WARNING...this may get a little graphic, so if you are squeamish...DO NOT READ
So I experienced my first episode of "Thaiahhreah" last night. We went out to dinner and all of a sudden I got a rumbly feeling inside. I was about a mile form the apartment so I start running, barealy made it to the bathroom and, well, you can guess what happened. I won't go into detail, mostly because I never want to talk about what happened in that bathroom ever again. You just can't come back from that. Anyway, I knew it was inevitable...but it came with a vengance.
New word on placement:
There are 3 spots available in a primary school in Hua Hin ( a resort town 2 hours south of Bangkok on the west end of the gulf....near the beach). I immediately called the boss and said I want it...so I will hear soon if I get it. If not, I will have the online placement in Ban Phe...so either way, I will have a job soon and be near the ocean. Hopefully I get Hua Hin!!! Until then, I am going to either head to Bangkok to visit one of the girls from the program who is placed there...or I may take a solo trip down to the Phi Phi islands, depending on how much vacation time I have left!
Love and Miss you all!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Koh Chang
Hey Everyone!
My first week of vacation was great! A group of us left for Koh Chang on Sunday. Koh Chang literally translates into “Elephant Island“ in Thai and is the second largest island in Thailand. We rented a minibus to take us to Trat, the port town, which took about 4 hours. Then we hopped on a hour long ferry which brought us to the northernmost point of the Island. The island is gigantic, mountainous, and covered in green jungle. The roads are all very curved with sharp turns and all hills. A lot of people rent motorbikes, which is extremely dangerous, so we took a Songthaew (the pickup trucks with benches in the back).
We first went down the northwest coast of the island, and stopped in White Sand Beach, where we rented bungalows. It was pretty late so we just went to bed, after eating delicious street food. My favorite is a guy who made crepes filled with fruit…YUM! Half the group decided to get scuba certified, so they did a 4 day course, while the rest of us decided to explore the island.
The next day, Scott, Sarah, Matt and I decided to do a jungle trek on Elephants. We went to the middle of the island, and found an elephant encampment. Scott and I rode together through the jungle. The elephant went up mountains, and through rivers. It was absolutely incredible. It was a little bit painful on the behind, but a really good way to see the inside of the jungle. I was enjoying it very much until a GIANT jungle spider dropped on me. I of course screamed bloody murder, but made it out alive (of which I cannot say the same for the spider). After the trek we fed the elephants fruit and bamboo, which was so fun! That night we had dinner on the beach, and watched a fire show, with Thai fire dancers.
The next day, we decided to head further down the west coast to Lonely beach…the operative word being “lonely”. This beach was deserted, but we decided to stay there anyway in a hut on Bai Lan bay. It was very quiet and peaceful. They boys hiked to a waterfall, while Sarah and I explored Bai Lan. I got a “foot scrub”, which basically was a pedicure on steroids. Seriously they basically took some kind of tool resembling a potato peeler, and slathered some kind of chemical on my feet which resulted in the removal of about 10 years of calluses. My feet were pretty much jacked up from running the marathon in June, and now they are smooth as a baby’s bottom! They probably don’t do these in America for a reason, but by golly I highly recommend it to anyone!
The next day, we headed down to Bang Bao, the southernmost tip of the island to meet up with a couple people from our group who had finished the scuba course. Bang Bao officially has the most beautiful beach I have seen in Thailand yet. We pretty much swam all day, and laid under a palm tree. That evening we went into the town, which was a pier and then a bunch of restaurants and shops in stilts floating over the water. We had a nice dinner, and then decided to hop a taxi to a bar we had heard of called “the tree house”. We go to the tree house, which was basically a giant tree house in the middle of the jungle. It was a little bit rickety, with boards breaking at every turn. It was very hidden, and I am sure if I tried to find it ever again, I wouldn‘t be able to. All of a sudden you walk down this long path and come upon the giant tree house filled with hundreds of people having a huge party. We had a blast, and somehow made it back to Bang Bao alive.
We woke up the next morning, and 4 of us decided to go back to Ban Phe. As amazing as Koh Chang had been, we were a little worn down from sleeping for 4 nights on what essentially was a wooden plank covered in a sheet under a mosquito net. We were also showering in a pipe made out of bamboo with freezing cold water trickling out. Some of us also mysteriously smelled of pee (most likely from the aforementioned plank bed). Needless to say we decided it was time to leave, as we had seen more than half of the island.
We hopped on a songthaew to take us back to the pier in the north. As I mentioned before the roads are pretty treacherous, and if you know me, I am “sally seasick“. I actually made it to the pier without vomiting, but cannot say the same for Matt and Scott, who both got off the Songhthaew and immediately puked. We jump on the ferry, and everything was fine, until the ferry stopped, and started kicking up sand. The ferry had beached itself, and we took an extra 30 minutes to arrive in Trat. At this point it had started to monsoon. We realized quickly that we had missed the last bus back to Ban Phe so we tried to get a taxi to drive us the 3 hours. We finally found a man who would take us, in the rain, in a Songthaew. We get in and it is pouring rain. We are all soaking wet, our backpacks are soaking wet, we smell less than great, and are driving through flooded streets. We look up meet each other’s eyes, and start dying with laughter at the whole situation. Hour later, we FINALLY arrived back in Ban Phe at our apartments (after much persuasion of the driver to not leave us in the main city center about 20 miles from our place). It was dark, and still raining, but we made it back…cold, wet and smelly. I took my first hot shower in 5 days, and will be taking my laundry into town immediately to wash out the mysterious pee smell.
Overall, it was a great trip, with great company, on a beautiful island…but I think you can tell I am happy to be home!
Still no placement, and the forecast is not looking good. Some of the confirmed placements have fallen through and now about 8 of us still need to be placed. Basically most of the positions left are either online teaching, or in Bangkok…neither of which I really want. I am going to call our boss tomorrow and see what is going on, (and how much more vacation time I have). If I don’t start until the 15th, like I think, then I am going to plan a trip to Angkor Wat, and possibly Vietnam. Hopefully I can see as much of Asia as I can before I succumb to the inevitable teaching!
I miss you all. Take a hot shower and eat some Mexican food for me!! xoxo
My first week of vacation was great! A group of us left for Koh Chang on Sunday. Koh Chang literally translates into “Elephant Island“ in Thai and is the second largest island in Thailand. We rented a minibus to take us to Trat, the port town, which took about 4 hours. Then we hopped on a hour long ferry which brought us to the northernmost point of the Island. The island is gigantic, mountainous, and covered in green jungle. The roads are all very curved with sharp turns and all hills. A lot of people rent motorbikes, which is extremely dangerous, so we took a Songthaew (the pickup trucks with benches in the back).
We first went down the northwest coast of the island, and stopped in White Sand Beach, where we rented bungalows. It was pretty late so we just went to bed, after eating delicious street food. My favorite is a guy who made crepes filled with fruit…YUM! Half the group decided to get scuba certified, so they did a 4 day course, while the rest of us decided to explore the island.
The next day, Scott, Sarah, Matt and I decided to do a jungle trek on Elephants. We went to the middle of the island, and found an elephant encampment. Scott and I rode together through the jungle. The elephant went up mountains, and through rivers. It was absolutely incredible. It was a little bit painful on the behind, but a really good way to see the inside of the jungle. I was enjoying it very much until a GIANT jungle spider dropped on me. I of course screamed bloody murder, but made it out alive (of which I cannot say the same for the spider). After the trek we fed the elephants fruit and bamboo, which was so fun! That night we had dinner on the beach, and watched a fire show, with Thai fire dancers.
The next day, we decided to head further down the west coast to Lonely beach…the operative word being “lonely”. This beach was deserted, but we decided to stay there anyway in a hut on Bai Lan bay. It was very quiet and peaceful. They boys hiked to a waterfall, while Sarah and I explored Bai Lan. I got a “foot scrub”, which basically was a pedicure on steroids. Seriously they basically took some kind of tool resembling a potato peeler, and slathered some kind of chemical on my feet which resulted in the removal of about 10 years of calluses. My feet were pretty much jacked up from running the marathon in June, and now they are smooth as a baby’s bottom! They probably don’t do these in America for a reason, but by golly I highly recommend it to anyone!
The next day, we headed down to Bang Bao, the southernmost tip of the island to meet up with a couple people from our group who had finished the scuba course. Bang Bao officially has the most beautiful beach I have seen in Thailand yet. We pretty much swam all day, and laid under a palm tree. That evening we went into the town, which was a pier and then a bunch of restaurants and shops in stilts floating over the water. We had a nice dinner, and then decided to hop a taxi to a bar we had heard of called “the tree house”. We go to the tree house, which was basically a giant tree house in the middle of the jungle. It was a little bit rickety, with boards breaking at every turn. It was very hidden, and I am sure if I tried to find it ever again, I wouldn‘t be able to. All of a sudden you walk down this long path and come upon the giant tree house filled with hundreds of people having a huge party. We had a blast, and somehow made it back to Bang Bao alive.
We woke up the next morning, and 4 of us decided to go back to Ban Phe. As amazing as Koh Chang had been, we were a little worn down from sleeping for 4 nights on what essentially was a wooden plank covered in a sheet under a mosquito net. We were also showering in a pipe made out of bamboo with freezing cold water trickling out. Some of us also mysteriously smelled of pee (most likely from the aforementioned plank bed). Needless to say we decided it was time to leave, as we had seen more than half of the island.
We hopped on a songthaew to take us back to the pier in the north. As I mentioned before the roads are pretty treacherous, and if you know me, I am “sally seasick“. I actually made it to the pier without vomiting, but cannot say the same for Matt and Scott, who both got off the Songhthaew and immediately puked. We jump on the ferry, and everything was fine, until the ferry stopped, and started kicking up sand. The ferry had beached itself, and we took an extra 30 minutes to arrive in Trat. At this point it had started to monsoon. We realized quickly that we had missed the last bus back to Ban Phe so we tried to get a taxi to drive us the 3 hours. We finally found a man who would take us, in the rain, in a Songthaew. We get in and it is pouring rain. We are all soaking wet, our backpacks are soaking wet, we smell less than great, and are driving through flooded streets. We look up meet each other’s eyes, and start dying with laughter at the whole situation. Hour later, we FINALLY arrived back in Ban Phe at our apartments (after much persuasion of the driver to not leave us in the main city center about 20 miles from our place). It was dark, and still raining, but we made it back…cold, wet and smelly. I took my first hot shower in 5 days, and will be taking my laundry into town immediately to wash out the mysterious pee smell.
Overall, it was a great trip, with great company, on a beautiful island…but I think you can tell I am happy to be home!
Still no placement, and the forecast is not looking good. Some of the confirmed placements have fallen through and now about 8 of us still need to be placed. Basically most of the positions left are either online teaching, or in Bangkok…neither of which I really want. I am going to call our boss tomorrow and see what is going on, (and how much more vacation time I have). If I don’t start until the 15th, like I think, then I am going to plan a trip to Angkor Wat, and possibly Vietnam. Hopefully I can see as much of Asia as I can before I succumb to the inevitable teaching!
I miss you all. Take a hot shower and eat some Mexican food for me!! xoxo
Friday, October 24, 2008
lightning storms, pool parties and placement
Thailand has the most amazing lightning storms. The other night, we sat on the beach for 2 hours staring at the most amazing lightning we have ever seen, with no rain. It is puzzling, yet awesome!
Last night was our graduation dinner/party. We all went to our boss Bruce's house which had a huge swimming pool and dance area. We had amazing food, and danced the night away. We also had karaoke. Highlights include Matt singing "I'm not a girl not yet a woman", and Kamal, our grammar teacher singing us a Nepalese love song complete with dancing. It was so much fun!
This morning a few of us left for their placements. Everyone is placed, except for 3 of us...of which I am included. It kind of sucks, but then I also get a 2 week vacation, when they don't. It was sad to say goodbye because about 6 of us left. There is a prospect for me to teach online in rayong. There are plusses and minuses to this. The plusses: I would be living with my 3 best friends here. We would work in a air conditioned office, I would always have access to the internet, I wouldn't be placed alone, and I could wear whatever I want. The minuses: I would not be getting the cultural experience I want teaching students face to face, and the office is located about 20 minutes from here (granted on the coast). We have a meeting on Wednesday to hear our final placements, so I will either be there or somewhere else.
In the meantime, I am going to Koh Chang (the 2nd largest island in Thailand) from Sunday through Thursday with the rest of the group. I am excited!
I will update as soon as I get my placement! LOVE YOU
OH I also put up new
Koh Samet:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014836&l=f1cab&id=83901952
Teaching Monks:
photos:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014871&l=faa17&id=83901952
ENJOY! More to come
Last night was our graduation dinner/party. We all went to our boss Bruce's house which had a huge swimming pool and dance area. We had amazing food, and danced the night away. We also had karaoke. Highlights include Matt singing "I'm not a girl not yet a woman", and Kamal, our grammar teacher singing us a Nepalese love song complete with dancing. It was so much fun!
This morning a few of us left for their placements. Everyone is placed, except for 3 of us...of which I am included. It kind of sucks, but then I also get a 2 week vacation, when they don't. It was sad to say goodbye because about 6 of us left. There is a prospect for me to teach online in rayong. There are plusses and minuses to this. The plusses: I would be living with my 3 best friends here. We would work in a air conditioned office, I would always have access to the internet, I wouldn't be placed alone, and I could wear whatever I want. The minuses: I would not be getting the cultural experience I want teaching students face to face, and the office is located about 20 minutes from here (granted on the coast). We have a meeting on Wednesday to hear our final placements, so I will either be there or somewhere else.
In the meantime, I am going to Koh Chang (the 2nd largest island in Thailand) from Sunday through Thursday with the rest of the group. I am excited!
I will update as soon as I get my placement! LOVE YOU
OH I also put up new
Koh Samet:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014836&l=f1cab&id=83901952
Teaching Monks:
photos:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014871&l=faa17&id=83901952
ENJOY! More to come
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I am officially finished with my teaching practice! Hooooray! Teaching the monks has been incredible. I think I really have a passion for teaching. It is amazing to see them understand the concept of your lesson, and be able to actually learn the language you are teaching them. Most of them are really good kids, and listen really well. There are a couple rowdy ones (yes rowdy monks…who knew), but as soon as I give them the “teacher eye” they immediately listen to me. It is somewhat difficult at times, as I cannot touch the monks, or hand them anything. Every item I have to first place on the floor, for them to pick up. Also, they do not respond to “shhhhh” as a way to quiet them down. In Thai culture it is more of a tongue click..like “click click click”. That took some getting used to as well. Although through all of this, I find that I am in a very calm and serene mood, even though it has been a hectic week. Although, you would probably be calm and serene if you were spending 7 hours a day at a Buddhist temple too.
This may be my last week in Ban Phe…I am going to miss this place....living right on the beach, eating at Shaam’s, crazy karaoke sessions on the beach, riding in ghetto taxis and motorbikes. Most of all, I am going to miss the people I have taken this course with. I have seen them all turn into teachers over the past three weeks. Since we spend every waking moment together, I also know way too much about them…probably more than any people should…but I wouldn’t trade this part of the experience for anything. A few people have placements, and some are leaving this Saturday. Still no word on my placement, and about 17 other people's placements...so we may be unplaced up until November 5th. Tomorrow we have our "goodbye graduation dinner", and then some of us leave...sad!
I have tried to put up new pictures...but it will not work :(
It is starting to monsoon...I hear the thunder, so I should probably get out of here before my computer gets drenched!
Miss you all!
This may be my last week in Ban Phe…I am going to miss this place....living right on the beach, eating at Shaam’s, crazy karaoke sessions on the beach, riding in ghetto taxis and motorbikes. Most of all, I am going to miss the people I have taken this course with. I have seen them all turn into teachers over the past three weeks. Since we spend every waking moment together, I also know way too much about them…probably more than any people should…but I wouldn’t trade this part of the experience for anything. A few people have placements, and some are leaving this Saturday. Still no word on my placement, and about 17 other people's placements...so we may be unplaced up until November 5th. Tomorrow we have our "goodbye graduation dinner", and then some of us leave...sad!
I have tried to put up new pictures...but it will not work :(
It is starting to monsoon...I hear the thunder, so I should probably get out of here before my computer gets drenched!
Miss you all!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
islands, sea turtles, and murdering fish
Hi again everyone!
I had another amazing weekend in Thailand. Sometimes I have these surreal moments, where I just look around and have to say, “wow”. Scott calls them D.F.D’s (dear f*ckin’ diary). I mean yesterday, I was sailing in a boat off the coast of Thailand, to a tropical island, sitting on the ledge hanging my feet over the side of the boat. And no one was stopping me telling me I might fall in the water…yeah…dear f*cking diary is right.
Friday, we found out we had all passed the grammar and phonology exam to become teachers. This test was incredibly difficult, and the course instructor said that usually at least 2 people don’t pass, but our while group did. So a group of 7 of us, decide to go back over to Koh Samet for a relaxing weekend. We left early Saturday morning and decided to do a tour of the island. We signed up for a 6 hour tour that sailed around the island, included lunch, and let us snorkel, sail, fish, and see sea turtles. This cost us about $12 each, which is just unreal.
The way the tour began, was a little rocky. You know how I said I would never get on a motorcycle in Thailand again? Well I was wrong. The tour started with 2 of us each hopping on a motorbike behind a Thai driver, and offroading through bumpy dirt roads, then weaving in and out of sidewalks and crowded streets. Luckily, Courtney and I rode together, so I didn’t freak out too much, and the ride quickly brought us to the dock where we hopped on our tour boat.
It was a beautiful day, and sailing around Koh Samet was amazing. There were lounge chairs on the roof of the boat to sit and stare at the beauty. We got to see a lot of the uninhabited parts of the island, as well as snorkel with some tropical fish . The boat docked in some little inlets full of more fish that I have ever seen. There were tons of crabs, sea cucumbers and giant brightly colored clams on the bottom.
The fishing however, was a little more interesting. They stop the boat, and hand us each a water bottle with fishing line attached, and a hook with a weight on it. We fished drop line style, and surprisingly caught a lot of fish. The sad part was, once we caught the fish they popped them on a stick and immediately grilled them. I reluctantly tried the ‘fresh fish‘, but luckily they also had the option of pineapple and vegetable shish kabobs, tropical fruit, and fried rice, so I didn‘t feel like such a murderer.
The end of the trip included a visit to the islands fish farm, where we got to feed sharks, sea turtles, baby sea turtles, and all kinds of huge fish. The fish farm just had narrow, thin, planks of wood that you walk alongside the holding areas on. One false move, and you go careening into a pit of giant sharks…a little unnerving. I spent most of my time there staring at the beautiful sea turtles.
When we returned from the trip, we went back to the beach, and all got massages (who could resist…really). We had dinner the restaurant on the beach, where you sit on cushions in the sand. We watched a Thai “fire show” which had fire jugglers who also danced and did acrobatics. It was amazing! Afterwards, we found a place that sells “adult ice cream”, which is pretty much ice cream mixed with 5% booze (ahhh yes someone finally combined my 2 favorite things). I had ‘funky monkey’ which was made from kahlua and crème de banana…SO GOOD.
Later that night, some of us were sleeping in the bungalow we rented, when it started to monsoon. This is the largest and longest monsoon I have seen yet! It was so scary! Half of our group was still at the bar, and all of a sudden the bungalow door bursts open and Matt comes in to tell us that the whole island had flooded, lost power when lightning struck the main power source, and that lightning was still striking everywhere. The whole island was seriously pitch black, and the only time you could see was when lightning struck every 10 seconds…scary. We awoke the next morning to sunshine and fully restored power, which is unbelievable considering the state of things only hours before.
I am back safe in Ban Phe now. It is strange to think this is my last week here with the group. A few of the group members have been placed, (mostly in Bangkok so far), but I haven’t been placed yet, and should find out soon where I will be teaching! I actually start practice teaching the monks by myself this week. I have to teach four - 1 hour lessons all on my own…eek! I hope the monks go easy on me! Wish me luck.
I miss all of you, and love to hear from you, even if I don’t get time to respond to your comments! I will update again as soon as I have something interesting to write about…which should be no problem here!
p.s. I am eating a banana right now, and I have to say that the bananas here have about 10 times the flavor of bananas at home...they are mind blowing...and I will probably smuggle some back with me.
I had another amazing weekend in Thailand. Sometimes I have these surreal moments, where I just look around and have to say, “wow”. Scott calls them D.F.D’s (dear f*ckin’ diary). I mean yesterday, I was sailing in a boat off the coast of Thailand, to a tropical island, sitting on the ledge hanging my feet over the side of the boat. And no one was stopping me telling me I might fall in the water…yeah…dear f*cking diary is right.
Friday, we found out we had all passed the grammar and phonology exam to become teachers. This test was incredibly difficult, and the course instructor said that usually at least 2 people don’t pass, but our while group did. So a group of 7 of us, decide to go back over to Koh Samet for a relaxing weekend. We left early Saturday morning and decided to do a tour of the island. We signed up for a 6 hour tour that sailed around the island, included lunch, and let us snorkel, sail, fish, and see sea turtles. This cost us about $12 each, which is just unreal.
The way the tour began, was a little rocky. You know how I said I would never get on a motorcycle in Thailand again? Well I was wrong. The tour started with 2 of us each hopping on a motorbike behind a Thai driver, and offroading through bumpy dirt roads, then weaving in and out of sidewalks and crowded streets. Luckily, Courtney and I rode together, so I didn’t freak out too much, and the ride quickly brought us to the dock where we hopped on our tour boat.
It was a beautiful day, and sailing around Koh Samet was amazing. There were lounge chairs on the roof of the boat to sit and stare at the beauty. We got to see a lot of the uninhabited parts of the island, as well as snorkel with some tropical fish . The boat docked in some little inlets full of more fish that I have ever seen. There were tons of crabs, sea cucumbers and giant brightly colored clams on the bottom.
The fishing however, was a little more interesting. They stop the boat, and hand us each a water bottle with fishing line attached, and a hook with a weight on it. We fished drop line style, and surprisingly caught a lot of fish. The sad part was, once we caught the fish they popped them on a stick and immediately grilled them. I reluctantly tried the ‘fresh fish‘, but luckily they also had the option of pineapple and vegetable shish kabobs, tropical fruit, and fried rice, so I didn‘t feel like such a murderer.
The end of the trip included a visit to the islands fish farm, where we got to feed sharks, sea turtles, baby sea turtles, and all kinds of huge fish. The fish farm just had narrow, thin, planks of wood that you walk alongside the holding areas on. One false move, and you go careening into a pit of giant sharks…a little unnerving. I spent most of my time there staring at the beautiful sea turtles.
When we returned from the trip, we went back to the beach, and all got massages (who could resist…really). We had dinner the restaurant on the beach, where you sit on cushions in the sand. We watched a Thai “fire show” which had fire jugglers who also danced and did acrobatics. It was amazing! Afterwards, we found a place that sells “adult ice cream”, which is pretty much ice cream mixed with 5% booze (ahhh yes someone finally combined my 2 favorite things). I had ‘funky monkey’ which was made from kahlua and crème de banana…SO GOOD.
Later that night, some of us were sleeping in the bungalow we rented, when it started to monsoon. This is the largest and longest monsoon I have seen yet! It was so scary! Half of our group was still at the bar, and all of a sudden the bungalow door bursts open and Matt comes in to tell us that the whole island had flooded, lost power when lightning struck the main power source, and that lightning was still striking everywhere. The whole island was seriously pitch black, and the only time you could see was when lightning struck every 10 seconds…scary. We awoke the next morning to sunshine and fully restored power, which is unbelievable considering the state of things only hours before.
I am back safe in Ban Phe now. It is strange to think this is my last week here with the group. A few of the group members have been placed, (mostly in Bangkok so far), but I haven’t been placed yet, and should find out soon where I will be teaching! I actually start practice teaching the monks by myself this week. I have to teach four - 1 hour lessons all on my own…eek! I hope the monks go easy on me! Wish me luck.
I miss all of you, and love to hear from you, even if I don’t get time to respond to your comments! I will update again as soon as I have something interesting to write about…which should be no problem here!
p.s. I am eating a banana right now, and I have to say that the bananas here have about 10 times the flavor of bananas at home...they are mind blowing...and I will probably smuggle some back with me.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monsoons, pictures and an epic story
Monday night I experienced my first monsoon! I think I mentioned before that all restaurants are pretty much poles holding up a roof with no walls. So we are eating at Shaam’s palace, when all of a sudden it just starts pouring. I have never seen more rain in my life. The ground immediately floods to about ankle deep, and it feels like you are under a waterfall. I of course am enthralled but all the Thai people just keep going about their business like it’s nothing. About 30 minutes later, it stops instantly, the ground dries in about 5 minutes and it was as if the whole thing never happened!
I FINALLY was able to put up pictures. Here are the links to the albums.
Koh samet: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014592&l=2e2b1&id=83901952
and other: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014511&l=41216&id=83901952
Warning: The Koh Samet Album has some extremely inebriated photos (sorry mom) but in all fairness you would be inebriated too after a week straight of grammar and phonology.
And now…the epic story. I am going to preface this story by saying that Scott is allergic to shellfish (which happens to be an ingredient in 99% of Thai food (I think you know where this is going). So, Tuesday night, the group goes into town all together in a large van. Scott, Matt and I decide to seek out the one Laundromat in Ban Phe, since we suck at hand washing. We convince the driver to drop us off there, thinking it was closer and we could just meet everyone for the ride back. Well, this Laundromat turns out to be about 3 miles from the drop off spot, and also completely in the Ghetto. We were the only white people there. To make it worse, there are no dryers (sort of defeating the purpose). We decide to wash the clothes anyway. We go to get dinner while they are washing, and Scott gets fried rice. All of a sudden he starts coughing. Matt and I are like ”crap we are going to have to carry him 3 miles…oh god”. Scott says “I just have to make myself throw up then take my allergy meds” so I walk him down to the beach. He then says “Tami don’t listen to me puke”, so I turn around, plug my ears and sing the only song I can think of at the moment (which happened to be “if you like pina coladas”). Scott pukes and is fine, so we head back to the restaurant to get Matt, then to the Laundromat to grab all of our wet clothes. We now have about 15 minutes to get to the pick up point to get a ride back. We are clearly in the ghetto, so we can not find any taxi’s and if we walk, it would take at least a ½ hour carrying all of our wet laundry. Suddenly three guys on motorcycles pull up and offer us a ride (or at least said something in Thai that seemed like a ride at the time). Thinking it’s the only way to get back, we each hop on one (remember this country has no helmets, traffic laws, or speed limits). We pile the laundry on, and go. I probably dug holes in this poor Thai man’s back I was holding on so tight. It was the most terrifying 5 minutes of my life. :luckily we were able to tell them where to take us in a broken Thai English mixture and we get to the pick up spot just in time. We hop in the van right as a lightning storm/monsoon starts. Needless to say, we got back alive thanks to some nice Thai motorcycle men. Unfortunately after unloading and sorting all of our laundry I discovered that I am missing 2 pairs of underwear…which are probably being sold in the ghetto of Ban Phe as I type this. Oh and my laundry is still wet and completely sucky. At least it was an adventure and Scott didn‘t die! I will never get on a motorcycle in Thailand again!
Anyway, this week is kind of busy school wise, so I probably wont have much to write about for a bit…but I think we’re heading back to Koh Samet to do some hiking this weekend, so that should be fun! Enjoy the pictures…MISS YOU ALL!!
I FINALLY was able to put up pictures. Here are the links to the albums.
Koh samet: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014592&l=2e2b1&id=83901952
and other: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014511&l=41216&id=83901952
Warning: The Koh Samet Album has some extremely inebriated photos (sorry mom) but in all fairness you would be inebriated too after a week straight of grammar and phonology.
And now…the epic story. I am going to preface this story by saying that Scott is allergic to shellfish (which happens to be an ingredient in 99% of Thai food (I think you know where this is going). So, Tuesday night, the group goes into town all together in a large van. Scott, Matt and I decide to seek out the one Laundromat in Ban Phe, since we suck at hand washing. We convince the driver to drop us off there, thinking it was closer and we could just meet everyone for the ride back. Well, this Laundromat turns out to be about 3 miles from the drop off spot, and also completely in the Ghetto. We were the only white people there. To make it worse, there are no dryers (sort of defeating the purpose). We decide to wash the clothes anyway. We go to get dinner while they are washing, and Scott gets fried rice. All of a sudden he starts coughing. Matt and I are like ”crap we are going to have to carry him 3 miles…oh god”. Scott says “I just have to make myself throw up then take my allergy meds” so I walk him down to the beach. He then says “Tami don’t listen to me puke”, so I turn around, plug my ears and sing the only song I can think of at the moment (which happened to be “if you like pina coladas”). Scott pukes and is fine, so we head back to the restaurant to get Matt, then to the Laundromat to grab all of our wet clothes. We now have about 15 minutes to get to the pick up point to get a ride back. We are clearly in the ghetto, so we can not find any taxi’s and if we walk, it would take at least a ½ hour carrying all of our wet laundry. Suddenly three guys on motorcycles pull up and offer us a ride (or at least said something in Thai that seemed like a ride at the time). Thinking it’s the only way to get back, we each hop on one (remember this country has no helmets, traffic laws, or speed limits). We pile the laundry on, and go. I probably dug holes in this poor Thai man’s back I was holding on so tight. It was the most terrifying 5 minutes of my life. :luckily we were able to tell them where to take us in a broken Thai English mixture and we get to the pick up spot just in time. We hop in the van right as a lightning storm/monsoon starts. Needless to say, we got back alive thanks to some nice Thai motorcycle men. Unfortunately after unloading and sorting all of our laundry I discovered that I am missing 2 pairs of underwear…which are probably being sold in the ghetto of Ban Phe as I type this. Oh and my laundry is still wet and completely sucky. At least it was an adventure and Scott didn‘t die! I will never get on a motorcycle in Thailand again!
Anyway, this week is kind of busy school wise, so I probably wont have much to write about for a bit…but I think we’re heading back to Koh Samet to do some hiking this weekend, so that should be fun! Enjoy the pictures…MISS YOU ALL!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
koh samet
Hey everyone! This weekend, the group went to Koh Samet (sometimes called Koh Samed), which is the island right off the coast of Ban Phe. The island is probably only a mile away, so we can see it from our apartment building. We took a 45 minute ferry from Ban Phe (which went extremely slow…seriously I could have swam there faster). The boats are somewhat small and rickety, and to get on them you have to practically jump form the pier into the boat (not for the faint of heart). To dock them, they just tie them to other boats and you have to crawl across the other boats and climb up onto the dock. It was definitely a little scary, but worth it to get to this beautiful island.
When we arrived, the island was more amazing than I had imagined. I think everywhere I go in Thailand is the most beautiful place I have seen, and then I go somewhere else and am blown away again. Koh Samet had perfect soft white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise water (also 80 degrees).
We rented bungalows on the beach for about $6 a night (we put 3 in a room which made it $2 each!) These bungalows were right on the water, and had a queen size bed with a big mosquito net over it.
During the day we laid on the beach, sipped tropical cocktails and swam in the water. We wanted to go banana boating but didn’t get to.
On the beach Thai women sell massages. They are about $7 for an hour of full body massage. Not going to lie, I definitely had 2 while I was there. They were amazing.
At night, we had dinner at a place where they sit cushions and a low table on the sand. Above our heads were strung a bunch of paper lanterns, in all different colors and shapes. On the beach people were floating Thai lanterns. They have these huge cylinder cloth lanterns which they float into the sky like hot air balloons by lighting candles on the bottom. We just watched them floating up into the sky until we couldn’t see them glow anymore.
The rest of the evening was spent dancing at the various bars and clubs on the beach. Our placement coordinator Joy, (a Thai girl about 26) came to Koh Samet with us because it was her birthday, so it was extra fun. I don’t think anybody wanted to come back…but we will probably go again next weekend.
Lets see, what else…oh the aforementioned laundry came out quite crunchy. I am missing real washers and dryers. I better get used to hand washing in bathtubs because I have yet to see a washer and dryer (or a Laundromat for that matter)! Well that’s it for now. I am attempting to upload some photos, but there are no guarantees it will actually work. I may need to take my laptop into Rayong and see if I can find actual internet that doesn’t suck!
Love you all! Postcards are coming soon!
When we arrived, the island was more amazing than I had imagined. I think everywhere I go in Thailand is the most beautiful place I have seen, and then I go somewhere else and am blown away again. Koh Samet had perfect soft white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise water (also 80 degrees).
We rented bungalows on the beach for about $6 a night (we put 3 in a room which made it $2 each!) These bungalows were right on the water, and had a queen size bed with a big mosquito net over it.
During the day we laid on the beach, sipped tropical cocktails and swam in the water. We wanted to go banana boating but didn’t get to.
On the beach Thai women sell massages. They are about $7 for an hour of full body massage. Not going to lie, I definitely had 2 while I was there. They were amazing.
At night, we had dinner at a place where they sit cushions and a low table on the sand. Above our heads were strung a bunch of paper lanterns, in all different colors and shapes. On the beach people were floating Thai lanterns. They have these huge cylinder cloth lanterns which they float into the sky like hot air balloons by lighting candles on the bottom. We just watched them floating up into the sky until we couldn’t see them glow anymore.
The rest of the evening was spent dancing at the various bars and clubs on the beach. Our placement coordinator Joy, (a Thai girl about 26) came to Koh Samet with us because it was her birthday, so it was extra fun. I don’t think anybody wanted to come back…but we will probably go again next weekend.
Lets see, what else…oh the aforementioned laundry came out quite crunchy. I am missing real washers and dryers. I better get used to hand washing in bathtubs because I have yet to see a washer and dryer (or a Laundromat for that matter)! Well that’s it for now. I am attempting to upload some photos, but there are no guarantees it will actually work. I may need to take my laptop into Rayong and see if I can find actual internet that doesn’t suck!
Love you all! Postcards are coming soon!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Karaoke and japanese game show showers
Hey everyone! Thailand just keeps getting better and better! I am in love with Ban Phe! I am trying to put pictures up but the internet here is pretty shotty so I will have to wait until we go into town again. The last couple of days have been great. During the day we are in class at the temple. The monks are really cool, and most speak English very well. They have taught me a few Thai phrases and I can say 13 words in Thai now! The classes we take at the school are pretty interesting. We have a teacher from Nepal who teaches grammar, and a teacher from the UK who teaches phonology. The hard part is that it is about 90 degrees in the classroom with humidity you wouldn’t believe! They don’t have AC at the temple and most of the fans don‘t work so we sweat a lot.
The temple is gorgeous and on breaks I go explore. There is a nice kitty that we have affectionately named “Mr. Kittles”. There are also 10 puppies that are about 2 weeks old. We play with them all the time. My favorite is one we named “chubbs”. He’s a fatty of course.
When we come back from the temple in the afternoon, we usually swim in the ocean until the sun goes down. The sunsets here are completely amazing. The whole sky turns red and pink and orange. I think they rival Asilomar beach in Monterey which is saying a lot! I have taken some amazing pictures that really don’t even come close to showing the beauty.
The other night, a group of us went down to the beach where they have karaoke (yes every night there is karaoke on the beach). The Thai people LOVE karaoke…it is insane. Their favorite song must be Eric Clapton’s “you look wonderful tonight” because I have heard it sung about a million times in a bad Asian accent. We decided to show them how to sing American songs…and I ended up singing “funky town” with one of the guys in the program. By the time each of us had sang we had cleared all the Thai people off the beach…it was hilarious.
The other night we took a trip into Rayong, which is the largest city near us. They had a HUGE night market, which was filled with crazy stuff. We wandered around for hours just looking at everything.
Tonight I did laundry for the first time. Everything here is hand washed…they don’t have washers or dryers. I did it in the tub, and bought a clothesline. We will see how it turns out.
The shower by the way has an electric heater which heats the water for approximately 3 minutes. There‘s a hose like thing that you have to hold, but it only stretches up to about 5 feet, so to wash my hair I have to duck down. OH and there is no shower curtain so you also have to try and not get the water everywhere. Taking a shower is pretty ridiculous, I almost feel like I am on some Japanese game show every time I attempt to get clean.
There have been lightning storms the past 2 nights, but no monsoons yet thank goodness!
Tomorrow we are going to walk down to the national park at the end of the road and explore. Apparently there are monkeys that live in the trees there…should be fun! Then, we are going to Ko Samet Island this weekend, which I am so excited for!
I will try to update soon, and post pictures next time I am in town and the internet works. Love you all!!
The temple is gorgeous and on breaks I go explore. There is a nice kitty that we have affectionately named “Mr. Kittles”. There are also 10 puppies that are about 2 weeks old. We play with them all the time. My favorite is one we named “chubbs”. He’s a fatty of course.
When we come back from the temple in the afternoon, we usually swim in the ocean until the sun goes down. The sunsets here are completely amazing. The whole sky turns red and pink and orange. I think they rival Asilomar beach in Monterey which is saying a lot! I have taken some amazing pictures that really don’t even come close to showing the beauty.
The other night, a group of us went down to the beach where they have karaoke (yes every night there is karaoke on the beach). The Thai people LOVE karaoke…it is insane. Their favorite song must be Eric Clapton’s “you look wonderful tonight” because I have heard it sung about a million times in a bad Asian accent. We decided to show them how to sing American songs…and I ended up singing “funky town” with one of the guys in the program. By the time each of us had sang we had cleared all the Thai people off the beach…it was hilarious.
The other night we took a trip into Rayong, which is the largest city near us. They had a HUGE night market, which was filled with crazy stuff. We wandered around for hours just looking at everything.
Tonight I did laundry for the first time. Everything here is hand washed…they don’t have washers or dryers. I did it in the tub, and bought a clothesline. We will see how it turns out.
The shower by the way has an electric heater which heats the water for approximately 3 minutes. There‘s a hose like thing that you have to hold, but it only stretches up to about 5 feet, so to wash my hair I have to duck down. OH and there is no shower curtain so you also have to try and not get the water everywhere. Taking a shower is pretty ridiculous, I almost feel like I am on some Japanese game show every time I attempt to get clean.
There have been lightning storms the past 2 nights, but no monsoons yet thank goodness!
Tomorrow we are going to walk down to the national park at the end of the road and explore. Apparently there are monkeys that live in the trees there…should be fun! Then, we are going to Ko Samet Island this weekend, which I am so excited for!
I will try to update soon, and post pictures next time I am in town and the internet works. Love you all!!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
I love Thailand
Hey everyone!
So I made it to Ban Phe on Sunday. The drive down here was about 2 hours, and absolutely beautiful. Thailand is an amazing, exotic country. It is covered in green jungle hills in the distance and everywhere you look orchids seem to bloom like wildflowers.
When we got to Ban Phe, we moved into our apartment. We have a swimming pool and a balcony with an amazing view. About 10 feet away is the beach, and all along the road down the beach are restaurants. The part of the town we live in is really small but beautiful, and the city is about a 5 minute drive. I have a roommate, Sarah, who is 24 and from Canada. She is awesome mostly because she brought a 24 pack of toilet paper (apparently the Thai’s don’t use it). The rest of the people in the program are really cool. Everyone is about my age and come from all over (mostly Americans but some Canadian and UK). There are about 30 of us all together.
Yesterday we went to our first day of class. Each morning they pick us up and we ride in Thailand’s main form of transportation, a pickup truck with 2 benches in the bed and a roof over it. Not the safest but definitely an amazing way to look at the scenery.
We are studying in a Buddhist Temple, where we will also do our teaching practice. It is absolutely gorgeous. The Temple is surrounded by trees and flowers. Everywhere you look, monks are walking around. We will have 3 weeks of teaching practice in the temple, and then a week of holiday before our placement in another location. To be in the temple you have to take off your shoes and have your knees and shoulders covered, which is difficult because it is so hot here all the time. In about 2 weeks we will actually start teaching the monks, who are boys about 13-18. As a woman, I am not allowed to touch the monks, so to hand them something, I have to put it in their robe.
We met the Abbott (the head monk), and we had to sit on the floor with our feet pointed away from him and “wai” (bow) to him 3 times. It all seemed very surreal until he said ‘see you later alligator”. Here in Thailand, teachers are considered 3rd only to the King and monks. To wai the king, you put your hands on top of your head, a monk in front of your eyes, a teacher in front of your mouth, and everyone else below your chin. I am still getting used to people Wai’ing me! They also wear different colors for every day of the week. Mondays are yellow to honor the king, and Saturday’s are purple for luck. I forget the other days (oops).
Another thing I am getting used to (or trying to) is the toilet situation. As I mentioned before, there is no T.P. But what complicates the situation is most toilets are simply a hole in the ground covered with porcelain. I have no idea how Thai women go, because there is nothing to hold onto when you squat that low! To flush, you grab water from a bin with a bowl and pour it into the toilet. Luckily these toilets are pretty much everywhere BUT the apartment which has an American toilet, so I pretty much only pee when I am here!
The food here is AMAZING. Everything is very spicy but delicious. Dragon fruit is probably my new favorite food! Every morning a lady sells fruit outside our apartment. Amazing fresh tropical fruit for about 50 cents…my breakfast every day! We usually eat dinner down the road at this restaurant that we call “Saam’s palace”. I don’t know the real name but it is run by a cool dude named Saam. Basically everything is the best food you can eat for about $1.00. Beer is also $1.00...which makes for some good times. I have yet to experience what everyone is now referring to as “Thaiarrhea”, which is fortunate…but inevitable.
When I am not in class or eating, I am usually in the ocean. The water temp is about 80 degrees (if not warmer). I have gone for a sunset swim every night I have been here. The air temp is SWELTERING HEAT even at night! I have never been so hot in my life (thank god for AC in the apartment or I would probably sleep in the ocean). I drink about a gallon of water each day…and probably sweat it all out by noon.
Yesterday after class the group went into town to go to the night market and the Tesco, which is like Wal-Mart but with NOTHING you need…(yeah dad keep making fun of me for bringing a suitcase full of toiletries…you would be dipped here). The town is a lot bigger and everyone rides motorcycles (without helmets eeek). They drive on the opposite side of the road here, but often drive on whatever side of the road they feel like. They just hold their baby in their lap, or pile up to 5 people on a motorcycle and go. SCARY! Every Tuesday and Thursday we will make trips into town to go to the bank, or get supplies. Pretty much it is cash only here so I will be using the ATM in town mostly.
Last night we had a “welcome dinner” where we sat at long tables with these weird bbq/pots on them. We chose meat and veggies and grilled them then put them in the pot part and added noodles and made some kind of amazing concoction for which I am doing no justice with this description. I have taken pictures of all of this, and will hopefully post them up soon!
The internet situation here in Ban Phe is that there is none. I get internet believe it or not, at the temple. So on my lunch break from class, I will try to update as much as I can. And skype, although it is usually around 10:30 pm California time so skyping could be an issue for some (mom)! There are rumors of an internet café near our apartment building so I will try to get over there one morning! This weekend some of the group and I are taking a trip to the island of Ko Samet, which should be amazing!
Until then, I miss you all but I am LOVING Thailand so much. I have an address but they told us mail takes about 3-4 weeks, so giving it to anyone is basically futile. When I get my placement I will be there for 5 months so you can
So I made it to Ban Phe on Sunday. The drive down here was about 2 hours, and absolutely beautiful. Thailand is an amazing, exotic country. It is covered in green jungle hills in the distance and everywhere you look orchids seem to bloom like wildflowers.
When we got to Ban Phe, we moved into our apartment. We have a swimming pool and a balcony with an amazing view. About 10 feet away is the beach, and all along the road down the beach are restaurants. The part of the town we live in is really small but beautiful, and the city is about a 5 minute drive. I have a roommate, Sarah, who is 24 and from Canada. She is awesome mostly because she brought a 24 pack of toilet paper (apparently the Thai’s don’t use it). The rest of the people in the program are really cool. Everyone is about my age and come from all over (mostly Americans but some Canadian and UK). There are about 30 of us all together.
Yesterday we went to our first day of class. Each morning they pick us up and we ride in Thailand’s main form of transportation, a pickup truck with 2 benches in the bed and a roof over it. Not the safest but definitely an amazing way to look at the scenery.
We are studying in a Buddhist Temple, where we will also do our teaching practice. It is absolutely gorgeous. The Temple is surrounded by trees and flowers. Everywhere you look, monks are walking around. We will have 3 weeks of teaching practice in the temple, and then a week of holiday before our placement in another location. To be in the temple you have to take off your shoes and have your knees and shoulders covered, which is difficult because it is so hot here all the time. In about 2 weeks we will actually start teaching the monks, who are boys about 13-18. As a woman, I am not allowed to touch the monks, so to hand them something, I have to put it in their robe.
We met the Abbott (the head monk), and we had to sit on the floor with our feet pointed away from him and “wai” (bow) to him 3 times. It all seemed very surreal until he said ‘see you later alligator”. Here in Thailand, teachers are considered 3rd only to the King and monks. To wai the king, you put your hands on top of your head, a monk in front of your eyes, a teacher in front of your mouth, and everyone else below your chin. I am still getting used to people Wai’ing me! They also wear different colors for every day of the week. Mondays are yellow to honor the king, and Saturday’s are purple for luck. I forget the other days (oops).
Another thing I am getting used to (or trying to) is the toilet situation. As I mentioned before, there is no T.P. But what complicates the situation is most toilets are simply a hole in the ground covered with porcelain. I have no idea how Thai women go, because there is nothing to hold onto when you squat that low! To flush, you grab water from a bin with a bowl and pour it into the toilet. Luckily these toilets are pretty much everywhere BUT the apartment which has an American toilet, so I pretty much only pee when I am here!
The food here is AMAZING. Everything is very spicy but delicious. Dragon fruit is probably my new favorite food! Every morning a lady sells fruit outside our apartment. Amazing fresh tropical fruit for about 50 cents…my breakfast every day! We usually eat dinner down the road at this restaurant that we call “Saam’s palace”. I don’t know the real name but it is run by a cool dude named Saam. Basically everything is the best food you can eat for about $1.00. Beer is also $1.00...which makes for some good times. I have yet to experience what everyone is now referring to as “Thaiarrhea”, which is fortunate…but inevitable.
When I am not in class or eating, I am usually in the ocean. The water temp is about 80 degrees (if not warmer). I have gone for a sunset swim every night I have been here. The air temp is SWELTERING HEAT even at night! I have never been so hot in my life (thank god for AC in the apartment or I would probably sleep in the ocean). I drink about a gallon of water each day…and probably sweat it all out by noon.
Yesterday after class the group went into town to go to the night market and the Tesco, which is like Wal-Mart but with NOTHING you need…(yeah dad keep making fun of me for bringing a suitcase full of toiletries…you would be dipped here). The town is a lot bigger and everyone rides motorcycles (without helmets eeek). They drive on the opposite side of the road here, but often drive on whatever side of the road they feel like. They just hold their baby in their lap, or pile up to 5 people on a motorcycle and go. SCARY! Every Tuesday and Thursday we will make trips into town to go to the bank, or get supplies. Pretty much it is cash only here so I will be using the ATM in town mostly.
Last night we had a “welcome dinner” where we sat at long tables with these weird bbq/pots on them. We chose meat and veggies and grilled them then put them in the pot part and added noodles and made some kind of amazing concoction for which I am doing no justice with this description. I have taken pictures of all of this, and will hopefully post them up soon!
The internet situation here in Ban Phe is that there is none. I get internet believe it or not, at the temple. So on my lunch break from class, I will try to update as much as I can. And skype, although it is usually around 10:30 pm California time so skyping could be an issue for some (mom)! There are rumors of an internet café near our apartment building so I will try to get over there one morning! This weekend some of the group and I are taking a trip to the island of Ko Samet, which should be amazing!
Until then, I miss you all but I am LOVING Thailand so much. I have an address but they told us mail takes about 3-4 weeks, so giving it to anyone is basically futile. When I get my placement I will be there for 5 months so you can
Saturday, October 4, 2008
friggin jungle crap
ok so its like 6 am here, and I finally got about 4 hours of sleep until I was woken up by what I think is a monkey...a monkey or an insanely loud chattering bird. First order of business....I am off to buy a shotgun and take this thing's life!
I made it here alive!
I am FINALLY here in Bangkok after what seemed like years! The flight from LA to Japan left much to be desired...but I survived. It was me and a dude next to me who must have taken elephant tranquilizers or something because he instantly fell asleep and did not wake up the WHOLE flight. I needed to pee and tried to wake him with no luck. Finally I just crawled over the bastard. Whatever he was on...I want some for the flight back.
The flight threw me off because it was constantly daylight so I could never get to sleep. It felt like a never ending day where the sun never moved (I don't know how Alaskans don't go nuts). I wanted to do the "Nealy special" (2 tylenol PM's and a glass of wine) but just couldn't bring myself to do it when it was constant daylight. I read a 500 page book instead.
Landing in Tokyo was interesting. I expected to see a HUGE concrete jungle, but it was surprisingly very green and lush! The airport was probably selling some of the weirdest stuff I have ever seen. crazy asians! OH and the bathrooms were bizarre...I took pictures and will probably put them up here to show everyone!
It finally got dark outside just in time for my flight to Bangkok and luckily nobody was seated next to me so I moved up the arm rests, layed down over 3 seats, and slept the entire 6 hour flight. I may have looked a little "special" but at that point I was so tired I didn't care.
I arrived in Bangkok around midnight in the 85 degree heat...yes this hot at midnight. And this is their cold season? After an hour of milling around the airport looking at weird Asian food, I finally decided to get a hotel since I am not being picked up until tomorrow at noon. There are hotel reps standing all over the airport with their info. I had no clue if this was safe or not but thats the way my brain is working after being awake for 30 hours. Turns out it is safe, so we're all good.
Then of course there's the fact that I speak absolutely no Thai. I am hoping to just get by on my stunning good looks and charming personality...so far so good!
Right now it is about 1:30 am and I am sitting in my hotel room. Of course technically it is like 11:30 am in CA so I am wide awake...awesome.
I don't know what the internet situation will be when i get to the school in Ban Phe tomorrow but I will try to be in contact. Until then, I am safe and I LOVE YOU ALL!!
The flight threw me off because it was constantly daylight so I could never get to sleep. It felt like a never ending day where the sun never moved (I don't know how Alaskans don't go nuts). I wanted to do the "Nealy special" (2 tylenol PM's and a glass of wine) but just couldn't bring myself to do it when it was constant daylight. I read a 500 page book instead.
Landing in Tokyo was interesting. I expected to see a HUGE concrete jungle, but it was surprisingly very green and lush! The airport was probably selling some of the weirdest stuff I have ever seen. crazy asians! OH and the bathrooms were bizarre...I took pictures and will probably put them up here to show everyone!
It finally got dark outside just in time for my flight to Bangkok and luckily nobody was seated next to me so I moved up the arm rests, layed down over 3 seats, and slept the entire 6 hour flight. I may have looked a little "special" but at that point I was so tired I didn't care.
I arrived in Bangkok around midnight in the 85 degree heat...yes this hot at midnight. And this is their cold season? After an hour of milling around the airport looking at weird Asian food, I finally decided to get a hotel since I am not being picked up until tomorrow at noon. There are hotel reps standing all over the airport with their info. I had no clue if this was safe or not but thats the way my brain is working after being awake for 30 hours. Turns out it is safe, so we're all good.
Then of course there's the fact that I speak absolutely no Thai. I am hoping to just get by on my stunning good looks and charming personality...so far so good!
Right now it is about 1:30 am and I am sitting in my hotel room. Of course technically it is like 11:30 am in CA so I am wide awake...awesome.
I don't know what the internet situation will be when i get to the school in Ban Phe tomorrow but I will try to be in contact. Until then, I am safe and I LOVE YOU ALL!!
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