Wow! So much has happened, so many people have come and now gone!
Our little stretch of sandy home has been extremely busy lately, what with Kyle, CJ, and Beth coming here. Our house was loaded up with foam pads, blow up beach mattresses, and far too many people for one bathroom.
We started out our adventures with a trip to the ocean, carrying rum in one hand and coke in the other. Standing neck deep in the warm salty Thai waters, we were experiencing one of those unreal moments of perfection, that has been painted with a special color you can't ever quite describe to others. In the midst of that phenomenon, Christine let out a shriek that still makes me ill, and we all sprinted for the beach. When we got out, Christine had a large red welt on her upper thigh/butt. She was in tears, and we were all panicking at what creature had attacked her (and so close to us as well). After out favorite bar tender, Tong, came to the rescue and diagnosed it as a Jellyfish sting, he collected the local leaves of the beach and put them with vinegar, a poignant mixture that helped to reduce the swelling. After that incident, and a few torrential rain pours, we headed to the island of Koh Tao where we basked in the lazy ambiance of the small, undeveloped isle. We had one big day of snorkeling where we went FOUR times in a six hour period, and for the first time in my life, I saw a shark swim next to me. It was small, mind you, maybe only four or five feet long, but it still had a way of making you feel helpless and unbelievably vulnerable.
We also introduced our Chico clan to the wonders of Thai live music and clubbing. This I am afraid, can never fully be captured by the written world, and will remain one of those unique Asian mysteries that only once you have visited this bright place can you fully understand. I will say, however, that Thai songs have such a similar tune to one another that I can fully immitate almost every one (though of course me re-enactments are me saying Thai-like words that in actuality are out of tune gibberish).
On top of our island adventures, we found some amazing, bright, snake-stair cased Temples that make you feel dwarfed and insignificant in that intoxicating way that only grand Holy edifices can. Buddhism is never pompous though, on the contrary, the Monks are known for living simplistic lives, and they rely FULLY on their local communities to donate all their meals for them. They wander the burning asphalt roads like lanky orange flames. They are barefoot with a look of such peace that you want to hover around them on the off chance they may be mumbling some ancient secret that your lips could hope to mimic.
Another highlight recently, was the parade our school put on. Sriyapai, our school, is very well-known throughout the province and is especially famous for the opulence of its parades. This year, it seemed, was no different. Every kid was dressed up in elaborate outfits as we marched the streets of Chumphon for about 5km. Of course, the farangs were dripping, but we had big moist smiles none the less! I was a cowgirl (see Facebook for pics) and Christine was a baseball player (the theme of being "American" was of course obligatory). To see lines of children waiting for us to pass and screaming at our arrival was somewhat surreal, and only amplified by the fact that whole event ended in a stadium where the athletic events dominated the day.
It is strange though, because, upon writing these memories, I tend to forget how in the moment they are rather hard to digest. They are like eating an ice-cream cake from Baskin and Robbins, you love it, and eat it greedily at first, but after one slice the sugar starts to go to your head. Sometimes, you keep eating, because you want so badly to enjoy the treat, and to make the next piece as good as those first savory bites, but alas, you cannot, because there is a human limit for happiness. You can only be wide-eyed and whelmed for so long before you must emotionally hibernate. Needless to say, Christine and I are still learning how to process all these unique Thai moments, we are like a 98 Mac that tries to keep up with a 2009 model.
So, for now, we are not going hungry, emotionally or any other way.
More soon...........
We also introduced our Chico clan to the wonders of Thai live music and clubbing. This I am afraid, can never fully be captured by the written world, and will remain one of those unique Asian mysteries that only once you have visited this bright place can you fully understand. I will say, however, that Thai songs have such a similar tune to one another that I can fully immitate almost every one (though of course me re-enactments are me saying Thai-like words that in actuality are out of tune gibberish).
On top of our island adventures, we found some amazing, bright, snake-stair cased Temples that make you feel dwarfed and insignificant in that intoxicating way that only grand Holy edifices can. Buddhism is never pompous though, on the contrary, the Monks are known for living simplistic lives, and they rely FULLY on their local communities to donate all their meals for them. They wander the burning asphalt roads like lanky orange flames. They are barefoot with a look of such peace that you want to hover around them on the off chance they may be mumbling some ancient secret that your lips could hope to mimic.
Another highlight recently, was the parade our school put on. Sriyapai, our school, is very well-known throughout the province and is especially famous for the opulence of its parades. This year, it seemed, was no different. Every kid was dressed up in elaborate outfits as we marched the streets of Chumphon for about 5km. Of course, the farangs were dripping, but we had big moist smiles none the less! I was a cowgirl (see Facebook for pics) and Christine was a baseball player (the theme of being "American" was of course obligatory). To see lines of children waiting for us to pass and screaming at our arrival was somewhat surreal, and only amplified by the fact that whole event ended in a stadium where the athletic events dominated the day.
It is strange though, because, upon writing these memories, I tend to forget how in the moment they are rather hard to digest. They are like eating an ice-cream cake from Baskin and Robbins, you love it, and eat it greedily at first, but after one slice the sugar starts to go to your head. Sometimes, you keep eating, because you want so badly to enjoy the treat, and to make the next piece as good as those first savory bites, but alas, you cannot, because there is a human limit for happiness. You can only be wide-eyed and whelmed for so long before you must emotionally hibernate. Needless to say, Christine and I are still learning how to process all these unique Thai moments, we are like a 98 Mac that tries to keep up with a 2009 model.
So, for now, we are not going hungry, emotionally or any other way.
More soon...........
