Sunsets

It’s not often that I get to spend time watching sunsets at the ocean in Thailand. Often I see the sun set on my evening walks where the sun is bright red and setting slowly over acres of rice fields or rubber tree plantations. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it makes those oceanside sunsets that much more stunning.

The first two photos are from when I was camping on the ocean side with a friend. We camped at a National Park in Phang Nga. At the same location where the tsunami hit in 2004. It’s hard to imagine the devastation that was once there as the place is now quiet and peaceful. It was a new experience for me, camping on the ocean, both fun and a little scary. We were the only campers and there were often fishermen who would climb up and down the hill behind our tent to access the ocean at odd hours of the morning and evening.

The other two photos are from the beach near where I participated in a Brighter Thailand Foundation Camp. The memories from there are complex, comforting and full of emotion. I spent six days at the camp with youth ranging from 5th to 7th grade, Thai ambassadors (College aged students) and Global Ambassadors (Peace Corps Volunteers). It was a challenging, but rewarding week. The last night of camp, the Peace Corps Volunteers took a swim in the ocean and were amazed by the lights from the boats in the horizon and the clarity of the stars above us. We nicknamed it the Rayong lights.

I think that the ocean can be a symbol of my relationship with Peace Corps Thailand. With Peace Corps. With Thailand. The tide comes in and out, the water is still, the waves are huge. Nothing remains the same except for the fact that the ocean is ever changing–Just like my Peace Corps experience.

Khao Lak-Lamru National Park, Phang Nga อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาหลัก-ลำรู่

Khao Lak-Lamru National Park, Phang Nga อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาหลัก-ลำรู่

Laem Son, Klaeng, Rayong Province หาดแหลมสน อ.แกลง จ.ระยอง

Laem Son Beach, Klaeng, Rayong Province หาดแหลมสน อ.แกลง จ.ระยอง