An Update with Pictures of Adventures - January 2014

Some Exciting Changes for Stone in Shoe on the Way

These steps (300 of them) lead to a temple at the top
of Doi Suthep, a mountain next to Chiang Mai.

As most probably know, the main project I am working on here in Thailand is starting an art business called Stone in Shoe with the goal of raising awareness about modern slavery, while also raising money by donating all of the profits to anti-trafficking organizations.

I've been working on this with Alex and Jess Sartore (check out their blog) for the last 2 months or so, although we took a few weeks a little slower during the holidays. That time over the holidays gave us a chance to look at where we were, and make some exciting changes.

While I can't divulge all of the ideas, one thing we are working on is revamping the website to make it easier to navigate, easier for us to use, and just a better experience overall. You can go visit and enter your email to be the first to know when we relaunch!

Other News

Although I took a few weeks a little easy during the holidays, things have picked up again and life just seems to stay busy in Chiang Mai. There are always things to do, whether working on things, or enjoying adventures around the city.

I got myself a new camera for a late Christmas present, to replace my 6 year old camera. Its nothing fancy but gets the job done and is fun to play with, so here are some shots from adventures around Chiang Mai.

This first picture is of a quarry in Chiang Mai that offers a great place to relax, and have a little fun. There are a couple of places to do cliff jumping from, and the water isn't as cold as one would expect for January.

The Quarry

The photo below is from the temple at the top of Doi Suthep, a mountain that overlooks Chiang Mai. It was very beautiful, and there was a lot of gold colored things.

Doi Suthep Temple

Before entering the temple area, you must remove your shoes. The young boy in the photo was kind enough to organize all the shoes.

Shoes outside the temple

There are many markets in Chiang Mai, and this is just one small market that goes on every night. One of the bigger ones is the Sunday night market, where they close down a whole street for almost a mile of street vendors and other shops.

Night Market

A shot of the crew here working with Stop Slavery and Stone in Shoe at a great little coffee shop. Beats Starbucks by a mile, and then some. From left to right, Vince, Jess and Alex.

The group

I find the rice fields very peaceful and relaxing, and they are everywhere on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. You can see Doi Suthep in the background.

Rice Field

Thanks for taking the time to read or at least look at the pictures, let me know what you're thinking!

I am excited for the coming months as progress is made on several projects with Stop Slavery, and I appreciate your continued prayers. I also want to thank everyone who is helping support me over here, you guys are great. Thailand is a huge learning experience, and it isn't even close to over yet.

If you have questions about what I'm doing, or about Thailand, leave a comment!

I'll leave you with this quote from Benjamin Franklin that has really resonated with me this week:

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”