A Weekend in Samed (Part 1)

Do you ever feel like you need to get out and spend sometime in the beauty of God's creation?

Well, I had been feeling that way for a while now. Living in Bangkok is not like living in the quiet and peaceful area of Collegedale, yes the pace of life is about the same, going and coming.  But within minutes you can be somewhere where the birds are singing, the peacefulness of the trees swaying, the sounds of people relaxing and playing, or just the fact you don't hear whistles blowing...

Anyways, we left after school on Friday, we had parent teacher conferences, and it was an easy day, so we thought it would be great to get away for the weekend.  We includes:  Nok Moolkeo, Melissa Erbineich, and Me.  Along the way we were picking up a new member, Joy.  Sorry, I don't know Joys last name, she is here visiting her sister who is working for the Peace Corp. up near Chang Mai.  Melissa is a friend of mine that works here at EIS with me.  She is the 12 grade values teacher (bible class).  We work together with TNL and SML Worship team.  She is also a basketball buddy, plus she is one person here that I can talk with and have deep conversations rather than the simple how's it going and jokes.  And Nok is my girlfriend, she works in the guidence counselors office and is the intermediate counselor.

Ok, now that we know each other... lets continue with the story.

Well, Nok and I left first and we went to the bus station and took a 3:30 hr ride through East Bangkok and along the coast till we came to Rayong, east of Bangkok and South Eastern side of Thailand beside Cambodia.  As were coming close to the Bus station the driver stops.  And Nok was like lets go, she had talked to a lady next to us and she found that we should get out there. The bus had stopped at the dock or pier where we could get a speed boat to Koh Samed.

It was a blessing because we got on the boat with this lady and her child

and her friend.  The price was on $250 for Nok and I each.  Very nice, and then to drop us off they just road right up to the beach, backed up and we jumped out... nice.

Our adventure was starting.  As we got off it was nice, we took a little walk on the beach, with the Resorts along  the beach and the starts glisening above, with the sand and water between our toes... but then we had to figure out where I hotel/resort/cabin... Pineapple Restort House.

Well, we went through some back alleys and through some mud puddles, and past a big Buddha, and past some places we thought look nice, and then there was the Pineapple Resort House. Looks like needs some tender love and care, it was not what we hope for but it was nice to finally be there.

It was a small room with two beds and two mats on the ground... the bathroom was pretty big, but there was no water pressure and the water was cold.  The nicest part was that there was air conditioning and that the water was close.  The bad part about that is there was only rocks, no sand or beach... :)

Well, Melissa and Joy, showed up about an hour or so later than we did.  They had an interesting adventure of their own.  Their adventure included:  a mini van ride to Rayong, a Mini Speed boat ride to Koh Samed for $600 each, a ripped pair of pants getting off the Mini Speed boat, a trek past the Big Buddha and mud puddle, and joining us in the small cabin-house-resort.

...... (To be Continued)

Life in Thailand

I haven't written anything here in my blog for awhile, because I have been really busy.  I am not a writer as my first choice, but started writting to bridge the gap between me and the rest of my friends and family back home.  But I love to update the blog with pictures and tell my experience, that is fun.

Last week I had to take a Thai Culture class which is required by the Thai government.  We have to take it within the first two years of teaching in an International school.  So I got that out of the way.  Well, I have to turn in a folder at the end of this week.

I learned something about the Thai people.  It interesting to note that even though, we western minded people think that bowing shows worship, it does not show that here so much.  Bowing shows respect and honor to the person of high status and age.  It is and will be hard for me to think of it in that way, note that if you do that to an idol it definitely does.  In fact, Thais will lose respect for you if you think they are worshipping you or that they are worshipping someone else.  Even the Buddhist don't think any person deserves to be worshiped like that.  (At the heart of the true Buddhist religion)

Sunday we went to a Thai Culture show here, almost Cirque Du Soleil esk... lights and a hugh auditorium of acouple thousand or more.  The stage was awesome, it boasts the Guinness World Record for the Highest Stage in the World.  I don't know if that is true anymore... after seeing Ka, in Vegas, there might be a new leader.  But the stage is very large and the show was great.

The show was very welll done, too.  The started with the history of the Thai nation, with the simple life and the Trading between China and the Thai nation.  The show then lead us through the rest of the history with the Kings, and growth of the country of war and battles.

There was a seen of Hell, which was very scary and twisted.  Pitch-forks and humans burning in a pot of stew... the works.  And many other things I don't understand from the mythical and abstract.  Most of it influenced by the religious past and present of Thailand, I assume.

Then, the tranquel and beauty of Heaven, with people flying all over the place.  The stage was turned into a big cloud of fog, which made for a wonderful shot.  That was really cool, and the colors were so nice and the contrast was beautiful.

The last scenes were about the different feastivals of Thailand.  And the stage, at the front was filled with water and a minnie river formed.  Different audience and actors were then putting their little candle baskets representing the Loy Krathong Fesitval into the water and letting them drift down the water way.   It was a very beautiful and nice scene, with the lights low and the candles flickering as they drifted down in the water.

Some More Pictures

I took these pictures from a trip I took with the school.  One of the Business schools here offered us a free tour.  Where they took us to their school, which looked like a Mall with all these stores and restaurants, etc...  then we went to a little aquarium, a bird sanctuary, and then to a cultural center, where you could see all the different regions and history of the Thai's.  It was like an exhibit cultural center.

It was ok, but here are some of the pictures that I took along the way:

Long time No Write

Well, I haven't writteng anything in awhile, I have been busy and just haven't been able to sit down and write random thoughts.  I just finished up my first course at the language school.  I am taking or trying to learn this great language, it is very hard.  I can understand very little.  I have a friend that has been helping me with understanding and with converstations.

The problems is you can say "mai" five different ways.  Either rising, falling, straight, up-down, and down up.  But to a westerners ear it sounds like the same word said five times in a row.  It is one of the funniest and most annoying things in the world.  Oh and then theres are the long vowels and the short vowels.

Here is a sentence... spelled phonetically for us Americans:

     /      \     /\    /\       /

Maai mai mai mai, mai?

"New wood doesn't burn, does it?"

The / means high.

The \ means low.

The /\ means falling or up-down

Crazy isn't it?

Anyways, I start my Thai Culture class on the 23rd of October and I get to learn how to Wai more problely and learn about Thailand.  It will be great.

Pictures from Teacher Retreat - Pataya