Buy it with Batteries

Ok, quick story I had to get up here before we fly out!

So when we were in the BKK airport, waiting to fly out to Korea, Jeff wanted a late. He ordered it up, and it cost 110 bhat. The only problem, he only had 105 bhat and a few batteries in his pocket. So he did what anyone in Thailand would do, he bargined.

He looked at them, and offered the ppl 105 bhat and 2 AA batteries. They talked amongst each other, probably laughing at how goofy this American was, and then ultimately excepted his offer.

Guess it pays to always carry a few batteries with ya!

~Randall

Pit Stop -- Korea

We got into Korea this am, and are now waiting for our flight which boards in 30 min's for LAX! We had a few hours here, so we were able to visit Seoul, and check out a market there for a little bit. It was def. different than the warm feeling we had in Thailand, as there were old ladies pushing Jenny aside, cutting in front of Abi in line, and kind of glaring at us the whole time. We also had ppl grunting at us as we walked through the shops (which we found really funny!).

I know Abi won't forget the lady who tried sooooooo hard to sell her a coat. Abi found one she liked, but they only had a Large, and she needed a Medium, so this lady just went behind the counter, acted like she was lookin thru cloths, and gave her the same coat again... but said it was a medium. Good times!

Well we are now about to take off for our last long flight of the trip, for a quick stay in LA and a guest appearance at Ricky's wedding. So excited!!

Oh, and they had fast WiFi here in the airport, so I was able to upload a few photos. You can check out the folders here, which I am in the process of re-organizing.

Hope you are all enjoyin your New Years weekend, and see everyone soon!

~Randall

Fly Fly Away

I can't believe we are leaving Thailand again, and so soon. It really feels like a home away from home. I'm at the BKK airport now, and already missing my Thai family (Phatreeya, Rung, Dat, Dum, Wigit, Sai...), but I know I will be back sometime and hope we can keep in touch!

I wrote a few posts on the van drive here, and have posted them below. Just like my scattered brain, there are thoughts and stories from all over the place, so hope you don't get too lost, and enjoy reading them. And still no wifi internet to upload all the pics from Abi's computer, but hopefully they will have one at our hotel in LA. I promise, the pictures are worth the wait!

Ok time to say goodbye to Thailand and head off to our gate. Plan for the rest of the trip.
1. Fly to Korea, where we have a long layover, and can take a quick tour of Seoul!
2. Leave Korea, and arrive in LA Sat morning for Ricky and Julie's wedding!
3. Leave LA Sunday morning, and arrive home @ Seatac in the afternoon!

As much as I will miss Thailand, I miss you guys too and am excited to be coming home!

Hope you all had a safe new year and are holding strong on those New Year's Resolutions :)

~Randall

C.U. At The Club

Ricky, this post is for you!

Some of the wildest memories of the last Thailand trip happened with my good buddy Ricky, at the club D2. Well we were surprised to return to Udon and see that D2 was gone, and replaced by a similar club, called CU. We had a chance to experience this in style on our Saturday in Udon Thani.

Saturday was packed, as we went to the orphanage in the morning, Laos in the afternoon/evening, and Bassa for dinner and drinks after that. We hung out with Dat (the owner of Bassa) for a while, and must have been laughing the whole time. He was a lot of fun, and wanted to go to the club w/ us later. So after dinner, he grabbed a bottle of Thai Rum, and we were on the way.

Quick sidestory, Phatreeya had a little too much to drink, and couldn’t drive, and so it was my moment to shine! Driving on the left side of the road was weird, but being on the right side of the car was just as weird. As the other guys will tell you, I was really close to the left of the road, as I was disoriented by being on the right side of the car! But the most trippy thing was that the blinker was on the other side too, I wanted to signal, but turned on the windshield wipers instead and almost veered off the road!! But thankfully it was a short drive, and we followed Dat, and made it to CU ready to party!

CU was fun, we finished the first bottle, and moved onto the second. Lots of drinks, lots of laughs, and lots of pseudo dancing around a table while listening to some live Thai rock bands, which was very enjoyable. But the most memorable part of CU was being Jenny’s translator.

The story of the trip had to be EVERYONE thinking that Jenny was Thai and just sputtering Thai to her when they saw her. She always had a confused look and Phatreeya was usually there to translate and let them know Jenny was not Thai. But at the club, some guy was trying to talk to Jenny, who looks over at me and says “What’s he saying”. I love that she turns to me, who can’t speak Thai, and can hardly understand Jenny as it is so loud in there! So I do what any good friend would do, make something up! I muttered a few Thai words, nodded at the guy and he smiled.

We closed out CU and at 2am left for another bar that Dat liked. He knew the owner, and it was open as late as people were there. I don’t remember much from this point on, but what I do remember was drinking with a Thai cop (in uniform) and having a bunch more laughs. I got a picture of Abi and the cop, and we both crack up at how he was pretty drunk, and just chillin w/ the Americans. Just another day on the job I guess!

Ricky, hope these stories bring back some good memories. Catcha in a few days for your wedding!!

~Randall

Wanna Pet Dog?

Well visit Thailand, they are everywhere. It’s funny to us to just see stray dog’s as a part of the culture. If we were back at home, we would probably take them to a shelter or take them in ourselves, but that is just not how they do it in Thailand. Stray dogs are everywhere, sleeping on the beach, in the outdoor markets, and many times on the side of the road. It’s always funny how you notice the little things other cultures present.
~Randall