We are over the culture shock of a mostly developed world and settling in nicely! We experienced some reverse culture shock our first few days in Thailand. Streets with painted lines on them, vehicles that drive within those lines, and much less garbage! Locals that smile at us, return smiles, and just let us be..."uhhh, hello we're foreigners, don't you want to talk to us and try to get into our wallets?" I think we would have had a little tougher adjustment going straight home from India.

After landing at the airport, we bussed through the big city of Bangkok (gawking out the windows in disbelief at how orderly the streets felt, and the lack of people on the streets). Bangkok city has 6 million people but they must all have homes.

We got to Ban Phe, our current home where Em is taking the TEFL course, and checked into the Pines Beach Hotel. This is the hotel Em's course booked for us to live during her month long program. While the bed was nice, the ambiance was overall stale, lacking personality, and I did not see myself making it a month in such a white-walled institution. Sunday morning we reconned other housing options and found a well landscaped cluster of bungalows just across the street from the beach. We then walked down the street to catch a boat to Ko Samet. While waiting for the ferry, I got some cash, some hygiene necessities, and a couple cold Singh beers (all at the same spot, taking about 5 minutes rather than half a day we were accustomed to).

We motored over turquoise waters towards Ko Samet, sipping our beers and smiling with the Thai tourists who were laughing and taking pictures of waves bouncing the boat around. Ko Samet rocks and we had a most wonderful time. There is trance pounding fire shows if you want such nightlife, quiet white-sand coves if you desire beautiful solitude, and great dining options just above the high tide mark everywhere. After a couple nights on the north side, we moved to the quieter southern end of the island where we spent the next ten days at Lung Dam resort. We had a killer little bungalow with a veranda well hidden by trees just above a small rocky headland. Either side of this headland was beautiful beach and just to the south was one of the better snorkeling spots on the island. The visibility is pretty poor this time of year but we still enjoyed lots of coral and tropical fish within the two meters we could see!

We are both in culinary heaven, especially me, as I am eating my favorite cuisine for lunch and dinner. We fell into the routine of splitting a curry dish and wide noodle dish, usually always served with prawns and/or squid. The seafood here is abundant and fantastic. There are also great beach BBQs grilling most types of seafood and chicken. For those that know my favorite meal, I did learn something disappointing. Phad Kae Mao here is served with real chilies (not chili paste) and peppercorns. Anyhow, I gave it a go a couple times, but it has too much kick for me. Don't worry, there are ways to order my western version of Phad Kae Mao!

We met some great folks while staying down in Lung Dam and one day Steve, a most eccentric Aussie, gathered a group of us to help with a local party. The local community (its hard to really call it a village as the island is developed completely around tourism and there were no villages there prior to the bungalows and resorts) was hosting a village group from just outside Bangkok. Our role was to greet them on the beach, place a lei on their head, and clasp our hands and bow in accordance with Thai culture. It was great fun, especially watching Steve run wild with his empowering role! Steve is on his third wife (second Thai wife) all of which he married within a week of meeting. He is currently basking in everything positive in life, meeting everyone who walks by, and determined to find his son Sam a Thai wife.

During our time south on Lung Dam beach, we got to know a fantastic Swiss/Thai family, the Konrads. Roland met Gon about 14 years ago, and as they both told us, continue to like each other more and more each day. They have two wonderful children, Louise & Alan, who are not only beautiful, but impressively self-reliant. Roland had traveled quite a bit when younger and insisted on treating us to a great dinner. Gon's history is fantastic, coming from a rural village in northeastern Thailand, to dancing and bartending at hot tourist spots around Bangkok, to now raising a family outside Zurich. Unlike most western/Thai marriages, Roland has not provided any financial help to Gon's family. They both believe in doing things their own way and have done quite well. We hope to see them again someday and with our love for the mountains and their sincere invitation to spend time at their home, it will most likely be in Switzerland.

We left the island a little bummed, knowing we were ending the "vacation within the vacation". But at the same time we were excited to start doing something that felt more productive. Em began her class last Monday and I began some personal objectives. I have been writing a lot about experiences last winter, primarily ski related articles to submit to publications such as Couloir, Backcountry, and possibly some Indian or British adventure mags. I also spent way too much time on the computer researching work or volunteer opportunities in this part of the globe. I am most interested in water or energy conservation/outreach work. I've been pointed in good directions from friends at home, thank you. If anybody knows of a good contact in SE Asia, please send it my way. I've been learning some Thai on my own with a book, but struggling without being able to hear the correct pronunciation. So I researched lesson possibilities and am stoked to begin private sessions this Wednesday! We are still uncertain if Thailand is where we'll work, but we are very content here and knowing some of the language will go a long way to enhance our experience.

Em has been quite busy with her class and really enjoying both the mental stimulation and the confidence booster this will give her when teaching. She has already visited a local school where she interviewed a student and will continue to visit Thai schools at least once a week. The course is quite demanding relative to our recent schedules as she is usually in class from 9:00 to 5:30 and needs to complete a couple hours of homework outside of this.

It was Em's birthday yesterday and we celebrated with a trip to the Rayong aquarium, some shopping, and a real cheeseburger at Christie's. Christie's is run by a friendly couple (Jim & Chan) and our western go-to establishment. Last week, we both had their steak dinners, and were amazed at the quality of the meat. Now we have been gone a while so I don't know how credible my opinion is when I start boasting it beats out any Keg or Outback, but it is real good, and unquestionably the best piece of red meat we've had since leaving home. Em couldn't have given a better compliment as once she sunk her teeth into the soft pink protein, she was lost from our conversation with closed eyes and a look of satisfaction on her face that I thought only I was privileged to see.

Normally not a shopping fan, I have been enjoying this western habit of consumerism. We indulged in what we normally hate at home, and recently patronized the have-it-all-big-box store of Tesco Lotus in nearby Rayong. Electronic goodies, underwear necessities, beach shirts, food snacks, and some hygiene items, and we were on our way. The store's layout was top notch and we couldn't escape the air-conditioned complex without a fresh salad and pizza at one of the many fast food options near the stores's entrance. We then continued down the street for some hipper clothing items and pimpin' sunglasses. Yes, friends, Trevor has sunglasses from the current decade!

Ban Phe is a great place to spend this transitional period between real work and real vacation. It is a small fishing community that also has an adequate amount of western luxuries due to its location as the mainland terminal to Ko Samet. Oh ya, it also has many kilometers of good beach!

We hope everyone at home is doing well and enjoying summer!

Labels: Thailand