Yes, I'll Take The Boat

So this morning I wake up in a new city and I'm greeted by softly falling drizzles of rain... and although it stopped quickly, the streets of Battembang, Cambodia are muggier than ever. I don't think anything has felt truly dry since I've been here - and I'm pretty much used to that. The journey here was one I'll not soon forget... but first, I'd like to post about my last day in Siem Reap.

Two days ago I got up, showered, relaxed a bit, posted some mail home, walked around town and then hopped on my bike. I took the main road further south out of town and gawked at the beautiful scenery, children riding to school (they go from 1-5pm), and small homes and shops. On the way back to the hotel to clean up, I heard a small voice behind me saying, "Hello. Where you from?" A fifteen year old boy rode up next to me and wanted to know about the US, how long I was in his country, and where I was staying. When we approached a small building he said, This is where I go to school. Would you like to see?

We took a small path off the main road and parked our bikes by a large temple. My new friend, Cee-Ha, explained that his family is from Battembang, but they had sent him to Siem Reap to live with the monks and study Khmer (their language). He showed me the temple, inside and out, introduced me to the monks and a few other children - and proudly walked me over to the school. This is the part of Cambodia that most don't get to see and although I was curious, the tourist in me would have never simply approached an area without any tourists... well, and expected to have a gracious welcome anyhow. This was different, I was Cee-Ha's friend and guest.

We talked and laughed and his two years of English meant that we mainly understood one another. In the back of the small village there were extensive rice fields that he showed me. This is my new friend and the monk he lives with by the harvest.

Although I tried to get his mailing address to send him something from the States, he didn't know how to write it and neither did anyone there. Sadly, but joyfully too, I left. During the time in Siem Reap I have seen so many tour buses full of people who get let out at a sight, synchronize watches, and go - knowing that they will be told where the next stop will be and for how long they can enjoy. This seems pretty pointless to me now - and I'm so blessed to have had this lazy afternoon walking around with Cee-Ha.

Yesterday my alarm awoke me at 5:30am and I was picked up at 6 to head to the dock to catch my boat to Battembang. The boat was $13 which is over three times the cost by boat, but I had heard that it was the best boatride to do in Southeast Asia. Well, it definitely lived up to it's notoriety.

Getting on the boat with my friend Jo, we both thought - this is a really great li'l boat and there's so much room. Well, we ended up seeing that they set up plastic chairs all along the center aisle in the boat and then also piled people on top of the roof. I think we largely resembled a clown car. Luggage was piled on the back end and the toilet dared not call my name.

The first half was beautiful but largely uneventful. We saw the sunrise over the river and passed floating village after floating village. There were so many "towns" without any actual land of any sort. People lived on boats and houses (that were more like flimsy huts) built on stilts in the water or on top of floatation devices. At the halfway point we had a stop at a *rest area* that was no more than a raft where you could stop and eat some soup, buy a pineapple or Pringles (yes, in a river village in Cambodia you could get your Sour Cream and Onion fix), or pee in a quaint little toilet. The *toilet*, I'll call it, was about 41/2' tall and nothing more than a hole in the wood. One woman got back on the boat laughing so hard saying it was cute, but that she thought the fishes were staring at her peeing. The hole went right into the river where children were playing and they washed their dishes and clothes. Interesting.

I was many homes like this one that I'll call "New Construction". I think in the States we'd boast waterfront property with 360 degree views... something like that. It was crazy!

During the second half of the ride I monkey-ed my way to the top of the boat while it was moving - I laughed so hard the entire time. As we got closer to the city we saw more and more litter along the riverbanks - piles and piles of it. The people, though, were so very beautiful. Children running naked waving, blowing kisses, and sticking out their tounges were delighted when you would mimic back to them. (Especially the sticking out your tounge!). There were fish jumping everwhere, including into the boat, and fisherman with their nets - balanced on boats or up to their chest in water. There was such joy everywhere and we soaked it all up. This is Jo on top of the boat with her UV parasol (which many people have here).

I will always remember this ride and now, I acknowledge that I would have paid anything for this ride - $130 would have been worth it. The joy in the Cambodian people is all around me and it feels so very good. This place has a happier energy than Thailand. At one point I contemplated leaving this country out of my travels, but I'm so glad that I came and saw everything - good and bad.

Angkor Wat - What?

My journey to Siem Reap was an interesting one... full of bouncing, five people throwing up, scenery of complete poverty (emaciated cows, children playing in dirty, stagnant water, and mat after mat covered with drying rice harvests), and our busdriver's liberal use of the horn. Add six hours and we were there... a bit jiggled up, but no worse for the wear.

I sat next to a woman named Stephanie from Germany and we ended up catching the same tuk-tuk into town. Then we booked the same guesthouse which is great. It's called Smiley's and I heard about it from Jodie and Glenn whom I met on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui. It's new, beautiful, clean, and a lovely shade of buttercup yellow. There's a garden in the middle that my room looks over and it's filled with chirping birds. It feels a little like a dream.

Stephanie and I hired a tuk-tuk driver for the afternoon and set off for the Temples of Angkor. We took two hours to see Angkor Wat (the largest, and most famous of the temples). We were both really excited to see them, but disappointed at the same time. I mean, the temple was SO cool, and we didn't expect to be the only tourists there, but there were thousands upon thousands. You couldn't really get a solitary moment there. The bas reliefs, the representations of Buddah, the grand moat surrounding the complex, and the vast greens inside - unbelievable.

We had our driver take us to Phnom Bakheng to see the sunset... and after a short hike up the mountain and climbing many treacherous steps, we arrived at the top. The view was *killer* and as I was basking in the evening glow I heard someone calling "Janice! Janice!". I completely ignored this because, heck, I'm halfway around the world in a non-English speaking country and no one here knows me... Well, I was wrong. It was Jo, from The Sanctuary on Had Tien in Koh Phangan! Of all the thousands of people at the temples, and the thousands more in the city, we met up without any planning on my first night here!

We sat and watched the sunset together and talked for a while - it was great to reconnect with someone, as I've enjoyed meeting people en-route, but sadly have to part without seeing eachother again.

The three of us went to dinner that night and then yesterday all did more temples on our own. I rented a two-peddle steed and enjoyed lazily peddling around the complex. It's quite huge and today my butt feels a little square. This morning Stephanie and I got a tuk-tuk to take us back to the temples for sunrise. Our 5am departure was a bit early, but the view was well worth it. The sky changed from a pale lavender, to a bright hue of rose, to a pale yellow... and then there was a blue, blue, blue sky. It was so peaceful that you could still hear the crickets and see a crecent moon in the sky.

Two and a half days left me templed out... I came here to an internet cafe to soak up some AC before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Jo and I are meeting up for dinner tonight and we're going to talk about where to go next. We had both thought about Battembang (a smaller town not too far from here), but apparently the boat there greatly varies on wet/dry season. In wet season it takes 4 hours and in dry it can take anywhere from 10-12. Wet season just ended, but word is that the water levels are already low. I don't want to take a little boat for 10 hours, so we may find somewhere else to travel together or I may just go my own way.



This is our fearless tuk-tuk driver as we found him asleep on the job while he was waiting for us at one of the temples. His name's Lucky.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to everyone... I had Indian food that night, by the way - and not even Native American Indian food. :)

Love to everyone - and I miss you.
xoxo
Janice

***1:08p Internet Cafe, Siem Reap, Cambodia

First World Wonder

Internet in Northern Cambodia is truly terrible, but just so you all know - I have seen my first of the seven wonders of the world. The temples of Angkor are breathtaking and perhaps the only time using the word "awesome" has ever been appropriate for me. I will post more when the computer actually agrees with me.

Love, J

Pick Me Up

I don't think I really conveyed yesterday how much of a down day it was. I went to bed with a million thoughts swimming around my head and the only way I could drown out the day's sorrow was to put on my ipod and *music* myself to sleep. I was ready to hop the next plane home.

The poverty here is really devastating and there are children everywhere wanting to sell you something or begging for food. It's hard because we have so much and they see us coming here with dollars in our pockets - and they are pushed into attempting to hawk things on the street. They sell everything from postcards and books to flowers and jewelry. When I was at the killing fields yesterday a group of children were playing there... playing on this ground where you can walk over pieces of human bone and see teeth peeking up through the soil. The came over, spoke perfect English, charmed me with stories and wanted me to take their picture. As soon as we crossed around the bend they started begging for money, telling me they were so hungry, that they were trying to pay for English lessons, that their parents were very poor, too. I resisted and resisted - it was so very hard to say no. In the end I gave four boys a dollar to share (given to the eldest one) and then they turned angry that I had not given them more. Before I knew it, I was surrounded with children that came out of nowhere all saying that they knew I had money - that they saw it. Why didn't I like them? Why didn't I give them some money, too?

I was heartbroken... you see kids all dirty, with little or no clothing running up and down the street. The conditions are horrible for people who live here in a way we can't relate to.

Today I needed some life affirmation and I got a lead over breakfast. I met an Australian girl and her English boyfriend and they said they had seen a sign for an orphanage that you could go visit. I went and saw the posting and decided to stumble my way back to the Central Market (which I, suprisingly, easily found). I had such fun buying things for the children... I bought: 6lbs. of bananas, 5 new towels, 5 toothbrushes, a six-pack of bar soap, 5 packs of crayons, peanuts, and some sweets. (This was the best $15 I've spent - ever. Period.) I can't tell you how overwhelmed I was when I walked into the orphanage. Wait, let me start earlier -

The road to the orphanage was truly terrible... churned up with rocks and trash everywhere. I'm talking HEAPS of litter mixed in with the broken pavement and dirt. There were dogs eating through the dirty puddles of spoiled food, baskets of meat that were mostly indistinguishable (because they were completely covered with flies), and people washing their babies in dirty buckets of water off the side of the street.

The building was falling apart, but full of joy. I could hear the children singing from down the street and when I peered in I saw them all with their handmade instruments putting on a song and dance for two other foreigners who were there. They run to you, throw their skinny little arms around you, say "hello hello hello", and smile so that it melts your heart. Most of them had really dirty clothes on and their teeth were blackened in places... their hair stringy and their feet covered in dirt. It was a beautiful sight.

The woman who runs the orphanage doesn't speak english, but had a translator there to help. These children were given up either by parents who were sick or infected with HIV and couldn't take care of them, or their parents had passed away. I was lead into the center of the room and sat in a chair - the children surrounding me. They all wanted to see what was in the big bag that I brought for them! The leagues of little hands passed around the bananas and oohed at the crayons. When I brought out the sweets they all ran away and I was wondering what I did...? They all sat down on the floor on their knees very quietly and waited for me to pass them out, one at a time. Each one, in turn, said thank you. None of them asked for one, if I offered two to the same child they politely declined and showed me their wrapper, and when I almost missed two, they didn't even say a word. These children were so greatful for being given anything. Choruses of thank yous, singing, posing for pictures... it was so beautiful. So very beautiful.

I met another American there, Ian from NYC. He's a photographer and had a camera that was the subject of my ENVY. He told me he'd send me pictures that he took there (they were amazing!) and then asked if I wanted to have dinner with him. It was nice to talk to another New Yorker!

This, too, was a tearful day - but just the kind I needed to find.

The most touching thing was they all wanted to kiss my cheeks, hold my hands, look at the pictures in my camera with me. They're just like kids anywhere you just want you to love them and give them attention. They want to sit on your lap, ask your name so they can repeat it, and they all respond to you telling them how beautiful they are... and they are. It was magical and and experience that will never fade.


Tomorrow morning I take a bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap in the morning... and I'll arrive at around 2pm or so. I have decided not to take a cooking class here. I feel it is time to leave this town for the next.

***7:23P, Grandview Guesthouse, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Moved While Standing Still

I feel that today I lack the words in my vocabulary to emote what I'm feeling. It's big, and weighty, and humbling - it has been a tearful day.

I arrived on a very uneventful flight into Phnom Penh, Cambodia this morning... and I have a second stamp in my passport. I hired a motorbike driver, Woody, to drive me lakeside to a guesthouse and he convinced me to hire him for the day to take me around. It was really quite a bargain at $10, considering he used $2+ on gas and was at my beck-and-call... waiting patiently for me to finish shopping, gawking at the museums, etc. The driving here is even worse than in Thailand and once you get out of the city the roads are abismal. I was just adjusted to driving on the left hand side of the road and now we're back to "normal" driving.

After dropping my stuff I went to the Royal Palace... I could have wandered there for hours, but they close between 11 and 2p - which was irritating. The perfectly manicured grounds gave way to unique temple, after temple... with large, open areas for traditional dancers, representations of buddah, and an Elephant Building, too. I got to watch a woman weaving traditionally patterened fabric. She said that one piece takes her three months!

I went to the National Museum to see ancient relics, a cool garden, and traditional masks. The pool inside read "If you want a good rebirth, you must liberate from the delusions". (I'd post more about this, but I know this post will be really long anyhow!)

Woody took me to the Central Market to do some shopping. I wanted to find some more postcards and look around. Anyone who loves food would have died to be there with me. I cannot possibly explain how crazy this place was. They had watches, jewlery, clothing, silk, household goods, electronics, shoes... anything you could imagine. Half of the market though was food - meat products I couldn't even distinguish... I know there some huge tounges there though! There were bubbling tubs with prawns as big as my hand, crabs (both alive and smoked with the shell on), fish bigger than my leg, barrel after barrel of different rice, peanuts, chillis, garlic, dried shrimp, oils... etc. The fruits and vegetables were everywhere, too - hanging, piled high on tables and in hammocks, in large, flat bins. I counted 15 varieties of bananas alone! (Lady fingers are the best!) I walked for the better part of an hour and a half and then met my trusty guide for the next stop. By the way, place your orders now - Birks for $30, silk scarves, suede Puma's for $15, t-shirts for $2.50 (and you'd actually WANT to wear them), ivory chopsticks, silver EVERYTHING... it goes on and on. The handmade purses are really super cool.

Now the hard part of the day -

I went to Toul Seng prison (which was called S-21). It was a high school originally and in the 1970s Pol Pot converted it to a prison where he detained "traitors" against the Khmer Rouge. There were four large buildings that created a U-shape with a common in the middle of it. Many of the rooms were bare except for a bed, shakles, torture devices, and one picture on the wall. It was the most powerful experience. I saw very graphic pictures of prisoners strapped to the beds (where they were put when tortured) with pools of blood beneath them, eyes rolled back... emaciated by starvation. Other rooms were broken into smaller cells that housed the prisoners. These cells were just large enough for a person to mostly lie down. The prisoners here were all photographed and their histories recorded meticulously, so, you walk around room after room after room looking at THOUSANDS of faces... men, women and children. Some of them were Communists who were the torturers... CHILDREN! There were pictures of mother's holding infants... and then paintings of survivor recounts of the babies being pulled from their arms to be killed. They were either tossed in the air and shot or violently speared to death. You stand there, in this place that once housed laughter and learning and you feel just a profound sadness starting into people's eyes who can no longer look at you. There were rooms filled with skulls that you could see where from helpless people who were bludgeoned in the head. There was a movie to watch about the story of two people whose family put together a documentary. In the documentary, you see the old school director (who later became director of Pol Pot's detention center, walk through the halls... talking about the torture, killing, and hauling people off to be shot in the Killing Fields nearby. He smiles repeatedly in the film. Pol Pot only died in 1998... less than ten years ago... and many of the people guilty of the beatings and killings are still alive. One floor of one of the buildings is dedicated to giving these torturers a voice through their biographies. Many tell of being forced to do what they did, but some have no remorse. I cried a silent cry of tears just falling down my cheeks. You feel very small in a place like that. (The picture is of some of the recovered shakles.)


When I left I felt chills and then really cold. It lasted for almost two hours through the extreme heat here. Woody drove me to the killing fields and the main building shows 18 shelves of skulls towering into the sky. These have been recovered from 87 of the 129 open graves that have been resurfaced. When you walk the grounds, you can see the Mekong River, hear kids playing across the street, and see the very dimpled ground where the bodies were once piled. It was hard to breathe. Almost 2 million people were killed in Cambodia... and a great deal went through Toul Seng.

I really felt like just leaving tomorrow and finding some place more cheerful, but I'm going to stay for a few days to see the happy side of the people who live here. There are destitutely poor people living here, but living here joyfully. They are proud of their heritage because it shows how far they've come, despite this awful history.

So, tomorrow I'll rent a bike and tour around, if I feel safe doing so. The roads are so much worse here - I couldn't imagine that! In the evening Woody is picking me up to watch the sunset over a temple here and then I'm having him bring me to a traditional Cambodian Dancing exhibition... I think it's just what the doctor ordered.

I felt something I've never felt today - and again, it was more powerful than words can express.

***8:45P, Thursday, Internet Cafe, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Delousing

Alright, I don't have lice, nor have I ever. I just thought I'd start today's post on a lighter note as parts of yesterday's were on the 'heavier' side.

I went to a Monkey School. Yes, MONKEY SCHOOL! Seriously. NO, Seriously!

I spent the earlier part of my day seeing some more sites (which I'll tell you about in a minute) but then I asked the man from the Guesthouse where else I should go in my last afternoon here in Kanchanaburi and he told me I should definitely go to the monkey school... so I did.

My trusty bike served me well as I rode along the back roads, over two bridges, and down through the most amazing swampland to the Monkey School. The owner's name was Loh-Mai (which means flower in Thai) and her family has been training monkeys for over a hundred years. This is what she had to tell me. Most breeds of monkeys still alive today originated in Southern Thailand (where her family is from - she was very proud of this!). There are seven main types and at her monkey school there are six represented. They mainly rescue monkeys that people bought as novel pets, but then lacked the skills to care for. After abuse or neglect they give them up and Loh-Mai takes them to teach them how to harvest coconuts. Do you know that almost half the coconuts harvested in the world are done by monkeys? (The other half is done by monkey-like men!) It takes about three months to train a smart monkey, although some breeds are "stupid, like some people". Ha!

I can't tell you what a neat feeling it was to be there. Loh-Mai and her daughter were showing me the monkeys and let me play with a baby one. You have to be very, very careful and take off all your jewelry, hair ties, sunglasses, etc. They will try to "steal" from your pockets if you have anything in them, but will listen when instructed not to. Li-Li, the baby monkey, sat on my head and ate a tiny, Lady-Finger banana... and then picked through my hair for fleas and lice. I had forgotten to take out my nose ring (I've had it for almost 8 years now and mostly forget it's there) and she tried to pick at it. I was laughing so hard!

When you present your arm to the monkeys they pick at your hair trying to find more fleas... smacking their lips the whole time and making "Myum, myum, myum" sounds. The owner marvelled at my lack of arm hair - thanks to being Korean. It didn't stop them from trying though... for upwords of 20 minutes.

Here's a picture of what Loh-Mai does after harvest to prepare the coconuts for sale... and also she and her daughter with the finished product.













The daughter thought it was great that she was going to be on the internet!















I went to the WWII Museum and the Japanese War Memorial yesterday in the morning. The buildings were so tall and intricate. I walked for hours and wrote in my journal... and bought myself a pendant from the 1930's made, and signed, by a Thai monk who was famous for his carvings. (I checked with three other vendors after purchase and they all said the same monk's name, so I don't *think* I was hustled!) From both Museum sites you could catch great views of the Bridge over the River Kwai. I, yes, have walked the Bridge from the Thai side to the Burma side. There were men working on the bridge with unbelievable deftness as they prepared for the big light and fireworks show that starts on the 25th of this month. They are so proud of their heritage and reverence for the past and each year they do a re-enactment of sorts where they simulate the bombing with lights and sound... and then finish with a huge fireworks display. This lasts every night for one week until the 5th of December. I will just miss it.

The area surrounding the bridge is so different from day to night. As with most places, there are two distinct personalities. During the day it's wall-to-wall people selling goods, food, showing magic tricks, and making different forms of art. I found a couple neat souveniers there, too. I had a hard time finding a place to stash my rented bike. I went back that night to have dinner on the floating restaurant there and by 8pm there was NOTHING there. It felt as though a void had been created.

Changing topics. I think most men would love it here. First, there are beautiful women everywhere. Second, the smell of habatchis every where makes you think of the Fourth of July at every moment. From my experience, even men who can't cook, claim to be brilliant chefs in regards to grilling. Plus, everything is on a stick... mostly meat. More meat than you could shake a stick at! (That was really bad...)

Also, I'm noticing that most people are thinking I'm Thai... they give me prices and try to bargain with me until they realize that I have no clue what they're saying. I grew up in such a caucasian dominated place that it is where I feel most at home. It's strange and wonderful to be in a place where I belong more for my Asian heritage. I can't explain it... it's something I've never felt and it has added to this beautiful experience.

I talked to Dad yesterday in the morning and we got on the topic that even though I have two months, it's not a lot of time. I'm only able to do the major touristy things here and not get into the off-the-beaten-path locales. He began to talk about how he would like to see Vietnam again - to see how it had changed and also stayed the same. I'm trying to get him to come join me in January to take two weeks to explore Vietnam together. I can change my ticket very easily and then just extend things for another couple weeks... returning home mid-January. I would love to see it with him and share this experience together. Help me convince him to let go a bit and come over to S.E.A.!

I'm off to pack up my life into my bag again... until Cambodia, I'm signing off.

***11:13am Wednesday 11.22.06, Internet Cafe, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Goodness AND Gracious!

Today was quite a day and I can't wait to post all about it, but I thought I would first start with sharing some thoughts, feelings, emotions... you know. So I had a realization today as I'm travelling all over the place - I have really found so much strength in doing this trip alone. I'm completely capable of figuring out how to get from here-to-there. I can communicate with people who don't speak English fairly well. A smile goes a long way - and children are beautiful wherever you go... as are there doting parents at every turn. Yesterday I had no idea where I was going to sleep today and yet, here I am... with a bed to sleep in, food in my stomach, and a cheerful outlook on my mind. My sincere hope is that everyone gets to do a trip like this at (very least) once in his or her life. Strength and confidence have been building steadily.

Let me impress you briefly with the kind of amazing traveller I have become in only three short weeks! I boarded a ferry at 5pm yesterday... watched the sunset, and regretted sitting on the side by the window. (I kinda felt charfy.) Once I had gained my sea legs I boared a bus to another station and then a minibus (okay, a glorified minivan) to the train station. At 11:40p the train came (40 mins. late) and I was on my way north. This was a sleeper train and the beds were already made up and most people were asleep - including the man below me who was doing his absolute best chainsaw impression. Kudos to him. When I woke up and got off the train it was 9:15a. I hopped on the back of a motorbike and took a ride to another bus station... hopped on bus 81 (the woman was FAR from friendly to the gauche American), and then took my first ever Rikshaw (is that even how you spell that?) to the Jolly Frog where yes, times are jolly *and* I have seen frogs! (Gramma would love the flower gardens!) I'm in Kanchanaburi now - staying on the River Kwai... and I feel steeped with history just being here. The only bad thing about the trip is that I thought I was being so economical by handwashing my favorite tank top and I ended up leaving it on Koh Phangan - hanging lazily outside to dry. Maybe someone else is loving it right now.

I should add that the train situation really impressed me. In the morning it was a flurry of activity... in a matter of minutes men came around and stripped the beds of the used linens and blankets, piled the pillows, curtains, and bottom mattress into the overhead and closed it up. They then set up the scene of the lower bed into two, relatively comfortable chairs. Nice! This isn't where it stopped... they came around and served breakfast... allowed other vendors to hop on and try to sell their foodstuffs... and then came around and swept everything AND mopped, too. It's really impressive how dedicated people are here to maintenance. The folks at the bungalow where I stayed the night before actually swept the sand until it looked all smooth while the slacker-types were still sleeping. Me? I've been getting up at 6-6:30a. I think it's all the fresh air that makes me get better quality sleep and hence, less of it required.

This post really could take me forever.

I rented a bike... the two-wheel, man-powered, cursing-it-on-a-hot-day kind. No, it really wasn't that bad - I rather enjoyed it. For $1 a day I have my wheels in this little town and it's great. Although I'm seriously terrible with spacial relations (even on a map), I was pleased to see that I could easily peddle from one end of town to the other without breaking a sweat. First stop was the Thailand/Burma Railway Center Museum. It was really moving and beautiful - explaining Japan's expansion in Southeast Asia, the POW workforce, and the many, many problems. There were spikes from the original RR that indicated how many of each country's POWs died there. U.S. was among the least.

From there I went to a cemetary and cried. Now, I have been to Arlington National Cemetary when I was 8, I think. From what I remember of it, it was big, and hot, and there were lots of bright white gravestones... and it was hot. Hot. HOT. I didn't get the magnitude of the experience and so I think this hit me harder. I biked to the Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetary where 1,700 of the 1,700,000 who died during the RR construction and war have been buried. I walked the grounds and looked at headstone after headstone. It was an astonishingly beautiful place and those who died were mostly in their 20s (although some went up to early 40s). I found on stone where the man died at 22 and was born the day after I was, on July 22nd. At 26 I have had four more years of life than this young man... and I have been thankful to live every day as a choice. He, on the other hand, was taken and forced into this grueling labor which ultimately ended in his death. Freedom is something we soon forget in the light of trying to acquire the next "thing", rushing to the next appointment, and cursing the annual tax adjustments every January. We are free and that, in itself, is noteworthy. There was a whole section of the cemetary devoted to just unknown soldiers and another monument for the 3,000+ that have never been found. I sat. I breathed. I cried, too, and it was so moving.

On a lighter note, I found myself upon Wat Neua and it's the coolest temple. It's tall with a spindly top and dragons carved all over it... I'm talking super-cool, 3D dragons that had curly mustache thingys and a million colors on their skin. I was trapsing around, and so pleased to have found a spot without other tourists, when I saw this group of little boys sitting inside after leaving their neighboring school. I tried to sneak a candid picture, but they saw me and were beyond elated when I asked if I could take their picture. Do you like the peace signs they gave me? They wanted to know my name and sang it in the temple. It was an amazing feeling, sound, and will forever be a great memory. Upstairs in the temple it was another kaliedescope of colors and... AND... it was filled with chirping little birds. Twittering from the birds echoed off the sides of the round temple. I just wanted to stay there forever.

I could go on for hours... I saw the Lak Meuang Shrine, the Governor's House, and The JEATH War Museum. I explored the town and managed to dodge the oncoming traffic while biking with my head tilted to the sky, mouth agape, and hands reaching for my camera. (Alright, it wasn't *that* grossly unsafe!)

I'm here for one more day and then leaving on Wednesday for Bangkok. I fly to Cambodia early on Thursday. Even though I miss the friends I made at The Sanctuary, I'm kind of glad to be on my own again. It's good.

Sorry about the lack of pictures with this post - the USB with this computer is bunk, I think. You can close your eyes and imagine the best until I can put some up tomorrow. I'm back to the land of super-cheap internet. YAY!

I have been able to add some pictures now. When I looked at my camera, it's FILLED with images of the temple. I didn't realize I took so many, but it was really and truly breathtaking.
10.21.06 @ 4:17pm

Love, J
**8:37p Monday, Internet Cafe, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Side Notes: Standards of cleanliness really do drop when travelling here. (As I'm sure in other parts of the world.) Expectations of where you'll lay your head at night also have to be tempered with the idea that guesthouses are not The Hyatt with big, fluffy towels, logo embossed soap, and a lovely room service menu. The term "Western Toilet" is also somewhat of a flexible definition. While you'd think all "Westerns" would flush, they do, in fact, not. Half the time you get a spigot by the toilet with a large bucket and a smaller pail with a handle floating in it. After you go, you scoop up some water and rinse it down. Glamorous! This is the stuff to write home about! (That's why I am.) Showers in Thailand are not what we think of as showers either... and every one I have seen and used since I left (and yes, it's so hot I take about three a day unless I'm en-route) reminds me of my camping days with the fam in the good ol' camping trailer. It's a shower head on a flexible hose that sprays EVERYWHERE in your bathroom, unless you hold it with your hand the entire time. After some wet TP I got the hang of the wetting down, soaping up, and rinsing off technique. God, I'm so sheltered! On the subject of TP and towels... do not expect that these ammenities will be included in your $4 rate. No no no. Thankfully there are Seven Eleven's everywhere and although none are connected to a gas station, they all have good things like cold water, phone cards, and TP. The travel towel has come in handy.

Additionally, when considering the fact that any language I've ever been truly exposed to is based on Arabic letters, and I'm now in a country with language symbols I don't even distinguish between, this is a challenge. In taking sound from Thai language and applying our letters to make the same sounds what you end up with is a mess. The SAME town can have, like, *five* spellings. Even if you pronounce these cities, foods, greetings, the way that they phonetically appear - you will get sideways stares, puzzled looks, and sometimes distained glances. Most of the time I rely on my charm, animal magnetism, and a coy little "help the poor girl, please" smile.

Spa Trip... er, Day... er, Week.

Hi Everyone!

I've made it back to the civilization on the other side of the island. After taking another long boat across some highly jostling waters. I made it safely back to the land of cars, motorbikes, and merchants trying to sell you everything from clothes to guesthouse stays. It was nice to escape for a week and see nothing but azure waters, palm trees, coconuts, and amazing vistas after short hikes. My hammock, sadly, was not actually mine and had to stay. :(

Here is my trusty long boat that I took to The Sanctuary. The Resort and Spa are beyond belief - everything you'd think of if you turned a huge chunk of land over to the Swiss Family Robinson and asked them to have-at-it. My bungalow was set up on a hill behind the main lounge/restaurant and had a balcony that overlooked the ocean. (This is my view!) The waves lapping on the shore made the sountrack for an amazing week long stay. I met so many great people there and it was hard to go this morning... but I had company on my trip to Had Rin, so it was a proper send off. Garret treated us all to Falafel for lunch and called it the last supper, although I assured him I was going to be around tomorrow. Having Greek food in Thailand prepared by Thais is really a weird thing for me. It's no different than having Thai food prepared by Americans in Vermont, I realize, but the novelty is still there.

This is the restaurant lounge... lights draped in wicker with low tables, traditional triangular mats, and the greatest vegetarian fare. Banana shakes rock!

The stay, in brief highlights:

• Finding bat poop on my mosquito net before bed... and Clotide (the French woman next door) coming over to clean it for me. She insisted I watch the stars from the flat rock behind her bungalow while she did this - and yes, I did.
• The morning hike up to the view point where I could see the next four bays. On the way down we collected these little red seeds with black spots. They're supposed to keep a "good eye" on you... I figured extra luck is always good to have.
• Facial - complete with foot and shoulder massage. I think I could bathe in Jasmine every day.
• Going to the Bamboo Restaurant with Jo, Bernie, Alex, and Clotide - it was an amazing feast of fish!
• I'm tanned now - and three Thai women have approached me, speaking only Thai, and couldn't understand that I didn't understand. HA.
• Reading five, yes five, books. I can't remember the last time I let myself have time to read and I really love it. Yes, I will read more at home.
• Playing too much Jenga.
• The BIG, scary spider that also loved my hammock - I almost sat on him, but instead flung him for a ride.
• The craziest thunderstorms...! I didn't know that the islands had different monsoon seasons depending on the sides they're on. Well... we had a lot of rain and it was beautiful, with magical streaks of lightening and booming skies. While I like a good storm as much as the next adventurer, there is something decidedly more, well, terrifying about seeing them from a bamboo hut with a thatched roof.
• My glorious bathroom under the bungalow that was like a big, melon colored womb with rock walls and a real, western toilet. They even gave us toilet paper!

This is a picture of Bernie feeding Alex at our feast of fish! I had Barbecued Baracuda fish with brown rice and vegetables.

I'm in a new town and here for a day - leaving tomorrow night at 5pm to travel back to Bangkok. It's cheaper to take a ferry much further south and then a train up to Bangkok than to connect via ferry at a more nothern point on the mainland. Odd. I'll be going via air-conditioned train this time and arriving early the next morning. At least I get a bed, and don't have to worry about paying for lodging that night.

I want to convey how truly novel all of this is to me... trucks passing by filled with coconuts, the phrase "same same" that non-english speakers use when trying to sell you something that is, in fact, NOT what you wanted, and the sayings and funny phraseology from other travellers I meet. I'm having the time of my life.

I met some great people this week... Jo (Aussie), Sophie and Susie (Brits), Theresa and Bernie and Alex(Austrians). Clotide (French), Monica and Garret (from Seattle!), Frank (Dubai), Andrea (from LA), and Kob (from Northern Thailand - she worked at The Sanctuary and was amazing!).

The feelings of being lonesome are fading and I'm exctied about the next stop. I'll be in Cambodia on Thursday! YAY! Another stamp in the passport!

Love to all - Janice

**7:16pm, Internet Cafe, Thong Salah, Koh Phangnan, Thailand

I'm Still Standing... Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Hello Friends and Family -
I'm still here in Koh Phangan at The Sanctuary... I wasn't planning on staying quite this long, but I've made a great group of friends and we're enjoying eachother's company. Jo (from Austalia), Sophie and Susie (from England), Alex, Theresa and Bernie (from Austria), Monica and Garret (from Seattle), Clotide (from Paris)... etc. etc. etc. Despite the fabulous time here, it's now time to move on and see the next place on the list. I'm going to take a speed boat to the main land tomorrow and stay in Chomphon for a couple days before heading back up to Bangkok and then to Kanchanaburi. Kanchanaburi is the subject of the movie "The Bridge Over the River Kwai". It's just a short day-trip by train to the city and I'll be back in Bangkok by nightfall - to catch the flight to Phnom Penh.
This place is like a hidden treasure... only accessible by a remote boat that goes - oh, every now and again, no transportation methods other than by foot on the ground. I'm missing home right about now. Mostly all of your faces and (yes) work even. This workaholic can't seem to get it out of her blood! You can look forward to a nice, long post about this past week when I get back to Bangkok, most likely. This morning Clotide and I hiked up to one of the view points here on the edge of our beach and I took the most amazing pictures to round out the other images of Koh Phangan.
Clotide is leaving today and she's in the other half of my bungalow - we share a HUGE melon colored bathroom below our rooms that kind of resembles a big womb. It's really neat - with natural rocks forming the bounds of the space and the shower falling down between these natrural features. As a last hurrah for the group that has been here all week, we walked over to the Bamboo restaurant (over the crest of the mountain and down towards the next beach) and had a lovely fish dinner. Things here at the resort are very pricey (for food anyhow) so my Barbecued Baracuda Fish and Banana Shake were a delight at $6 total.
That's all for now - until I get a chance to properly post.
Love to all -
J

Short and Sweet

Okay, this one's short and has to last you for about a week... unless I find cheaper internet service. At 3b a minute this is pricey!

I took a mini bus to the ferry dock on Koh Samui and then a speeeeed boat (yikes!) to Koh Phangan this morning... another mini bus to Had Rin and then a long boat to Had Tien and I'm now at the Sanctuary Spa and Resort. It's the most remote location... you can only get here by boat, no cars, no bikes, just footpaths and amazing vistas. It's a little private beach. You wouldn't believe it unless you saw it and, as I said, until I have cheaper internet you'll have to wonder with your eyes closed and dreamy-like. I just didn't want anyone to worry if I didn't post!

The bamboo bungalows are set into the rock studded mountainside and it really, truly, is beyond all belief. I could not have made a more idyllic locale if I had planned it myself.

I'll be here for a week before heading back up to Bangkok to fly into Phnom Penh. Don't worry about me - I'll be just fine! :)

8:17pm, Saturday, The Sanctuary Spa and Resort, Had Tien, Koh Phangan, THAILAND!

Conquering the World (of Motorbikes!)

Today's post is probably going to be a long one, so get prepped. :)

I HAD THE MOST FANTASTIC DAY YESTERDAY!

As with most good things in life, I stumbled upon something wonderful yesterday and mainly because of a misunderstanding of sorts. I was asking the girl running the bungalow where I was staying about renting a motorbike and before I knew it, I was renting one. The one thing that I thought I would really miss on this trip is my car... for the sense of freedom it gives me to just hop in and take a ride, oh, anywhere really. Yesterday I rolled in style in a motor scooter, folks. This was my trusty ride.
Let me tell you that I've never, never driven a beast like this before in my life and it was so easy and fun. I even rocked out the super un-cool blue crash helmet just for Dad. I have such a sunburn despite my sunscreen, but it's not feeling bad today and I don't think it will peel. In fact, I'm still lobstering as we speak. So, in a lazy afternoon I drove around the whole island and saw some really cool things. Now before you get jealous, take a look at this beast and realize that it's really dusty and dirty here. I ended up with a slick layer of crud all over me and showered about three times once I got back to the Bungalow, but it was well, well, well worth it. I would have given just about anything to share today with my Dad (you would have just LOVED it, Dad!)

I went to a waterfall and although I won't show you a picture of that, because heck, you've all seen those before, I will show you the memorial that was just by the magnificence. It was covered in flowers, cloths and scarves, and beads... there were even bits of children's clothing. The water was rushing and needless to say, after a drive up and a short hike to the waterfall, it was anything but rural. There werem merchants everywhere and people making food and carving sculpture from soap. It was cool just the same.


From there I drove to see the Big Buddah on the island and I had to post a picture of that for Gemery. It was set on top of a large hill with amazing views of the ocean all around (it was on a little penninsula). There were bells that surrounded the Buddah and to make good wishes, guests were to ring the bells with big sticks all the way around... to call attention to Buddah. There was tour guide there who was talking about paying tribute and said that it was done in three ways. First, you bring and light incense, then you light a candle (which symbolizes Buddah's enlightenment, and then you kneel and pray. Also, did you know that the images we associate with Buddah are not actually Buddah? Nope, the fat, round guy that everyone at home thinks of as him is actually a monk. How do you know when it's Buddah? There will be a flame coming out of the top of his head. This is how they put an image to the concept of a halo. Cool, huh? Guess what else? I met some monks! They actually let me take their picture... and wanted to know where I was from. The US wasn't a good enough answer, but when I said "Vermont" they replied"Burr-mon" like they were cold Jamaicans. HA! Here are my new friends.

When I got back to the Bungalow I made some new friends. These lovely people are Jodie and Glenn and they're from England. After a few funny misunderstandings (Jodie: "Have you had the monkey nuts here? They're AMAZING!" - she meant peanuts and it took us a half hour to figure that out!) we had such a good time chatting. We ended up having dinner out together in town and they are both so very kind and interesting. They are taking 10 months to tour the world and have bought a "Round the World" ticket... and are just going! They've just come from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and had so many ideas and insights to share. Glenn's cousin owns a bar here in town so we went to meet him after dinner. I took the picture while we were playing pool, or rather, Glenn was being slowed down by the women-as-opponent handicap. It was so much fun! We went to this open air market together today and it was such a different experience filled with different smells and sights - most of which made Jodie (as a vegetarian) just about sick. :) Glenn, on the other hand, will try just about anything including crickets in Cambodia. It was really quite funny when we were out to dinner - Jodie didn't know what something was and didn't want to try it, so she speared it with a chopstick and stuck it in Glenn's mouth. He silently tasted, sang it's praises and then she proceeded with her dinner. Travel companion/guinea pig. I need a boyfriend who will try scary things, too! Next trip.

I have booked a speed boat to Koh Phanang tomorrow at noon and I'll get to update soon from there. What no one has told me is that apparently there are different rainy seasons between Northern Thailand and Southern Thailand. This is the South's rain season. I saw the most terrific thunderstorm I've ever seen in my life two night's ago and almost jumped out of my skin. I stood on the deck in my pyjamas and watched (getting all wet) because it was such a sight, but it scared the bejeezus out of me. I like thunderstorms, but less so in a hut by the ocean - only a short distance from where the Tsunami hit. Not high on the "faves" list.

Side note - off topic... had the most amazing little dumplings made from coconut milk, eggs, and corn this morning. I think part of why they were so delicious was the face of the man making them when I bit into the first tiny nugget.

Other thoughts:

• Everyone here still smokes, but the packs of cigs are cheap and have nasty pictures of blackened lungs, rotted teeth, and a withering old lady on them... apparently this does little to curb the need for niccotine.
• People here don't pick up their feet- they just shuffle along.
• At many shops you are expected to take off your shoes before entering. After you get over the idea that someone coming out *may* fancy your shoes over theirs, I rather like this tradition... it's very respectful.
• The government here is present,but not very in control of things like health concerns and sanitation, wreckless driving, and cutting down on female escorts (which are everywhere!)
• Caucasian men are a hot commodity here.
• I never realized how often I touched my diamond earrings - and I sorely miss them.

Randomly - American music is really big here, but not really to listen to. Their are trucks that drive around every afternoon advertising Thai Boxing - which apparently is huge here. They play either a menage of U2, or R.E.M.s "It's The End Of The World". I have no desire to go see and at 800b for a show(just about $22), I really have no desire.

I just finished a fabulous book by Bill Bryson called, "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and it was really quite good. There's a used book store here that buys books in English for resale, so I traded mine in for the next, but this passage really stuck with me and I wanted to share it on my blog.

"Take a moment from time to time to remember that you are alive. I know this sounds a trifle obvious, but it is amazing how little we take to remark upon this singular and gratifying fact. By the most astounding stroke of luck an infinitesimal portion of all the matter in the universe came together to create you and for the tiniest moment in the great span of eternity you have the incomparable priviledge to exist. For endless eons there was no you. Before you know it, you will cease to be again. And in between you have this wonderful opportunity to see and feel and think and do. Whatever else you do with your life, nothing will remotely compare with the incredible accomplishment of having managed to get yourself born. Congratulations. Well done. You really are special."

With that I bid you adieu for now - I hope all is well where you are and I'm having an amazing experience and missing home all at the same time.

Love, Janice

12:52pm on Friday 10.10.06, Internet Cafe, Lamai Beach, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

PS. I've sent some postcards - please let me know when/if you get one so I will know how long snail mail takes from here! Thanks!

Celebrate Good Times, C'MON!

I'm doing a little jib - maybe it's an Irish jig... but would that be wrong in Thailand. Reason? I'm a total idiot. My memory card and camera case weren't dropped or stolen, but misplaced by me. Yes, in this MONSTEROUS bag that I have my li'l ol' case got shoved into the bottom corner and there she was this morning. I'm glad, but also because I made it to the Pantip Market before leaving Bangkok and bought a new 1GB card. The best part? I made my first bargaining attempt and got the price I wanted. I paid $22 for the card and the girl wanted about $45. Yes, folks... I'm savvy. :)

So, on Monday night at 5pm, that was Tuesday morning at 5am for you, I was ready to get the bus to Koh Samui and a million things happened. The shuttle was over an hour late to pick me up, then the bus was over an hour past time because of traffic and I had the worst stomach issues - which as you can imagine is the last thing you want to think about when it comes to prolonged bus/ferry travel. Ick. I'm much better now, by the way... but I have seen toilets that I wouldn't wish on enemies. When I got on the "air-con" bus which was anything but, everyone was hot and stinky including me. We drove from8:45pm until 6am the following morning, making one stop at a road side stand for sandwiches and drinks. There's no regulation on drinking here so many of the people were drinking beer by the masses all enroute.

From there I waited for a 7:45am pickup for a shuttle to the ferry... and the ferry was from 8:30-11. It was a long trip here, but only cost me $23 dollars. A steal! The shuttle brought me to Lamai beach which is on the southeast side of Koh Sumai. I'm in a bungalow on the beach with just amazing views for 400b which is just so much elss than being in Bangkok. AND, I have amazing views.

Here is what it looks like from my bungalow porch:













Life could honestly be worse.

(The picture of the "ninja crepes" sign is from the main strip once I arrived in Koh Sumai... and I'm posting it 'cause I thought John and Shawn would get a big laugh.)



I got a bit sunburned... unfortunately, but cleaned up and went to dinner at New Hut Restaurant... this is my Shrimp Pad Thai, drinking water, and my journal time. Dinner cost me 55b total. Could you get dinner like this for $1.50?

Lastly, probably the coolest Hagen Daaz place ever. I dunno if you can tell, but there are mats all over to sit and lay on and a huge fish tank in the middle of the room... chimes in the breeze and the amazing jewelry for sale. Crazy.

I'll be here for a few days and then taking a ferry to Koh Phangan (which I cannot remember to pronounce right for the life of me... it's pan-yang).

9:56am Internet Cafe, Lamai Beach, Koh Sumai

Wat Pho and Loy Kratong - It's All Greek, er, Thai To Me!

So, today's post starts out on a sour note. Bleh. I seem to have somehow lost my camera case which had my 2gb memory card in it. I have no idea how it happened and I guess it could be worse - I could have lost the camera! I'm really bummed, but at least I'm safe and happy other than that.

Yesterday I got up early again and took the Sky Train to the Central Pier and picked up the River Ferry. Talk about interesting transportation. The city is so huge and the riverfront area is different than the rest of the city I've saw before that. Anyway, it was a short ride to the Wat Pho stop.

Wat Pho is famous for the World's Largest Buddah. He's shown in a reclining position as that's how the Buddhist believe you enter heaven... laying down. So the temple and grounds were unbelievable, but you can't actually "see" the Buddah as a foreigner. Only Thais are allowed in. While I'm disappointed, I think it's also kind of nice that

they keep it special for only practicing Thai Buddhists.







Here's a shot from the river at one of the many temples... this one shows one of the smaller boats you can privately charter. Dad was mentioning these - they have a motor up over the boat and just a stick with a propeller that goes into the water... I dunno if you can see it very well, but I tried. It was so bumpy!


Later that night I joined my new friends for dinner and had them pose for you! We had a buffet dinner at a restaurant and then walked down the street to the riverfront for the Loy Kratong Festival. It's where the locals pay tribute to the water Gods and also make good wishes for themselves and others. They do this by buying or making Kratongs which are covered with banana leaves, orchids and other flowers, incense, and one candle... they light the incense and candle and set them afloat in the river and then have a grand fireworks celebration on the water! We bought some along the way and this is what they looked like. With the dinner we got to ride on a private boat with just the group of friends. It was so much fun and I wish I could have taken a picture of it, but with the bumpiness, the points of light and everything being too far away for a flash it was impossible. Maybe there are pictures online - I posted one in the earliest posts, I believe.




Lastly, I wanted to make mention of how to post comments, because I so love reading them! Just click on the "0 comments" at the bottom of the post and it will prompt you to make a username and password... then you can post!

I'm headed to Koh Sumai today at 5pm. It's an island in Southern Thailand that's supposed to be amazing. To go with budget limitations I'm taking a bus, for, gulp, yes, 17 hours. I'll be there at 10:30am tomorrow. Oh, well. Money saved, I guess - as I have to go find a new memory card before I leave. I'm so bummed about that! :(

12:20pm, Internet Cafe, Bangkok

Dinner and Contraception

Hello folks! I went to a restaurant like no other last night with some new friends... "Cabbages and Condoms".

Since I last wrote I found out that this restaurant is run by a government agency that is advocating safe sex and trying to promote AIDS education, too. All the proceeds from the gift shop and food sales go directly to this government run organization and other charities. Pretty cool. It's located on the shadiest street I've ever seen, but it's surprisingly delightful once inside!

The food was amazing and the priciest stuff on the menu was 150b which is less than $5. I wish we could do that in the States. Apparently unless you're going for a really really fancy meal this is the average pricing for Thai food. Western food is definitely more!

Their were two levels, the upper was where the nine of us sat... this is the view from the balcony where we were. The trees had vines hanging down off of them and twinkling lights everywhere.







And here's a picture of the dulcimer player that was there... she was so amazing!













After that I went straight back to the hotel even though the girls were going out. After going to bed early I can proudly say that I think I've officially adjusted to time here. I'm just about out of time with the internet here at the hotel - and I bought time here before I realized how much pricier it is here than other places. Look forward to a post tomorrow morning about my trip on the river ferry to Wat Pho to see the world's largest reclining Buddah, and also about the Loy Kratong Festival that I went to. Tomorrow I'll be heading to Koh Sumai in Southern Thailand to stay on the beach and see the white sand and bright blue ocean... snorkling anyone?

**Signing off***
12:34am, Wendy Guesthouse, Bangkok

Moving and Shaking

I had not intended on being able to get to the internet so often, but this first couple days have been so very full and I'm in a place where I have the opportunity to write so I will. What I have already realized is that I'm going to have a hard time not posting all my pictures to the blog. There's so much to show and tell! For some of it you'll just have to use your imagination and wait for a slide show when I get back.

Things I've seen:

• People drink beverages out of bottles, yes, but half the time they drink they out of plastic bags... filled with ice and a straw stuck in. Kinda hard to set down while you're shopping, yes?
  
• When you order coffee (kah-fey) they mix sweetened condensed milk into it without asking - it's really good, but for someone who likes it black it's a little weird.
• The fresh food markets here on the street are amazing. You can get a bunch of little, baby bananas for 10b (which is roughly 27 cents). For less than that (go figure) you can have them grilled on skewers.
• The malls here are where you'll find regular grocery markets and everything is amazing there, too. Can you imagine, though, spending $5 on 3oz. of peanut butter? Also, I saw the same granola bars I brought and thought to myself - why did I schlep these all the way here? Well, in Thailand Nature Valley Granola Bars are... yes, $7.50 per box of six.
• The SkyTrain is pretty cool and really saves you from taking your life into your own hands when crossing the street. Unlike Boston, you don't have to be a patron to use the high walkways over the city.
• The oranges here have green skin and the most vivid, dark, orange colored juice.
• You can get a whole half a pineapple carved all swirly-like for 10b and it tastes better than any I've eaten at home. I wish I could send some via blog to each of you.
  
• Bangkok is a neat mixture of old and new... you see people carrying baskets of goodies on large sticks with big, flat, straw hats (yes, just like you've seen in movies and stuff...) but you see them crossing four lanes of traffic like that. *That's* Funny!
• Trivia: How much does a large icecream cone from Burger King cost here? 7b which is 20 cents.
• I figured I'd see Burger King and McDonald's here, but I've also seen a very popular Outback Steakhouse... I wonder if they boast that they have a location there. I can't say I enjoy it in the States so it's probably not going to happen here anyhow - even if I'm craving American food.

So the update.

Yesterday I went to Prauntam Market and bought some t-shirts and a hair dryer (with the right kind of plug for here). You wouldn't believe how many levels of bargains this place had. For fashionista friends like Carolyn, you'd be in heaven. I think the most I spent on a really cool shirt was 190b. (By the way, I get 38b per US dollar.) I got a Polo Shirt for 100b. I really should have taken more advice from people and brought nothing - even the markets have things like toiletries and western necessities. Seriously, if you come, bring a bag and a change of clothes and buy the rest here. It's ridiculous.

I met up with Chissa last night and she took me to this amazing bar called Vertigo. Wait, let me start again. We met by the sky train and she showed me how to use it... so we took that to get close to the then surprise destination. From there we took a tuk-tuk to the hotel. Let me tell you... not only did our driver look like he was 12 (Chissa said probably 14), but he also drove like he was trying to kill us. It was great fun, but also nerve wracking. I'm glad that I did it with a native for the first time, else I'd be scarred today. So anyhow - Vertigo - It's on the top floor of a hotel (the 57th floor!) and overlooks the entire city. Wait, did I say top floor... I meant roof! It was all open air and completely fabulous. The breeze blowing and lots of candles and magenta colored orchids that are everywhere. The tables were dressed in raw silk and we sat at the bar and drank the greatest mojitos. (Mine was orange...)

I can't explain how great it was and when you try to take a picture of that it just doesn't come out. Chissa told me that her boyfriend, Sergio, took her to dinner there for their Anniversary. It's really expensive by Thai standards, but really it's only slightly more than Hen.

We were set to meet up with her friends at a Western Bar (they served BBQ and it smelled like feet - Seriously!) in an hour or so, but there were other places on the way that I was shown. One of the most amazing markets is in the red light district - that is apparently very famous, although not on my list of *must sees*. :) We were offered all sorts of creative things and they were sometimes very pushy. Ignoring them helped and they really didn't seem to think that we would take them up on any of it. It was really sad.

Her friends were all great fun - mostly Australian, believe it or not. They are fellow teachers with her at the Christian school in Bangkok. Almost all of them have been here for at least a year - some up to seven years! The only thing you need to teach here is a bachelor's degree in anything and you can teach. Teachers get 50,000-60,000b per month and then most get a housing stipend, too, of about 5,000-7,000b. Not too bad especially since Chissa still lives with her parents. Anyhow. There were some English people and an Irishman, too. I spent a lot of the night talking to Laurie (Aussie who has been here for 3 years), Emily (Aussie who has been here for only 6mo.), and Chris (Aussie who has been here for 5 years, fantastically handsome - extremely charming accent and personality...!). We played this weird game at the bar and I drank my first Thai beer. Not half bad. They all raved, however, about beer in Lao saying that it was by far the best they've had in all their international travels. I'll report back!

So this morning I got up early and set out to find an International Sim Card and an adapter for the charger I have... you can officially call me if you have nothing better to do with your money. Seriously... through www.onesuite.com you can get through for 5-10cents a minute depending on where in Thailand I am? Not that I expect anyone to call, but here's the number for a laugh:
+66 8 52 461 305

I'm getting so comfortable in the city already and really enjoyed the morning hours by myself just wandering around. I walked to the National Monument (I have no idea what it's for, but maybe Stephanie would enjoy looking it up and posting a comment about it...) and all around the neighboring streets. Today I'm more confident that I won't get lost and if I do I can take a terrifying tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel.

I'm getting together with Chissa and friends again later tonight to see an Australian movie and then have dinner at Cabbages & Condoms. Yes, that's what it's called. (Eric, you should be glad to hear I'm going to make it there!) I guess the proceeds to go AIDS prevention and so instead of fortune cookies or mints after the meal they give everyone a condom. I think that's just too funny, but apparently it's famous... all the guide books rave about the great, traditional Thai food there.

Tomorrow is the festival of the candles that I was telling you all about when I first started the blog. I have been invited to dinner with a larger group of Chris' friends (Chissa has a family thing) and then they've chartered a private boat to motor around the river in. People light candles on these lotus leaf looking holders and float them out into the river as good wishes and hopes for others. The river is aglow all night and then they set off fireworks that we'll be able to see from the boat. I can't wait!

Here are some pictures - some things are hard to get images of because people get irritated with the tourist chick flashing away. I've found a smile here goes a long way and asking first, not just assuming. Take a look!

A tuk-tuk driver while he's not terrifying customers.






My friend with the best OJ in town. He says "hi".








A man bringing food to market: peanuts, cooked yams, boiled ginger, and fresh edamame.



That's all for now, folks. I'm so happy and enjoying it here, but I think I've had my fill of the commercial mecca. On Monday or Tuesday I'm going to take a flight to Ko Samui in Southern Thailand and start working my way up the coastal towns and the li'l islands. That seems more my speed for this venture. Why anyone would come someplace crazy like Thailand just to shop, go partying, or just see the city is just plain beyond me.

Love to all at home :)
Janice

1:44pm Saturday, Internet Cafe in Bangkok