Today we are on the island of Koh Tao. We arrived here yesterday at 6am in the morning our time. We took a bus and an overnight ferry boat to get to this island. The bus was nothing special, it was spacious and comfortable (we learned our lesson). However, the Ferry Boat was a new concept of travel i couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams. The boat has two floors. First floor is used for transporting cargo such as fruits and vegetable, fish and other cargo like materials. The second floor was two rows of mattresses for people to sleep on. The mattress must of been not even two feet wide and 5 feet long. Needless to say Marc didn't really fit. To make matters worse, right next to him was a German tourist who decided to get drunk on the boat with his friends. He was sweating profusely and was about the same size as Marc. They were huddled together and really had no space between them. Every time I would wake up I would see that Marc and the German guy were really close so I would move Marc's face in the other direction.
We met a really nice Thai guy on the boat who showed us pictures of a beautiful resort called Ban's. I really wanted to stay there and he gave us a very very low price, threw in a free taxi to get us there. I was sold, worst case scenario if we got there and didn't like it than we would leave. Just to remind you this is 6:30 am in the morning. Were both tired, not showered and grumpy from our boat ride. The guy that greets us is Thai but he picked up a British accent over the years and it was really funny, except that early in the morning i just couldn't figure out what was off about him. He showed us the room and we loved it. The place is a very expensive lavish resort. It has beautiful grounds, by the ocean, two pools, all the amenities you can imagine and more. There is a catch. We cant stay there unless we book two dives with them... The dives cost more than the rooms x2.
So tomorrow we are going open water diving. I'm actually really excited about it. Its a full day event, first half we practice in our hotel pool, eat lunch and in the afternoon we watch the sunset on the boat and dive 18m in the ocean. I guess theres no such thing as a nice Thai guy!!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Reflections... By Marc
First, I would like to clear the air on the game of war Veronika and I had the other day. She claims to have quit because the game was taking to long. We were only playing for half an hour which is only scrapping the surface of a real war (unless you play in Vegas with a crooked dealer). I was down to 2 cards and made the most improbable comeback. We then were faced with a war and I had won. In the process I took two of her aces and had levelled the playing field. The empire felt the pressure of the rebellion and decided to forfeit rather than be on the other end of the greatest war comeback of all time!!!!
When we first arrived at Ton Sai Veronika had noticed that we had a frog chilling on one of our plants in the bathroom. It didn't look real to me so we decided to splash some water on it. If it was real we were responsible for it and there was no way I was about to let it sleep all day. Not in my house! After a couple of days we noticed that the frog had turned from a lime green to a greyish green. Before we knew it, the frog had grown legs (that's right it didn't look like it had any at first) and was now a dark green. How fast they grow up. I only hope that we had tought this frog what it needs to know to live a good life and not fall into the wrong crowd. Gangs in the animal kingdom reign supreme here ( I will explain later).
Yesterday after the epic war watch, Veronika and I decided to walk back to our hotel for a nap. Eating lunch takes a lot out of you in this heat. Overhead, we heard the trees swinging and to our disbelief there was a monkey swinging in the trees. At first I thought they followed us from monkey island but this one looked different. Before we knew it, there was four of these monkeys surrounding us from above. I had a bad feeling and when that happens I normally run. Vasco and Rocco can confirm this from the night at Gee's house when the TV turned on in the middle of the night. I let Veronika know why I was concerned. I told her about the Planet of The Apes. I know it is only a movie but you never know. She obviously laughed at me so I made a decision then and there. I threw a bananna into the bushes and started to run away (luckily I always carry a bananna with me). I heard Veronika yelling for me to come back but I was already too far.
Last night, we went to a bar where a Thai band was playing. It was a pretty cool beach side bar with a lot of backpackers hanging out. Backpacker strike an eery similarity to hippies. It's only a thought right now but you can bet I will launch a full investigation. When the band decided to take a break a couple of locals decided to entertain themselves. They grabbed a rope and soaked it with carosine (spelling?) and started to swing it like a jump rope. First things first, I always thought jump rope was stupid as a child but it is flat out inappropriate past the age of 11. But when you are over the said age and you are playing jump rope with a flaming rope, it is flat out retarded. Even more so when on cue, a guy that resembled my old friend Keith started jumping through this rope. After a few skips the Thai guys (who were clearly drunk) started to lose control. I don't know if one side decided to switch directions or if one of them yelled "pepper"*see defintion at the bottom of page*. Anyways the rope ended up smacking the morons back and the game came to a hault. The guy doing the jumping looked completely shocked, like this was the last thing that could happen during the jump rope.
Ton Sai was comparable to Never Never Land. Although Peter Pan never showed his face, I swear to you I saw Rufio. So far on this trip I have gone snorkelling, learned to ride a scooter and climbed a cliff (because Veronika and I decided to save $4 by not taking a taxi boat). Those of you that were in Jamaica, where I napped on the beach all day and drank an absurd amount of beer, can already see a massive improvement in activity. I don't have the exact figures but I'm pretty sure activity is up 300% (sorry no pie chart).
Due to popular demand, Veronika has posted some pics on facebook. Check em out.
*Peppers= the people swinging the rope on each end of the jump rope yell this when they want to speed up the pace to a damn near impossible speed.
Kisses
When we first arrived at Ton Sai Veronika had noticed that we had a frog chilling on one of our plants in the bathroom. It didn't look real to me so we decided to splash some water on it. If it was real we were responsible for it and there was no way I was about to let it sleep all day. Not in my house! After a couple of days we noticed that the frog had turned from a lime green to a greyish green. Before we knew it, the frog had grown legs (that's right it didn't look like it had any at first) and was now a dark green. How fast they grow up. I only hope that we had tought this frog what it needs to know to live a good life and not fall into the wrong crowd. Gangs in the animal kingdom reign supreme here ( I will explain later).
Yesterday after the epic war watch, Veronika and I decided to walk back to our hotel for a nap. Eating lunch takes a lot out of you in this heat. Overhead, we heard the trees swinging and to our disbelief there was a monkey swinging in the trees. At first I thought they followed us from monkey island but this one looked different. Before we knew it, there was four of these monkeys surrounding us from above. I had a bad feeling and when that happens I normally run. Vasco and Rocco can confirm this from the night at Gee's house when the TV turned on in the middle of the night. I let Veronika know why I was concerned. I told her about the Planet of The Apes. I know it is only a movie but you never know. She obviously laughed at me so I made a decision then and there. I threw a bananna into the bushes and started to run away (luckily I always carry a bananna with me). I heard Veronika yelling for me to come back but I was already too far.
Last night, we went to a bar where a Thai band was playing. It was a pretty cool beach side bar with a lot of backpackers hanging out. Backpacker strike an eery similarity to hippies. It's only a thought right now but you can bet I will launch a full investigation. When the band decided to take a break a couple of locals decided to entertain themselves. They grabbed a rope and soaked it with carosine (spelling?) and started to swing it like a jump rope. First things first, I always thought jump rope was stupid as a child but it is flat out inappropriate past the age of 11. But when you are over the said age and you are playing jump rope with a flaming rope, it is flat out retarded. Even more so when on cue, a guy that resembled my old friend Keith started jumping through this rope. After a few skips the Thai guys (who were clearly drunk) started to lose control. I don't know if one side decided to switch directions or if one of them yelled "pepper"*see defintion at the bottom of page*. Anyways the rope ended up smacking the morons back and the game came to a hault. The guy doing the jumping looked completely shocked, like this was the last thing that could happen during the jump rope.
Ton Sai was comparable to Never Never Land. Although Peter Pan never showed his face, I swear to you I saw Rufio. So far on this trip I have gone snorkelling, learned to ride a scooter and climbed a cliff (because Veronika and I decided to save $4 by not taking a taxi boat). Those of you that were in Jamaica, where I napped on the beach all day and drank an absurd amount of beer, can already see a massive improvement in activity. I don't have the exact figures but I'm pretty sure activity is up 300% (sorry no pie chart).
Due to popular demand, Veronika has posted some pics on facebook. Check em out.
*Peppers= the people swinging the rope on each end of the jump rope yell this when they want to speed up the pace to a damn near impossible speed.
Kisses
Friday, February 20, 2009
Finally The Beach - Koh Pi Pi
Yesterday i got a chance to use the internet a littel bit during our trip to koh pi pi (the beach). A beautiful speed boat picked us up with about 20 other tourists and we were off. We visited beautiful uninhibited beaches and caves in the middle of the ocean with sandy beaches and clear waters. We stopped at 7 islands. We got to snorkle and see what life under water is really like. Its captivating, there were thousands of fish, and for a moment i felt like a mermaid. We stopped at an island called Monkey Bay, and we saw a lot of you guessed it monkeys. Ive never seen Marc grab the camera so fast and run towards them. The monkeys would come down from the mountains to entertain tourists with their silly tricks. They ate bananas and coconuts and peeled them just like we do. In the middle of the day we stopped for buffet lunch and thats when we got a chance to use the internet. Finally, our destination. It was the last stop but it was beautiful, it did look like a lot of the other islands that we saw, but because I have seen it in a movie it made it that more surreal.
Everyone we spoke to on the boat loves Canadians, they think we are very friendly people and those that have been to Canada say it's a beautiful place. They also all express their dislike for the US and we agree and explain how we are different. Most of the people we meet are travelling from Europe, they are very sad to note that their vacation will only last three weeks. Its hard for them to get more that three weeks off at a time (their vacation per year is minimum 5 weeks). The Europeans are horrified to hear that we only get 2 weeks plus statutory holidays. Dont even get me started on how long their work week is (38.5 hours per week, anything more and its their decision and its overtime).
From all this sun exposure we now sport really nice tans. I really dont ever think I was this dark before, maybe when I was younger and lived in Israel.
Today Marc and I were supposed to go Rock Climbing with an instructor, the proper half day tutorial. We made a deal with a guy name Tar that we met a few days ago. We didnt pay just a verbal agreement that we will be waiting for him at 9am at our hotel. Guess who didnt show???? I think we were both secretly kind of glad he bailed. We saw at least 5 tourists with broken legs. Marc kept saying that they were probably climbing without an instructor or proper equipment, but needles to say NO TAR meant a day at the beach.
We wake up early (surprisingly) and head for breakfast. Were already tired of Thai food, its all the same. Noodles, rice, curry.... So we search for pizza and salad and i wish i can have some chicken wings mhhh. We also really miss home cooking. I would love to eat a home cooked meal, my moms or grandmas or the Casimiri's dinners (bbq ribs)!!! After breakfast we head for the beach, read books, tan and swim. In Thailand there are a lot of second hand book places. If you have a book to exchange then the new one (used one) is half price. I already read two books and looking for my third. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment. In the afternoon we play cards (Marc wants you to know that he won, but only because I couldnt take any more WAR has anyone played this game? its tooo long). We watch the sunset and have hundreds of pictures to prove it. Thanks to Marina, Misha, Vika, Lenya, Rita and Sasha we have a huge memory card that we havent even tapped into yet and can save all our memories.
Today is a day of work. That involves figuring out our next place to call home, how to get there, find the best price, find the hotel and book it (to avoid the notable Mambo hut exeprience). Today we also have to pack our bags and do laundry (nice thai ladies who fold and wash). Tomorrow we are going to Koh Tao its a bigger island and known for its scooba diving. We plan on diving but this time we will be sure to make proper arrangements.
We miss everyone very much and talk about you all the time. We read your emails, comments and facebook messages and get really happy to hear from you. Please keep it coming!!!
Charlene, I will make sure that we get a hold of you this weekend and say hello.
Everyone we spoke to on the boat loves Canadians, they think we are very friendly people and those that have been to Canada say it's a beautiful place. They also all express their dislike for the US and we agree and explain how we are different. Most of the people we meet are travelling from Europe, they are very sad to note that their vacation will only last three weeks. Its hard for them to get more that three weeks off at a time (their vacation per year is minimum 5 weeks). The Europeans are horrified to hear that we only get 2 weeks plus statutory holidays. Dont even get me started on how long their work week is (38.5 hours per week, anything more and its their decision and its overtime).
From all this sun exposure we now sport really nice tans. I really dont ever think I was this dark before, maybe when I was younger and lived in Israel.
Today Marc and I were supposed to go Rock Climbing with an instructor, the proper half day tutorial. We made a deal with a guy name Tar that we met a few days ago. We didnt pay just a verbal agreement that we will be waiting for him at 9am at our hotel. Guess who didnt show???? I think we were both secretly kind of glad he bailed. We saw at least 5 tourists with broken legs. Marc kept saying that they were probably climbing without an instructor or proper equipment, but needles to say NO TAR meant a day at the beach.
We wake up early (surprisingly) and head for breakfast. Were already tired of Thai food, its all the same. Noodles, rice, curry.... So we search for pizza and salad and i wish i can have some chicken wings mhhh. We also really miss home cooking. I would love to eat a home cooked meal, my moms or grandmas or the Casimiri's dinners (bbq ribs)!!! After breakfast we head for the beach, read books, tan and swim. In Thailand there are a lot of second hand book places. If you have a book to exchange then the new one (used one) is half price. I already read two books and looking for my third. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment. In the afternoon we play cards (Marc wants you to know that he won, but only because I couldnt take any more WAR has anyone played this game? its tooo long). We watch the sunset and have hundreds of pictures to prove it. Thanks to Marina, Misha, Vika, Lenya, Rita and Sasha we have a huge memory card that we havent even tapped into yet and can save all our memories.
Today is a day of work. That involves figuring out our next place to call home, how to get there, find the best price, find the hotel and book it (to avoid the notable Mambo hut exeprience). Today we also have to pack our bags and do laundry (nice thai ladies who fold and wash). Tomorrow we are going to Koh Tao its a bigger island and known for its scooba diving. We plan on diving but this time we will be sure to make proper arrangements.
We miss everyone very much and talk about you all the time. We read your emails, comments and facebook messages and get really happy to hear from you. Please keep it coming!!!
Charlene, I will make sure that we get a hold of you this weekend and say hello.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wow So many things too write about only 18 minutes before the boat leaves
The next day after our relaxing day exploring koh lanta was back to work. We had to do laundry (aka hand over dirty laundry to Thai ladies who washed, ironed and folded our clothes) and plan our next destination. We heared a lot about Railey Beach off Krabi and decided to make that our next home. To get to Railey we took a speed boat and a long tail boat and we were there withing a few hours, it was really easy. Although one at Railey, this is when things turned interesting. The island is beautiful it has huge lime green cliffs and white sand with palm trees and a lot of European older tourists who have money to spend and stay there for a week or (they vacation). While the other tourists (backpackers) stay on Ton Sai which is 3 minute boat ride away or a 20 minute hike up a large cliff. We spend 3 hours with our backpacks walking around Railey and trying to find a room that we can agree on, but it was impossible, it was a huge rip off. They wanted 3 times more than our already deflated budget.
We met a Canadian couple who told us about Ton Sai and we hoped on a long tail boat arrived at the place we will come home for the next few days. I saw a phone and ran to call my parents who were on their way to work at the time. We had to settle for a bamboo hut for the night as it was already dark outside and we were exhausted. In Canada this hut would not be rated 1 star. I think the dog house would be nicer. It was the size of the bed, with a fan and an outhouse washroom. The washroom did not flush nor did it have a sink. Over the bed there was a green net that prevented the flys from eating you while you were sleeping. Marc and I were so tired we only noticed how bad it was in the morning.
Next day we found a beautiful place in the mountain, with a breakfast buffet, and a flushing toilet. Our standards have changed thanks to the bamboo experience. The island we are staying on has elictricity only half a day because its very expensive to get it there. It has a really cool vibe to it with all the backpackers. Ton sai is known for climbing and scuba diving. Today we are doing a tour of the Phi Phi Islands where the Beach was filmed. I gotta go because our boat is about to leave but promise to return as soon as possible.
We met a Canadian couple who told us about Ton Sai and we hoped on a long tail boat arrived at the place we will come home for the next few days. I saw a phone and ran to call my parents who were on their way to work at the time. We had to settle for a bamboo hut for the night as it was already dark outside and we were exhausted. In Canada this hut would not be rated 1 star. I think the dog house would be nicer. It was the size of the bed, with a fan and an outhouse washroom. The washroom did not flush nor did it have a sink. Over the bed there was a green net that prevented the flys from eating you while you were sleeping. Marc and I were so tired we only noticed how bad it was in the morning.
Next day we found a beautiful place in the mountain, with a breakfast buffet, and a flushing toilet. Our standards have changed thanks to the bamboo experience. The island we are staying on has elictricity only half a day because its very expensive to get it there. It has a really cool vibe to it with all the backpackers. Ton sai is known for climbing and scuba diving. Today we are doing a tour of the Phi Phi Islands where the Beach was filmed. I gotta go because our boat is about to leave but promise to return as soon as possible.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Life is like reading, if you don't travel you will only read the first page
Yesterday, Veronika and I decided to rent scooters to check out the island we call home for the next few days. I just discovered that the name of the island is Ko Lanta. We took the scooters to Long Beach and had an American breakfast at a beach side restaurant. I always thought that Americans were known as the morbidly obesse white people of North America but the Thai don't think they need to eat like that. After breakfast, I locked the ignition and we did not have the proper key to start up and move on. Before we even realized what was going on we had a few locals trying to help us out. One guy drove us back to our hotel so we can get a new bike and took the liberty to explain exactley what had happened to us. We went back to the scene of the crime to offer the guy something for his efforts. He wanted no part of it. This one experience has restored my faith in the Thai people.
The scooter incident took us just over 2 hours to resolve and then we decided to go for a swim back at the resort. A swim turned into me passing out by the pool and we spent majority of the day there. After our swim we went out to the local market to buy some fruits, vegeteables, and other snacks. When Veronka was younger her mom made sure she had something to eat after she got out of the water to replenish the energy spent swimming. Elena, take comfort in knowing that your daughter still practices today what you taught her as a child.
We spent the night having dinner with a couple (Mike and Tarren) we had previously met on the bus and followed to Ko Lanta, discussing world issues. Because they are from South Africa, we learned a lot about their struggles and experiences growing up. They told us about how beautiful Africa is and how many problems they have between the blacks and whites. She talked about the genocide in Zimbabwae, the torture of children and women that is haunted by government corruption. Actually Tarren thougts us a lot, I had no clue what was going on there. It's amazing that the events taking place around the world which need our attention and money, get a minute coverage on the news where we are more concerned with up to the minute updates on the late Anna Nicole Smiths passing and her dirty laundry. It was eye opening and very sad to hear, but it showed me how lucky I am for living in Canada. Mike, grew up in New Zealand and we all know about the blood shed in the battle for Middle Earth that was well documented in the Lord of The Rings trilogy.
For dinner, we had a bbq'd snapper and I took the liberty to fillet it. It was sdelicious, although I'm pretty sure there were more bones in the fish that I served rather then the skeleton.
Today we are taking a proper tour of the island. First stop is the market. I forgot to pack my bathing suit and have to buy a new one. How could I possibly forget to pack something that I will be using at least 60% of the time I'm here? No need to comment, I have already given myself bonehead of the week award.
Rocco, I have seen a few Starbucks but they are few and far between. Having said that you won't miss it that much becasue instant coffee here is amazing. Elena, we are having an amazing time and the 12 hour bus ride has become a distant memory. We heard that Benny had quite the performance in his most recent tournament. We were both very happy and proud when we read his message.
P.S (from veronika) mama and papa please dont worry we are having the time of our lives!!!
The scooter incident took us just over 2 hours to resolve and then we decided to go for a swim back at the resort. A swim turned into me passing out by the pool and we spent majority of the day there. After our swim we went out to the local market to buy some fruits, vegeteables, and other snacks. When Veronka was younger her mom made sure she had something to eat after she got out of the water to replenish the energy spent swimming. Elena, take comfort in knowing that your daughter still practices today what you taught her as a child.
We spent the night having dinner with a couple (Mike and Tarren) we had previously met on the bus and followed to Ko Lanta, discussing world issues. Because they are from South Africa, we learned a lot about their struggles and experiences growing up. They told us about how beautiful Africa is and how many problems they have between the blacks and whites. She talked about the genocide in Zimbabwae, the torture of children and women that is haunted by government corruption. Actually Tarren thougts us a lot, I had no clue what was going on there. It's amazing that the events taking place around the world which need our attention and money, get a minute coverage on the news where we are more concerned with up to the minute updates on the late Anna Nicole Smiths passing and her dirty laundry. It was eye opening and very sad to hear, but it showed me how lucky I am for living in Canada. Mike, grew up in New Zealand and we all know about the blood shed in the battle for Middle Earth that was well documented in the Lord of The Rings trilogy.
For dinner, we had a bbq'd snapper and I took the liberty to fillet it. It was sdelicious, although I'm pretty sure there were more bones in the fish that I served rather then the skeleton.
Today we are taking a proper tour of the island. First stop is the market. I forgot to pack my bathing suit and have to buy a new one. How could I possibly forget to pack something that I will be using at least 60% of the time I'm here? No need to comment, I have already given myself bonehead of the week award.
Rocco, I have seen a few Starbucks but they are few and far between. Having said that you won't miss it that much becasue instant coffee here is amazing. Elena, we are having an amazing time and the 12 hour bus ride has become a distant memory. We heard that Benny had quite the performance in his most recent tournament. We were both very happy and proud when we read his message.
P.S (from veronika) mama and papa please dont worry we are having the time of our lives!!!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentines Day
After our last blog and before the bus ride, Marc and I got the oh so famous thai massage. Wow, it was $10 per person for the whole hour in a beautiful spa, for the whole body. The massage is pretty painful but i felt sooo much better afterwards, highly recommended if they have them in Toronto. The bus ride from Bangkok to Krabi and then to Koh Lanta which is where we are now, lasted more than 18 hours. It was really bad, its the kind of bus ride that really tests what a person is made of, and also teaches you that saving $80 per person on a plane ride is not worth it at all. I will not go over how bad the ride was and why, but I will mention that I was really missing my mommy and home at that point.
On the bus ride it wasn't all bad, we met a lot of new people from all over the world. We met a couple from Switzerland their names were something like Pretzel and Gretzel i cant really remember but they were lovely, we also made friends with two other couples. One couple from Vancouver that were in thailand and surrounding area for 4.5 months whose brain I was picking and another couple from England (they are originally from New Zealand and South Africa crazy Europeans) whom we followed to Koh Lanta. The 6 of us are now staying in one beautifu resort on the beach. I was not expecting how beautiful it would be. It reminds me of a Jamaican resort but 20 times smaller. It has about 50 rooms and bungalows, oceanfront, a swimming pool, two bars and 2 restaurants, internet and laundry services. After a bargained price we are paying $22 per night, it has ac, hot and cold shower, tv with remote control a king size bed, towels and a fridge. Its made up of a bunch of huts, palm trees, flowers and the pool overlooks the rocky ocean. For valentines day we watched the sunset over the ocean, had a real Thai dinner with Pad Thai, Curry and Calamari, did some dancing and had bucket drinks at the beach bar. The Island is 10 km long and we had to take two ferries to get here. The people are really really nice, both tourists and Thai. Everyone drives around in scooters. Marc really wants to rent one to drive around town. I was hesitant before I saw 2 ten year olds flying by, i figured if they can do it so can we.
There are plenty of activities waiting for us, we just have to pick. In the next few days we will rent a speedboat (we need 2 more volunteers for now we just have 6) and drive over to Koh Pi Pi island where they filmed the movie The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio for some snorkeling. There is a beautiful rainforest at the bottom of the island and a lot of tourists go elephant Trekking (we were saving that for Chiang Mai at the end of the trip), and also they have dinner cruises. Basically those of you reading this who are getting really excited, leave whatever it is you are doing, hop on a plane and come here, you will not regret it!!!
I cannot express how much I miss every one of you. Like I said I miss my mom and dad, and Bennichka the most. I miss my family, grandparents and friends very very much. We keep saying what if so and so were here or do you remember when Rocco did this. We really miss you guys and I know that I am home sick, Marc keeps saying that this is part of the experience to test what you are made of. Unfortunately, internet and phone calls are overpriced on this island and with the 12 hour time difference it makes it even harder. I wish everyone a very happy Valentines Day. Helen please feel better and recover from your cold as soon as possible. I will go make new friends with the English grandmas the only people up at this hour and wait for Marc to wake up. Please let us know how you are doing, on the blog or email, it feels really great to hear from you and read your messages.
On the bus ride it wasn't all bad, we met a lot of new people from all over the world. We met a couple from Switzerland their names were something like Pretzel and Gretzel i cant really remember but they were lovely, we also made friends with two other couples. One couple from Vancouver that were in thailand and surrounding area for 4.5 months whose brain I was picking and another couple from England (they are originally from New Zealand and South Africa crazy Europeans) whom we followed to Koh Lanta. The 6 of us are now staying in one beautifu resort on the beach. I was not expecting how beautiful it would be. It reminds me of a Jamaican resort but 20 times smaller. It has about 50 rooms and bungalows, oceanfront, a swimming pool, two bars and 2 restaurants, internet and laundry services. After a bargained price we are paying $22 per night, it has ac, hot and cold shower, tv with remote control a king size bed, towels and a fridge. Its made up of a bunch of huts, palm trees, flowers and the pool overlooks the rocky ocean. For valentines day we watched the sunset over the ocean, had a real Thai dinner with Pad Thai, Curry and Calamari, did some dancing and had bucket drinks at the beach bar. The Island is 10 km long and we had to take two ferries to get here. The people are really really nice, both tourists and Thai. Everyone drives around in scooters. Marc really wants to rent one to drive around town. I was hesitant before I saw 2 ten year olds flying by, i figured if they can do it so can we.
There are plenty of activities waiting for us, we just have to pick. In the next few days we will rent a speedboat (we need 2 more volunteers for now we just have 6) and drive over to Koh Pi Pi island where they filmed the movie The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio for some snorkeling. There is a beautiful rainforest at the bottom of the island and a lot of tourists go elephant Trekking (we were saving that for Chiang Mai at the end of the trip), and also they have dinner cruises. Basically those of you reading this who are getting really excited, leave whatever it is you are doing, hop on a plane and come here, you will not regret it!!!
I cannot express how much I miss every one of you. Like I said I miss my mom and dad, and Bennichka the most. I miss my family, grandparents and friends very very much. We keep saying what if so and so were here or do you remember when Rocco did this. We really miss you guys and I know that I am home sick, Marc keeps saying that this is part of the experience to test what you are made of. Unfortunately, internet and phone calls are overpriced on this island and with the 12 hour time difference it makes it even harder. I wish everyone a very happy Valentines Day. Helen please feel better and recover from your cold as soon as possible. I will go make new friends with the English grandmas the only people up at this hour and wait for Marc to wake up. Please let us know how you are doing, on the blog or email, it feels really great to hear from you and read your messages.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sighsteeing Bangkok - 1st Day
After a sleepless first night (at least I couldn't sleep, Veronika slept like a baby) we were off for our first day of sightseeing in Bangkok. But before I move on I would like to point out that our bed was actually a massage table with sheets on it and guess what? Massage tables are only comfortable when you are getting a massage, for those that didn't know. Our first stop was supposed to be the grand palace. But we couldn't get in because we were dressed inappropriately. Next time I will be sure to wear something other than my speedo and cape. Thankfully, a kind old man set us up with an alternate route. I couldn't stop thinking that this country received a bad rap for people constantly scamming tourists. He set us up with a tuk tuk, which is like a riding lawnmower with much more horse power. I'm pretty sure it had a hemi. First, we saw the standing buddha at a little known temple which was pretty impressive. Then we saw the sitting buddha at another tiny temple. I was disappointed to find that the next stop wasn't a statue of buddha playing tennis or something along those lines. At least barbi was more versatile, buddha only sits and stands...Boring. Then our last stop, I was a little confused at first. I was under the impression that we were going to some government building but I was wrong. This is where the scamming begun. They took us to a building that sold tailor made suits. Apparently they feel the same and look the same as armani suits. And they definately looked the same...in the catalogue. I tried it on and I'm pretty sure the suits were made from the same material as Marms pants turned shpants (short pants). At least we got some cold water. After a few hours of touring Bagkok, Veronika and I decided that it was time to leave the hustle and bustle of Bangkok behind. We started looking at travel accomodations immediately.
After, a long and much needed nap we decided to make the most of our last night in bangkok. Following dinner we went back to the Chabbad house. I was really nervous this time. I'm convinced that they knew I was just milking the system for free internet and phone calls. However, when I got there I saw a few black "jews". I was put at ease almost instantley. If they don't question the black ones why would they question the catholic ones?
Before we called it quits we decided to check out the much talked about boy-girl drag shows. Veronika and I were on the fence of whether we wanted to go, so we left it to the reliable method of paper, scissors, rock. After our fate was decided for us we hopped in another tuk tuk. From there they took us to a run down part of town and a man led us through a door of what looked like a portable. As we walked in there were some other tourists walking out and the look on their faces said it all. We decided to bail out immediately at which time the price lowered by more than half plus two drinks before our unsatisfied tuk tuk driver (who receives commission on any business that tourist bring) took us to Koasan Road. At least we had some delicious cookies at the Chabbad house.
Tonight we will travel overnight to Krabi (South Thailand Beach area) where some Germans told us that the water is full of Purple Giant Jelly fish and we wont be able to swim. I will be sure that both Veronika and I drink more than enough water just in case one of us decides to jump in. My quest for finding a cock fight (for Veronikas parents it is 2 oversized chickens fighting to the death) continues.....
After, a long and much needed nap we decided to make the most of our last night in bangkok. Following dinner we went back to the Chabbad house. I was really nervous this time. I'm convinced that they knew I was just milking the system for free internet and phone calls. However, when I got there I saw a few black "jews". I was put at ease almost instantley. If they don't question the black ones why would they question the catholic ones?
Before we called it quits we decided to check out the much talked about boy-girl drag shows. Veronika and I were on the fence of whether we wanted to go, so we left it to the reliable method of paper, scissors, rock. After our fate was decided for us we hopped in another tuk tuk. From there they took us to a run down part of town and a man led us through a door of what looked like a portable. As we walked in there were some other tourists walking out and the look on their faces said it all. We decided to bail out immediately at which time the price lowered by more than half plus two drinks before our unsatisfied tuk tuk driver (who receives commission on any business that tourist bring) took us to Koasan Road. At least we had some delicious cookies at the Chabbad house.
Tonight we will travel overnight to Krabi (South Thailand Beach area) where some Germans told us that the water is full of Purple Giant Jelly fish and we wont be able to swim. I will be sure that both Veronika and I drink more than enough water just in case one of us decides to jump in. My quest for finding a cock fight (for Veronikas parents it is 2 oversized chickens fighting to the death) continues.....
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
WERE IN THAILAND
Finally, after 30 hours of international travel we have met our destination. The flight was awesome British Airway is very comfotable and people are really nice, surprisingly. We had a very interesting experience at the airport in London. We had a 12 hour stop over and were very tired and wanted to sleep, so the airport staff recommended the YOTEL. What is a yotel you ask? well its not a hotel or a motel but a very futuristic place to sleep by the hour (minimum of four). It has neon lights and very small but spacious rooms. For $52 we got a 4 hour nap and shower, not to shabby. Once in thailand it was really easy. The airport is very modern and the tag reads "welcome to the land of smiles." The people were really friendly and we got a cab for $20 to take us to Koasan Road. This is the backpackers central. It has more travelers than it does thai people. You can get anything from a hotel, food, clothes, souvenirs, inernet cafe, tailor made clothing and even the oh so popular thai massage. Its full of backpackers and we fit right in. We stayed at the Koasan Palace thanks to the recommendation from my good friend Shay. Its clean with air conditioning and shower (thats a plus in thailand). We had our first Thai dinner, which was delicious and saw a lot of Israelis. We are actually using free internet at the Chabbad House. Marc wanted me to mention that he is the only non Jew at the Chabbad house and he is worried that they are on to him because he is wearing a Jesus shirt that has a picture of Jesus and "The God Squad." That was quite the coincidence. Were really excited about tomorrow, we will do some sightseeing. I will keep in touch as much as I can. Mama, Papa, and Benny dont worry, its really really safe here, I miss you already.
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