I'm back from Thailand now, still shaking an illness that made it hard to speak, let alone write. I somehow have developed the worse case of smoker's cough without smoking. Meh. It was worth it. I wouldn't trade any of it for the amazing experience of Thailand. As I recalibrate and get back to the business of blogging, I wanted my first post to focus on a topic I kept thinking about while I was there: Climate change.

Prior to the trip, I was worried about the flooding but the waters started to recede in early December. In the outskirts of Bangkok, it was still easy to spot the high water mark. In the original capitol city, Ayutthaya, full of ruins, some water remained. Only three months ago, this is what the stone buddha in Ayutthaya looked like:

After some digging, I was surprised by some of the actions Thailand had taken on climate change when flooding was at its peak – but when I thought back to my time there, it made sense.  Climate adaption plans usually invoke big ideas, like sea walls and drought-resistant crops. Their response showed how inventive you can be. There are swimming vests for cats and dogs that depend on water bottles to float, flood bicycles that ride above the water, and boats made entirely of water bottles.

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