Top Naked

It's hard for me to sum up the last month of my life in a few paragraphs on this here blog, but I'll do my best, albeit briefly...

So, heading down to the islands a week earlier than planned was perhaps the best decision we ever made. To sum it all up, it was insanely beautiful, with massive limestone cliffs towering out of the emerald colored waters. We snorkeled so much that I forgot what life was like above the water. We even got our open water scuba certification, and then snorkeling just seemed lame. We hiked to viewpoints, we cliff jumped, we rock climbed, we took so many boat rides, it seemed like the only way to get around. I didn't wear a shirt for the majority of my island time, and embraced my new sense of half-nudism (hence the title of this post). We watched colorful sunsets paint the sky as often as we could. And oh yeah, I got a tattoo. We met lots of amazing people, covered ourselves in neon body paint at the infamous Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan, and danced so much, it was hard remembering how to walk the next day.

But, I'd have to say if I had to pick an all time favorite moment of our time on the Thai Islands, it would be without a doubt, sleeping at Maya Bay. Not only is this the most beautiful beach I've ever seen in the daylight, but it's just as impressive at night. Around midnight, we went for a swim in the bay. But this swim was different than any other swim. The plankton that live in the Maya Bay waters, react to movement, and when they react to movement, they glow. And also, there was a lightning storm going on somewhere off in the distance. So put it all together. Night swimming at the most beautiful beach ever, little neon green specks all around you, while lightning lights up the sky. Probably one of the most awesome experiences of my life. Waking up on the sand the next morning and seeing the famous cliffs of the bay wasn't a half bad way to start the day either...

All good things have to come to an end, however. And before we knew it, three weeks was over and our trip was complete. We flew back to Bangkok, spent the billionth hour in the Bangkok airport, and me and Josh said our emotional goodbyes. The trip was incredibly amazing, no question, the best two months I've ever had in my life. When I think back at everything we saw and did, it seems hard to believe that I actually saw and did those things.

Now it is May 6th, and tonight I'm flying down to Australia for the 2nd part of my round the world adventures. Who knows what'll happen next...

Vega, Baby, Vega!

No, that is not a doubly type-o my friends, it is the name of our new favorite travel company, Vega Travels.We booked two tours with them, one in Halong Bay, and the 2nd one in Sapa. Last time we spoke, we had just finished our tour in the majestically beautiful Halong Bay, before we high tailed it on up on the bumpiest/loudest train ride you could possibly imagine to the hill-tribe mountain town of Sapa. Sapa, the place where hill-tribe ladies follow you on 15km hikes up and down the dreamscape scenery, soloing you out from the start of the trek so you'll buy their handicrafts at the end. You can't really decline once they've put in all that hard effort, can you? And in flip flops, no less! After our hike we ran into our new best friends from England, Helen and Mark, and had a couple beers before a delicious Italian pizza dinner. Our third best friend we made in Vietnam was our tour guide, Tu. A self-proclaimed lover of hookers and rice wine. He took Josh and I out on a private trek on our third day in Sapa to a place even he had never been. It was beautiful, new, and exciting, even for him... and he lives in Sapa half the time! We had lunch on the rice paddies that flood the mountains, and we dined on delicious cheese baguettes, mango, and pineapple. Along the way we taught him some funny sayings such as:

"Don't get your panties in a bundle!"
"Use it or lose it!"
"You should see the other guy!".... and many more, which he proceeded to write down in his trusty notebook. We are hoping that he will join in with us at the neon body paint/techno beach rave fest that will be the Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan at the end of April.

Speaking of the islands... looks like we will be heading there a bit sooner than we thought. We have been in northern Thailand for about a week and it hasn't been nice to us. It's unbearably hot, and when you get lost for three hours on a bike in 100 degree heat and no one speaks English to tell you where to go, your mind kind of starts to lose it. At least mine did, which resulted in what almost was a complete mental breakdown for me outside on the steps of a Tesco Express. Luckily my trusty co-traveler Josh was there to boost my spirits and motivate me to continue our journey. Eventually we did find what we were looking for, but at that point we were so tired and hot, we just wanted to leave as soon as we got there.

Another factor that caused us to change our plans so suddenly was the incredibly mediocre trekking and average scenery at best here in northern Thailand. We talked about how there's better hiking back home and the views and treks weren't worth all the work we put into it. So, when the time came for us to go to our next destination in northern Thailand, we played what can best be described as musical chairs at a Thai bus station. We changed our plans over and over as we were in one bus and out within a matter of minutes, eventually deciding to just go to Chiang Mai a week early and go to the islands right after. Unfortunately, this meant we'd miss the famous Thai New Year Festival, Songkran in mid-April. But you know what? It's going to be OK, because we will be down at Ko Phi Phi for it, and I can only imagine how insanely beautiful that place is going to be (it has the beach from the movie, "The Beach!").

Chiang Mai was good though. We played with baby tigers and snakes (much to Josh's amusing hesitation), went to a wat on top of a tall mountain, and took a Thai cooking class! I can now say that I can confidently make anyone back home Red curry, Tom Yam Goong soup, Papaya Salad, Pad Thai, and my favorite, Mango with Sticky Rice. So, when you want a home cooked Thai dinner, you just call me and Josh and we will be over there in a jif, ready and willing to cook you up a Thai feast.

Now we are in the ancient capital city of Sukhothai, where we enjoyed a day of ruined temple viewings, buddhas, and recreating pictures from my Thailand Lonely Planet guide. Tonight, we take an overnight bus to Bangkok where we will have to brave the traffic and commotion caused by all the Red Shirt protests (have you all heard about this?). The Thai Government just issued a state of emergency for Bangkok and the surrounding regions due to the ongoing, and increasingly violent protests in the capital. Hopefully we won't come across them and can make it to the airport safe and sound, where we will catch a flight down to Phuket. Hopefully all those tsunami warnings have cleared up by now...

As always, link on over to Josh's blog, The Awkward Traveler, to check our his take on our Southeast Asian Adventures!

Oh yeah, one more thing! If you happen to get any Vietnamese TV stations, keep a lookout for us. That's right, we were interviewed for a Vietnamese TV program while we were at a "hot pot" restaurant. Ilan and Josh... Vietnam's new biggest TV superstars!

One more last last thing! How great was the new episode of LOST?! Best episode of the season so far. Desmond and Penny... greatest TV couple of all time? Debate...

'Nam

Angkor Wat was incredible. Sadly, Phnom Penh is a big ole stinker. We got ripped off, we got hassled, and Josh made enemies with some street kids who threatened his life and punched him in the face. We left a day early for Vietnam because we just had to get out of Cambodia. Turns out, it was a great decision. Vietnam has been amazing, we rode on the back of motorbikes along the coast up to sand dunes. We swam in blue waters, and relaxed on white sands. We ended up spending a few days at an isolated beach resort called Paradise, and it truly did live up to its namesake. There were communal meals, the best salad in the world, all you can drink coffee, and a funny Frenchman owner to boot. A very long and bumpy bus ride later, where I slept in a space pod like bed, we ended up in Hoi An and saw some ruins out in the jungle. A quick fight up to Hanoi and a 4 hour journey east later, we were in the mesmerizing Halong Bay. We spent the next few days on a boat traveling around the bay, meeting our fellow shipmates, kayaking, jungle trekking, and being blown away by the massive limestone cliffs that jut out of the waters. Now, we are in an internet cafe in Hanoi getting a much needed LOST fix. We leave for Sapa tonight on an overnight train, and are ready for 3 days of village life and rice paddies. Then it's back to my homeland, Thailand.

Arrest Free for Two Weeks!

Its been a wild week here on this side of the world. The camel trek was a great way to end our time in India, and sleeping under the stariest sky these old eyes have eyes have ever seen on soft sand dunes was certainly a highlight. It was a hectic transition into Cambodia, when we took a red eye flight from India to Bangkok then straight to the bus station to make our way to the Cambodian border. The border crossing wasn't as easy as when I accidentally entered Burma... it was hot, long lines, big backpacks, and the most uncomfortable van ride of my life. We did get to meet a great Danish girl who we became friends with and we've been hanging out with her for the past couple of days. Now, we have completed our temple tour of Angkor Wat over the past three days, and it sure was something special. Especially when you leave a temple and a stampede of Cambodian vendors come up to you screaming, "Hey mistaaa you want some coal wataaaaaaaaa!?!?!" They all sound exactly the same, and I'm pretty sure it might just be the same few ladies following us all over the different temples. In a few hours we are off to the capital city, Phnom Penh and before we know it, we'll be on the beaches of Vietnam, soaking up some much needed sun and relaxation time. I'll try to put up some pictures as soon as I'm at a computer that can handle it. Until next time...

Highlights From the Road

1. Getting arrested in India.
2. Throwing up at the Taj Mahal.
3. Walking through narrow streets filled with cows and cow poop.
4. Pretending we are from different countries (or outer space) when people ask us where we are from.
5. Talking about Lindsay Lohan while under the influence of sleeping pills on a sleeper train.
6. Chocolate balls and peanut butter.
7. Enjoying rooftop dinners everywhere we go, and the beautiful, colorful scenery.
8. Getting ripped off in every rickshaw we've been in.
9. Picture of the day.
10. Our never ending quest of reenacting as many scenes from the movie, "The Fall" as we possibly can.
11. Doing crossword puzzles that seem to gather the interest of every single Indian person within an arms reach.

Still to come in India: Village jeep tour tomorrow, then off to Jaisalmer where we will hop on the backs of some camels for a trek into the Great Thar Desert. Two days full of slow, spitting camels, baking in the hot Indian sun, sunset at sand dunes, and a night under the stars. Heyo!

Check out Josh's blog for his take on our Indian adventures... The Awkward Traveler.

A Fond Farewell

Friends, followers, dreamers. The end has come. I have finished my tenure as an English teacher in Thailand. It was a long and bumpy road, but I'm here on the other side to tell you it was an experience of a lifetime and will only help me grow as a teacher and as a person.

My bags are packed, and I'm ready to go (on a jet plane). I'm about to leave for Bangkok to pick up Josh at the airport after his flight was delayed in New York, causing us to lose a day. Oh well, do with what you got, right? I'm just so excited that he's finally coming today.

I will try and update this blog as much as possible while I am on the road. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to do it, but I'll do the best I can!

Alright, so this is it. Goodbye, farewell, aurevoir, adios, I bid you all adieu. I'll see you on the flipside.

Language Barriers

I gave out me e-mail address to my classes so they can stay in touch with me if they want to after I leave. I have already received two e-mails from the same student.

Email #1: Written in Thai, this is the Google translation

555 + Teacher Im Thinnakorn Sriwilard M.2 / 3 5555 +. Miss Youuuu ~ ~ ~ 55 +. My Email-Address: kurosakiijiko@hotmail.com.

l You will be returned to your home เเ still want happiness in mind, we always other other other other other other. Teacher Ilan

E-mail #2:

I hope to see you in MSN live

MSNNNNNNN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 ... 2 ... 3 !!!!!GO
YAYAYAYA!!!!!
555+
(Crazy)
hmmmm..... MY nickname is Aof

Weirdos.

Status Report IV

Flight to Australia: BOOKED

I'll be in the land down under from May 7th- May 30th. The second of three parts on my round the world adventure.

The Beginning of the End

This is my last week of teaching here in the Kingdom of Thailand, and today I finished teaching my first of nine classes. The first to go was one of my M.1 classes (grade 7 in the U.S.), and while I suspected it would be hard to say goodbye to a couple of the students in the class who I really like, I didn't think that it would actually be hard to say goodbye to the entire class. They might have driven me nuts, and I might have wanted to throw them out a window a time or two, but they were all part of my experience here and it made me realize that I might have helped these little kids out more than I thought. Many of them came up to me telling me that they'd miss me, and that they wish I could come back and teach again. One student in particular, named Tew, wrote me a really nice letter in my notebook:

Hello Teacher,

I will miss u. You was a great teacher. I hope you will come back to this class again. Have a good time. I will be a great teacher in the future.

Good Luck,

Tew

I mean, how can you read that and not feel good? A smile full of genuine happiness came over my face when I read that. The rest of the class was spent taking funny pictures, talking, and it just wouldn't be a day in the classroom without the occasional roughhousing.

This just about sums it all up

Usually at the end of every class, the students all stand up and say "Thank you teacher, goodbye. See you next time." But as I said goodbye to the class for the last time, they all stood up and said, "Thank you teacher, goodbye." It was then that it really hit me. This is the end of an experience that helped me change and helped me grow and I won't ever forget it.

America (by Simon and Garfunkel)

This weekend, I could have sworn I made an early return to my home country. Had it not been for the insanely hot and humid weather, I would have thought I was back home in Maryland. It all began Friday night when Jon and I watched a movie, drank some beers, and made a drunk run to 7-11. It reminded me of those wonderful late nights after the bars in College Park, where we'd either go to Shanghai, Ratsies, or of course, 7-11 to get taquitos. Oh, college memories.

Saturday I went back up to Suphan Buri to meet my friends again. We went to a nearby mall and went to a cosmic bowling alley. We played a game, and I came in second bowling a gentleman's 82. Then, hungry from hurling heavy balls down a lane, we went the The Pizza Company, an Italian food restaurant chain in Thailand. We gorged on pizza, breadsticks, onion rings, pasta, and a pitcher of pepsi. What a feast! After, the girls (Deb and Lexa) went back to their apartment, but Ian, Joe, and I all stayed to play a couple more games of bowling. We ended the night all back at their apartment, chatting it up, looking at and exchanging pictures, and reminiscing about the good times we've had together in the past few short months. Hard to believe it's almost all over.

Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes to Deb and Joe, but Ian, Lexa and I had a big day planned. A Japanese teacher that works at their school picked us up, and took us to an aquarium where we saw colorful, tropical fish, and lots of crocodiles. But the real fun part was when we went to the zoo next to it and got to play with little lion and tiger cubs, and some orangoutangs too! They were so playful and active, which sometimes was a little scary, but at the same time, totally exhilarating. We fed them milk from a bottle, and they slurped away like nobody's business. One of the tigers even got a little too rough, which resulted in my arm and the side of my stomach in it's mouth! Tiger slobber is a lot like any other kind of slobber. You learn something new everyday. Next, we played with some of the orangoutangs that were dressed in funny people clothes. Monkeys in clothes=Hilarious.

The attack

So, to sum it all up. My weekend consisted of watching a movie, getting drunk, eating drunk food, bowling, eating pizza, hanging out with friends, going to the aquarium, and going to the zoo. Tell me that's not the most American thing you could ever do.

I want one

The Beast

I am now convinced that the baby pigeon that lives on my balcony is a complete freak of nature. It has grown to almost being a full sized pigeon in about 2 weeks. Every time I walk out onto my balcony, it looks like it's getting into attack mode and is about to inflict some harm upon me.

Look at it, it's got the crazy eyes!

CJ and Christina in Love

Over the course of the past few weeks I have gotten multiple text messages from someone named Christina. She seems to be searching for a man named CJ, and also seems to have the wrong number. I have not written back to her yet, as international texting ain't cheap. So she continues to text me, desperate to hear back from this mysterious CJ. She has also called me twice, and even though she hears on my voicemail that my name is Ilan and clearly not this CJ character, she continues to text me.

Here is what she has sent me so far:

1) hey cj its robs daughter christina

2) hey

3) is this cj?

4) hey this is christina robs daughter

5) hey its christy i tried calling u but i guess ur busy or sleeping or wutever but if ya wanna call or txt me back its chill :-)

6) hey

7) hey

8) im sorry if u have gotten so many txts frm me my dad sed u never got em so my bad if im blowing up ur phone

I wonder when I'll get the next one. Part of me wants to go along with it and pretend I am CJ, but A) It would be expensive and B) It might just be a little too mean. I also wonder how old these people are. I mean, honestly, who spells whatever like "wutever" and said like "sed" unless they failed English class (maybe I could teach her) or they are a teenage girl. I guess this will just be one of lifes many great mysteries...

Adjustments

I think it's safe to say you've gotten used to a new place and a new culture when you get used to the following:

1) Your own language now sounds foreign to you.

2) You no longer know what to do with a knife.

3) You can eat anything with a spoon.

4) A constant state of confusion is the norm of your life.

5) Elephants walking down the street doesn't seem strange to you.

6) A fried egg seems boring without rice to go with it.

7) You see four cows in the back of a pickup truck and you don't think twice about it.

8) You see many strange vehicles and all you think is, "How can I get one of those?"

9) You learn that the phrases "Maybe," "Up to you," and "OK" can solve any situation.

10) You've forgotten what it feels like to be cold.

This is Thailand.

The Return

I knew I'd be back. This past weekend, I returned to my favorite place in Thailand, Sanghklaburi. But this time, I came with some friends of mine. When I heard they were planning a trip there, I hopped on the bandwagon and tagged along. It all started Friday night, when I took a bus up to Suphan Buri to meet my friends at their apartment for a night of western food, movie watching, and good company. We watched "Up in the Air," which I liked, but honestly did not understand why everyone thinks it's the best movie of the year. Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and hired a van to take us to Sangkhlaburi. It was a long ride from Suphan, about 5 hours, but we kept busy by talking about this and that and everything in between.

The road to Sanghklaburi

Upon our arrival in town 5 hours later, we got right into the fun. After few quick pit stops at scenic viewpoints, a temple, and some shops, we went to our hotel. We stayed at the same place I ate all my meals at the last time I was there, and to my surprise and delight, all the staff that worked there remembered me! They all came up to me, shook my hand, told me they were glad to see me again, and it felt pretty great to feel so welcomed back to a place I love so much. We chowed down on some Burmese dishes,

dropped our bags off in our rooms and dove into the lake. We swam out to the bamboo raft and hung out there for what was probably a couple hours. One of my friends has an underwater camera so we brought that out there and took lots of pictures of us on the raft, jumping off, in the water. It was loads of fun, but by the time our fingers were shriveled into oblivion, we thought it was probably time to go back onto shore.

I fell in the water about 2 seconds after this picture was taken

The next few hours we spent walking over the Mon bridge, admiring the sunset and wandering aimlessly around the village. We met some locals, played with some kittens, and talked about how much we all love this place and wish we never had to leave. We were all tired after a long day and went to bed early. A 6 am wake up call was in order so that we could take a misty morning boat ride on the lake, something I did last time and was eager to do it again. We all piled into a long-tailed boat and sailed on the water for an hour or so, circling the underwater temple, passing farms, and waving to villagers.

B-E-A-UTIFUL

The next thing to cross off our list was a trip to Three Pagodas Pass, which if you remember was where I accidentally walked into Burma last time I was there. Lucky for me this time, there were no international conflicts and all I got from my second voyage there was a t-shirt and some great pictures. Before we knew it, it was time to return back to our respective schools, but not without a quick stop to a waterfall along the way. The falls were packed with Thai vacationers and their kids having the time of their lives swimming around in the pools. Not many other times have I seen a place with so many people in complete and utter joy. It made me happy to be there, if only for a short while.

Pure joy.

Once back at school, it was a return to normalcy that I have become a little too bored by. I know I'm in Thailand, but during the week my days are pretty boring. I'm ready to start traveling, I'm ready for Josh to get here, and I'm ready for an adventure unlike no other. Until then, I'll just have to do the best I can and try to make these final days of teaching something to remember.

Continuations (is that a word?)

My most recent nebula creation. Done using that interference acrylic ink that I love so much.

I just entered a photography contest for animal portraits, and I submitted this picture of my smelly cat.

That's just gotta win, right?!

Oh yeah, big change of plans after my Asian travels with dear Joshua. Looks like I'll be heading down under to the great continent of Australia to visit my friend and fellow traveler, Kanika. Once you got the travel bug, you just can't stop, can you?

It's almost the end of my 3rd to last week of teaching. This has been one heck of a long week. Sometimes the kids just decide they want to really screw with you and make your life miserable some weeks. This was one of those weeks. I have really enjoyed living and traveling in Thailand, but honestly, get me the hell out of this school already. Two more weeks to go... I can make it.

Funny Moments in the Life

Hello friends and followers. I don't have anything too exciting to talk about today, but I just thought I'd share with you some funny things that have happened to me this week.

Funny moment #1. The other day I went to the pool on campus to get some sun and to do some reading. I was bored, it was a Sunday afternoon, and I didn't have much else on my mind besides relaxing. At the pool, there is a tournament style high dive that I'd say is at least 25 feet high. I was swimming around in the deep end when I noticed some young Thai children laughing at me. I looked at them and said "What?!" They continued to laugh at me and then pointed to the high dive. I asked them "Jump?" They all nodded their heads in excitement. I could tell they were interested in this, so I thought I'd give them a fun show, but only if they did it in return. I said, "I jump, you jump." They all make this noise (as all Thai people do) "Ooooooooooaaaaah." I said, "OK?" They said OK. I made my way up the tall ladder to the top of the dive, and it felt a whole lot higher once I was actually up there. Without thinking, I just ran, jumped off the diving board, did two flips in the air and landed awkwardly and painfully on my side in the water. Ouch. My pain was their enjoyment. They laughed and laughed and laughed, until I said "You go." After some time spent convincing them the best I could in English, one of them finally went. He "jumped" off the board, very reluctantly. And by jumped I mean he slowly walked to the end of the board, took a step, and just fell into the water. The other two kids did basically the same thing and we continued this game for a while, until I left. I'd like to think I made American's look tough though. Those kids were certainly impressed. Who care's if they were about 8 years old and I'm 23. I still won.

Funny moment #2. Yesterday I came back to my apartment after school dying of thirst. To my disappointment, I discovered we were out of water. The only thing I had to drink was a Leo Beer. I was desperate. And desperate times call for desperate measures. I cracked open the Leo, poured myself a glass and chugged that sucker down. The cold beer soothed my dry throat, but this was a bad, bad idea. I drank about half of a big bottle, which is about double the size of a 12 ounce beer in America, but since I was dehydrated, I got drunk. My body was craving water, not alcohol, so I had to pay the consequences. I hadn't eaten in hours, I was dehydrated, and I was tired, half a beer was plenty to buzz me up real good. So, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I'm now drunk and don't know what to do with myself. I ended up taking a 3 hour drunk nap, and when I woke up, I thought it was the next morning and proceeded to get dressed for school. Eventually I figured out that I'm a complete idiot and that it was still night time. Not my best moment, but still pretty hilarious. We have since gotten water, and I learned my lesson about drinking beer when I'm tired, hungry and dehydrated.

Funny moment #3. After my drunken stupor last night, I was hungry. When I went to the market, I ordered a Thai omelet with rice. As I was waiting, I heard some Thai University students talking next to me. All of a sudden, I heard the word "Farang" in their conversation. I've told you all this before, but "Farang" is a Thai word for Westerner. I've come to think of it almost as my second name because I am referred to as Farang so often. Anyway, whenever I hear it, it grabs my attention. My head immediately spinned towards the students who just completely froze when they realized I understood them. It. Was. Hilarious. They just stood there, not sure what to do. I decided to mess with them a little and started giving them dirty looks (I might have still been a little drunk) and to pretend I was really mad. They completely panicked and one of them just ran away, then the other 2 followed her. I laughed myself silly as I continued to wait for my omelet which was oh so delicious.

And here's something that some of you might find funny as well. A picture of me, hard at work at my desk in my office. A Thai teacher popped up all of a sudden and caught me off guard and took my picture one day when I was working. I think for not being ready for the picture, it's actually pretty good! When I came to school this morning I found a copy of the picture sitting on my desk. I didn't know what to do with it, so I took a picture of it and decided to put it up here. It's not the best quality, but you all get the idea.

Teacha Ilan aka Ajaan Ilan aka Farang Ilan

Nebulae

Here are a couple new nebula creations I made this weekend. I'm working on another one now, and I'll put that one up as soon as it's done. Get on my good side, and maybe I'll name one of my nebulae after you!

Roll the Credits

Hey friends. Since I didn't go anywhere this weekend because of that whole Indian Visa debacle, I had lots of free time on my hands. In addition to making some new nebulas out of acrylic ink, and watching bad romantic comedies on HBO, I had time to make a little movie that highlights some fun moments of my time in Thailand.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to upload the dang video on to my blog. I let it upload overnight, and when I woke up this morning, the wheel of death was still spinning. But all hope is not lost... I have been able to upload it without problem onto my Facebook page. So, if you are friends with me on Facebook, go check out my profile and you can watch the video! Hope you all enjoy it!

Oh yeah! There's an update on my baby pigeon situation. One of them has hatched, but the other one has yet to arrive in this big blue world. Baby pigeons look nothing like what I thought they'd look like, and are probably one of the ugliest looking creatures I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. See for yourself...

Why is it yellow?!

I am also deathly afraid to go on my balcony now, because whenever I do, Mama Pigeon flaps her wings and goes crazy. I usually think she's going to attack me but then she just flies away, leaving me with opportunities to take pictures of her mutant baby.

Status Report III

India Visa Application Center in Bangkok: FAIL

Well, I knew it was too good to be true. I thought that the process for getting my Indian Visa was too easy and ran way too smoothly. I should have known, after all, this is Thailand and nothing is easy. I applied 3 weeks ago for a one month tourist visa for India, I've spent a lot of time and money going back and forth to Bangkok to take care of this over the past few weeks. I dropped my passport off yesterday to have the visa put in, and I was all excited to pick it up this morning. But when I picked it up, I noticed something was wrong. The visa expires before I even leave for India. See, what they didn't tell me at the application center was that the visa is valid for the amount of time you request from the day they issue your visa. So, since I asked for a one month visa, they made the validity of it February 4th 2010- March 3rd 2010... one day before I leave for India. After lots of arguing and stressing out, the man who was helping me told me that I could just pay a fee of 500 Rupee once I arrive in India, and everything would be settled. I asked him repeatedly, "Are you sure???" "I'll be able to enter India and stay there???" Yes, yes he kept telling me. I was skeptical so I did some of my own research, and discovered that not only is this not true, but I wouldn't even be able to board my flight to India without a valid visa. And if it expires while I am there, I would be detained at the airport when I try to leave the country. Thanks a lot, stupid India visa application man. I'm not happy about this at all. This means that I have to go through the entire process all over again, spend another 100 dollars, plus transportation to and from Bangkok. AND I still need to apply for and get by visa to Vietnam. Now I don't know when I will have the time to do that after this whole fiasco. I was going to go to the beach this weekend, but now I can't because I need to save money and pay the visa fee again. UGH... I'm just going to be hanging in my town this weekend, shooting the breeze, and try to work on some art. Maybe I'll make a piece entitled "Stupid Visa Application Center in Bangkok," it could be my masterpiece.

"I Like Game Computer, Because it is Funny"

I have been giving an oral speaking test this whole week and the title of this post is the most popular response amongst these little monsters. They like to play computer games because it is funny... not because it is fun. Because it is funny. I ask them, "What's so funny about it?" They just stare at me, mutter something in Thai, which I'm still trying to figure out. I think its something like "Arai Mai," but who can be sure. They usually then just start laughing and I stare at them like they are crazy. I get some weird looks in return, and sometimes we have awkward staring contests.

I got the computer game answer when I asked my 9th grade students what their favorite thing to do during the day is, and why?

Some other popular answers I'd get were:

Where do you want to travel to and, why?-- "I want go to Paris, to see tower Eifel."

and...

If you are sick, what should you do?-- " Go to doctor, drink water."

I think all the students just overheard other students talking and memorized what to say. I don't think many of them actually knew what they were saying. Whenever I tried to ask them an additional question, the awkward staring contest resulted. They had no idea. I realized how very little English these kids actually know. But then again, I also realized how much English the good students know. The one's who pay attention and who participate in class, their hard work is paying off, so good for them. At least I'm making some progress with some of these kids.

The Rat's Fly?!

I know I said I wasn't going to do it again, but the weekend brought me back to Bangkok. I wanted to go somewhere else, but that's where my friends were heading. After my solo trip last weekend, I wanted to spend some time with them, before the very fast approaching end of the semester. I can't believe there's only one month left. Where did all the time go? So much I wanted to do and see that I haven't done yet! Oh well, a month is still a long time, and I'm betting I can get a lot done if I put my mind to it.

Friday night was Jon's birthday, which is the main reason we were in Bangkok this weekend to begin with. We checked into the same hotel I stayed in for New Years, had a few beers, grabbed some of the most delicious kebabs I've ever eaten, and went out to the bars. We met up with some other friends, but they were getting dinner, so we kept on drinking. Jon and I spent some quality time talking it up, roommate to roommate at an Australian Bar and making friends with the waitress who had a crush on us. Around midnight, some of our other friends came, but I was way too tired/had too many beers at that point to stay out any later. So, I ended up just going home and falling asleep right away.

A cat I saw giving me the stare in Bangkok

Saturday we went to this giant electronic supplies outlet mall in Bangkok. I've never seen

anything like it before in my life. They had everything electronic related you could think of, and it was a sight to see. I've never lived inside of a computer before, but I have a feeling being in this place is as close as any human would ever get. Lots of lights, lots of shiny metal, lots of things moving around. I could only handle it for so long, and only stuck around long enough to buy some camera cleaning supplies. Then I took a motorbike (why do I keep doing that when they are terrifying?) to meet my friends Joe, Deb, Lexa, Gerry, and Nonie at my favorite Wat in Thailand, Wat Arun. We weren't there long, but it was good to be back there because I hadn't been since before orientation. It was a very happy return. We split up for a little while and I went with my friend Lexa back to her hotel, the Shangri-La, the best hotel in Bangkok. It was amazing. We got room service and watched "Whip It." I felt so luxurious, and the whole time I was wishing I was wearing a bathrobe and drinking fine wine. Maybe next time.

View from the Shangri-La hotel room

Dinner came around and we met up with our friends again and ate some delicious Indian food, followed by a couple beers at an Irish pub next door. It was there that I made some very stupid comments that my friends all made fun of me for the remainder of the night. The title of this post only being one of them. I won't tell you what the other one's were, they are just too embarrassing. Sorry to leave you all hanging. Lexa left a little earlier than everyone, so it was just me left with two married couples. Joe and Deb, and Gerry and Nonie- who are from Ireland. No worries though, they are some of my really good friends here and they welcomed and embraced me into their married life social circle.

My married friends- Deb, Joe, Gerry, and Nonie

The next morning, we were all invited to go have breakfast at Lexa's hotel. It was without a doubt the best breakfast I've had in Thailand. Every kind of breakfast food you could ask for was there. Also, every juice you could want was there. I saw juices at the buffet from fruits I didn't even know could be made into juice! I guess you could say I went to town on the buffet and felt like I was either going to explode or give birth to an elephant when I finished eating. Afterwards, we all went to Chatuchak Weekend Market. I'm basically an expert on that place by now. We walked around for a bit and I got a couple lightweight t-shirts, because it is starting to get unbearably hot here. I need a t-shirt that is made of the thinnest fabric known to man, and then poke holes all over it so I can breathe a little. It's truly brutal to have to work in dress clothes 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with no air-conditioning.

And that was the end of my weekend. It wasn't the most exciting, but I got to see some of my friends who I hadn't seen in a while and I had a good time. With four weekends left to go, I need to start picking my destinations wisely. And I'm serious when I say that I'm done with Bangkok for now. Except that I need to go back there tomorrow and Friday to pick up my India Visa and apply for my Vietnam Visa. But after that, I'm really done. Really.

PFLTF

Today we had our schools department fair. Each department set up a booth and presented what they are teaching to the parents, other schools, and the higher ups that walked around. All the other departments were grouped together in one central area, but the foreign teachers were segregated in the front of the school all alone. As expected, no one really came over to us and it was pretty boring and uneventful, despite the fact that we had a couple students get really into the karaoke we had going. They just can't get enough of Celine Dion.

My banner at our booth

My other foreign English co-teachers: Anna, Alip, and Willem

One of my favorite students, Upper

By the way, PFLTF stands for: The Project of Foreign Language Teaching by the Foreigners. Only Thailand would have such a ridiculous title for the department. Everywhere else in the wold it would just be the Foreign Language Department. Am I right, or am I right?

Attention music lovers: Los Campesinos!'s new CD, "Romance is Boring," has come out and it's pretty great. I think you all should go get it right now.

Run, Fatboy, Run

I've finally committed to doing something I've been meaning to do for as long as I can remember. Hit the gym. I realized that instead of coming home from school and sitting in my apartment for the next 8 hours, not doing anything, I could be making good use of my time and exercise. So, I started going last week, and I've been four times now. I'm going to try and go at least three times a week, for about an hour and a half a time. My workout so far has consisted of running 5k on the treadmill, biking 10k on the bike, and 100 stomach crunches. Then when I get back to my apartment, I run up and down the three flights of stairs five times. I don't know if that's a good workout or not, but it wears me out and I feel pretty good after I've finished. So I'm pretty happy about it. I'm trying a whole new healthy lifestyle here, and I know I've said that a million times before, but this time I'm actually doing it. Eating healthier, snacking less, and generally taking better care of myself. Sometimes I can't resist a cold beer and a couple Oreo cookies at the end of the night though...

On a rather humorous note, I was giving a lesson on trip preparations, and I asked my students what they'd buy first before going on vacation.

A student screamed out, "CONDOMS!"

The Future

Three of my best students who I specially chose to help me with a project for the Foreign Language Department at school...

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Sleepyhead

Sometimes bad things happen in order for good things to come. Case in point- a bunch of my friends were going to my favorite place in Thailand this weekend, Ko Samet, and I couldn’t go. I’ve been aching for a chance to get back to the wondrous tropical getaway ever since I left almost 2 months ago. Wow, has it been that long? However, school duties prevented me from returning and instead I had to hand out prizes at my schools fair. Maybe I was just sour and in a bad mood, but I felt extremely unneeded there. They had about ten other teachers working, and I mainly just stood around as a human trophy so my school could show off that they have a Westerner teaching at their school. About an hour or so in, I decided I had enough and slowly crept out the back of the booth and escaped into the night.

My school all lit up for the fair

I hurried back to my apartment, broke out my Thailand Lonely Planet guide book, anxiously looking for a place to go so I could salvage my weekend. After much debate and research, I decided on a sleepy town in Western Thailand next to the Burmese border called Sangkhlaburi. It was a bit of a trek to get there, but my golly was it worth every micro second. I woke up bright and early Saturday morning, and with perfect timing I caught the hour-long bus to Kanchanaburi where I would need to get off and take another 5 hour-long bus ride. When I arrived in Kanchanaburi, a man approached me and asked where I was going. I told him and he ushered me over to a van station, telling me it would get me to Sangkhlaburi much faster. It was about the same price as the bus, and I figured I’d be more comfortable. It turned out to be a great decision, because instead of taking 5 hours, it only took 3 1/2, but I’m getting ahead of myself. The ride took me through the beautiful Kanchanaburi mountain range, full of massive limestone giants covered in thick greenery with their complex peaks shaping the sky. I looked around the van and noticed that most of the other passengers were asleep, and I wondered how anyone could pass up a time to look at these amazing natural wonders. I stayed awake the whole time, listening to my iPod, just staring out my window and watching the mountains get more and more impressive as we went further west.

Mountains on the way up to Sangkhlaburi

I arrived in Sangkhlaburi at about one o’clock, and was immediately impressed with what I saw. It was a very small town, with only about 47,000 residents who live there. Most of them aren’t even Thai- they are mainly Burmese refugees from the Mon and Karen tribes who escaped to Thailand because of oppression in Burma. They now live in a village in this town that is connected by the longest wooden bridge in Thailand called the Mon Bridge. The bridge crosses the Khao Laem reservoir on which the town overlooks, and many people live in houses on the water. I checked into a small home stay, put down my bag, grabbed my camera and hit the town. After a quick lunch of Burmese Curry, I crossed the Mon Bridge, and explored the village. I hired a motorbike taxi and the driver took me around to all the hot spots. He did his best to communicate to me what the significance of each place was, but I only picked up a little of what he was trying to say. Afterwards, he dropped me off a local restaurant and the woman who ran it invited me in for some Burmese coffee. I gladly accepted, sat down, and pushed around a small racecar with her four-year old son, all while enjoying the most delicious cup of coffee I have ever had in my life. I spent the next couple of hours walking around on the bridge, checking out the market in town, taking pictures, and meeting people. I have never met so many friendly people in my entire life. Every person smiled, waved and said “Hello” to me as I walked by them. They didn’t stare at me like everywhere else in Thailand though, and I felt very comfortable strolling around.

Burmese woman and her son who invited me in for coffee

I walked around until it was almost 5:00, and that means only one thing: sunset. I headed back onto the bridge and spent the next hour and a half people watching, enjoying my surroundings and taking pictures of the sunset. And I have to say, it might have been on my list of top five all time sunsets. As the sun went down, and darkness took over the town, I heard sounds of thunder, and saw streaks of lightning. On the cusp of an electric storm, the air feels magnetic. The hairs on your arms stand up, and you can just feel something is about to happen. I left the bridge and found a little restaurant on the lake to have dinner. It was there that I met a fellow traveler named Helen. She was an older woman, probably in her later 50’s or so, but age doesn’t matter in the face of travel. She was from Australia, and we talked up a storm about anything and everything for a couple hours as the lightning lit up the sky. I was exhausted from the day though and went to bed around 8:30. I wanted to get a lot of sleep for the next day, but unfortunately this didn’t happen. I slept until around 1 a.m. or so, when I woke up and just couldn’t fall back asleep. I tossed and turned, hoping to fall back asleep until it was 6:00 a.m. when I woke up, got dressed and headed back down to the lake. I was tired but I didn’t care, I had a goal: early morning misty boat ride on the lake. I had heard that the mornings were magical here, and that boat rides were a must. I went to the dock, hired a boat and we set off. The lake was covered in fog, and I couldn’t see much, but I loved just being out there on the water. The sounds of nature, the cool air and the wind in my face all combined for a wonderful experience that I didn’t want to end. It’s surprising how fast an hour can go by when you are truly enjoying yourself.

On my misty morning boat ride

When daylight settled on the town, I made my way to the bus station and took a sorng-tau (a pickup truck with seats in the back) to Three Pagodas Pass, the border between Thailand and Burma. The ride took about a half hour, and I had my feet dangling off the back of the truck, watching blurs of green whiz by me. I was listening to my iPod and was having fun choosing different songs to play as we drove along. I decided that listening to “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynard Skynard was the most fun, and Rogue Wave’s “Lake Michigan” fit the mood best. The real treasure though, was listening to Sigur Ros, and as I zoomed by the mountains and looked out at the vast landscapes, I decided that listening to them in these surroundings was the defining moment of my life, and I couldn’t help but let a smile creep up my face. There isn’t much to see at Three Pagodas Pass, the pagodas themselves are pretty unimpressive. I spent most of my time here wondering around, looking out at the mountains and meeting some of the local people, some of whom took a picture with me. The most exciting part of being there was when I walked to the small town next to Three Pagodas Pass and explored the narrow streets and colorful faces of the people that live there. I also accidentally walked into Burma, which resulted in army men with guns yelling at me to get out. A little scary but pretty amusing and funny I think. In my defense, it was not clearly marked where Thailand ends and Burma begins. I was just walking along a street and all of a sudden I was in Burma. At least I can say that I have been there now, can’t I?

The only picture I took when I accidentally walked into Burma

A short while later, I headed back to Sangkhlaburi and had lunch. It was still early and I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself until the end of the day. I saw some people swimming in the reservoir outside the restaurant, so right away I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a bathing suit so I just went right in with my shorts. The water was clean and warm and it felt great to go swimming during the hot day. There was even a raft out in the reservoir. It wasn’t as great as my raft at Ko Samet, but hey, what is? It was made of bamboo, and was much smaller, but it swayed with the water and that’s all I needed. I swam out to it and relaxed and got some sun while I took a quick nap. When I woke up a short while later, I swam back to shore, gathered my things and headed back to my home stay where I showered and changed my clothes. I still had some time before the sunset so I walked around the town, trying to find places that I hadn’t been yet. I wandered around for who knows how long, and the longer I strolled the dustier my feet got from the dirt road. Eventually, I went back to the restaurant to have a beer and watch the sunset over the bridge. It was nice to see it from a different angle, but I was slightly disappointed because it wasn’t as great of a sunset as the previous night. I did get to see my friend Helen again, and after a quick catch up recalling our days events, we parted ways. I was completely and utterly beat from the day’s activities so I went back to my home stay where I just crashed. A solid 10 hours later, I woke up and packed up my things and left. I said goodbye to the family that lent me their home for the weekend and I made my way back down to the reservoir for one last look. It was misty again and the air was blue and I could see the sun trying to peak out from the clouds. I just stood there admiring this amazing place, wishing I didn’t have to go. So, with one last look, I turned around and walked up to the street where I took a motorbike into town.

My last look of town in the early morning

I caught a van to Kanchanaburi pretty quickly and I began my descent back into reality as the van took me back down through the mountains. The views going back down were just as incredible, if not better than any view before. Mist and early morning fog still covered the mountains and the sun rose in the distance silhouetting them. All was good until about halfway through the ride something terrible happened. A smelly old man got into the van and sat right next to me. He smelled like rotten curry and B.O., and made himself comfortable by sprawling out all over the seat. He was completely invading my personal space with his arms and legs touching mine and I tried to stay clear as I squished myself against the window. He then started to cough almost right in my face and made sounds that made me think he had a cockroach in his throat. Then, to top it all off, he decided that right now was the best time to pick his ear hair and proceeded to wipe them on his pants. I had to deal with this for about two hours, and I’ve never wanted to get out of a car so bad in my entire life. However, it couldn’t possibly taint my weekend, as I really believe it was my best yet.

Sunrise behind the mountains on my way back down

Never have I connected with a place I’ve traveled to as much as I did with Sangkhlaburi. And I would consider myself a very lucky person if I ever get to return to this hidden gem tucked away deep in the mountains.

Status Report II

Well, we've done it. Itinerary for the Asian Adventure is complete. We don't know know all the specific places we will be in besides India so far, but we've got some solid ideas. A lot of time, and lots of planning went into putting this sucker together. So, without further ado, I give you our itinerary:

March 2- Josh arrives in Bangkok at 11:45 pm
March 3- Bangkok

March 4: Fly to India- Depart Bangkok: 6:05 pm, Arrive Delhi: 9:05 pm

March 5: Delhi
March 6: Agra and Sunset at Taj Mahal
March 7: Sunrise at Taj Mahal and afternoon Fatehpur Sikri. Late afternoon bus to Jaipur
March 8: Jaipur. Overnight train to Udaipur- Departs 10:25 pm
March 9: Udaipur. Overnight bus to Jodphur (6 hours)
March 10: Jodhpur
March 11: Jodhpur. Overnight bus to Jaisalmer (5.5 hours) Train also available
March 12: Jaisalmer
March 13: Desert Tour
March 14: Desert Tour. Overnight train to Delhi- Departs 4:00 pm
March 15: Delhi (Arrive 11.05 am), Flight to Bangkok at 1 am

March 16: Fly back to Bangkok- Depart Delhi 1:00 am, Arrive Bangkok: 6:55 am

March 16: Bangkok
March 16: Go to Cambodia- Overnight Bus
March 17- 21: Cambodia
March 22: Go To Vietnam- Bus
March 22-April 3: Vietnam

April 3: Fly to Bangkok- Depart Hanoi at 9:15 am, Arrive Bangkok at 11:05 am-
April 3: Fly to Chiang Rai- Depart Bangkok at 8:10 pm, Arrive Chiang Rai at 9:30 pm

April 3-15: Northern Thailand and Laos
April 13, 14, 15: Chiang Mai

April 16: Fly to Phuket- Depart Chiang Mai at 1:30 pm, Arrive Phuket at 3:50 pm

April 16-30: Thai Islands

April 27, 28, 29: Koh Phangan
April 30: Fly to Bangkok- Depart Surat Thani at 1:30 pm, Arrive Bangkok at 2:40 pm
March 1: Josh leaves, flight out of Bangkok at 1:20 am

I would also like to let you all know that I have some new roommates moving in. I'm not sure when they will get here, but they will be living on the balcony. Here is a picture of what they look like right now:

Yes, they are pigeon eggs on my balcony. And as much as I hate these birds, I can't wait to see what little baby pigeons look like. I'll keep you all updated on the progress of the birth.

Collision Course

So as I said before, I was involved in an accident a few days ago. I was not driving a car, or a motorbike... I was on my bicycle. I was not hurt, and neither was the other cyclist, but it was still unbelievably hilarious. I was on my way to do private tutoring, and I'm minding my own business biking down the road. All of a sudden this Thai girl on another bicycle pops out of nowhere from a side street, and ends up right in my path. Before I was able to change course, we collided. It happened so fast, food went flying, drinks spilled, she screamed. She screamed so loud, it actually sounded like she was being murdered. My immediate reaction, of course, was to ask her if she was OK, and I was seriously concerned that I had really hurt her. Due to her screams, I'd say a good 20-30 Thai passerby's gathered around us to see what all the commotion was about. They probably all thought it was the stupid American's fault, but they would be wrong. When I realized the girl was fine, I helped her pick up all her things that spilled. As I repeatedly asked her, "OK? OK?" she started laughing at me. Then everyone else who was watching us started laughing at me. And then finally, I started laughing. It was just such a bizarre situation, and the crash itself was funny enough. I mean, how often do you hear about bicycle accidents? I picked up my bike and rode off, and continued to laugh to myself as I felt all the eyes watching me, everyone making fun of me in Thai. I would have loved to have been a witness to this accident, as I'm sure it was very amusing. I guess I'll just have to settle as being the one involved. Valuable lesson learned though... always be ready for small Thai girls to pop out of nowhere when you are riding your bicycle.