusting mom....

And they can graciously accept

defeat (2-0) from a goal-tending Dad....

Phuket is an island off the Malay Peninsula, dotted with irridescent beaches and home to the cashew industry of Thailand. My cashew education was sadly neglected, as I never knew that one cashew fruit produces only one one cashew nut...it is a painstaking process to pick, extract, clean and roast each cashew...hence, the cost!


A single cashew fruit