Oreo's

We are going to need an official count on the amount of Oreo's consumed up to this point.  When i left i think it was 300,  Just kidding.  Hope things are well.  Peace!!!

Singing in the rain

It's been raining here on and off since we got here, but last night started the biggest storm yet. It's raining so hard now that our roof has leaks in the kitchen and the road to our house has become a river/waterfall. Most days we find a bit of a break in the rain to drive into town for supplies and a meal out, but I think today is the start of being held up inside. The storm is so strong that we can't even sit on the porch in our hammocks since the rain comes in sideways. We have enough food to last hopefully until another break in the weather permits us to drive into town for more food. Lucky for us we got into town yesterday and each of us have a new book to read. For those of you who know me I am not a reader, and yet so far I have read three books since being here and yesterday I read a book in one sitting. So for my next one I got a nice long book so I will have plenty to keep me busy during the rain. I've read the beach, Bangkok boy, and tuesdays with morrie. Now I'm onto a book about a women's struggle with being in a Thai prison for smuggling drugs. It's the perfect environment to read as there are no distractions and when its raining, its literally all you can do. Life here has become very simple as we read, eat, sleep and enjoy the silence of the island under the cloak of rain. Our motorbike trips to town are an adventure as the two of us manage to drive thru ponds and rushing water down to the main strip.  7/11 has become a ritual supply stop for water, oreos, yogurt, and noodle soup. It sounds like the rain is hitting all over right now, so for now its time to eat, listen to the rain, and go on a sweatpants marathon!

Singing in the rain

It's been raining here on and off since we got here, but last night started the biggest storm yet. It's raining so hard now that our roof has leaks in the kitchen and the road to our house has become a river/waterfall. Most days we find a bit of a break in the rain to drive into town for supplies and a meal out, but I think today is the start of being held up inside. The storm is so strong that we can't even sit on the porch in our hammocks since the rain comes in sideways. We have enough food to last hopefully until another break in the weather permits us to drive into town for more food. Lucky for us we got into town yesterday and each of us have a new book to read. For those of you who know me I am not a reader, and yet so far I have read three books since being here and yesterday I read a book in one sitting. So for my next one I got a nice long book so I will have plenty to keep me busy during the rain. I've read the beach, Bangkok boy, and tuesdays with morrie. Now I'm onto a book about a women's struggle with being in a Thai prison for smuggling drugs. It's the perfect environment to read as there are no distractions and when its raining, its literally all you can do. Life here has become very simple as we read, eat, sleep and enjoy the silence of the island under the cloak of rain. Our motorbike trips to town are an adventure as the two of us manage to drive thru ponds and rushing water down to the main strip.  7/11 has become a ritual supply stop for water, oreos, yogurt, and noodle soup. It sounds like the rain is hitting all over right now, so for now its time to eat, listen to the rain, and go on a sweatpants marathon!

Life at the Belveldere

----- Forwarded message -----
From: "acdc1267@gmail.com" <acdc1267@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 27, 2011 10:46 am
Subject: Life at the Belveldere
To: <rlskeers.kickass@blogspot.com>

Sorry for the lag time in posting. WiFi is a bit touch and go at our new place. So anyway to catch you all up I made the long trek to koh phangan and arrived to the island only to be greeted by downpouring rain and a familiar face, Chantelle. After we dried off in a coffee shop we tried to figure out what to do next on our trip which involved leaving the island in a day or so. I wasn't too keen on staying on this island since its where the massive full moon parties take place and I wanted a more relaxed atmosphere. We decided to head to the north of the island to see if there was accommodation there since chantelles friends where there too. After just wondering around catching up we stumbled across a really nice layout of bungalows perched up on a hill overlooking the bay. For shit we asked to see a room and how much it was. It is its own building, a stilted wood cabin of sorts with a large deck for 2 hammocks a nice bath and bed... but the real kicker was our own kitchen. It has all the cookwear and a propane burner. Then to top all of it off, 500 baht a night for the two of us. So without hesitation we took it. So needless to say we haven't left the island yet, and I was wrong about it being a tourist trap here. People come to the southeastern beach for the full moon parties and then they leave to surrounding islands. But we are on the north side of the island in a small town. Chantelle already knew people hear from a couple months ago and it wasn't long before I was hanging out with them as well. Chantelles dive instructor Gem and her boyfriend Al have been great to hang out with. They helped us find the best places to food shop and the best restaurants to eat at. By the way I had an Italian meal that was legitimate and the owner of the place is Italian. We have a motorbike from gem since we live on the hill and we drive into town and sometimes across the island for supplies. Weve also been to some cool bars and one that had a live jam session where they played old rock music. Most days we've been here it rains and some of the storms have been brutal. We don't mind though as we sit in our hammocks, read books, drink tea, cook food, and sleep in... all to the sounds and smells of rain and the waves down on the beach. It's nice here and both of us want to relax as much as possible before going home so there is a mutual feeling of just taking it easy here. So for now its life at the belvedere until we decide to move on to something else. It's raining again this morning and I have some food in the fridge as well as a new book to read. Life is going to be tough today.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

To the River Khwae and back

Its funny how you try and have the little bits of familiarity that you can in place where there is a constant feeling of being lost or at the will of others. So i right this from a computer on khao san just as i have on three different occasions. Unfortunately my time in khao san is not over. i took the bus back from Kanchanaburi this afternoon and i have a 2 hour "layover" before my night bus leaves from Ko phangan. My time in Kanchanaburi was short lived but it was a cool place. I stayed at the Jolly Frog which was right on the river. there were hammocks and chairs set in a garden shaded by palm trees where you can relax, have a drink, and read a book. O for those of you who know me and my distaste for reading, you'll be pleasantly surprised that i finished reading The Beach which is a backpacker must and now i am on my second book Bangkok Boy. Reading novels that take place around here end up enlightening you to cultural things sometimes lost in translation. Such things as why they try and keep their skin white, and the importance of body language, as well as having "face" are all things i have become aware of that are different than in my own culture. As far as the River Khwae and the war museum, it was kind of a bust. The thing that stuck me the most was other places that there has been wars or people lost have been solemn places of reflection and awareness. This was not the case as people made funny faces for pictures in front of the bombs lining the bridge and loud dance music by street vendors crowding around the entrance. It was upsetting that as much as i tried i could not focus on what i had been there to experience, which was feeling what had happened. I did get to read more on what happened during the building of the "death railway" and the museum was packed with information. the downside was that there was no rhyme or reason to any of the stuff that was in the rooms and they even clustered different wars together. It was nice to get away from bangkok and see something new as well as being in a small town where i wasnt getting heckled all the time by street vendors. Also it just so happened to be the cheapest place ive been to in thailand with my own room costing 70 Baht compared to 300 baht in bangkok. Well its time to get some food in me and prepare for the long journey south.

Aftermath

I woke up several times last night wondering where i was.  I feel the transitions are going to be difficult.  I'm having trouble remembering small things, like where the light switches used to be, and what shoes i used to where all the time.  I was told that going home was always the hardest. Your sense of reality kicks in, and you realize what life used to be, is no where near what it is now.  You have a real job, real bills, and of course a sense of  "what the fuck, i can't function in the real world any more".  Its funny what traveling does to a person.  The adventure of not knowing what will  happen day to day, hour to hour, or even what will happen ten seconds from now.  Where as here the monotony of waking up, working, eating, sleeping, etc. continues.  I now i shouldn't call it monotony, cause its just life! There are plenty of adventures to be had, and things to see. There will always be another "big trip".  I'm going to miss Asia, and I hope that one day i will see it again. There is definitely nothing in the world like it.  Jess...if you read this, know that the decision you made was the right one.  I know that we all have to come home someday and we all have to face the machine, but there will be time for that.  Know one thing, if i had it any other way, i would be sitting next to you reading this. Jess I'm proud, jealous, but most of all glad your doing it.  As Peter Fonda once said, "do your own thing in your own time"   Life happens quickly, take advantage of it.  Have fun Jess, and most of all be careful, we will see you in a couple of weeks.  Oh....and by the way the fucking coffee still sucks!!!!

And it begins once again

So my adventures start again tomorrow morning as i will be taking a bus a few hours west of bangkok to a city called kanchanaburi, which for you history buffs is where the bridge over river kwai is. And in case your a movie lover i recommend seeing the 1957 film Bridge Over River Kwai (Khwae in thai). Its a stretch of railway that the japanese made POWs and thai, chinese, burmese prisoners build including serveral bridges and khwae inparticular was bombed repeatedly by allie forces. So!!!... anyway im sure after visiting i will have more historic info on it. It sounds like a sleepy town a bit off the tourist track since there are no beaches or big cities. Sounds like a perfect place to relax and get some world perspective. After that i come back to bangkok and will head south to meet my friend chantelle off the coast around Kho Pha-ngan where the next leg of the trip will begin as we blaze thru the islands ( and maybe a route or two back in tonsai!!) Anywho hope all is well. And ry and sky enjoy some awesome food for me. i will still be on the asia weight loss diet. Boy im gonna need some fatty foods when i get home.