Trip planning and Island hopping!

Day 2

Day 2 began with waking up early and heading into the city from our place in Ban Phaeo. We have 1/2 a day to "Do Bangkok" and a Overnight bus to catch at 6pm. After a full day of events the day prior, we didnt want to do too much. On our hit list- some temples, the reclining buddha, and MBK shopping mall. They are all in the same vicinity but when you are dealing with Bangkok traffic... getting from point A to point B could take hours. But some how we managed to do it all. The reclining Buddha is a big attraction mainly because it is so large.. it is really beautiful and overwhelming to see in person,but definitely a must see. After this we headed to some temples to take a look around and get some pictures...maybe if we're lucky see some monks. :) The next couple of hours consisted of running around. Tiring but good because we had a loong 10 hour bus ride to sleep. 

The Reclining Buddha, Bangkok.

Traveling is fun, but it is not for sissies, it is a lot of work.. mentally, financially, and physically. But of course the end result makes it all worth it. Here is what the end of day 2 and beginning of day 3 consisted of: After a long FREEZING bus ride, and when I say freezing I mean freezing, I had on Leggins,a long skirt over my leggins, a tank top, a shirt over my tank top, a hooded jacket,and a blanket and was still freezing, I digress. A 10 hour bus ride, followed by waiting at a local shop for our next means of transportation, a short Song tao ride, to another bus ride for 3 hours, followed by a short van ride to a ferry for 2 more hours... then we finally reached our destination. Exhausted, hungry, dressed like a hobo and in desperate need of a shower... 

I kindly bring you to ... Koh Phi Phi! 

---Day 3--

Day 3 will be our most exciting day yet, because we will spend it at sea! :) The days events include: Snorkeling, Monkey feeding, island hopping, kayaking,and view of the sunset from the boat. [from 10am-6pm] Last time we were here, I decided to join an amateur muy thai fight, I actually injured my foot really bad and we had to cancel the whole day... So Nick and I were REALLY looking forward to this day.  

There was a pretty large group of people, all from around the world. Most seemed to be enjoying themselves, others were only concerned with their tan. Non-the less I had a blast all day long: and pictures always seem to tell the best story so enjoy: 

   

Snorkeling was a lot of fun, here are some of the creatures we saw!

Scary looking eel!

Gill from Nemo, a Moorish Idol

Some of the gorgeous scenery
along the way.

The Famous long tailed boats.

Jumping off into beautiful clear water!

Jumping off the plank! :)

      And finally, ending the day watching the sun set. It is always surreal watching the sun set because I know my day is ending and everyone's back home is just beginning. I try to send happy thoughts to who ever is about to start their day... as I reflect and finish mine. We were so lucky to have such a great day, weather wise... And the company wasn't half bad either. It was really amazing to be able to share our home and life here in Thailand with Nick's brother Jon and Gf Jen. We are very grateful that they were able to join us while we have this time off to explore the beautiful world we live in. 


                                                 Until next time...... 




                                                       *Cheers*






For more pictures check out my Fb Page and don't forget to tell me what you think or ask any questions in the comment section below! 

A True American Artist.

Steve Jobs

February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

Just wanted to take a moment to recognize one of Americas most talented man. He gave us and the world so much, and it is truly our loss to have him takin from us at age 56. So as you play on your ipads, iphones, and ipods today, take a moment to be thankful for the man who gave them to you.

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of

embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the

 face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way

I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to

 lose.You are already naked.

There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

- Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement 

speech

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers,

the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently

they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them,

but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…

they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones,

we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that

 they can change the world,

are the ones who do.”

– Think Different, Narrated by Steve Jobs

For more information: Steve Jobs

Bridge Over the River Kwai

G’day my fellow Blog followers, sorry about the gap in posts recently, I’ve just been busy and to be quite honest a bit lazy. However, the Holiday  (or Vacation time) is here and we have two new travelers joining us. Nick’s Brother Jon and girlfriend Jen came to visit for two weeks! What a treat it has been already! J Our plan is to take them around Thailand and show them where we call home and all the amazing-ness about it! I’ve decided to try my best to write a blog each day so hang in there folks.. it’s about to be a bumpy ride!

Day 1

The first place we chose to visit was Kanchanaburi. We have been waiting to go as it is only about 2 hours away from where we live and is jam packed with fun things to do. The main attraction was for the waterfalls and elephants but what we got when we arrived was so much more. First stop on our tour : Jeath  World War II museum, which to be honest, I didn’t even know existed.  Kanchanaburi is home to the River Kwai. Some of you may have seen or heard of the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai” , well that is exactly where we went. Here there was a Christian cemetery for all POW from the war. Most of the soldiers were British and under the age of 25.. like any war memorial it was sad to look at but amazing to learn about. I mean obviously the most of the world was involved in “World War II” But it was really cool learning about it from another perspective other than America. It wasent a warped point of view or anything, but just very eye opening and interesting to see a different type of memorial. The same way America chooses to write its own version of history so to the Thais. According to them their land has never been conquered, and to some extent I guess you could say that. Japan did take control of the POW and force them to build this Bridge over the River Kwai for their gain... but to avoid “losing face” we’ll just say, Thailand or as it was called back then- Siam was occupied for a little while.

Unlike most western museums things were just out in the open, and you were able to touch it and see it first hand. Not behind a glass wall, behind bars. Here are some pictures from the memorial.

Crazy, how they recreate what it must of looked like,
 but it really helped pull it all together. 

 

After starting our morning with depressing stuff we moved on to our second order of business... Elephant rides! A must do for all Thailand travelers, and something Jen has been dying to do! Nick and I had already gone once in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, but the place we went to was much better. They treated the elephants kindly and you could see it on their faces [the elephants that is] how happy they were. Here are some pictures from our trek:

Following our elephant trek and bamboo rafting we headed to a nearby waterfall to play like little kids! We have been to about 2 other waterfalls thus far in our jounery and these were by far the best! There were little caves, and you were able to climb, jump and play. It was a great time, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Overall day 1 was quite a success. We got a lot accomplished before we headed down south to Koh Phi Phi, including booking our tickets to Bali, Indonesia!!!!

-Sorry it is a little sloppy- Uploading from the road --- 

 Cheers mate!

Thai khanom, Simply a delicious treat!

Living in a foreign country, you come across many different things. Different smells, different sounds, colors, foods. And here is no different, Thailand is infamous for it's desserts. Unfortunately, you don't always know what you are getting yourself into. This is mainly because of the way are disguised. Trial and Error has brought this tasty little treat to me, it is called 

Thai khanom. and this is what it looks like:

What is inside your guess was as good as mine? Its wrapping is made from banana leaves, the dessert is cooked in this. It is usually held together with a toothpick, but this guy is more high tech with his staple. 

Inside you find a thick gelatin like substance made with what I believe is sweet rice and coconut. [But don't quote me on that] 

The inside can be stuffed with anything, and I have had the misfortune of experiencing a great variety of things to which I had no idea what I was eating, my least favorite black beans. This one is definitely my favorite, I like to refrigerate mine before I eat them, the coconut is cold and the banana is nice and crisp!


and in two little bites it's gone!  


                   Thoughts?! Looks good? Or Bad? 

Cheers!