Tis the night before leaving.

Tis the night before leaving, and all through the house
Thoughts of departure are keeping us (Caleb and me) roused.

...Okay, I will spare you my feeble attempt at poetry...

Today was a really nice day.  My foot is better for now after resting it yesterday and doing a lot of sitting today (in a car and then in a boat).  I wasn't sure how my foot pain would go at first.  Noi woke me at 6 am to go to the market with her, and it was better but still hurting a bit.  However, after taking some medicine and relaxing a bit before our big excursion to the lake, I was able to manage quite well.  In fact, I had a great time with Noi and her friend Au.  We went to a place called Ratchaprapa Dam where the lake behind the dam provides a unique experience for visitors who venture up the lake on long-tail boats to a little restaurant somewhere near the head of the lake with a little floating hotel/resort.

Let me back up a bit, though.  At 6 am, we went to the market, which was like most markets.  I've determined that Noi knows everyone in this town (makes sense, I guess since she lives here).  We were constantly running into old friends of hers, which was cool.  We got our breakfast of skewered pork and sticky rice with sticky rice wrapped around bananas and potatoes for dessert (of sorts).  I took my camera with me just in case and was able to get a few cool pictures (well, at least in my mind) and then we came back to the house to eat and then prepare for the bigger excursion.

A couple days ago, Noi sent me the link to the Ratchaprapa dam as a place we may want to go to for a day trip today.  I didn't know anything about it really, but the pictures others had taken looked cool, so I figured, "Why not?"  I was hoping that Caleb would be up for the trip, but he had stayed up too late the night before.  The short story is that he missed the boat (so to speak), and Noi, Au, and I had a great time.

Well, the scenery at the lake was beautiful, and I really wanted to capture more of the fog than I did (I guess I should have put my longer lens on, but oh well).  However, the important thing was the adventure, and it was great.  I had watched the long tail boats going up and down the Tapi River and in the Gulf of Thailand; despite the fact that they are really noisy, I definitely wanted to ride on one.  Today was that chance.  They go the perfect speed for taking pictures, and I really enjoyed spending time with Noi and Au...two very cool people.

Well, not much more really to say that wouldn't bore the socks off of you, so I will close.  I wish you all a grand adventure of your own.

Return from Chonnapha Resort

Well, Caleb and I are back in Surat Thani at Noi's house, just relaxing right now and recovering from the 2 hour ride back from Khanom.  It was a great time at Khanom, and we will have another adventure tomorrow.  For some reason, however, last night my left foot swelled up and is now extremely sore.  I have no clue what I did other than walk to dinner; however, I think this is the most my foot has ever hurt, except when it was sprained for 6 months in high school. 

At any rate, I'm not going to let a little thing like a swollen and painful foot ruin the fun.  I will put an ice bag on it, let it relax tonight, and move onward and upward, as always.  I didn't get a lot of pictures today because I wasn't up for walking very far.  I was up with the sun, however, so I took a couple sunrise pictures, such as they were.  I enjoy the long tail boats that float around the gulf of Thailand catching fish, and I have many photos of them.  I especially enjoy getting them at sunrise...kind of Pirates of the Carribean-ish type pictures or maybe Vikings.  At any rate, my favorite part of being at Khanom is having this chance to get up early and enjoy whatever pictures come my way.

Another thing I have enjoyed at Khanom this time around is having more conversations with interesting people.  Yesterday, I met a German couple from Berlin who have been traveling to different resorts in Thailand on their month-long excursion into the Land of Smiles.  They liked Khanom most of the places they had been to so far.  Today, we chatted with one of the guys who works at Khun Lee's establishment.  He has only been living back in Thailand for 3 years and talked about his struggles to re-learn Thai and also about his travels throughout Europe when he lived in Sweden.  I had commented on how fluent his English was (compared to the other people who worked at the restaurant--excluding Lee).  He had given us some suggestions for places to explore with the scooters the day before, and we talked to him more at dinner that night afterward.  It was a great way to end our time in Khanom.

Of course, I am ever grateful to the people at Chonnapha Resort for providing great service and a wonderful place to just relax and enjoy the ocean.  It was a great break from the city...despite the fact that we had to leave Noi in Surat while we went up and played. 

It will be great to see Noi again when she is off work.  I am not looking forward to waiting until November to see her again when we leave here on Sunday.  I wish I could take her with us now; however, we are committed to being patient and enjoying the time we have with each other as much as possible.  It's nice to be able to have this kind of relationship where despite the separation, it's okay because we are both secure in our love for each other.  It's very refreshing...but it will definitely be good to have her in the U.S. so that we can explore life together from there on.

Well, that's all I've got for now.  I hope you all are doing wonderfully, as always.

Chonnapha Day 3 (and early 4)...The saga continues

Well, yesterday started out pretty well, and it was generally a good day with plenty of adventure.  However, I regret to tell you that other than the sunrise pictures, I didn't take many to add to this blog entry from yesterday.  Also, I didn't get up for this morning's sunrise because yesterday's was satisfying enough, and I was pretty tired. 

Once Caleb and I were up and moving around yesterday, we went to lunch and to the store to get more sunscreen.  One look at my arms and I realized that the little bottle I had bought the night before was not going to be enough.  I was wishing I had brought a long-sleeve shirt on this trip; however, I hadn't planned on riding scooters for hours on end either.  At any rate, we managed to slather on enough sunscreen to feel comfortable and then went out on the road for a little excursion. 

I have to admit that I wish we had stopped for more photos along the way because the back roads we were on were really cool.  The rubber trees and the little houses were very interesting.  We were trying to find a cave, but since all of the signs were in Thai, it was kind of challenging to figure out which side road to go off on in order to go to the cave.  I think the next time we come here, I want to go there again and actually go in and see the cave.  However, the journey getting there was worth it. 

Prior to going to search for the cave, we went up to one of the waterfalls.  Well, it was supposed to be a water, but in order for water to fall, there has to be water running, and for some reason there was none.  Maybe we just gave up too soon, but the only water we were seeing was standing and stagnant.  Therefore, I took my one picture of the afternoon of a little old hut sitting off of the trail and then we went back down the hill.

     In the afternoon, we came back to the resort to relax a little bit before dinner (and before returning our trusty steeds).  I was hot, so I went into the pool and washed out one of my Tshirts in the shower there (I brought only a couple shirts up here, so I have been alternating washing the ones I have...it's worked so far).  Dinner was back at Khun Lee's where we also turned in our motor bikes and walked back to the resort (1 km or less than a mile) via the public beach where Caleb spent the entire time trying to catch a sand crab (unsuccessfully, of course).

Anyway, that's the chronicle for Day 3 and beginning Day 4 at Chonnapha...Time for me to go get breakfast and maybe take my walk on the beach.  I hope everyone is doing well.

The Scooter Escapade

Well, today was a really fun day, and I have officially decided that if it comes down to it, I could easily see myself retiring at Khanom Beach, Thailand.  The pace of life here is much slower than in other parts of Thailand I have been to.  Traffic is pretty light, the roads are generally safe for us amateurs to scoot around on, and there are plenty of things to see if you just get out and look for them.

Caleb and I rented two scooters (aka motor bikes) today from a local place for $250 baht per day for each of them.  We decided to rent them for two days and spend some time exploring the area around the beach.  We rode for about 5 hours earlier and rode them to dinner tonight.  After dinner we went to the store to get sun screan...we are both starting to burn.  We drove up to one of the waterfalls, but it wasn't so impressive.  We plan to go to a couple others tomorrow.  Hopefully they will be bigger.  We drove around trying to find them today, but our map was a little bit confusing.  Oh well...that just leaves more for tomorrow.

I was impressed with the properties for rent and for sale here...they are much nicer than those I have seen in Surat Thani and Bangkok, and I think maybe a little cheaper (not completely sure).  Who knows...in 20 more years, this may be my new home...one could always hope, right? 

After riding motor bikes around the area, it was time for a dip in the ocean.  It was low tide, so I had to walk out a long way to get to water I could even sit in, but it was really warm and felt great.  I went from the ocean to the swimming pool, and then came back and relaxed at the villa and uploaded some pictures from the day to facebook.  Overall, it was a pretty successful day of enjoying our time here.

Well, that's it for now.  Just chillin' at the villa right now and contemplating an early bedtime so I can get up early for the sunrise.  I hope you all are doing well.  Take Care!

Chonnapha Resort Adventure

This is my second venture up to Chonnapha Resort at Khanom Beach, Thailand.  I really wish Noi could have come with us, but it is cool to have some time with Caleb as well.  Our first day here was yesterday, and it was great to get up here and get our feet wet in the ocean and sandy from the beach.  Of course, we got here at noon and Caleb hadn't eaten anything yet, so our first adventure was lunch.  We walked to the resort's restaurant, but it was closed for yesterday, so Mai at the main office had the driver take us to a wonderful little restaurant just about a mile up the road called Khun Lee's Restaurant.  It turns out that Khun Lee and her crew do just about everything around here (well, sort of).  They are also the people who rent scooters and cars, do the fishing and exploration tours, schedule beach weddings, etc. 

Lunch was great.  The menu at Khun Lee's is very extensive, and I have to say, that's the BEST panang curry I have ever had...I want to take them back with me.  I don't have any pictures of Khun Lee's yet, but I will before we leave.  The restaurant here at the resort opens up today, so they are bringing breakfast to our villa (yes, I said villa).  I had originally just rented the el cheapo room here for $27/night.  It would have been adequate for just Caleb and me, and it was in my budget.  However, when we got up here, they gave us an offer we couldn't refuse.  For 2000 baht (about $62) more for 4 nights, they gave us a villa with two beds ON THE BEACH with four free mornings of breakfast. 

Actually, at first, they put us in the same villa that Noi and I stayed at in November, but that one only had one bed, and we needed two twin beds.  That was no problem.  They moved us next door to a nice one the same size but with two beds, and it has been perfect so far.  Yay for Chonnapha.  They have my deepest gratitude, and they are the place I will refer all of my friends to who want to come to this part of Thailand.

We are hoping to go kayaking with the pink dolphins either tomorrow or Thursday, which is an all-day adventure to one of the islands close to here.  We could have gone snorkeling today, but the dolphins are one reason I wanted to come, but I have to wait and see if they will have other people who want to go (they need at least 6).  I love the fact that most of the people at Khun Lee's speak enough English to joke around with the tourists and make our eating experience pleasant.  Caleb really liked the fact that he didn't feel so confused (okay, I did too) by all of the conversations going on around us.  I seriously think that Lee could give the Thai restaurants in Pullman a run for their money because she has the personality to attract people for return visits...in other words, it's not just the food; it's all about atmosphere.

Anyway, today we are going to rent scooters (they call them motorbikes) to explore Khanom a little bit.  Unlike Bangkok and Surat Thani, Khanom is not quite as crowded and the traffic is not as dangerous (a little bit in town, but not horrible).  I want to go in to town and take pictures of the cool fishing boats in the harbor and see what else there is to see out here.  In November when Noi and I came, we had a great time, but we didn't go very many places other than the resort (which was completely fine then).  Caleb is not so much into fish spas, so we will just get our bearings and reclaim a sense of the independence we have back home.

Speaking of home, we head back to Moscow in about 5 days.  It's been a mixed bag here for Caleb, but I have had a great time spending more time with the Thai people (wonderful and friendly folks) and experiencing a little more of the overseas experience (my longest trip prior to this has been only 12 days).  In November, it looks like Noi and I will go to Phuket for our honeymoon, but for now this has been a great opportunity for both Caleb and I.  I do miss Moscow and Pullman and the pace of life there.  I miss going out and taking my nightly walks to take pictures and just see what's happening around town.  However, it's good to change the pace a bit too.

Okay, not much more for now.  I will probably write another post to the blog later today after seeing what the day holds.  I hope all of you are happy and well.

David

Wedding Party

Well, hello everyone!  Today was the day for the long-awaited wedding party.  It had been relatively relaxing up until this day, but all of the things that stress me out met me head on today.  My first stressor is being in front of a camera.  It doesn't matter how many times someone calls me handsome or cute (na rak), I have always been and probably always will be self-conscious to the hilt.  I am also not a huge fan of getting in front of crowds to talk about personal feelings (despite the fact, that my gratitude to the wonderful people here in Thailand is huge).  A third stressor has to do with having my back to people in a large, crowded room.  I don't exactly know why this is a problem for me, but it is a bit.  However, this was a special occasion, and I am happy that we made it through without any casualties.

My bride was and still is very beautiful from the inside out.  She has my heart and I love her family already (although, all of them at once is admittedly a bit overwhelming).  I look forward, of course, to learning more Thai so I can have a reasonable conversation with more of the family members, but I also look forward to sharing more of the good parts of U.S. culture with them.  I was also pleased with how well Caleb handled today.  He didn't even complain too much when I called him at 5:30 am for him to get ready for the duties of wielding my camera for a few hours.  He was definitely relieved when we had an hour or so break after the ceremony part of the morning was over. 

The weather today was good enough for Noi and I to go out and take some pictures outdoors, which was good.  The photographer certainly took some nice pictures of us, but we paid $5000 baht for 5 pictures (i.e. about $33 or so per picture) out of the thousands that he took.  Fortunately, we also get the benefit of all the pictures people are posting on Facebook and the many pictures stored on my computer.  It will certainly be interesting taking the huge photo of us over to the U.S.  It will need its own suitcase (or we'll just have to ship it).  That photo made me wish I had bought a blue suit instead of a tan suit, but it's okay, as I don't wear suits that often anyway (don't get any ideas that you will see me in a suit again anytime soon.)

It is still sinking in that the marriage is official and that my beautiful bride will eventually be able to come home with me to the U.S. where we can share our days together.  It's a bit surreal (with a bit of language shock thrown in).  I know that we will have our share of challenges to face and bridges to cross as we learn about each other's cultures and languages.  However, that's half of the fun.  I have a whole new set of family members now to visit, which means a lot more photo ops in my future...hehe.  I'm only partially joking, of course...Every place I go, my camera goes too...it's just a part of who I am. 

Well, I think I will close this for now.  I need to select some pictures to add to the mix...I look forward to seeing many of you when I return to the U.S.  Caleb and I still have a week here before we fly home and will spend a few days at the beach (more photos to come, of course).  I have mixed feelings about leaving Thailand this time, but I look forward to my return to the land of Smiles.