Geo: 14.0167, 100.533 I should have started this blog over a month ago; that's how long I've been in Thailand now, since November 12, 2011. But I didn't know how to start a blog, so I asked one of my daughters (the one who writes her blog from Shenzhen, China) and she said to use TravelPod: "It's free and it's easy!" We will see. Later on we can go back and fill in the gaps in this story, but I want to write about the markets in Thailand right now. When I arrived in Pathum Thani, on November 30, I had expected to be teaching at a secondary school here, but that didn't work out for many reasons. (Another story, but later.) I would not have ever picked Pathum Thani as a place to visit, much ... read more

Geo: 12.92, 100.9 I had a lot of time on my hands in Pathum Thani, and, urged by Bill and Ariel and Laila to travel around and explore Thailand, I went to Pattaya for three days in early December. Pattaya is known as a tourist destination, but also for its beautiful beaches. Bill booked me a reservation at the Shakespeare Hotel on Jomtien Beach, and I set off on my journey. I took two buses and one minivan to get into Bangkok, then I took the Skytrain to cross Bangkok to reach Ekemai Station, the eastern terminal. This all took some time, but that's what I had most: time. Taking a taxi would have been far easier, but I wanted to see Thailand as regular Thai people see it, not as a tourist. Traveling this way ... read more

Geo: 12.569, 99.9524 While I was taking half of a TEFL course in Hua Hin, there were two weekend field trips that our little class took. The first weekend we were there nothing was planned, so three of us checked out Hua Hin's floating market, hoping it was similar to the famous floating market in Bangkok. This one was a disappointment. We 3 all rode out on one scooter; it appears everybody in Thailand rides scooters. I generally try to walk everywhere possible, but the floating market was too far away, and it was quite hot. Once we got there and parked the scooter, we looked for a way to enter; because we all look Western, we were directed to an opening that led to the boats. It cost 100Baht each (about $3 pp) to ride ... read more

Geo: 44.9701, -69.0787 Thursday, November 10, 2011 was the day I left Exeter, Maine to drive to Montreal, Canada to begin my journey to Bangkok, Thailand. Since I do not want to fly anywhere within the US anymore, because of their abusive, non-Constitutional, and cancer-causing terrorist-screening techniques, I chose to fly from Montreal, where people are still treated with respect. The drive was pleasant, pretty, although bittersweet. I had planned on leaving for almost six months, half a year away from my family, my home, our cats, to teach English to Thai children. I would miss Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why? I had been laid off from my well-paid Special Education teaching position with the Bangor Public Schools; along with many other states in the US, the state of Maine is also in dire straits financially, but ... read more