Remembrance

Today is the four year anniversary of the tsunami (12/26/2004). I'll just ask you to think of the many people who did not make it and especially those that survived and lost so many loved ones. Some of our children are orphans from the tsunami. One of my kindy kids was 4 months old and somehow survived. His mother died.

The Thais I've met here are incredibly generous and giving. A friend from England was here during the tsunami with his daughter and survived because they just happened to be at their hotel when it hit. Afterwards, men began moving many of the surviving women and children (westerners) to higher ground above Khao Lak. Thai women brought up rice and food ... even though many of them had just lost their own loved ones. These people are incredible. This is why my friend moved to Thailand.

I find that if I make even the smallest effort here, the kindness returned is much greater than what I gave. (Which makes me want to give even more!) The Thais at this school are amazing and very loving. Yesterday, even though they don't have a lot of money, a couple of my friends gave me gifts which brought me to tears. Another friend gave me a Christmas/New Year's card. She is a mother of one of our students and she also works here as a cleaning person. I really respect her. She speaks almost no English and still she went out of her way to buy me a card which was an incredible gift, especially knowing that they have so little.

I feel very grateful to be able to give something here but I think I'm getting the greatest gift in friendship and love.

I wish kindness and love for the victims of the tsunami and gratitude for the amazing spirit of the Thais.

Four months ago today...

I left the USA on August 24th. It's hard to believe it's been four months. It took me a long time to make the decision to go abroad and once I did it took quite a bit longer to buy that plane ticket and leave my step-daughter and find a home for my dog and cat and quit my job and rent out my condo and leave my friends and boyfriend... Even though I really wanted this, the day I left I felt so much panic, so much of "what am I doing," "did I really know what I was getting myself into?" and "I'm NOT going because I can't get on that plane." I felt so many things that didn't make sense. I felt physically sick, angry, sad, scared... happy wasn't one of them that day! I know - you're probably thinking if it were you, you would have been ecstatic! It's difficult to leave though and to change everything in your life. You leave everything familiar, everything you love and all "your people."

The first three weeks were very challenging. I was excited to be here but missed home incredibly. The weather was so hot and rainy that I had to take a nap almost every day. The food was so different I had entertaining body moments and then include the change in bathroom styles and it was really entertaining! Few of those at the school spoke English and if they did they were very shy at first to communicate so I didn't know who else spoke English besides the British English teacher. Mobility is zero unless you walk or ask for a ride. I couldn't ride a motorbike and everything is at least 2-3 km away. By the time October rolled around I was finally feeling comfortable in my shoes here and adjusting... just in time for the children to take a one month break and go "home."

Then I was off to Nepal which was amazing and beautiful and hard too. I enjoyed much of it with the exception of a few miserable moments of being sick and hiking and hurting and being tired of walking. But overall I really enjoyed the culture and trekking. I had one major moment in Pokhara of "I don't want to be gone a year, this was (again) a stupid idea... I want to go home...." So, I rowed myself across the lake one morning very early, watched some monkeys on the shore and had a good cry. Something about sitting in a canoe in water and having it out is very good. Then I hiked the 2 miles uphill to a huge gompa and rowed back the 1-2 miles back across the lake. Seemed to cure my homesick blues and they haven't hit that hard again since.

Coming back from Nepal I felt like I was coming home to my place at Yaowawit. I am so much more comfortable here and enjoying my friends. The staff are wonderful. It is challenging, don't get me wrong. I'm working my tail off with Ina preparing lessons in our time off (evenings and afternoons and even some of those sunny beach weekends in Khao Lak I can be found in my bedroom writing things and making games). I'm trying to find creative ways to engage the kids and you have to stay ahead of that game. I'm also trying to be around more in the "off" time when the kids are playing so that we can speak English and enjoy each other outside of a formal class time. I get to know the older kids this way because I haven't had the opportunity to interact with them as much. By the end of the day I'm exhausted. And then add in the things I'm doing for myself with the online course and grad app and blogging (yes this is the fun part!) and writing e-mails. Thank you so much for your mail and e-mails by the way - I really enjoy keeping in touch with you.

Now, December 24th, I'm very glad I got on that plane. I can't believe it's been four months. I'm pretty confident the rest of the year will be great as well but I'm nervous about where I'll go next. I'm researching things a bit to figure that all out but it will turn out fine.

So... tonight on a night that I would normally be at my friend's house enjoying a delicious Christmas Eve dinner and opening gifts with Larry and Gail and Janna and Kyle and Victor and friends (and maybe even Lauren!), and making a ruckus fit to be heard all the way back to my place cuz they're SO fun, I'm here in Thailand thinking of you! I'm happy that many of you are doing well, thinking of those that aren't, and grateful that you are my friends and that you are sharing this with me.

I did not send gifts or cards this year because of logistics and cost so please understand if Santa Joy did not visit you this year. I am thinking of you though and hope you have the best of Christmas and that the snow in Seattle and Portland doesn't hinder too many plans. Enjoy your family, sneak a kiss under the mistle toe for me and eat lots of ham and pie. (Cuz I'm still eating rice ... sigh!).

I love you! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

I wish you the best of both. I'm thinking of home and all of the people I love. Larry and Gail, wish I could be there this Christmas Eve. Next year.... Sigh... Sad... But not sad... I am happy to spend the holiday with these awesome kiddos but I also miss spending it with all of you. I miss the hectic-ness and the fun spirit of Christmas and Christmas traditions and gatherings and enjoying my friends.

Lauren, I miss spending time with you doing Christmas things! Cutting down the Christmas tree, reading "Twas the night before Christmas..." and singing and decorating and driving around to Christmas lights... and pictures of YOU sitting on Santa's lap! I love you bug!

Loves.

Happy Holidays

Best seat in the house!

More pics from the islands...

Sooay mak mak! Very beautiful...












Yes Sherri... I finally found a turtle!









This is Richie an Australian we met on the boat.









I only got one pic to upload earlier. This one's from the rock climb on Duck Island.

December 14 - Similan Islands

It's taken me about 2 hours to post the pics for these two blogs so I've split the blog posts up... I'll post a third/fourth one with more later... (I also need to finish a chapter for an online course I'm taking and work on my app for grad school... SIGH). It's nice to be able to get away to beaches like this on the weekend!

My friend Susan from the US is in Thailand right now. She was in India for five weeks and then spent time in north Thailand volunteering at an elephant sanctuary (I'll have to ask for the link so I can put in a plug... it sounded really good)! She came down to visit this weekend and unfortunately I can't take much time off to travel right now and I had to do my visa run on Saturday. UGH. BUT I did get to spend a couple days with her which was really nice. I also met her friend Chad from the elephant sanctuary.

Saturday night we had some drinks and dinner and then crashed. Sunday we were up *slightly* early... to meet up with our tour group to go to the Similan Islands (Chad & Susan had booked this by the time I got back from Ranong and it was a GREAT idea). This is something I had previously opted out of doing because I'm trying not to spend very much money. Chad got us a great deal and even the starting price wasn't bad! it's a lot of fun and SO beautiful so if you're going to Khao Lak, I highly recommend a trip to Similan Islands.
Waiting in the morning. Starting on the left: me (nah really?), Chad, Leer(?) & Britt (a couple from Finland that Chad met the night before) and Susan










I opted for a seat at the front of the boat in the wind. I'm not good with being inside a boat (this one or the one to Ranong!) and I love the wind and sun. These are two of our tour guides.









Susan and Chad inside.












The day was spent going to various islands and snorkeling in about 5-7 meters of gorgeous blue water. You can see coral and Chad pointed out a school of cuddle fish (I wouldn't otherwise have noticed or known what they were!). The boat stops in 5-7 meters of water and you jump off the boat to snorkel.

Susan and I












Lunch was spent on one of the main islands. We had about an hour to eat, swim, walk the beach...



















In the afternoon we snorkeled more and then stopped for an hour on Duck Island, named such because a giant rock at the entrance to the bay looks like a duck head. We also did a hike - barefoot - up huge boulders. The view was stunning.

The ride back was great. I enjoyed my favorite seat in the house. Up high in the front in the wind. It's a pretty wild ride when the waves are bigger. LOVE it! Probably my favorite part of the whole day!

We got back about 4-5pm and met up with Ina and a guy from the guest house - Chris is a hoot! Dinner was at Everyday Restaurant (ask for Ning - she's awesome and very sweet) by Sri Guest house.

Susan was staying at Yaowawit Hotel Sunday night so the three of us caught a taxi back from Khao Lak (a 1-1.5 hour drive one way). I wouldn't pay 1000 baht so we walked on until Chad found one that would do 800 baht for the 3 of us. Yay! I know, I know... it's $6 but here... it's 200 baht! :-)

I'll post more pictures later... gotta run eat dinner

Border run pics Dec 12

The start of a great weekend! This is Ina the volunteer from Norway. We are riding in the back of a truck on the way to Khao Lak.






















Fiona and Steve and I went to a beautiful beach - very quiet and too far for the tourists to walk to - and enjoyed a swim and a beer Friday night. Mmm... I love swimming and Fiona and Steve are quite fun.










Saturday was the day for going to Myanmar to get a 15 day extension for my time in Thailand (I only got a 30 day allowance coming in from Nepal because I decided the Thai embassy was too much of a hassle to get to in Kathmandu... NOT a wise choice... now I have to go and do it anyways in Malaysia!)
Thailand recently changed the law to only allow 15 days instead of 30 days on re-entry when you cross a land border into Thailand. I went with Steve and a couple others from Khao Lak in a full minivan (the others came up from Phuket). This is a long days trip... starts about 8:00 am, you drive for 3 hours with one stop for breakfast. Once in Ranong you get in line to have your passport stamped for exiting Thailand (30+ min) then you get on a big boat via jumping across a number of long boats (I think this was the best part of the trip)! and take a 45 minute boat ride across (one stop to make sure noone is being smuggled across). Once in Myanmar you have a 30-60 minute wait to have your passport stamped for Myanmar. Then you get back on the boat and ride back to Ranong, Thailand to wait another 30-60 minutes to have your passport stamped again. Then a quick lunch in Ranong ... keep in mind you're near a very polluted river that smells a bit... and then a 3 hour drive back to Khao Lok. AND a movie...Annaconda 3. WOW. The cake topper however was when the driver turned on Britney Spears with "Oops I did it again..." AAARRARRARRGRGGGGGGHHHHH!

The trip isn't that bad it's just really boring and to only get 15 days is a bummer. I now have to look at flying/busing to Malaysia to get a 60 day visa. Oh darn, I have to go to another country! :-)
This picture is from the boat as we left Ranong, Thailand on the way to Myanmar.









This is near where we landed in Myanmar.

Gratitude

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to know the kids here at Yaowawit as well as at the local primary school where I teach. I think they give back something far greater than anything I can ever teach or give them. They are all so incredible. I love to see them grow and remember things. I love to see the light go on when they figure something out. I love the hugs they throw at me in a full blown, dead run, "Kru Joyann!!!" These children are a gift.

The children here are very lucky to have been placed here. Yaowawit is a very special school in that it's one of the best in Thailand for orphans and it will be an example for other schools like it. They provide a loving family like environment, education, vocational training and so much more. During open learning they may learn something about the post office or future jobs or creative things. Last night after hours, I found one of the teachers teaching English cursive to students who had read about it and wanted to learn. This is AFTER a full day.

Sidenote: The teachers here work 6 days a week (some who live at the school work 7). They also spend at least one night here helping to care for the kids. One of the teachers helps her family run a restaurant in Kapong and also teaches here full-time. Besides the school I'm finding that many Thais work at least 6 days a week.

Today kindergarten three went on a "field trip" into the jungle. They are learning about different areas in the world... the sea, mountains, the jungle, waterfalls... They got to see a dead snake, a fish eating a bat (!!) and ... and... and...! Ina the other volunteer went with them and I sent my camera along. I stayed with kindergarten one and we did a "big kid" game of color bingo. They did pretty good for being so little! Then we played a color game where they run to different colored blocks. Most of the kids are getting these down now. Yay! (K1 is beginner/pre-school age, K2 is in the middle, and K3 are the "advanced" kindergarteners). I am working primarily with K1 and teaching using mostly games and coloring and keeping the program moving quickly. They have a very short attention span at this age. Some of our kids have learning disabilities or behavioral problems which can add to the chaos but they've each done incredibly well given some of their histories. Anyways, I come away from spending time with them playing or teaching and feel happy and inspired. These kids are going to make it out of poverty and be great people. They already are GREAT kids.

This afternoon I taught grades 5 and 6 (separately) at the local primary school. We played animal bingo (yes Bingo BINGO BINGO! today!). We reviewed different animals, I had volunteers come up and act out animals from a list and the other kids guess. Then we played the Bingo and the winners received yellow smiley face pins. Then for Christmas I had a Christmas tree picture for them to color with the words to Jingle Bells on the back. And of course... we sang Jingle Bells! Okay... I sang the verse and we all sang the chorus. And I played a borrowed Christmas songs CD while they colored. COOL BEANS! I won't get to see them until January so... the last few minutes I played hang man with words from the day and "SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!" I so enjoy these classes!

I hope your days are good and that Christmas is not hectic or stressful for you.

Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for being the great people that all of YOU are.
Much love.

Update

Hello all,

I haven't posted much lately. I've just been teaching or working on my app for grad school or hanging out with the staff and volunteers ... I'm sorry - I still haven't posted anything from Nepal.

I'm doing a visa run up to Myanmar tomorrow. Sunday I will be meeting my friend Susan from Seattle in Khao Lak. I can't wait to see her! Susan's been traveling in India and also volunteered in north Thailand at an elephant sanctuary. She'll be in south Thailand for a week or so?

I miss all of you. I hope you are having a good December and I hope your Christmas plans are going smoothly.

Hugs to you!

Khao Lak

I'm in Khao Lak for the weekend. Decided to check out the local tourist spot (about 45-50 km from the school) and hit the beach.

I got to spend the night at my friend Fiona's house last night and had a great time catching up. She's done some amazing things for the school both with teaching and with fundraising and she's an inspiration. She's very involved with other charities as well.

And of course there's the beach... I spent three hours there today and will be hitting it again either later or tomorrow. Getting lots of R&R before heading back to the school on Sunday.

Right now I'm working with the youngest of the kindergarteners (K1) while we have 4 other volunteers and I'm also enjoying the company of the cooks while we work on English. I help chop carrots and we speak English and work on vocabulary. They are FUN!

Each day all of us volunteers have reading time with 1-3 each of the older kids. There are 115 children at the school right now and I don't get to directly teach the older kids but I'm working on memorizing their names. They quiz me. Every time the walk by they point to themselves and say... "My name?" We all have a good laugh and then if I mix it up I make up a new name for myself and we crack up some more. On Wednesdays I'm back to going to the local primary school for an hour each with grades 5 and 6. These classes have 20-25 students each so I do games in English to try to keep them engaged.

The kids at Yaowawit are wonderful kids and I'm glad they are at our school. This is one of the best orphanages in Thailand and the staff and teachers are incredible.

Best wishes for those of you shopping for Christmas gifts. To those of you who are German/ Europeans, Happy Saint Nicholas Day! (You put out your biggest shoe on the night of Dec 5th and St. Nicholas may bring you loads of candy...if you've been good of course).

Have a sweet treat day.
Happy December!

Care to help?

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=6&link=ctg_lit_home_from_ths_home_sitenav

My friend Bob sent me the link to a website that you can "click" (no money or info required) to donate to various causes. It has one for each of the following:

• Hunger
• Breast Cancer
• Child Health
  
• Literacy
• Rainforest
• Animal Rescue

(Tabs are at the very top of the website for each issue).

By clicking each day, sponsors give money to these programs (and of course you can buy products from their online stores as well) but otherwise all you have to do is click. I've seen and done this for the breast cancer site before but never noticed the others.

Some cool things that you can learn though are:

- what your environmental footprint is
- literacy issues in the world and U.S.
- animal rescue stories and wildfacts,
- teacher resources
- and many, many more...

I've copied and pasted some of the facts from the literacy site, but please check the site if any of these issues are ones that you are interested in.
--------------------------------------------------------

World Literacy Facts*:

• Over 780 million adults in the world are illiterate.
• 64% of the world's illiterate are women.
• Nearly 60 per cent of the estimated 113 million children who do not attend primary school worldwide are girls.
• On average, nearly one in three children does not complete 5 years of primary education, the minimum required for acquiring basic literacy.

U.S. Literacy Facts**:

• A recent study (included in the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Vol. 2, edited by Susan Neuman and David Dickinson) shows that while in middle income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.

• Over 80% of preschool and after-school programs serving children from low-income families have no age-appropriate books for their children.

• Children from low-income families have been exposed to an average of only 25 hours of one-on-one reading time compared to an average of 1,000 to 1,700 hours for children from middle-class families.

• The National Center for Education Statistics' evaluation of No Child Left Behind reading proficiency scores in 2005 found that 36% of all 4th graders scored in the "Below Basic" proficiency level, and 54% of 4th graders eligible for school lunch program scored in the "Below Basic" proficiency level.

• According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, reading skills among middle school students have remained virtually unchanged for 15 years, improving by only two points between 1992 and 2005.

*World literacy statistics from UNESCO
**U.S. literacy statistics from First Book http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/aboutthecause.faces?siteId=6&link=ctg_lit_aboutthecause_from_home_sidetabs

-----------------------
"Every year, more than nine million children in the developing world die before they reach the age of five."
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/survivetofive.faces?siteId=5&link=ctg_chs_survivetofive_from_home_sidetabs

Thanks to all of you for everything you do every day!
Love and hugs

Happy Turkey

Hello all,

I'm pretty sick - had to go to the doctor yesterday for antibiotics for tonsillitis - couldn't swallow or turn my head and my left throat gland and tonsil are huge - LOTS of fun, let me tell you! I have to rest for 3-5 days which means no teaching. :-( Sad. Sigh. A number of the kiddos are sick too.

One side benefit though... a friend called from Phuket (Shirley's brother) and I will be going to Phuket to stay in a nice bungalow for several days. AND... there is a restaurant serving a huge Thanksgiving buffet for the local expats so... if I'm feeling up to it I'll get to have Turkey dinner tonight with some Americans! YAY!! And then sleeping... and sleeping... and sleeping... no rest for the wicked! *chuckle*

Love to you all and Happy Turkey!!
Sawat-dee ka!

ps... Please don't worry about the Bangkok demonstrations and things going on there. I'm safe and doing okay.

Thanksgiving

Hello all,

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you are surrounded by friends and the people you love. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays so I am regretting not being home... okay a little! I do love Thailand and Nepal was wonderful so I'm glad I've taken this opportunity even though it means I won't spend the holidays with all of you.

Please eat extra turkey and potatoes and pumpkin pie for me. SIGH. That's the best part... overeating!

Because I won't be able to share my gratitude in person...

I'm thankful for all of you - my family and friends and for the opportunities in my life. I'm thankful I have my health and education and for the ability to work. I'm thankful that I'm a US citizen - for the good and the bad. I'm thankful for this opportunity to travel and volunteer. I'm thankful for the love I receive and give both here and at home. You are gifts in my life. Thank you for being part of my life and for sharing this with me.

And Dylan, this one's to you! It's an "OMG my girlfriend's off her rocker!!" moment so advance warning provided...

I'm also thankful that I'm not vegetarian... I'm thankful that I can eat and ENJOY eating turkey! For those who do not eat meat... I apologize for any offense ... but Turkey day would NOT be Turkey day for me with tofu turkey. My hat is off to those of you who choose to do this because I've considered (well maybe remotely considered) being vegetarian but I draw the line. TURKEY is not to be given up for any reason. Those of you who do eat turkey, please enjoy some extra pieces for me! I'll be drooling from Thailand and thinking of how to best enjoy it next year. Hmm, maybe I'll celebrate twice. Oh... and that reminds me... it would probably be hard to give up the Christmas ham as well. Sigh! Another meat eating holiday I can't enjoy at home! Oh well... yes ... I'm still a meat eater and probably will be next year too. Sorry Dylan! :-) (And Scott... and, and, and... ) :-)

Happy Thanksgiving and much love. Enjoy your turkeys ... tofu and all!

Catchin' the 8:pm bus to Takua Pa!

No it's not a midnight train to Georgia - yay! Georgia the country or Georgia the state! :-) Kind of enjoying Thailand thank you! Especially after Nepal. Thailand is like living in luxury after Nepal! Although there are many things I loved about Nepal and I actually am sad that part of my trip is over. I really enjoyed it!

I ended up getting to the bus station 4 hours early cuz I couldn't remember what time it left... I'm looking forward to being back at the school and seeing all the kids and staff. AND we have 4 new volunteers which is wonderful so I can't wait to meet them as well.

Love and hugs to you all.

Joyann

A girly moment

OMG OMG OMG... I fit into a pair of Thai pants!!! WOW! I'm SO excited. After trekking for a month and wearing nothing but ugly trekking pants (that are now faded and stained and mismatched...) and the occasionaly lungi (Nepali word for sari), I finally have a pair of regular pants! I have yet to fit the jeans but...

And I bought lip gloss and pink, blue, red and green nail polish and a pretty shirt... I'm tired of looking like a backpacker! I lost about 4 kilos/10 lbs hiking. Darn hard work... I was hoping the scale would say I was 20 lbs less! :-P Ah well. Cest la vie. Mai ben rai ka.

Cheers!

News

It's funny what being out of contact can do. I have a craving for news and information about home and the world. I'm not normally a news junky but the past few days I've been scouring newspapers and even bought the Economist. I also want to understand country development and learn more about a couple human rights issues. I'm finding I want to read and read and read. Fiction, non-fiction, news, documentaries...

When I was in Nepal, the elections took place on the day or two I was crossing the Thorang La Pass. I found out through an Israeli at dinner that night that Obama won the election. Strange feeling, getting important news about the USA while I'm remote in Nepal from another tourist who's not from my country... and learning it from an Israeli.

Traveling before, during and after the elections was interesting because so many people would ask me what I thought about the elections and who should win and why. Most of the people I spoke with hate George Bush and want to know why the US elected him twice. They say, "most of the Americans they've met traveling didn't vote for him... so who did?" All but one person I've met in my travels were in support of Obama. I won't tell you where I side on this - only my observations. I find it incredibly interesting how many people were paying attention to what was happening in US politics and that they had strong opinions about what the US is doing. Many seem to think that the "great empire" of the US is in decline and has been for a bit and that China will be the leader in the not so far off future - perhaps they already are.

Lots to think on, lots to learn.

Bangkok

I'm back in Bangkok at my favorite guest house, Asha Guest House. I'll be here another day or two. I'll take a night bus to Takua Pa either Friday or Saturday night.

I'm now reachable by e-mail and phone.

Love and hugs,
Joyann

Today

Hello all,

Nothing exciting to report other than I fly to Bangkok today. I leave Kathmandu at 3:30, have a layover in Bangladesh for a few hours (yay! I was able to change this to the same day so I don't have to stay the night) and I arrive in Bangkok about midnight).

I will miss Nepal - I'm a little sad to leave! Although I am looking forward to getting back to Yaowawit and the children. I've missed everyone there but... sigh... Nepal has been really wonderful.

I'm still sick. Spent much of yesterday in bed and ended up not going to see one of the best views in the world this morning because I'm still sick. I would have had to get up at 4:00 am to make the 1.5 hour drive to Nagarkot (sp?). Sigh. That would have been nice but that's okay. I've seen and met some amazing people.

I did get to see the Monkey Temple yesterday which was really cool but I didn't stay long.

I'll be able to post pictures once I'm back at the school where it doesn't cost me anything to download them to my computer.

I hope your Thanksgiving plans are going well - I'm in "Turkey Day Envy" as this is one of my favorite holidays!

Much love and hugs to you.
Joyann

Kathmandu

I caught the "tourist" bus to Kathmandu today at 7:30. Funny but it ended up being cheaper than the "local" bus I caught when I left. Depends on who you hire to help you! The road is much of the same route that I took from Kathmandu to Besisahar so I got to enjoy the beautiful winding, bumpy road for 8 hours today. :-) The last few hours are on steep hills - just don't look down and you'll be fine! Just kidding. It's not that bad but it can be if you get pummelled off by an oncoming truck or hit something or lose a tire... Actually it's not that bad.

We did however have an engine problem that took the driver and cohorts an hour or so to fix. No worries though cuz I brought an awesome book.

Sold (by Patricia McCormick) is a book about a Nepal girl who is sold by her stepdad and taken to India for sexual exploitation. About 12,000 girls a year are intentionally or unintentionally sold and end up in the sex trade. Some - maybe most - I don't know - are unable to pay their way out of the "debt" of the person who owns them. Some of the families think the girl is going to work as a maid to help earn money for the family. Some know and just need the money. Anyways, I finished the book - please read it - it's very educational.

A small side affect of reading on the bumpy roads is that I got really carsick and ended up hanging my head out the window for a good five minutes of puking. Now THAT was entertaining and the bus looked GREAT. I was on the right side of the bus and Nepal is left hand drive. With the narrow road I had to keep my eye out for anything passing too close! Kind of want to keep my noggin.

Well, it's about 5:35 pm (Saturday) here in Kathmandu and I'm off to find good food...

Did I mention? I'm off the mountain! I'm off the mountain! I'm off the mountain! :-)

Love and hugs!
Joyann

THANK GOODNESS!

I am finished! I thought I would be sad to leave the mountains but... cest la vie. I am not. I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!! I've been sick much of the time since we crossed the pass and add in the walk along the dry, dusty, boring road that goes much of the way from Muktinath and blisters... and... nope... the other side was much more beautiful and enjoyable and I was sick less so... I'm singing... "I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!" Now I'm shopping and resting cuz I'm still sick!

It is beautiful and this is an experience I will cherish. I've met some amazing people - mostly other trekkers - and some very nice Nepali people. A few that ripped me off and were jerks as well but... I am a tourist in a place that has 60,000 + a year on the circuit!

Correction to a previous post: Thorang La is not the highest pass in the world... it's the "biggest" and I'm not sure how they define biggest... widest? longest distance from bottom to top? Not sure. But it was pretty. And I'm glad I'm off it!

So... trivia question for you... and maybe someone else can top this...

-How many people can you fit on a Nepali bus that seats 19, including the driver? (And three of these are sitting sideways in the front near the driver)...

- On ours they had 30 people and 6 on top with the backpacks. (This is from Tatopani to Beni). I'm SURE we could have added 1 or 2 more inside and at LEAST 5 more on top. Okay, maybe not. And this along cliffs that are 6" from the wheels and mud that is 6-12" deep... Let's see... maybe I'll walk next time. No - I was exhausted!

The nest bus from Beni to Pokhara was much larger and you actually have room for western long legs but we still had people standing and that was about a 5 hour bumpy ride. I miss Seattle luxury Metro buses! I was so sick though I slept much of the way... head jerking around... I'll probably have whiplash... I couldn't move my neck yesterday.

I've had a cold for 5-6 days and had a "violent" (as my Canadian friend calls it) barfing and diarrhea episode that was non-stop for one hour but left me shaking and feverish for another 5 hours - I stayed in bed and passed out! I couldn't move. I was lucky though... it was hard and fast but it only lasted that one day. Others get it for much longer. I hiked another 5-6 hours the next day on not much food. Yippee! :-) Other than being sick though it's been pretty amazing and it makes for great stories. I also have a "special" story from the pass... email if you want to hear that one ... I'm not blogging it!

Anyways, I'm in Pokhara and will blog about the whole trek once I'm back in Thailand with free internet. It's really beautiful here - I'm telling you the "fun" part here but overall I'm really enjoying this. The food's purdy darn good too! And the food in Pokhara is REALLY GOOD. :-) And I'm off the mountain... I'm off the mountain... I'm off the mountain!

Love and hugs!
Joyann

ps...Upper Pisang

A few days back (about 5) I was really sick with the diarrhea and did an amazing trek with Gina. We often leave after Peter and Mascha because they like to leave earlier and sometimes go faster. So Gina and I did a route that many trekkers don't do. It's above the "Upper Pisang" route that is on the map. Ours was a dotted line without much detail. It ascends steeply and it's the route that the locals take to summit Pisang Peak. We reached an incredible viewpoint and then did a horizontal route until we decided to descend again to Guaru (?) I don't remember the lunch spot. It took us 5 hours to do what the Upper Pisang route does in 2-3 hours. We then had to trek 2 hours to Ngawall where we met the others (who were pretty worried at this point) for our lodging. I lasted about another hour before completely collapsing in my bag. Try having really bad diarrhea and being sick (having gone 5-7 times the night/morning before) and then having to go during the day while hiking and... ugh. And imagine having to squat over holes in the floor or on a dry trail and you have to remember to bring toilet paper. There are also no showers at this point as we're too high above the river. You get a bucket of water and if the lodge is friendly they'll heat it for you. :-) But YAY for water baths!! :-) Yeah, I know... too many details! But I hope I never get sick like that again! And this is me being really careful with my food and adding iodiine to my water and sanitizing and washing my hands!

But... back to the trek... that day was incredible!

Now I'm realizing I am spending my food trekking money on the internet... cheers and Namaste!

Muktinath, Nepal

Hi all,

I completed the highest pass in the world yesterday and never want to do it again! Thorang La Pass is incredible. It was amazingly beautiful and beyond challenging. Maybe in a few days I'll have kinder thoughts!

I got pretty sick at the top and tried not to think of AMS and not having ever had it... when you can't breath well and have a headache and want to vomit and your lips feel tingly (and I hadn't taken the medicine which makes you tingle so either cold or lack of oxygen?)... I almost lost it but eventually made it to the top. Gina (the German sister) was very helpful as I wasn't sure if things were okay or not so it was at least nice to have someone there! At the top I warmed up with some mint tea but I needed to descend quickly.

Small problem though... the German father/brother, Peter - of the trio I've connected with, busted his leg at the pass (not while trekking!) and that put us into a predicament. If you stay too long at the top you risk potentially getting the high altitude sickness (which can result in death) but there were no porters or horses to carry him down and you can't get a helicopter up that high - or use a phone to call for help. So... I had to descend asap because I wasn't sure if my symptoms were from AMS or the extreme cold and you don't mess with AMS and maybe see if we could get a porter. Another family from Canada though had already gone down and Hans was able to arrange a stretcher and 4 porters but with the time to descend, etc, it would be hours before help arrived. I met up with his wife and step son (10 years old!!!! OMG!!! What a trooper!!!) and we descended together.

Back at the top, the German trio and two German guys eventually hired the teahouse man to "porter" the two backpacks down and rigged a splint and the two Germans helped hobble him down. Consider however that we were at 5,400 m and the town below was to a descent of 3,600 m (Muktinahk (sp?)) which under good conditions typically takes 3-4 hours to descend - it's quite steep and it's exhausting but they made it about 1 hour after dark (with the help of 4 more porters who brought up a stretcher to about an hour from the village. AMAZING that they made it that fast as we didn't summit the pass until about 11:30 - 12:00 (having started at 6:00 am when the sun rose).

I was exhausted and there are many details I'm leaving out but will post more again when I'm back to cheap internet or in Thailand where I can load the pictures. This trek is absolutely amazing. I love it but will be happy to be finished! I have about 10 more days to go or I can wimp out and fly from Pokahra - about 1-2 days from here. We'll see!

I'm meeting some amazing people from all over the world. When you travel alone, many people form groups and continue on together for much of the trek. There are Israelis, Australians, Germans, Austrians, Polish, Swedes, Spanish, Netherlanders, Denmarkers (obviously I don't know how to spell all these or say them!), English, a few from the US - Colorado of all places!, South Africa, ... and I've really enjoyed many of them!

Anyways, I am safe and doing well. (The pass is over!!! YAYYYYY!!) I hope things are well for you. I am staying an extra day in Maktinath and will continue on tomorrow. Peter will be going by jeep to Pokahra and then flying to Kathmandu for the hospital to check out his leg. He is doing very well though!

Mush love and hugs.
ps - sorry if I can't respond to comments or e-mail right now. :-(

Day 6 - Chame - 2,670 m/8,760 feet

We arrived in Chame about 1 hour ago. 6 days of trekking is incredible although I think I'm ready for a slower day. (We started in Besisahar at 820 m and are now at 2,670 m... about 2,500m to go)!

I will post more once the trek is over as internet is 15 Rs per hour and if it's like electricity in Nepal, it's not reliable!

The views and mountains and people are amazing.

I've connected with a German family, a brother - Peter, who's about 50 years old, his sister, Gina - 49, and the brother's daughter, Mascha 19. I met them on Day 2 near Ngadi where we had lunch and we've trekked together and shared rooms and dinner since then. We may continue on together... who knows. They are very kind and a lot of fun. Lauren - the daughter is 19! Actually... we first met on the bus from Kathmandu so that was funny to share stories of that part of the journey too!

Anyways, I'm very happy and doing well. We are safe and enjoying the trek. Normal aches and pains for packing our own stuff. I opted for no porter or guide as did they so it's been fun to hang out! I've also ditched the hot water bottle for a regular water bottle (much lighter) and one of my books! We've been eating the peanut butter I bought and cashews and they've been sharing their chocolate... a valuable commodity at 2-3000 meters where it costs about 200 Rs per candy bar... $2.50. :-) So... thank goodness the packs are getting lighter!

Much love to you all. Nepali tea is beckoning... and Tibetan bread and Daal Bat and well anything but Yak Curry! Peter (the dad) tried it last night - he had one bite and passed! I tried it... it's pretty strong and as he put it, it tastes like "200 year old sheep." We all have loads of stories to share!

Anyways, I will not be responding to e-mails for another 2-3 weeks so please bare with me.

Michael - thanks for the comment!

Love and hugs!
Namaste!!!

Annapurna Circuit

Hello all,

I begin today.

I left Kathmandu at 6:30 and took a bus to Besisahar which took about 7 bumpy, windy, beautiful hours. Although... let me advise others who might want to do this... have your legs shortened about 6 inches before leaving the US. It might make all buses much more comfortable!!

The scenery is incredible. The road after Dumre is barely wide enough for 2 buses to pass each other and that's only in "most" portions. The road is deteriorated and we also ran into a "road block" where about 20 people (including some kids) were waiting, rope held across road, to collect a fee to pass. Hmmmm...

Another highlight on the ride was a sign I saw (besides the incredible views - did I mention the views)? "Bridge damaged, please drive slow, one vehicle only." This as our bus barrelled over it! OMG. The bus takes a road that goes up and down several small mountains and along the edge with a great lookout. Just don't look down.

Anyways, I won't post all the details until my trip is over. Just know that I am safe and doing well. I will begin hiking either today or tomorrow. If I spend the night in Besisahar then I'll just hang out here today. I may opt to go to Kuhdi though...either catch a jeep for 30 minutes over the bumpy dirty road or walk the 3 hours. Which may mean 4 for Miss Heavy Pack. It weighs about 18-20 kg. I hope to get back to Thailand "Fit and Firm" as Pi Jew says!

There are a lot of other trekkers and I mean a LOT. I have my eyes and ears open and am enjoying the Nepali people.

I may not have access to internet the rest of the trek which I plan on taking at least 3 weeks. "Heavy Pack and All." :-) Title for my book Dylan? haaaahahahhah! Anyways, the power and internet/phone connection are sketchy but I will try to keep everyone posted. I'm okay and happy! And it's so beautiful. I think I'm in love with Nepal!

Love and hugs to you all.

Kathmandu

Namaste.

This website has a beautiful definition of "namaste."

http://www.taketheleap.com/namaste.htm

I've arrived in Kathmandu and am staying at "Elbrus Home." The stopover in Bangladesh was very interesting to say the least. I had breakfast with a shihk (sp) and an interesting conversation. A Bangladesh man in the Bangkok airport offered to have me stay with him in Dhaka on my layover for my flight... yeah... NOOOOOO. Bangladesh was intimidating. It is very much a male dominated society and I was grateful I had prepared by purchasing a full length skirt in Bangkok yesterday morning. The plane left Bangkok at 9:20 pm on Benin Bangladesh airways (I will probably not use them again) and we arrived in Dhaka Bangladesh about midnight. (It's a 2+ hour flight). By the time the airlines arranged to take me to a hotel it was well after 1:00 am. I was transported there with an English man and the shihk from India. The English man was actually living in Thailand (for the prior 7 years) and was hoping to make it home in time before his mother passed away. The Shihk was traveling on business.

I met a couple from England (25 and 22) and they are very sweet. We've been helping each other out a bit since we all boarded the plane in Bangkok and we ended up deciding we'd stay in the same guesthouse here in Kathmandu. I'm sure I'll see them more and possibly see them on the trek as well. They are very sweet and fun.

Elbrus Home is $6 USD per night for one person (~76 rupis). My room has two single beds and a fan and a private bathroom and tv. For two people the same room is $8 per night. The guesthouse is on the 4th floor and the view is beautiful. There is a large patio area that overlooks the city. Here's a website:

http://www.hostelsweb.com/hostelsweb.com/hostel.php?HostelNumber=20533

Kathmandu is surrounded by mountains and reminds me of Denver but much smaller and VERY different. Not SAME SAME and YES DIFFERENT. (That's for Sherri). :-P In Thailand the phrase the foreigners hear often is "same same but different..." in otherwords, you should buy it because it's similar to something but it's unique so either way ... you will like.

Did I mention Kathmandu is surrounded by mountains? To Colorado born hiking mountain lover in me, this translates into "home." I love the mountains and was missing them in Thailand. The jungle hills are beautiful too... and same same but different. Very different. I can't hike them. It's too hot and the paths would be overgrown and bug/critter inhabited. As I told Sherri and Michael in Karon Beach one night on our way back to their hotel... "I do not cross the grass at night in Thailand." I refused to take the shortcut. NOT happening. Too many centipedes, snakes, spiders, mosquitos, ants, etc. I am pretty flexible on most things but not this.

I will be shopping for my trekking things over the next two days and working on getting my permits. I need a TIMS card and a trekking permit for the Annapurna Circuit. I also need a sleeping bag, down jacket and gloves and hats, iodine and water cannister and maybe a water purifier, a pair of pants, long underwear, long sleeve shirt... and I can't remember what else. I have a full list back at the hotel. From what I've seen in the shops with new merchandise (probably fake brand names), this may not be cheap. I'm hoping to buy some used things and get a few deals but we'll see. It's the high season for trekking the Annapurna trek so it may be difficult to get good deals. We'll see though! :-)

On a side note, I had a moment of panic at the Bangkok airport. Apparently when I arrived in Bangkok I was supposed to explicitly write my visa number out on the customs info (thought I did) and let them know I needed a 60 day visa. (Also thought I did). BUT... I failed to notice the date they actually stamped for my visa. I purchased a 60 day Thai visa in the US before leaving and when I arrived in BKK they stamped my passport with a 30 day visa. At the airline desk when I checked my bag I was informed that I had exceeded my visa stay and that I would be charged 500 baht for each extra day. I thanked her and proceeded to the immigration office. The man there reviewed my passport and my US visa and the stamp that they used when I arrived. He proceeded to cross out the date they gave me originally and restamp it with a 60 days date. I was so relieved I almost cried. I also almost called home to the US to have a good cry with one of you but realized it was somewhere between 2:00 - 4:00 am and you might not appreciate the call and me needing to be mopped up off a thai airport floor from thousands of miles away. Sigh. So I mopped myself up instead. :-) It was fine. I just don't like to mess with immigration especially since I need to come back in!

Anyways, I want to head out and find some yummy Nepalese dinner. I hope all of you are well.

Love and hugs,
Joyann

ps - for those considering trekking, the book "Trekking in the Annapurna Region" by Bryn Thomas is excellent. Sherri, thank you for getting this for me. It's becoming invaluable.

Asha Guesthouse

Hi all,

I'm back in Bangkok at the Asha Guesthouse. I took the night bus from Phuket which ended up being 15 hours and one of the 3 drivers talked VERY loud much of the way. Sigh!

Anyways, I leave tomorrow evening for Nepal via Bangladesh.

Joyann

Last Thursday, October 9

Last week, Kellie and her boyfriend Ken took Fiona and I on a tour south of Bangkok - about an hour or two south? I will get the names after my Nepal trip because I can't remember them off the top of my head and I also don't have my computer so I can't post the pics.

Ken drove us to a market on the river where we caught a tour boat that lasted about 1-1.5 hours. It was so beautiful and incredibly refreshing after spending the week in Bangkok. Ken and Kellie are a lot of fun and Ken was very kind to take us around. There are numerous Thai house boats on the river. One side was more commercialized and the other was much more traditional thai housing. We had ice-cream from a small vendor in a boat on the river. YUM!!

After the market we went to a summer palace that is on the university grounds where Ken got his engineering degree. He is a material engineer and works in Bangkok (he's a plastic engineer there). The summer palace and grounds were gorgeous.

We had a light 'snack'/dinner at a market near his family home and then went and met his mother and saw his house. He was born and raised here.

From there we went to a temple that is the tallest in Thailand and the world (if I understood correctly). Again - I'll get the names later.

Dinner was at a market - excellent dinner! Ken not only drove us around but also treated us to the tour and meals which was incredibly generous.

I'm back! And gone again...

I've been from Bangkok to Takua Pa to Phuket and back to Yaowawit and then back to Phuket. I'm now staying at the Pineapple Guesthouse in Karon Beach for a few days. My sister and brother-in-law are at the Hilton for her work conference on Dengue Fever. Cool stuff for her!

The Hilton here is one of the nicest hotels in Karon beach (if not THE nicest). It's weird for me to go from seeing the children in one room dirty homes (minus the emotional trauma) to seeing this huge resort with beautiful property and phenomenal rooms and multiple pools. I have to remind myself that I'd feel the same way in the US - going from people in poverty to lovely, expensive rich hotels there. Even I have a lot of money comparatively with my 905 sq ft condo and 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and I'm the only one living there! (As opposed to 15 people to fill it!) Besides the Hilton and resorts like it allow for foreigners to come and feel comfortable in a strange place and it brings funds to a struggling economy. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all. Tourism, trade, economics, poverty... it would be REALLY cool to study! Anyways, I'm off to sit by the pool with Michael (brother-in-law) and read a book so it must not bother me too much to go enjoy it! :-)

Sherri and Michael went on what sounds like an absolutely lovely tour yesterday to Khao Sok to ride elephants through the jungle, see Khao Lok, see monkeys, see a nice temple... they went with a fairly new company and their guide was great - he took them to other places besides what they signed up for and was flexible with what they did.

I went back to Yaowawit yesterday to get my things and switch my stuff out for what I'd need in Nepal. My room is currently under construction. They are fixing the roof leaks and repainting and re-tiling the kitchen. It will be nice. I stayed in one of the hotel rooms for the night - please come visit if you are thinking of taking a trip. The hotel is lovely and Yaowawit is a very special place. The school is exemplary and I think you would really enjoy experiencing it.

Anyways, I've been busing quite a bit. When Sherri and Michael flew to Phuket I hopped on the 2nd Class bus from Bangkok to Takua Pa (11 hours). It's actually not bad at all. Fiona picked me up and we drove to Karon Beach to see Sherri and Michael for lunch. I ended up going back with Fiona to Nom Phen (sp?) and Uncle Jew picked me up and took me back to Yaowawit. I rode with Pee Wit (the headmaster) and three boys to Phang Nga in the morning to catch the bus back to Phuket. I had a great conversation with the headmaster about the school and breaking the cycle of poverty.

I enjoyed getting to know Fiona better - I spent most of last week with her as well as Monday. She's a phenomenal woman and has done so much not only for Yaowawit but also for her friends, the Nom Phen community (where she now lives in Thailand) and also for people in Cambodia. She's also involved in helping the local animals. She feeds the dogs mange pills and works with a local vet. On the way back to her house we picked up a puppy that she'd been seeing for the last few days. No mama dog and it was all by itself and starving. She's a beautiful puppy and now has the BEST home! Fiona's also had foster kids in Australia and has helped numerous other kids. She's an amazing person and a damn hoot to boot!

Anyways, I'm sad that I'm leaving Yaowawit for a month but am looking forward to hiking in Nepal. During the trek I will not have contact via internet or phone (unless one of the remote villages/tea houses has electricity or phone service) then I'll post or call someone. Otherwise, After October 24/25 I'll be out of touch for 3 weeks.

Much love to you. Sa wah dee ka. Namaste.
Joyann

Still in Bangkok

Hello all!

Yesterday was a bit annoying. I trekked all the way across town to find the Nepal Embassy closed for 3 days for holiday. Too bad I can't seem to get good information on the net. Anyways, I'm over Bangkok and shopping and ready to go back to the jungle. :-)

Today Kellie and Fiona and I are going on a day trip to another city about an hour out of Bangkok so it will be nice to get away and fun to spend time with them!

I hope things are going okay for all of you. Good luck with everything going on. The world's a bit crazy at the moment!
Love and hugs.

Bangkok

Still in Bangkok and Oh my...still shopping. I have been infected with the disease!

Anyways, I spent much of the day with Georgie the fab Aussie and had a great time. Didn't get back to the hotel until late and I'll be going to Kellie's tomorrow evening instead.

So much for the Visa for Nepal... I got a little sidetracked!

Love and hugs,
jaz

Fashion and fun! What? Same sentence! Oh my.

Okay gals, cheers to you shoppers out there. I am not one of you. I do like fashion but it's more work than I'm willing to put in. So... for those of you savvy shoppers, I apologize. I am not giving up my Chacos for sexy shoes. Of course a new friend would disagree... "one doesn't have to look homeless while their trekking! You do have pictures taken don't you?" Hmm... food for thought. I still hate shopping. And... I'm still not giving up my Chacos... homeless attire or not!

Fiona and I arrived in Bangkok this morning at 7:00 am after a tiring night of bus travel. Much of my sleepy thoughts - or perhaps they were dreams - were of large speeding bullets going round and round, riding a bus that was too large and top heavy to be going so fast on narrow harried corners, maybe this is what an acid trip is like... the world spinning by and you can barely make out the shapes and silhouettes ... passing large trucks on corners with solid no pass lines... dark dark night in a foreign land..." I really do think I was dreaming. REALLY.

Today I spent with Fiona and her friend Georgie from Australia. Georgie buys a ton of fashionable clothes in Bangkok and Bali and also has some manufactured in Bali as well, both her designs as well as ones she sees. She then ships them home to Aussie land and sells them. (Dresses can be bought for $5, add in shipping fees and then sell for $30-90). She's got an eye for fashion and is gorgeous and a lot of fun. I tagged along to see how someone else makes their living. A lot of work from what I see but she's got a talent and spunk. And I had help finding a new dress! I don't mind if someone else is shopping.

Anyways, made for an interesting day. Tomorrow I'm off to find the Embassy of Nepal to get my Visa and to meet up with Kellie. I'll be staying with her the next two days. Tonight the three of us gals (Fiona, Georgie and I) are sharing a three-bed room at the New Siam II off Khaosan road in Bangkok. Check out the website if you're interested... for the curious... 1125 baht split 3 ways. :-)

http://www.newsiam.net/ns/index.php

I had pizza, pasta and a Margharita tonight. I LOVE western food and did I mention... alcohol?

Pics - enjoy

I posted a few pics but need to run... I'm off to pack for Bangkok. By the way... I purchased my Nepal ticket and leave Bangkok on the 19th of October. CAN'T WAIT!!!

Yes... only a dork would take a picture of their drink!! Chuckle. This is me in Kata Beach on Oct 2 at the Oyster Restaurant.










Kru Noi and I with a view of Phuket Town from Big Buddha (yes these are seriously out of order). With the flash you can't see the city... sigh...









Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Town (Oct 4)









After sunset at Kata Beach










I know I called this a "bell" and it's not - feel free to correct me because I can't remember the name of it.










Big Buddha overlooking Phuket town

Off to Bangkok!!

Okay, so change of plans. Instead of going to Bangkok on Wednesday I'm going to leave today at 4:00 and try to book a ticket in Takua Pa for the 7:30 pm bus to Bangkok. If there is space available I will be riding with Fiona and then may share a taxi into town. I'm not sure yet where I will be staying but will let you know.

If I can't get on this bus then I will be waiting a day or two.

Much love,
jaz

Back to Yaowawit

I'm back in Kapong at Yaowawit. Yesterday Uncle Jew picked me up at our designated meeting spot in Phuket. I had a little trouble getting there from Karon Beach because of the vegetarian festival parade and traffic jam.

One of the traditions of the festival is for individuals to inflict pain upon themselves. They do this by spearing metal objects through their face and ears and swinging axes and knives onto their back. They walk from the sea to the Chinese Buddhist temple in Old Town Phuket (I think this is 2-3 km?). To add pressure to the pain in their face they will add weight to the objects - some even hang a bicycle frame from their cheeks. I didn't see this so I don't know how they do it. I crossed the parade in between groups and saw a few... I post the pics later. They aren't the best because I didn't get very close. Part of this process is to purge themselves from either pain or acknowledging it. I'm not clear on in - I had the information but forgot it. They will also set off numerous firecrackers to rid themselves of bad spirits.

Uncle Jew is quite humorous and likes to kid me. He had attended the parade last year so I thought he meant he walked in it. So I asked him if he pierced his head and hit himself with sharp objects... he told me "yes, he had and that it was very painful." I looked at his cheeks and I said "but you don't have any scars?" And he laughed and said "he walked very far..." I eventually got it. He was pulling my leg. He's a riot! Half the time Uncle Jew has me in stitches! Until of course he decides he's hell bent for getting home and drives like a mad man! He's good - I think he'd be fabulous on a race course with the way he smooths out the curves with little change of the wheel and all but... in an old Mazda (the odometer is busted) and the clutches is burning out... he'll scare the living shit out of you and still do a safe job maneuvering traffic. (Although at times you can touch the bumper in front). I only experienced this on the last hour of our trip home last night. For the most part he drives normal and he keeps us out of trouble. (I feel pretty safe riding with him... you just have to let go of the control thing and not think).

Yesterday was a bit rough. A couple of the cooks, Than and Wit (her boyfriend) and Pepsi (Sri's new nick name), two high school girls and the housekeeping woman, Pawn, Kru Noi (teacher and my friend) and Kru Kung (the office woman) came to Phuket. Kru Kung had an accounting class for the day, Kru Noi was working and interviewing some of the children's families, and the rest came to shop and "Big C." Big C is from France, Tesco is from England and Mesccra? is from Sweden. The one from Sweden is like Costco in that you need a card to get in and out and they have wholesale prices.

Anyways, I'm not into shopping and I wanted to meet the families and see the homes of some of the children. This was very discouraging. Kru Noi interviews the parent or "guardian," and I video tape the interview. Kru Noi also takes pictures of the home for the children's history that we keep on file (as well as for sponsors).

Nong "Nit"
Nong Nit is about 10 years old. She's a very smart and talented girl (kind of a diva among her peers at Yaowawit - she seems to be able to get them to do her laundry for her too!). She's one of our best dancers and her English and ability to speak on stage is excellent. Nit lives in Patong Beach with her mother and brother when not living at Yaowawit. Her mother works in a bar in Patong which literally means she is in the sex trade. Right now she has not been able to get work as tourism is in the low season. She is about to be evicted from their place and has about 50 baht left to live on. What would have cost her 20 baht for fruit now costs 40 baht because Nit is there.

Nit's mother rents a one room "apartment" for 5000 baht per month (expensive for a Thai person). It is in a nicer part of Patong Beach near the bar where she works (about 2 km from the beach). The place is relatively clean but they live in a room about 10-12 ft x 12 ft. There is a private bathroom off of the room. There is no kitchen but there was a rice cooker and some other cooking stuff - I think they go outside to cook. By standards I came to see later yesterday, this was a very nice place. There is a double bed, a futon type of bed (wedged next to the bed and the wall), a shelf, an armoire, and a table with a lot of stuff on it. The floor is simple but nice white tile. There were pictures on the wall. Outside is an outdoor covered hallway and there are other rooms off of this. The hallway opens to the street via a short flight of stairs and is stationed next to a restaurant/bar. This is off of one of the main roads into Patong.

Nit and her brother were asleep when we arrived about 11 am (?) - Patong was very hot yesterday. Just getting there required several calls to her mother to figure out the location of their home and driving around in the little Mazda and reversing and trying again. Eventually Nit's mom flagged us down.

Nong Lek and Nuang
These two boys live with their grandmother in a very run down building. Lek is 14 years old and Nuang I think is 8 or 10? You go down a dirt street, around a corner and into an area that the tenants use for cooking. It's very dirty and a little intimidating. To get to their room you go up wooden stairs and their room is the first door on a dark hallway (the end opens to the street - no glass for windows). The room itself is about 10 x 13' and has a bed, a folded up mattress, a tv, a fridge and ants. The linoleum is pieced together and the floor uneven. The walls are written on. There is no toilet or shower in the room. The cost is 1200 baht. The grandmother works in the evenings and does Thai Massage but gets home late. It is difficult for her to care for the two boys.

Nong Lek does not want to be back in Patong Beach. He wants to be back at Yaowawit. They can watch tv in the room or go outside but do not like it. At Yaowawit it is clean and they can shower and have meals and it's safe. I think this place may be safe for them but it was very dirty and run down.

Nong Bush
Bush lives with his mother in an apartment that I think is 2-3000 baht. He is 5-6 years old (he's one of the kindergarten children I teach). He's very smart. Bush's mother is Thai and his father was a foreigner who left. Bush's mother works in a Thai massage place at night so Bush is left home alone in the evenings. He gets much love and attention from his mother.

Nong Let
I think I have Let's name wrong... he's about 10 years old. He lives with his mother and brother in a small run down room. They pay either 1200-2000 baht for their place. There is no bathroom. The place is probably 10x10' with a bed, tv and fridge. I don't know what Let's mother does for a living... I forgot to ask. Let plays video games a lot or watches tv. The video games are 20 baht an hour. I don't know the entire story here.


Each of these was discouraging but left me wondering what poverty looks like in the slums of the US. I imagine that they are not places I would like to visit either and are probably just as dirty with the same dismal stories... just a little different.


After we left Patong Beach, Uncle Jew and Kru Noi and I drove around a bit running errands. It was terribly hot and after walking around in Patong city trying to find where the children lived and then riding in the hot car we were exhausted. We finally ended up back at the Big C and Kru Noi and I were able to hit a bathroom and freshen up. I soaked my head in water to help. Yes, I'm sure the locals think that I look ridiculous (and most of the time I do... dressed in my travel clothes and having horrible hair that WILL NOT cooperate in this climate). Anyways, were had about an hour to kill so Kru Noi and I had KFC - yes you heard right... Kentucky Fried Chicken! and Icecream and did a little shopping.

Afterwards we picked up Kru Kung from her accounting class and Uncle Jew took us to see the Big Buddha. This is a 35 meter statue overlooking the city of Phuket. From the top you have a view east of the city as well as a view west of Kata and Karon beach (there are some trees in the way to the west but it's absolutely gorgeous). You ring the big bell 9 times, walk around Buddha 3 times. I loved this and the detour had me humming. It's a lovely drive 6 km up from the road that goes from Phuket to Kata/Karon. The sun had set so we left in the dark.

We stopped at the night market for 20 minutes and then it was off to drop off one of the students at her home on the north side of Phuket island. The drive back was about 1.5 hours and we stopped and dropped off the teachers/staff and the last student. We finally made it home by about 9:00 or 9:30 pm.

I missed Yaowawit and the people so it was lovely spending the day with some of them and really nice to be back.

PIZZA! Did I mention PIZZA???

LOVE the pizza. If you are in Karon Beach you must visit "2gether" which is a GREAT steak and pizza/pasta place. YUM.

I had a vegetarian pizza (I'm craving vegies and am over meat at the moment - or at least the Thai meat) and a Chang beer. YUM. Ate by myself. Eventually the owner came over to say hello and see how the pizza was. They probably have the best around. He stole the pizza cook from another restaurant and paid the guy 3+ times more to keep him. He also has a great steak cook as well. I may have to try the steak! His wife and daughter were there. He's originally from Sweden and eventually moved to Thailand permanently.

For the curious, dinner was 280 baht (200 pizza, 50 baht chang beer, 30 baht water)

So... after dinner I walked around the corner to one of the bars and ordered a bloody mary. YES. You heard me... I'm drinkin' it up. (Did I mention that last night I hit the "Oyster Restaurant" and had a coconut alcohol drink? YUM - and that thing was huge!). Anyways, enjoyed the bloody mary but even more important, the bartender, "We" is his name, was playing Creedence Clearwater Revival. Ahhh a whisper of music from home. I rather enjoyed myself. Hung out and yacked with the bartender and a local aussie who is now a permanent Thai resident. They are Harley fans and are part of the local club. Too bad I'm leaving tomorrow because they invited me to the club BBQ (at the bar). Bummer! Meet local motorcycle enthusiasts! And I'm not even an enthusiast myself! Just enjoy speaking English to people and listening to American (good American) music! (and the bloody mary was 160 baht, water 30 baht...).

Michael and Sherri, I've found the good eats and good drink spots! I'm sure we'll discover others but for now I've at least got us hooked up for the first night! Cheers!

Okay, so I may still have a buzz...

buzz... buzz... I'm off to my room. Gotta get up early. I'm enjoying my happy little buzz and the water's about to kick in (I drank at least a liter!). Gotta run... PPPPPPeace out.
BWWAHHHHHH!!! Heh hehe hee! Burp. Giggle...

Karon Beach

Hi all,

I'm in Karon Beach which is right next to Kata Beach tonight. I changed guest houses. I met an Italian couple that made me want to drown them but... ended up finding a place to stay together (separate rooms). Didn't help with the price and they were outright rude to the Thais we encountered. Idiots. Last night's guest house was 300 baht and had a bathroom in the room (WOW) and a tv and fridge and had windows that opened (although it was 4 floors up). That place was Kata Golden Guest House.

Anyways, decided to move to the beach my sister and brother-in-law will be staying at for tonight to try out a guest house recommended by Lek at Old Town Guest House. It's the Pineapple Guesthouse. Cost is 360 baht per night for room with fan (has a bathroom in the room and tv and fridge as well - yay!).

http://www.pineapplephuket.com/

Although Kata and Karon are beautiful I am now officially bored. I find that I can only swim in the ocean and lay on the beach and read... all by myself for only so long. BORED. bored. bored. Wishing the school was open and that I could get back to my routine.

I'm meeting Uncle Jew in Old Town Phuket tomorrow at 9:00 am so I will be up early to catch the 30 baht bus back. I'll catch a ride with him to Yaowawit School and hope to get a bus this coming Wednesday to Bangkok to prepare for the Nepal trip. I need a Nepal Visa and would like to see more of Bangkok.

Anyways, got any homework that you need help editing? Got any work you need me to do? Insurance certificates??? HAAAAAAaaa! Okay maybe not quite desperate enough to do those for free but... about ready to ask for work!! Sigh. Can't wait to see my sister and brother-in-law and I can't wait to get to Nepal.

Good luck to you all with the market stuff.
Love and hugs,
jaz

Back in Phuket

Okay, so I'm back in Phuket tonight. I'm staying at... you guessed it! My fav the Old Town Hostel. I will be going to Kata Beach again tomorrow morning after taking care of some errands and then staying in a guesthouse or bungalow in Kata for Thursday and Friday night.

I'm meeting Uncle Jew back at a noodle shop by the Merlin hotel in Phuket at 9:00 am Saturday morning.

Today is the first night of the Vegetarian Buddhist festival so if my stomach settles down (just started again tonight) then I'll head out and walk the streets with the festival crowd. It's kind of a Chinese Buddhist festival (I think). You can google it... or I may get the real details and blog later.

Anyways, those participating are wearing all white. There are Chinese lanterns lit along the street and they are beautiful. Along the sidewalks are vendors with lots of food and goodies. I believe the crowd is actually headed toward the Chinese temple to see the Buddha so I may jet shortly... Phuket is a pretty okay place to walk around at night.

I've run into two of our students so far, one of which was one of my students. They live here in Phuket Old Town and are on their break. These kids are awesome. I miss them!

Anyways, I wish you all the best.
Love and hugs,
jaz

Annapurna blog

Check out this guy's blog - it's AWESOME!

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/llew/annapurna-circuit-2-the-family-edition.html

Cooking with Than

Last week one of the cooks, Than (same name as one of the teachers) let me help her cook dinner. She lives in one of the room houses near me and every night she goes over to Sri's which is in the same group of houses and cooks dinner for Uncle Jew, Sri, herself, her boyfriend and sometimes me.

This dish is "like a carrot...but not carrot." Basically it soaks (and it's either really salty or been soaked in salt). She kept pointing to the salt and to the "non-carrot" saying "same-same." We chopped it, fried it in oil and garlic and added a scrambled egg. It was YUMMY. I had dinner with them that night.










Than has a wicked sense of humor - like Kru Than but different. I love laughing with them.

Video from the fair

The fair last Thursday

This is Nong "My" - she sat with me in the stands for a bit.










Various pics from the parade as it started out...






































Marching through town... these aren't in order



















Yaowawit Band