"I Think I'm Gonna Jump in the Pool"

Now that summer school (aka October school) is over and my little munchkins have returned to their regular schools, I now have time to work on the blog. In the last two weeks Nick worked another 3 shifts, but mostly waited for me to get home from work.

He was summoned back to Bophut Resort for three more days of teaching due to a sick staff member. One man's adult chickenpox is another man's livelihood.

This is the beautiful reception staff.









In case the uniforms didn't give it away, these are the food and beverage employees.












And finally, the housekeeping and gardening staff. True to Thai style they obviously enjoyed Nick's physical humor, but hey, who doesn't?










Nick and I tried to make the most of our weekend off together before I headed back to work. We first journeyed over to Bang Rak to check out the beach. During our walk we happened upon some coconut trees. I'm no Demian Knight, but I like to think my climb was impressive.








Anyone who's seen Nick's toes can surmise that he'd be an excellent tree climber. Look at him way up by the coconuts.
















Somehow I managed to pull off a toothy grin despite this rickety two-by-four rope swing. It's a wonder I came away unscathed.














After our walk along the beach we scooted out to the peninsula where Big Buddha sits. Before climbing the stairs to admire Buddha up close, we did some shopping in the tourist center at the base. Nick scored a smashing pair of dragon clad hippie pants. Check out the video below for a closer look.












At the top of the stairs you can buy yourself some good luck! You deposit a small donation into a box, take a stick, remove your shoes and walk around the perimeter whacking each of the bells as you circle the Buddha.













Video disclaimer:
This video is two minutes of Nick walking in a circle whacking bells. The entertainment value lies only in being able to hear the bells bong as you watch Nick creatively (and disrespectfully) hit them as he passes. Some may find my obvious discomfort with Nick's bell-ringing technique entertaining, "maybe just one time per bell," however I find it embarrassing!



I decided we'd better get Nick away from those bells, so we made our way further south to Wat Plai Laem which features two huge statues, a few temples, some sculptures, roosters, and of course, swan shaped paddle boats.












To the left is the Chinese Buddha, several stories high, with his jolly grin and distended belly. If you've ever wondered why this Buddha is so...rotund, it's because to the Chinese, having a big belly is similar to what we'd say about someone having a big heart.








This is 18 armed figure is Guanyin, the Goddess of mercy and compassion. The Buddha above her head represents her vow to uphold Buddhist principles, and the vase in her lap is supposed to contain the compassion she will pour onto the people of the world.

After our exciting and informative weekend, I felt prepared to return to work for one last week of summer school.




A couple times after work, Nick and I made it here despite precarious motorbike rides through road construction. "What is this place made of lattice and concrete blocks?" you ask. Well, let me tell you.













It it 99 Gym. For 100 Bhat ($3) you can come in and pump some iron...
















or partake in some cardiovascular exercise. The equipment isn't state of the art and it's open air so there are a ton of mosquitoes, but for three dollars it's a cheap way to burn off all those extra papaya salad and roti calories. I'm not ready to embrace the Chinese belly philosophy quite yet.













Saturday, sweet Saturday. With my six day work week coming to a close and a full moon in the sky, Nick and I were in the mood to celebrate!











On our way out to dinner we realized that we weren't the only ones. "She's mine, see."











Nothing like a romantic full moon to set the mood!













After a delicious beach-side dinner of red snapper and lemongrass chicken, we met up with our friend Mark for a fire. Thank goodness for the construction site where we found wood scraps and dried palm fronds. Our fire started out small but with the bounty of burning material it grew quickly.






A couple Thai guys a few meters away from us liked our idea, and soon the unspoken competition was on. Their fire was jealous of our fire.










There's nothing more rock-n-roll than a beach fire during a full moon, am I right?
















By this point in the evening our competitors had made their retreat, clearly defeated. This was one of my favorite nights in a while. The cloudless sky, the full moon illuminating the sand and sea, and the exhilarating fire made for a spectacular time.












So, as of the 29th of October, our visa will be expired. In an attempt to postpone our visa run for another month, we found out we could apply for a 30 day extension at the Samui Immigration Office. Monday morning I was out of bed bright and early, sure the day would be a success.

I Think I'm Gonna Jump in the Pool, by Ty Andersen

Inside a small poolside house, Ty is fully made up, donning black shirt and floral skirt. She is pacing the living room. Nick is in the bathroom shaving.

Ty: (impatiently) Are you almost ready?

Nick: Almost, can you pack the backpack?

Ty moves from room to room gathering swim suits, beach towel, sunscreen, bug spray and books, putting them into the backpack as she goes. She puts the camera gently in her purse.

They walk out the front door, but Ty turns around and reenters the house. She quickly grabs her helmet from the wooden sofa and hurries out the door. As she returns Nick is strapping on his tevas. Purse and helmet in hand, Ty is startled by a monstrous black flying bug that is circling her head.

Ty: Honey, hurry up, it's one of those big black bees!

Ty brushes past Nick and scurries shoeless down the porch stairs.

Nick: Ty, relax. Get your shoes.

Ty: Seriously, it's still following me. Damn it! I didn't even put on my shoes!

Ty steps up to the walkway by the pool. Nick uses the parallel walkway through the garden.

Ty: (calmly) It will not leave me alone, I think I'm gonna jump in the pool.

Nick: Don't jump in the pool.

Ty: Where is it?

Nick: Op...it's in your hair!

Ty veers toward the pool's edge and steps off still holding her belongings. Just before her ears submerge-

Nick: Really?

Ty's head reemerges from the water.

Nick: REALLY?!?

Ty: Yes, it would not leave me alone!

Ty is still holding her purse and paddles quickly to get it out of the water.

Ty: Crap! The camera is probably broken.

As Nick is crossing the garden, Ty runs her fingers through her hair. She takes a breath and goes back under the water. Nick fumbles with the camera.

Ty: (still running her fingers through her hair) I think it's STILL in my hair! Can you get it out?

Nick: (moving closer) I don't see anything.

Their attention turns to the bug floating in the water and the look of panic fades from Ty's face.

Ty: It's one of those beetles.

Nick: Like the one you almost broke your ass rescuing?

Ty retrieves her submerged helmet and sunglasses, exits the pool laughing, and walks past the now drowned beetle (probably the same one she saved just weeks earlier).

Back on the porch.

Nick: (trying desperately not to laugh) Do you want me to go pick up the laundry so you have something to wear?

Ty: No I'll just wring out this outfit. It'll be fine.

Ten minutes later they exit the house, Ty dressed in a sopping black shirt and floral skirt. She puts on her dripping helmet and they leave the garden...

Scene.

We finally made it to the immigration office to find out that it was CLOSED due to a public holiday!

Determined to salvage this day, we ventured further south to the butterfly garden where we paid an admission price of $6 each. "Six dollars? Well, we're already here."

I don't know if it was worth $6 but, there were beautiful orchids...

















and waterfalls. You'll notice Nick's dressed up for the immigration office. Dress pants are uncomfortable in this heat.












Again with the orchids.














I think this was my favorite.














You'd think wearing drenched clothes would cool me off, but it was HOT! As we sat taking in the sights of the garden, we wondered why didn't see more butterflies.










Aw, snap! Butterflies are smart!














There were still a few butterflies that hadn't found the hole yet.

























Nick eventually changed into his cooler swim trunks. We couldn't decide which ensemble was funnier.















Talking to the attendant at the exhibition center inside the garden, we were informed that the butterflies "don't like to fly when it's too hot or humid." This would have been delightful information before parting with our $12, which is precisely 2/5 of our daily food and entertainment budget! Incidentally, whilst paying for our dinner at the end of the night, Nick noticed that the butterfly attendant had forgotten our change - turns out it actually costs 30 dollars to get into the butterfly garden- our full daily budget.

They are beautiful though.


A short hike through a "tropical rock garden" (what do tropical rocks look like?) and we reached the bee exhibit. YUCK! For someone who loves honey, I don't think I could detest bees more!








There's a much larger species of bee here on Samui (Bridget Shee, you were right). It's big and black, and precisely what I thought had flown into my hair. Check these nasty suckers out, and tell me what you would have done. I'm guessing I'm not the only person who would have taken a fully-clothed dip.

This is not our video but it shows you the size of these hideous creatures! The people in the video say they don't bite or sting. I'm not convinced.



We took a photo op at what we thought was the advertised viewpoint.












We tried to get into this cage until we saw the sign. Silly us.
Thai staff get to go everywhere! LUCKY!















We found out the viewpoint was only "50 steeps" up the hill. 50 steeps must be equivalent to 53 steps. I counted.
















On our way down the hill from the butterfly garden we saw a idyllic empty beach and thought it would be a perfect place for us to carry out our latest Fiverr assignment. Thanks Chad!










Now that is a sexy photograph.


























I couldn't resist having a little fun at Nick's expense.


Having finished our arduous task, we took a walk down the beach where we came across this deserted resort.
















The once inviting pool looked a little dirty for my liking. Check out the before picture by clicking here!












I decided to take a rest among the ruins. It's a shame this place is closed down. The relics have so much charm.










I'm not sure what this was. Boat launch?














Dilapidated bungalow.












Click here to see what the inside used to look like!


















Finally, the reception area. We should have known from the bee[tle] incident that Monday would end in ruins. :)










We deemed Monday an overwhelming success despite a few minor setbacks and Tuesday was downright productive. Today we managed to get our visa extension, schedule our visa run, and above all, stay dry. Neither of us work until Saturday when I have my three hour shift. You'll have to keep reading the blog to see what I fall off of or jump into next. Lots of time to get into trouble this week.

Hugs, kisses, and misses,

Ty and Nick

Our Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Update

So... to our 31 faithful blog followers (and even to our unofficial followers, strangers, and friends who occasionally peruse our page during moments of extreme boredom or via a misguided search), we offer an apology for our slackin' on the blog. It's all Ty's fault you see...

Ty's been just too busy educating these cute and enthusiastic Thai pupils on the many tonal nuances of "5 Little Monkey's" and "Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes" to come up with the copious amounts of free minutes needed for periodic blog upkeep.

Considering the fact that merely one week ago these little scholars-to-be had never heard of a "toe" or a "bumped head," Ty has deemed week number one of "October Summer School" a victory, and I agree. Way to go Ty! Ty will continue her five-days-a-week full time gig for yet another three weeks to come! I, on the other hand, am "between jobs" (that's what they say right, "between jobs") at the moment and ultimately contributing to the dire American unemployment rate (sorry Obama).




The second justification for our bloglessness is due to the fact that the virtually incessant rain during the last couple of weeks has left Ty and I with a scarcity of activities that we have deemed blogtastic enough to share with you people. To tell the truth, the majority of our "free" time has been filled with pretty exciting stuff: movie watching, internet surfing, and strange and exotic fruit eating (hence the title of the blog). Sorry we're not more interesting.









But before we get to the fruits. Let's talk ice cream and modeling at the Bophut Fishermen's Villiage. We've logged and noted that according to their own sign -18 Below "probably" has the best ice cream in Samui so it's worth a gamble, right?









During one of our brief respites from the weather, I jump-started my modeling career. I'm not a big deal in Samui yet, but I'm building my portfolio so.












Easy ladies. Relax. I'm taken.









So, can you believe it, shortly after the modeling agency snapped these jaw-droppingly sexy photos and I received my gratuities, the monsoons rolled in yet again. Back to the fruit.

These grapefruit-like babies are called Pomelos. They are DELICIOUS but require effort. The following breathtaking photographic adventure features Ty harvesting the mouthwatering flesh of the Pomelo. Don't blink.

It starts with a precise spiraling incision into the 1/4 inch-thick skin (Dre Rivera Cartright, I'm talking to you, she pretty much "severed" it)...













Sinister.









Next, the technical gives way to sheer brute force. Look at her! She's savagely relieving this fruit of it's handsome scalp!

















I shudder when I recall the heinousness of it all...

















The sadistic delight on her face chills me to the bone! The Horror. The madness!! And finally...











The remains.













WTF? I know, I thought it too. It's not an alien egg, it's a Rambutan and the little freakish orbs are creepy, juicy and quite delightful.










Confession. I was a little terror stricken before the tasting.













Okay, so it might be an alien egg after all. The texture can best be described as solidly gelatinous (can I say that?) but the flavor is inexplicable. You gotta try one asap! Next time you're at Albertsons, ask the clerk - they keep them in the back.







After having conquered the Pomelo and the Rambutan, these little suckers looked pretty standard. They're called Langsat and I'm pretty impressed by their normalcy. Kinda look like a bunch of grapes. I like grapes.








I didn't even mind sharing them with the stowaway ants who hitchhiked home with Ty from the fruit stand.











These guys are easy to peel. They share a similar texture with the Rambutan and are equally fantastic but they're juicier and taste a little like grapefruit.










The final product is pretty cute. It kind of looks like a mini albino pumpkin right?

Are you tired of the "fresh and fruitiness" yet? Okay, let's move on.







This picture has nothing to do with anything but it's cute of both of us so there! Boo Ya! Oh, and it was taken at one of our favorite restaurants "The Lazy Coconut." True to it's namesake, the food takes ages (lazy chefs?), so we take pictures to pass the time. On this particular day they were offering a Sunday Roast with a mix of lamb, chicken, and beef with sides of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding (Bridget Shee, it gets us out of moods too!). We're thinking of going there on Christmas. Does Christmas fall on a Sunday this year? Depressing.


After dinner we again find ourselves at the "Three Legged Dog" (getting bunny suit flashbacks). The proprietor of the establishment, Mark, was a bit freaked out when a mad woman came stumbling in. She was mumbling inaudibly and talking to the black light sensitive Bob Marley poster. Yikes.













Later that evening, Mark showed us this book that he borrowed. No explanation necessary.

Ty and I got a giggle over the fact that it is Vol 1. How many volumes does it take to teach a person to say pretty much the same thing?











Oh Snap! Mark and Heather Hickok. Lately, Ty and I have been scarfing these Seven-Eleven "toasties" which are the rough Thai equivalent to the Space Burger. You can get them in all the expected varieties like Crab Stick with Fish Roe, or Shredded Pork with Salad Dressing." We go with the Ham and Cheese or the Hot Dog and Cheese though. Yum.




Like I mentioned earlier, when it rains -and it does a lot lately- all Ty and I do is consume food.

Ty talked about this place in her last blog - the one that's next to the sewer remember? Well, this is a view of that place. She's obsessed with their fruit shakes.










<---- Ta Da! A mixed fruit shake (they're different every time based on local availability so it's kind of a fun surprise).











Keeping to the food theme. We recently found a slightly more upscale restaurant which offers a more ambient atmosphere and no sewer stench at only a small price bump. Thai's think we're blinking mad taking all these pictures of the food by the way and I don't blame them.






Remember my obsession with Papaya salad? Here it is in all it's glory! Som Tam I love you!












One thing about ordering fish in Thailand is that when it arrives at the table, it still often looks like, well, a fish.









So after we photographed and consumed more food, we hop on our hog and rode to this Chinese Temple to visit our cat. Well, it's not officially our cat but we've kind of adopted her.

In effort to avoid becoming eaten by the local dogs etc. she lives here after they lock it up in the evenings. Occasionally we make the short trip over to the temple and call for her; before you know it, out she pops for some Andersen pamperin!





The temple is right by the beach and it wasn't raining for a change so we cruised down and watched the sunset.









On days that the rain Gods take pity on us, we play! Here we are tearin' it up on the ole' kayak. Look at us go!












Aww. How romantic.











The day after the kayaking adventure documented above it began to rain again.

And then it rained, and rained, and rained until yesterday (Saturday). We took full advantage of the sun and jam packed the day full of fun. The day started with a jungle hike to Hin Rat Waterfall and ended in Ty and I doing some paid endorsements (you'll see).

Along the trail we saw some Langsat! Remember those?!








We had a blast goofing around in the jungle.

















This is Ty's version of the "Buddha Head in Tree" from Ayutthaya . Uncanny.





















This butterfly doesn't look all that impressive on film (film?) but it was as big as my hand in real life and quite beautiful.












In contrast to this guy who was also almost as big as my hand but quite ugly. What do red and yellow mean again? Touch him?











Now we're just getting gross.












Finally, we arrive at the waterfall and get a chance to relax among the hordes of hungry mozzies! Do you see me? Look closely.










Despite the bugs it was still quite refreshing to be out of the woods (and the house) for a change and in the sunshine.










Again, the picture doesn't do it justice, but these ferns have a glow reminiscent of the plant life on Pandora.











After our hike, we hit up this stall for some electrolyte rich coconut water.
















Refreshing! (ignore that crappy picture - I attribute it to bad lighting and dehydration, not homeliness).















So get this Dad, we actually got up early enough to complete a hike, get back to the house for a quick rest, and then actually make it to the beach all before lunch!

This kite boarder was fun to watch while we did more eating and photographing of food.






Pineapple fried rice in a pineapple? Who would of thought?












Here we go ordering something we can't pronounce again. They were tastier than they look.










So after lunch Ty checked her email and found out we had to work after all! Here's the deal, Ty signed up for this account on a website called "Fiverr" where you can offer different services for five dollars. Her advertisement promises the customer that we (meaning her and I) "will write any message the customer wants in the sand on any beach in Samui with or without us in the photo." Turns out the company owners of Beachout (an online social networking site) were all for it and hired us for a quick gig. Here we are tirelessly raking in the dough even on our day off.



Are you going to Beachout? We are!













We even threw in a couple extras pics just for kicks. After we punched the time clock we spent the rest of the afternoon bobbing around in the waves and playing on the beach - dang, we love Thailand!







Just as we were getting cocky and used to the sun again we saw some ominous clouds looming offshore and chose to to pack it in for the night...

This picture was literally taken an hour after the picture above! Crazy.

I was so flabbergasted about the whole ordeal I took a quick video. Reminds me of home!





At this point we're actually starting to get more settled into Mae Nam, Samui. We're meeting more people and making some friends, orientating ourselves with the island, working on the language, and, of course trying to mix ample play (and ample eating) with our work schedules (by "our" I mean Ty's of course).

For now, the plan is to stay in Samui for a few more months, work when we can, and get our place "homey" and ready for the gobs of visitors who will be arriving any time now right? Right? Around March or so, the idea is to uproot again and travel within and around SE Asia for the remainder of our trip which may be concluding in Fiji. But who knows? Our lives are like the Thai weather right now! We miss everyone and will try and be more faithful posters! Please comment on our blog or email us people ! We are curious and want to hear from you too! Missing everyone!

Nick and Ty