The last two English camps were hot but successful - a heat wave hit Hat Yai just in time for Dylan's arrival. After two days of fun with the kids, we were all droopy but happy. Our going away party with the Smart English crew was also a very good time. We all went to one of our favorite Thai restaurants, ate yummy food (some of which P Toi, our manager, cooked for us) and sang bad karaoke. A lot of people had some commendable things to say about us, and we were given some very nice Thai clothes that we look forward to wearing on special occasions at home. We'll miss all of our friends from Smart English!

With school officially wrapped up, we hit the road to show Dylan a bit of South Thailand. We headed first for the Trang coast to Haad Yao Nature Resort, where we had a fantastic self-guided paddle through the mangroves to a HUGE cave. After exploring the cave, we headed back only to hear from Khalil (the resort founders' son, and a great cook) that we'd actually missed the "main" cave, which was up a ladder to the side. Dylan and Trevor couldn't resist heading back, and braved the turning tide and setting sun to do the real thing. I settled in on the deck to read a book. We also had the good fortune to make it over to the "secret beach", which can only be accessed at low tide. With tons of small caves and rock arches, it might be the prettiest little beach we've seen so far. For a small beach, it also offered a lot of prime nature-viewing, with langurs (leaf-eating monkeys), brahminy kites, a white-bellied sea eagle, and the tracks of a small monitor lizard, which we followed in and out of the rocks.

Anxious to get out to the island, we headed for HYNR's sister operation on Koh Libong, where one has the opportunity to boat or kayak into dugong habitat for a chance to see the rare animals. This trip was not possible at the time, and after enjoying the beach and extremely friendly village for a couple days, we decided to head for Khao Sok National Park a bit early.

We checked into the Rainforest Resort, a quiet establishment along the Sok river, and picked two bungalows up on the hillside. We saw a flying lizard on one and a beautiful green tree frog on another, so we decided this must be the lucky place! Our big jungle hike the next day was outstanding. We saw lots of hornbills, langurs, macaques, lizards with horns, and countless other amazing examples of tropical forest life. We swam in a beautiful little gorge on the Sok river.

The next day we decided to go up to Cheow Lan Lake to stay in a floating bungalow. The boat ride to the bungalows alone makes the trip worthwhile: huge limestone cliffs and pillars shoot straight up out of the lake, with thick forest growing on seemingly impossible slopes. We took a lot of pictures. Arriving at Ton Teuy, we enjoyed some fantastic food, and found the staff very friendly, and very encouraging of our Thai!

Unfortunately this beautiful place was struck by tragedy on our first day there. A group of 9 people (2 Thai guides and 7 tourists) was caught in a flash flood through a popular cave near our bungalows. In the evening hours we watched a large-scale search and rescue operation unfold. A single tourist was the sole survivor. The caring, diligence, and effort of all involved was touching and impressive, even if the end result was extremely sad. As the search stretched into the second day, we made plans to leave early, and were an hour away from boating off the lake when the operation concluded with the celebration of finding the survivor. With our concerns of being in the way allayed, and the bungalow staff insisting that we stay on, we opted to stay one more night. We had a fantastic connection with the staff that night, talking about the park, what happened, and their friends who were gone. None of us will forget this experience any time soon.
Back at the Rainforest Resort, Dylan had one last lunch with us before catching a bus for his "One Night in Bangkok" (and one day, too) before flying home. He was there for my 100th Thai bird (the ruby-cheeked sunbird across the river, not the mystery sea eagle on the lake - sorry Dylan)! We were very glad to have him here with us, and think a good time was had by all.

Initially it looked like only the lake portion of the park would be closed, but then it was announced that all parks in south Thailand would be closed for at least a week for a safety assessment. After sneaking in one more short hike, we decided it was a firm sign to head for the beach, and that we should treat ourselves to the fancy snorkel trip we've been contemplating. Our boat leaves the day after tomorrow, and we firmly resolve to sip fruit shakes on the beach until then!

Labels: birds, Hat Yai, hiking, teaching, Thailand

For our third long weekend out of the last four, we loaded the motorbike and headed to Thale Ban National Park. Yes, this is pronounced like the terrorist trained posse from the Mid-East. No, we did not need to create an improvised explosive device to enter the park gates.

This park sits on the southwest portion of Thailand bordering Malaysia and hosts wet ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforest to mangroves. The park headquarters and bungalows we stayed in are located next to a small lake tucked between steep forested hillsides. This valley is a huge migratory path for birds and one can see many different species throughout the year, including multiple types of hornbills.

The hornbills are most prevalent after their nesting periods (springtime) and we never saw one of these bulky-billed beauties. But we were treated to many types of swallows and swifts darting around the swamp salas and boardwalks at all times of daylight. Never seen but always heard were the rare barking tree frogs.

One morning we headed to the Wangpra Meadows for wildlife and bird viewing. The directions on all park & internet resources were correct but they neglected to mention that the final 10 km after the last left turn was a bumpy dirt trail well suited for a motor cross race. We took our time scooting in while enjoying the calls from two different families of gibbon monkeys. Play the video below to hear the sounds of these majestic mammal callings.



While the meadows were a little too wet to trek great distances, we were lucky to see a couple falconettes, banded woodpeckers, leaf birds, and crested bulbuls. That afternoon we took a nap after lunch hoping the rain would stop. Hours later and no sign of the precipitation relenting, we threw on the ponchos and headed out into leach territory.

Park headquarters has a group of nature trails that places one immediately into the lush diversity of this jungle. While the trails are longer than we might have expected, we never completed either of the two loops. Throughout the weekend, we started out on three of the four different legs and each time were forced to do some difficult trail finding before wisely returning. We learned later that the park strongly recommends a guide and this time of year there are no guides. Thinking of myself as an experienced mountain traveler, I continue to be humbled by the difficulty of navigating dense jungle climes.

On our bigger nature trail walk while hearing another family of gibbons, Em spotted a flying lizard. I only saw it resting on the tree, but she saw it fly (twice). Right after this, we heard some rustling in the upper canopy and looked up to see a gibbon swinging elegantly through the trees. Not only smooth, but this creature also traveled through branches making hardly any sound at all. He stopped a couple times to give us a good look and it was quite memorable. We see macaques (long tailed monkeys) around Thailand all the time and admire their swift mobility. But after seeing the gibbon in action, we have a whole new appreciation for acrobatic agility.

Click here to see more photos of our Thale Ban trip.

The Friday night before we left for Thale Ban, we had a dinner party at a nearby favorite restaurant for Em's birthday. We frequent this place regularly because of the ambiance on the outdoor deck. Sure enough, it rained this particular evening so we sat inside where I sadly realized there was a karaoke machine in action. True to eastern entertainment, this karaoke machine was the hit of the evening as the ladies couldn't put the mic down. Pitt dominated one microphone for a couple hours while Em, Gi, Win Win (Gi's 5 year old daughter), Toi, and May sang a few back-up rolls.

Teaching is going well and I continue to learn the importance of "mixing it up." While I am strongly encouraged to follow the school's syllabus, I really wanted to throw some environmental education into the loop. I figured since my 5th graders were working on recreation activities and a very smart group of kids, I would try to introduce the "Leave No Trace" concept. The first challenge was working on translating with Jean, my assistant. I then headed into the classroom with various pieces of garbage for the kids to guess their decomposition times. Not expecting them to really be able to have an English conversation about the topic, I think it went well and some of them learned the importance of packing it out. I think I also gained some false respect from some of the tougher boys since one of the articles was a cigarette butt.

Labels: birds, Hat Yai, hiking, teaching, Thailand

And they are off...all of them. Due to the upcoming holiday (Songkran: Thai New Year), Em could only get a train ticket home leaving yesterday afternoon. With the parents flying out early yesterday morning, I am now solo and transitioning myself from the smoggy chaos of Bangkok's transportation system to the unlimited visibility on top of Indian Himalayan peaks. Very excited to see Robo and tour around some big mountains with him.

So, my parents trip. Overall, fantastic! (Phuket, Kuraburi, Ban Talae Nok, Koh Surin, Golden Buddha, Bangkok... pictures are all here.) I feel very fortunate that they made the journey to see us, and Thailand! For all of those who questioned if "Rondo can do Thailand?", time is proof, and he did. But not without chasing down some of his normal comforts, which could be quite entertaining considering he was still doing it with his own joking style that many native English speakers might struggle to understand. For example, let's take his daily coffee request: 2/3 hot water, 1/3 steamed milk (soy if they have it), light on sugar (vanilla if they have it)...then returning half a cup later to refill with hot water. Even veteran baristas in the Coffee Capital of Seattle struggle with such a demand. But Rondo is Rondo, and with his joking mannerisms (and untraditional tips in these parts), he got what he wanted and everyone was happy (if confused) after the exchange.

Continuing from Em's post, we headed out to the Surin Islands where we all camped for a couple nights. We departed the Kuraburi Pier on a 30 foot speedboat boasting triple 200 horsepower outboards. Rondo loved it. In addition to the beautiful terrestrial landscape, the marine life and water clarity around the Surins never disappoints so we had a fantastic couple days. During each snorkel we swam amongst various schools of tropical fish over a diverse spectrum of hard and soft corals and one day I was lucky enough to see a Giant Moray Eel . One afternoon Obb led us to the other campground via beach and nature trail. We waded back around granite rocks to a burning red sun falling into the Andaman Sea. Adding to our experience on the Surins was the fact we got to share it with some of the Kuraburi crew including Gordy's father, Allan, who was visiting from Scotland.

We went directly from the Surins to our desired long-stay (4 nights!) location of the trip...Golden Buddha Beach Resort (GBB) on Koh Phratong. We had some extra fun while leaving the Surins as we made a detour to the north to pick-up some divers on a larger boat. Not only was the extra scenery nice, but this next episode of fun made the journey...moments after pushing off the other boat, our driver gunned the engines almost flipping (intentionally we think) a crew member off the back of the boat. Rondo couldn't believe it and I had to restate with sincerity that the boat we were on has the reputation as the most professional out of all the operators providing transportation to/from the Surins.

We were dropped off at GBB on low tide, which meant a decent wade in with all our gear. Upon arrival we dropped baggage off in our house and then walked some of the beach before checking out the restaurant. Mom wisely went for a mango shake which was as good (and without added sugar) as any I've had. The sweet mangoes are in season (along with a few other of the 20-some mango species in Thailand) and we relished in them whether on the fruit plate with breakfast or part of dessert for lunch or dinner. The food at GBB exceeded expectations. Since Em and I are usually eating at local eateries for 30 Baht a meal (and darn good grub), we were critical going into GBB with its more western prices. But we must admit, all of it was delicious and they were not short on food. With buffets for lunch and dinner, I think I was successful in putting on a couple pounds before heading off to India.

Besides great dining, there were other treats at GBB. Each night we enjoyed the sunset from a beautiful location: our home's deck, the beach, the restaurant, or hornbill hill. The beach landscape is beautiful and isolated. Directly west of the resort is a golden sand beach that stretches 10 kilometers to the south without anything on it but crabs and the periodic squid trap that floated in from the sea. North of the resort is a bay that boasts a couple rocky islands and an inlet to mangroves and palms. One morning we rented kayaks and drifted into this canal with the rising tide until the overhanging palms and branch debris prevented any further progress. We paddled underneath some frolicking chestnut-headed bee-eaters and continuously saw our mystery cormorant. According to the bird guidebooks, there are no cormorants in this part of Thailand but we saw this Little Cormorant multiple times around GBB and Em also sighted one up the coast while we visited Ban Talae Nok.

The area has tons of birds, and we all enjoyed seeing the resident oriental hornbills each day. We also saw a gliding lizard (which Emily observed fly from tree to tree a few different times). The environment of Koh Phra Tong is quite unique to Thailand as its interior is mostly savanna: flat and sandy with a few trees here and there. Em and I did a morning walk in this Africa-like environment and saw more waterfowl near a couple ponds.

On our third day at GBB, Gordy, Allan ,and Obb arrived with some of the villagers from Tung Dap. Tung Dap is a village I spent a few days in while researching "voluntourism" opportunities and absolutely loved their core communal way of living. It was great to introduce Pin and Nu to Emily and my family and spend the afternoon swimming in the bay with them.

Our last night we played Bach Deng and got to see Pee Tah in her element. Pee Tah is a friend from Kuraburi who does accounting work for GBB. She loves money and loves Bach Deng! Yes, there is gambling, yes, she won most of the money.

We snuck in some more beach time before departing GBB by longtail back to the mainland. We spent our last little bit in Kuraburi hanging out around Jeab's shop and eating dinner with friends one more time at "The Strip." Our bus arrived early and unfortunately we didn't get to try the crab Jeab got for us. Thank you Jeab for your continuous help and friendship!

The overnight bus trip to Bangkok was smooth and soon enough we were on the multi-modal tour of the big city! We started by taking a taxi to the weekend market where one could get just about anything. Thinking my parents would be the big shoppers, Em and I were surprised to find tons of good stuff and got gifts for friends and ourselves! We left the market via Skytrain (elevated rapid transit) for Siam Center in the new Bangkok (no stalls here, this is western shopping with touchscreen directories, real designer names and prices, Starbucks, etc.) From there, we took a canal boat taxi west towards Old Bangkok where we walked around Democracy Monument, through Khao San road, and then finally to our hotel. A big day out.

The next morning, we met a tour guide at the Grand Palace and saw a few of the historic sites including the Royal Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, and the Temple of the Dawn. We saw and learned much! I am consistently impressed with how much detail older Eastern rulers put into their homes and even homes or burials for family members. As our guide showed us the elaborate gold-plated structure Rama I made for his parents, I was surprised my dad never asked me how his structure was coming. While most of Rama I's work was traditional architecture boasting gold and ceramic materials, much of the Grand Palace was constructed during Rama V with a combination of Western and Eastern architecture. The main hall has a traditional European look with an elaborate Thai roof. Interesting, but it works! We ended my parents' stay with a candlelit dinner on the Chao Phraya River.

I will miss the Thai food in India and am not stoked for the rice/beans/chapati combo I will consume twice daily hoping that it was cooked in boiling water. But the pull of the Himalaya outshines such gastro concerns.

In just a few hours, I expect to see Robo wide-eyed in the Delhi airport clinging onto our ski gear!

Labels: Bangkok, birds, Kuraburi, Mu Koh Surin, snorkeling, Thailand

The longer we are in The East, the more we appreciate (and miss) the easy access to wilderness found at home. The island of Koh Tarutao just gave us a strong dose of this love to roam around privately amongst wild flora and fauna (pictures).

Tarutao is the largest of the 51 islands constituting the Tarutao National Marine Park in the Andaman Sea abutting the sea border with Malaysia. Em and I spent a few days on Koh Lipe last month which is the only island not run by the national park system as the government donated it to the sea gypsies who have lived there for centuries.

These sea gypsies have allowed private bungalows to continue to pop up along the beachfront. While Koh Lipe still possesses a very nice vibe and does have excellent coral right off its beaches, there is hardly any native environment above sea level around and little room to wander. Koh Tarutao, on the other hand, is massive and only a fraction of it has been touched by man. The park system has three areas offering bungalow accommodations, dining, and camping. There are many other spots to throw a tent but the access to fresh water, good cooking, and most importantly, being camped at one of the prettiest beaches I've ever visited, kept us in Ao Molae from day 3 until we returned to the mainland on day 12.

We spent our first two nights at Ao Phante Malaka, the park headquarters and pier. If we didn't know Ao Molae existed, we would have had a wonderful time staying in Phante Malaka for our entire visit. Our first morning, we chose to hike to the lookout just behind the camp for sunrise. We noticed a few macaques (commons monkey species in these parts) on the way up, thinking it was cool. Minutes later as we watched the red sun rise from the east, we had one macaque pretty much force us to move. His anger began by snorting at us and scratching the ground like he was a bull about to charge. Then he grimaced at us and violently shook the tree he was holding. OK, time to move on. In the gazebo at the top, we had more problems. We took out a snack, soon realizing that this was a mistake. Once they saw we had food, they became a little more aggressive. As I mock charged one of them, he mock charged back towards Em. OK, time to leave.

I went for a run right after this and had some more hissing from the macaques. We figured we would report their unpredictable and somewhat frightening behavior to the park staff as we expected they would send some rangers up to the gazebo to knock the monkeys around a bit and remind them who's boss. Oh no. Instead, they reinforced our concerns, "Yes, they are dangerous....and if they bite you it is worse than a dog biting you." Lovely. We were also told that it was best just to give them any food we had so they would stop threatening.

Our last day at this spot, we noticed macaques getting into the restaurant's trash and very little effort from staff trying to stop them (a sign on the front deck of the same restaurant threatened a 500 baht fine for feeding the wildlife). Given the food-human connection around park HQ, the monkey behavior made sense. Whenever we saw macaques away from this spot, they were logically more fearful of our larger size, less convinced of gaining a meal from us, and never really a problem.

Before leaving Ao Phante Malaka, we took a long tailed boat up the mangrove-lined estuary to the entrance of Crocodile Cave. Yes, there used to be crocodiles in these waters and our guide was not totally convinced they were all gone. On the way to the cave, we saw a couple large water monitor lizards before the boat grounded. This tour must be done at low tide to safely get in and out of the cave and it must have been really low this day. So, the driver, us and the other couple Tony and Katrina got out in the water to help push the boat. Fortunately, Tony was a large Dane whose strength probably saved us from waiting for the tide to rise. We went up the cave initially on a small wooden raft until we got to dry land and then were led around on a longer-than-expected walk amongst huge stalactites, stalagmites, and other impressive formations.

We had a great visit with Tony and Katrina, and they added to our desire to check out Ao Molae as they bragged about the beach where they were staying. In no hurry to leave as we were enjoying the shade the pine trees provided while still basking on the sand, we still decided to pack it up and head south to Ao Molae.

There we slowly but surely sunk into some serious beach time without ever really getting bored. We had snorkeling on either end of the bay, great bird watching with hills rising steeply behind camp, were centrally located for great walks or morning jogs to a waterfall hike, other beaches, a cross island journey, or back to park HQ via beach or road. These road walks turned out to be quite enjoyable. Because the path was cleared wide enough for a vehicle, it allowed space to view birds unlike the limited visibility while hiking in the dense jungle. It also served as a great wildlife corridor as we learned that humans are the minority of species utilizing this path of least resistance. There is a park maintenance pickup and shuttle bus that probably combined for ten daily trips on the main road, less on the smaller fork our camp was on. So, when walking on these "roads," we would see one vehicle every couple hours.

One day we made the 12 km journey to the east side of the island where the prison was located. Tarutao has a crazy history (including the filming of Survivor for all you reality TV buffs) going from sea gypsies to prisoners of war to pirates and to its current state of conserved recreation. For more facts on this lovely isle and marine park, visit here. And a map of the island - helpfully annotated with all the key Survivor locations - can be found here.

During this 12 km journey, in addition to tons of birds, we saw scorpion, snake, macaque, dusky langur, monitor lizard, geckos, and the most unique fauna of the trip, the palm civet. This four legged, skunk-marten like creature came bobbling towards us like he was drunk and blind. I kept looking at him waiting for him to notice us and wondering how he had lived so long in this wild world. Upon Internet research when returning home, we first identified it, and then learned that it is a nocturnal animal and explains his confused behavior when we saw him.

I can not leave out the bird life. It has taken some time, but I really started to appreciate the hobby of bird watching on this trip. I think it was because we sat in some neat spots where we were surrounded by noises of the jungle. Plus I have been outdoors with Em long enough where there is some residual knowledge/pleasure coming my way. Our first day on the island, we saw the oriental hornbill and continued to see many of these tropical beauties, one morning counting nine in one tree. White-bellied sea eagles and Brahminy kites are also found in abundance, and we often watched from the beach as they circled and dove over the water. Multitudes of tiny, jewel-like sunbirds were showing off their iridescent colors along the roadsides, while Asian fairy bluebirds and racket-tailed drongos swooped about more furtively in the understory.

So, where is the beach time you may ask. Oh, it is there, sometimes all day, but always some every day. The water was usually calmest and hence most clear in the mornings so this was the prime snorkeling time. Though not nearly as good as around the further-out islands, we really enjoyed the occasional snorkel, conditions permitting. We also got in some nice morning and evening strolls, just seeing what the ocean tossed up on shore that day, and what the crabs were doing about it. But most of our beach time was spent laying on the sand in the shade of a large casuarina tree. We would venture into the sun for quick swims or a few tosses of the Frisbee or longer sessions if it was cloudy or within a couple hours of sun rise or sun set. Mainly we read books or played cards while our eyes were able to stay open. Tough work. There is a stereotype of islanders that they are lazy and don't think or care about too much. After 11 days, we easily see how this stereotype can be true and at some level, admirable.

Even though we packed our home stove, we usually ate one or two meals in the restaurant and got to know the staff. The "laying around in the hammock, have to get up to cook every once in a while, yes I am lazy and no I do not care about much" staff. Good folks.

We are now preparing for a little quicker pace of travel as my parents arrive this weekend for a couple weeks of beach and culture fun. Look out, Thailand!

Labels: birds, hiking, Koh Tarutao, snorkeling, Thailand

We've had some bad news from North Dakota. My Grandpa Wesley is in the hospital in Minot after a minor heart attack. He's stable, and they've moved him into his own room. I'm anxiously awaiting the updates, but they think he'll be ok. When I talked to him at Christmas he said he hadn't been out ice fishing yet this winter - the ice was too thin. He said it would be thick enough to hold him up, but not him and that huge fish he was going to catch. Here's hoping the ice thickens up and he's out fishing soon. We love you, Grandpa!

I've posted some pictures from Trevor and my visit to Khukhut waterbird sanctuary and Koh Yo. Pitt let us borrow her motorcycle, and we had a fun drive over the bridge to Koh Yo for lunch. The island seems pretty laid back, and we were sorry we didn't have more time to explore. There are fish farms all around, and plenty of seafood restaurants to choose from. A lot of folks from Hat Yai day trip up to the island (about a 45 minute drive) to eat seafood, so you know it must be good. We had lunch in a lovely, out-of-the way spot nestled amongst the palm trees, and decided we'd stop on the island for dinner on the way back, too. Continuing on to the next bridge, we made it to Khukhut in another 45 minutes, and enjoyed a beautiful drive in after leaving the main road.

We knew we wanted to get on one of the boat rides, but had no idea to go about it. Signage wasn't stellar, and it took us a bit to find the office, which was empty. Luckily a cleaning lady came over, and I happened to know the word for boat (random - you learn it with the Thai alphabet) and she pointed us in the right direction. A guy who turned out to be the boat driver walked us over, and we were soon out on the water in a long-tail. He drove us through an area of shallow grass beds with canals winding through, interspersed with larger open areas and the occasional tree with crazy stalagmite-like roots sticking up all around. The shy purple swamphens with their bright red heads and purple-blue-turquoise feathers were a highlight, as were the enormous purple and gray herons. There were tons of Egrets, though I'm not sure which ones. According to the bird book, there could be 4 different kinds in the area right now, and all wearing almost identical non-breeding plumage (great egret). There were large flocks of little grebes swimming around, and when we got too close they would take off running across the water before leaping up and diving under, as if undecided whether up or down was safer. There were plenty of little cormorants perched in the trees - looking more like little vultures than waterbirds from a distance - and we saw a flock of black-winged stilts, with long skinny beaks and even longer legs. A couple of Greater Coucals were poking around looking for a meal, and we saw a blue-tailed bee eater snag either a bug or a fish off the water. Back on shore we spent some time up in an observation tower, where we watched some ashy drongos and black-naped orioles play in the tree-tops at eye level. (Thanks to Carl-Johan Svensson for posting such fantastic pictures of Thai birds - most of the links above are to his site.)

On the drive home we stopped at another restaurant on Koh Yo, and had some fantastic seafood tom yum (spicy soup) and sweet-and-sour shrimp. Yummy.

P Noot hosts a big New Year's Eve party every year, and we were recruited to come over early and help set up. We peeled, sliced, chopped, marinated, and skewered, helping set up the massive spread of food that we'd later help demolish. At the party, there was musical chairs and waterballoon tossing for the kids. There was also musical chairs for the adults, who were probably more into it than the kids, after a few hours of party time. Chairs were broken, people went sprawling, cash on a fork was awarded. It was fun. Getting on toward midnight, the fireworks started to come out, and the kids' excitement level went up. There was no count-down, but at few minutes to midnight the amount of firecrackers and roman candles being set off in the neighborhood escalated until their was constant noise and smoke. Trevor and I counted down and had a smooch, just to do it properly. Here are some pictures from the party.

This last week (or fragment of a week, anyway) we've started mid-term tests at school. It's a bit of a process. I'm doing a full class period of review, then administering the test the next period, then finishing the one-on-ones the period after that (there's a written part, then a one-on-one outside the classroom to test for speaking and listening, which takes a while with 30+ students per class). So far most of the younger kids are doing pretty well, so it's gratifying to see that they're getting something out of class, and that my expectations for the tests were fairly realistic. We start testing with the older kids next week, so we'll see how that goes.

As for me, I better get back at my own studies now. I'm hoping to meet up with Tor this weekend for some Thai/English study, and she expects me to spell all the words that go with the Thai alphabet. I don't want to fail the test!

Labels: birds, Khukut Waterbird Sanctuary, Koh Yo, New Year's Eve, teaching, Thailand