Lazy Days and Wednesdays...is that how it goes?

Yesterday was somewhat uneventful.  Noi and I went to her house and did some laundry while Caleb slept.  Actually, Noi did laundry (I have no clue how the Thai washers work) while I read articles and then took a walk around the neighborhood outside of Noi's house and did some street photography (quickly becoming my favorite type of photography).  Truthfully, there is not so much to say about yesterday except that it was a lazy, relaxing day with a lot of time spent sitting.  My walk was interesting, though.

Around 3:00, we came back to the hotel and ordered pizza delivery because it was pouring buckets from the sky.  It's not cold outside, but it sure is raining a lot right now...it hasn't stopped since we got back to the hotel.  I know that Caleb is starting to get a little bit homesick, and it's hard for him to not be able to communicate with the locals at all.  He is used to having the run of the town, so to speak; however, here, he is a lot more restricted in his ability to get around.  Again, this will serve him well in the future to have experience dealing with a new culture.

Despite the fact that Caleb is missing home right now, he is not shy right now about making plans for our trip back here in November.  Of course, his plan is to bring two of his friends with us.  The idea for that trip is to go to Phuket and enjoy the tourist zone for a bit (staying at a less touristy place) since we will have a shorter time here then (about a week and only about 6 days in country).  We will see how everything pans out, but it seems reasonable at this point.

Okay, I guess I will close this entry.  I may write another one later this evening if anything happens today of much consequence.  Noi and I both feel like we have been eating too much lately, so we are definitely cutting back for the day and only eating as needed and nothing more...that's our plan, and I hope we stick with it.

Cheers!

Stupid Tourist Tricks

Well, for a day that was supposed to be completely uneventful and full of rest, today turned out to have a little bit of drama.  It was actually quite funny, even in the midst of it, though.  The weather here has been pretty close to perfect...a few hottish days, but the evenings have cooled down nicely, and nothing has been unbearable.  In fact, I don't remember even having any rain...until today, that is.

This morning was like most of our days.  Noi and I got up early and went to breakfast.  Then, Noi went back to her house for awhile to do laundry and have lunch with an old friend before coming back.  Therefore, Caleb and I were on our own for lunch.  I spent the morning by the pool, reading, planning my future, and sending out a few emails before taking a swim and coming back to the room to clean up.  I woke Caleb up on my way back to the room and then after he showered and got ready, we walked down the pier to see what we could find for lunch.  Surat has a lot of places to eat, but Caleb is still nervous about eating at the roadside stands and even some of the restaurants...understandable, as most of the menus are in Thai, and the majority of people in Surat speak little to no English (even in the hotel we are staying in).  We found a 7 to Eleven and got a few things that looked palatable and were on our way back to the hotel when the drama hit.

Let me back up a little bit.  Earlier, sitting by the pool, I commented to myself...I said, "Self"... "It's going to rain today."  It didn't rain prior to Caleb and I leaving for lunch.  However, I also commented to Caleb about the clouds, saying, "Caleb, it's going to rain sometime today."  About 100 feet later, Caleb said "I think I felt a rain drop."  We went on, not really thinking any more about it.  Well, while we were in 7 to Eleven, the sky opened up...and it REALLY opened up.  It was raining so hard that within 5 seconds we were drenched to the bone. 

After the first few seconds, Caleb said, "We are already as wet as we are going to get, so we might as well keep going." (as opposed to waiting it out under the cover of a shop, as most of the locals were doing).  We walked for another couple minutes, looking for another 7 to Eleven (because Caleb wanted to buy more ham and cheese sandwiches) and then Caleb again pointed out that we were about as wet as we were going to get (never mind that we were about 10 times wetter than the last time he said that).  Finally, I just took the lead and made a B-line back to the hotel.  I knew that there was more water coming our way, and I was tired of being into it and having the locals looking at us and smiling with that "Stupid toursist!" look.

When we got back to the hotel, the people in the hotel glared at us as if we were the stupidest people in the world because we hadn't taken cover...better yet, grabbed the umbrella when we knew that the skies were getting dark.  Soooooo...with the drama over, I came back into my room, took my 3rd shower of the day to wash the mud off from the rain shower, and settled in to check email and post a few pictures on facebook.  As I was chatting with a friend, I noticed that the rain was back with a vengeance...It was way cool...now that I was under cover and could watch it as a spectator rather than as a stupid tourist contestant whose task was to fight the raging storm with little more than a shopping bag full of food that was getting soaked. 

Okay, so the saying must be here in Thailand..."When in Thailand, carry an umbrella, and NEVER leave the hotel without it when the skies are even slightly dark gray."  Yeah, I know...people probably don't say that, but they sure were thinking it when they looked at Caleb and me walking down the street.  Oh, the drama of our lives...hehe.

The past couple days have been busier than expected in some ways but definitely a good time.  Noi and Cho took us to a local restaurant that serves very good food, to include steaks with some pretty yummy fries in addition to the traditional Thai meals.  Afterwards, we rode the scooters over to a nearby park along the river that has exercise equipment and seems popular for car enthusiasts and river recreation.  It was nice to just get out and take in the sites; although, I think Moscow and Pullman have Surat beat when it comes to cleanliness of park areas.

After hanging out at the park for a brief time, we went back to Noi and Cho's house to get their mother to go to the Monkey Training College.  The first time I went there, I really had no idea what to expect. 

This time around at monkey college was a little different in many good ways, but I do wish the lady giving the class had talked a little more in English for Caleb's and my sake.  The hardest thing to get used to when being in a country where I don't know much of the language is the feeling of being lost and very confused.  It is good for both Caleb and me to experience this problem, of course, because Noi will face a similar situation in America when she arrives.  However, I turned on the television to the Syfy channel yesterday because it was one of the few English speaking channels here...I was really just longing to feel like the intelligent person that I am instead of a shy little child with no real way to communicate what I am thinking. 

I do plan to learn more Thai before I come here next time...I hope that will help me feel a little less dependent on Noi and others to get around.  I also am tired of being pitied as being shy when that's not really the problem...the problem is my lack of language despite my desire to be part of the conversations.

Today (Sunday in Surat) has been interesting.  Noi and I got up and had breakfast (too much food...ugh!) and then we just relaxed until lunch time.  For lunch we went to the mall, which was good because it was more like being back home in the sense that the stores were familiar, and the food was familiar.  We went to a local pizza joint that has really good food for pretty cheap.  It was nice to sit in a bright, happy place and not really worry about the language for a little while.  Caleb was a bit of a celebrity, though, as many of Noi's friends were at the mall and wanted pictures with him.  Caleb is feeling a little bit overwhelmed by his sudden popularity, but secretly I think maybe he is flattered.  He is taking this trip in stride and has gotten into exploring the city a bit on his own (after traffic has slowed down a bit).  The good thing about this is that he is developing the coping strategies he would need if and when he decides to travel abroad again (either with me, on his own, or with other classmates).

Well, after lunch and exploring the mall, we came back to the hotel and have just been relaxing.  One of the problems I have been having over here is that I brought the wrong shoes for walking much, and the problems I have had with pain in the arch in my left foot have been acting up.  I do what I can, to include taping up my arch (thank goodness for the athletic training classes in high school).  However, I am limited right now in how much I can walk.  I will have to go see a doctor when I get back home, but for now we are just not walking as much this trip.

Not much more for now to share.  I am posting a few pictures with this post, but these represent only a fraction of the pictures that have made their home on my computer.

Wedding Photos

I realized just how lucky of a many I am today.  It was actually an exhausting day, but the craziness was worth it.  Noi and I had our appointment for wedding photos today.  Now, this is normally not something I would cringe at IF I was the person taking the photos and IF the photos were more natural images that just come out of a context.  However, this was NOT your every day adventure in photos.  The photos I am posting here on this blog are the few that I took while we were in between torture sessions with the photographer; however, I have never had such a frustrating time trying to strike a pose...hehe.

The reason it was so complicated is that I had to try to anticipate what the photographer wanted me to do, as he gave instructions half in English and half in Thai...and another 3/4 in grunts and gestures.  At any rate, after all was said and done, we got some decent photos out of the bunch.  Noi's actual wedding dress was not one of them the photographer took.  I got a sneak peak as Noi was doing her final fitting (below):

Yes, I truly am lucky to have such a beautiful bride.  She is not just beautiful on the outside, though.  She is truly a kind soul who lives her life to do kind things for others.  I love her smile and her caring nature.  I look forward to the lifetime ahead of us.

After the pictures, I was able to take a little time with Caleb to walk down the river's edge (in search of American food establishments).  I left my camera in the room, as I have several pictures there, and I was more searching for food items than pictures at that moment.  However, Caleb took plenty of pictures for the both of us on the camera that I loaned him for the trip.  He has taken some pictures of Noi and Me this trip that are quite good, using both the loaner and my SLR cameras.  He has a great eye for photographs, which I have known for a long time.  Anyway, it was a good day after all, but it certainly had its moments.

After Noi got back to the hotel, we went out again to the night market, and I got kabsa for my real dinner (since the food I bought thinking we had a microwave in our room couldn't be cooked since we have no microwave in our room).  It was nice to get out and relax with Noi, but I am not tuckered out and ready to just relax.  I hope you all are very well.

Noi and I finished our paperwork yesterday and are now Husband and Wife...woohoo.  We will go to Suratthani this evening and start preparing for the formal ceremony and try to take in some side trips as well. It was a great feeling to be finished with the paperwork after all of the waiting in the U.S. embassy because we didn't know that they required appointments.  The embassy was nice enough to consider our situation an emergency, so they let us in, but I had to wait until after everyone else got their paperwork.

I promised pictures from yesterday, so here are a couple.

Above:  If you can't read these documents, don't worry...neither can I.  However, this is basically our Wedding license.  Below: A shot of Bangkok  at 80 km/hr on the freeway.  We had to go all the way across town to finalize the wedding paperwork and then back again to the lawyer/translator office to finish filling out paperwork for Noi's Visa.  Nothing like hopping into a car with "Drifting" on the steering wheel.  Yeah!  Woohoo.

I have to admit, that wasn't the way we thought our day was going to go, but it turned out just fine.  Then we got to take a little walk after we got back to the hotel...We went to a night market a mile or so from our hotel.  I found out that the rumors of Bangkok's red light district are true...hehe...Nothing like walking down the market isles only to have people trying to pull you into the "bikini bars" for "extra curricular activities" and "body part games" when you are walking along hand-in-hand with a woman you obviously are in love with.  Crazy Times.

Anyway, the nighttime traffic is also a feature of Bangkok that I won't forget; however, I have to admit other than the fact that scooters are weaving in and out of the cars, and the lanes mean absolutely nothing, and cab drivers are constantly fitting a 12 foot car into a 6 foot space, it's not so different from Seattle or any other big city in the U.S.  The picture below shows just a taste of Bangkok's' traffic.

It was good to also have a chance to see the head office for the company Noi works for here in Thailand.  At that point, however, my feet were hurting too bad to walk much more, so we took a cab back to the hotel.  I was pretty much out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow, but I slept quite well until 3 or 4 am.  Nothing like getting up way before the sun.  I do think, however, that I got about 6 hours of good sleep, which is good for the 2nd night in country.  I'm on my way to getting over the jet lag...Woohoo.

Below is a picture of Bangkok Uniform Insurance head office in Bangkok.

Okay, that's it for this post.  I hope to get more pictures of Bangkok in the daytime today before we leave for the south.  I hope you are all safe and well.

One night in Bangkok (so far)

Well, Caleb and I made it to Bangkok last night at 11:40 and got back to our hotel sometime around 1:30 am.  Noi and I had a difficult time sleeping last night, but we were up early to start working on the wedding license adventure.  Well, to simplify things...I should have made an appointment with the embassy before coming to Thailand.  However, this too shall pass in the end...we were told to go back to the embassy at 8 am to see if they could see us to fill out our paperwork (a simple piece of paper...you would think it would write itself...hehe).  Anyway, I'm not going to a little speedbump ruin things. 

Our hotel here in Bangkok is actually pretty nice.  We are on the top floor of a 5 story hotel with the workout room (which I most likely won't use here) and a lounge area just down the hall from us.  I think there may even be a suana up here a few doors down.  I heard Caleb in and out of his room last night, but I didn't get any calls from the police or knocks on my door at 1:00 am telling me that he had done something teenager-ish.  I do know that he went to the store around the corner because he couldn't stomach the airplane food (don't really blame him, actually). 

I don't have many pictures yet.  I guess I will try to get some later today, but today is a paperwork day for the most part.  Caleb will be exploring Bangkok a little bit while we are gone (or he will be sleeping, one of the two).  He is using one of my older cameras because his friends want pictures to prove he is here (I guess).  Anyway, he was impressed with the pink and blue and orange and other multiple colored taxi cabs at the airport and with how big the airport is.  Yes, the Bangkok airport is pretty huge, but maybe not as huge as some of the U.S. airports I've been through, and it's definitely not as crazy as one like Chicago O'Hare or Denver.

Well, that's all I have to write at the moment...We will go out again soon for attempt 2 at the US Embassy.  I hope you all are doing wonderfully.

David

Pre-travel Preparations

This past few days has been all about getting ready for the journey.  I have no reservations regarding the wedding or being married again because the woman I am marrying is absolutely fantabulous in so many ways.  I have never met anyone so supportive of me, as I am (not as she wishes I were or hopes I will be).  It truly feels like we have known each other a lifetime, which is amazing.  At any rate, I have a To-do list a 1/2 mile long or .8 km long.  I have been working hard to cross things off that list on top of taking my coworker and friend Jeff to the airport and taking a few pictures here and there along the way (see below)

After returning from the airport, I took a nap and then went at my list...en force.  I called to have my cell phone put on vacation mode, made bill paying arrangements, got AAA batteries for my computer mouse, did laundry, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen, emptied garbage, and have typed a letter for a coworker to pick up a check (long story).  Still a few things to do, but I am almost there.  Yay!  I can't even fully explain how excited I am for this trip.  I'm not sure Caleb shares my excitement yet, as I think he is a bit nervous about going overseas for his first time to a place where they don't speak English very much (but some do).  The fear of the unknown is familiar to me, as I was very nervous about my first overseas trip as well.  I think that he is probably also nervous about leaving friends behind and going to a place where he doesn't really know anyone.  However, everyone there is excited to meet him and to practice their English (as limited as it might be) with him.  I'm sure it will be an eye-opening experience for him, but I also think he will have something cool to tell his friends when he comes back, and maybe some of them will want to go (and convince their parents to pay) when we go next time around.

Anyway, I am creating this blog to document the happenings and the pictures taken along the journey.  I hope you will check in periodically and see what's going on.  Feel free to comment as you see fit.