Returning

This trip has been wonderful. We've learned so much about Thailand, met so many great people, and seen so many beautiful places. Occasionally, though, I'd get to missing home, you all, Lucy, etc., that it felt like the end of two months would never come. Well, it's almost here. We have all day tomorrow in Thailand and then leave Tuesday at noon.

I've extended my leave of absence to Monday, January 22, to make the transition easier. Don't worry, I'll be in to say hi, even though I won't be teaching. I wanted to share a few great shots of a beautiful country before I sign off.

I miss you and I'll see you all very soon.

The People We Meet

We have met so many wonderful people on this trip. It's interesting how they weave in and out of our vacation. You say goodbye, and then two islands later, maybe a week or two in between, and there they are again.

We've made friends from Sweden, England, Japan (actually a New Yorker teaching English in Japan), France, Sweden, Australia, Austria, Sweden (yes, there are a lot of Swedes on the islands), South Africa, America, etc. Harry and Karen from Austria left Ko Adang and I told Scott I almost cried because they were the last of the people we knew to say goodbye to. He told me not to worry, there'd be other new friends. Of course, he was right. We ran into a family from France that we had been on Ko Adang with and I cried when we said goodbye to them.

The most amazing thing happened yesterday, though. Back when we were in Prachuap Khiri Khan (early December) we met two young women who were from Prachuap, Nid and Kwang (pronounce "nit and juang", respectively). They just happened to be riding by on their motorbike with a golden retriever onboard. They stopped to talk to us. They just liked the kids.

We hung out with them several times while we were in Prachuap: at the beach, at a local festival/fair, a dinner, etc. They were so friendly and it was nice to be taken in by a local family (Kwang's parents and siblings were at the fair with us and at dinner).

Anyway, we were walking through a GIGANTIC mall near the hotel we are staying in in Bangkok, when all of a sudden, someone was following us saying, "Hallo, hallo, hallo." It was Nid. I cannot tell you the odds of this encounter. Very small indeed. Remember, Bangkok is a city of nearly 9 million people. We thought we'd never see them again. While we stood there and talked, Kwang came running up. They have both moved to Bangkok to practice speaking English and both work in that mall.

Clean Food, Good Taste

Many restaurants have this sign posted on their premises. Even street vendors have them. There is an inspection system and it works. The only one who's gotten a food-borne illness on this trip was me.

The food in that particular restaurant, on Ko Hai, was HORRIBLE and they didn't have this sign posted, so I assume they don't have clean food (in fact, I know) and the taste was NOT good.

American Breakfast

Ko Adang offers "American Breakfast" on their menu: two pieces of toast, 3 pieces of sausage, and one fried egg. They call it ABF.

Tsunami Country

We are currently in the area where the tsunami hit Thailand. The second anniversary of the disaster was on December 26th, 2006. There is nothing that reflects its destruction. Life goes on. There are a few businesses that never reopened, but it's impossible to see evidence of it happening.

We have met several foreigners who were here during the tsunami. Everyone's stroy is a little different. The common thing I hear is that no one knew what was happening. We met a family who was staying on an island called Ko Bulong Lea when it hit. Their son had just learned of tsunamis the week before in school in Sweden. He warned everyone that it was coming.

The locals didn't know what to think. We've been on two different islands, Ko Jum and another I can't remember, where the locals refused to come down the mountain for days. They thought it would return.

The most goosebumpy story I've heard is of a man who dropped his kids off on the beach to play at Hat Bang Ben, then went to visit his friend (the person who told us this story). His friend asked him to stay for coffee. The man said that he couldn't because he needed to pick up the kids (the beach was about 2K away). He took a picture of them waving and smiling 15 minutes before the tsunami hit. They were fine.

The only thing I've noticed, is that there are always signs posted warning of tsunami danger and signs telling you where to go in case of a tsunami.