ThaiChristmas08

Buy it with Batteries

2009-01-02T22:37:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-02T06:36:00.002-08:00

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?

2009-01-02T06:36:00.001-08:00

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

Thai Driving, a life changing experience

2009-01-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

I had to post something about the Thai culture of driving, because it is nothing like anything you would ever see in the states. Yellow lines are more like guidelines, pedestrians appear to be targets, and speed limits do not apply!

We have had some crazy experiences, like when our Chiang Mai guide for a day, Noi, would be running (2 second old) red lights while turning around and laughing at a joke he was telling us. Or the trip to Udon Thain by van, when we were passing people like there was some sort of bonus at the end. One time I was pretty sure we were playing chicken w/ oncoming traffic before swerving back into our lane at the last possible second. But my favorite was probably the van ride to the island, when our driver was on the phone in one hand, looking up a phone number in ANOTHER phone in his other hand, all while weaving in between lanes. I’m pretty sure we won the lotto by surviving that ride!

Oh and mopeds are as common as a BMW in Bellevue, shifting their way through traffic at their free will. Sometimes you will see a family of 4 riding together on ONE moped! We actually got to experience some moped driving on Ko Sumet, and that brings up the other weird part of the Thai driving… being on the LEFT side of the road.

The first night we rented the mopeds, we must have had them for about 5 minutes, and Abi was cruizin along… on the right side of the road, when another bike was coming at her. She kept going further right, while this guy kept going to his left. Don’t worry, everyone was ok, and Abi has not forgotten what side of the road to drive on since.

~Randall

Ann’s “Top Secret” Gift Shop

2009-01-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

After the night bazaar, it was Ann’s “Top Secret” Gift Shop where I found myself. I would enlighten all of you as to what she sold, but that may ruin some Christmas presents for some pretty special people! But that’s ok, because this post is not about the gifts, but the people behind the gifts.

As you probably guessed, Ann is the name of the lady selling the stuff at this booth, and she is probably the best memory I have from Chiang Mai. It was fun to see tigers and monkeys, but it lacked that personal interaction with the Thai culture.

I met her on the first day, when Jeff and I went out exploring, and right away you could tell she was authentic, and had that caring Thai attitude. I knew when I saw the things she was selling that it was the perfect gift I was looking for, but I didn’t have any money on me at the time, and told her I would stop by later. Which I did the second day, but didn’t have time to fully look into the products and find the perfect one, so I told her I would swing by before I left.

And that time was after the night bazaar. She was so excited that I returned to her place, as they sold her items at many other places, but none showed the respect that Ann did. She spoke English very well, and it was fun to get a background on how the products were made and her involvement in the family business. I was happy to help out Ann by buying from her and just as glad to have gotten to know her on my short stay there. It is the people like Ann that make me want to return to Thailand over and over again!

~Randall

“Bazaar” Night Market

2009-01-02T06:25:00.001-08:00

I’m sitting in the van on our way back to BKK to (eventually, 11PM tonight) catch our flight to Korea. Thought I would type up some blogs on the ride over and post them when I find an internet café in BKK.

We are going way back into time now, back to Christmas day (Thai time), and our trip to the Night Baazaar, Chiang Mai’s famous market. I think the only photo that could do this justice would be one from Google maps (or MSN maps, for those MSFT friends of Abi who are reading this!). The market extends many many blocks in all directions, and pretty much has everything you could ever want. Funny T-Shirts, sunglasses, hats, shorts, artwork and everything in-between. It was fun to wander around and see the night life, as well as pick up some souvenirs! I could have probably wandered around there for hours, but I had to meet a friend (more in the next post) before 11 to purchase some Top Secret gifts.

~Randall

T Minus 3 Hours

2008-12-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

Quick post time! Its 9pm here on the 31st, we just got done with a New Years Eve dinner and are now off to wander the beach! There will surely be dancing, fireworks and good times with friends.

~Randall

ECC from BKK

2008-12-30T03:51:00.002-08:00

More backposting, this time a quick one about our trip from BKK to Ko Sumet. After an awesome lunch w/ Pi Si Pfon and company (more on that later), we were off to the beach!!

It was Monday afternoon, Thai time and we were on a tight schedule, as the last boat for the island left at 4, and it was already 2:30 and we had about an hour and a half to go. But as you can tell from previous posts, we mad it fine! What was signifigant was the time... 2:30pm, and for those of you keeping score at home, that would be 11:30 AM on Sunday, Seattle time.

I got a little homesick, as I realized it was just about time for second service to start. But, all was good, as the night before I downloaded the sermon of the 21st (which I missed flying out here). So I booted up Abi's computer, and got a chance to hear Dave speak. It was kind of cool, to think that although I wasn't there with the ECC family, we were all doing the same thing (even if I am a week behind !).

I wish I could have been there to see all the ugly christmas sweaters, and Dave, but it was great just to hear him speak! I could really relate when Dave talked about how much it meant to him to get emails, phone calls, and little facebook messages, as those too make me feel special while away from friends and family!

I hope everyone enjoyed this weeks message, as I enjoyed Daves words of wisdom from the 21st. But don't spoil any of the good jokes, as I'm sure I'll be catchin it online again next Sunday!

Ok time to wrap this up, as we are off to eat. If I can find an internet cafe (and some free time) you know where to find some updates tomorrow!

~Randall

Udon Airport Surprise

2008-12-30T03:36:00.000-08:00

Now that I got the big Ko-Sumet update posted, time to go back and fill in some of the blanks as to how we ended up here.

So we took the bus from the hotel to the airport and were greated with a great "surprise"(1). When we walked into the airport, Phatreeya was there to "say goodbye"(2) again. (The day before, we had to say our sad goodbyes, as we didn't expect to see here again this trip). Now, I knew something was gong on, as Phatreeya kept looking at me and saying, stop smiling like that, you KNOW what we are planning! Well at the time, I was not too sure, but I had a few guesses. It wasn't until Phatreeya was telling us how to get to the resturant to meet Pi Si Pfon, Montree, and Bo for lunch once we got to BKK. She slipped up and said "we" and quickly changed to "you guys" but not after giving me a lil glare as to say, don't say anything! I just looked back and laughed some more!

When we got in line to go to our gate, she "asked"(3) the checker if she could just come along as we needed her as our translator. After more giggling, and friendly glaring, the 5 of us were on our way to BKK, and eventually Ko Sumet!

I think I speak for all of us when I say, this was a great surprise! Phatreeya is just a great friend who has given us so much, and we are happy to be able to give a little back!

~Randall

1. I put it in quotes, as there was lots of secret talks going on between the girls ... abi / phatreeya / jenny ... so we knew something was up!

2. I put this in quotes, as I suspect they have something else up their sleeve!

3. By this point, I figured she was coming, and it was now all a big show!

Ko Sumet -- Beautiful!

2008-12-30T03:23:00.000-08:00

And I'm back on the internet, barely. After leaving Bangkok, and the security of having wireless internet in the hotels, I am "ruffin" it out here on Ko Sumet, which is an Island about 3 hours from BKK. Also, I found out today that on the 29th, 3 major undersea data cables were clipped, apparently by a big ship's anchor, so internet is kind of flakey, cutting in and out. And when it does work, it is pretty slow, as so much traffic is trying to through the active lines. But that was just a long way for me to break the bad news, that I won't be able to upload photos until we get back to BKK on the second (if we have time to find a place). But trust me, they are amazing, and will be up when I get a chance.

As for Ko Sumet, it is a dream! In March, I was in Thailand, and went to Krabi, and while Krabi has more beautiful scenery, I like the atmosphere here a little better. It has many more locals, as even some of the tourists are locals. It makes for a fun, more authentic time!

We got in yesterday, checked in, and found out way to the local guy selling cheep Singha! After a little relaxing, we rented some mopeds for the trip (less than 10 bucks a day / bike) and took off to explore. It was dark by that time, and we ended up at the coolest beach night life area ever! We grabbed some food and chilled the night away before heading back to crash at our place.

Today has been more of the same, cruizin around on the bikes, relaxin on soft white sand beaches, we even ended up hanging out with the king's grand-daughter. Ok, so maybe we just happened to find our way to this baller resort, sit down for a drink, and see what all the noise was about, but that was close enough for us! She had a VIP room above us w/ her friends, and we could see them chillin on the patio, so we were practically partying with her!

Just now got to the internet cafe with Phatreeya while the others (Jeff/Jenny/Abi) are off to get some massages before we meet up in a bit for dinner and whatever the beaches may bring!

I wish I could put up some pictures, but until then, you are just stuck with my stories! More to come tomorrow as we are gonan go snorkling / scuba diving / fishing / boat touring around!~

~Randall

Udon, Gone In A Flash

2008-12-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

It's 6:30 am and we are gettin ready to leave Udon Thani. Yesterday was another wonderful dat at the orphanage. It is sad we are leaving already, and it just makes me want to plan ahead for when I can make it back out. I feel like I have a second family out here, as well as many good friends that we have met along the way. I'll have to write more about them when we get to Ko Samet as we should have lots of time relaxing on the beach!

Off to the plane now, to continue the adventure.

Udon Thani!

2008-12-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

After a mammoth van drive from Chiang Mai, we arrived in Udon Thain at about 9pm on the 26th (Thai Time). On the long van ride, I had a chance to type up some more posts about our Chiang Mai experiences, and have uploaded those below.

When we got in, we went out to dinner w/ Phatreeya and Rung, to the bar that Jacob reccomended, and met his friend (the owner) Dat. It was a beautiful bar, and Dat was one heck of a character. Meeting him in person helped bring to life the bloggs I read from Jacob's trip!

Well today, we are off to the orphanage, followed by a day trip to Laos, and back to Udon for the night. Dat want's to party with us tonight, and we just can't turn that down!

It feels like I am back home, and we are all super excited to go back and visit the girls at the orphanage. More updates to come...

~Randall

Xmas Dinner

2008-12-26T16:43:00.001-08:00

After getting back from the temple and waterfalls, we went back to our rooms, changed, and got ready for Christmas Dinner. We went to a restaurant near our apartment, and it was very festive. The waitresses had red vests and Christmas hat and wished us a merry Christmas, and there was a tree and lights everywhere.

We all had some yummy Thai food, and some semi-sweet sparkling white wine. I’m not sure what they put in the food, or how much wine we had, but it was one of those dinners full of laughter. Let me make this clear, it was FULL of laughter, I mean I can’t remember more than one consecutive minute without any laughing. If it was quiet, we laughed. And when it was loud, we laughed louder. I’m pretty sure the workers thought we were crazy, but looking back on it, I’m not so sure they were wrong!

We all hope your Christmas dinners were full of laughter too, Merry Christmas!!

~Randall

“Nam”Falls

2008-12-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

In Thai, the word “nam” means water, and the Thai waterfalls were the next stop on our agenda for the day. I really enjoyed this stop. It reminded me of home, Washington, hiking through the woods and the familiar feeling of being surrounded by nature.

There were some great viewing points for the Falls, called Wachirathan Waterfall. I’ll try and add a video to the pictures folder sometime. You could walk down to the base of the waterfall and feel the mist spraying all over, it was really refreshing! I’m not sure if our two drivers had ever seen a waterfall before, as they were really excited to explore around.

When I was walking around, I saw a path that just seemed to lead off into the woods. So, of course, I had to explore and see where it curved away too. I started running up the path, and instantly remembered that we were over 6000 feet above sea level, either that, or I’m getting really out of shape (and no comments!! :P). The path ended up wrapping its way up above Wachirathan falls, and had a very calming feel to it.

I ran and explored a little further, but decided it was time to head back to the group. After the falls we were on our way back to Chiang Mai. I enjoyed the drive back. I got a chance to throw on some headphones, rock out to the new ECC cd (Two) and get a power nap, what more do you need!?!

~Randall

Oh by the way, to explain the USA Beanie Baby, If you haven't noticed looking through Jeffs Photos, he is trying to take pictures with the bear throughout our adventure. Don't worry about why, just enjoy :)

Doi Inthanon

2008-12-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

It’s Christmas and we have some more non-traditional events planned. Our drivers arrived this morning and so we are free to roam Chiang Mai in style. We have one of those big spacious vans w/ the seats that fold out into bed’s, and a bumpin sound system, so I’m happy! We took the van to Doi Inthanon, which is a National Park a lil over an hour from our hotel. This park is up the mountain range, and we were traveling up over 2000 meters to tour the Temple of the King and Queen.

Check out some of the pictures there to see how breathtaking it was. We walked around the temples and probably had the most fun outside and in the gardens, where we joked around and took a bunch of goofy pictures, like our Star Trek one seen here! One of the drivers (Dtom) hung out with us as well. He speaks a little English, but conversation is still a struggle, but at least we can get basic concepts across!

On the ride back to our bus, we were in the same taxi as the cutest little kid, that was fixated on Abi. The parents thought it was pretty funny, as when they would block the kids view, he tried so hard to move and keep staring at Abi! Gotta love little kids!

~Randall

Muay Thai, Muy Interesante!

2008-12-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

Back home, we have a tradition of spending time with family, laughing, fighting, and resolving it all by opening presents. To say this Christmas Eve would be different was a huge understatement! No family, no presents, and for the most part, no ENGLISH! And to top it off, the four of us closed out the day with something totally unique and unexpected, Thai Kickboxing (Muay Thai).

For 400 Bhat, we got ringside seats, and for another 120, a large Singha! What more do you need? While it was hard to snap action shots in the dark atmosphere, I did manage a few good shots of the ring. I had never seen any live boxing, so I was excited for the kickboxing to start.
There were 7 matches, varying from 100 to 185 pounds. And in the first fight, it was hard to tell if the fighters (probably around 13 year old boys) even topped the 100 mark. The first few fights were a little slow, it could have been because I was running on a couple hours of sleep, or just the armature feel to the fights. But as the night went on, the fighters quality increased.
One of the last “scheduled” fights (the 185 pound one) got up to the pretty entertaining level. While the scheduled fights were alright, and worth seeing, I don’t think it is what people come to see. After all of these bouts came the real fun, as the pickup fights were starting! Basically some guys in the area just wait till after the main fights, and then scrap for tips.

But the star of the first fight (Abi’s new crush!!) probably should not have been able to walk. He was definitely on some combo of alcohol and drugs, probably helping him feel no pain. He took a few good shots to the face, fell down, tried to get up and continued. At one point, he fell out of the ring, down four or five feet to concrete, got up limping and continued. Another time, he fell down (this time in the ring) and tried to stand up and grab the ropes, but missed, and as he was falling back, stuck out his foot to keep his balance. We were cracking up, wondering what would come next. And as it happens, he fount his balance, and his rhythm and knocked out the other guy w/ a flurry of punches! It was one of those things you had to see, and I’m not sure if this will do it justice!

The second fight was equally entertaining, with a short stalky guy going up against someone w/ a good 6 inches on him. Pre fight, it was hard to imagine the short guy having much chance w/ that disadvantage, but he quickly changed our minds. He just let the tall guy kick and punch, while blocking them and letting the other guy get tired. Then, every so often he would catch the tall guys kick, grab his foot, and flip him to the ground. He also had some sweet flying punches and kicks, but those were hardly the highlight of this fight. The short stalky guy truly ended the fight in style, by doing a cartwheel kick to the other guys head, knocking him out cold!

I’ll wrap this post up, and not go into detail on the Shemale dancers at the bar, as just the mention of this will bring Abi and Jenny to instant laughter! While today was far from the typical Christmas Eve, it will definitely rank up there as one of the more memorable!

~Randall

More To Come...

2008-12-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well I got a few of the posts up that I wanted too, and have a few more in the queue. It's about 3:45 am Thai Time, so it is probably a good choice to go to bed now. We are getting up around 8am tomorrow to travel in our sweet van to Udon Thani. It is about an 8 hour bus ride, so I should have plenty of time to sleep on the trip over there.

I will also try and type up some posts on Abi's computer, and get them up whenever we can find an internet connection out there. The hotel here was great, as it had Wifi, but who knows what we will end up with in Udon Thani. It may be more difficult to get to the web, but I'll do my best to keep everyone updated. Here are a few topics you can expect to see in the future!

Thai Kickboxing (called Muay Thai)

The Crazy Thai Drivers

Doi Inthanon (National Park around Chiang Mai)

Water Falls (also in the park)

Our Christmas Dinner!

The Chiang Mai Night Market
Tattoo (is it mine?)

... and many many more...

While it's the 26th here, it should be lunchtime the 25th back in Seattle, so Merry Christmas everyone, make a snow angle for me, and enjoy time with friends and family!

~Randall

P.S. Happy Birthday Dad! Don't worry, I found you a sweet gift here! Love you!

Lions and Tigers and Bears... OH MY!!

2008-12-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe there were just Tigers, but I had to get your attention somehow. The last stop on Noi's tour was the Tiger Kingdom. Before we went exploring, we all had to grab some food, as we were starving (it's exhausting going back to school with a bunch of monkeys!). They had a buffet at the tiger kingdom, which was really fun, as we got to eat and watch the tigers. The cool thing about the Tiger Kingdom is that you are able to go in with the Tigers and pet them. And apparently it's perfectly safe, well at least I'm back here to blog about it.

After lunch, (which involved a Singha photo shoot, seen in this album), Jenny, Abi and I were off to pet the tigers. Jeff had already done this before, so he chilled and waited for us, probably the safe bet!! So we decided to go in with the 4 or 5 month old Tigers. It was awesome to be in the cage, petting the tigers, but I definately felt nervous a few times. Looking at the pictures, you can see that even at this age, they are very big. There was one time I was pretty close to one, petting it, and a bird made a sound, which caused the tiger to flinch, and it ended up staring at me. I felt that helpless rush, knowing that if it wanted too, it could take me out just like that. Thankfully, even at that age, they are trained NOT to do that!
,

After our 15 min's w/ the Tigers, we walked around and checked out some of the larger tigers (from outside the cages this time). The last cage we saw had one of the hugest tigers I had ever seen, and it was just beautiful looking. We hung out there for a while, snaping some pictures, and watching Abi have a look-off with the tiger. This prompted him to attack the fence a few times, thank God for that fence! Check out the picture links for a lot of really good photos of the Tigers!

~Randall

Back To School (Monkey Style)

2008-12-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

After leaving the Long Neck Villages, we made our way to stop two on Noi's tour. But before we jump into this activity, here is a quick story of first hand crime in Thailand.

The walk from where we parked to the next event was probably less than 100 yards, but in that time we found a lot can happen. Out of nowhere something swiped at Abi, and snatched some money out of her pocket. Thankfully Abi noticed, and with her cat-like reflexes, was able to take it right back, before the culprit had a chance to escape. Oh, did I mention the criminal was a baby monkey?

Yup, or second stop was at the "Monkey School" of Chiang Mai. While stealing is not one of the advertised classes, it looks like it runs naturaly in the monkeys.

When we got in, there was a performance that was going on. We got there just in time to see the smart monkey performing. He was able to follow simple commands, and was a whiz with numbers! There were 9 numbers laying on the floor, and an audience member would say a number, and he would go and pick it up. And to top this, they turned the numbers upside down, had an audience member re-arrange them (while the monkey was looking, so he could learn where they all ended up). And sure enough, he was able to find the proper number!

But the next act was my favorite. They had a basketball hoop, and the Monkey was going to show off his mad skills. They had an audience member volunteer to play basketball with the monkey. And (as you probably guessed) that volunteer was me! I had to shoot some free throws and found it funny that I was shooting with a plastic soccer ball. But I guess they do it different here in Thailand. After making one of three, the monkey had to show me up by hitting 6 in a row!! So yup, you can pass on the message that Randall got schooled by a monkey at basketball. And to top it off, after I went and sat down, the monkey went and dunked one home. Quite the exclamation point (!)

There were more tricks, backflips, and photo op's which made school fun again. After the performance was done, we were able to walk around and feed the monkeys.

The most entertaining, by far, were the two young monkeys that were outside. And yes, these are the same ones who tried to take Abi's money. Actually they just tried to take anything in your pockets. One was climbing all over me, and was going after my water bottle, but it was too heavy for it to get away with!! Check out the pictures link for some more monkey business

~Randall

Long Neck Village

2008-12-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

So the first stop on Noi's Chiang Mai adventure was about half an hour from our hotel, and was an old village. The highlight of the village (depending on who you ask) would be the long neck tribe, but probably not according to Abi, who wore her highlight in her hair!

The drive to the village was fun and crazy (more on the crazy Thai driving in a later post, I promise!). After getting out of the city, and into the rural farm lands, we began to notice different scenery. There is something about being outside of the city limits that is soothing, which we all enjoyed. After about 30 min's we arrived at the village, which was actually a cluster of 5 differen tradidtional Tribes.

We were all excited as it was the first "tourist" thing we were embarking on! While not all the tribes were Thai, they all had the warm welcome of the Thai people. Right when we got there, a few members of one of the tribes offered for us to walk up and into their house. It was elevated one floor from the ground (to protect from floods) and was traditional in every sense of the word. The floors were made out of what looked like bamboo and we almost thought we were going to fall through!

It was fun to literaly walk into another culture first hand and see how they lived life, alnd how much different it was from ours. I tried to think how I would adapt if this was my perminant life. While I would enjoy many aspects (quiet, simple life, beautiful surroundings), I think I am too addicted to technology to become a full time member of the tribe!

While walking around, we ran into many suprises. The first, and my favorite, was the old school cross bow that one of the elders of a tribe was showing off. When I walked by him, he looked at me and motioned me over. I thought he was going to perform and do something crazy like hit the same aarow 5 times in a row, but instead he handed it to me, showed me how to hold it and waited for me to shoot. It was awesome! I really wanted to take one home, but I know on the form you fill out when returning to the states it specifically says no cross bows (along with snakes and tigers!!). I was addicted and shot a few more times. The old man seemed pleased with my excitment and use of his invention. I could have stayed and shot that all day, but there were too many sweet things to see.

Next on the things to see at the tribe was unexpected to say the least. After taking some pictures in a cool, old school swing, a tourist tapped Abi on the shoulder and asked if she saw "that". Any guesses as to what "that" is? Well here's a hint, it's in the previous picture in this post! Yup, it was a marajuana plant growing out of one of the local trees (see pictures link for more pic's). It is funny to see how lax different cultures are about such "hot issues" in the states.

After we saw the weed, it was time to move on to the main attraction, the Long Neck Tribe. A small group of them were moved to live in this village with the other tribes, both better living, and more exposure to tourism, and eventually a better life. But don't worry, the tourism has not shifted them from their ancient ways. All the ladies wear rings around their necks, and they keep increasing the rings as the girls become older (or married). It is interesting that since their necks are held up by the rings, and stretched out so long, if they took the rings off, the neck couldn't support their head.

From abandond tricycles, to old school swings, cross bowes to marajuana plants, we got a chance to see a unique blend of culture, and enjoyed our first tourist stop!

~Randall

Dec 24th Details

2008-12-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful sunny, not too warm morning, not quite the traditional Christmas weather, but I won't complain. We all got up after a nice nights rest and are getting ready to meet our driver. We have highered a driver to take us around Chaing Mai today (thursday), drive us to Udon Thani tomorrow morning (friday) which will take around 8 hours, and take us up to Laos saturday.

But enough about the future plans, now it's time to update everyone on yesterdays adventures. The day began bright an early, 7:30 Thai time. The girls had gone to bed way early, and were all rested up and awake, while Jeff and I went to bed way late (about 5AM, after watching fight club, which happened to be on TV!). But we figured better to get up and adjusted, then to try and fight the timezone changes, so we were off.

After an awesome breakfast, it was off to the heart of Chiang Mai, to see what we could find. Along the way, there were workers outside, students playing soccer on the playground, and just a genuine sense of happiness. Our adventure started when we saw a beautiful traditional Thai building.

It was open to the public to explore around, and explore we did. When we first walked in, we were greeted by a man named Noi, who spoke better english than most, and had one of those very personable personalities. He greeted us in english, and then turned to Jenny and spoke some quick Thai to her. She just laughed and told him that she was not Thai! This has been happening quite a bit in the first few days, and is pretty entertaining! He gave us his sales pitch, and offered to drive us around Chaing Mai to see the sights for 150 bhat a person (around $5 US). We were kind of split between walking through Chaing Mai today and driving to the sights tomorrow (as we would have our driver by then), so we told him we were going to walk around the traditional Thai temple and get back to him.

The temple was partially destroyed in an earthquake over 100 years ago, but was still facinating to view. And the day life around the temple was beautiful. There were many types of artwork on sale, and check the pictures on the side to see some examples. It was fun to talk to the artists and see first hand how some of the stuff was created.

While walking around, we also ran into some Monks in training. They were 13 or 14 years old and their teacher was having them practice English. She informed us that they were really shy, and asked if they could ask us a few question. We were more than happy to help, and suprised at how well the not so shy ones could communicate. They asked us simple questions like, whats your name, where are you from, where do you work. It was really fun to interact with them and be able to help them with their studies.

So while exploring around the old temple, we all decided that it would be really fun to ride with Noi and see the sights with a local. We went back to tell him this, and then were off to begin our first full day adventure of Chaing Mai.

Those adventures will continue in a future post, as it's breakfast time now. Hope everyone back home is enjoying the white Christminas (eve), as we are enjoying our warm Christmas here!

~Randall

Merry (Thai) Christmas!!

2008-12-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

It's late, and I'm exhausted. It's also officially Christmas in Thailand, and we celebrated by watching some hilarious Thai kick boxing, no words can do it justice! In addition to that, our day was full of adventure; long neck tribes, some monkey's, chillin' with tigers and had a blast driving around w/ our tour guide for the day, Noi!

A proper update will come when I can fully keep my eyes open, but until then, check out some of the pictures Jeff and I uploaded. You know what they say, a picture's worth a thousand words :)

Happy WHITE Christmas everyone, and try and save some snow for when we get back!!

Miss you all,

~Randall

2008-12-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve from Thailand! It's been a LONG travel day to Thailand but very happy and excited to be here! We finally arrived to Chiang Mai yesterday and got to our hotel at 9:30am on Tuesday 12/23, couldn't check in till 12:30pm so I decided to get a 2.5hour massage for $25! Much needed after our long almost 24 hours of travel time. As much as we all wanted to stay up and get accustomed to the time zone, Abi and I decided to sleep through the night to catch up on our rest. It's about 9am here and we just got done with an awesome breakfast, omlett, thai soup, phad thai, chicken, vegetables, fruits, french toast etc. YUM! We're off to see the city and get a Visa for Laos. Talk soon! Jenny

Chaing Mai Day 2: Adventure Time

2008-12-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

Quick update as we are about to run. First, check the pictures on the side, I uploaded some from our traveling here, our hotel, and when Jeff and I went out last night.

We just got up (7:30am), ate an amazing breakfast, and are now off to explore. Going to walk into the heart of Chaing Mai, be tourists, do some sight seeing, and go to the Embassy to get our visa so we can go into Laos in a few days!

Catcha guys later w/ another typical wordy post :)

~Randall

P.S. Wanted to give some shout outs.

First, to mom, for the xmas stalking; the candy/snacks got us through the flights!
Second, to Gareth for picking up my stuff @ work in preparation for moving to a new building.
Third, a general one, thanks for everyone readin the blog and keeping in touch, it's always great hearing from you!

warm Christmas

2008-12-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

So on the 24th we're going to celebrate Christmas eve with plans to watch a Thai kickboxing fight in a few blocks from our hotel in Chiang Mai... this will be a unique Christmas in 80 degree wheather. Well past bedtime here so I better go so I can get up for breakfast in the morning. ~jeff

Making the most of the 23rd

2008-12-23T08:14:00.001-08:00

So as the 22nd kind of vanashed into travels, the 23rd is making up for it by being reeeeeeally long! We got into BKK around 1am, wandered around the airport, got a true late night snack around 3am, and got in line for our flight at 4:30. Watched some thai animal planet at the gate until the flight was boarding and then experienced the chaos of non-assigned seats.

It was funny to see the sweetest little thai ladies rush the gate like their life depended on it to get a better seat. We just chilled and got a row to ourselves near the middle of the plane and prepared to embark on our last flight for a while (woo hoo!!). I managed to sleep in bursts, and the 1.5 hour flight was gone in a flash. These powernaps would be useful as all of a sudden we were at our final destination, and it was 8 in the morning.

We spent a little time in the airport looking for a hotel, as there were a ton of reasonable ones around the night life as well as the main city of Chaing Mai. After doing some "research" (talking to the tour guide behind the booth, and googling a few places @ the internet cafe), we had our choice and found ourselves walking to a taxi! We got to the hotel around 10am, and could not get into our rooms till around 12:30, but that was ok, as it was just about the perfect amount of time for a spa / massage! This is where the adventure begun.

We looked at the different packages, and eventually Jenny and Jeff decided on the almost 3 hour one, while Abi and I went for the hand + foot + shoulder deal that was around 2 hours. Jeff ran up there a few min's before we did, as we were seeing what last minute discounts we could get. After getting some 15% off coupons, we were on our way! Jeff was already in his room, and then Jenny took off, leaving Abi and I waiting for our rooms, or so we thought.

After a few minutes, the host informed us that our room (emphasis on singular) was ready! Abi tried to ask if we had our own rooms, but this lady was determined, or just didn't quite understand and walked us to our room! We got there and she showed us the room (cozy, with just some beds on the ground), and then she walked us to the shower spa area. She turned on the sauna, and let us know that we could take a shower and the sauna would be ready in a few minutes. And before we knew it, she snuck out leaving us alone in the shower room, which is when Abi and I just lost it and started cracking up at the hilarious / awkwardness of the situation! When we finished laughin, we went in to our respective rooms, changed into towels, and were off to the sauna / massage. I swear that massage was the quickest / most relaxing 2 hours of my life!

When our massage was done, we had a little time before Jeff and Jenny were finished, so we went to grab some food and drinks. Nothing too eventful here, minus a few ants in our Mai Tais, but we were too exhausted / thirsty to care too much :P When Jeff and Jenny returned, we were off to check out our rooms, which are very luxurious for the 25 bucks (US) a night we are paying.

To sum up the next few hours, Jeff and Jenny went off to explore some, whill Abi and I were gonna take a power nap. Jeff and Jenny also returned and I think we all crashed until a few min's ago when Jeff went to town to check on his suit, and I started bloggin. Jenny and Abi are checking out for the night, and Jeff and I just got back, and we are each awake now (10:30pm local time)... so it's time to explore!! More stories, and some pictures, coming soon...

~Randall

Flying, Flying, and more Flying

2008-12-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Jeff, Jenny, Abi and I are chillin at the BKK airport, waiting for our last flight until complete relaxation! I'm in an internet cafe and wanna get a quick update in as we have a few hours until we are off to Chang Mai.

The day has been something to remember, and seems like it has also gone on forever. When we left (Seattle) it was 1pm local time on December 21st, and now after a flight to Seoul Korea, and then Bangkok, Thailand, it is now a little past 2am December 23rd Thailand time. What happened to the 22nd?!? Well I guess that's one way to speed up time and make Christmas come faster... a kids dream!

What is more crazy to me, is that our flight leaves Bangkok around 6am, and arrives in Chang Mai around 7:30am, and then we are off to start our day. I guess one way to try and get over jet lag is to just not sleep at all!

So I am just thankful to be here at all right now, it appears our timing leaving could not have been better. Our flight was slightly delayed as they had to de-ice the plane, but that is nothing compaired to the cancellations that we could have faced. Once on the flight, we were stuck there for a while, as we would be in the air about 11 hours. Crazy to imagine going a whole day without hardly moving. But that is what movies are for!

We flew Korean air, and they had a good selection of movies to keep me entertained, as well as to help pass the time. I started out with Wanted, then needed to mellow out some, so watched Wall-E, followed by Journey to the Center of the Earth. Probably more movies watched on this flight than in the last couple months at home!

When I wasn't watching a movie, I was chatting with "Crazy Kristina", who got stuck next to me on the plane! We chatted about everything from church, to "stupid guys", bad habits to new years resolutions and everything inbetween. It was nice to have someone to talk to, rather than the movie-esque fat guy who falls asleep drooling on your shoulder! Kristina, have fun in korea and enjoy your next two weeks before your new years resolutions kick in!

The flight from Korea to BKK was much less entertaining, as there was no personal TV, we were all warn out, and it smelled like old man! Thankfully, I was able to find a few minutes of shut eye, which I'm sure will come in handy today!

Time to bounce, as my internet card is running out... will update some more later, esp if we find a hotel with wifi, as Abi brought her laptop along!!

~Randall

Leaving Tomorrow

2008-12-20T17:11:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I leave for Thailand (part 2) tomorrow. For those of you that don't know, in March 08, I helped out with an Orphanage in Udon Thani, Thailand. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I can't wait to go back. I linked some pictures from our time in Krabi last March, and you can see more pictures of that trip here, or check out the blog below:

http://udonthaniorphanage.blogspot.com/

Last time we went, it was during the childrens equivalent of a spring break, so we could really spend some time with the them. However when we return this December, the kids will be in school most of the time, so we will stop by Udon Thain our first weekend (Dec 26-28) to visit the orphanage and spend some time with the kids. We want to try and take pictures of all the kids so we can create nametags for all the orphans, which will be beneficial to the group returning in April 09.

Besides that weekend at the orphanage, this trip will mostly consist of exploring Thailand, and relaxation! The tentative plan:

Leave Seattle Dec 21st (around 1pm, if it doesnt snow too much!)
Arrive in Bangkok Dec 23rd (right after midnight), and leave @ 6:40 AM for Chiang Mai
Spend a few days in Chang Mai
Travel to the orphanage in Udon Thani (arrive there on the 26th)
Maybe travel to Laos
Leave Udon Thain Dec 29th, flying back to Bangkok.
Head out to Koh Samet (about 3 hours from Bangkok) and relax on the beaches!
Be back to Bangkok by the 2nd for the flight back.
On the way back, stop in LA for Ricky and Julie's wedding on the 3rd.
And finally fly back to Seattle the 4th of Jan!

Just wanted to get a quick blog set up, so check back for updates. I'll try and link photos we upload on the right and keep everyone updated on our travels.

Happy holidays everyone, and now it's time to pack :)

~Randall