It's been nearly a month since I've been travelling.
I'm actually finding it quite difficult to put my thoughts and feelings into words lately. There is so much here that is so jaw-droppingly beautiful and I am constantly awestruck by everything around me that I can't even muster up the wherewithal to take a photo, not wanting to trivialize the moment by trying to capture it in a still shot that just won't do it justice.
At the same time, I can't even begin to name or talk about all the wonderful people I have met who will never know how much they have changed me just in brief moments, with thier wonderful smiles, and extreme warmth and kindness that is genuine and heartfelt and their complete love of life.
I can't do justice, with my own words, to the amount of life I have seen. The fish, birds, insects, lizards, monkeys, elephants - most of which I haven't a clue what their english name is. I can't describe the sweet smell of the flowers that are so incredibly abundant and so freely shared. Nor can I articulate the warmth and safety you begin to feel when you smell the incense from the temples and know that you are in a powerfully peaceful and kind environment.
I can't describe the almost transcendent effect of the sunsets, the peace of the mountains, or the mystery of the sea.
I could try, but I know I would fail to communicate the feeling I felt inside when I met two elephants (a mother and a baby) walking down the road as I was riding past on the bicycle and how we both stopped to say hello and check each other out.
I think I can articulate one thing though.
One day, as I was walking around one of the temples, I saw one of many signs that the monks had erected which said, 'Live to learn to live'. And in that moment, something very profound hit me, as it easily does with the sheer simplicity of most Buddhist teachings.
It really can be that easy for me, for all of us;
That we simply live each day and live it as a lesson.

Buddha taught his disciples:
When you see, just see.
When you hear, just hear.
When you smell, just smell.
When you touch, just touch.
When you know, just know.