Filed under: General Nonsense
Ok, so after a WAY too long internet hiatus, we finally have gotten what seems like a solid internet connection in our apartment! The past week-ish we have been relaxing on the most beautiful beach I have ever laid my baby blues on… there were not any roads on the island, you can only reach it by boat, so naturally any kind of internet time was pretty expensive. I’ll try to sum up what has been happening the past week or so…
After a long day of airports and terrible airline meals we finally landed in Krabi town, backpacked around to find the cutest little guest house ‘Chan Cha Lay’, unpacked, took a luke warm shower in their outdoor bathroom (no hot water), sprayed on some bug spray, and decided to go grab some curry and beer. We eventually wandered into this placed that looked like a log cabin tree house and kicked off our flip flops and settled into a nice little nook on the floor. They were blaring some old American Rock, ACDC, Zeppelin, it was a nice break. We ended up hanging out with these two awesome kids from Spain (Catalonia to be exact, they were VERY insistent on declaring Catalonia as their home instead of Barcelona) and they were so sweet and fun to hang out with. We exchanged all of our typical facebook info and swore that one of these days…we were gonna meet up in Spain. How could I refuse an invitation like that?
Next morning was spent throwing our stuff back into the pack and heading out to the beach. We took a longtail boat only about 30 min and watched as the brown river water of Krabi gradually turned into that oh-so-lovely emerald green. The little cruise was a great way to see the huge limestone monoliths that seemed to be dotting the horizon. We were dropped off on the beach, had to hike a fair amount to find a reasonable place to stay (with AC of course), and then we hit the beach. Let me tell you… words cannot describe the feeling of walking through some hot and sweaty jungle and it suddenly opening up into a pristine beach paradise. The beach is hugged by towering limestone cliffs. Breathtaking. We finally made it. And the best part? There is hardly anyone here…
Brock convinced me we needed to climb through a little cave to access another beach, Tonsai, that is notorious for rock climbing. After a tedious 20 min adventure we arrive and watch a couple guys try some ridiculous climbs up the cliff side. Turns out we stayed a little too long and soon the sun was setting, the tide was high, and our once open cavern to hike inside was now full of water and it was dark. I wont go into details about what happens next, but lets just say it was a long night of feeling our way through the jungle and ocean, TWICE, and we eventually turned back… ate some barracuda with a watermelon smoothie (my fave) and rented a hut for 6 dollars. Hut = four walls and leaky roof. Thankfully they had a mosquito net. And I wont even go into the freezing cold shower situation, or the fact the power went off so the fan was useless, or the fact that there were creepy lacy pillows in the middle of the jungle. I’m glad it is behind me, but I’m secretly glad I put up with it just to prove to Brock that I COULD. :)
Side note : Thailand has the biggest bugs I have ever seen.
Ok so the next couple days we just hung out on the beach, soaking up the sun. I got my feet scrubbed by this woman named Pai who hunted me down every day and kept hassling me. Honestly it was nice… and afterwards I spied a couple other ladies that had finally given in as well. You can buy almost everything on the beach. We were just laying down, or I was burying Brock in the sand, and suddenly the beer lady would come around with beverages and grilled corn on the cob. Does it get any better?! Oh and I ALSO ate crocodile! So delicious!
Living on the beach went by way too fast. We had to pack up 5 days later and head back to town to find a place to settle down for a month. Thankfully the beach is only 30 min away, and thankfully we found an awesome place in no time. Krabi town is little and not very touristy. Its been a nice change of pace being able to settle down and not have to worry about packing up in a couple days and finding somewhere new to stay.
So there are quite a few things I have gotten used to living in Thailand. One would be… living with lizards in the bathroom. They seem to love it in there and you can always find a little one scurrying about the walls or ceiling . Brock claimed to have seen a big yellow one yesterday… but I have yet to see that guy yet. Speaking of animals…we live next door to this tiny Thai food place with the most AWESOME cat ever named Futi. I have got to post a picture soon. He is so awesome and friendly, I’ve started calling him King Cat Futi and always peek in to see if he is laying around when I pass by. I love him. Anyway, another thing I have gotten used to is saying ‘mai yao kha’ which means ‘no thank you’. Trust me, you use this alot. And also ‘Mungsowriat’ which means vegetarian. 
I have also learned that you are lucky to have one English tv channel. Russian tv new is also broadcast in English for some weird reason so we watch that too. Mainly just the news. And the english movie channel has been steadily playing ALL the Die Hards and other cheesy movies like that.
So I’ve been drinking watermelon shakes and eating papaya salads as often as humanly possible here. Taking it slow and wandering around the new town. Found a great Italian place, and a super cheap cafe. Speaking of cafes, the coffee here sucks. Its almost always instant and it disgusting. Ok not disgusting. I still drink it almost everyday. But I miss a nice hot cup of good coffee. You know its bad when places advertise ‘Real Coffee’.
We started our school yesterday and at first I was excited… but now I am already bored. The pace of the course is SO slow and Im often thinking about ‘Pillars of the Earth’ the book I am ALMOST finished with. Such a great read. Thanks for the tip mommy! But anyways, I have been thinking more about whats going to happen next in the book than I do class. We have our first teaching assessment next Tuesday in front of a local school class. My group is going to be 9-10 year olds, and I have to come up with a lesson plan for an hour. I’m pretty excited to be in front of a class for the first time trying to teach English.
Ok I’m gonna wrap this blog up with some more pics. I tried to sum up everything that has been going on so sorry if it seems a little rushed. Now that the internet juice is flowin’ free… I promise it will be updated more! Love you guys!
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Finally you have surfaced! Brock’s Blog was keeping us all going there for awhile! The beaches look fantastic! I notice no waves or surf, correct? I still think Hawaii has Thailand beat, great beaches but small bugs!Dale will be on your side of the world soon-the countdown begins. Love you both so very much-please take care!
Comment by Mommy August 25, 2009 @ 4:25 pmI still think the view from my office in Houston overlooking the highways and parking lots, and the tranquil and constant sound of cars and semi’s speeding by, rivals any beaches and limestone cliffs you have to look at all day!!
Comment by Dad August 25, 2009 @ 5:42 pmWell one thing is for sure — you certainly know how to have a good time!!! Loving hearing about your adventures. Makes me want to come and join you guys. Looking forward to more updates. Take care and be careful. Love ya — Auntie Peg
Comment by Aunt Peg August 26, 2009 @ 3:56 amthanks! having a good time is my specialty. glad you guys are still reading! new york is going to be getting cold pretty soon… maybe thailand would be a good holiday!
Comment by sprinklefactory August 26, 2009 @ 9:03 amHey Maris! Your Dad gave me your blog address so I can follow your travels. It looks like you are having an amazing time to say the least. Take care, be safe and keep the blog going.
Comment by Stacy Moss August 28, 2009 @ 2:41 amStacy Moss (ask your Mom & Dad who I am if you don’t remember me)
Reminds me of the old surfer’s saying “Life Is A Beach”. You and Brock are certainly living one of my dreams so “catch a wave” and enjoy the ride. Be smart, be safe and enjoy these times. All the best, with love to both of you.
Comment by Uncle Gary September 1, 2009 @ 11:51 pmHi Maris, It’s Babcia. We’re all reading your blog- it’s wonderful reading about the places you’ve visited and seeing them in your pictures. Dzia Dzia, myself, Aunt Patty, Aunt Christine, Stephen, Uncle Kenny, Uncle Gary and Aunt Pam are enjoying every step of your journey. We feel like vicarious traverlers venturing throughout Thailand right along with you.
Comment by Babcia September 2, 2009 @ 12:02 amWe love you! Babcia
Babcia so glad you are reading! I miss you guys and hopefully I’ll see everyone soon! Please tell everyone hi for me and hope everyone is doing good. Tell Dzia Dzia hi and that I miss him too! Love you!
Comment by sprinklefactory September 3, 2009 @ 5:33 am