Why Did the Chickens Cross the Road?

We spent some of our last days in Thailand with my mom, who stayed with us for five days. We tried our best to show her a great time despite the recent floods and intermittent inclement weather. She had a blast learning about the Thai culture, meeting our Thai and English friends, getting a foot massage, seeing the sights, improvising a "home theater room" out of her bedroom, and drinking fruit shakes (her record was literally 4 in one day). We took most of the pictures on her camera instead of ours and never got around to uploading her pics, so here are few moments we were able to capture.

On her second day we were blessed with a sneak peak of sunshine so we tore ourselves from the makeshift theater and hustled to Hin Lad Waterfall for a look-see.










Wouldn't you know it? We spotted a small elephant camp beside the falls, and since no trip to Thailand is complete without an elephant encounter, we guided my giddy mom over to feed this gentle giant.









Then it was off to Namuang Waterfall 2, which we couldn't access up close, but we managed to maneuver our rental car throughout the hilly curves to this breathtaking lookout.











Yep - overpriced coffee. Thanks mom!












Big Buddha is absolutely gorgeous at night.













My mom had to leave a day earlier than planned due to flight issues so we crammed her last day with beach relaxation, gluttony, and festival activities, otherwise known as festivities which is a creative amalgamation of the two words (yeah, I made it up, but you can use it). While mom and I relaxed by the sea on Lamai beach, Nick did some beach combing. He crafted this beach art from his sea glass findings. Isn't it sweet?





Then it was off to The Lazy Coconut to celebrate an early Thanksgiving dinner with their delectable Sunday roast. Nick and I are so thankful for this experience and thrilled that my mom was able to share in a part of it!









Loi Krathong is a Thai Festival of Lights. In short, people float these lotus shaped boats made of banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense for a few different reasons:
1. As offerings to Mae Khongkha -Mother of Waters- to show gratitude for water and to ask forgiveness for polluting waterways (thank goodness some are made from biodegradable materials).
2. To cast off misfortune or misery.
3. Couples can cast Loi Krathongs together to determine the future of the relationship and to wish for happiness.

We were happy to participate in this beautiful tradition. There's more info about Loi Krathong here.

























By the time we had finished watching our Krathongs float away, it was just about time to head to the airport. :(

We dropped off the rental car and then made good on our promise to give mom a ride on the motorbike. I'm pretty sure her squeals were from delight and not terror.






This is a bit random, but while waiting outside a tea shop at the airport, this frog got a little snoopy about what all the fuss was about. Thirsty I guess.





We had such a fantastic time showing my mom around Samui, it was sad to see her go. Unfortunately for her, it took her just under three days to get home because of the snow storm in Seattle and flying standby. Surprisingly, she still sounded elated from her visit, even after her long journey home. So glad you came, mom!

And then it was our turn to travel. We began our next adventure at noon on Thursday by van, ferry, bus, night train, and taxi, to arrive at our hotel in Bangkok Friday at 9am.











These two seats we were sitting in slid together to form one bed and the white thing above Nick folded down to form the second bunk. It was actually quite comfortable; so much better than an overnight bus.













This morning it was off to Hanoi where our hotel, Wings II Resort, graciously arranged for a taxi to pick us up at the airport in order for us to avoid a current scam by airport taxis. "Oh, no. That hotel is full. I'll take you to one that's not, the commission appears to be higher for me here."

This was our first time being picked up by someone holding a sign with our name on it. He thought we were crazy taking a picture of our own name - good first impression.



The taxi drive into the Old Quarter, Hanoi was intense. Right away we noticed the tendency for drivers to honk, not aggressively, but often. I've never heard so many horns in my life. Even though the drivers are back in the left seat and the cars on the right side of the road, we won't be renting a car or a motorbike while in Hanoi, lest someone lose a life.






As in Thailand, the road is shared by EVERYONE.












Upon arriving at the hotel, three welcoming staff members greeted us and even served us warm breakfast while our room was prepared; it was a wonderful surprise not to have to go out for breakfast after traveling since 4am! After checking in we took our first bath in 4 months (yessssss) rested in the room and then went downstairs to book a cruise around Halong Bay. The amazing staff once again invited us into their personal family style lunch of rice, egg, greens, prawns, and pork. We feel privileged to be the recipients of such warm hospitality.

Having done nothing but eat and sit all day, a walk was in order. A five minute jaunt brought us to Hoan Kiem Lake.

























There was a photo shoot for a bridal catalog all around the lake.












And I can see why; the scenery is stunning.



























Despite the photo shoot, we managed to attract some attention of our own. Just as we were taking this picture of ourselves, I caught a glimpse of a Vietnamese man doing likewise. :)
Blast the rainy season for depriving us of those valuable UVA and UVB rays! We officially stand out as tourists again.

On a related note, Hanoi is not warm, or sunny, so I don't see our pigment situation improving.




This is a carcass of a gigantic tortoise whose species is still rumored to populate the lake, but this is the only one we saw.











And now to answer the question, "Why did the chickens cross the road?"
Answer: It was the only way back to our hotel.

First we needed to summon up some courage and scope some technique. If she can do it, we can do it, right?



And now it's our turn. Apparently the key is to never step backward, only forward, and the cars and motorbikes will avoid you. It's quite difficult not to freak out.



We're planning on spending our time in North Vietnam exploring Halong Bay by boat and then trekking the hilly region of Sapa. As we are once again traveling and therefore, like, doing stuff again, we should be (pending internet connection) resuming more frequent blogging activity. Stay tuned.

Hugs, Kisses, and Misses

Ty and Nick

P.S. (By Nick) I know this has nothing necessarily to do with the blog, but it does concern a lot of you 35 faithful followers (especially Ty and the amazing group of Jackson students and teachers from last year who weathered the storm along with me through thick and thin) I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you guys and everyone else who helped me, supported me, and guided me through the unbelievably tedious National Boards process (you know who you are). There is literally no way I could have succeeded without you guys and I am forever appreciative of your help and patience. I will pay it forward every chance I get.

Update: The Aftermath

Just a quick update. The rain finally stopped long enough for us to make it to the beach without getting wet. The walk home wasn't so dry.

Lolita and the other employees/family members of Lolita Bungalow were our first sight on Haad Maenam. It seems all of the flood runoff from the town ran right through her resort trying to find its way to the sea, leaving her with a huge mess to clean up. She came over to talk to us for a little while and refused our help with the clean up, not wanting to ruin our "holiday." We tried to explain but it was no use.





The flaming piles of rubbish and coconuts were quite toxic and where dotted down the length of the beach.
















Lolita and her industrious crew hadn't yet reached this area. Apparently this is what her entire property looked like after the storm.











Satang Bar, where we had Mark's birthday bbq and where the bamboo tattoo pictures were taken, was also nearly demolished by the tempestuous typhoon. They were in the process of rebuilding as we passed.

The Thai government has estimated the total cost of the flood damage to 100 billion Baht. This combined with the lack of tourism due to the recent political unrest is quite unfortunate for the Thai economy.



We just thought this was funny.













Although we weren't able to help with the cleanup efforts, we were able to give back in our own little way, as promised. We spent a couple fun days with ladies at Tropical Massage teaching them English. We have another session with them on Monday.

Our example greeting video that Nun can use to train her staff now and after we leave.



This is Da Da practicing the greeting portion of our lessons.




After getting a glimpse of my hair in the previous video I reckoned it was time for a cut and color after 5 months of neglect. I was edgy during the entire process but quite pleased with the final result, considering my hair was cut and colored by a Thai lady-boy who surely hadn't had much experience with westerners' hair (especially a temperamental frizzy mop like mine).










It's still doesn't live up to my standards at home, but one thing I've learned in Thailand is that I can be happy with much less than I would expect at home. Of course, that's not to say I'm not looking forward to Lisa getting my locks back into shape.













On the upcoming agenda:

My mom will be visiting us for about a week and we will be hoping for a dry spell. She gets here on Nick's birthday, November 17th, and is staying until the 22nd. We leave Samui by ferryboat and train on the 25th. We'll spend one night in Bangkok and then head off to Hanoi, Vietnam on the 27th. We're a little nervous because we've settled in to a predictable comfort in Samui, but we're happy to trade predictability for the thrill of novelty, which we're bound to find in Vietnam, Cambodia and Nepal. Let the adventure continue!

Hugs, kisses, and misses!

So We Wanted an Adventure...

We've had an exciting couple of days and just can't wait to share it with you guys!

To celebrate Mark's birthday we fashioned a proper beach bbq, inspired by our previous beach-fire excursion. It's amazing the deliciousness that can come from a few fresh ingredients, a hand dug hole in the sand, a few scraps of wood and a grate.








That is a tasty burger! (Pulp)













Because the bars were closed on Friday and Saturday night for the election on Monday, the friendly folks at Satang Bar let us use their beach and fire pit for Mark's birthday dinner while they performed bamboo tattoo artistry atop their pool table.








Ouch! Bamboo is more hygienic than needles, right?












Fedora + board shorts + birthday flowers + one greasy grate + one pair of over-sized duck flip flops = one smashing birthday suit.















During the birthday festivities the waves started rolling in so the next day we snapped some photos and vids of the encroaching storm. It seems the previous night's waves had accumulated some debris. Check out that chair in the water.































































Man, I love waves!



Sunday night, Halloween, the watering holes were permitted to reopen so Mark threw a proper birthday party at his bar. Oddly enough, the Thai women were the only ones who dressed up for the occasion. Our friend Maumio looked exceptional in her costume - makes Nick's headband look pretty lame, truth be told.






























Mark's birthday drew quite a crowd, including dogs...

















and children! :)

You'll notice that Nick is behind the bar. As we're short on cash, instead of a tangible gift Nick offered to tend the bar so Mark could relax and enjoy his par-tay. My co-conspirator Rachel (wearing black) asked Nick to make her a Flaming Lamborghini. The look on his face was priceless.






Nick pretending to make a fancy drink; he really just served bottled beer.












Around two o'clock on Tuesday morning we were awoken to the sound of our air-conditioner shutting off. We were without power. Then the rain started...




We were also entertained with thunder and lightning. We took these videos while we waited for an opportunity to refill our candle supply.




Upon seeing our neighbor return home from an outing, we were inspired to hit the road. On a side note, he is a prime example of my previous fear regarding motorbikes.



Imagine our surprise when we reached the street!












It was a wet trip.




We stopped by Mark's place to borrow some board games.




After 18 powerless hours, the street water began flooding our driveway (the only way out). On the bright side (get it?) the power finally came back on.















It rained all night, hard, and by the time I woke up the mountain run-off filled the street and subsequently our driveway, all the way up to the motorbike.









Twenty minutes later the flood water breached the highest point of the driveway, and found its way into our garden.











Then it approached the pool's edge and our stairs.













During the filming of this video, I decided we better start packing (incidentally, as we finally made it out the door, the pool was no longer visible; it was literally just one huge lake of brown water).



Anyone who knows Nick, knows of his propensity to exaggerate. If this is the case for you, you also know of my persistent insistence on facts. You can see our driveway on the left. You'll notice the further you look down the driveway, the deeper the water gets. At the deepest spot the water was at our armpits as we waded out, no joke. Drenched in putrid runoff, we sat at the thatch hut brainstorming where we would spend the night. Thankfully, Nun, the woman who owns the massage/laundry business across the street, waved us over. She invited us in to take a shower. She even invited our friend Simon, whom she had never met before this moment.


This is Simon looking grateful.












After our shower we sat in Nun's shop and watched the water.
















Nun is our hero!

















She and her employees showered us with hospitality, hot coffee and kindness to warm our bones.











Just when we thought they couldn't get any nicer, Nun provided us with a warm place to spend the night in one of her massage rooms. Quite swanky rooms actually. Very homey.











After our shower and a change into the only clothes we had available we sat down for a warm meal (it wasn't embarrassing at all to wear Nick's T-shirt and underwear during dinner).










It was an honor to be included in an authentic Thai family style meal with Laek, Da Da, and Nun. We enjoyed delicious food and exquisite company, until the power went out again at 9:30.









This morning we could see from Nun's third-story window that the water had subsided some. We left our bags at Nun's and returned home to find that the water, thankfully, had not come into the house and that we again had electricity. When we returned to Nun's to retrieve our backpacks, she greeted us with a traditional (and scrumptious) Thai breakfast and more coffee, asked if we had food for lunch, and nearly insisted that we spend another night! She only let us leave after we assured her we would come back if we had any problems at our house.

We grabbed some groceries and sludge-trudged home. The house on the left is our landlord's parent's house. When Simon helped them out of the house yesterday, the water inside was just below the window. True to Thai hardiness, they were reluctant to leave. Simon physically carried the couple down the drive and out of danger.







What are you gonna do?













When the water subsides and our driveway is again passable, we're going to repay some of Nun's kindness by providing some free English lessons to Laek and Da Da. It's refreshing and inspiring to know such kind and generous people; we feel blessed!

We've been watching the weather, and it appears that although some parts of southern Thailand are tragically still under water, it seems the worst has passed for Samui (fingers crossed). As always, we're still having quite an adventure, and we're still missing everyone back at home tremendously!

Hugs, kisses, and misses.