This past weekend, I worked Mystic Valley Thailand, in Khao Yai National Park. I was blessed enough to talk to two of my favorite artists (Nakadia and Alle Farben) who performed, and take many pictures of many beautiful people and moments (below). <3<3
Favorite artists:
Nakadia (Thailand). Nakadia is one of Thailand’s most loved underground techno DJs. Even just watching her performance, her charisma and personality sparks laughter and smiles in the crowd from her pure light and energy. She grew up with little resources, and is self-made in every light possible, making her success all the more inspiring and beautiful. After working on her skills in Braunschweig, Germany, in the summer of 2003, she decided to move from rural Isaan in northern Thailand, and she started to DJ and play for European tourists in Koh Samui. She then started touring internationally as she gained fans, and since has been one of the first female DJs from Thailand to gain global recognition.
Br33zzyy Question: What is your favorite part of making music?
Nakadia Answer: To bring people together, to be able to represent my country and bring people a taste of Thailand that they normally don’t get, especially in the Western world, is amazing. I love music’s ability to do that- I bring all my friends onstage, and to be able to have friends from all over the world is awesome. If you have a passion, a drive, a desire to do well- you will always be successful. Every moment of your life will feel precious, and you will infect those around you with happiness- that is what living is all about.
Alle Farben (Germany).
Br33zzyy Question: Have you been to Thailand before? How does performing here compare to other places where you have played?
Alle Answer: Yes, I have been to Thailand before, but never to Khao Yai, and I feel blessed. I just played at Koh Phagnan, and it’s a magical place. All of Thailand is. Soon I will be touring in the US- I start out in LA. I’m excited to see California. This is one of the smaller festivals I’ve worked, but that’s nice because when they get too big it’s overwhelming and the vibes can get off-center. You can connect with the crowd and see individuals and their beauty a little bit more easily. Thailand has a vibe different than many other places- the locals are some of the most hospitable people I’ve ever met, and there’s an eclectic expat community that attracts a lot of free spirits (besides all the old dudes trying to get girls). I definitely want to come back to Thailand soon.
A Memorial Paying Tribute to Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Pai
After living in Salaya (the suburbs that stretch west of Bangkok near Mahidol University) for quite some time, nature has been a pretty foreign concept. On our travels, my roommate and I heard of a remote destination called Cave Lod with caving, hiking, and village tours. It is close to a small tourist yuppie town called Pai, a few hours from Chiang Mai of Northern Thailand. After a ten hour ride from Bangkok to Chiangmai and three hour bus ride from to Chiang Mai to Pai, we stayed in Pai for a night. Vegan cafes, long motorbike roads, waterfalls, and lots of through-hikers made up the cute place.
Our Airbnb in Pai, owned by Milk who also runs a jewelry shop and makes homemade soap!
Our Airbnb in Pai was serene; run by sisters who also have a jewelry shop and showed us around the marketplace. I rented a motorbike for only one hundred baht (only about $3!) and took myself on a tour of the rolling hills.
A Pai motorbike adventure
Not only were the views spectacular, but I made some friends on the way. The rolling hills reminded me so much of Munnar and Kumily in Kerala, India, complete with rice and banana plantations, as well as temples nestled in the mountains.
Kisses from some friends
After enjoying some serenity and meeting people who had been living near me in California this past spring (funny coincidence), the next day we continued our van journey. We finally arrived at our destination after an hour ride from Pai to Sappong, and thirty minute motor bike ride to Cave Lod.
One of the many farmer huts in the countryside near Cave Lod
It is still the slow season; more tourists will come in the next few months, but it is also quiet because of the King’s recent death, putting all of Thailand in a period of mourning and decreasing the amount of tourists wanting to come here because of restrictions on partying and such. Thus, it was tranquil at Cave Lod, making our stay nice and relaxing, once again meeting lots of travellers from all over the world. Most of them planned to travel to Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam next.
Monks strolling by the river
We decided to take one of the day cave and adventure hiking tours for our full day at Cave Lod, and ended up trekking, crawling in about a foot of space in between the cave wall and water, seeing cave formations that looked like they were from another planet, and immersing ourselves in largely untouched nature.
An entrance to one of the caves
Two of the caves were dry, while one had a waterfall that dropped forty kilometers!
\A rock formation resembling coral
In between the caves, we hiked and made friends with our guide, Tan.
Tan leading the way
I wish that I had travelled here sooner! I felt great peace and prosperity here, and it made me grateful for the chance to experience such a beautiful place. Between beaches, the mountains, and a thriving city life, Thailand has such immense diversity and abundance to offer that is rare to find in just one country!
One of the coolest festivals I have worked because of the wide variety of people and art present, as well as the huge stage and set work built by the amazing Do Lab! Although I enjoy Woogie Weekend more because of its smaller size, LIB was nothing short of entrancing. Below I have combined photos that I took at LIB and snippets from the Hinduism teachings I experienced in my semester abroad in India for a lovely read:)
TimeisFake, LIB, Bradley, CA
“Moksha” is the liberation, cycle of rebirth recycled physically and spiritually, liberation in this life and after life/death, have to fulfill dharma in this life to have a good one next time, freedom from bondage, you are one and the same with the world, vice versa, used in Hinduism. LIB represents the freedom to express yourself in any way you want for a few ways, making you a better person than you were prior to attending. Grateful. I wish that I had had more time to take more pictures when off work, but this will suffice. Until next time:)
PretzelMan, LIB, Bradley, CA
Anu means “the love between us”
TheWasteland, LIB, Bradley, CA
We have too long looked to people of the past; we must now move forward with our own ideas as we face a new world every second of everyday.
Woogie, LIB, Bradley, CA
“Each and every day I am, too, learning”
Taco, LIB, Bradley, CA
Knowledge and education are more important than wealth will ever be.
WhatisLove, LIB, Bradley, CA
Story: a teacher (guru) told his students to bring back a plant that has no medicinal purpose. Many came to him, but finally one student returned with no plant, saying, ” I couldn’t find a single plant with no medicinal properties”. He was right.
sunrise trailer, LIB, Bradley, CA
All knowledge is simply a drop in a larger ocean, finding the good in every person leads to helping change their minds
wetrippy, LIB, Bradley, CA
our human lifespan is very small, making us unreal from the real we experience (they are both connected) . After death there is nothing, but the memories are unreal. from the unreal, we are led to the real
warrior, LIB, Bradley, CA
Everything has an opposite reaction, and by managing our mind we are able to create our reality and our connection between what is real and unreal
vinewalk, LIB, Bradley, CA
lifestyle disorder- the way we live our lives determines our health
sunrise pano, LIB, Bradley, CA
“There is no meditation without wisdom and vice versa, one with both can attain peace and happiness easily”
sunrise heart, LIB, Bradley, CA
A constant balance between being and becoming
starz, LIB, Bradley, CA
A meditator will have empathy, kindness, bring harmony, are selfish because they are so fond of themselves and know that negativity will only hurt them, selfish to make themselves happy, therefore making others happy and knowing how to get into other people’s minds to make them happy
stage, LIB, Bradley, CA
When you love yourself, you are like the ocean- accepting anyone and everything, vast and infinite all the time, practice is essential
soulman, LIB, Bradley, CA
“the mind can be a cruel master and a faithful servant”
sleepysunrise, LIB, Bradley, CA
Human life is a struggle to exist and understand the consciousness; the human personality is a staircase, with the lower rungs of ego known and open and the higher areas not yet explored (ability to become invisible- highest state of consciousness)
shrooms, LIB, Bradley, CA
disassociation of awareness: obstructions in the mind which prevent the free flow of awareness, conflict between desire and need, true freedom lies in detachment from desires and memories
sellasell, LIB, Bradley, CA
yoga is the journey of the self, to the self, through the self (action/selfless service karma, devotion khati, mind control raja, knowledge jnara)
r00f, LA, CA
samadhi- the super consciousness of experience, sublime, the goal of existence
praise, LIB, Bradley, CA
they who attain freedom are free of delusion
noodle, LIB, Bradley, CA
In the act of creation, the mind becomes one in the subject and object with no separation between them, unity between the soul and mind which produces true art
mollay, LIB, Bradley, CA
Today’s action determines tomorrow- if you want to change tomorrow, then you must change your mode of actions TODAY
h00pa, LIB, Bradley, CA
10 sins: killing, theft, gossip/prostitution, irritability, lie, no irritating anyone, craving/greed, not helping others when you can, acknowledging the beauty in fellow animals/humans
godiisa, LIB, Bradley, CA
evolution- 5 sense organs, 5 motor organs, 5 subtle elements, 5 gross elements
feelnow, LIB, Bradley, CA
chittavirtti- modification of the mind
euphoria, LIB, Bradley, CA
Must remove memories to reach a higher state, limitations: ignorance, ego, thirst for possessions
divinity, LIB, Bradley, CA
cosmic order- when we do bad things (such as kill), we throw that off of balance
