Blogs from Ko Samet, Central Thailand, Thailand, Asia

Returning to Bangkok for one night, after spending 3 weeks in a tiny rural village is like being thrust head first into a melting pot of bright flashing neon, louder than loud, bumper to bumper headonistic chaos. The first time I was here I loved it but now the second time and the novelty's quickly worn off. This is also the first time Talissa & I have seen Westerners for 3 weeks, my first sight of which is an abundance of loud leery beer swilling pot bellied vest wearing English t**ts dancing to Rhianna in the rain outside a pub on th Khao San Road. But then no one ever came down here for culture... Except maybe a ping pong show or two... However we make the most of being back in civilisation, so to speak, ... read more

Mikaan ei mennyt tanaan oletusten mukaan. Minibussikyyti tuli 70 minuuttia myohassa. Soittelin jo sinne, kun luulin etta minut oli unohdettu poimia kyytiin. Vieressani istui maltalaisia. Kuulin heilta etta heidat oli noudettu ajoissa, mutta sitten oli odotettu etta edessa istuvat arabit saivat aamiaisensa lopetettua. Yhden heista piti viela tupakoida kyydissa ja han olisi halunnut pysahtya ostamaan juotavaa, mutta protestoimme ja ajoimme sitten suoraan satamaan. No ehka vastavaa kaytosta voisi olettaa joiltakin maamiehiltanikin. Kun ostin yhdistetyn auto- ja laivakyydin, jain siihen kasitykseen, etta saisin kyydin hotellia lahimmalle rannalle. No kyyti veikin toiselle rannalle, jonne piti ensinnakin kahlata (ei ollut laituria). Sitten piti ottaa lava-autokyyti majapaikkaani. Oli muuten huonokuntoisin tie, jolla olen ollut. Kun lopulta paasin majapaikkaan, ilmeni etta se oli buukatt... read more

Nothing is more exciting living abroad than having someone you know from home come visit! It's was so great being able to share my life here in Thailand with a friend from Austin, Texas. Leslie went to McCombs with me (the business school at UT) and served as an officer with me in the Women in Business Association (WBA). Leslie just graduated in December and before her amazing job starts up in NYC she is taking the world by storm and going everywhere. We arranged to meet her at the airport that Friday evening. It was so strange being in an airport, it gets my travel blood pumping and I just wanted to get on a flight and go somewhere. This trip to Thailand has been the longest time I've spent in just on foreign country. ... read more

We have now been on the island for 5 Days. We found a vacant bungalow at White Sands Resort, the first place we tried. The first morning we woke up to torrential rain. Our bungalow was right on the side of the dirt road; water lorries had trundled along all through the night turning it into a mud bath. We couldn’t avoid having to paddle through it, so what with that and coupled with the noise of the lorries we ask if we could change bungalows. No problem, we were given a bungalow in a lovely gardened area. Sadly, a large group of Chinese guys were in the bungalow behind us and thought it would be a good idea to party at the top of their voices until 6am. I guess it is the start of ... read more

BONNE ANNÉE. 31DEC. je suis en retard dans mon blog, car internet n'est pas toujours là. Le ciel de pattaya s'illumine de milles feux, lanternes chinoises, feux d,artifice c'est fou avec le bruit c'est envoutant. 1 JAN. 2012. 11;30 DU MATIN le décompte du jour de l'an avec les gens qu'on aime grâce à skype. 12 hrs de décalage, «on a le coeur gros . on est très heureux d'avoir les souhaits et nouvelles de tous. l,après-midi plage. claude dit qu'après 26 ans de police dans le centre ville de mtl. il n'en revient pas de voir le nombre de bar etc etc. ici les russes sont bien implantés même les affiches en thai et en russe. comme je dis à 4 janv. Sortie au Nong nooch tropical garden, show d'éléphant, show des thais, un énorme ... read more